Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
From marginal deformations to confinement

We consider type IIB supergravity backgrounds which describe marginal deformations of the Coulomb branch of = 4 super Yang-Mills theory with SO(4) × SO(2) global symmetry. Wilson loop calculations indicate that certain deformations enhance the Coulombic attraction between quarks and anti-quarks at the UV conformal fixed-point. In the IR region, these deformations can induce a transition to linear confinement.
Hi‐Nicalon/SiC Minicomposites with (Pyrocarbon/SiC)n Nanoscale Multilayered Interphases

SiC/SiC minicomposites that comprise different pyrocarbon/silicon carbide ((PyC/SiC)n) multilayered interphases and a tow of SiC fibers (Hi-Nicalon) have been prepared via pressure-pulsed chemical vapor infiltration. Pyrocarbon and SiC were deposited from propane and a CH3SiCl3/H2 mixture, respectively. The microstructure of the interphases has been investigated using transmission electron microscopy. The mechanical tensile behavior of the minicomposites at room temperature exhibits the classical features of tough composites, regardless of the characteristics of the (PyC/SiC) sequences. The interfacial shear stress has been determined from the width of hysteresis loops upon unloading/reloading and from the crack-spacing distance at saturation. All the experimental data indicate that the strength of the fiber/interphase interfaces is rather weak (∼50 MPa).
Effect of energy input on microstructure and mechanical properties in EBSM Ti6Al4V

ABSTRACT Electron beam selective melting technology was utilized to fabricate Ti6Al4V parts from pre-alloyed powders. Square samples of different heights were fabricated with varied fabrication parameters to understand the effect of energy input on the structures and properties. The macrostructures and microstructures were characterized by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The mechanical properties including microhardness and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) were investigated. The Widmanstatten structure in the top region has a slightly lower UTS but a higher microhardness than the bottom basket-weave microstructure, and the UTS in vertical orientation was lower than the horizontal orientation, which was thought to be caused by lack-of-fusion porosity defects.
Decoupling kinematics and mechanics reveals coding properties of trigeminal ganglion neurons in the rat vibrissal system

Tactile information available to the rat vibrissal system begins as external forces that cause whisker deformations, which in turn excite mechanoreceptors in the follicle. Despite the fundamental mechanical origin of tactile information, primary sensory neurons in the trigeminal ganglion (Vg) have often been described as encoding the kinematics (geometry) of object contact. Here we aimed to determine the extent to which Vg neurons encode the kinematics vs. mechanics of contact. We used models of whisker bending to quantify mechanical signals (forces and moments) at the whisker base while simultaneously monitoring whisker kinematics and recording single Vg units in both anesthetized rats and awake, body restrained rats. We employed a novel manual stimulation technique to deflect whiskers in a way that decouples kinematics from mechanics, and used Generalized Linear Models (GLMs) to show that Vg neurons more directly encode mechanical signals when the whisker is deflected in this decoupled stimulus space. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.13969. 001
Comparison of methyl-DNA immunoprecipitation (MeDIP) and methyl-CpG binding domain (MBD) protein capture for genome-wide DNA methylation analysis reveal CpG sequence coverage bias

DNA methylation primarily occurs at CpG dinucleotides in mammals and is a common epigenetic mark that plays a critical role in the regulation of gene expression. Profiling DNA methylation patterns across the genome is vital to understand DNA methylation changes that occur during development and in disease phenotype. In this study, we compared two commonly used approaches to enrich for methylated DNA regions of the genome, namely methyl-DNA immunoprecipitation (MeDIP) that is based on enrichment with antibodies specific for 5′-methylcytosine (5MeC), and capture of methylated DNA using a methyl-CpG binding domain-based (MBD) protein to discover differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in cancer. The enriched methylated DNA fractions were interrogated on Affymetrix promoter tiling arrays and differentially methylated regions were identified. A detailed validation study of 42 regions was performed using Sequenom MassCLEAVE technique. This detailed analysis revealed that both enrichment techniques are sensitive for detecting DMRs and preferentially identified different CpG rich regions of the prostate cancer genome, with MeDIP commonly enriching for methylated regions with a low CpG density, while MBD capture favors regions of higher CpG density and identifies the greatest proportion of CpG islands. This is the first detailed validation report comparing different methylated DNA enrichment techniques for identifying regions of differential DNA methylation. Our study highlights the importance of understanding the nuances of the methods used for DNA genome-wide methylation analyses so that accurate interpretation of the biology is not overlooked.
Characterization of the sensory processings in the barrel cortex of the anaesthetized rat.

The processing of whisker deflections by rodents barrel cortex neurons is still poorly understood. Indeed, to date, the support provided by the strict mapping of the spatial arrangement of the peripheral sensory apparatus onto the cortical surface has not been sufficient to settle on a reasonable model of whisker processing. In particular, at the moment, the linear and non-linear filtering of whisker stimulations carried in this cortical area are unclear. In order to tackle this problem, we developed a multiwhisker stimulator that allows the independent deflection of 24 whiskers, in any direction, over a wide frequency band. By combining this whisker stimulation device with electrophysiological recordings carried in the barrel cortex of anaesthetized rats, we could identify a family of linear filters common to all recorded neurons. In addition, we explored the non-linear responses of these neurons to spatio-temporal combinations of whisker deflections, and we observed two types of neuronal responses. In one side, "local" neurons responded to salient whisker deflections occurring on a single whisker and that contrasted with other whisker deflections. On the other side, "global" neurons were sensitive to the overall level of similarity between the deflections applied across stimulated whiskers. Finally, we studied the functional response of the neurons found in the layer II/III of this cortex with the help of a two-photon microscope. Using this tool, we found that local and global neuron types were strongly spatially segregated. More generally, we observed a strict mapping of the functional tuning of barrel cortex neurons onto the surface of the rat barrel cortex.
The Capacity of Random Linear Coding Networks as Subspace Channels

In this paper, we consider noncoherent random linear coding networks (RLCNs) as a discrete memoryless channel (DMC) whose input and output alphabets consist of subspaces. This contrasts with previous channel models in the literature which assume matrices as the channel input and output. No particular assumptions are made on the network topology or the transfer matrix, except that the latter may be rank-deficient according to some rank deficiency probability distribution. We introduce a random vector basis selection procedure which renders the DMC symmetric. The capacity we derive can be seen as a lower bound on the capacity of noncoherent RLCNs, where subspace coding suffices to achieve this bound.
Mapping the Environmental Fitness Landscape of a Synthetic Gene Circuit

Gene expression actualizes the organismal phenotypes encoded within the genome in an environment-dependent manner. Among all encoded phenotypes, cell population growth rate (fitness) is perhaps the most important, since it determines how well-adapted a genotype is in various environments. Traditional biological measurement techniques have revealed the connection between the environment and fitness based on the gene expression mean. Yet, recently it became clear that cells with identical genomes exposed to the same environment can differ dramatically from the population average in their gene expression and division rate (individual fitness). For cell populations with bimodal gene expression, this difference is particularly pronounced, and may involve stochastic transitions between two cellular states that form distinct sub-populations. Currently it remains unclear how a cell population's growth rate and its subpopulation fractions emerge from the molecular-level kinetics of gene networks and the division rates of single cells. To address this question we developed and quantitatively characterized an inducible, bistable synthetic gene circuit controlling the expression of a bifunctional antibiotic resistance gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Following fitness and fluorescence measurements in two distinct environments (inducer alone and antibiotic alone), we applied a computational approach to predict cell population fitness and subpopulation fractions in the combination of these environments based on stochastic cellular movement in gene expression space and fitness space. We found that knowing the fitness and nongenetic (cellular) memory associated with specific gene expression states were necessary for predicting the overall fitness of cell populations in combined environments. We validated these predictions experimentally and identified environmental conditions that defined a “sweet spot” of drug resistance. These findings may provide a roadmap for connecting the molecular-level kinetics of gene networks to cell population fitness in well-defined environments, and may have important implications for phenotypic variability of drug resistance in natural settings.
Does casting method matter in filtration membranes? A comparison in performance between doctor blade and slot‐die extruded polymeric membranes

Scaling up from a laboratory batch process to a continuous manufacturing process can result in unexpected changes in membrane morphology and performance. To understand how processing effects the structure and performance of cellulose acetate filtration membranes, membranes were produced using laboratory-scale doctor blade and industrial/production-scale slot die casting. Differences in morphology were seen because of the different casting method. However, filtration performance using bovine albumin serum and lipase showed no significant differences. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 45563.
A Framework For Fragmentation

The word fragmentation refers to a splitting up of a verticallyintegrated production process such that the separatefragments can be traded on markets. This paper is concerned withinternational fragmentation, generally allowing gainsfrom a finer division of labor based on comparative advantage inseparate fragments. A discussion of how growth inoutput can encourage fragmentation because of the increasing returnsnature of the service links required to coordinateseparate production blocks, and how drastic reductions in the costsof these service links also encourages fragmentation isfollowed by a focus on internal income distribution. It is shownthat a country that loses a labor-intensive fragment of aprocess to international competition following a reduction in costsof service links may find its real wage rising. This isespecially possible in more capital-abundant countries.
Towards invariants of surfaces in 4-space via classical link invariants

In this paper, we introduce a method to construct ambient isotopy invariants for smooth imbeddings of closed surfaces into 4-space by using hyperbolic splittings of the imbedded surfaces and an arbitrary given isotopy or regular isotopy invariant of classical knots and links in 3-space. Using this construction, adopting the Kauffman bracket polynomial as an example, we produce some invariants.
Group problem-solving skills training for self-harm: randomised controlled trial

Background Rates of self-harm are high and have recently increased. This trend and the repetitive nature of self-harm pose a significant challenge to mental health services. Aims To determine the efficacy of a structured group problem-solving skills training (PST) programme as an intervention approach for self-harm in addition to treatment as usual (TAU) as offered by mental health services. Method A total of 433 participants (aged 18–64 years) were randomly assigned to TAU plus PST or TAU alone. Assessments were carried out at baseline and at 6-week and 6-month follow-up and repeated hospital-treated self-harm was ascertained at 12-month follow-up. Results The treatment groups did not differ in rates of repeated self-harm at 6-week, 6-month and 12-month follow-up. Both treatment groups showed significant improvements in psychological and social functioning at follow-up. Only one measure (needing and receiving practical help from those closest to them) showed a positive treatment effect at 6-week (P = 0.004) and 6-month (P = 0.01) follow-up. Repetition was not associated with waiting time in the PST group. Conclusions This brief intervention for self-harm is no more effective than treatment as usual. Further work is required to establish whether a modified, more intensive programme delivered sooner after the index episode would be effective.
A Hybrid Approach of Personalized Web Information Retrieval

This paper proposes a hybrid approach of personalized Web Information Retrieval that utilizes (1) ontology for retrieval of user’s context (2) user profile that is temporarily updated according to users’ browsing behavior and (3) collaborative filtering for considering recommendation of similar users. Empirical analysis reveals that Precision, Recall and F-Score of most of the queries for many users are improved with using the proposed method.
Cell-mediated immune reactivity in liver disease

Cell-mediated immunity has been investigated using the leucocyte migration test in 32 patients with chronic active hepatitis or primary biliary cirrhosis. Twenty-six (75%) showed reactivity to liver extract. At least two antigens are involved. Cell-mediated reactivity was confirmed in some cases using lymphocyte `blast' transformation. There was no correlation with the presence of auto-antibodies. Cell-mediated immunity to parotid extract was shown in 10 cases (28%). This is in accord with the occurrence of the sicca syndrome in liver disease, which has been confirmed in this study.
Selective Attention to Affective Value Alters How the Brain Processes Olfactory Stimuli

How does selective attention to affect influence sensory processing? In a functional magnetic resonance imaging investigation, when subjects were instructed to remember and rate the pleasantness of a jasmin odor, activations were greater in the medial orbito-frontal and pregenual cingulate cortex than when subjects were instructed to remember and rate the intensity of the odor. When the subjects were instructed to remember and rate the intensity, activations were greater in the inferior frontal gyrus. These top-down effects occurred not only during odor delivery but started in a preparation period after the instruction before odor delivery, and continued after termination of the odor in a short-term memory period. Thus, depending on the context in which odors are presented and whether affect is relevant, the brain prepares itself, responds to, and remembers an odor differently. These findings show that when attention is paid to affective value, the brain systems engaged to prepare for, represent, and remember a sensory stimulus are different from those engaged when attention is directed to the physical properties of a stimulus such as its intensity. This differential biasing of brain regions engaged in processing a sensory stimulus depending on whether the cognitive demand is for affect-related versus more sensory-related processing may be an important aspect of cognition and attention. This has many implications for understanding the effects not only of olfactory but also of other sensory stimuli.
[Effects of selective inhibition of reverse mode of Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger on rats with contrast-induced acute kidney injury].

OBJECTIVE Intracellular Ca(2+) overload is a key factor in contrast-induced renal tubular toxicity. Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger (NCX) system is one of main pathways of intracellular Ca(2+) overload. We explore the effects of KB-R7943, an inhibitor of reverse mode of NCX, on contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI). METHODS Rats were divided into control, CI-AKI and pre-treatment groups with KB-R7943 (5, 10 mg/kg). CI-AKI was induced by diatrizoate administration in rats with cholesterol-supplemented diet for 8 weeks. Renal function and hemodynamics were determined at Day 1 post-administration. Renal histopathology was observed under light microscope. Renal tubular apoptosis was examined by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL). Renal endothelin-1 (ET-1) was measured by radioimmunoassay. The oxidative markers of renal malondialdehyde (MDA) and catalase (CAT) were measured. The expression of NCX was evaluated by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS Levels of serum creatinine (Scr, µmol/L ) in CI-AKI rats ((149 ± 35) µmol/L) were significantly higher than those of normal rats ((55 ± 4) µmol/L, P < 0.01). Renal ET-1, MDA and CAT, resistance index (RI) of renal blood vessels increased significantly in CI-AKI rats. The contrast-induced increases in Scr and RI of renal blood vessels were suppressed significantly and dose-dependently by pretreatment with KB-R7943. Histopathological and TUNEL results showed that contrast-induced severe renal tubular necrosis and apoptosis were significantly and dose-dependently attenuated by KB-R7943. KB-R7943 significantly suppressed the contrast-induced increments of ET-1, MDA and CAT. No significant changes in NCX1 mRNA expression were observed following contrast administration. CONCLUSION Renal oxidative stress and ET-1 overproduction via the activation of reverse mode of NCX play an important role in the pathogenesis of CI-AKI. And inhibition of reverse mode of NCX expressed in renal tubular epithelial cell has protective effects on CI-AKI.
Evolving Standard Process Reference Models for Product Line Development

Component based development (CBD) significantly improves software engineering by enabling and enforcing reuse and as a consequence productivity and quality. Product line development (PLD) concepts in addition promise increased uniformity with respect to external appearance of software products and internal structure of reusable artefacts ("assets") beyond a single product for a whole range of products. Key to successful software component reuse and to software product line development is the management of product variations within specified architected limits by providing controlled variations of constituent software components within specified over-all product characteristics. This cannot be an afterthought it has to be modelled from the very beginning. Current process models and process standards often lack an adequate orientation to and consideration of cross-product uniformity and variation, resulting in problems during the enactment of a product line approach: the desirable variation within the software products cannot be described. To reap the benefits of the advantages of PLD variability all subprocesses of the development process have to be analyzed in order to identify necessary evolvement towards a PLD approach. In this paper we describe a possible high-level structuring of a product line methodology process, analyze the ISO/IEC 12207 process framework and identify processes where the consideration of controlled product variation may require special support and re-orientation of the process. We further characterize the support necessary for relevant subprocesses
Location Dependent Illumination Modeling for Multiple-Camera-based 3D Object Reconstruction

We propose a method for modeling ununiform illumination conditions using multiple-camera-based marker observations. In computer graphics applications, multiple-camera-based object reconstruction is becoming popular for modeling 3D objects. However, geometrical and photo-metrical calibrations among multiple cameras still require high computational cost. We employ multiple observations of a spherical marker in a sequence for modeling illuminations. These data are also used for calibrating camera geometries based on a bundled adjustment method to minimize re-projection errors. The illumination condition is modeled as a set of luminance patterns on the virtual planes surrounding the target observation area. An illumination model at an arbitrary position in the scene can be constructed by interpolating the luminance behavior of surrounding planes. Experimental results show the effectiveness of our proposed method.
VocaRe fi ner : An Interactive Singing Recording System with Integration of Multiple Singing Recordings

This paper presents a singing recording system, VocaRefiner, that enables a singer to make a better singing recording by integrating multiple recordings of a song he or she has sung repeatedly. It features a function called clickable lyrics, with which the singer can click a word in the displayed lyrics to start recording from that word. Clickable lyrics facilitate efficient multiple recordings because the singer can easily and quickly repeat recordings of a phrase until satisfied. Each of the recordings is automatically aligned to the music-synchronized lyrics for comparison by using a phonetic alignment technique. Our system also features a function, called three-element decomposition, that analyzes each recording to decompose it into three essential elements: F0, power, and spectral envelope. This enables the singer to select good elements from different recordings and use them to synthesize a better recording by taking full advantage of the singer’s ability. Pitch correction and time stretching are also supported so that singers can overcome limitations in their singing skills. VocaRefiner was implemented by combining existing signal processing methods with new estimation methods for achieving high-accuracy robust F0 and group delay, which we propose to improve the synthesized quality.
Effects of SPEEK/Cloisite Concentration as Electrospinning Parameter on Proton Exchange Membrane for Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Application

In this study, a fine fibers mat were produced from SPEEK/Cloisite solution and the effect of the dope concentration on the fibers morphology was performed.The electrospun fibers were denoted as e-spunCL and fabricated as dense membrane (SP/e-spunCL) by immersing electrospun fibers into half-solidified SPEEK solution The fiber’s mechanical stability study was also conducted. The fibers diameters and morphology were observed by using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). While the mechanical properties of the fibers was observed via tensile strength test. The results showed that as the concentration increased (0.05 wt%, 0.10 wt%, 0.17 wt%, 0.25 wt% and 0.30 wt%), the fibers diameters become larger which varies from 9.257 μm to 495.4 nm. The highest tensile strength among all fibers was recorded from SP/e-SpunCL17 which was found to be 19.96882±1.49458MPa. SP/e-spunCL17 showed the most promising physico chemical properties with the highest water uptake and proton conductivity of 25.87±1.9827 %, 12.12±0.2837 mScm-1 and the lowest methanol permeability with 1.22±0.3748 x10-8 cm2s-1.