Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Time-variable linear polarization as a probe of the physical conditions in the compact jets of blazars

Abstract A single measurement of linear polarization of a nonthermal source provides direct information about the mean direction and level of ordering of the magnetic field. Monitoring of the polarization in blazars, combined with millimeter-wave VLBI imaging in both total and polarized intensity, has the potential to determine the geometry of the magnetic field. This is a key probe of the physical processes in the relativistic jet, such as ordered field components, turbulence, magnetic reconnections, magnetic collimation and acceleration of the jet flow, particle acceleration, and radiative processes that produce extremely luminous, highly variable nonthermal emission. Well-sampled monitoring observations of multi-waveband flux and radio-optical polarization of blazars show a variety of behavior. In some cases, the observed polarization patterns appear systematic, while in others randomness dominates. Explanations involve helical magnetic fields, turbulence, and perhaps particle acceleration that depends on the angle between the magnetic field and shock fronts that might be present. Simulations from the author's TEMZ model, with turbulent plasma crossing a standing conical shock in the jet, show that a mixture of turbulent and toroidal magnetic field can produce the level of polarization variability that is observed, even when the two field components are roughly equal.
Software defined radar platform testbed for micro-Doppler detection

This paper presents the development results of the software-defined radar (SDR) platform testbed. The SDR platform consists of a RF and digital hardware modules as well as reconfigurable software module. As a test result, the spectrogram analysis shows that the micro-Doppler signature of the small pendulum motion can be accurately detected and discriminated using the developed SDR platform testbed.
Identification of Heterotrophic Bacteria That Colonize Chloraminated Drinking Water Distribution Systems [ Project # 3088 ]

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this project were to (1) identify the heterotrophic bacteria that colonize chloraminated distribution systems using bench-scale, pilot-scale, and full-scale environments, (2) determine whether benchscale and pilot-scale chloraminated systems are adequate models of full-scale chloraminated distribution systems, in regards to heterotrophic bacteria, and (3) explore the development of an automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA)-based screening test to identify culturable heterotrophic bacteria in drinking water distribution systems.
Characterization of pannexin1 and pannexin3 and their regulation by androgens in the male reproductive tract of the adult rat

Pannexins (Panxs) are channel‐forming proteins that have homology to the invertebrate gap junction proteins, the innexins. These proteins form membrane channels implicated in ATP release. To evaluate the role of Panxs in the male reproductive tract, we investigated the distribution and regulation of Panx1 and 3 in the testis, efferent ducts (ED), and epididymis of adult rats. In the testis, Panx1 localized to the basal compartment of the seminiferous epithelium, while Panx3 was expressed in Leydig cells. In the ED, both Panxs were expressed in the apical region of ciliated cells. In the epididymis, Panx1 was detected at the base of the epithelium, at times encompassing basal cells, while Panx3 was restricted to the apical plasma membrane of principal cells. Panx3 immunoreactions were high throughout the entire epididymis while Panx1 was high in all regions except the initial segment. Multiple transcripts for Panx1 were identified, and sequence analysis indicated that alternative splicing might account for them. Orchidectomy resulted in the expression of multiple immunoreactive Panx1 bands, and these appeared to be androgen‐repressed throughout the epididymis. Panx3 levels in all epididymal regions were also androgen‐repressed. Deglycosylation experiments indicated that some Panx1 species were due to glycosylation, but this did not account for all Panx1 immunoreactive species. In summary, Panxs expressed in the epididymis and regulated by both alternative splicing events and androgens. These proteins may play a role in ATP secretion into the epididymal lumen and basal extracellular spaces for functions involving sperm transport and maturation. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 78:124–138, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Neuroimaging studies of acute effects of THC and CBD in humans and animals: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND In recent years, growing concerns about the effects of cannabis use on mental health have renewed interest in cannabis research. In particular, there has been a marked increase in the number of neuroimaging studies of the effects of cannabinoids. We conducted a systematic review to assess the impact of acute cannabis exposure on brain function in humans and in experimental animals. METHODS Papers published until June 2012 were included from EMBASE, Medline, PubMed and LILACS databases following a comprehensive search strategy and pre-determined set of criteria for article selection. Only pharmacological challenge studies involving the acute experimental administration of cannabinoids in occasional or naïve cannabis users, and naïve animals were considered. RESULTS Two hundred and twenty-four studies were identified, of which 45 met our inclusion criteria. Twenty-four studies were in humans and 21 in animals. Most comprised studies of the acute effects of cannabinoids on brain functioning in the context of either resting state activity or activation during cognitive paradigms. In general, THC and CBD had opposite neurophysiological effects. There were also a smaller number of neurochemical imaging studies: overall, these did not support a central role for increased dopaminergic activity in THC-induced psychosis. There was a considerable degree of methodological heterogeneity in the imaging literature reviewed. CONCLUSION Functional neuroimaging studies have provided extensive evidence for the acute modulation of brain function by cannabinoids, but further studies are needed in order to understand the neural mechanisms underlying these effects. Future studies should also consider the need for more standardised methodology and the replication of findings.
The metabolic clearance rate and origin of plasma dihydrotestosterone in man and its conversion to the 5-alpha-androstanediols.

Dihydrotestosterone metabolism was studied with a constant infusion technique in three men, three women, five hirsute women, and four estrogen-treated hirsute women. The mean dihydrotestosterone metabolic clearance rate was higher in men (336 liters/24 hr per m(2) [range, 239-448]) than in women (153 liters/24 hr per m(2) [range, 108-184]). The metabolic clearance rates in hirsute patients were intermediate between those men and women and were decreased by estrogen treatment. These observations demonstrate similarities in the metabolic rates of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone. The conversion of plasma testosterone and androstenedione to dihydrotestosterone was studied in men and hirsute women. Approximately 4 and 2% of plasma testosterone and androstenedione, respectively, were converted to plasma dihydrotestosterone in both groups. From these observations it was determined that a major fraction of plasma dihydrotestosterone was derived from these plasma precursors rather than from glandular secretion. Both 5alpha-androstan-3alpha,17beta-diol (3alpha-diol) and 5alpha-androstan-3beta,17beta-diol (3beta-diol) were identified in plasma during dihydrotestosterone and testosterone infusions. The conversion ratio of dihydrotestosterone to 3alpha-diol (C(BB) (DHT-3alpha)) was greater than the conversion ratio to the 3beta-isomer (C(BB) (DTH-3beta)) in all the patients studied. Both C(BB) (DHT-3alpha) and C(BB) (DHT-3beta) were higher in men (mean values of 0.151 [range, 0.110-0.222] and 0.031 [range, 0.022-0.042]) than in women (means of 0.044 [range, 0.037-0.048] and 0.012 [range 0.010-0.013]). A smaller fraction of testosterone was converted to 3alpha-diol and 3beta-diol.
Annotations sémantiques pour le domaine Biopuces

Apres avoir souligne l'interet du Web semantique dans le domaine biomedical et de l'apport des annotations semantiques dans la recherche d'information nous presentons une methode pour la generation semi-automatique des annotations semantiques decrivant des articles dans le domaine des biopuces et ce en se basant sur les techniques d'extraction d'information.
SoftVideo: Improving the Learning Experience of Software Tutorial Videos with Collective Interaction Data

Many people rely on tutorial videos when learning to perform tasks using complex software. Watching the video for instructions and applying them to target software requires frequent going back-and-forth between the two, which incurs cognitive overhead. Furthermore, users need to constantly compare the two to see if they are following correctly, as they are prone to missing out on subtle differences. We propose SoftVideo, a prototype system that helps users plan ahead before watching each step in tutorial videos and provides feedback and help to users on their progress. SoftVideo is powered by collective interaction data, as experiences of previous learners with the same goal can provide insights into how they learned from the tutorial. By identifying the difficulty and relatedness of each step from the interaction logs, SoftVideo provides information on each step such as its estimated difficulty, lets users know if they completed or missed a step, and suggests tips such as relevant steps when it detects users struggling. To enable such a data-driven system, we collected and analyzed video interaction logs and the associated Photoshop usage logs for two tutorial videos from 120 users. We then defined six metrics that portray the difficulty of each step, including the time taken to complete a step and the number of pauses in a step, which were also used to detect users’ struggling moments by comparing their progress to the collected data. To investigate the feasibility and usefulness of SoftVideo, we ran a user study with 30 participants where they performed a Photoshop task by following along a tutorial video with SoftVideo. Results show that participants could proactively and effectively plan their pauses and playback speed, and adjust their concentration level. They were also able to identify and recover from errors with the help SoftVideo provides.
Automatic Data Partitioning by Hierarchical Genetic Search

Abstract Automatic Data partitioning is one of the most crucial issues in the parallelization of programs for distributed memory message passing parallel machines. Several aspects of this problem are known to be NP-compfete and other researchers have proposed heuristic based solutions to solve this problem. In this paper, we propose a novel approach based on genetic algorithm as a powerful alternative. Our algorithm is interesting not only because it applies a randomized search technique to solve this problem, but also because it is simple and efficient. Moreover, our algorithm can afford to look at large search spaces of possible partitioning schemes to quickly arrive at the right data partition. We present some of the results from our prototype implementation of our algorithm on the IBM SP2 cluster.
Solução numérica das equações da cinética de reatores com o método explícito de direções alternadas (ADE)

Neste trabalho as equacoes uni - e bidimensionais da cinetica de reatores na teoria da difusao multigrupo sao discretizadas no espaco. 0 Metodo Explicito de Direcoes Alternadas (ADE) e usado para resolver o resultante sistema de equacoes discretizadas. Este metodo e usado para investigar varios transientes em una e duas dimensoes. Os resultados mostram bom desempenho qualitativo e quantitativo quando comparados com os obtidos em diferentes referencias.
Energy Efficient MAC Protocol for Low-Energy Critical Infrastructure Monitoring Networks Using Wakeup Radio

Critical infrastructure monitoring applications are rapidly increasing. Application requirements include reliable data transfer, energy efficiency, and long deployment lifetime. These applications must also be able to operate in an extremely low-cost communication environment in order to be attractive to potential users. A low rate wireless personal area network can help control and manage the operations of such applications. In this paper, we present a medium access control (MAC) protocol for low-energy critical infrastructure monitoring (LECIM) applications. The proposed MAC protocol is based on a framed slotted aloha multiple access schemes. For downlink communication, we use a wakeup radio approach to avoid complex bookkeeping associated with the traditional MAC protocols. Analytical expressions for power consumption and delay are derived to analyze and compare the performance of our proposed protocol with the existing well-known T-MAC, B-MAC, X-MAC, ZigBee, and WiseMAC protocols. It is shown that our proposed protocol outperforms all the other protocols in terms of power consumption and delay.
Notice of RetractionWeighted complex network of inter-province knowledge spillover in China

In this article, we utilize the research methods of complex network to discuss the inter-province knowledge spillover in China based on paper cooperation from 1980 to 2009. We analyze the topology of the knowledge spillover network by measuring the degree distribution, average path length, clustering coefficient, clustering and degree correlation, and find that the (1)degree distribution is similar to power-law distribution in 1980–2000, and then tend to anti power-law distribution; (2)Both Lag and Catch-up of regions did appeared in different times; (3)Average path length and clustering coefficient have large fluctuate, and(4) there is obvious clustering and degree correlation. By analyzing the relationships between topology characteristics combining with realistic background, we reach the conclusion that (1)the weak ties are more, (2)public policy to improve inter-district knowledge cooperation has been carried out efficiently and(3) key points are more vital. At last we predict the developing trend of inter-province knowledge spillover.
The role of mobile‐computing self‐efficacy in consumer information disclosure

Smartphones are increasingly penetrating business and consumer markets, and mobile applications (apps) have engendered a large and innovative market. Whereas apps are useful, they also present new forms of privacy risk associated with users' personal and location data. However, these dangers do not appear to increase the perceived risk or reduce the trust consumers demonstrate when using apps. Many information technology (IT) trust indicators are well documented such as the quality of the IT, trust assurances, brand recognition and social influences. However, these traditional indicators appear to have a lesser impact on the adoption of mobile commerce via apps because of the nature of mobile‐app adoption and subsequent information disclosure. As a result, we draw from social cognitive theory and its construct of self‐efficacy in particular to explain perceived mobile‐app risk and provider trust. Through two controlled experiments, we demonstrate the strong direct effect of mobile‐computing self‐efficacy on users' initial trust in location‐based app vendors as well as their perceived risk of disclosing information – regardless of the actual trustworthiness of the app vendor. The results imply that being skilled in the latest smartphones and apps can cause users to place greater trust in app providers and perceive less risk in the app itself, even when the intentions of the app providers cannot be verified.
Body mass index, triceps skinfold and waist circumference in screening for adiposity in male children and adolescents

Simple anthropometric measurements and indices are the most commonly used tools for assessing body composition. Only a few papers have examined the sensitivity and specificity of the body mass index (BMI) against total body fat percentage (TBF%) from underwater weighing in children and adolescents. The objective of the study was to evaluate the screening performance of BMI, triceps skinfold thickness and waist circumference for excess TBF%. A total of 175 healthy volunteer males, aged 7.0–16.9 y, participated in the study. TBF% was measured using underwater weighing as the reference method. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to assess the value of the three anthropometric measurements as a screening measure for total adiposity. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated at several percentile cut‐offs for BMI, triceps skinfold and waist circumference. The areas under the ROC curves were also calculated, and were 0.86 for BMI, 0.90 for triceps skinfold and 0.88 for waist circumference. The point on the ROC curve closest to 1 corresponded to the 70th percentile for BMI, to the 75th percentile for triceps skinfold, and to the 70th percentile for waist circumference.
Impaired mitochondrial oxidative energy metabolism following paracetamol‐induced hepatotoxicity in the rat

1 Effects of paracetamol treatment in vivo at subtoxic (375 mg kg−1 body weight) and toxic (750 mg kg−1 body weight) doses on energy metabolism in rat liver mitochondria were examined. 2 Paracetamol treatment resulted in a significant loss in body weights without affecting the liver protein contents. Toxic doses, however, resulted in 21% decrease in the yield of mitochondrial proteins. 3 Subtoxic doses of paracetamol did not, in general, affect the respiratory parameters in the liver mitochondria except in the case of succinate where both the state 3 respiration and the ADP‐phosphorylation rates increased by 28%. 4 Toxic doses of paracetamol caused 25 to 47% decrease in the state 3 respiration rates depending on the substrate used. ADP/O ratios also decreased significantly with pyruvate + malate and succinate as the substrates. Consequently, ADP‐phosphorylation was impaired significantly from 20 to 63%. 5 Subtoxic doses of paracetamol resulted in increased contents of cytochrome c + c1 while the toxic doses caused lowering of the cytochromes aa3 and b contents. 6 Glutamate and succinate dehydrogenase activities decreased in both the experimental groups while Mg2+‐ATPase activity was impaired only after toxic dose‐treatment. 7 The results show that toxic doses of paracetamol result in impaired energy coupling in the liver mitochondria. Effects of subtoxic doses were also demonstrable in terms of impaired dehydrogenases activities.
Immunological and Haematological Changes in HIV Infection

HIV is known to be associated with a wide range of immunological and haematological changes.The immunological changes include depletion in CD4+ T cell, cytokine dysregulation and immune dysfunction. The dominant immunologic feature of HIV infection is progressive depletion of the helper T cell (CD4+ T cell), which reverses the normal CD4:CD8 ratio and subsequently lead to immunodeficiency. CD4+ T cells interact with antigen presenting cells (APCs), B cells, cytotoxic T cells (CD8+ T cells) as well as natural killer cells. Thus, infection and depletion of CD4+ T cell population could induce profound immunodeficiency in such patients.
The relationship between gun ownership and stranger and nonstranger firearm homicide rates in the United States, 1981-2010.

OBJECTIVES We examined the relationship between gun ownership and stranger versus nonstranger homicide rates. METHODS Using data from the Supplemental Homicide Reports of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reports for all 50 states for 1981 to 2010, we modeled stranger and nonstranger homicide rates as a function of state-level gun ownership, measured by a proxy, controlling for potential confounders. We used a negative binomial regression model with fixed effects for year, accounting for clustering of observations among states by using generalized estimating equations. RESULTS We found no robust, statistically significant correlation between gun ownership and stranger firearm homicide rates. However, we found a positive and significant association between gun ownership and nonstranger firearm homicide rates. The incidence rate ratio for nonstranger firearm homicide rate associated with gun ownership was 1.014 (95% confidence interval=1.009, 1.019). CONCLUSIONS Our findings challenge the argument that gun ownership deters violent crime, in particular, homicides.
L-Cysteine Down-Regulates SREBP-1c-Regulated Lipogenic Enzymes Expression via Glutathione in HepG2 Cells

Background/Aim: Protein-associated amino acids are supposed to play a role in sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP)-mediated regulation of lipid metabolism. This study investigates the effects of cysteine on expression of SREBP-regulated hepatic genes. Methods: HepG2 cells which are an accepted model for the study of the lipid metabolism were treated with L-cysteine under different conditions. Results: Exposure of cells to L-cysteine reduced the mRNA concentrations of SREBP-1c (–35 to –43%) and its target genes fatty acid synthase (FAS; –20 to –50%), glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase (G6PDH; –31 to –35%), and stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturase (SCD)1 (–34 to –50%). Cells treated with L-cysteine had 47% higher glutathione and 47% lower triglyceride concentrations than control cells. In cells which were concurrently treated with L-cysteine and L-buthionine-[S,R]-sulfoximine, an inhibitor of enzymatic glutathione synthesis, no down-regulation of the gene expression was observed. Pro-oxidant CuSO4 up-regulated SREBP-1c (+71%), FAS (+165%), G6PDH (+84%) and SCD1 (+96%) mRNA abundance compared to control cells, but when cells were concurrently treated with L-cysteine, the gene expression remained at control level. Conclusions: The results show that L-cysteine rapidly down-regulates the transcription of genes involved in fatty acid biosynthesis via a mechanism that appears to be mediated by an improved glutathione status.
Stator-Interlaminar-Fault Detection Using an External-Flux-Density Sensor

This paper presents the results of a research work devoted to the detection of short circuits between stator laminations of an electrical machine using external magnetic field. The theoretical developments lead one to display the influence of various phenomena on this magnetic field in a wide frequency range. It is shown that surface currents due to burrs at the external surface of the machine have an important contribution compared to the increase of eddy currents in the short-circuit volume. Finally, experimental measurements confirm this theory, and an online method of detection for large generators is proposed.