Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efficient superconducting-nanowire single-photon detectors and their applications in quantum optics

Superconducting-nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) are an emerging technology for infrared photon counting and detection. Their advantages include good device efficiency, fast operating speed, low dark-count rate, low timing jitter, free running mode, and no afterpulsing. The challenges to be addressed prior to real applications are cryogenic operations, small active areas, and efficiency-speed tradeoffs. This thesis presents the effort to address these challenges. A fiber-coupled SNSPD system with a large-area detector in a closed-cycle cryocooler has been built, demonstrating 24% system detection efficiency with a darkcount rate of -1000 counts/sec. As a result, the SNSPD system becomes a convenient tool with a single-mode fiber as the input channel and an SMA cable as the output channel. This system has enabled high-quality polarization-entanglement distribution at the wavelength of 1.3 tm. The 99.2% visibility in Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) interference measured in this experiment is the highest HOM visibility that has ever been reported for waveguide-based photon-pair sources. After entanglement is distributed, a pair rate of 5.8 pairs/sec at a pump power of 25 iW and two-photon quantum interference visibility of 97.7% have been measured. On the other hand, increasing the active area of the detector does decrease its speed. To address the issue of efficiency-speed tradeoff, SNSPDs have been integrated with optical nano-antennae. A 9im-by-9tm detector with 47% device efficiency and 5-ns reset time has been demonstrated. In terms of active area, device efficiency and speed, this SNSPD has the record performance among single-element SNSPDs. Finally, waveguide-integrated SNSPDs have been proposed and designed. The device structure permits efficient coupling of photons into a short nanowire, and thus, efficient and fast SNSPDs. This structure is compatible with on-chip photonic technologies, including inverse-taper couplers and ring resonators, that have been developed in recent years. Thesis Supervisor: Karl K. Berggren Title: Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering
Rituximab (anti‐CD20 monoclonal antibody) as consolidation of first‐line CHOP chemotherapy in patients with follicular lymphoma: a phase II study

Abstract: Advanced stages of follicular lymphoma are deemed incurable by conventional approaches. Immunotherapy with the humanised monoclonal anti‐CD20 antibody rituximab represents a new therapeutic option. The aim of our study was to determine the effectiveness and safety of rituximab in the consolidation setting of first‐line treated patients with follicular lymphomas. Thus the goal was first to reduce tumour burden using the CHOP regimen as induction treatment followed by consolidation with rituximab administered on a standard 4 wk schedule at a dosage of 375 mg m−2 body surface area. Between August 1998 and April 2001, 41 patients were enrolled in the study. All patients were evaluable with regard to tumour response and toxicity. The overall remission rate in the intent‐to‐treat analysis was 100%. On subgroup analysis, 20 [83% (95% CI: 63–95%)] of the 24 patients with grade 1 or 2 histology entered complete remission (CR), in 10 cases (42%) after additional rituximab therapy. Rituximab thus led to CR in 10/14 patients [71% (95% CI: 42–92%)] who had merely achieved partial remission (PR) with CHOP. Of 16 evaluable patients with grade 3 histology (excluding one patient achieving CR on CHOP who refused further treatment with rituximab), 15 [94% (95% CI: 63–97%)] achieved CR, 13 (81%) of these while still receiving CHOP. Two of the three patients achieving only PR on CHOP entered CR following rituximab. Thirty‐four patients (83%) continued to be in remission during a median follow‐up period of 24.3 (9–40) months. Our data suggest that the use of rituximab for consolidation after CHOP may improve CHOP‐induced remission and thus increase the CR rate. Furthermore, it was accompanied by a reduced rate of infusion‐related side‐effects.
Local convection-enhanced delivery of an anti-CD40 agonistic monoclonal antibody induces antitumor effects in mouse glioma models.

BACKGROUND Glioblastoma is one of the most malignant brain tumors in adults and has a dismal prognosis. In a previous report, we reported that CD40, a TNF-R-related cell surface receptor, and its ligand CD40L were associated with glioma outcomes. Here we attempted to activate CD40 signaling in the tumor and determine if it exerted therapeutic efficacy. METHODS CD40 expression was examined in 3 mouse glioma cell lines (GL261, NSCL61, and bRiTs-G3) and 5 human glioma cell lines (U87, U251, U373, T98, and A172). NSCL61 and bRiTs-G3, as glioma stem cells, also expressed the glioma stem cell markers MELK and CD44. In vitro, we demonstrated direct antitumor effects of an anti-CD40 agonistic monoclonal antibody (FGK45) against the cell lines. The efficacy of FGK45 was examined by local convection-enhanced delivery of the monoclonal antibody against each glioma model. RESULTS CD40 was expressed in all mouse and human cell lines tested and was found at the cell membrane of each of the 3 mouse cell lines. FGK45 administration induced significant, direct antitumor effects in vitro. The local delivery of FGK45 significantly prolonged survival compared with controls in the NSCL61 and bRiTs-G3 models, but the effect was not significant in the GL261 model. Increases in apoptosis and CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell infiltration were observed in the bRiTs-G3 model after FGK45 treatment. CONCLUSIONS Local delivery of FGK45 significantly prolonged survival in glioma stem cell models. Thus, local delivery of this monoclonal antibody is promising for immunotherapy against gliomas.
A 1-Mb resolution radiation hybrid map of the canine genome

The purebred dog population consists of >300 partially inbred genetic isolates or breeds. Restriction of gene flow between breeds, together with strong selection for traits, has led to the establishment of a unique resource for dissecting the genetic basis of simple and complex mammalian traits. Toward this end, we present a comprehensive radiation hybrid map of the canine genome composed of 3,270 markers including 1,596 microsatellite-based markers, 900 cloned gene sequences and ESTs, 668 canine-specific bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) ends, and 106 sequence-tagged sites. The map was constructed by using the RHDF5000-2 whole-genome radiation hybrid panel and computed by using multimap and tsp/concorde. The 3,270 markers map to 3,021 unique positions and define an average intermarker distance corresponding to 1 Mb. We also define a minimal screening set of 325 highly informative well spaced markers, to be used in the initiation of genome-wide scans. The well defined synteny between the dog and human genomes, established in part as a function of this work by the identification of 85 conserved fragments, will allow follow-up of initial findings of linkage by selection of candidate genes from the human genome sequence. This work continues to define the canine system as the method of choice in the pursuit of the genes causing mammalian variation and disease.
Gouvernementalité algorithmique et perspectives d'émancipation

La gouvernementalite algorithmique se caracterise notamment par le double mouvement suivant : a) l’abandon de toute forme d’« echelle », d’« etalon », de hierarchie, au profit d’une normativite immanente et evolutive en temps reel, dont emerge un « double statistique » du monde et qui semble faire table rase des anciennes hierarchies dessinee par l’homme normal ou l’homme moyen ; b) l’evitement de toute confrontation avec les individus dont les occasions de subjectivation se trouvent rarefiees.Ce double mouvement nous parait le fruit de la focalisation de la statistique contemporaine sur les relations. Nous tentons d’evaluer dans quelle mesure ces deux aspects de la « gouvernementalite algorithmique » ainsi dessinee, avec l’appui qu’elle se donne sur les seules relations, pourraient etre favorables, d’une part, a des processus d’individuation par la relation (Simondon) et, d’autre part, a l’emergence de formes de vie nouvelles sous la forme du depassement du plan d’organisation par le plan d’immanence (Deleuze-Guattari). Par cette confrontation aux principales philosophies contemporaines de la relation, il apparait alors qu’une pensee du devenir et des processus d’individuation par la relation reclame necessairement du « disparate » - une heterogeneite des ordres de grandeur, une multiplicite des regimes d’existence - que la gouvernementalite algorithmique ne cesse precisement d’etouffer en cloturant le reel (numerise) sur lui-meme. La gouvernementalite algorithmique tend plutot a forclore de telles perspectives d’emancipation en repliant les processus d’individuation sur la monade subjective.
Biochemical analysis of PIFTC3, the Trypanosoma brucei orthologue of nematode DYF‐13, reveals interactions with established and putative intraflagellar transport components

DYF‐13, originally identified in Caenorhabditis elegans within a collection of dye‐filling chemosensory mutants, is one of several proteins that have been classified as putatively involved in intraflagellar transport (IFT), the bidirectional movement of protein complexes along cilia and flagella and specifically in anterograde IFT. Although genetic studies have highlighted a fundamental role of DYF‐13 in nematode sensory cilium and trypanosome flagellum biogenesis, biochemical studies on DYF‐13 have lagged behind. Here, we show that in Trypanosoma brucei the orthologue to DYF‐13, PIFTC3, participates in a macromolecular complex of approximately 660 kDa. Mass spectroscopy of affinity‐purified PIFTC3 revealed several components of IFT complex B as well as orthologues of putative IFT factors DYF‐1, DYF‐3, DYF‐11/Elipsa and IFTA‐2. DYF‐11 was further analysed and shown to be concentrated near the basal bodies and in the flagellum, and to be required for flagellum elongation. In addition, by coimmunoprecipitation we detected an interaction between DYF‐13 and IFT122, a component of IFT complex A, which is required for retrograde transport. Thus, our biochemical analysis supports the model, proposed by genetic analysis in C. elegans, that the trypanosome orthologue of DYF‐13 plays a central role in the IFT mechanism.
Generalizable Sales Forecasting Pipeline with Embedding and Residual Networks

Many industries rely on precise sales forecasting to manage production and avoid unforeseen cash flow problems. While statistical models like moving average are reasonably effective, they require heavy feature engineerings, which make those fine-tuned models not generalizable among different industries. In this project, we hope to develop a feature-engineering free pipeline to predict unit sales, such that the pipeline could be used in different fields. To explicit the concept, we trained embedded features and residual networks to predict unit sales in grocery stores. We improved the performance significantly comparing to the baseline.
Aconitase Couples Metabolic Regulation to Mitochondrial DNA Maintenance

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is essential for cells to maintain respiratory competency and is inherited as a protein-DNA complex called the nucleoid. We have identified 22 mtDNA-associated proteins in yeast, among which is mitochondrial aconitase (Aco1p). We show that this Krebs-cycle enzyme is essential for mtDNA maintenance independent of its catalytic activity. Regulation of ACO1 expression by the HAP and retrograde metabolic signaling pathways directly affects mtDNA maintenance. When constitutively expressed, Aco1p can replace the mtDNA packaging function of the high-mobility-group protein Abf2p. Thus, Aco1p may integrate metabolic signals and mtDNA maintenance.
Coupled Terrestrial Carbon and Water Dynamics in Terrestrial Ecosystems: Contributions of Remote Sensing

The Earth climate is a complex, interactive system, determined by a number of complex connected physical, chemical and biological processes occurring in the atmosphere, land and ocean. The terrestrial biosphere plays many pivotal roles in the coupled Earth system providing both positive and negative feedbacks to climate change (Treut et al., 2007). Terrestrial vegetation via photosynthesis converts solar energy into carbon that would otherwise reside in the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas, thereby regulating climate. Vegetation also transfers water between belowground reservoirs and the atmosphere to maintain precipitation and surface water flows.The terrestrial carbon (C) cycle is closely linked to hydrological and nutrient controls on vegetation (Betts et al., 2000; Cox et al., 2000). Understanding the coupled terrestrial C and water cycle is required to gain a comprehensive understanding of the role that terrestrial ecosystems play in the global climate change. Much progress has been made in gaining insight of the coupling processes between C and water cycles across a range of time and spatial scales (Pielke Sr, 2001; Friedlingstein et al., 2003; Seneviratne et al., 2006; Betts et al, 2007a,b; Baldocchi, 2008). Since the early 1990s, there has been an increased interest in monitoring of the CO2, water vapor and energy exchange between the atmosphere and terrestrial ecosystems by a variety of methods, such as the eddy-covariance techniques (EC), satellite and other airborne remote sensing, CO2 concentration and isotope measurements. Meanwhile, there are various kinds of models have been developed to better understanding of these processes and for largescale C and water budgeting.
Mitochondrial DNA revealed the extent of genetic diversity and invasion origin of populations from two separate invaded areas of a newly invasive pest, Cydia pomonella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in China

Abstract Cydia pomonella is a serious invasive insect pest in China, and has caused severe damage to the production of apple and pear in its invaded areas. This species is distributing in the northwest and northeast of China, but no occurrence of it has been recorded in the large areas (about 3000–5000 km away) between the invaded northwestern and northeastern regions despite continuous monitoring. As yet the genetic diversity and invasion origin of the C. pomonella populations in Northwestern and Northeastern China is obscure. In this study, we investigate the genetic diversity of 14 populations of C. pomonella sampled throughout the main distribution regions in Northwestern (Xinjiang and Gansu Provinces) and Northeastern (Heilongjiang Province) China and compared them with nine populations from Europe and other continents using the mitochondrial COI, COII and Cytb genes. Both the populations from Northeastern and Northwestern China shared some haplotypes with populations from other countries. Haplotypes of the three mitochondrial genes had a different distribution in Northeastern and Northwestern China. The northeastern populations had more private haplotypes than the northwestern populations. A large number of the individuals from northwestern populations shared a few haplotypes of each of the three genes. The haplotype numbers and haplotype diversities of the northeastern populations were similar to those of field populations in other countries, but were higher than those of the northwestern populations. Populations from the Northwestern China showed similar haplotype number and haplotype diversity. We conclude that the population genetic background of C. pomonella populations in Northeastern and Northwestern China varies due to different invasion sources and that this should be considered before the application of new pest control tactics.
Effect of Hearing Aid Bandwidth on Speech Recognition Performance of Listeners Using a Cochlear Implant and Contralateral Hearing Aid (Bimodal Hearing)

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine how the bandwidth of the hearing aid (HA) fitting affects bimodal speech recognition of listeners with a cochlear implant (CI) in one ear and severe-to-profound hearing loss in the unimplanted ear (but with residual hearing sufficient for wideband amplification using National Acoustic Laboratories Revised, Profound [NAL-RP] prescriptive guidelines; unaided thresholds no poorer than 95 dB HL through 2000 Hz). Design: Recognition of sentence material in quiet and in noise was measured with the CI alone and with CI plus HA as the amplification provided by the HA in the high and mid-frequency regions was systematically reduced from the wideband condition (NAL-RP prescription). Modified bandwidths included upper frequency cutoffs of 2000, 1000, or 500 Hz. Results: On average, significant bimodal benefit was obtained when the HA provided amplification at all frequencies with aidable residual hearing. Limiting the HA bandwidth to only low-frequency amplification (below 1000 Hz) did not yield significant improvements in performance over listening with the CI alone. Conclusions: These data suggest the importance of providing amplification across as wide a frequency region as permitted by audiometric thresholds in the HA used by bimodal users.
Usefulness of Tricuspid Annular Velocity in Identifying Global RV Dysfunction in Patients with Primary Pulmonary Hypertension: A Comparison with 3D Echo‐Derived Right Ventricular Ejection Fraction

While right ventricular (RV) function and size are important clinical markers in several cardiac conditions, the assessment of RV function by two‐dimensional (2D) echocardiography remains challenging, due to the complexity of RV geometry. We therefore sought to compare an easily‐measured parameter, peak systolic velocity of tricuspid annulus (TAPSV) obtained by tissue Doppler imaging (TDI), to right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF) measured by real time three‐dimensional echocardiography (RT3DE) and to explore what TAPSV cutoff values would be useful in detecting global RV dysfunction. We enrolled 20 patients affected by primary pulmonary hypertension and 30 consecutive healthy volunteers, who underwent transthoracic echocardiography, RT3DE and tissue Doppler evaluation. TAPSV had a statistically significant correlation with RVEF (r = 0.66, P < 0.001). With RV dysfunction defined as RVEF <40%, a TAPSV cutoff value of 9.5 cm/sec yielded the best compromise between sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value and negative predictive value. In conclusion, a TAPSV cutoff value of 9.5 cm/sec yields significantly high sensitivity and specificity and appears to be a valid compromise in detecting RV dysfunction, TAPSV values however are not useful in evaluating the severity of RV dysfunction.
A framework for improving quality in misuse case models

Purpose – Security is a vital requirement for software systems. Misuse case models allow system designers to inject security considerations within their designs early in the development cycle rather than patching an end system with security mechanisms after it was developed. The notation and syntactical rules of misuse case models are relatively simple. However, misuse case modeling practitioners are highly vulnerable to modeling pitfalls, creating defective models that can have catastrophic effects downstream in the development cycle. This paper seeks to present a framework that unitizes antipatterns to help remedy defective misuse case models and poor modeling practices.Design/methodology/approach – A repository of antipatterns was constructed and formatted to be machine‐readable whenever possible so that it can be utilized by the proposed framework. The feasibility of the proposed approach was then demonstrated using a real‐world misuse case model of an online bookstore system.Findings – The results in.
Changes in the dielectric properties of rat prostate ex vivo at 915 Mhz during heating

Changes in the tissue dielectric properties at 915 MHz of rat prostate tissue due to heating at temperatures in the range 45–75°C were measured. The changes were found to be reversible with temperature and independent of the time of heating. The dielectric properties at 23 ± 1°C were measured as ϵ′ = 62.8 ± 2.7 and σ = 1.17 ± 0.07 S/m, while the linear temperature coefficients for reversible changes were 1.10 ± 0.11%/°C for conductivity and −0.31 ± 0.05%/°C for relative permittivity. These properties and their temperature coefficients can be utilized in microwave treatment planning programmes to provide insight into the effects of dielectric changes that arise during microwave thermal therapy of prostate cancer.
Integrin family of cell adhesion molecules in the injured brain: Regulation and cellular localization in the normal and regenerating mouse facial motor nucleus

Integrins are a large family of heterodimeric glycoproteins that play a crucial role in cell adhesion during development, inflammation, and tissue repair. In the current study, we investigated the localization of different integrin subunits in the mouse facial motor nucleus and their regulation after transection of the facial nerve. In the normal mouse brain, there was clear immunoreactivity for α5‐, α6‐, and β1‐integrin subunits on blood vessel endothelia and for αM‐ and β2‐subunits on resting parenchymal microglia. Facial nerve transection led to an up‐regulation of the β1‐subunit on the axotomized neurons and an increase in the α4‐, α5‐, α6‐, β1‐, αM‐, αX‐, and β2‐subunits on the adjacent, activated microglia. Quantification of the microglial integrins revealed two different expression patterns. The subunits α5 and α6 showed a monophasic increase with a maximum at day 4, the αM‐subunit a biphasic regulation, with an early peak at day 1 and an elevated plateau between day 14 and 42. At day 14, there was also an influx of lymphocytes immunoreactive for the α4β1‐ and αLβ2‐integrins, which aggregated at sites of neural debris and phagocytotic microglia. This finding was accompanied by a significant increase of the α5β1‐integrin on blood vessel endothelia. In summary, facial axotomy is followed by a strong and cell‐type–specific expression of integrins on the affected neurons and on surrounding microglia, lymphocytes, and vascular endothelia. The presence of several, strikingly different temporal patterns suggests a selective involvement of these molecules in the different adhesive events during regeneration in the central nervous system. J. Comp. Neurol. 411:162–178, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Frequency-Domain Streak Camera and Tomography for Ultrafast Imaging of Evolving and Channeled Plasma Accelerator Structures

We demonstrate a prototype Frequency Domain Streak Camera (FDSC) that can capture the picosecond time evolution of the plasma accelerator structure in a single shot. In our prototype Frequency‐Domain Streak Camera, a probe pulse propagates obliquely to a sub‐picosecond pump pulse that creates an evolving nonlinear index “bubble” in fused silica glass, supplementing a conventional Frequency Domain Holographic (FDH) probe‐reference pair that co‐propagates with the “bubble”. Frequency Domain Tomography (FDT) generalizes Frequency‐Domain Streak Camera by probing the “bubble” from multiple angles and reconstructing its morphology and evolution using algorithms similar to those used in medical CAT scans. Multiplexing methods (Temporal Multiplexing and Angular Multiplexing) improve data storage and processing capability, demonstrating a compact Frequency Domain Tomography system with a single spectrometer.
Assessing Dynamic Efficiency : Theory and Evidence Author ( s ) :

The issue of dynamic efficiency is central to analyses of capital accumulation and economic growth. Yet the question of what characteristics should be examined to determine whether actual economies are dynamically efficient is unresolved. This paper develops a criterion for determining whether an economy is dynamically efficient. The criterion, which holds for economies in which technological progress and population growth are stochastic, involves a comparison of the cash flows generated by capital with the level of investment. Its application to the United States economy and the economies of other major OECD nations suggests that they are dynamically efficient.