Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Zeta Potential and Surface Physico-chemical Properties of Atmospheric Air-plasma-treated Polyester Fabrics

The effects of atmospheric air-plasma treatments on woven polyester (PET) textile structures were studied by surface analysis methods: zeta potential, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), wettability and capillarity methods. The zeta potential of the fabrics was based on the established principles of streaming potential. The zeta potential measurements showed that plasma-treated fabrics indicated an acidic surface character. The water contact angle on plasma-treated PET decreased from 80° to 40°, indicating an increase in the surface energy of PET fibers due to a change in the fiber surface chemical nature, which was confirmed by an increase of the oxygen content in the surface detected by XPS. The capillary weight increased from 12 to 200 mg. Both capillary and zeta measurements showed 700 W as the optimum plasma treatment power.
Transcription factor Sp4 regulates dendritic patterning during cerebellar maturation

Integration of inputs by a neuron depends on dendritic arborization patterns. In mammals, the genetic programs that regulate dynamic remodeling of dendrites during development and in response to activity are incompletely understood. Here we report that knockdown of the transcription factor Sp4 led to an increased number of highly branched dendrites during maturation of cerebellar granule neurons in dissociated cultures and in cerebellar cortex. Time-course analysis revealed that depletion of Sp4 led to persistent generation of dendritic branches and a failure in resorption of transient dendrites. Depolarization induced a reduction in the number of dendrites, and knockdown of Sp4 blocked depolarization-induced remodeling. Furthermore, overexpression of Sp4 wild type, but not a mutant lacking the DNA-binding domain, was sufficient to promote dendritic pruning in nondepolarizing conditions. These findings indicate that the transcription factor Sp4 controls dendritic patterning during cerebellar development by limiting branch formation and promoting activity-dependent pruning.
Increasing Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome in a Chinese Elderly Population: 2001–2010

Objective The information on the changes of prevalence of MetS in China is limited. Our objective was to assess a 10-year’s change of the prevalence of MetS in a Chinese elderly population between 2001 and 2010. Methods We conducted two cross-sectional surveys in a representative sample of elderly population aged 60 to 95 years in Beijing in 2001 and 2010 respectively. MetS was defined according to the 2009 harmonizing definition. Results A total of 2,334 participants (943 male, 1,391 female) in 2001 and 2,102 participants (848 male, 1,254 female) in 2010 completed the survey. The prevalence of MetS was 50.4% (95%CI: 48.4%–52.4%) in 2001 and 58.1% (95%CI: 56.0%–60.2%) in 2010. The absolute change of prevalence of MetS was 7.7% over the 10-year’s period (p<0.001). The syndrome was more common in female than male in both survey years. Among the five components, hypertriglyceridemia and low HDL-C had increased most, with an increase of 14.8% (from 29.4% to 44.2%) and 9.9% (from 28.3% to 38.2%) respectively. The adjusted ORs of MetS for CHD, stroke and CVD were 1.67(95%CI: 1.39–1.99), 1.50(95%CI: 1.19–1.88) and 1.70(95%CI: 1.43–2.01) respectively in 2001, and were 1.74(95%CI: 1.40–2.17), 1.25(95%CI: 0.95–1.63) and 1.52(95%CI: 1.25–1.86) respectively in 2010. Conclusion The prevalence of MetS is high and increasing rapidly in this Chinese elderly population. Participants with Mets and its individual components are at significantly elevated ORs for CVD. Urgent public health actions are needed to control MetS and its components, especially for dislipidemia.
True Growth Rate Kinetics: An Account of the Colonisation and Transport of Microorganisms on Whole Low Grade Ore, at the Agglomerate Scale

The quantification of microbial colonisation and growth rate kinetics is essential in the characterisation of bioleaching systems for modelling heap performance. An experimental system, designed to simulate heap bioleaching conditions at the agglomerate scale, was used to quantify the microbial growth kinetics of a pure culture of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans in the PLS, the interstitial phase and attached to the mineral ore. Conventional methods for the quantification of microbial growth rate kinetics associated with the ore and in the flowing PLS have been found to be inadequate in the characterisation of whole ore systems owing to microbial transport between these regions. Growth within the whole ore system was dominated by the microbial communities associated with the ore. Two models were used to estimate the true growth rate kinetics of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans on whole low grade ore as a function of growth and transport between the identified phases. The “hydrodynamics” model assumed that microbial transport was promoted by fluid flow dynamics whilst the “biomass balance” model assumed that the microbial concentration gradient across identified phases was the driving force for transport.
MICROWAVE CONTINUUM EMISSION AND DENSE GAS TRACERS IN NGC 3627: COMBINING JANSKY VLA AND ALMA OBSERVATIONS

We present Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array Ka band (33 GHz) and Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) Band 3 (94.5 GHz) continuum images covering the nucleus and two extranuclear star-forming regions within the nearby galaxy NGC 3627 (M 66), observed as part of the Star Formation in Radio Survey. Both images achieve an angular resolution of ≲2″, allowing us to map radio spectral indices and estimate thermal radio fractions at a linear resolution of ≲90 pc. The thermal fraction at 33 GHz reaches unity at and around the peaks of each H ii region; the spectral index between 33 and 94.5 GHz additionally becomes both increasingly negative and positive away from the H ii region peaks, indicating an increase of non-thermal emission from diffusing cosmic-ray electrons and the possible presence of cold dust, respectively. While the ALMA observations were optimized for collecting continuum data, they also detected line emission from the J = 1 → 0 ? > transitions of HCN and HCO+. The peaks of dense molecular gas traced by these two spectral lines are spatially offset from the peaks of the continuum emission for both extranuclear star-forming regions, indicating that our data reach an angular resolution at which one can spatially distinguish sites of recent star formation from the sites of future star formation. Finally, we find trends of decreasing dense gas fraction and velocity dispersion with increasing star formation efficiency among the regions observed, indicating that the dynamical state of the dense gas, rather than its abundance, plays a more significant role in the star formation process.
Development of the Italian Version of the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI-I): A Cross-Cultural Adaptation, Reliability, and Validity Study

Study Design. Evaluation of the psychometric properties of a translated, culturally adapted questionnaire. Objective. Translating, culturally adapting, and validating the Italian version of the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI-I), allowing its use in Italian-speaking patients with low back pain inside and outside Italy. Summary of Background Data. Growing attention is devoted to standardized outcome measures to improve interventions for low back pain. A translated form of the ODI in patients with low back pain has never been validated within the Italian population. Methods. The ODI-I questionnaire was developed involving forward-backward translation, final review by an expert committee and test of the prefinal version to establish as better as possible proper correspondence with the original English latest version (2.1a). Psychometric testing included factor analysis, reliability by internal consistency (Cronbach α) and test-retest repeatability (Intraclass Coefficient Correlation), concurrent validity by comparing the ODI-I to Visual Analogue Scale, (Pearson correlation), and construct validity by comparing the ODI-I to Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire, RMDQ, and to Short Form Health Survey, Short Form Health Survey-36 (Pearson correlation). Results. The authors required a 3-month period before achieving a shared version of the ODI-I. The questionnaire was administered to 126 subjects, showing satisfying acceptability. Factor analysis demonstrated a 1-factor structure (45% of explained variance). The questionnaire showed high internal consistency (α = 0.855) and good test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.961). Concurrent validity was confirmed by a high correlation with Visual Analogue Scale (r = 0.73, P < 0.001), Construct validity revealed high correlations with RMDQ (r = 0.819, P < 0.001), and with Short Form Health Survey-36 domains, highly significant with the exception of Mental Health (r = −0.139, P = 0.126). Conclusion. The ODI outcome measure was successfully translated into Italian, showing good factorial structure and psychometric properties, replicating the results of existing language versions of the questionnaire. Its use is recommended in research practice.
Telemedicine utilizing integrated microfluidic system for insulin detection

This paper presents a telemedicine system utilizing an integrated microfluidic chip for fast, automatic detection of insulin. The telemedicine system expedites the insulin assay results digitally from the assay site to medical professionals located off-site, while the off-site specialist can directly provide diagnosis through the Internet. The integrated microfluidic chip contains pneumatic micropumps, a micromixer and several microvalves to automatically perform the entire protocol for insulin detection. The detection protocol is based on double-antibody sandwich chemiluminescence immunoassay. The microfluidic system carries out the detection procedures including sample/reagent transportation, incubation between the target insulin and insulin antibodies, washing processes, and the chemiluminescence development process. The chemiluminescence signal is measured and quantifies the concentration of insulin in the testing sample. Experimental data show that the developed system can automatically complete the entire protocol within 10 min with a detection limit of 260 pmol/L. This microfluidic-based telemedicine system is promising for point-of-care diabetes screening in the future.
Individual differences in false memory from misinformation: Cognitive factors

This research investigated the cognitive correlates of false memories that are induced by the misinformation paradigm. A large sample of Chinese college students (N=436) participated in a misinformation procedure and also took a battery of cognitive tests. Results revealed sizable and systematic individual differences in false memory arising from exposure to misinformation. False memories were significantly and negatively correlated with measures of intelligence (measured with Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale), perception (Motor-Free Visual Perception Test, Change Blindness, and Tone Discrimination), memory (Wechsler Memory Scales and 2-back Working Memory tasks), and face judgement (Face Recognition and Facial Expression Recognition). These findings suggest that people with relatively low intelligence and poor perceptual abilities might be more susceptible to the misinformation effect.
A H+-ATPase That Energizes Nutrient Uptake during Mycorrhizal Symbioses in Rice and Medicago truncatula[C][W][OPEN]

Electrochemical H+ gradients are essential to drive active transport of solutes through plant membranes. This work describes plant mutants defective in a proton pump that is specifically located in arbuscule-containing root cells and shows that this proton pump is required for the function of the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis and symbiosis-driven phosphate acquisition and plant growth. Most plant species form symbioses with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, which facilitate the uptake of mineral nutrients such as phosphate from the soil. Several transporters, particularly proton-coupled phosphate transporters, have been identified on both the plant and fungal membranes and contribute to delivering phosphate from fungi to plants. The mechanism of nutrient exchange has been studied in plants during mycorrhizal colonization, but the source of the electrochemical proton gradient that drives nutrient exchange is not known. Here, we show that plasma membrane H+-ATPases that are specifically induced in arbuscule-containing cells are required for enhanced proton pumping activity in membrane vesicles from AM-colonized roots of rice (Oryza sativa) and Medicago truncatula. Mutation of the H+-ATPases reduced arbuscule size and impaired nutrient uptake by the host plant through the mycorrhizal symbiosis. Overexpression of the H+-ATPase Os-HA1 increased both phosphate uptake and the plasma membrane potential, suggesting that this H+-ATPase plays a key role in energizing the periarbuscular membrane, thereby facilitating nutrient exchange in arbusculated plant cells.
The holographic Weyl anomaly

We calculate the Weyl anomaly for conformal field theories that can be described via the adS/CFT correspondence. This entails regularizing the gravitational part of the corresponding supergravity action in a manner consistent with general covariance. Up to a constant, the anomaly only depends on the dimension d of the manifold on which the conformal field theory is defined. We present concrete expressions for the anomaly in the physically relevant cases d = 2,4 and 6. In d = 2 we find for the central charge c = 3l/2GN, in agreement with considerations based on the asymptotic symmetry algebra of adS3. In d = 4 the anomaly agrees precisely with that of the corresponding = 4 superconformal SU(N) gauge theory. The result in d = 6 provides new information for the (0, 2) theory, since its Weyl anomaly has not been computed previously. The anomaly in this case grows as N3, where N is the number of coincident M5 branes, and it vanishes for a Ricci-flat background.
Data transformations for eliminating conflict misses

Many cache misses in scientific programs are due to conflicts caused by limited set associativity. We examine two compile-time data-layout transformations for eliminating conflict misses, concentrating on misses occuring on every loop iteration. Inter-variable padding adjusts variable base addresses, while intra-variable padding modifies array dimension sizes. Two levels of precision are evaluated. PADLITE only uses array and column dimension sizes, relying on assumptions about common array reference patterns. PAD analyzes programs, detecting conflict misses by linearizing array references and calculating conflict distances between uniformly-generated references. The Euclidean algorithm for computing the gcd of two numbers is used to predict conflicts between different array columns for linear algebra codes. Experiments on a range of programs indicate PADLITE can eliminate conflicts for benchmarks, but PAD is more effective over a range of cache and problem sizes. Padding reduces cache miss rates by 16% on average for a 16K direct-mapped cache. Execution times are reduced by 6% on average, with some SPEC95 programs improving up to 15%.
Critical cooling rate and thermal stability of Zr–Ti–Cu–Ni–Be alloys

The critical cooling rate as well as the thermal stability are measured for a series of alloys in the Zr–Ti–Cu–Ni–Be system. Upon cooling from the molten state with different rates, alloys with compositions ranging along a tie line from (Zr70Ti30)55(Ni39Cu61)25Be20 to (Zr85Ti15)55(Ni57Cu43)22.5Be27. 5 show a continuous increase in the critical cooling rate to suppress crystallization. In contrast, thermal analysis of the same alloys shows that the undercooled liquid region, the temperature difference between the glass transition temperature and the crystallization temperature, is largest for some compositions midway between the two endpoints, revealing that glass forming ability does not correlate with thermal stability. The relationship between the composition-dependent glass forming ability and thermal stability is discussed with reference to a chemical decomposition process.
Context-Aware Proactive Content Caching With Service Differentiation in Wireless Networks

Content caching in small base stations or wireless infostations is considered to be a suitable approach to improve the efficiency in wireless content delivery. Placing the optimal content into local caches is crucial due to storage limitations, but it requires knowledge about the content popularity distribution, which is often not available in advance. Moreover, local content popularity is subject to fluctuations, since mobile users with different interests connect to the caching entity over time. Which content a user prefers may depend on the user’s context. In this paper, we propose a novel algorithm for context-aware proactive caching. The algorithm learns context-specific content popularity online by regularly observing context information of connected users, updating the cache content and observing cache hits subsequently. We derive a sublinear regret bound, which characterizes the learning speed and proves that our algorithm converges to the optimal cache content placement strategy in terms of maximizing the number of cache hits. Furthermore, our algorithm supports service differentiation by allowing operators of caching entities to prioritize customer groups. Our numerical results confirm that our algorithm outperforms state-of-the-art algorithms in a real world data set, with an increase in the number of cache hits of at least 14%.
The Evolution of Base Station Antennas for Mobile Communications

This paper gives a general overview of the design of base station antennas for mobile communications. It explains underlying theoretical and practical implementation aspects in mobile communication networks of today and the future. In the first part the fundamental parameters of a base station antenna are discussed in the context of radio network design. In particular we discuss parameters such as gain, radiation patterns, frequency bands and power handling and put them in the context of cell planning, propagation and capacity. In the final parts of the paper we give an overview of the underlying theory of diversity and MIMO systems.
A dimeric equilibrium intermediate nucleates Drp1 reassembly on mitochondrial membranes for fission

Drp1 catalyzes mitochondrial division, but the mechanisms remain elusive. The mitochondrial lipid cardiolipin stimulates Drp1 activity and supports membrane constriction. In addition, Drp1 populates two polymeric states that equilibrate via a dimeric intermediate. Dimers nucleate Drp1 reassembly on mitochondria for fission.
Predictable Self-Organization with Computational Fields

In recent years, a number of different strands of research on self-organizing systems have come together to create a new "aggregate programming" approach to the engineering of distributed systems. Aggregate programming is motivated by a desire to avoid the notoriously intractable "local to global" problem, where the system designer must predict how to control individual devices to achieve a collective goal. Instead, the designer programs an abstraction of the collective, composing "building block" primitives from a library of special cases where the local-to-global problem is already solved. Unifying a number of the proposed aggregate programming approaches is the notion of a "computational field" that maps each device in the field's domain to a local value in its range. This concept was originally developed for spatial computers, in which communication and geometric position are closely linked, but can support effective aggregate programming of many non-spatial networks as well. A mathematical foundation for such approaches has been formalized recently with a minimal "field calculus" that appears to be an effective unifying model, covering a wide range of aggregate programming models, both continuous (e.g., geometry-based) and discrete (e.g., graph-based). On this foundation, restricted languages can ensure various desirable properties such as scalability, self-stabilization, and robustness to perturbation. By building up a sufficiently broad collection of composable "building block" distributed algorithms, it is possible to enable simple and rapid development of complex distributed systems that are implicitly scalable and resilient. The ultimate aim of this line of research is to make the programming of robust distributed systems as simple and widespread as single-processor programming, thereby enabling widespread increases in the reliability, efficiency, and democracy of our technological infrastructure.
Defending HTTP Web Servers against DDoS Attacks through Busy Period-based Attack Flow Detection

We propose a new Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) defense mechanism that protects http web servers from application-level DDoS attacks based on the two methodologies: whitelist-based admission control and busy period-based attack flow detection. The attack flow detection mechanism detects attach flows based on the symptom or stress at the server, since it is getting more difficult to identify bad flows only based on the incoming traffic patterns. The stress is measured by the time interval during which a given client makes the server busy, referred to as a client-induced server busy period (CSBP). We also need to protect the servers from a sudden surge of attack flows even before the malicious flows are identified by the attack flow detection mechanism. Thus, we use whitelist-based admission control mechanism additionally to control the load on the servers. We evaluate the performance of the proposed scheme via simulation and experiment. The simulation results show that our defense system can mitigate DDoS attacks effectively even under a large number of attack flows, on the order of thousands, and the experiment results show that our defense system deployed on a linux machine is sufficiently lightweight to handle packets arriving at a rate close to the link rate.
Sparsity on Statistical Simplexes and Diversity in Social Ranking

Sparsity in R^m has been widely explored in machine learning. We study sparsity on a statistical simplex consisting of all categorical distributions. This is different from the case in R^m because such a simplex is a Riemannian manifold, a curved space. A learner with sparse constraints should be likely to fall to its low-dimensional boundaries. We present a novel analysis on the statistical simplex as a manifold with boundary. The main contribution is an explicit view of the learning dynamics in between high-dimensional models in the interior of the simplex and low-dimensional models on its boundaries. We prove the differentiability of the cost function, the natural gradient with respect to the Riemannian structure, and convexity around the singular regions. We uncover an interesting relationship with L1 regularization. We apply the proposed technique to social network analysis. Given a directed graph, the task is to rank a subset of influencer nodes. Here, sparsity means that the top-ranked nodes should present diversity in the sense of minimizing influence overlap. We present a ranking algorithm based on the natural gradient. It can scale up to graph datasets with millions of nodes. On real large networks, the top-ranked nodes are the most informative among several commonly-used techniques.