Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Infrared Dark Clouds: Precursors to Star Clusters

Infrared dark clouds (IRDCs) are dense molecular clouds seen as extinction features against the bright mid-infrared Galactic background. Millimeter continuum maps toward 38 IRDCs reveal extended cold dust emission to be associated with each of the IRDCs. IRDCs range in morphology from filamentary to compact and have masses of 120 to 16,000 M☉, with a median mass of ~940 M☉. Each IRDC contains at least one compact (≤0.5 pc) dust core and most show multiple cores. We find 140 cold millimeter cores unassociated with MSX 8 μm emission. The core masses range from 10 to 2100 M☉, with a median mass of ~120 M☉. The slope of the IRDC core mass spectrum (α ~ 2.1 ± 0.4) is similar to that of the stellar IMF. Assuming that each core will form a single star, the majority of the cores will form OB stars. IRDC cores have similar sizes, masses, and densities as hot cores associated with individual, young high-mass stars, but they are much colder. We therefore suggest that IRDC represent an earlier evolutionary phase in high-mass star formation. In addition, because IRDCs contain many compact cores and have the same sizes and masses as molecular clumps associated with young clusters, we suggest that IRDCs are the cold precursors to star clusters. Indeed, an estimate of the star formation rate within molecular clumps with similar properties to IRDCs (~2 M☉ yr-1) is comparable to the global star formation rate in the Galaxy, supporting the idea that all stars may form in such clumps.
Proactivity and work experience as predictors of career-enhancing strategies

The present study aims to enhance researchers' understanding of career self-management behaviour by introducing proactivity along with human capital variables into the analysis. By modelling employees' career strategies, this empirical investigation assesses the relative importance of human capital predictors as well as that of proactive personality. A survey was conducted using a structured questionnaire. There were 328 participants in the survey, consisting of individuals working for firms across all sectors of the Greek economy. Factor analysis was used to form implemented career strategies reported in the survey. Regression analysis was applied for assessing the impact of each predictor on career self-management behaviour. The main findings indicate that the primary sources behind shaping employees' career strategies are their own proactive personality and their work experience in full-time jobs. The importance of combining human capital variables with employees' proactivity in modelling career development is stressed by the present study.
A non‐selective cation conductance in frog muscle membrane blocked by micromolar external calcium ions.

Membrane currents were recorded from voltage‐clamped, EGTA‐loaded muscle fibres under conditions where currents through ordinary Na+, K+ and Cl‐ channels were prevented by drugs or by absence of permeant ions (K+, and Cl‐). At 10 mM‐external [Ca2+], substitution of Na+ for the large and presumably impermeant organic cations tetramethyl‐ (TMA+) or tetraethylammonium (TEA+) failed to increase peak inward current. Hence the Ca2+ channel was not significantly permeable to Na+ under these conditions. When external [Ca2+] was reduced to levels below 1 microM in the presence of external Na+, step depolarizations to negative potentials produced tetrodotoxin‐resistant inward currents. At ‐20 mV, they rose to a peak of 30‐200 microA/cm2 within 150 ms and declined thereafter. Ca2+ and several other divalent cations reversibly blocked this inward current. The sequence of blocking potencies was Ca2+ greater than Sr2+ greater than or equal to Co2+ greater than Mn2+ congruent to Cd2+ greater than Ni2+ congruent to Mg2+. Large inward currents may be carried by Li+, Na+, K+, Rb+ and Cs+ but not by TMA+ and TEA+. The effect of external Ca2+ ([Ca2+]o) was explored over a 10(8)‐fold range in concentrations. Na+ was present at a fixed concentration. When [Ca2+]o was gradually increased from 10(‐10) to 10(‐2) M, inward current first diminished 10‐fold, reached a minimum at [Ca2+]o = 60 microM and then increased again as [Ca2+]o was increased further and Ca2+ itself became a current carrier. Block of inward current at [Ca2+]o less than 10(‐5) M could be described by binding of a single Ca2+ to a site, with a dissociation constant of the order of 0.7 microM at ‐20 mV.
Secrecy from Resolvability

We analyze physical-layer security based on the premise that the coding mechanism for secrecy over noisy channels is tied to the notion of resolvability. Instead of considering capacity-based constructions, which associate to each message a sub-code that operates just below the capacity of the eavesdropper’s channel, we consider resolvability-based constructions, which associate to each message a sub-code that operates just above the resolvability of the eavesdropper’s channel. Building upon the work of Csisz´ ar and Hayashi, we provide further evidence that resolvability is a powerful and versatile coding mechanism for secrecy by developing results that hold for strong secrecy metrics and arbitrary channels. Specifically, we show that, at least for symmetric wiretap channels, random capacity-based constructions fail to achieve the strong secrecy capacity while resolvability-based constructions achieve it. We then leverage resolvability to establish the secrecy-capacity region of arbitrary broadcast channels with confidential messages and a cost constraint for strong secrecy metrics. Finally, we specialize our results to study the secrecy capacity of wireless channels with perfect channel state information, compound and mixed channels, as well as the secret-key capacity of source models for secret-key agreement. By tying secrecy to resolvability, we obtain achievable rates for strong secrecy metrics with simple proofs.
Kalman filtering in mobile consensus networks

In this paper, we design a Kalman filter for a mobile sensor network that tries to reach consensus based solely on relative measurements. We show, that this problem cannot be solved with state-of-the-art Kalman consensus filters because such a mobile consensus network is not observable. Hence, we propose a system transformation and the concept of a reference agent to obtain an asymptotically stable and observable system description. Based on the transformed system, we design a central Kalman filter and visualize the factorization details with Dynamic Bayesian Networks (DBN). Then, the Kalman filter is modified to obtain one decentral Kalman filter for each agent that uses delayed measurements propagated through the communication topology. This allows each agent to estimate the whole system state using only information sent by its neighbor agents defined by a communication topology. Simulation results demonstrate our method.
Scattering theory and linear least squares estimation&#8212;Part I: Continuous-time problems

The Riccati equation plays as important a role in scattering theory as it does in linear least squares estimation theory. However, in the scattering literature, a somewhat different framework of treating the Riccati equation has been developed. This framework is shown to be appropriate for estimation problems and makes possible simple derivations of known results as well as leading to several new results. Examples include the derivation of backward equations to solve forward Riccati equations, an analysis of the asymptotic behavior of the Riccati equation, the derivation of backward Markovian representations of stochastic processes, and new derivations and new insights into the Chandrasekhar and related Levinson and Cholesky equations.
The stabilizing role of aggressive children in affiliative social networks among preschoolers

In general, aggression is believed to destabilize social integration. The question of who plays a central role in stabilizing and facilitating social integration is important in studies of conflict management and resolution. We investigated that question by applying social network analysis to behavioral data of preschool children (3- and 4-year-olds) in four classes. We identified two kinds of social network structures in each class: 'affiliative network structure' (ANS) consisting of socially positive behavior (affiliation and prosocial behavior) and 'disruptive network structure' (DNS) consisting of socially negative behavior (aggressive or disruptive behavior). Next, we tested how the exclusion of each child, having different degrees of centrality within the ANS or DNS, influenced the 'density', or cohesiveness, of the DNS or ANS among the same children. We found that excluding the children with higher centrality in the ANS did not affect the density of the DNS. In contrast, excluding the children with higher centrality in the DNS reduced the density of the ANS to a greater extent. This suggests that aggressive children play not only a dispersive role but also a cohesive role in their networks. This counterintuitive result highlights the adaptive and dual roles of aggressive children in their social groups.
Hypertrophied hearts: what of sevoflurane cardioprotection?

Background: Recent studies have demonstrated that inhalation anaesthetics, like sevoflurane, confer cardioprotection both experimentally and clinically. However, coexisting cardiac disease might diminish anaesthetic cardioprotection and could partly explain why the clinical results of cardioprotection with anaesthetics remain controversial – in contrast to solid experimental evidence. Concomitant left ventricular hypertrophy is found in some cardiac surgery patients and could change cardioprotection efficacy. Hypertrophy could potentially render the heart less susceptible to sevoflurane cardioprotection and more susceptible to ischaemic injury. We investigated whether hypertrophy blocks sevoflurane cardioprotection, and whether tolerance to ischaemia is altered by left ventricular hypertrophy, in an established experimental animal model of ischaemia–reperfusion.
Sibship Size and Educational Attainment in Nuclear and Extended Families: Arabs and Jews in Israel.

We examine the relationship between number of siblings and educational attainment for three groups in Israel: Ashkenazi Jews, Oriental Jews, and Moslem Arabs. For both Jewish groups number of siblings has a negative effect on educational attainment. However, this pattern is not replicated for Moslems whose social organization is based largely on the extended family and the patrilineage (the hamula). Among Moslems the extended family plays an active supporting role vis-a-vis the nuclear family. While the size of the nuclear family does not affect educational attainment for Moslems in Israel, the size of the hamula does. This suggests that when the nuclear family draws on the support of an extended kinship, its size is less important for the educational attainment of children.
Definitions in Science Lectures

This paper is an empirical study of the speech act of definition in science lectures. Definitions occurring in sixteen lectures by native speaker biology and chemistry lecturers to non-native speaker students were transcribed and coded onto a computer data base, according to twenty-eight linguistic and paralinguistic features. Data were obtained regarding frequency, distribution, function, and form of definitions. A total of 315 terms were defined, indicating an average frequency of occurrence of one definition per 1 minute 55 seconds. Definitions were found to fulfil one of two main functions: signposting the logical/discourse structure of the subject/lecture, or helping to maintain comprehension as the discourse progresses. Definitions were found to often cluster together in discourse, but there was no evidence of them being more frequent at the beginning of lectures. Definitions were classified into three major types and one minor type, each of the major types being further subclassified. Findings are reported for ordering of the semantic elements of definitions, syntactic and lexical signalling devices, and various rhetorical and paralinguistic features which accompany definitions. A final section discusses implications for pedagogy.
Enzyme Immobilization Strategies and Electropolymerization Conditions to Control Sensitivity and Selectivity Parameters of a Polymer-Enzyme Composite Glucose Biosensor

In an ongoing programme to develop characterization strategies relevant to biosensors for in-vivo monitoring, glucose biosensors were fabricated by immobilizing the enzyme glucose oxidase (GOx) on 125 μm diameter Pt cylinder wire electrodes (PtC), using three different methods: before, after or during the amperometric electrosynthesis of poly(ortho-phenylenediamine), PoPD, which also served as a permselective membrane. These electrodes were calibrated with H2O2 (the biosensor enzyme signal molecule), glucose, and the archetypal interference compound ascorbic acid (AA) to determine the relevant polymer permeabilities and the apparent Michaelis-Menten parameters for glucose. A number of selectivity parameters were used to identify the most successful design in terms of the balance between substrate sensitivity and interference blocking. For biosensors electrosynthesized in neutral buffer under the present conditions, entrapment of the GOx within the PoPD layer produced the design (PtC/PoPD-GOx) with the highest linear sensitivity to glucose (5.0 ± 0.4 μA cm−2 mM−1), good linear range (KM = 16 ± 2 mM) and response time (< 2 s), and the greatest AA blocking (99.8% for 1 mM AA). Further optimization showed that fabrication of PtC/PoPD-GOx in the absence of added background electrolyte (i.e., electropolymerization in unbuffered enzyme-monomer solution) enhanced glucose selectivity 3-fold for this one-pot fabrication protocol which provided AA-rejection levels at least equal to recent multi-step polymer bilayer biosensor designs. Interestingly, the presence of enzyme protein in the polymer layer had opposite effects on permselectivity for low and high concentrations of AA, emphasizing the value of studying the concentration dependence of interference effects which is rarely reported in the literature.
Psychological concomitants of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks: A review

This paper reviews 118 empirical studies detailing the psychological implications of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks. Negative outcomes are summarized under five major headings: sub‐clinical distress, acute stress disorder and post‐traumatic stress disorder, depression, substance abuse and suicide, and the use of health services and prescription drug use. In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, a significant minority of those residing in New York City and Washington, DC showed evidence of poor mental health. Within six months of the attacks, however, symptoms typically returned to baseline or lower levels. Within the rest of the United States, the psychological impact of the attacks was minimal; in other countries, it was almost non‐existent. Important psychological and demographic moderators of these outcomes are discussed, in addition to some positive psychological outcomes of the attacks. The paper concludes with a brief review of the empirical research conducted following the 2004 Madrid and 2005 London bombings in order to assess the generalizability of the 9/11 research literature to psychological reactions to other similar events. Implications for practice and policy are discussed, along with the shortcomings of the literature and some suggestions for future research.
Characterization and expression of non-polymorphic liver expressed antimicrobial peptide 2: LEAP-2 in the Japanese quail, Coturnix japonica.

Liver-expressed antimicrobial peptide 2 (LEAP-2) is a cationic peptide that plays an important role in innate immunity for host defense. The aim of this study was to characterize the LEAP-2 gene in the Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica). Japanese quail LEAP-2 (CjLEAP-2) was identified from the Japanese quail draft genome database by a local BLAST analysis using chicken LEAP-2 (GgLEAP-2). The exon-intron structure of CjLEAP-2, analyzed from three quails, is composed of three exons, as is the chicken LEAP-2 homolog (GgLEAP-2). An analysis of the coding sequence revealed that CjLEAP-2 is 231 bp long, like GgLEAP-2, and 93% identical to GgLEAP-2 at the nucleic acid level. The predicted amino acid sequence of CjLEAP-2 contained the liver-expressed antimicrobial peptide 2-precursor domain and four cysteine residues characteristic of the LEAP-2 protein. The amino acid sequence of the mature peptide of CjLEAP-2 was 100% identical to that of GgLEAP-2. We confirmed that CjLEAP-2 was transcribed in at least seven tissues, including the digestive system. Additionally, the mature peptide region of CjLEAP-2 exhibited no polymorphisms in 99 quails from six strains. Taken together, these findings indicate that CjLEAP-2 is non-polymorphic and therefore, it likely plays an important role in the innate immunity of quail as it does in chicken.
Online multi-target learning of inverse dynamics models for computed-torque control of compliant manipulators

Inverse dynamics models are applied to a plethora of robot control tasks such as computed-torque control, which are essential for trajectory execution. The analytical derivation of such dynamics models for robotic manipulators can be challenging and depends on their physical characteristics. This paper proposes a machine learning approach for modeling inverse dynamics and provides information about its implementation on a physical robotic system. The proposed algorithm can perform online multi-target learning, thus allowing efficient implementations on real robots. Our approach has been tested both offline, on datasets captured from three different robotic systems and online, on a physical system. The proposed algorithm exhibits state-of-the-art performance in terms of generalization ability and convergence. Furthermore, it has been implemented within ROS for controlling a Baxter robot. Evaluation results show that its performance is comparable to the built-in inverse dynamics model of the robot.
Design space and opportunities for physical movement participation in everyday life

This paper is motivated by our work in the European Culture project "Faust - or dis-inventing the A-bomb". The project explored how to raise consciousness about distressing technology development through dialogue with old and young people. When reviewing our work it struck us that we had overlooked that some of the prototypes designed by the young participants called for embodied participation. We had naively expected to see sheer technology innovations of the future. Here we reflect on sensitivities for the bodily/physical will to interact. We also discuss everyday life situations that could allow for natural physical engagement as a health benefit. Physical aspects are typically of little consideration in design projects, apart from projects that has body-movement as specific focus. We seek ways to adequately include a critical perspective in future design and to consider physical aspects more broadly in ICT projects for a human sustainable future. In many cases, the young participants showed us their concern for sustainability and well-being of both the environment and themselves and demonstrated through their prototypes a willingness to contribute through physical interaction.
Use of Hyaluronic Acid Gel for Upper Eyelid Filling and Contouring

Purpose: To describe the use of hyaluronic acid gel for upper eyelid filling, contouring, and rejuvenation. Methods: In this consecutive, retrospective, interventional case series, standard serial puncture injections with preperiosteal placement of filler were administered at the superior orbital rim. Outcome measures included classification of upper eyelid volume deficiency as I) medial A-shaped hollow, II) generalized hollow, III) postblepharoplasty volume loss, and IV) upper eyelid hooding with subbrow volume deflation; volume of filler used; masked, independent assessment of pretreatment and posttreatment photographs; patient satisfaction; and complications. Results: Twenty-seven patients were included with a mean follow-up of 13 months. More than 85% were white women with a mean age of 51 years (range, 24–65 years). Five patients were classified as type I, 8 as type II, 11 as type III, and 3 as type IV. The mean volume of filler used was 0.4 ml/eyelid (range, 0.1–1 ml). Photographic assessment showed improved static upper eyelid contour in 23 patients (85%), little change in 3 patients (11%), and deterioration in 1 patient (4%). Twenty-six patients (96%) were satisfied with the treatment, although 5 (19%) requested additional filler and 1 patient underwent dissolution within 3 months. Two of the 3 type IV patients still required blepharoplasty/ptosis surgery. All patients developed mild bruising and swelling but no discoloration or lumpiness. Conclusions: Hyaluronic acid filler is an effective means of rejuvenating the upper eyelid and is particularly successful in patients with medial/generalized upper eyelid hollowing, or significant postblepharoplasty upper eyelid show. A blepharoplasty/brow lift/ptosis procedure is still frequently required for hooding due to subbrow deflation (type IV).
Optimized Transformation and Verification of SystemC Methods

Concurrent designs can be automatically verified by transforming them into an automata-based representation and by model checking the resulting model. However, when transforming a concurrent design into an automata-based representation, each method has to be translated into a single automaton. This produces a significant overhead for model checking. In this paper, we present an optimization of our previously proposed transformation from SystemC into Uppaal timed automata. The main idea is that we analyze whether SystemC methods can be executed atomically and then we use the results for generating a reduced automata model. We have implemented the optimized transformation in our SystemC to T imed A utomata T ransformation E ngine ( STATE ) and demonstrate the effect of our optimization with experimental results from micro benchmarks, a simple producer-consumer example, and from an Anti-Slip Regulation and Anti-lock Braking System (ASR/ABS).
LEDIR: An Unsupervised Algorithm for Learning Directionality of Inference Rules

Semantic inference is a core component of many natural language applications. In response, several researchers have developed algorithms for automatically learning inference rules from textual corpora. However, these rules are often either imprecise or underspecified in directionality. In this paper we propose an algorithm called LEDIR that filters incorrect inference rules and identifies the directionality of correct ones. Based on an extension to Harris’s distributional hypothesis, we use selectional preferences to gather evidence of inference directionality and plausibility. Experiments show empirical evidence that our approach can classify inference rules significantly better than several baselines.
FL-GUARD: A Detection and Defense System for DDoS Attack in SDN

This paper proposed a new detection and prevention system against DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack in SDN (software defined network) architecture, FL-GUARD (Floodlight-based guard system). Based on characteristics of SDN and centralized control, etc., FL-GUARD applies dynamic IP address binding to solve the problem of IP spoofing, and uses 3.3. 2 C-SVM algorithm to detect attacks, and finally take advantage of the centralized control of software-defined network to issue flow tables to block attacks at the source port. The experiment results show the effectiveness of our system. The modular design of FL-GUARD lays a good foundation for the future improvement.