Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
[O I] 6300 Å emission in Herbig Ae/Be systems: Signature of Keplerian rotation

We present high spectral-resolution optical spectra of 49 Herbig Ae/Be stars in a search for the [OI] 6300 A line. The vast majority of the stars in our sample show narrow (FWHM < 100 km s -1 ) emission lines, centered on the stellar radial velocity. In only three sources is the feature much broader (∼400 km s -1 ), and strongly blueshifted (-200 km s -1 ) compared to the stellar radial velocity. Some stars in our sample show double-peaked line profiles, with peak-to-peak separations of ∼10 km s -1 . The presence and strength of the [OI] line emission appears to be correlated with the far-infrared energy distribution of each source: stars with a strong excess at 60 μm have in general stronger [OI] emission than stars with weaker 60 μm excesses. We interpret these narrow [OI] 6300 A line profiles as arising in the surface layers of the protoplanetary disks surrounding Herbig Ae/Be stars. A simple model for [OI] 6300 A line emission due to the photodissociation of OH molecules shows that our results are in quantitative agreement with that expected from the emission of a flared disk if the fractional OH abundance is ∼5 × 10 -7 .
Combining CXCL10 gene therapy and radiotherapy improved therapeutic efficacy in cervical cancer HeLa cell xenograft tumor models

Radiotherapy is an important treatment method for cervical cancer, but the efficacy requires improvement. Therefore, novel methods of treatment are required. Previous data have demonstrated that the CXC chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10) inhibits angiogenesis, induces apoptosis and causes avoidance of the S phase of the cell cycle in cervical cancer cells. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the anti-tumor effect of radiotherapy combined with CXCL10 gene therapy. Mouse models of cervical carcinoma were created by inoculation with HeLa cells, and were treated by combining intravenously administered plasmid-encoding CXCL10, administered 5 times (days 12, 15, 18, 21 and 24 following inoculation), with direct radiation (20 Gy/5 fractions) administered on 5 consecutive days (~day 27 after inoculation). The vessel density and tumor cell proliferation were observed by immunostaining, and apoptosis was determined using a TUNEL assay. The results revealed a significant increase in the inhibition of tumor growth, reduced vessel density, decreased cell proliferation and increased apoptosis in the tumor cells of the combination therapy group. Overall, these findings resulted in the conclusion that CXCL10 gene therapy in combination with radiotherapy is a novel effective therapeutic strategy for cervical cancer.
Multiuser Diversity for Successive Zero-Forcing Dirty Paper Coding: Greedy Scheduling Algorithms and Asymptotic Performance Analysis

Dirty paper coding (DPC) scheme is the capacity achieving transmission technique in multiuser MIMO downlink channels. As a suboptimal solution to DPC, successive zero-forcing DPC (SZF-DPC) has been proposed recently. The zero-interference constraint in designing the precoding matrices limits the number of supportable users. In this correspondence, we propose three low-complexity suboptimal user scheduling algorithms to exploit the multiuser diversity gain in SZF-DPC as the number of users grows. The first algorithm greedily maximizes the true sum rate. The second algorithm is based on eigenvalues. The third algorithm relies on the diagonal elements of the effective channel matrix since eigenvalues and diagonal entries of a Hermitian matrix have a strong relationship. Simulation results show that the proposed scheduling algorithms can obtain a significant fraction of sum rate of the optimal solution. Furthermore, the performance analysis is provided to prove that the proposed user selection algorithms can achieve the same asymptotic sum rate as that of DPC.
A Simple and Intuitive Graphical Approach to the Design of Thermoelectric Cooling Systems

In various applications, thermoelectric active cooling systems can help maintain electronic devices at a desired temperature condition better than passive coolers. Thermoelectric Coolers (TEC) are especially useful when the temperature of a device needs to be precisely controlled. This study proposes a user-friendly graphical method for calculating the steady-state operational point of a TEC based active cooling system, including the heatsink role. The method is simple and intuitive and provides comprehensive information about the cooling system such as its feasibility, required heatsink, the TEC current, temperatures of the cold side and others. The method could help designers to examine and choose a thermoelectric module from catalogues to meet a specific cooling problem. To start using the method, designers need only the experimental TEC data provided by practically all manufacturers of such devices. The experimental results of this study verify the high accuracy of the proposed model and graphical approach.
The central nucleus of the inferior colliculus in rat: A Golgi and computer reconstruction study of neuronal and laminar structure

The cellular basis for the laminar structure of the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus has been investigated by computer‐assisted 3‐D reconstruction of Golgi impregnated dendritic arbors, sampled from serial sections of resin embedded material of adult rat. Two types of flattened neurone, defined here as flat (F) and less flat (LF), are described as contributing to the pattern. The dendritic arbors of F neurones had a smaller absolute thickness (mean about 50 μm) and a denser arbor. They were strikingly parallel regionally and formed laminae mostly one cell thick. The laminae appeared to be separated by interlaminar compartments populated by the LF neurones. The arbors of the latter were thicker (mean about 100 μm) and less dense than those of the F neurones. The different density of the two types may, at least in part, be responsible for the corresponding difference in density of oriented dendrites within the laminae and interlaminar compartments. The orientation planes of F and LF arbors were roughly similar, but a consistent, slight difference in orientation between F and LF arbors is not excluded. Most of the F and LF arbors were elongated in parallel with the ventrolaterally to dorsomedially oriented long axis of the laminae. A few were instead oriented rostrocaudally or in intermediate directions. The interlaminar compartments appeared less distinct in the low than in the high frequency region. The latter region also differed from the former by having F neurones with a higher number of intermediate and terminal segments and a denser arbor. It is discussed whether the observed F and LF cells constitute two distinct cell types or are varieties of one type of neurone, with the morphological differences reflecting differences in location. Further characterization of the neurones on histochemical, hodological, and other criteria is required to settle this question. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Robust Guaranteed Cost Control for Uncertain TS Fuzzy Time-Delay Sampled-Data Systems with Nonlinear and Linear Fractional Perturbations

 Abstract—The guaranteed cost control for uncertain Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy time-delay systems with sampled-data input is considered in this paper. In order to treat the sampled-data input problem, the time-varying delay transformation technique and LMI optimization approach are provided to find the upper bound of sampled time and solve the minimization of guaranteed cost. A numerical example is illustrated to show the use of the main results.
A First-Order ε-Approximation Algorithm for Linear Programs and a Second-Order Implementation

This article presents an algorithm that finds an ε-feasible solution relatively to some constraints of a linear program. The algorithm is a first-order feasible directions method with constant stepsize that attempts to find the minimizer of an exponential penalty function. When embedded with bisection search, the algorithm allows for the approximated solution of linear programs. We present applications of this framework to set-partitioning problems and report some computational results with first-order and second-order implementations.
Adaptive Amplify-and-Forward Cooperative Diversity using Phase Feedback

Cooperative diversity obtains the spatial diversity gains created by sharing antennas of terminals in wireless networks. In this paper, adaptive amplify-and-forward (AF) cooperative diversity with multiple relays using phase feedback is introduced. Adaptive algorithm depending on channel condition and threshold obtained by computer simulation are introduced. Simple power allocation for proposed scheme is introduced. Adaptive AF cooperative diversity using phase feedback provides improved performance than the conventional AF cooperative diversity using phase feedback.
Combining PCI-24781, a Novel Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor, with Chemotherapy for the Treatment of Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Purpose: Histone deactylase inhibitors (HDACi) are a promising new class of anticancer therapeutics; however, little is known about HDACi activity in soft tissue sarcoma (STS), a heterogeneous cohort of mesenchymal origin malignancies. Consequently, we investigated the novel HDACi PCI-24781, alone/in combination with conventional chemotherapy, to determine its potential anti-STS–related effects and the underlying mechanisms involved. Experimental Design: Immunoblotting was used to evaluate the effects of PCI-24781 on histone and nonhistone protein acetylation and expression of potential downstream targets. Cell culture–based assays were utilized to assess the effects of PCI-24781 on STS cell growth, cell cycle progression, apoptosis, and chemosensitivity. Quantitative reverse transcription-PCR, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and reporter assays helped elucidate molecular mechanisms resulting in PCI-24781–induced Rad51 repression. The effect of PCI-24781, alone or with chemotherapy, on tumor and metastatic growth was tested in vivo using human STS xenograft models. Results: PCI-24781 exhibited significant anti-STS proliferative activity in vitro, inducing S phase depletion, G2/M cell cycle arrest, and increasing apoptosis. Superior effects were seen when combined with chemotherapy. A PCI-24781–induced reduction in Rad51, a major mediator of DNA double-strand break homologous recombination repair, was shown and may be a mechanism underlying PCI-24781 chemosensitization. We showed that PCI-24781 transcriptionally represses Rad51 through an E2F binding-site on the Rad51 proximal promoter. Although single-agent PCI-24781 had modest effects on STS growth and metastasis, marked inhibition was observed when combined with chemotherapy. Conclusions: In light of these findings, this novel molecular-based combination may be applicable to multiple STS histologic subtypes, and potentially merits rigorous evaluation in human STS clinical trials.
Climate Change Catastrophes

Most studies that compare price and quantity controls for greenhouse gas emissions under uncertainty find that price mechanisms perform substantially better. In these studies, the benefits from reducing emissions are proportional to the level of reductions, and such linear benefits strongly favor price policies (Weitzman 1974). Catastrophic damages, however, challenge that intuition as consequences become highly nonlinear. Catastrophe avoidance offers huge benefits, and incremental adjustments on either side of the associated threshold are relatively unimportant, suggesting a strong preference for quantity controls. This paper shows that with catastrophic damages, both price and quantity mechanisms offer large gains over the business-as-usual alternative, and the difference between policies is never more than 10%. Catastrophe avoidance is much more important than efficient catastrophe avoidance. Although previous studies favoring price policies in the presence of uncertainty have worried that catastrophes would reverse their results, this analysis indicates that such concerns are not borne out.
Macroeconomics: Institutions, Instability, and the Financial System

This authoritative new textbook integrates the modern monetary framework, based on the 3-equation model of the demand side, the supply side and the policy maker, with a model of the financial system. As a result, the authors comprehensively address the limitations of the mainstream macroeconomic model exposed by the financial crisis and the Eurozone crisis. The book guides the reader through the three principal steps required to integrate the financial system within the macroeconomic model. Firstly, the authors examine how the margin of the lending rate over the policy rate is set in the commercial banking sector, how money is created in a modern banking system and how the central bank can take account of the working of the banking system in order to achieve its desired policy outcome. Secondly, the authors explore the characteristics of the financial system that result in vulnerability to a financial crisis, with implications for fiscal balance. The economy depends on the continuity of core banking services and governments cannot afford to let them fail. This means that important banks do not bear the full cost of their lending decisions. As a result, they may have an incentive to take on excessive risk. Thirdly, a simple model is developed of the behaviour of highly-leveraged financial institutions as the basis for a leverage or financial cycle in the economy. In addition, the book extends the 3-equation model to the open economy and uses a simple 2-bloc version of the 3-equation model to introduce global imbalances. The case of a common currency area is handled within the core model - both at the Eurozone level and at the level of member countries. Every chapter emphasises how the different actors in the economy behave and interact: what are they trying to achieve and what limits their ability to put their intentions into practice? This is extended to the modelling of growth, where the role of innovation rents in the Schumpeterian model is highlighted. It is essential that students understand previous periods of growth, stability and crisis in preparing for future shocks. With this in mind, the book enables the reader to interpret long run historical data and to compare institutional detail in different eras and across the world. Consequently, this text not only develops the critical thinking skills required for academic success, but ensures the reader can analyse data, trends, and policy debates with the confidence necessary for a career in economics or finance. As a result, it is essential reading for all those interested in learning more about the current macroeconomic system and the role played by financial institutions. Online Resource Centre: For students: Conduct a range of exercises with the closed and open economy versions of the model using the Excel-based macroeconomic simulator. Develop your understanding with additional technical material available in the accompanying web appendices. For registered lecturers: Access the solutions to end of chapter questions from the book.
A Novel Parallel Rhombus-Chain-Connected Model for the Haptic Simulation of Soft Objects

The simulation of deformable soft objects is a key challenge in virtual reality. This paper presents a novel parallel rhombus-chain-connected haptic deformation model based on physics. Because the rhombus in every chain structure unit are proportional in length, calculation cost is less and deformation modeling is easier for different soft objects in this model by only changing the length and angle of the rhombus. Based on the model, contact deformation and virtual feedback force for virtual human liver are simulated in DELTA manipulator. The experiment results demonstrate that the parallel rhombus-chain-connected model is suit for realistic haptic rendering of soft objects.
On micro-structural effects in dielectric mixtures

The paper presents numerical simulations performed on dielectric properties of two-dimensional binary composites on eleven regular space ﬁlling tessellations. First, signiﬁcant contributions of diﬀerent parameters, which play an important role in the electrical properties of the composite, are introduced both for designing and analyzing material mixtures. Later, inﬂuence of structural diﬀerences and intrinsic electrical properties of constituents on the composite’s over all electrical properties are investigated. The structural diﬀerences are resolved by the spectral density representation approach. At low concentrations of inclusions (concentrations lower than the percolation threshold), the spectral density functions are delta-sequences, which corresponds to the predictions of the general Maxwell-Garnett mixture formula. At high concentrations of inclusions (close to the percolation threshold) systems exhibit non-Debye type dielectric dispersions, and the spectral density function diﬀer from each other and that predicted by the Maxwell-Garnett expression. The analysis of the dielectric dispersions with an empirical formula also illustrate structural diﬀerences between the considered geometries, however, the information is not qualitative. The empirical formula can only be used to compare structures. The spectral representation on the other hand is a concrete method to characterize the structures of dielectric mixtures. Therefore, like in other spectroscopic techniques, a look-up table might be usefull to classify/characterize composite materials structure. This can be achieved by generating dielectric data for known structures as presented and emphasized in this study. Finally, the numerical technique, without any a-priori assumptions, for extracting the spectral density function is also presented.
Heterogeneous configuration memory scrubbing for soft error mitigation in FPGAs

In this paper, we present HCS - Heterogeneous CRAM Scrubbing - for FPGAs. By utilizing stochastic fault modeling for SEUs in CRAM, we present a quantitative estimate of system MTTF improvement through CRAM scrubbing. HCS then leverages the fact that different SEUs have unequal effects on the circuit system operation, and thus the CRAM bits can be scrubbed at different rates based on the sensitivity of the bits to the circuit system failures. To maximize the improvement on system MTTF for a given circuit system, we present a dynamic programming algorithm which solves the problem efficiently and effectively. Through a detailed case study on system level study by an H.264/AVC decoder implemented on a Xilinx Virtex-5 FPGA, we show an estimation of 60% MTTF improvement by HCS over the existing homogeneous CRAM scrubbing method, while contributing virtually no area, performance and power overhead to the system.
The Anti-helminthic Compound Mebendazole Has Multiple Antifungal Effects against Cryptococcus neoformans

Cryptococcus neoformans is the most lethal pathogen of the central nervous system. The gold standard treatment of cryptococcosis, a combination of amphotericin B with 5-fluorocytosine, involves broad toxicity, high costs, low efficacy, and limited worldwide availability. Although the need for new antifungals is clear, drug research and development (R&D) is costly and time-consuming. Thus, drug repurposing is an alternative to R&D and to the currently available tools for treating fungal diseases. Here we screened a collection of compounds approved for use in humans seeking for those with anti-cryptococcal activity. We found that benzimidazoles consist of a broad class of chemicals inhibiting C. neoformans growth. Mebendazole and fenbendazole were the most efficient antifungals showing in vitro fungicidal activity. Since previous studies showed that mebendazole reaches the brain in biologically active concentrations, this compound was selected for further studies. Mebendazole showed antifungal activity against phagocytized C. neoformans, affected cryptococcal biofilms profoundly and caused marked morphological alterations in C. neoformans, including reduction of capsular dimensions. Amphotericin B and mebendazole had additive anti-cryptococcal effects. Mebendazole was also active against the C. neoformans sibling species, C. gattii. To further characterize the effects of the drug a random C. gattii mutant library was screened and indicated that the antifungal activity of mebendazole requires previously unknown cryptococcal targets. Our results indicate that mebendazole is as a promising prototype for the future development of anti-cryptococcal drugs.
Why are Some Regions More Innovative than Others? The Role of Firm Size Diversity

Large labs may spawn spin-outs caused by innovations deemed unrelated to the firm's overall business. Small labs generate demand for specialized services that lower entry costs for others. We develop a theoretical framework to study the interplay of these two localized externalities and their impact on regional innovation. We examine MSA-level patent data during the period 1975-2000 and find that innovation output is higher where large and small labs coexist. The finding is robust to across-region as well as within-region analysis, IV analysis, and the effect is stronger in certain subsamples consistent with our explanation but not the plausible alternatives.
Technology Shocks and the Response of Hours Worked : Time-Varying Dynamics Matter

Do hours worked rise or fall after a positive technology shock? According to the existing evidence it depends on whether they enter the VAR in levels (hours rise) or growth rates (hours fall). We argue that conflicting results may ultimately arise because important structural time variations are a priori ruled out by empirical models. We identify technology shocks as the only shocks driving long-run labor productivity in a Time-Varying Coefficients Bayesian Vector Autoregressions (TVC-BVAR) estimated using postwar US quarterly data. We find that, under both (levels and growth rates) specifications, (i) hours fall, and (ii) technology shocks explain about 11-25% of total aggregate fluctuations giving rise to positive but small correlations between output and hours. Differences with respect to fixed coefficients VAR are due to instabilities in the relationship between labor productivity and the levels of hours worked. JEL classification: C11, E24, E32.
Labeled Random Finite Sets and Multi-Object Conjugate Priors

The objective of multi-object estimation is to simultaneously estimate the number of objects and their states from a set of observations in the presence of data association uncertainty, detection uncertainty, false observations, and noise. This estimation problem can be formulated in a Bayesian framework by modeling the (hidden) set of states and set of observations as random finite sets (RFSs) that covers thinning, Markov shifts, and superposition. A prior for the hidden RFS together with the likelihood of the realization of the observed RFS gives the posterior distribution via the application of Bayes rule. We propose a new class of RFS distributions that is conjugate with respect to the multiobject observation likelihood and closed under the Chapman-Kolmogorov equation. This result is tested on a Bayesian multi-target tracking algorithm.
A Competency-Based Human Resource Development Strategy.

This article explores some of the major issues in developing and implementing a competency-based human resource development strategy. The article summarizes a brief literature review on how competency models can be developed and implemented to improve employee performance. A case study is presented of American Medical Systems (AMS), a mid-sized health-care and medical device company, where the model is being used to improve employee performance and gain a competitive advantage.