Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
2D Ruddlesden–Popper Perovskites Microring Laser Array

3D organic–inorganic hybrid perovskites have featured high gain coefficients through the electron–hole plasma stimulated emission mechanism, while their 2D counterparts of Ruddlesden–Popper perovskites (RPPs) exhibit strongly bound electron–hole pairs (excitons) at room temperature. High‐performance solar cells and light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) are reported based on 2D RPPs, whereas light‐amplification devices remain largely unexplored. Here, it is demonstrated that ultrafast energy transfer along cascade quantum well (QW) structures in 2D RPPs concentrates photogenerated carriers on the lowest‐bandgap QW state, at which population inversion can be readily established enabling room‐temperature amplified spontaneous emission and lasing. Gain coefficients measured for 2D RPP thin‐films (≈100 nm in thickness) are found about at least four times larger than those for their 3D counterparts. High‐density large‐area microring arrays of 2D RPPs are fabricated as whispering‐gallery‐mode lasers, which exhibit high quality factor (Q ≈ 2600), identical optical modes, and similarly low lasing thresholds, allowing them to be ignited simultaneously as a laser array. The findings reveal that 2D RPPs are excellent solution‐processed gain materials potentially for achieving electrically driven lasers and ideally for on‐chip integration of nanophotonics.
Anosognosia Is an Independent Predictor of Conversion From Mild Cognitive Impairment to Alzheimer's Disease and Is Associated With Reduced Brain Metabolism.

OBJECTIVE Anosognosia, or impaired illness awareness, is a common feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and less so of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Importantly, anosognosia negatively influences clinical outcomes for patients and their caregivers and may predict the conversion from MCI to AD. This study aimed to examine (1) the relationship between brain glucose metabolism as measured by fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) and anosognosia in patients with MCI and AD and (2) the predictive utility of anosognosia in patients with MCI for later conversion to AD, even when controlling for other factors, including gender, education, apolipoprotein E ε4 carrier status, dementia severity, and cognitive dysfunction. METHODS Data for 1,062 participants from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative database (2003 to August 2015) classified as having AD (n = 191) or MCI (n = 499) or as healthy comparison (HC) subjects (n = 372) were analyzed. HC participants had Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores from 24 to 30 and a Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) of 0. MCI participants had MMSE scores from 24 to 30, a memory complaint, objective memory loss, a CDR of 0.5, absence of significant levels of impairment in other cognitive domains, and essentially preserved activities of daily living. AD participants had MMSE scores ≤ 26 and a CDR of ≥ 0.5, and met National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke-Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association criteria for probable AD. Anosognosia was measured with the composite discrepancy score of the study partner and participants' scores on the Everyday Cognition scale (ECog). Bivariate correlations and multiple regression analyses were performed to assess the relationship between anosognosia and FDG-PET findings in each group. Lastly, logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curve analyses were performed in the MCI sample to determine if anosognosia was predictive of conversion from MCI to AD. RESULTS Hypometabolism was independently associated with anosognosia in AD, particularly in the posterior cingulate cortex and right angular gyrus. Anosognosia was associated with conversion from MCI to AD within 5 years (OR = 2.74 [95% CI, 1.95 to 3.85], χ²₁ = 33.65, P < .001), even after including covariates (OR = 1.64 [95% CI, 1.12 to 2.40], χ²₁ = 6.43, P = .011). ECog-composite scores ≤ -0.75 were 93% sensitive and 15% specific for conversion from MCI to AD. CONCLUSIONS Anosognosia in AD is related to brain glucose hypometabolism. Further, anosognosia independently predicts conversion from MCI to AD. The absence of anosognosia may be clinically useful to identify those patients that are unlikely to convert from MCI to AD.
The implementation of feedforward network on field programmable gate array

Multilayer feedforward networks are related to functional groups of neurons where information is transmitted from one group to the next. It is a generic framework to characterize the properties of spiking activities in propagation. In this paper, we designed a novelty structure of feedforward network on FPGA to propagate the synchronous spiking activities. The experiment results demonstrate that the hardware implemented feedforward network can achieve the same synchronized states as the results of software simulation and show the high performance of FPGA implementation. The implementation of the feedforward network using one of the Altera Stratix III series FPGA boards is presented.
Psychological Treatment Needs for Chronic Pain in Singapore and the Relevance of the Psychological Flexibility Model

Objective The goals of the present study were (a) to assess the psychological treatment needs and treatment delivery preferences in people attending services or contacting a hospital website for chronic pain in Singapore, and (b) to explore potential relevance of the psychological flexibility (PF) model for this group by investigating associations between PF and pain-related outcomes. Design and Setting This was a cross-sectional questionnaire study of people with chronic pain in Singapore. Subjects Current users of treatment services at a tertiary pain management clinic (PMC), users of pain treatment services elsewhere, and non-treatment users. Methods Participants were either recruited face-to-face at a pain clinic or via an online portal. All participants completed a questionnaire, including a survey of treatment barriers and needs, treatment delivery preferences for chronic pain, and standardized measures of PF, pain interference, emotional functioning, and health care use. Results A total of 200 participants completed the study. Cost of treatment was identified as a main deterrent, while proof of treatment success was identified as a main facilitator for treatment uptake. A majority of participants (88.5%) indicated a preference for face-to-face treatment. In multiple regression analyses, after controlling for relevant demographic variables and pain intensity, PF explained 14% of the variance for pain interference and impact of depressive symptoms and 22% of the variance for depressive symptoms. Conclusion A focus on meeting patients' needs at low cost, and providing proof of treatment success may increase psychological treatment uptake. Increasing PF for pain in people from Singapore may also contribute to better patient functioning.
First-principles Study on Electronic and Optical Properties of La-doped Zns

Using the first principle plane-wave pseudo potential method, a systematic investigation on electronic and optical properties of ZnS with and without La-doping has been performed. Calculation results show that La-doping narrows the band gap of ZnS systems and La doped ZnS system changes from semiconductor into metal through the Mott transition. Moreover, with La-doping increasing, the decrease of absorption coefficient and redshift of absorption spectra are obtained. Absorption spectra of pure ZnS and La-doped ZnS are in good agreement with the experimental results.
The EVVA Cohort Study: Anal and Cervical Type-Specific Human Papillomavirus Prevalence, Persistence, and Cytologic Findings in Women Living With HIV

Background The risk of anal cancer due to high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) is higher in women living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) than in the general population. We present findings of cervical and anal HPV and cytologic tests at baseline in the EVVA cohort study and HPV persistence data 6 months after baseline. Methods Semiannual visits included questionnaires, chart reviews, cervical/anal cytologic and cervical/anal HPV testing for 2 years. Genotyping for 36 HPV genotypes was performed using the Roche Linear Array HPV genotyping test. Results A total of 151 women living with HIV were recruited. At baseline, 75% had anal HPV, 51% had anal HR-HPV, 50% had cervical HPV, and 29% had cervical HR-HPV. Anal HPV-16 and HPV-51 were more frequent in women born in Canada (31% and 29%, respectively, compared with ≤16% for other women). Most anal HR-HPV types detected at 6 months (57%-93%) were persistent from baseline. Findings of anal cytologic tests were abnormal for 37% of women. Conclusions Anal HPV is highly prevalent in women living with HIV, and type distribution varies by place of birth. High-resolution anoscopy was indicated in more than one third of results. As anal cancer is potentially preventable, these important findings need to be considered when selecting the best approach for anal cancer screening programs.
Changing Forces of Gravity: How the Crisis Affected International Banking

The global financial crisis has brought to an end a rather unprecedented period of banks' international expansion. We analyze the effects of the crisis on international banking. Using a detailed dataset on the international assets of all German banks with foreign affiliates for the years 2002-2011, we study bank internationalization before and during the crisis. Our data allow analyzing not only the international assets of the banks' headquarters but also of their foreign affiliates. We show that banks have lowered their international assets, both along the extensive and the intensive margin. This withdrawal from foreign markets is the result of changing market conditions, of policy interventions, and of a weakly increasing sensitivity of banks to financial frictions.
Influence of protective layer of polyvinylchloride resin on domino effect risk caused by fragments from spherical vessel explosion

The fragment flight and the damage target were investigated under conditions of the protective layer of polyvinylchloride(PVC) resin based on the plasticity concepts.The models for calculating the penetration depth to the protective layer and the dissipated kinetic energy of the fragment were proposed,and the domino effect risk after impact was confirmed by the movement equations of the fragment.A spherical vessel with fragment projection was taken as an example to explore the influence of the protective layer on the domino effect risk by Monte-Carlo simulations.The results showed that the protective layer occupied the larger probability of rupture and cut down the failure possibility of target;the domino effect risk was lowered by an average of about 4 orders of magnitude due to the reduction of the failure probability of the impacted target.The relative deviations demonstrated that the protective layer reducted more than 99% on the domino effect risk.The risk occurrence of the domino effect decreased exponentially according to the thickness of the protective layer.The results provided theoretical basis for the reasonable choice of materials and design of the protective measures of spherical tank.The interaction between the tank and the fragment should be avoided to stop the domino effect.
Fertility History and Cognition in Later Life

Abstract Objectives To investigate the association between fertility history and cognition in older men and women. Method We analyzed associations between number of children (parity) and timing of births with level and change in cognition among 11,233 men and women aged 50+ in England using latent growth curve models. Models were adjusted for age, socioeconomic position, health, depressive symptoms, control, social contacts, activities, and isolation. Results Low (0–1 child) and high parity (3+ children) compared to medium parity (2 children) were associated with poorer cognitive functioning, as was an early age at entry to parenthood (<20 women/23 men). Many of these associations disappeared when socioeconomic position and health were controlled. For women, however, adjusting for socioeconomic position and social contacts strengthened the association between childlessness and poor cognition. Late motherhood (>35) was associated with better cognitive function. Conclusion Associations between fertility history and cognition were to large extent accounted for socioeconomic position, partly because this influenced health and social engagement. Poorer cognition in childless people and better cognition among mothers experiencing child birth at higher ages suggest factors related to childbearing/rearing that are beneficial for later cognitive functioning, although further research into possible earlier selection factors is needed.
The Initial State of a Primordial Anisotropic Stage of Inflation

We investigate the possibility that the inflationary period in the early universe was preceded by a primordial stage of strong anisotropy. In particular we focus on the simplest model of this kind, where the spacetime is described by a non-singular Kasner solution that quickly evolves into an isotropic de Sitter space, the so-called Kasner-de Sitter solution. The initial Big Bang singularity is replaced, in this case, by a horizon. We show that the extension of this metric to the region behind the horizon contains a timelike singularity which will be visible by cosmological observers. This makes it impossible to have a reliable prediction of the quantum state of the cosmological perturbations in the region of interest. In this paper we consider the possibility that this Kasner-de Sitter universe is obtained as a result of a quantum tunneling process effectively substituting the region behind the horizon by an anisotropic parent vacuum state, namely a 1+1 dimensional spacetime compactified over an internal flat torus, T2, which we take it to be of the form de Sitter2 × T2 or Minkowski2 × T2. As a first approximation to understand the effects of this anisotropic initial state, we compute the power spectrum of a massless scalar field in these backgrounds. In both cases, the spectrum converges at small scales to the isotropic scale invariant form and only present important deviations from it at the largest possible scales. We find that the decompactification scenario from M2 × T2 leads to a suppressed and slightly anisotropic power spectrum at large scales which could be related to some of the anomalies present in the current CMB data. On the other hand, the spectrum of the universe with a dS2 × T2 parent vacuum presents an enhancement in power at large scales not consistent with observations.
Systematic Evaluation of Patients Treated With Neurothrombectomy Devices for Acute Ischemic Stroke: Primary Results of the STRATIS Registry

Background and Purpose— Mechanical thrombectomy with stent retrievers has become standard of care for treatment of acute ischemic stroke patients because of large vessel occlusion. The STRATIS registry (Systematic Evaluation of Patients Treated With Neurothrombectomy Devices for Acute Ischemic Stroke) aimed to assess whether similar process timelines, technical, and functional outcomes could be achieved in a large real world cohort as in the randomized trials. Methods— STRATIS was designed to prospectively enroll patients treated in the United States with a Solitaire Revascularization Device and Mindframe Capture Low Profile Revascularization Device within 8 hours from symptom onset. The STRATIS cohort was compared with the interventional cohort of a previously published SEER patient-level meta-analysis. Results— A total of 984 patients treated at 55 sites were analyzed. The mean National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score was 17.3. Intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator was administered in 64.0%. The median time from onset to arrival in the enrolling hospital, door to puncture, and puncture to reperfusion were 138, 72, and 36 minutes, respectively. The Core lab–adjudicated modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction ≥2b was achieved in 87.9% of patients. At 90 days, 56.5% achieved a modified Rankin Scale score of 0 to 2, all-cause mortality was 14.4%, and 1.4% suffered a symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage. The median time from emergency medical services scene arrival to puncture was 152 minutes, and each hour delay in this interval was associated with a 5.5% absolute decline in the likelihood of achieving modified Rankin Scale score 0 to 2. Conclusions— This largest-to-date Solitaire registry documents that the results of the randomized trials can be reproduced in the community. The decrease of clinical benefit over time warrants optimization of the system of care. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: http://www.clinicaltrials. gov. Unique identifier: NCT02239640.
A stable phylogeny of the large‐spored Metschnikowia clade

Draft genomes of 55 strains representing all known large‐spored Metschnikowia species were used to construct a robust phylogeny of these yeasts found in association with flower‐visiting insects. The genomes were annotated with reference to Clavispora lusitaniae. From 3016 orthologues identified, 1061 were present in all strains with enough overlap to generate alignments of 500 bp or more. We constructed trees for all those alignments and evaluated their accuracy from their ability to resolve each of 22 sets of conspecifics correctly as sister taxa. Neighbour‐joining identified species membership better than maximum likelihood, as did trees based on larger gene alignments. However, correct species assignment was not predictive of a gene's ability to resolve deeper topologies, which were more reliably identified by maximum likelihood analyses of large concatenations. Specifically, 14 trees based on independent concatenations ca. 100 kb in length were topologically consistent with a tree based on a single, large concatenation (1 410 065 positions), lending a high degree of confidence to the stability of the phylogeny. A tree based on a concatenation of intergenic regions (112 136 positions) was also congruent. Again, the best predictor of phylogenetic signal quality of a gene was the size of the alignment. Bootstraps were not always good indicators of phylogenetic quality, as they were sometimes affected by clade size. A tree constructed from a presence–absence matrix of all annotated genes was remarkably congruent with sequence‐based phylogenies, suggesting that gain or loss of genes is worth exploring further as a phylogenetically significant event. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Application and performance of 3D printing in nanobiomaterials

3D printing (3DP) is becoming a research and development focus in nanobiomaterials as it can quickly and accurately fabricate any desired 3D tissuemodel only if its size is appropriate. The different material powders (with different dimensional scales) and the printing strategies are the most direct factors influencing 3DP quality. With the development of nanotechnologies, 3DP is adopted more frequently for its rapidness in fabrication and precision in geometry. The fabrication in micro/nanoscale may change the performance of biomaterials and devices because it can retainmore anisotropy of biomaterials comparedwith the traditionally rapid prototyping techniques. Thus, the biosafety issue is especially concerned by many researchers and is investigated in performance and safety of biomaterials and devices. This paper investigates the performance of 3DP in fabrication of nanobiomaterials and devices so as to partially explain how 3DP influences the performance and safety of nanobiomaterials.
A general learning co-evolution method to generalize autonomous robot navigation behavior

A new coevolutive method, called Uniform Coevolution, is introduced, to learn weights for a neural network controller in autonomous robots. An evolutionary strategy is used to learn high-performance reactive behavior for navigation and collision avoidance. The coevolutive method allows the evolution of the environment, to learn a general behavior able to solve the problem in different environments. Using a traditional evolutionary strategy method without coevolution, the learning process obtains a specialized behavior. All the behaviors obtained, with or without coevolution have been tested in a set of environments and the capability for generalization has been shown for each learned behavior. A simulator based on the mini-robot Khepera has been used to learn each behavior. The results show that Uniform Coevolution obtains better generalized solutions to example-based problems.
Accessing Azure: Using Cloud databases from static programming environments

Cloud databases generally use a data model different from relational databases. Instead of a fixed structure, the data is organized as collections of key-value pairs. The structure of entities is not enforced by the system; entities are flexible with regard to the properties they have. Many programming languages use static data models, which makes communication between these systems non-trivial. This document describes LINQ-to-Azure, a data access layer between Windows Azure Tables and . NET which enables manipulation and querying (using LINQ) of the data and supports both the flexible model of Azure Tables and the static one of . NET.
Dense Deposit Disease Involving C3 and C4d Deposits

Dense deposit disease (DDD), earlier called Type II membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis is distinct disease having frequent relapses reaching end-stage kidney disease by 10-year in up to 50%–60% of cases and high recurrence rate in the allograft. The term DDD is derived from its distinctive ribbon-like osmiophilic deposits in the lamina densa of glomerular basement membrane by electron microscopy. Pathogenetically, alternate pathway dysfunction leads to this disease, which is diagnosed by ultrastructure. Herein, we describe our observation of C4d positivity in an adolescent boy with DDD.
Evaluation of Lambda-Cyhalothrin and Pyriproxyfen Barrier Treatments for Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) Management in Urbanized Areas of New Jersey

Abstract Mosquito control programs in the United States are still searching for best management practices to control the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus (Skuse; Diptera: Culicidae). Most intervention methods for this species are either labor intensive (e.g., source reduction) or short-term (e.g., ultra-low-volume adulticiding). We investigated the effectiveness of barrier spray pesticide applications within urban and suburban residential yards in New Jersey as a control strategy using a before-after-control-impact (BACI) approach. Applications of Demand CSR pyrethroid (9.7% AI lambda-cyhalothrin) only or combined Demand CSR and Archer IGR insect growth regulator (1.3% AI pyriproxyfen) applications resulted in significant and similar decreases in adult mosquito abundance posttreatment ranging from 78 to 74% respectively, compared with the untreated control. Both insecticides exceeded the 70% reduction threshold considered as effective for Ae. albopictus control for 2 to 4 wk. However, applications of Archer IGR alone did not reduce adult mosquito abundance.The field study results were supported by laboratory no-choice bioassays using treated leaf foliage. Our study is the first data driven evidence of the residual efficacy of barrier pesticide applications in New Jersey with lambda-cyhalothrin that provided significant reductions in adult Ae. albopictus populations for an extended duration.