Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dynamic Graph Modeling Of Simultaneous EEG And Eye-Tracking Data For Reading Task Identification

We present a new approach, that we call AdaGTCN, for identifying human reader intent from Electroencephalogram (EEG) and Eye movement (EM) data in order to help differentiate between normal reading and task-oriented reading. Understanding the physiological aspects of the reading process (the cognitive load and the reading intent) can help improve the quality of crowd-sourced annotated data. Our method, Adaptive Graph Temporal Convolution Network (AdaGTCN), uses an Adaptive Graph Learning Layer and Deep Neighborhood Graph Convolution Layer for identifying the reading activities using time-locked EEG sequences recorded during word-level eye-movement fixations. Adaptive Graph Learning Layer dynamically learns the spatial correlations between the EEG electrode signals while the Deep Neighborhood Graph Convolution Layer exploits temporal features from a dense graph neighborhood to establish the state of the art in reading task identification over other contemporary approaches. We compare our approach with several baselines to report an improvement of 6.29% on the ZuCo 2.0 dataset, along with extensive ablation experiments.
Influence of fog parameters on the aging of HTV silicone rubber

Testing of outdoor insulators in a fog chamber is universally used. Many factors affect the generation of fog. Fog parameters such as the pressure of the compressed air and the water flow rate feeding the nozzles to form the fog, as well as the size and the speed of the fog droplets impinging on the surface of the insulators, play a major role in the outcome of electrical performance tests. In order to be able to compare test results from different laboratories, the conditions of fog generation should be defined unambiguously and clearly. In the present paper relationships between air pressure, water flow rate and air speed which are related to the distribution and the speed of the fog droplets, are determined as a function of distance from the IEEE-IEC standard nozzles forming the fog. The distribution of different fog droplet sizes is measured. The influence of the fog parameters on the aging characteristics of surface resistance, surface roughness, leakage current and surface hydrophobicity of high temperature vulcanized (HTV) silicone rubber are presented.
Production of High-Purity 52g Mn from nat V Targets with Alpha Beams at Cyclotrons

Abstract Radioisotope 52gMn is of special interest for multimodal imaging. Using state-of-art nuclear reaction codes, we study the alternative nuclear reaction route natV( ,x)52gMn in comparison with the standard production routes based upon the use of chromium targets. The integral yields of 52gMn and contaminants have been evaluated. The main outcome of this investigation is that the 52gMn yield of the new production route compares favorably with respect to the standard natCr one, and the contamination due to 54Mn is expected to be significantly lower. The study also reveals a large spread in the cross-section data set and points out the need of more precise measurements of the reaction natV( ,x)52gMn as well as the need of more refined models in nuclear reaction codes such as Talys, Empire, and Fluka.
Probing Classifiers: Promises, Shortcomings, and Alternatives

Probing classiﬁers have emerged as one of the prominent methodologies for interpreting and analyzing deep neural network models of natural language processing. The basic idea is simple— a classiﬁer is trained to predict some linguistic property from a model’s representations—and has been used to examine a wide variety of models and properties. However, recent studies have demonstrated various methodological weaknesses of this approach. This article critically reviews the probing classiﬁers framework, highlighting shortcomings, improvements, and alternative approaches.
Testing Bell Inequalities at the LHC with Top-Quark Pairs.

Correlations between the spins of top-quark pairs produced at a collider can be used to probe quantum entanglement at energies never explored so far. We show how the measurement of a single observable can provide a test of the violation of a Bell inequality at the 98% C.L. with the statistical uncertainty of the data already collected at the Large Hadron Collider, and at the 99.99% C.L. with the higher luminosity of the next run. Detector acceptance, efficiency, and migration effects are taken into account. The test relies on the spin correlations alone and does not require the determination of probabilities-in contrast to all other tests of Bell inequalities.
Spatio-Temporal Look-Ahead Trajectory Prediction using Memory Neural Network

Prognostication of vehicle trajectories in unknown environments is intrinsically a challenging and difficult problem to solve. The behavior of such vehicles is highly influenced by surrounding traffic, road conditions, and rogue participants present in the environment. Moreover, the presence of pedestrians, traffic lights, stop signs, etc., makes it much harder to infer the behavior of various traffic agents. This paper attempts to solve the problem of spatio-temporal look-ahead trajectory prediction using a novel recurrent neural network called the Memory Neuron Network. The Memory Neuron Network (MNN) attempts to capture the input-output relationship between the past positions and the future positions of the traffic agents. The proposed prediction model is computationally less intensive and has a simple architecture as compared to other deep learning models that utilize LSTMs and GRUs. It is then evaluated on the publicly available NGSIM dataset and its performance is compared with several state-of-art algorithms. Additionally, the performance is also evaluated on a custom synthetic dataset generated from the CARLA simulator. It is seen that the proposed model outperforms the existing state-of-art algorithms. Finally, the model is integrated with the CARLA simulator to test its robustness in real-time traffic scenarios.
An optimization and generalization analysis for max-pooling networks

Max-Pooling operations are a core component of deep learning architectures. In particular, they are part of most convolutional architectures used in machine vision, since pooling is a natural approach to pattern detection problems. However, these architectures are not well understood from a theoretical perspective. For example, we do not understand when they can be globally optimized, and what is the effect of over-parameterization on generalization. Here we perform a theoretical analysis of a convolutional max-pooling architecture, proving that it can be globally optimized, and can generalize well even for highly over-parameterized models. Our analysis focuses on a data generating distribution inspired by pattern detection problem, where a “discriminative” pattern needs to be de-tected among “spurious” patterns. We empirically validate that CNNs signiﬁcantly outperform fully connected networks in our setting, as predicted by our theoretical results.
Efeitos da integração lavoura-pecuária nas propriedades físicas do solo e características da cultura do milho

The integration between agriculture and cattle-raising in some areas can restrict the use of no-tillage system in clayey soils, due to soil surface compaction, which restricts root growth and limits crop yield. The objective of this study was to evaluate the changes in soil physical properties and maize parameters caused by animal trampling preceding the summer crop, under two tillage systems. The degree of degradation of the cultivated soil compared to the native forest was also evaluated. The experiment was carried out in Lages, Southern Brazil, in an Ultisol, using conventional tillage and no-tillage with corn in the summer and oat in the winter for grazing. Macropores, micropores, total porosity, bulk density, saturated soil hydraulic conductivity, resistance to penetration and corn parameters were determined. The pressure applied by animal trampling and soil management systems degraded the soil structure in comparison to the native forest. This was observed by the reduction of the macropores, total porosity and saturated soil hydraulic conductivity and through an increase of the bulk density. Under the no-tillage system, there was an increase of the resistance to penetration, mainly in the layer of 0 to 0,15 m. These alterations in soil structure reduced maize plant height, number of green leaves, weight and number of grains per ear under no-tillage compared to conventional tillage. Such observations show the evidence that growers should avoid the use of heavy machines and animal trampling under no-tillage, particularly in clayey soils and when soil moisture is above the friability point.
Effect of Heating Mode and Copper Content on the Densification of W-Cu Alloys

This study investigates the effect of heating mode on the sintering of tungsten-copper alloys containing up to 30 wt. % Cu. The sinterability of the W-Cu system consolidated in a 2.45 GHz multimode microwave furnace has been critically compared with that processed in a radiatively heated (conventional) furnace. The as-pressed W-Cu alloys can be readily sintered in microwave furnace with substantial (sixfold) reduction in the processing time. As compared to conventional sintering, microwave processing results in greater densification, more homogenous distribution of the binder phase, and smaller tungsten grain size. The densification in compacts increases with increasing Cu content. For all compositions, the electrical conductivity and hardness of microwave sintered W-Cu alloys are higher than those of their conventionally sintered counterparts. This study investigates the effect of heating mode on the sintering of tungsten-copper alloys containing up to 30 wt. % Cu. The W-Cu alloys were sintered in a 2.45 GHz microwave furnace with substantial (sixfold) reduction in the processing time. As compared to conventional sintering, microwave processing results in greater densification, more homogenous distribution of the binder phase, and smaller tungsten grain size. This results in higher electrical conductivity and hardness of the microwave sintered W-Cu alloys.
A novel high-temperature naphthyl-based phthalonitrile polymer: synthesis and properties

A novel naphthyl-based phthalonitrile monomer, 1,6-bis(3,4-dicyanophenoxy) naphthalene (1,6-BDCN), was prepared, and the phthalonitrile resin was cured with 4,4′-diaminodiphenyl ether (ODA) via two steps, namely, preparation of prepolymer and postcuring prepolymer at elevated temperatures. The 1,6-BDCN polymer might form triazine and phthalocyanine rings as demonstrated by FTIR spectra. The prepolymer shows fine solubility in organic solvents. The 1,6-BDCN polymer exhibits excellent structural integrity and superior thermal stability as indicated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) revealed that the phthalonitrile resin has a high storage modulus and glass transition temperature (Tg). The water uptake is about 3% by weight after submersion in boiling water for 50 hours. The influence of curing processes on thermal stability and flame retardancy was also explored.
The Role of Extraversion and Openness on Host Country Nationals’ Task Performance and Contextual Performance at Work

Purpose This study answer calls for research on host country nationals (HCNs) by examining factors that may influence HCN task performance and contextual performance during work with their self-initiated expatriate (SIE) colleagues. Participants and Methods Data on personality traits (extraversion, openness), socialization self-efficacy, and frequency of interaction, task, and contextual performance were collected by surveying 373 Chinese HCNs. The first author recruited the HCNs through SIEs working and living in China. SIEs who participated in this project provided the email addresses of HCNs with whom they worked. Results The frequency of interactions fully mediated the relationship between (a) extraversion with task and contextual performance and (b) openness with task and contextual performance. Only socialization self-efficacy moderated the mediating effects of extraversion on task performance via the frequency of interaction; it also moderated the mediating effects of openness on contextual performance via the frequency of interactions, but not in the hypothesized direction. Conclusion This study investigated the neglected stakeholder in the expatriation process, namely, HCNs, and what factors may impact HCNs’ performance during work and collaboration with their SIE colleagues.
Health of 2-year-old children born after vitrified oocyte donation in comparison with peers born after fresh oocyte donation.

STUDY QUESTION Does oocyte vitrification adversely affect the health of 2-year-old children compared with peers born after use of fresh oocytes in a donation programme? SUMMARY ANSWER The growth and health of 2-year-old children born after oocyte vitrification are similar to those of peers born after use of fresh oocytes. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Although oocyte vitrification is a well-established procedure in ART, the evidence on its safety for offspring is limited. Currently, no disadvantageous effects of oocyte vitrification have been shown in terms of obstetric and neonatal outcome. However, no data beyond the neonatal period are available to date. STUDY DESIGN SIZE DURATION A combined retrospective and prospective observational study was performed in a tertiary reproductive centre. The retrospective data were available in our extensive database of children born after ART. Donor cycles with an oocyte retrieval between January 2010 and March 2017 and a fresh embryo transfer resulting in the livebirth of a singleton were selected from the established oocyte donation programme. Fresh or vitrified oocytes were used in the donor cycles and all pregnancies in oocyte recipients were achieved after ICSI. Only children residing in Belgium were eligible for follow-up. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS SETTING METHODS Biometric and health parameters of 72 children born after oocyte vitrification were compared with those of 41 children born after use of a fresh oocyte. Data were collected by means of questionnaires and physical examinations at the age of 21-30 months. The primary outcome measures were anthropometry and health at 2 years of age. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Length, weight, BMI, head circumference, left arm circumference and waist circumference at the age of 2 years were comparable between the vitrification and fresh group, also after adjustment for treatment, and maternal and neonatal characteristics (all P > 0.05). Health of the children in terms of hospital admission and surgical intervention rates were comparable between the vitrification and fresh group (both P > 0.05). LIMITATIONS REASONS FOR CAUTION Although the current study is the largest series describing health parameters beyond the neonatal period, the small numbers still preclude definite conclusions. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS This study provides the first evidence indicating that oocyte vitrification does not adversely affect the growth and health of offspring beyond the neonatal period. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTERESTS This study was supported by Methusalem grants and by grants from Wetenschappelijk Fonds Willy Gepts, all issued by the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. All co-authors declared no conflict of interest in relation to this work. Both the Centre for Reproductive Medicine and the Centre for Medical Genetics from the UZ Brussel have received several educational grants from IBSA, Ferring, MSD and Merck for either research on oocyte vitrification or for establishing the database for follow-up research and organizing the data collection.
Enzyme inactivation on apple juice treated by ultrapasteurization and pulsed electric fields technology.

Apple juice was pasteurized by an ultra-high temperature treatment (UHT) at 115, 125 and 135C for 3 and 5 s, and compared with a high-voltage pulsed electric field treatment (PEF) at ranges between 33 and 42 kV/cm with frequencies of 150, 200, 250 and 300 pulses per second (pps). Enzyme inactivation and physicochemical properties of the treated juices were compared using a nontreated sample as control. The UHT treatment was more efficient in enzyme inactivation, reducing 95% the residual activity of polyphenoloxidase at the maximum temperature and time. However, a PEF treatment at 38.5 kV/cm and 300 pps combined with a temperature of 50C achieved a 70% reduction of residual PFO activity. In terms of quality characteristics as a function of physicochemical properties, color, pH, acidity and soluble solids were all less affected by PEF than by UHT when compared with the untreated juice. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Apple juice is a popular beverage worldwide and it is consumed nearly as much as orange juice. Consumers prefer fresh-squeezed fruit juices with high nutrient value and fresh-like sensory attributes. Enzymatic browning negatively impacts appearance, nutritive value and flavor of fruit juices. The use of ultra-high temperature processing is efficient in microbial control, as well as in enzyme inactivation. Any thermal processing may, however, decrease the overall quality of the treated juices. Pulsed electric field processing provides a potential alternative to thermal pasteurization of fruit juices.
Bioaccumulation of Some Heavy Metals in Ayre Fish (Sperata Aor Hamilton, 1822), Sediment and Water of Dhaleshwari River in Dry Season

The present study was carried out to determine the level of bioaccumulation of some heavy metals in a freshwater fish Ayre ( Sperata aor Hamilton, 1822) collected from Rajfulbaria (23°48′56.36″ N and 90°14′54.04″ E) of Dhaleshwari river. Four heavy metals, namely chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd) were selected for this study. Metal concentrations were determined by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer after nitric acid digestion of samples. The concentrations of accumulated heavy metals in fish were also compared with the concentrations of metals in the sediments and waters of that river. The level of bioaccumulations in different organs of S. aor were determined separately and compared among them. Average bioaccumulation levels in S. aor were Cr: 1.458 mg/kg, Cu: 31.500 mg/kg, Pb: 18.776 mg/kg and Cd: 0.487 mg/kg of dry weight. The levels of heavy metals in sediments were Cr: 27.393 mg/kg, Cu: 37.450 mg/kg, Pb: 15.797 mg/kg and Cd: 2.083 mg/kg, and in water were Cr: 0.130 ppm, Cu: 0.000 ppm, Pb: 0.201 ppm and Cd: 0.001 ppm.The bioaccumulation of these four heavy metals in fish organs, sediment and water samples were also compared with FAO approved standard levels and other related studies, and found that the levels of bioaccumulation in the Dhaleshwari river exceeded all the standard levels. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.3329/bjz.v40i1. 12904 Bangladesh J. Zool. 40 (1):147-153, 2012
Reactive force field simulation on polymerization and hydrolytic reactions in calcium aluminate silicate hydrate (C–A–S–H) gel: structure, dynamics and mechanical properties

The reactive force field method was first utilized to characterize the structure, dynamics and mechanical properties of calcium–aluminate–silicate–hydrate, which is essential in the chemistry of high alumina layered gel in Portland cement. In order to study the role of Al atoms, the properties of Al atoms located in the calcium silicate sheet and the interlayer region have been investigated. The Si–Al substitution in the calcium silicate sheet has not changed the layered structure of the C–A–S–H gel. On the other hand, the presence of Al atoms in the interlayer region improves the structure and mechanical performance significantly. The connectivity factor, Q, species evolution indicates that the aluminate species in the interlayer region play an essential role in bridging the defective silicate chains and transforming the layered C–A–S–H gel at low Al/Ca levels to the branch network structure at high Al/Ca levels. The structural transition is partly attributed to the aluminate–silicate connection by the NBO sites and is partly caused by the polymerization reaction between the aluminate species, both of which can be described by the reactive force field. Additionally, the polymerization reaction by the aluminate species also leads to a hydrolytic reaction. In this way, a lot of water molecules are transformed to hydroxyls, even bridging oxygen atoms. Dynamically, due to the high strength of the Al–O bond, the aluminate–silicate network in the C–A–S–H gel has a better stability at higher Al/Ca ratios. Furthermore, uniaxial tension tests on the C–A–S–H gels demonstrate the mechanical behavior and large structural deformation of the gel. Both the Young’s modulus and tensile strength are improved significantly with increasing aluminum content, indicating a good loading resistance ability in the aluminate–silicate network. The tensile deformation, simulated by the reactive force field, is also coupled with de-polymerization of the aluminate species and the water dissociation reaction, which shows good plasticity due to the Al atom addition.
Evaluation of risk factors and biomarkers related to arterial and venous thrombotic events in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the contribution of traditional/disease-related risk factors and biomarkers linked to arterial and venous thrombotic events (TEs) in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs). Method: The occurrence of arterial and/or venous TEs at the time of or after IIM diagnosis was retrospectively evaluated in a cohort of 253 patients with IIMs, resulting in a final population of 246 IIM patients, 51 with reported TE (cases) and 195 without a history of TE (comparators). Information on disease characteristics and traditional risk factors for arterial and venous TE (essential hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidaemia, smoking, malignancy) was retrieved. Serum levels of anti-phospholipid antibodies (aPLs) and adhesion molecules were analysed at the time of IIM diagnosis and at the time of the TE in cases. Results: One in five IIM patients (21%) had experienced a TE, arterial TE in 22 and venous TE in 29 patients, with a peak prevalence within 5 years after diagnosis. Among traditional/disease-related risk factors, only older age was associated with both arterial and venous TEs, after adjusting for other covariates. Low serum levels of e-selectin were associated with higher odds of developing a TE, without specific association with either arterial or venous TEs. Only 6% of IIM patients had aPLs, with no significant difference between cases and comparators. Conclusions: An increased risk of both venous and arterial TEs should be considered in IIM patients, particularly close to diagnosis and in elderly people. Low serum levels of e-selectin may predict TE in IIM patients, but the underlying biological mechanism is not known.
The affect of negativity: testing the Foreign Language Effect in three types of valence framing and a moral dilemma

ABSTRACT In decision-making people react differently to positive wordings than to negatives, which may be caused by negativity bias: a difference in emotional force of these wordings. Because emotions are assumed to be activated more strongly in one’s mother tongue, we predict a Foreign Language Effect, being that such framing effects are larger in a native language than in a foreign one. In two experimental studies (N = 475 and N = 503) we tested this prediction for balanced and unbalanced second language users of Spanish and English and for three types of valence framing effects. In Study 1 we observed risky-choice framing effects and attribute framing effects, but these were always equally large for native and foreign-language speakers. In our second study, we added a footbridge dilemma to the framing materials. Only for this task we did observe a Foreign Language Effect, indicating more utilitarian choices when the dilemma is presented in L2. Hence, across two studies, we find no Foreign Language Effect for three types of valence framing but we do find evidence for such an effect in a moral decision task. We discuss several alternative explanations for these results.