Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quantum Confinement in Size-Selected, Surface-Oxidized Silicon Nanocrystals

The dynamics and spectroscopy of silicon nanocrystals that emit at visible wavelengths were analyzed. Size-selective precipitation and size-exclusion chromatography cleanly separate the silicon nanocrystals from larger crystallites and aggregates and provide direct evidence for quantum confinement in luminescence. Measured quantum yields are as high as 50 percent at low temperature, principally as a result of efficient oxide passivation. Despite a 0.9—electron-volt shift of the band gap to higher energy, the nanocrystals behave fundamentally as indirect gap materials with low oscillator strength.
On the Effect of Nonequilibrium Plasma on the Minimum Ignition Energy: Part 2

A mathematical model for the calculation of the minimum ignition energy (MIE) of the nanosecond-pulsed discharge ignition is presented. The model is based on the kinetic and transport equations for a multicomponent reacting mixture combined with the equations for translational and vibrational temperatures. The analysis of the influence of a pulsewidth, the reduced electric field of the discharge, the energy stored in the vibrational degrees of freedom, and the mixture composition on the MIE is conducted.
The structural simulation toolkit: exploring novel architectures

Exploring novel computer system designs requires modeling the complex interactions between processor, memory, and network. The Structural Simulation Toolkit (SST) has been developed to explore innovations in both the programming models and hardware implementation of highly concurrent systems. The Toolkit's modular design allows extensive exploration of system parameters while maximizing code reuse and provides an explicit separation of instruction interpretation from microarchitectural timing. This is built upon a high performance hybrid discrete event framework. The SST has modeled a variety of systems, from processor-in-memory to CMP and MPP. It has examined a variety of hardware and software issues in the context of HPC.This poster presents an overview of the SST. Several of its models for processors, memory systems, and networks will be detailed. Its software stack, including support for MPI and OpenMP, will also be covered. Performance results and current directions for the SST will also be shown.
Modeling European Options

Option contracts can be valued by using the Black-Scholes equation, a partial differential equation with initial conditions. An exact solution for European style options is known. The computation time and the error need to be minimized simultaneously. In this paper, the authors have solved the Black-Scholes equation by employing a reasonably accurate implicit method. Options with known analytic solutions have been evaluated. Furthermore, an overall second order accurate space and time discretization has been accomplished in this paper.
Power Loss and Thermal Analysis of a MW High-Speed Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machine

High-speed permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs) have attracted much attention due to their high power density, high efficiency, and compact size for direct-drive applications. However, the consequent power loss density is high, and hence heat dissipation is a major technical challenge. This is particularly the case for high-speed operation. In this paper, a MW level high-speed PMSM is designed and its electromagnetic and mechanical power losses comprehensively investigated using finite element analysis. The transient machine demagnetization performance is studied, and a composite rotor structure is proposed to improve machine antidemagnetization capability. The temperature distribution of the proposed high-speed PMSM is also analyzed using a fluid-thermal coupling method with calculated power loss. Experiments conducted on a prototype of the high-speed PMSM demonstrate the effectiveness of the numerical models developed and validate the results obtained.
Group and Graph Joint Sparsity for Linked Data Classification

Various sparse regularizers have been applied to machine learning problems, among which structured sparsity has been proposed for a better adaption to structured data. In this paper, motivated by effectively classifying linked data (e.g. Web pages, tweets, articles with references, and biological network data) where a group structure exists over the whole dataset and links exist between specific samples, we propose a joint sparse representation model that combines group sparsity and graph sparsity, to select a small number of connected components from the graph of linked samples, meanwhile promoting the sparsity of edges that link samples from different groups in each connected component. Consequently, linked samples are selected from a few sparsely-connected groups. Both theoretical analysis and experimental results on four benchmark datasets show that the joint sparsity model outperforms traditional group sparsity model and graph sparsity model, as well as the latest group-graph sparsity model.
Jitter-reduction and pulse-width-distortion compensation circuits for a 10Gb/s burst-mode CDR circuit

In burst transmission systems such as passive optical networks (PONs), a burst-mode CDR circuit must be able to retime and reshape the input data. In this paper, a burst-mode CDR circuit is presented that achieves output-data-jitter reduction of 3dB at jitter frequency of 1GHz, synchronization to the input data within 14 bits of the burst input, and tolerance to pulse-width distortion (PWD) of +0.22/−0.32UI at 10.3125Gb/s operation. These characteristics are provided by a CDR architecture with jitter-reduction and PWD-compensation circuits.
A Spectrum-Based Saliency Detection Algorithm for Millimeter-Wave InSAR Imaging with Sparse Sensing

SUMMARY Object detection in millimeter-wave Interferometric Syn- thetic Aperture Radiometer (InSAR) imaging is always a crucial task. Facing unpredictable and numerous objects, traditional object detection mod- els running after the InSAR system accomplishing imaging su ﬀ er from dis-advantages such as complex clutter backgrounds, weak intensity of objects, Gibbs ringing, which makes a general purpose saliency detection system for InSAR necessary. This letter proposes a spectrum-based saliency de- tection algorithm to extract the salient regions from unknown backgrounds cooperating with sparse sensing InSAR imaging procedure. Directly using the interferometric value and sparse information of scenes in the basis of the Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) domain adopted by InSAR imaging pro- cedure, the proposed algorithm isolates the support of saliency region and then inversely transforms it back to calculate the saliency map. Comparing with other detecting algorithms which run after accomplishing imaging, the proposed algorithm will not be a ﬀ ected by information-loss accused by imaging procedure. Experimental results prove that it is e ﬀ ective and adaptable for millimeter-wave InSAR imaging.
Study of the influence of acid etching treatments on the superficial characteristics of Ti

Modifications in texture and surface chemistry are commonly used to increase the biologic response to implants. We evaluated the influence of five different acid etching treatments on the chemical and topographical superficial characteristics of cpTi grade IV discs (test groups). One group of samples were only polished (control group). The samples were analyzed by electron microscopy (SEM, EDS), atomic force microscopy, and grazing incidence XRD. The acid etching treatments which produced higher values for the amplitude roughness parameters showed a combination of strong acids (HF and HCl/H 2 SO 4 ) at high concentrations, with a relatively high temperature (≥ 60 °C) for a considerable time (≥ 60 min). Titanium and oxygen were the only elements detected by EDS on the surface in all groups, whereas titanium hydride was detected when the samples were analyzed by GIXRD. Only the group subjected to thermal treatment showed presence of rutile phase on the surface.
Effects in GaN films grown by MOVPE on GaAs due to the distance of heat source

We are reporting the results of an investigation about of the effects in gallium nitride films, grown on gallium arsenide (001) substrates by metalorganic vapour-phase epitaxy, due to the distance of the heat source, which is through quartz infrared lamps. The films were characterized using X- ray diffraction (XRD) and photoluminescence (PL). The results suggest that the heat source distance is a very important parameter that influence in the orientation, morphology and luminescence of the gallium nitride films.
Role of oxygen free radicals in patients with acute pancreatitis.

AIM The generation of oxygen free radicals has been implicated in the pathogenesis of experimental pancreatitis. The aim of this study was to determine the role of oxygen free radicals in patients with acute pancreatitis. METHODS The plasma levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), lipid peroxide (LPO), myeloperoxidase (MPO) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were measured in 13 patients with acute pancreatitis and 14 healthy volunteers. RESULTS Among the patients with acute pancreatitis, there were higher plasma levels of LPO and MPO and lower SOD activity in patients with severe pancreatitis than in those with mild pancreatitis. However, there was no significant difference in the serum marker of oxidative stress no matter what the etiology was. The LPO level was especially correlated with the concentration of serum CRP and CT severity index. CONCLUSION The oxygen free radicals may be closely associated with inflammatory process and the severity of acute pancreatitis. Especially, the concentration of plasma LPO is a meaningful index for determining the severity of the disease.
Confers Elevated Tolerance to Chilling and Oxidative Stresses in Transgenic Tomato 1

In an attempt to improve stress tolerance of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) plants, an expression vector containing an Arabidopsis C-repeat/dehydration responsive element binding factor 1 (CBF1) cDNA driven by a cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter was transferred into tomato plants. Transgenic expression of CBF1 was proved by northernand western-blot analyses. The degree of chilling tolerance of transgenic T1 and T2 plants was found to be significantly greater than that of wild-type tomato plants as measured by survival rate, chlorophyll fluorescence value, and radical elongation. The transgenic tomato plants exhibited patterns of growth retardation; however, they resumed normal growth after GA3 (gibberellic acid) treatment. More importantly, GA3-treated transgenic plants still exhibited a greater degree of chilling tolerance compared with wild-type plants. Subtractive hybridization was performed to isolate the responsive genes of heterologous Arabidopsis CBF1 in transgenic tomato plants. CATALASE1 (CAT1) was obtained and showed activation in transgenic tomato plants. The CAT1 gene and catalase activity were also highly induced in the transgenic tomato plants. The level of H2O2 in the transgenic plants was lower than that in the wild-type plants under either normal or cold conditions. The transgenic plants also exhibited considerable tolerance against oxidative damage induced by methyl viologen. Results from the current study suggest that heterologous CBF1 expression in transgenic tomato plants may induce several oxidative-stress responsive genes to protect from chilling stress.
Inter-FSP Funds Transfer Protocol

The present work introduces the first decentralized secure funds transfer protocol, allowing funds transfer from payer to payee without a direct relationship, using the help of a mutuallytrusted peer, or a chain of trusted-peers connecting between payer and payee. The protocol guarantees that a participant only loses money if a trusted peer happens to be corrupt. Furthermore, the loss is limited to the amount of credit given to that peer. The protocol supports expiration times for payment orders, and takes into consideration actual network queuing delays. To achieve our goals, we used models and techniques from the Quality of Service area, to handle delays and avoid the expiration of payment orders. We provide rigorous proofs to the security of the protocol.
Exploring the relationship between student mobile information security awareness and behavioural intent

Purpose – The purpose of this paper was to analyse existing theories from the social sciences to gain a better understanding of factors which contribute to student mobile phone users’ poor information security behaviour. Two key aspects associated with information security behaviour were considered, namely, awareness and behavioural intent. This paper proposes that the knowing-and-doing gap can possibly be reduced by addressing both awareness and behavioural intent. This research paper explores the relationship between student mobile phone user information security awareness and behavioural intent in a developmental university in South Africa. Design/methodology/approach – Information security awareness interventions were implemented in this action research study, and student information security behavioural intent was observed after each cycle. Findings – The poor security behaviour exhibited by student mobile phone users, which was confirmed by the findings of this study, is of particular interest in th.
Treatment of malignant glioma cells with the transfer of constitutively active caspase-6 using the human telomerase catalytic subunit (human telomerase reverse transcriptase) gene promoter.

Because the apoptotic pathway is often disrupted in tumor cells, its genetic restoration is a very attractive approach for the treatment of tumors. To treat malignant gliomas with this approach, it would be preferred to restrict induction of apoptosis to tumor cells by establishing a tumor-specific expression system. Telomerase is an attractive target because the vast majority of malignant gliomas have telomerase activity whereas normal brain cells do not. Activation of telomerase is tightly regulated at the transcriptional level of the telomerase catalytic subunit [human telomerase reverse transcriptase, (hTERT)]. Therefore, we hypothesized that using a hTERT promoter-driven vector system, an apoptosis-inducible gene may be preferentially restricted to telomerase- or hTERT-positive tumor cells. In this study, we constructed an expression vector consisting of the constitutively active caspase-6 (rev-caspase-6) under the hTERT promoter (hTERT/rev-caspase-6) and then investigated its antitumor effect on malignant glioma cells. The rationale for using the rev-caspase-6 gene is because it induces apoptosis independent of the initiator caspases. We demonstrated that the hTERT/rev-caspase-6 construct induced apoptosis in hTERT-positive malignant glioma cells, but not in hTERT-negative astrocytes, fibroblasts, and alternative lengthening of telomeres cells. In addition, the growth of s.c. tumors in nude mice was significantly suppressed by the treatment with hTERT/rev-caspase-6 construct. The present results strongly suggest that the telomerase-specific transfer of the rev-caspase-6 gene under the hTERT promoter is a novel targeting approach for the treatment of malignant gliomas.
B cell clonal elimination induced by membrane‐bound self‐antigen may require repeated antigen encounter or cell competition

Transgenic mouse experiments indicate that autoreactive B cells are eliminated upon encounter with membrane self‐antigen. In this study we tested how B cell tolerance to MHC class I antigens is affected by altering the frequency of antigen‐carrying cells in mixed bone marrow (BM) chimeras. When antigen‐bearing cells are present at low frequency, the reactive B cells and their antigens may coexist in the peripheral lymphoid organs, but under these conditions the B cells are functionally anergic and have a shortened lifespan. Such putative anergic cells are strongly deleted in the presence of additional, non‐antigen‐bearing, non‐transgenic B cells. Since the antigen concentration on the surface of each antigen‐bearing cell should be high, these results suggest that for efficient deletion of autoreactive B cells multiple antigen encounters may be required, particularly when cellular competition is weak. These results have implications for the therapeutic use of BM chimerism to induce B cell tolerance to grafts.
Benzene Dynamics and Biodegradation in Alluvial Aquifers Affected by River Fluctuations

The spatial distribution and temporal dynamics of a benzene plume in an alluvial aquifer strongly affected by river fluctuations was studied. Benzene concentrations, aquifer geochemistry datasets, past river morphology, and benzene degradation rates estimated in situ using stable carbon isotope enrichment were analyzed in concert with aquifer heterogeneity and river fluctuations. Geochemistry data demonstrated that benzene biodegradation was on‐going under sulfate reducing conditions. Long‐term monitoring of hydraulic heads and characterization of the alluvial aquifer formed the basis of a detailed modeled image of aquifer heterogeneity. Hydraulic conductivity was found to strongly correlate with benzene degradation, indicating that low hydraulic conductivity areas are capable of sustaining benzene anaerobic biodegradation provided the electron acceptor (SO42–) does not become rate limiting. Modeling results demonstrated that the groundwater flux direction is reversed on annual basis when the river level rises up to 2 m, thereby forcing the infiltration of oxygenated surface water into the aquifer. The mobilization state of metal trace elements such as Zn, Cd, and As present in the aquifer predominantly depended on the strong potential gradient within the plume. However, infiltration of oxygenated water was found to trigger a change from strongly reducing to oxic conditions near the river, causing mobilization of previously immobile metal species and vice versa. MNA appears to be an appropriate remediation strategy in this type of dynamic environment provided that aquifer characterization and targeted monitoring of redox conditions are adequate and electron acceptors remain available until concentrations of toxic compounds reduce to acceptable levels.
Anti-sway sliding-mode with trolley disturbance observer for overhead crane system

Moving the suspended load along a predefined trajectory as fast as possible is not an easy controlling task due to the residual swing at the end of travelling. In this paper, the overhead crane is fully automated with the high speed trajectory. Robust scheme, namely anti-sway sliding-mode with trolley disturbance observer (DOB), are implemented with overhead crane systems. The anti-sway sliding-mode is specially designed for underactuated nonlinear systems which is derived from Lyapunov law. The asymptotic stability of switching function is proved theoretically. The controller can eliminate the error toward their sliding surfaces. Furthermore, trolley disturbance observer is also implemented to enhance the robustness. An obvious advantage of this kind of controller is based on simple control scheme however it can guarantee the robustness, speed convergence and swing suppression. In this paper, Experiment results are presented to show the superiority of the anti-sway sliding-mode with actuator's disturbance observer by comparing the effectiveness with PD controller assisting with Lyapunov based anti-sway controller and anti-sway sliding mode without disturbance observer. Not only that, but also the filtering technique is employed to eliminate chattering effect.
Mathematical Relation between Types, Effect of Genes and Molecular Marker Genotype

Identifying the type and estimating the effect of genes controlling the quantitative trait is very useful to animal selection, breed and livestock production. In traditional quantitative genetics, the gene effect causing the variation of quantitative trait is researched as a whole body. The molecular marker technique provided an approach to analysis the gene characteristic of single gene. For avoiding the QTL mapping, the molecular marker regression was used to research the quantitative trait controlled by polygene. The result shows, there is a mathematical relation between gene's relative effect and molecular marker genotype, the mathematical equation could probably be used to the fields of animal breeding, selection, production and predict the affinity and combining ability of animals, etc.
Radar Array Diagnosis from Undersampled Data Using a Compressed Sensing/Sparse Recovery Technique

A Compressed Sensing/Sparse Recovery approach is adopted in this paper for the accurate diagnosis of fault array elements from undersampled data. Experimental validations on a slotted waveguide test array are discussed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed procedure in the failures retrieval froma small set of measurements with respect to the number of radiating elements. Due to the sparsity feature of the proposed formulation, the method is particularly appealing for the diagnostics of large arrays, typically adopted for radar applications.
Evaluation of a weight-adjusted single-bolus plasminogen activator in patients with myocardial infarction: a double-blind, randomized angiographic trial of lanoteplase versus alteplase.

BACKGROUND Lanoteplase (nPA) is a rationally designed variant of tissue plasminogen activator with greater fibrinolytic potency and slower plasma clearance than alteplase. METHODS AND RESULTS InTIME (Intravenous nPA for Treatment of Infarcting Myocardium Early), a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, double-placebo angiographic trial, evaluated the dose-response relationship and safety of single-bolus, weight-adjusted lanoteplase. Patients (n=602) presenting within 6 hours of acute myocardial infarction were randomized and treated with either a single-bolus injection of lanoteplase (15, 30, 60, or 120 kU/kg) or accelerated alteplase. The primary objective was to determine TIMI grade flow at 60 minutes. Angiographic assessments were also performed at 90 minutes and on days 3 to 5. Follow-up was continued for 30 days. Lanoteplase achieved its primary objective, demonstrating a dose-response in TIMI grade 3 flow at 60 minutes (23.6% to 47.1% of subjects, P<0. 001). Similar results were observed at 90 minutes (26.1% to 57.1%, P<0.001). At 90 minutes, coronary patency (TIMI 2 or 3) increased across the dose range up to 83% of subjects at 120 kU/kg lanoteplase compared with 71.4% with alteplase. Thus, at this dose, lanoteplase was superior to alteplase in restoring coronary patency (difference, 12%; 95% CI, 1% to 23%). The early safety experience in this study suggests that lanoteplase was well tolerated at all doses with safety comparable to that of alteplase. CONCLUSIONS Lanoteplase, a single-bolus, weight-adjusted agent, increased coronary patency at 60 and 90 minutes in a dose-dependent fashion. Coronary patency at 90 minutes was achieved more frequently with 120 kU/kg lanoteplase than alteplase. In this study, safety with lanoteplase and alteplase was comparable. InTIME-II, a worldwide mortality trial, will evaluate efficacy and safety with this promising new agent.
Archaeological Metrology: English, French, American and Canadian Systems of Weights and Measures for North American Historical Archaeology. Lester A. Ross. History and Archaeology, No. 68, National Historic Parks and Sites Branch, Parks Canada, 1983. 123 pp., appendix, biblio. $9.30 (paper).

Ross has assembled, in tabular form, the standard mass, capacity and linear measurements employed in England, France, America and Canada from the fifteenth to the nineteenth centuries. The modern metric equivalents are included as well. A brief introduction, which defines metrological terms and concepts and suggests archaeological applications, precedes the well organized data. This study will prove to be a useful reference to those working with colonial French and British documents and sites in North America.