Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Atomistic-Level Hysteresis-Aware Graphene Structures Electron Transport Model

Hysteretic behavior has been experimentally observed in graphene-based structures and has a major influence on graphene surface potential and gate field modulation ability. Thus, a graphene electronic transport modelling methodology, which incorporates hysteresis effects is crucial in order to properly assess gated-controlled graphene structures response and performance. To this end, we propose an atomistic-level electronic transport model, which is non restricted to rectangular graphene geometries and captures hysteretic effects caused by near-interfacial traps, provided that interface traps trapping/detrapping time constant and density are known. We apply the model on a rectangular graphene shape and validate our results against experimentally measured drain current vs. top gate voltage hysteresis curves. Moreover, to demonstrate model's versatility we consider two non-rectangular Graphene NanoRibbons (GNRs) and investigate their hysteresis behaviour. Our experiments indicate good agreement between simulated and measured results, which qualifies the model appropriate for traps-aware exploration of the conduction behaviour of graphene-based devices and circuits.
Triarchic Dimensions of Psychopathy in Young Adulthood: Associations With Clinical and Physiological Measures After Accounting for Adolescent Psychopathic Traits

This study examined associations of psychopathy facets of boldness, meanness, and disinhibition with clinically relevant variables and physiological reactivity to affective stimuli. These associations were examined after accounting for developmental associations with adolescent psychopathic traits, namely callous–unemotional traits, narcissism, and impulsivity. Psychopathic traits were assessed during adolescence using the Antisocial Process Screening Device and the Inventory of Callous Unemotional traits and during young adulthood via the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure. Clinical variables (N = 99, Mage = 15.91, 53% female), as well as affective and physiological responses (heart rate, skin conductance, startle modulation) to violent and erotic videos (N = 88, Mage = 19.92, 50% female) were also assessed during adulthood. After accounting for adolescent psychopathic traits, boldness was associated with high cognitive reappraisal and low anxiety, fear, and hostility, and meanness was related to callous–unemotional traits, hostility, less sympathy to victims, and less use of cognitive reappraisal. Disinhibition, by contrast, was associated with impulsivity, increased anxiety, and hostile and aggressive tendencies, as well as conduct disorder, antisocial personality disorder symptoms, and cognitive suppression. In addition, evidence was found for different physiological measures operating as biological indicators of these distinctive dimensions, with reduced resting heart rate and cardiac reactivity to violent stimuli indicative of boldness, above and beyond adolescent psychopathic traits, and low startle potentiation for violent stimuli indicative of callous–unemotional traits and meanness. These findings provide evidence for the value of a multidomain approach for clarifying neurobiological mechanisms of psychopathic tendencies that can inform prevention and treatment efforts.
Observing eye movements and the influence of cognition during a symbol search task: a comparison across three age groups

Abstract This study examined eye movements during a visual search task as well as cognitive abilities within three age groups. The aim was to explore scanning patterns across symbol grids and to better understand the impact of symbol location in AAC displays on speed and accuracy of symbol selection. For the study, 60 students were asked to locate a series of symbols on 16 cell grids. The EyeLink 1000 was used to measure eye movements, accuracy, and response time. Accuracy was high across all cells. Participants had faster response times, longer fixations, and more frequent fixations on symbols located in the middle of the grid. Group comparisons revealed significant differences for accuracy and reaction times. The Leiter-R was used to evaluate cognitive abilities. Sustained attention and cognitive flexibility scores predicted the participants’ reaction time and accuracy in symbol selection. Findings suggest that symbol location within AAC devices and individuals’ cognitive abilities influence the speed and accuracy of retrieving symbols.
Exchange Rate Dynamics and Forecast Errors about Persistently Trending Fundamentals

This paper offers and tests a unique explanation for the exchange rate determination puzzle. It is not that exchange rates are unrelated to fundamentals, but rather when fundamentals undergo persistent changes it becomes important to measure their effect in terms of how they change relative to what was expected. This result is demonstrated with a simple present discounted value model of the exchange rate and then tested for four USD exchange rates using interest rate forecast data from nearly 50 major banks. Using the polynomially cointegrated VAR, or I(2) CVAR, the interest rate forecast errors are found to have a large and statistically significant impact on the exchange rate even independent of the level and change in the relative interest rate (with t-values in the double digits for all four samples). Further, this effect is greater in the samples with stronger evidence of persistent changes in the interest rate differential.
Testing for Spatial Equilibrium Using Happiness Data

Happiness data are rarely used in regional and urban analysis, but it is a prime data set for testing the assumption of spatial equilibrium, the key assumption in the field of urban economics. In this paper, we explore the relationship between regional happiness and one-year lagged change in population growth rates for the nine census regions in the United States using data on reported well-being from National Opinion Research Center's annual General Social Survey. We observe that, while there is evidence of spatial disequilibrium during recessions and in the long run, happier regions generally experience higher population growth rates indicating a movement (or tendency) toward spatial equilibrium.
Phthalate Concentrations and Dietary Exposure from Food Purchased in New York State

Background: Phthalates have been found in many personal care and industrial products, but have not previously been reported in food purchased in the United States. Phthalates are ubiquitous synthetic compounds and therefore difficult to measure in foods containing trace levels. Phthalates have been associated with endocrine disruption and developmental alteration. Objectives: Our goals were to report concentrations of phthalates in U.S. food for the first time, specifically, nine phthalates in 72 individual food samples purchased in Albany, New York, and to compare these findings with other countries and estimate dietary phthalate intake. Methods: A convenience sample of commonly consumed foods was purchased from New York supermarkets. Methods were developed to analyze these foods using gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy. Dietary intakes of phthalates were estimated as the product of the food consumption rate and concentration of phthalates in that food. Results: The range of detection frequency of individual phthalates varied from 6% for dicyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP) to 74% for di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP). DEHP concentrations were the highest of the phthalates measured in all foods except beef [where di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP) was the highest phthalate found], with pork having the highest estimated mean concentration of any food group (mean 300 ng/g; maximum, 1,158 ng/g). Estimated mean adult intakes ranged from 0.004 μg/kg/day for dimethyl phthalate (DMP) to 0.673 μg/kg/day for DEHP. Conclusions: Phthalates are widely present in U.S. foods. While estimated intakes for individual phthalates in this study were more than an order of magnitude lower than U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reference doses, cumulative exposure to phthalates is of concern and a more representative survey of U.S. foods is indicated.
Electroencephalographic signals during anesthesia recorded from surface and depth electrodes

Abstract Purpose: Anesthesiologists have increasingly started to use EEG-based indexes to estimate the level and type of unconsciousness. However, the physiology and biophysics are poorly understood in anesthesiological literature. Methods: EEG was recorded from electrodes on the surface of head, including scalp, as well as DBS (deep brain stimulation) electrodes implanted deep in the brain. Mathematical modeling with a realistic head model was performed to create illustrative images of the sensitivity of electrode montages. Results: EEG pattern of anesthesia, burst-suppression, is recordable outside of scalp area as well in the depth of brain because the EEG current loops produce recordable voltage gradients in the whole head. The typical electrodes used in anesthesia monitoring are most sensitive to basal surface of frontal lobes as well as frontal and mesial parts of temporal lobes. Conclusions: EEG currents create closed-loops, which flow from the surface of the cortex and then return to the inside of the hemispheres. In the case of widespread synchronous activity like physiological sleep or anesthesia, the currents recorded with surface and depth electrodes return through the base of brain and skull.
THE HIGH – LOW SPREAD ESTIMATOR IS NOT WELL – BEHAVED IN COMMODITY MARKETS

In spite of the increasing availability of high-quality data and the possibility of obtaining direct commodity trading costs in recent periods, historical series of transaction costs still require bid-ask spread estimation. In this work, we verify whether the popular high-low spread estimator performs well in commodity markets so that it can be used to construct long-term cost estimates. We find that the estimator suffers both from measurement error increasing in the volatility-to-spread ratio and consistently positive error in a variety of empirical and experimental settings. As the measurement error in the high-low estimator depends on ex-ante knowledge about the usually unobserved true spread level, we conclude that the spread measure is not well-behaved and should be avoided in commodity markets.
Nitrogen effects on net ecosystem carbon exchange in a temperate steppe

It has widely been documented that nitrogen (N) enrichment stimulates plant growth and net primary production. However, there is still dispute on how N addition affects net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE), which represents the balance between ecosystem carbon (C) uptake and release. We conducted an experimental study to examine effects of N addition on NEE in a temperate steppe in northern China from 2005 to 2008. N was added at a rate of 10 g N m−2 yr−1 with NH4NO3 alone or in combination with phosphorous (P, 5 g P2O5 m−2 yr−1) in both clipped and unclipped plots. Over the 4 years, N addition significantly stimulated growing‐season NEE, on average, by 27%. Neither the main effects of P addition or clipping nor their interactions with N addition were statistically significant on NEE in any of the 4 years. However, the magnitude of N stimulation on NEE declined over time. N addition significantly increased NEE by 60% in 2005 and 21% in 2006, but its effect was not significant in 2007 and 2008. N‐induced shift in species composition was primarily responsible for the declined N stimulation over time. The gradually increasing coverage of the upper canopy species (Stipa krylovii) and standing litter accumulation induced light limitation on the lower canopy species (Artemisia frigida). Thus, N‐induced shifts in plant species composition strongly regulated the direct effects of N addition on C sequestration in the temperate steppe.
To Intercept or Not to Intercept: Analyzing TLS Interception in Network Appliances

Many enterprise-grade network appliances host a TLS proxy to facilitate interception of TLS-protected traffic for various purposes, including malware scanning, phishing detection, and preventing data exfiltration. When deployed, the TLS proxy acts as the security validating client for external TLS web servers, on behalf of the original requesting client; on the other hand, the proxy acts as the web server to the client. Consequently, TLS proxies must maintain a reliable level of security, at least, at the same level as modern web browsers and properly configured TLS servers. Failure to do so increases the attack surface of all the proxied clients served the network appliance. We develop a framework for testing TLS inspecting appliances, combining and extending tests from existing work on client-end and network-based interception. Utilizing this framework, we analyze six representative network appliances, and uncover several security issues regarding TLS version and certificate parameters mapping, CA trusted stores, private keys, and certificate validation tests. For instance, we found that two appliances perform no certificate validation at all, exposing their end-clients to trivial Man-in-the-Middle attacks. The remaining appliances that perform certificate validation, still do not follow current best practices, and thus making them vulnerable against certain attacks. We also found that all the tested appliances deceive the requesting clients, by offering TLS parameters that are different from the proxy-to-server TLS parameters, such as the TLS versions, hashing algorithms, and RSA key sizes. We hope that this work bring focus on the risks and vulnerabilities of using TLS proxies that are being widely deployed in many enterprise and government environments, potentially affecting all their users and systems.
FISH Labeling Reveals a Horizontally Transferred Algal (Vaucheria litorea) Nuclear Gene on a Sea Slug (Elysia chlorotica) Chromosome

The horizontal transfer of functional nuclear genes, coding for both chloroplast proteins and chlorophyll synthesis, from the food alga Vaucheria litorea to the sea slug Elysia chlorotica has been demonstrated by pharmacological, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), real time PCR (qRT-PCR), and transcriptome sequencing experiments. However, partial genomic sequencing of E. chlorotica larvae failed to find evidence for gene transfer. Here, we have used fluorescent in situ hybridization to localize an algal nuclear gene, prk, found in both larval and adult slug DNA by PCR and in adult RNA by transcriptome sequencing and RT-PCR. The prk probe hybridized with a metaphase chromosome in slug larvae, confirming gene transfer between alga and slug.
Some factors impacting on quantity of water used by households in a rapidly urbanizing state capital in South Western Nigeria.

A water supply is an essential requirement for all people. However, a certain minimum quantity of water per person per day is required to meet the domestic and hygiene needs of the people. This paper examined some factors that impact on the quantity of water available to households in Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. Such analysis is critical to any attempt by government to improve domestic water supply in the city. Empirical estimates show that factors that significantly affect the quantity of water used by households include: distance from main source to house, average time spent to fetch from main source, average number of trips per person per day to main source, adequacy of supply from main source, performance of supply from designated water institution, main source of domestic water used by household, education level, profession/occupation and annual income. Some policy implications of findings are discussed.
ASSESSING STABILITY IN THE PATTERNS OF SELECTION BIAS IN NEWSPAPER COVERAGE OF PROTEST DURING THE TRANSITION FROM COMMUNISM IN BELARUS

†Analyses of selection bias in the coverage of protest events in Minsk, Belarus between 1990 and 1995 are presented. The rapid changes characterizing Minsk during its transition from Communism made it an ideal location for investigating the stability of the patterns of selection bias. Police records of 817 protest events were used to create a protest event dataset, and Minsk’s four daily newspapers were read for the entire period in order to establish estimates of event coverage. Results show that large events, events with strong sponsors and, in two of the four newspapers, events accompanied by arrests are each more likely to receive coverage. These effects remain stable through phases of the transition for the combined coverage in any of the papers. The selection factors of event size and event sponsorship also display stability across media source, although the impact of arrests is not always consequential. Protest demonstrations have become a common and legitimate mechanism of normal politics in Western democracies and, more and more so in Eastern European nations and the former Soviet Republics. Media reports of protests have, at the same time, increasingly served as the source of data for social scientific analysis of protest. The accumulating body of protest event research relies mostly on newspaper reports that are inevitably subject to the common problems of selection bias: newspapers report only a subset of protest events and that subset is not likely to be a representative sample of all protests that occurred. The ability of researchers to take problems of selection bias into account successfully in their interpretations of patterns they find in their data depends on (1) knowing what factors are consistently most important in producing the patterns of selection bias; and (2) being able to assume that the patterns of selection bias are relatively stable over time and across media sources. The research reported here is unique because it allows an assessment of the stability of the structure of three of the most important factors affecting selection bias in newspaper coverage of protest—size or intensity of an event, its extraordinariness (especially conflict with authorities) and the social and political status of event sponsors—through a very turbulent transition from communism in Minsk, Belarus. Over the past half-century protest demonstrations have become a central part of the process of political representation in Western democracies (Tilly 1983; Tarrow 1988, 1989, and 1993; Barnes and Kasse 1979; McCarthy and McPhail 1998). The demonstration became an entrenched part of the tactical repertoire of citizens’ movements with the rise of the European labor movement (Tilly 1984), and it has become ever more common and widely legitimate since the middle of the twentieth century (Dalton 1996). Since the fall of the Soviet regime as well, public protests have become more common and more legitimate in Eastern
Market Timing in Bayesian Portfolio Optimisation

I present a portfolio allocation model that combines a data-based approach with macroeconomic considerations of the business cycle. The model accounts for the two key features of business cycles, namely co-movement among macroeconomic variables and asymmetric development of the cycles. The joint treatment of these characteristics improves the ability of the model to time market turns. The ensuing regime-dependent probability distributions of returns account for more extreme behaviors in bear markets, and hence more accurately describe non-linear downside and skewness risks. The model has a numerical solution which can be applied recursively in order to optimize the portfolio selection, accounting for market turns. This quantitative method leads to enhanced portfolio gains.
A High Aspect Ratio Bifurcated 128-Microchannel Microfluidic Device for Environmental Monitoring of Explosives

Design and evolution of explosives monitoring and detection platforms to address the challenges of trace level chemical identification have led investigations into the use of intricately designed microfluidic devices. Microfluidic devices are unique tools that possess distinct characteristics that, when designed properly and configured with optical and fluidic components, can produce detection platforms with unmatched performance levels. Herein, we report the design, fabrication and integration of a bifurcated high aspect ratio microfluidic device containing 128 microchannels (40 mm × 40 μm × 250 μm; L × W × H) for explosives detection at trace levels. Aspect ratios measuring >6:1 support improved receptor-target molecule interactions, higher throughput and extremely low limits of detection (LOD). In addition to superior assay sensitivity, the bifurcated microfluidic device provides greater durability and versatility for substrate modification. Using the explosive 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) as the model compound in a fluorescence-based displacement immunoassay, we report LODs for TNT at 10 parts-per-trillion (pptr) using a neutravidin-coated biotinylated anti-TNT microfluidic device. Solution to wall interactions were also simulated in COMSOL Multiphysics to understand fluid flow characteristics. Reynolds numbers were calculated to be 0.27–2.45 with a maximum pressure of 1.2 × 10−2 psi.
Preoperative Diagnosis predicts Outcomes in Patients with Concurrent Medullary and Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

Aim: This study examined patients with concurrent medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) and papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) with the primary objective of identifying factors that can determine the dominant subtype that will dictate recurrence. Materials and methods: The cancer registry at our tertiary care referral center was reviewed to identify all patients from 1995 to 2015 who had been diagnosed with both MTC and PTC on initial total thyroidectomy. Patient demographic, pathology, and recurrence data were collected and reviewed. Results: Nineteen patients met the inclusion criteria. Seventeen patients had separate foci of MTC and PTC, and two patients had mixed tumors of medullary and follicular or medullary and the follicular variant of PTC. Thirteen patients had a preoperative diagnosis of MTC, and all 13 had MTC as the higher stage tumor on final pathology. Of these, eight patients had recurrent disease, all of which recurred as MTC. In the six patients with concurrent MTC and PTC who did not have MTC as the preoperative diagnosis, the PTC was the higher stage tumor. Only one patient in this group recurred with PTC, none with MTC. No patients have had recurrent disease that was a different subtype from their preoperative diagnosis or the higher stage tumor. Conclusion: The concurrent findings of MTC and PTC in the same patient may result in challenging patient counseling, management, and follow-up. In this series of 19 patients with concurrent PTC and MTC, the subtype of recurrence in all 9 patients with recurrent disease was determined by the preoperative diagnosis and higher stage tumor. Clinical significance: The incidental discovery of a second subtype of differentiated thyroid cancer should not alter management of the primary tumor. Patients should be treated in accordance with the preoperative diagnosis and higher stage tumor. 1,3,5Assistant Professor, 2Resident, 4,8Associate Professor 6Professor, 7Professor Emeritus 1Department of Surgery, Weill Cornell Medicine, Brooklyn, New York, USA 2Department of Surgery, University Medical Center, Utrecht Netherlands 3Department of Surgery, Boston University School of Medicine Boston, Massachusetts, USA 4-8Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA Corresponding Author: Jessica E Gosnell, Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco, California, USA, Phone: +4158857616, e-mail: jessica.gosnell@ucsfmedctr.org ORIGINAL ARTICLE 10.5005/jp-journals-10002-1219 wjOEs