Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hygroscopic growth of urban aerosol particles in Beijing (China) during wintertime: a comparison of three experimental methods

Abstract. The hygroscopic properties of atmospheric aerosols are highly relevant for the quantification of radiative effects in the atmosphere, but also of interest for the assessment of particle health effects upon inhalation. This article reports measurements of aerosol particle hygroscopicity in the highly polluted urban atmosphere of Beijing, China in January 2005. The meteorological conditions corresponded to a relatively cold and dry atmosphere. Three different methods were used: 1) A combination of Humidifying Differential Mobility Particle Sizer (H-DMPS) and Twin Differential Mobility Particle Sizer (TDMPS) measurements, 2) A Hygroscopic Tandem Differential Mobility Analyzer (H-TDMA), and 3) A simplistic solubility model fed by chemical particle composition determined from Micro Orifice Uniform Deposit Impactor (MOUDI) samples. From the H-DMPS and TDMPS particle number size distributions, a size-resolved descriptive hygroscopic growth factor (DHGF) was determined for the relative humidities (RH) 55%, 77% and 90%, and particle diameters between 30 and 400 nm. In Beijing, the highest DHGFs were observed for accumulation mode particles, 1.40 (±0.03) at 90% RH. DHGF decreased significantly with particle size, reaching 1.04 (±0.15) at 30 nm. H-TDMA data also suggest a decrease in growth factor towards the biggest particles investigated (350 nm), associated with an increasing fraction of nearly hydrophobic particles. The agreement between the H-DMPS/TDMPS and H-TDMA methods was satisfactory in the accumulation mode size range (100–400 nm). In the Aitken mode range (
Effect of rpoS Mutation on the Stress Response and Expression of Virulence Factors in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

ABSTRACT The sigma factor RpoS (ςS) has been described as a general stress response regulator that controls the expression of genes which confer increased resistance to various stresses in some gram-negative bacteria. To elucidate the role of RpoS inPseudomonas aeruginosa physiology and pathogenesis, we constructed rpoS mutants in several strains of P. aeruginosa, including PAO1. The PAO1 rpoS mutant was subjected to various environmental stresses, and we compared the resistance phenotype of the mutant to that of the parent. The PAO1rpoS mutant was slightly more sensitive to carbon starvation than the wild-type strain, but this phenotype was obvious only when the cells were grown in a medium supplemented with glucose as the sole carbon source. In addition, the PAO1 rpoS mutant was hypersensitive to heat shock at 50°C, increased osmolarity, and prolonged exposure to high concentrations of H2O2. In accordance with the hypersensitivity to H2O2, catalase production was 60% lower in the rpoS mutant than in the parent strain. We also assessed the role of RpoS in the production of several exoproducts known to be important for virulence of P. aeruginosa. TherpoS mutant produced 50% less exotoxin A, but it produced only slightly smaller amounts of elastase and LasA protease than the parent strain. The levels of phospholipase C and casein-degrading proteases were unaffected by a mutation in rpoS in PAO1. The rpoS mutation resulted in the increased production of the phenazine antibiotic pyocyanin and the siderophore pyoverdine. This increased pyocyanin production may be responsible for the enhanced virulence of the PAO1 rpoS mutant that was observed in a rat chronic-lung-infection model. In addition, the rpoSmutant displayed an altered twitching-motility phenotype, suggesting that the colonization factors, type IV fimbriae, were affected. Finally, in an alginate-overproducing cystic fibrosis (CF) isolate, FRD1, the rpoS101::aacCI mutation almost completely abolished the production of alginate when the bacterium was grown in a liquid medium. On a solid medium, the FRD1rpoS mutant produced approximately 70% less alginate than did the wild-type strain. Thus, our data indicate that although some of the functions of RpoS in P. aeruginosa physiology are similar to RpoS functions in other gram-negative bacteria, it also has some functions unique to this bacterium.
Virtual flythrough over a voxel-based terrain

A voxel-based terrain visualization system is presented with real-time performance on general-purpose graphics multiprocessor workstations. Ray casting of antialiased 3D volume terrain and subvoxel sampling in true 3D space produce high quality images. Based on this rendering algorithm, an interactive flythrough system for mission planning and flight simulation has been developed on an SGI Power Challenge and a virtual reality environment using a Responsive Workbench. Arbitrary stereoscopic perspective views over the terrain and a 6D input device are supported.
Using a Free Permit Rule to Forecast the Marginal Abatement Cost of Proposed Climate Policy

Abstract This paper develops a method for forecasting the marginal abatement cost (MAC) of climate policy using three features of the failed Waxman-Markey bill. First, the MAC is revealed by the price of traded permits. Second, the permit price is estimated using a regression discontinuity design (RDD) comparing stock returns of firms on either side of the policy's free permit cutoff rule. Third, because Waxman-Markey was never implemented, I extend the RDD approach to incorporate prediction market prices which normalize estimates by policy realization probabilities. A final bounding analysis recovers a MAC range of $5 to $19 per ton CO2e. (JEL G12, G14, Q52, Q54, Q58)
Processing definite descriptions in corpora

We discuss in this paper a system that resolves definite descriptions in written texts. A preliminary study of definite descriptions in a collection of 20 texts revealed that about 30% of the 1040 definites in the collection were cases of anaphoric definites whose antecedents had the same head noun, and 50% introduced novel discourse referents. An algorithm which resolves anaphoric definite descriptions and also identifies novel ones is proposed. We evaluated the algorithm by comparing its results with an annotation produced by human subjects. The analysis of the corpus, the implemented algorithm, and the evaluation of the results are presented in this paper.
Reforming Land Rights: The World Bank and the Globalization of Agriculture

Since independence, landholdings in Southern Africa have remained highly skewed between the rich and poor, reflecting the land and agricultural policies adopted in colonial times and after independence. More recently, agricultural policies have been prescribed by the World Bank as conditionalities of multilateral loans which have both facilitated and also driven the growing integration of such countries in the world economy. This article argues that such integration is being played out on an increasingly unequal global playing field, structured by global agricultural commodity chains and international trade, and strengthened by those very policy prescriptions of the World Bank. Instead of overcoming the dual economies and regulatory systems created in colonial times, people living in the region have only seen growing poverty and deepening inequality. This provides the context necessary for analysing the World Bank’s recently published policy position on land reform. It argues that the approach taken by the Bank does not address the structural reasons for the distortions of land-holdings in the region, and moreover that such inequality is likely to be reaffirmed and reproduced by the Bank’s proposals. It further argues that the model of market-based land redistribution favoured by the Bank will be insufficient to dissipate the pressures of this ever-growing inequality. With considerations of ‘efficiency’ given prominence over other concerns, it concludes that the Bank’s policies are unlikely to meet both of its overarching goals of poverty reduction and growth.
A Model-Based Approach to the Autonomic Management of Mobile Robot Resources

Mobile robots are increasingly used in applications as diverse as space exploration, rescue missions, automatic floor cleaning in buildings and factories, and mobile surveillance systems. However, one major challenge encountered in the development of applications involving mobile robots is the limited amount of resources that these devices have at their disposal. Effective use of mobile robot resources such as bandwidth is essential for the success of these applications. This paper presents a model-based, utility-driven approach to the autonomic management of mobile robot resources. Starting from a model of the robot resources and of the components that use these resources, the approach builds an autonomic solution capable of optimising a utility function supplied by the robot administrator. This self-optimisation involves adapting the operation mode of the robot components to changes in the amount of resources available and in the environment. The approach is validated through a case study that involves the self-optimising management of bandwidth for a Pioneer 2AT-8 mobile robot. Keywords-model-based self-X adaptation, mobile robot, utility function, resource management
Transcription profile of Escherichia coli: genomic SELEX search for regulatory targets of transcription factors

Bacterial genomes are transcribed by DNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RNAP), which achieves gene selectivity through interaction with sigma factors that recognize promoters, and transcription factors (TFs) that control the activity and specificity of RNAP holoenzyme. To understand the molecular mechanisms of transcriptional regulation, the identification of regulatory targets is needed for all these factors. We then performed genomic SELEX screenings of targets under the control of each sigma factor and each TF. Here we describe the assembly of 156 SELEX patterns of a total of 116 TFs performed in the presence and absence of effector ligands. The results reveal several novel concepts: (i) each TF regulates more targets than hitherto recognized; (ii) each promoter is regulated by more TFs than hitherto recognized; and (iii) the binding sites of some TFs are located within operons and even inside open reading frames. The binding sites of a set of global regulators, including cAMP receptor protein, LeuO and Lrp, overlap with those of the silencer H-NS, suggesting that certain global regulators play an anti-silencing role. To facilitate sharing of these accumulated SELEX datasets with the research community, we compiled a database, ‘Transcription Profile of Escherichia coli’ (www.shigen.nig.ac.jp/ecoli/tec/).
The zeros of certain Lommel functions

Lommel’s function sμ,ν(z) is a particular solution of the differential equation z2y′′ + zy′ + (z2 − ν2)y = zμ+1. Here we present estimates and monotonicity properties of the positive zeros of sμ−1/2,1/2(z) when μ ∈ (0, 1). The positivity of a closely related integral is also considered.
A Contextual Investigation of Location in the Home Using Bluetooth Low Energy Beacons

Location sensing is a key enabling technology for Ubicomp to support contextual interaction. However, the laboratories where calibrated testing of location technologies is done are very different to the domestic situations where `context' is a problematic social construct. This study reports measurements of Bluetooth beacons, informed by laboratory studies, but done in diverse domestic settings. The design of these surveys has been motivated by the natural environment implied in the Bluetooth beacon standards - relating the technical environment of the beacon to the function of spaces within the home. This research method can be considered as a situated, `ethnographic' technical response to the study of physical infrastructure that arises through social processes. The results offer insights for the future design of `seamful' approaches to indoor location sensing, and to the ways that context might be constructed and interpreted in a seamful manner.
Modification of a visceral response, salivation in thirsty dogs, by instrumental training with water reward.

Thirsty dogs rewarded by water for bursts of spontaneous salivation showed progressive increases in salivation, while other dogs, rewarded for brief periods without salivation, showed progressive decreases. No obvious motor responses were involved, but dogs rewarded for decreasing salivation appeared more drowsy than those rewarded for increasing it. Implications for learning theory and psychosomatic medicine are mentioned.
From the corset to Spanx: shapewear as a marketplace icon

ABSTRACT This article presents the marketplace icon of shapewear—clothing that changes the shape of the human body by compressing or enhancing it. The trajectory of shapewear from the highly structured corset of the sixteenth century to the elastic Spanx of the 2000s evidences how this marketplace icon has come into being. Shapewear has materialized many evolving forms of beauty standards and gender roles as it participates in body-centered market assemblages. Market actors, such as manufacturers, designers, media, celebrities, activists, physicians, and consumers, translate shapewear to materialize intentions in the female body, shaping it accordingly. Whether promoting female autonomy or oppression, shapewear stands as a marketplace icon because it has maintained stable market appeal across time and body-centered market assemblages: it shapes the female body while symbolically articulating women’s roles.
The relationship between purpose and sources of meaning: A mixed methods study

This study examined the relationship between meaning and sources of meaning among a sample of South African university students (N = 139; female = 44 0.6%; mean age = 19.76, SD = 1.82). The students completed the Purpose in Life (PIL), the Sources of Meaning Profile-Revised (SOMP-R) measures, and naïve sketches. Results from the data analysis using correlational and regression analyses indicate the students’ purpose of life scores are accounted for by sources of meaning related to self-transcendence, collectivism, and individualism. The findings from the qualitative analysis highlights the importance of an individualist and collectivist focus during academic studies as a source of meaning. Students who report a more extensive network of meaningful sources are also more likely to indicate higher scores on purpose in life.
Utility optimal coding for packet transmission over wireless networks — Part II: Networks of packet erasure channels

We define a class of multi-hop erasure networks that approximates a wireless multi-hop network. The network carries unicast flows for multiple users, and each information packet within a flow is required to be decoded at the flow destination within a specified delay deadline. The allocation of coding rates amongst flows/users is constrained by network capacity. We propose a proportional fair transmission scheme that maximises the sum utility of flow throughputs. This is achieved by jointly optimising the packet coding rates and the allocation of bits of coded packets across transmission slots.
An Event-Based Neurobiological Recognition System with Orientation Detector for Objects in Multiple Orientations

A new multiple orientation event-based neurobiological recognition system is proposed by integrating recognition and tracking function in this paper, which is used for asynchronous address-event representation (AER) image sensors. The characteristic of this system has been enriched to recognize the objects in multiple orientations with only training samples moving in a single orientation. The system extracts multi-scale and multi-orientation line features inspired by models of the primate visual cortex. An orientation detector based on modified Gaussian blob tracking algorithm is introduced for object tracking and orientation detection. The orientation detector and feature extraction block work in simultaneous mode, without any increase in categorization time. An addresses lookup table (addresses LUT) is also presented to adjust the feature maps by addresses mapping and reordering, and they are categorized in the trained spiking neural network. This recognition system is evaluated with the MNIST dataset which have played important roles in the development of computer vision, and the accuracy is increased owing to the use of both ON and OFF events. AER data acquired by a dynamic vision senses (DVS) are also tested on the system, such as moving digits, pokers, and vehicles. The experimental results show that the proposed system can realize event-based multi-orientation recognition. The work presented in this paper makes a number of contributions to the event-based vision processing system for multi-orientation object recognition. It develops a new tracking-recognition architecture to feedforward categorization system and an address reorder approach to classify multi-orientation objects using event-based data. It provides a new way to recognize multiple orientation objects with only samples in single orientation.
Data services leveraging Bing's data assets

Web search engines like Bing and Google have amassed a tremendous amount of data assets. These include query-click logs, web crawl corpus, an entity knowledge graph and geographic/maps data. In the Data Management, Exploration and Mining (DMX) group at Microsoft Research, we investigate ways to mine the above data assets to derive new data that can provide new value to a wide variety of applications. We expose the new data as cloud data services that can be consumed by Microsoft products and services as well as third party applications. We describe two such data services we have built over the past few years: synonym service and web table service. These two data services have shipped in several Microsoft products and services including Bing, Ofﬁce 365, Cortana, Bing synonyms API and Bing Knowledge API.
Statistical/rule-based Hybrid Phrase Break Detection

In this paper, we present a new phrase break detection architecture that integrates proba-bilistic approach with rule-based error correction. The architecture consists of a probabilis-tic phrase break detector and a transformational rule-based post error corrector. The probabilistic method alone usually suuers from performance degradation due to inherent data sparseness problems. So we adopted transformational rule-based error correction to overcome these training data limitations. The probabilistic phrase break detector segments the POS sequences into several phrases according to word trigram probabilities. The probabilis-tic phrase break detection only covers a limited range of contextual information. Moreover, the module does not see the morpheme tag selectively and relative distance to the other phrase breaks. The initially phrase break tagged morpheme sequence is corrected with error correcting rules. The rules are learned by comparing the correctly tagged phrase break corpus with the output of the probabilistic phrase break detector. The rule-based post error correction provided more accurate results even with the phrase break detector that has poor performance. Our main contributions include presenting transformational rule-based error correction for phrase break detection. Also, probabilistic phrase break detection was implemented as an initial annotator of the transformational rule-based error correction. The architecture can provide accurate results even with the phrase break detector that has poor initial performance. Moreover, the system can be exibly tuned to new corpus without massive retraining .
Dynamically Constructing a Global Schema for Web Entities

With the rapid development of the Internet, popular entities have more and more instances on the Web. It is observed that, on one hand, for the same Web entity, different Web entity instances often contain different attributes, and for the same attribute, different Web entity instances often use different labels; on the other, new Web entity instances which contain new attributes and labels are appearing on the Web. Therefore, it is difficult to dynamically construct a global schema for the Web entities of a given entity type, although the global schema is highly desired in Web entity instances detection, extraction and integration. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to dynamically construct a global schema for the Web entities of a given entity type. First, a SVM (support vector machine) classification model is built based on the Web entity instances which have been extracted from related Web pages. Then, based on this model, a global schema discovery approach is provided to dynamically construct the global schema for target entity type. Experimental results on the Chinese Web sites show that the approach is general and effective.
A Carboxyl-terminal Cys2/His2-type Zinc-finger Motif in DNA Primase Influences DNA Content inSynechococcus PCC 7942*

The DNA primase gene, dnaG, has been isolated from the cyanobacterium Synechococcus PCC 7942. It is not part of a macromolecular synthesis operon but is co-transcribed with pheT and located adjacent to the metallothionein divergon, smt. At the carboxyl terminus of this DnaG is a Cys2/His2 zinc-finger motif. The carboxyl-terminal 91 residues bound 65Zn and 0.95 g atom of Zn2+ mol−1 were detected with 4-(2-pyridylazo)resorcinol. Following exposure to Cd2+, 0.95 g atom of Cd2+ was displaced by 2 equivalents of p-(hydroxymercuri) phenylsulfonate mol−1, while only 0.03 g atom of Cd2+ was displaced mol−1 polypeptide missing the carboxyl-terminal (residue 592 onward) zinc-finger motif. Zn2+ caused an increase in intensity, and a reduction in wavelength, of Trp fluorescence at the tip of the predicted zinc-finger, while EDTA caused the converse. Cells containing a single chromosomal codon substitution (C597S), altering the zinc-finger, were generated by exploiting Zn2+-sensitive smt mutants and the proximity ofdnaG to smt. Cells in which smt anddnaG(C597S) had integrated into the chromosome were selected via restored Zn2+ tolerance.Synechococcus PCC 7942 and its dnaG(C597S) mutant grew at equivalent rates, but the latter had a reduced number of chromosomes.