Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Asymmetrical waveguide coupling by a tilted metal nanocone

Linja, Joakim Master’s thesis Department of Physics, University of Jyväskylä, 2017, 61 pages. The increasing global need for green energy drives the science community to find new green energy sources. As a part of that effort, the WISC-project aims to integrate an infrared-collecting solar panel into a normal window. In this study, we investigated the coupling of incident light into the guided modes of a slab waveguide by scattering from a tilted gold nanocone, with the goal of demonstrating asymmetric waveguide coupling. The study was done using three-dimensional finite element method simulations in Comsol. The outward energy flow of the scattered incident light into the waveguide modes was measured at a distance of 2.1 wavelengths from the nanocone. The results indicate the existence of two simultaneous dipolar particle plasmon resonances within the nanocone, and that they are capable of scattering light asymmetrically into the waveguide modes for a narrow range of wavelengths and particle tilt angles. The discovered best case scenario indicated that the nanocone can couple scattered light into the tilt direction 8.5 times more than into the opposing direction. The nanoparticle shape and size could be further optimized to achieve a better spectral overlap for the two dipoles, possibly leading to even higher coupling asymmetry. The results are an important step towards minimizing the back-scattering in a WISC-window.
A symmetrization of the Subspace Gaussian Mixture Model

Last year we introduced the Subspace Gaussian Mixture Model (SGMM), and we demonstrated Word Error Rate improvements on a fairly small-scale task. Here we describe an extension to the SGMM, which we call the symmetric SGMM. It makes the model fully symmetric between the “speech-state vectors” and “speaker vectors” by making the mixture weights depend on the speaker as well as the speech state. We had previously avoided this as it introduces difficulties for efficient likelihood evaluation and parameter estimation, but we have found a way to overcome those difficulties. We find that the symmetric SGMM can give a very worthwhile improvement over the previously described model. We will also describe some larger-scale experiments with the SGMM, and report on progress toward releasing open-source software that supports SGMMs.
Fgfr3 expression by astrocytes and their precursors: evidence that astrocytes and oligodendrocytes originate in distinct neuroepithelial domains

The postnatal central nervous system (CNS) contains many scattered cells that express fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 transcripts (Fgfr3). They first appear in the ventricular zone (VZ) of the embryonic spinal cord in mid-gestation and then distribute into both grey and white matter — suggesting that they are glial cells, not neurones. The Fgfr3+ cells are interspersed with but distinct from platelet-derived growth factor receptor α (Pdgfra)-positive oligodendrocyte progenitors. This fits with the observation that Fgfr3 expression is preferentially excluded from the pMN domain of the ventral VZ where Pdgfra+ oligodendrocyte progenitors — and motoneurones — originate. Many glial fibrillary acidic protein (Gfap)- positive astrocytes co-express Fgfr3 in vitro and in vivo. Fgfr3+ cells within and outside the VZ also express the astroglial marker glutamine synthetase (Glns). We conclude that (1) Fgfr3 marks astrocytes and their neuroepithelial precursors in the developing CNS and (2) astrocytes and oligodendrocytes originate in complementary domains of the VZ. Production of astrocytes from cultured neuroepithelial cells is hedgehog independent, whereas oligodendrocyte development requires hedgehog signalling, adding further support to the idea that astrocytes and oligodendrocytes can develop independently. In addition, we found that mice with a targeted deletion in the Fgfr3 locus strongly upregulate Gfap in grey matter (protoplasmic) astrocytes, implying that signalling through Fgfr3 normally represses Gfap expression in vivo.
Sulfated polysaccharides increase plasma levels of SDF-1 in monkeys and mice: involvement in mobilization of stem/progenitor cells

It was previously reported that treatment with the sulfated polysaccharide fucoidan or the structurally similar dextran sulfate increased circulating mature white blood cells and hematopoietic progenitor/stem cells (HPCs) in mice and nonhuman primates; however, the mechanism mediating these effects was unclear. It is reported here that plasma concentrations of the highly potent chemoattractant stromal-derived factor 1 (SDF-1) increase rapidly and dramatically after treatment with fucoidan in monkeys and in mice, coinciding with decreased levels in bone marrow. In vitro and in vivo data suggest that the SDF-1 increase is due to its competitive displacement from heparan sulfate proteoglycans that sequester the chemokine on endothelial cell surfaces or extracellular matrix in bone marrow and other tissues. Although moderately increased levels of interleukin-8, MCP1, or MMP9 were also present after fucoidan treatment, studies in gene-ablated mice (GCSFR−/−, MCP1−/−, or MMP9−/−) and the use of metalloprotease inhibitors do not support their involvement in the concurrent mobilization. Instead, SDF-1 increases, uniquely associated with sulfated glycan–mobilizing treatments and not with several other mobilizing agents tested, are likely responsible. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first published report of disrupting the SDF-1 gradient between bone marrow and peripheral blood through a physiologically relevant mechanism, resulting in mobilization with kinetics similar to other mobilizing CXC chemokines. The study further underscores the importance of the biological roles of carbohydrates.
Fabrication of Photonic Ring Resonator Device in Silicon Waveguide Technology Using Soft UV-Nanoimprint Lithography

We report on an innovative fabrication method for high-quality resonant photonic devices on silicon-on-insulator substrates with quality (Q)-factor of 47 700 and propagation losses of 3.5 dB/cm. The definition of a resonator device using soft ultraviolet-nanoimprint lithography is detailed followed by description of an adapted structure transfer process. Spectral response measurements and propagation loss analysis were carried out evidencing the functionality of the fabricated resonator.
Implementing optical fibres for the structural health monitoring of composite patch repaired structures

Abstract Structural health monitoring is increasingly being implemented to improve the level of safety of structures and to reduce inspection and repair costs by allowing for correct planning of these actions, if needed. Composite patch repairing presents an appealing alternative to traditional repair methods as it enables the reduction of closedown time and the mitigation of complications associated with traditional repair methods. As reinforcement with the use of composite patches is predominantly performed at defected structures, the urge to monitor the performance of the repair becomes even greater. This work deals with the use of Fabry Perot optical fibres and strain gages at suitable positions in such a repair. To this end a patch repaired notched steel plate has been tested in tension, opting to gain insight on the mechanisms which govern the failure. In order to investigate how these mechanisms are reflected to the recorded strain measurements, finite element models have been generated. Results indicate that composite patch repairing drastically increased the load bearing capacity of the plates and that optical fibres constitute an appealing health monitoring system for such applications, being able to capture the initiation and evolution of damage.
Natural Language Processing for Cultural Heritage Domains

Museums, archives, libraries and other cultural heritage institutes maintain large collections of artefacts which are valuable knowledge sources for both experts and interested lay persons. Recently, more and more cultural heritage institutes have started to digitise their collections, for instance to make them accessible via web portals. However, while digitisation is a necessary first step towards improved information access, to fully unlock the knowledge contained in these collections, users have to be able to easily browse, search and query these collections. This requires cleaning, linking and enriching the data, a process that is often too time-consuming to be performed manually. Information technology can help with (partially) automating this task. Since data processing and enrichment typically involve the textual metadata level, natural language processing has a key role to play in this endeavour. At the same time cultural heritage domains pose significant challenges for language technology and call for the development of very robust and flexible solutions. Consequently, cultural heritage data can also serve as a good test-bed for the development of robust natural language processing tools.
Finding good nearly balanced cuts in power law graphs

In power law graphs, cut quality varies inversely with cut balance. Using some million node social graphs as a test bed, we empirically investigate this property and its implications for graph partitioning. We use six algorithms, including Metis and MQI (state of the art methods for finding bisections and quotient cuts) and four relaxation/rounding methods. We find that an SDP relaxation avoids the Spectral method’s tendency to break off tiny pieces of the graph. We also find that a flow-based rounding method works better than hyperplane rounding.
Cor a 14 is the superior serological marker for hazelnut allergy in children, independent of concomitant peanut allergy

Hazelnut is the most frequent cause of tree nut allergy, but up to half of all children with hazelnut allergy additionally suffer from peanut allergy. Our aim was to identify diagnostic values of the most promising serological markers (Cor a 9 and Cor a 14) and to address the influence of concomitant peanut allergy and PR10 sensitization.
NOVEL APPROACH FOR MOVING HUMAN DETECTION AND TRACKING IN STATIC CAMERA VIDEO SEQUENCES

An automatic multiple person detection and tracking technique for static camera movies is proposed in this paper. First, a moving human identification method is provided. It detects the video objects by using a novel temporal differencing based algorithm and some morphological processes. Then, our approach decides which moving objects represent walking persons, by computing some human size parameters and extracting some skin segments. A novel human tracking technique using a correlationbased video object matching process is then proposed in this paper.
SPEEDY:a fall detector in a wrist watch

We present a wrist worn fall detector for elderly people.The detector is easy to wear and offers the full functionalityof a small transportable wireless alarm system.It implementsa fall detection algorithm which will alert a callcenter after a heavy fall.This occurs even if the wearer isunconscious or too agitated to press the alarm button himself.The algorithm is designed to work with the fall detectorattached to the wrist.This is probably the most difficultplace for detecting a fall.The algorithm can therefore beexpected to function at other locations on the body.Thesystem combines complex data analysis and wireless communicationcapabilities in a truly wearable watch-like form.This paper summarizes the functionality, architecture andimplementation of the system.
Spray-Dried Mesoporous Hydroxyapatite–Chitosan Biocomposites

In this study, hydroxyapatite–chitosan composites with weight ratio of 1:0.1 were produced by spray-drying technique using two different inlet temperature. Besides, the effect of weight change of hydroxyapatite on composites was investigated on composites which were spray-dried in the selected temperature. Synthesized hydroxyapatite–chitosan samples were characterized using Fourier transform infrared microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, Brunauer–Emmet–Teller method, and X-ray diffraction. Particle size measurements were also performed in this content. Simulated body fluid studies were conducted on selected samples. According to results, hydroxyapatite–chitosan sample was successfully synthesized. Spray-dried mesoporous microspheres with high surface areas could be suitable for biomedical usage. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Accuracy Measures for Neural Population Codes with Correlated Variability

Information theoretic measures such as the mutual information, and the recently proposed stimulus-specific information, provide a powerful tool for the study of the neural code. In practice, however, it is difficult to calculate these measures from experimental results due to the amount of data required. Fisher information, and derived quantities such as IFisher , are a popular alternative as they are relatively easy to compute. Here we apply these measures to population codes with cross-correlated variability in order to investigate their behaviour and to determine the conditions under which they provide similar results. The feasibility of computing the SSI for populations with correlated variability is demonstrated, and the behaviour of mutual information, SSI, Fisher information and IFisher under a range of conditions is explored.
Surface Approximation via Asymptotic Optimal Geometric Partition

In this paper, we present a novel method on surface partition from the perspective of approximation theory. Different from previous shape proxies, the ellipsoidal variance proxy is proposed to penalize the partition results falling into disconnected parts. On its support, the Principle Component Analysis (PCA) based energy is developed for asymptotic cluster aspect ratio and size control. We provide the theoretical explanation on how the minimization of the PCA-based energy leads to the optimal asymptotic behavior for approximation. Moreover, we show the partitions on densely sampled triangular meshes converge to the theoretic expectations. To evaluate the effectiveness of surface approximation, polygonal/triangular surface remeshing results are generated. The experimental results demonstrate the high approximation quality of our method.
CS 224 W Reaction Paper and Proposal Project Title : Community Detection Using High-Order Structure

This project is to perform methodological and empirical research on community detection using local high-order structure. Intuitively, a community in social network is a group of people who interact with each other much more often than with the rest of the world. Community detection has been extensively studied in graph theory and network analysis, and there are tens of models and tools in performing that, such as spectral clustering, Personalized PageRange algorithms, and so on. Most of the previous works aim at finding the subset of nodes that has less incoming and outgoing edges than the edges within the subsets. However, high-order local structure, a.k. a. , motif, may contain more information in community level, thus might give better result in community detection. In this project, we are going to examine the existing methods in community detection which analyze edges, and generalize them to fit the motif setting in community detection.
Peroxynitrite-mediated oxidative modifications of complex II: relevance in myocardial infarction.

Increased O(2)(*-) and NO production is a key mechanism of mitochondrial dysfunction in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury. In complex II, oxidative impairment and enhanced tyrosine nitration of the 70 kDa FAD-binding protein occur in the post-ischemic myocardium and are thought to be mediated by peroxynitrite (OONO(-)) in vivo [Chen, Y. -R. , et al. (2008) J. Biol. Chem. 283, 27991-28003]. To gain deeper insights into the redox protein thiols involved in OONO(-)-mediated oxidative post-translational modifications relevant in myocardial infarction, we subjected isolated myocardial complex II to in vitro protein nitration with OONO(-). This resulted in site-specific nitration at the 70 kDa polypeptide and impairment of complex II-derived electron transfer activity. Under reducing conditions, the gel band of the 70 kDa polypeptide was subjected to in-gel trypsin/chymotrypsin digestion and then LC-MS/MS analysis. Nitration of Y(56) and Y(142) was previously reported. Further analysis revealed that C(267), C(476), and C(537) are involved in OONO(-)-mediated S-sulfonation. To identify the disulfide formation mediated by OONO(-), nitrated complex II was alkylated with iodoacetamide. In-gel proteolytic digestion and LC-MS/MS analysis were conducted under nonreducing conditions. The MS/MS data were examined with MassMatrix, indicating that three cysteine pairs, C(306)-C(312), C(439)-C(444), and C(288)-C(575), were involved in OONO(-)-mediated disulfide formation. Immuno-spin trapping with an anti-DMPO antibody and subsequent MS was used to define oxidative modification with protein radical formation. An OONO(-)-dependent DMPO adduct was detected, and further LC-MS/MS analysis indicated C(288) and C(655) were involved in DMPO binding. These results offered a complete profile of OONO(-)-mediated oxidative modifications that may be relevant in the disease model of myocardial infarction.
An IoT System for Remote Monitoring of Patients at Home

Application areas that utilize the concept of IoT can be broadened to healthcare or remote monitoring areas. In this paper, a remote monitoring system for patients at home in IoT environments is proposed, constructed, and evaluated through several experiments. To make it operable in IoT environments, a protocol conversion scheme between ISO/IEEE 11073 protocol and oneM2M protocol, and a Multiclass Q-learning scheduling algorithm based on the urgency of biomedical data delivery to medical staff are proposed. In addition, for the sake of patients’ privacy, two security schemes are proposed—the separate storage scheme of data in parts and the Buddy-ACK authorization scheme. The experiment on the constructed system showed that the system worked well and the Multiclass Q-learning scheduling algorithm performs better than the Multiclass Based Dynamic Priority scheduling algorithm. We also found that the throughputs of the Multiclass Q-learning scheduling algorithm increase almost linearly as the measurement time increases, whereas the throughputs of the Multiclass Based Dynamic Priority algorithm increase with decreases in the increasing ratio.
Processability and Thermal Property of Poly(Phenylene Sulfide)/Graphene Nanoplatelets Nanocomposites and their Fibers

A new kind of functionalized graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs), poly (phenylene sulfide) (PPS) grafted GNPs (GNPs-g-PPS), have been successfully prepared by Friedel–Crafts reaction and in-situ grafting polymerization. In this paper, we produced PPS/GNPs-g-PPS and PPS/GNPs nanocomposite materials where PPS-g-GNPs and pristine GNPs acted as inorganic fillers. It was observed that PPS/GNPs-g-PPS exhibited superior spinnability due to its better compatibility and dispersibility of GNPs in the PPS matrix. Non-isothermal crystallization properties, thermal resistances and thermal stabilities were studied. The results showed that the crystallization behavior and thermal stability of PPS was strongly enhanced with only 1.0 wt. % GNPs-g-PPS added.
A Longitudinal Study of Peripubertal Serum Organochlorine Concentrations and Semen Parameters in Young Men: The Russian Children’s Study

Background: Exposures to endocrine-disrupting chemicals during critical phases of testicular development may be related to poorer semen parameters. However, few studies have assessed the association between childhood organochlorine (OC) exposure and adult semen parameters. Objective: We examined whether peripubertal serum OC concentrations are associated with semen parameters among young Russian men. Methods: From 2003 through 2005, 516 boys were enrolled at age 8–9 years and followed for up to 10 years. Serum OCs were measured in the enrollment samples using high-resolution mass spectrometry. At 18–19 years, 133 young men provided 1 or 2 semen samples (256 samples) collected approximately 1 week apart, which were analyzed for volume, sperm concentration, and motility. Unadjusted and adjusted linear mixed models were used to examine the associations of quartiles of lipid-standardized concentrations of dioxins [2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs)], furans, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and corresponding toxic equivalents (TEQs) with semen parameters. Results: The median (range) for TCDD was 2.9 (0.4–12.1) pg/g lipid and PCDD TEQ was 8.7 (1.0–36.0) pg TEQ/g lipid. Higher quartiles of TCDD and PCDD TEQs were associated with lower sperm concentration, total sperm count, and total motile sperm count (p-trends ≤ 0.05). The highest quartile of peripubertal serum TCDD concentrations was associated with a decrease (95% CI) of 40% (18, 66%), 29% (3, 64%), and 30% (2, 70%) in sperm concentration, total sperm count, and total motile sperm count, respectively, compared with the lowest quartile. Similar associations were observed for serum PCDD TEQs with semen parameters. Serum PCBs, furans, and total TEQs were not associated with semen parameters. Conclusion: Higher peripubertal serum TCDD concentrations and PCDD TEQs were associated with poorer semen parameters. Citation: Mínguez-Alarcón L, Sergeyev O, Burns JS, Williams PL, Lee MM, Korrick SA, Smigulina L, Revich B, Hauser R. 2017. A longitudinal study of peripubertal serum organochlorine concentrations and semen parameters in young men: the Russian Children’s Study. Environ Health Perspect 125:460–466; http://dx.doi. org/10.1289/EHP25
Multilayer silicene: clear evidence of Ag-terminated bulk silicon

The existence of silicite, a new allotrope of silicon based on a stacking of hexagonal silicene planes, is one of the most discussed topics in the field of two-dimensional materials. Using grazing incidence x-ray diffraction (GIXD), we have followed the in situ growth of Si films on Ag(1 1 1) in the low-temperature growth regime (510–520 K). GIXD experiments demonstrate that Si films have a diamond-like structure, with an average lattice constant slightly different from that of bulk Si. The diffracted intensities associated with Si films are well reproduced by the Ag/Si(1 1 1) (3×3)R30° honeycomb chain model, whereas models with Ag-free Si surfaces fail to reproduce the experimental data.
Efficient incremental learning of boosted classifiers for object detection

Significant progress has been made towards learning a generalized offline object detector. However, when a generalized offline detector is applied on new datasets, it often misses some instances of the object or produces false alarms in the background scene. we propose a novel and efficient incremental learning method, which improves the performance of an offline trained detector. Our approach adjusts the parameters of offline trained cascade of boosted classifiers using manually labeled online samples. Experiments demonstrate both efficiency and effectiveness of our approach.
Magnetic Particles Coupled to Disposable Screen Printed Transducers for Electrochemical Biosensing

Ultrasensitive biosensing is currently a growing demand that has led to the development of numerous strategies for signal amplification. In this context, the unique properties of magnetic particles; both of nano- and micro-size dimensions; have proved to be promising materials to be coupled with disposable electrodes for the design of cost-effective electrochemical affinity biosensing platforms. This review addresses, through discussion of selected examples, the way that nano- and micro-magnetic particles (MNPs and MMPs; respectively) have contributed significantly to the development of electrochemical affinity biosensors, including immuno-, DNA, aptamer and other affinity modes. Different aspects such as type of magnetic particles, assay formats, detection techniques, sensitivity, applicability and other relevant characteristics are discussed. Research opportunities and future development trends in this field are also considered.