Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Inner Hole in the Disk around TW Hydrae Resolved in 7 mm Dust Emission

We present Very Large Array observations at 7 mm wavelength that resolve the dust emission structure in the disk around the young star TW Hydrae at the scale of the ~4 AU (0.16'') radius inner hole inferred from spectral energy distribution modeling. These high-resolution data directly confirm the presence of an inner hole in the dust disk and reveal a high-brightness ring that we associate with the directly illuminated inner edge of the disk. The clearing of the inner disk plausibly results from the dynamical effects of a giant planet in formation. In an appendix, we develop an analytical framework for the interpretation of visibility curves from power-law disk models with inner holes.
Automated Quantification of Neuropad Improves Its Diagnostic Ability in Patients with Diabetic Neuropathy

Neuropad is currently a categorical visual screening test that identifies diabetic patients at risk of foot ulceration. The diagnostic performance of Neuropad was compared between the categorical and continuous (image-analysis (Sudometrics)) outputs to diagnose diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). 110 subjects with type 1 and 2 diabetes underwent assessment with Neuropad, Neuropathy Disability Score (NDS), peroneal motor nerve conduction velocity (PMNCV), sural nerve action potential (SNAP), Deep Breathing-Heart Rate Variability (DB-HRV), intraepidermal nerve fibre density (IENFD), and corneal confocal microscopy (CCM). 46/110 patients had DPN according to the Toronto consensus. The continuous output displayed high sensitivity and specificity for DB-HRV (91%, 83%), CNFD (88%, 78%), and SNAP (88%, 83%), whereas the categorical output showed high sensitivity but low specificity. The optimal cut-off points were 90% for the detection of autonomic dysfunction (DB-HRV) and 80% for small fibre neuropathy (CNFD). The diagnostic efficacy of the continuous Neuropad output for abnormal DB-HRV (AUC: 91%, P = 0.0003) and CNFD (AUC: 82%, P = 0.01) was better than for PMNCV (AUC: 60%). The categorical output showed no significant difference in diagnostic efficacy for these same measures. An image analysis algorithm generating a continuous output (Sudometrics) improved the diagnostic ability of Neuropad, particularly in detecting autonomic and small fibre neuropathy.
Biogeosciences Nitrogen balance and fate in a heavily impacted watershed ( Oglio River , Northern Italy ) : in quest of the missing sources and sinks

We present data from a comprehensive investigation carried out from 2007 to 2010, focussing on nitrogen pollution in the Oglio River basin (3800 km 2, Po Plain, Northern Italy). Nitrogen mass balances, computed for the whole basin with 2000 and 2008 data, suggest a large N surplus in this area, over 40 000 t N yr −1, and increasing between 2000 and 2008. Calculations indicate a very large impact of animal husbandry and agricultural activities in this watershed, with livestock manure and synthetic fertilizers contributing 85 % of total N inputs (about 100 000 t N yr −1) and largely exceeding crop uptake and other N losses (about 60 000 t N yr−1). Nitrogen from domestic and industrial origin is estimated as about 5800 and 7200 t N yr −1, respectively, although these loads are overestimated, as denitrification in treatment plants is not considered; nonetheless, they represent a minor term of the N budget. Annual export of nitrogen from the basin, calculated from flow data and water chemistry at the mouth of the Oglio River, is estimated at 13 000 t N yr −1, and represents a relatively small fraction of N inputs and surplus ( ∼12 % and 34 %, respectively). After considering N sinks in crop uptake, soil denitrification and volatilization, a large excess remains unaccounted ( ∼26 000 t N yr−1) in unknown temporary or permanent N sinks. Nitrogen removal via denitrification was evaluated in the Oglio riverbed with stable isotope techniques (δ15N andδ18O in nitrate). The downstream final segment of the river displays an enriched nitrate stable isotope composition but calculations suggest a N removal corresponding to at most 20 % of the unaccounted for N amount. Denitrification was also evaluated in riverine wetlands with the isotope pairing technique. Areal rates are elevated but overall N removal is low (about 1 % of the missing N amount), due to small wetland surfaces and limited lateral connectivity. The secondary drainage channel network has a much higher potential for nitrogen removal via denitrification, due to its great linear development, estimated in over 12 500 km, and its capillary distribution in the watershed. In particular, we estimated a maximum N loss up to 8500 t N yr −1, which represents up to 33 % of the unaccounted for N amount in the basin. Overall, denitrification in surface aquatic habitats within this basin can be responsible for the permanent removal of about 12 000 t N yr −1; but the fate of some 14 000 t remains unknown. Available data on nitrate concentration in wells suggest that in the central part of the watershed groundwater accumulates nitrogen. Simultaneously, we provide evidences that part of the stored nitrate can be substantially recycled via springs and can pollute surface waters via rivergroundwater interactions. This probably explains the ten fold increase of nitrate concentration in a reach of the Oglio River where no point pollutions sources are present.
Bifurcations in Macroeconomic Models

Grandmont (1985) found that the parameter space of even the simplest, most classical models is stratified into bifurcation regions. But in such classical models all policies are Ricardian equivalent and all solutions are Pareto optimal. As a result he was not able to reach conclusions about policy relevance of his dramatic discovery. Barnett and He (1999,2002) subsequently found transcritical, codimension two, and Hopf bifurcation boundaries within the parameter space of the policy relevant Bergstrom and Wymer continuous time dynamic macroeconometric model of the UK economy. Because of the Lucas critique, there is increasing interest in Euler equation models with GMM estimated deep parameters. He and Barnett’s (2002) analysis of the Leeper and Sims (1994) Euler equations macroeconometric model revealed the existence of singularity-induced bifurcation within the model's parameter space. Although known in engineering, singularity-induced bifurcations have not previously been encountered in economics. The purpose of the paper is to introduce the bifurcation phenomena that we have encountered in the analysis of macroeconometric models. We include and emphasize the concept of singularity-induced bifurcation and its relationship with other forms of bifurcation. We do so for the benefit of economists who might encounter singularity bifurcation in the future, as we believe is likely with other Euler equation models similarly parameterized with deep parameters.
Evaluation of Multiprotein Immunoaffinity Subtraction for Plasma Proteomics and Candidate Biomarker Discovery Using Mass Spectrometry*S

Strategies for removal of high abundance proteins have been increasingly utilized in proteomic studies of serum/plasma and other body fluids to enhance the detection of low abundance proteins and achieve broader proteome coverage; however, both the reproducibility and specificity of the high abundance protein depletion process still represent common concerns. Here we report a detailed evaluation of immunoaffinity subtraction performed applying the ProteomeLab IgY-12 system that is commonly used in human serum/plasma proteome characterization in combination with high resolution LC-MS/MS. Plasma samples were repeatedly processed using this approach, and the resulting flow-through fractions and bound fractions were individually analyzed for comparison. The removal of target proteins by the immunoaffinity subtraction system and the overall process was highly reproducible. Non-target proteins, including one spiked protein standard (rabbit glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase), were also observed to bind to the column at different levels but also in a reproducible manner. The results suggest that multiprotein immunoaffinity subtraction systems can be readily integrated into quantitative strategies to enhance detection of low abundance proteins in biomarker discovery studies.
Convergent donor and acceptor substrate utilization among kinase ribozymes

Accommodation of donor and acceptor substrates is critical to the catalysis of (thio)phosphoryl group transfer, but there has been no systematic study of donor nucleotide recognition by kinase ribozymes, and there is relatively little known about the structural requirements for phosphorylating internal 2′OH. To address these questions, new self-phosphorylating ribozymes were selected that utilize ATP(gammaS) or GTP(gammaS) for 2′OH (thio)phosphorylation. Eight independent sequence families were identified among 57 sequenced isolates. Kinetics, donor nucleotide recognition and secondary structures were analyzed for representatives from each family. Each ribozyme was highly specific for its cognate donor. Competition assays with nucleotide analogs showed a remarkable convergence of donor recognition requirements, with critical contributions to recognition provided by the Watson–Crick face of the nucleobase, lesser contributions from donor nucleotide ribose hydroxyls, and little or no contribution from the Hoogsteen face. Importantly, most ribozymes showed evidence of significant interaction with one or more donor phosphates, suggesting that—unlike most aptamers—these ribozymes use phosphate interactions to orient the gamma phosphate within the active site for in-line displacement. All but one of the mapped (thio)phosphorylation sites are on unpaired guanosines within internal bulges. Comparative structural analysis identified three loosely-defined consensus structural motifs for kinase ribozyme active sites.
Fault Detection in Ball-Bearings Using Wavelet Variance

This paper introduces a wavelet based, nonparametric statistical method for the detection of characteristic signals embedded in noise-polluted vibrational response signals. A case study is described in which this technique is applied to the task of identifying localised defects on the raceways of the roller bearings inside an automotive gearbox, assuming that during operation a transient impulse is generated each time a rolling elements passes over a defect. Using orthogonal wavelet analysis, it is possible to estimate the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) of measured signals. Large values of the SNR at different wavelet scales indicate the existence of transients and, by employing a statistical index based on wavelet variance to experimental data, it has been possible to identify the bearing defects present in the gearbox tested.
The Involvement of NFAT Transcriptional Activity Suppression in SIRT1-Mediated Inhibition of COX-2 Expression Induced by PMA/Ionomycin

SIRT1, a class III histone deacetylase, acts as a negative regulator for many transcription factors, and plays protective roles in inflammation and atherosclerosis. Transcription factor nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) has been previously shown to play pro-inflammatory roles in endothelial cells. Inhibition of NFAT signaling may be an attractive target to regulate inflammation in atherosclerosis. However, whether NFAT transcriptional activity is suppressed by SIRT1 remains unknown. In this study, we found that SIRT1 suppressed NFAT-mediated transcriptional activity. SIRT1 interacted with NFAT, and the NHR and RHR domains of NFAT mediated the interaction with SIRT1. Moreover, we found that SIRT1 primarily deacetylated NFATc3. Adenoviral over-expression of SIRT1 suppressed PMA and calcium ionophore Ionomycin (PMA/Io)-induced COX-2 expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), while SIRT1 RNAi reversed the effects in HUVECs. Moreover, inhibition of COX-2 expression by SIRT1 in PMA/Io-treated HUVECs was largely abrogated by inhibiting NFAT activation. Furthermore, SIRT1 inhibited NFAT-induced COX-2 promoter activity, and reduced NFAT binding to the COX-2 promoter in PMA/Io-treated HUVECs. These results suggest that suppression of NFAT transcriptional activity is involved in SIRT1-mediated inhibition of COX-2 expression induced by PMA/Io, and that the negative regulatory mechanisms of NFAT by SIRT1 may contribute to its anti-inflammatory effects in atherosclerosis.
Th e Embedded Reliable Processing System ( TERPS ) — A Robust Architecture that Achieves Forward Progress   in Near-Continuous Electromagnetic Interference

We present a fault-tolerant computer architecture that significantly reduces the threat of electromagnetic interference (EMI) by employing an aggressive hardware checkpoint and rollback recovery mechanism that is transparent to application software. Our mechanism periodically checkpoints processor state by saving it into a special safe-storage device; EMI detection results in the mechanism recovering the processor state from a previously checkpointed state and resuming execution at that point. The presence of EMI results only in loss of performance dictated by the EMI duration, and our mechanism ensures forward progress as long as EMI events are separated by a minimum time (e.g., at least 5.12 μs for our prototype processor). We present several different configurations for the handling of fault-tolerant I/ O that provide designers freedom to balance fault-tolerance and complexity considerations and, at the minimum, require only an additional OS interrupt handler that performs device reconfiguration after rollback recovery. We present a proof-of-concept prototype fabricated through MOSIS and validated by direct injection of EMI through the processor’s clock pin—a disturbance that would cause existing systems either catastrophic failure or, at the very best, an inability to make forward progress. We demonstrate, in an actual physical system, the ability to continue functioning correctly even in the face of debilitating EMI, albeit at a much slower pace. The performance overhead of our mechanism is reasonable (5–6% overhead when checkpointing every 128 processor cycles), and even our simplest I/O configuration (the one with the fewest assumptions and that requires no changes to I/O hardware and software other than the addition of an operating system interrupt handler) guarantees that all I/O data older than 3.96 μs is safe. We also measure maximum I/O downtime after occurrence of EMI: for a system with a single UART I/O device, we show that this downtime is only 7.96 μs.
Study of Touch Gestures Performance in Touch Devices by Young Children

This research tests the performance of 16 four and five-year-old children with an iPad application with four experiments corresponding to four different gestures: Point-and-Touch, Drag-and-Drop, Zoom-in and Zoom-out, and Rotation. The results show that 5-yearold children perform better than 4-year-old children in the four experiments. The results indicate that interaction design for young children that uses point-and-touch gestures should consider smaller distance between targets, and design using drag-and-drop gestures should consider larger size of targets, as these have significant effects in the way children perform these gestures. Keywords-touch devices; young children; touch gestures __________________________________________________*****_________________________________________________
Conceptualizing the duties and roles of auditors in Islamic financial institutions: What makes them different?

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to describe the role and responsibilities of Shari’ah auditors in Islamic financial institutions (IFIs) in the auditing process in the IFIs, to highlight capacity building challenges in the Shari’ah auditing industry. Design/methodology/approach - – The authors used a legitimacy theory to understand linkages between demand for Shari’ah audit and the role of Shari’ah auditors in IFIs complemented with the review the Accounting and Auditing Organization of Islamic Financial Institutions and Auditing Standard for Islamic Financial Institutions to understand the Shari’ah audit work requirements from an Islamic perspective. Findings - – Shari’ah auditing is an emerging field of investigation. There is no doubt that conventional auditing has a significant influence on the auditing frameworks used in IFIs. Western auditing practices are undergoing a metamorphosis to meet the needs of stakeholders in the Islamic economic system. The role and responsibilities of auditors in IFIs are much broader than those found in conventional banks in relation to an examination of a variety of contracts, product structures, transactions reporting, preparation of financial statements, reports, marketing circulars and any other legal documents, which are pertinent to IFIs’ operations. Practical implications - – We posit that the absence of a proper Shari’ah auditing framework and standards attuned to the needs of an Islamic economic system could dampen the future of the Islamic finance industry. The regulators and management of IFIs should meet the expectations of the stakeholders to whom they owe a duty of care by selecting competent professionals for auditing work, along with transparent policies and systems. Originality/value - – This paper presents an attempt to establish auditors’ roles and responsibilities from an Islamic perspective.
In Vitro Evaluation of Scaffolds for the Delivery of Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Wounds

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been shown to improve tissue regeneration in several preclinical and clinical trials. These cells have been used in combination with three-dimensional scaffolds as a promising approach in the field of regenerative medicine. We compare the behavior of human adipose-derived MSCs (AdMSCs) on four different biomaterials that are awaiting or have already received FDA approval to determine a suitable regenerative scaffold for delivering these cells to dermal wounds and increasing healing potential. AdMSCs were isolated, characterized, and seeded onto scaffolds based on chitosan, fibrin, bovine collagen, and decellularized porcine dermis. In vitro results demonstrated that the scaffolds strongly influence key parameters, such as seeding efficiency, cellular distribution, attachment, survival, metabolic activity, and paracrine release. Chick chorioallantoic membrane assays revealed that the scaffold composition similarly influences the angiogenic potential of AdMSCs in vivo. The wound healing potential of scaffolds increases by means of a synergistic relationship between AdMSCs and biomaterial resulting in the release of proangiogenic and cytokine factors, which is currently lacking when a scaffold alone is utilized. Furthermore, the methods used herein can be utilized to test other scaffold materials to increase their wound healing potential with AdMSCs.
Predictive monitoring of train wagons conditions using wireless network technologies

Predictive monitoring of train wagons can allow to anticipate possible malfunctioning due to wear and avoid potential accidents. In this paper some network architectures adopting low-power wireless communication technologies are introduced. A performance comparison is provided based on ns-2 simulation results, suggesting that the combined use of WSN and WiFi in a hierarchical architecture is adequate for long trains with several coaches and a large number of sensing nodes.
Optimal preprocessing and FCM clustering of MIR, NIR and combined MIR-NIR spectra for classification of maize roots

InfraRed spectroscopy (IR) provides useful information of the molecular composition of biological systems. Mid-InfraRed (MIR) spectroscopy reflects fundamental molecular vibrations whereas Near-InfraRed (NIR) spectroscopy exhibits the overtones and combinations of fundamental vibrations and bonds. In most applications, the samples are mixed with potassium bromide (KBr) powder, or simply unmixed. Two technics are investigated: IR absorption on mixed samples and Diffuse Reflectance IR Fourier Transform (DRIFT) on unmixed samples. IR spectra are collected in either MIR or NIR regions. However, the preprocessing of IR spectra, the choice of the spectral band and the combination of MIR-NIR information are important factors that could substantially influence analyses. This study investigates these factors while attempting to retrieve three different genotypes of maize roots via a Fuzzy C-Mean (FCM) classification of IR spectra. A bootstrapping procedure is used as the number of samples is limited. Results show that KBr spectroscopy is better than DRIFT spectroscopy for MIR region; MIR provides equivalent information as NIR for DRIFT spectroscopy; combination of MIR-NIR information gives preprocessing independent results. Several distances are tested in FCM classification. The city bloc distance gives optimal results compared with Euclidean, Chebyshev, correlation and diagonal distance.
Realization of a Modular Reconfigurable Robot for Rough Terrain

Reconfigurable robotic systems are made from a large number of independent modules that can be used to form various robot shapes. As a result, the robots have the capability to adopt optimized configurations to suit different tasks and environments. The object of this research work is to build a mobile robot for rough terrain. In this paper, we developed a novel modular reconfigurable robotic system called JL-I. JL-I is a distributed system composed of several identical modules. Each module is self-contained including two powered tracks, a docking mechanism, pose-adjusting mechanisms, batteries, communication devices and microprocessors. The docking mechanisms allow the modules to connect or disconnect under computer control, and between each two adjacent modules, the pose-adjusting mechanisms are able to form an active spherical joint, which endows the robot with the abilities of changing shapes in three dimensions. This design of JL-I module realizes versatile robotic motion and configurations. Many useful functionalities such as getting recovery when the robot is turnover, getting over vertical steps can be obtained by different chain of motions. This paper describes the development, hardware and software construction of the JL-I robot. An actual system with three modules was build and basic configurations were examined
Social Insurance and Consumption: An Empirical Inquiry

The main stated purposes of social insurance programs have been the maintenance of consumption by people suffering from misfortunes, and the stabilization of employment. Despite this, most recent research on unemployment insurance (UI) and Old Age Insurance has focused on secondary labor-market effects, with only a few studies looking at stabilization, and none considering effects on consumption. In this study we examine how UI will affect the consumption of recipients. For some individuals UI will help remove the constraints on consumption during periods of reduced income that arise from insufficient savings and imperfect capital markets, while for others the UI benefits merely augment the entire lifetime consumption stream. The model enables us to estimate what fractions of the population fall into these two categories. If individuals are also constrained in the allocation of their reduction consumption, consumption propensities out of UI will differ from those out of nonrecipients' income. The model is tested on aggregate time-series data covering 41 consumption categories for 1959-1978:II, and on over 14,000 individuals from the 1972-73 Consumer Expenditure Survey. In both data sets we find no more than half of UI benefits are consumed as if the recipients' consumption were constrained during times of unemployment. In both samples spending out of UI benefits is disproportionately on luxuries, though UI recipients spend greater shares of their income on necessities. The results imply that a large part of social insurance payments does not go to prevent serious imbalances in individuals' lifetime consumption profiles.