Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improved Response of ZnO Films for Pyroelectric Devices

Increasing the temperature variation rate is a useful method for enhancing the response of pyroelectric devices. A three-dimensional ZnO film was fabricated by the aerosol deposition (AD) rapid process using the shadow mask method, which induces lateral temperature gradients on the sidewalls of the responsive element, thereby increasing the temperature variation rate. To enhance the quality of the film and reduce the concentration of defects, the film was further treated by laser annealing, and the integration of a comb-like top electrode enhanced the voltage response and reduced the response time of the resulting ZnO pyroelectric devices.
Enhancing drug delivery for boron neutron capture therapy of brain tumors with focused ultrasound.

BACKGROUND Glioblastoma is a notoriously difficult tumor to treat because of its relative sanctuary in the brain and infiltrative behavior. Therapies need to penetrate the CNS but avoid collateral tissue injury. Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a treatment whereby a (10)B-containing drug preferentially accumulates in malignant cells and causes highly localized damage when exposed to epithermal neutron irradiation. Studies have suggested that (10)B-enriched L-4-boronophenylalanine-fructose (BPA-f) complex uptake can be improved by enhancing the permeability of the cerebrovasculature with osmotic agents. We investigated the use of MRI-guided focused ultrasound, in combination with injectable microbubbles, to noninvasively and focally augment the uptake of BPA-f. METHODS With the use of a 9L gliosarcoma tumor model in Fisher 344 rats, the blood-brain and blood-tumor barriers were disrupted with pulsed ultrasound using a 558 kHz transducer and Definity microbubbles, and BPA-f (250 mg/kg) was delivered intravenously over 2 h. (10)B concentrations were estimated with imaging mass spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. RESULTS The tumor to brain ratio of (10)B was 6.7 ± 0.5 with focused ultrasound and only 4.1 ± 0.4 in the control group (P < .01), corresponding to a mean tumor [(10)B] of 123 ± 25 ppm and 85 ± 29 ppm, respectively. (10)B uptake in infiltrating clusters treated with ultrasound was 0.86 ± 0.10 times the main tumor concentration, compared with only 0.29 ± 0.08 in controls. CONCLUSIONS Ultrasound increases the accumulation of (10)B in the main tumor and infiltrating cells. These findings, in combination with the expanding clinical use of focused ultrasound, may offer improvements in BNCT and the treatment of glioblastoma.
A Characterization of Universal Stability in the Adversarial Queuing Model

We study universal stability of directed and undirected graphs in the adversarial queuing model for static packet routing. In this setting, packets are injected in some edge and have to traverse a predefined path before leaving the system. Restrictions on the allowed packet trajectory provide a way to analyze stability under different packet trajectories. We consider five packet trajectories, two for directed graphs and three for undirected graphs, and provide polynomial time algorithms for testing universal stability when considering each of them. In each case we obtain a different characterization of the universal stability property in terms of a set of forbidden subgraphs. Thus we show that variations of the allowed packet trajectory lead to nonequivalent characterizations. Using those characterizations we are also able to provide polynomial time algorithms for testing stability under the \NTGLIS (Nearest To Go-Longest In System) protocol.
Microbial Community Composition and Functional Capacity in a Terrestrial Ferruginous, Sulfate-Depleted Mud Volcano

Terrestrial mud volcanoes (MVs) are an important natural source of methane emission. The role of microbial processes in methane cycling and organic transformation in such environments remains largely unexplored. In this study, we aim to uncover functional potentials and community assemblages across geochemical transitions in a ferruginous, sulfate-depleted MV of eastern Taiwan. Geochemical profiles combined with 16S rRNA gene abundances indicated that anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) mediated by ANME-2a group coincided with iron/manganese reduction by Desulfuromonadales at shallow depths deprived of sulfate. The activity of AOM was stimulated either by methane alone or by methane and a range of electron acceptors, such as sulfate, ferrihydrite, and artificial humic acid. Metagenomic analyses revealed that functional genes for AOM and metal reduction were more abundant at shallow intervals. In particular, genes encoding pili expression and electron transport through multi-heme cytochromes were prevalent, suggesting potential intercellular interactions for electron transport involved in AOM. For comparison, genes responsible for methanogenesis and degradation of chitin and plant-derived molecules were more abundant at depth. The gene distribution combined with the enhanced proportions of 16S rRNA genes related to methanogens and heterotrophs, and geochemical characteristics suggest that particulate organic matter was degraded into various organic entities that could further fuel in situ methanogenesis. Finally, genes responsible for aerobic methane oxidation were more abundant in the bubbling pool and near-surface sediments. These methane oxidizers account for the ultimate attenuation of methane discharge into the atmosphere. Overall, our results demonstrated that various community members were compartmentalized into stratified niches along geochemical gradients. These community members form a metabolic network that cascades the carbon transformation from the upstream degradation of recalcitrant organic carbon with fermentative production of labile organic entities and methane to downstream methane oxidation and metal reduction near the surface. Such a metabolic architecture enables effective methane removal under ferruginous, sulfate-depleted conditions in terrestrial MVs.
LLORMA: Local Low-Rank Matrix Approximation

Matrix approximation is a common tool in recommendation systems, text mining, and computer vision. A prevalent assumption in constructing matrix approximations is that the partially observed matrix is low-rank. In this paper, we propose, analyze, and experiment with two procedures, one parallel and the other global, for constructing local matrix approximations. The two approaches approximate the observed matrix as a weighted sum of low-rank matrices. These matrices are limited to a local region of the observed matrix. We analyze the accuracy of the proposed local low-rank modeling. Our experiments show improvements in prediction accuracy over classical approaches for recommendation tasks.
Aortoiliac stenting, determinants of clinical outcome.

OBJECTIVES To determine predictors of clinical outcome in stenting aortoiliac disease. DESIGN Prospective/retrospective study. MATERIALS AND METHODS One hundred and forty patients (163 limbs) underwent iliac artery stenting in the period 1994-1997. Ninety-eight occlusions and 65 stenoses were treated, either with primary stenting (n = 129) or after failed angioplasty (n = 34). Median follow-up 18 months (1-66). Factors analysed for their effect on outcome were: gender, age, Fontaine stage, ABI, lesion type/length/site, primary or secondary stenting, stent type, BP, smoking, diabetes, aspirin, cholesterol, residual gradient, overhanging and run-off. RESULTS The immediate success was 95%. The primary successful clinical outcome was 90% at 12 months and 84% at 36 months; the primary-assisted successful clinical outcome was 95% at 12 months and 91% at 36 months and the secondary successful clinical outcome was 92% at 12 months and 87% at 36 months. Adverse factors affecting outcome were: residual pressure gradient (> 10 mmHg) and no treatment with aspirin (p < 0.05). Major complications occurred in 18% of patients with a re-intervention in 8%. The 30-day mortality was 5.5%. CONCLUSIONS Stenting for aortoiliac occlusive disease has good short and long term clinical success, with low morbidity and mortality. Factors that might improve results further are ensuring that patients are taking aspirin and any residual pressure gradient is abolished.
Combining Haar Feature and skin color based classifiers for face detection

This paper presents a hybrid method for face detection in color images. The well known Haar feature-based face detector developed by Viola and Jones (VJ), that has been designed for gray-scale images is combined with a skin-color filter, which provides complementary information in color images. The image is first passed through a Haar-Feature based face detector, which is adjusted such that it is operating at a point on its ROC curve that has a low number of missed faces but a high number of false detections. Then, using the proposed skin color post-filtering method many of these false detections can be eliminated easily. We also use a color compensation algorithm to reduce the effects of lighting. Our experimental results on the Bao color face database show that the proposed method is superior to the original VJ algorithm and also to other skin color based pre-filtering methods in the literature in terms of precision.
Use of a Novel, Remotely Connected Diabetes Management System Is Associated with Increased Treatment Satisfaction, Reduced Diabetes Distress, and Improved Glycemic Control in Individuals with Insulin-Treated Diabetes: First Results from the Personal Diabetes Management Study

Abstract Background: The ability to automatically transfer data to clinicians and receive timely guidance in therapy adjustments through remote and in-office consults can positively impact patients' perceptions about quality of care, which is positively associated with clinical outcomes. We assessed the impact of using the Accu-Chek Connect diabetes management system on treatment satisfaction, diabetes distress, and glycemic control in adults with type 1 diabetes and insulin-treated type 2 diabetes. Subjects and Methods: This 6-month, prospective, multicenter, single-arm study assessed the impact of using the system on treatment satisfaction and glycemic control among 87 adults with insulin-treated diabetes (multiple daily insulin injections and basal only), with 8.8% ± 1.6% glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) at baseline. The Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire-status (DTSQs) and Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS) were administered at baseline, and the Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire-change (DTSQc) and DDS at 6 months. Changes in HbA1c, average blood glucose (BG), and other metrics were also assessed. Results: Improvements in DTSQc scores were observed at 6 months with a total mean (standard deviation) score of 14.3 ± 5.1. Significant reductions in total mean DDS scores from baseline to 6 months were also observed, from 2.0 ± 0.8 to 1.7 ± 0.7, P < 0.0001. A significant reduction in regimen-related distress was notable, from “moderate distress” (2.4 ± 1.0) to “not distressed” (1.9 ± 0.9), P < 0.0001). Significant reductions in mean HbA1c (−0.9 ± 1.6, P < 0.0001) and mean BG (−24.8 ± 50.8, P < 0.0001) were observed. Conclusions: Use of the Accu-Chek Connect diabetes management system is associated with increased treatment satisfaction and improved glycemic control among individuals with insulin-treated diabetes. NCT02600845 (www.clinicaltrials.gov).
Techniques for Reliability Evaluation in Distribution System Planning

— This paper presents reliability evaluation techniques which are applied in distribution system planning studies and operation. Reliability of distribution systems is an important issue in power engineering for both utilities and customers. Reliability is a key issue in the design and operation of electric power distribution systems and load. Reliability evaluation of distribution systems has been the subject of many recent papers and the modeling and evaluation techniques have improved considerably.
Performance evaluation of priority based adaptive multiguard channel call admission control for multiclass services in mobile networks

The CAC (call admission control), which can guarantee call services to meet their QoS (Quality of Service) requirements, plays a significant role in providing QoS in wireless mobile networks. In this paper, an adaptive multiguard channel scheme‐based CAC strategy is proposed to prioritize traffic types and handoff calls. The major aim of the study is to develop the analytical model of the priority traffic and handoff calls based adaptive multiguard channel scheme and examining the performance through setting the value of the adaptive ratio parameters. Our proposed scheme tries to mediate the advantages and drawbacks of the static and dynamic CAC schemes. The proposed scheme is quite different from previous studies because multithreshold values have been considered for multiclass traffic by adaption parameters, and a closed form analytical model is developed The numerical results show that this scheme can be used to keep the targeted QoS requirement by suitably setting the adaptive ratio parameters. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
1J-5 Quantitative Dual-beam Doppler Ultrasound Investigations

The lack of knowledge of the beam-flow angle represents one of the major sources of uncertainty in Doppler measurements. Not only are some new, appealing applications of the Doppler technique prevented, but some basic clinical procedures are made more difficult than desirable. This paper reports on the Doppler angle ambiguity problem and on the classic solutions so far proposed in order to overcome the related limitations. The main features of a recently introduced dual-beam method are described. Starting from the classic problem of measuring the true velocity in a single sample volume, the application to the measurement of full velocity profiles is discussed. Combination of this method with a new multi-channel multi-gate system is shown capable of contributing to arterial mechanics investigations by allowing the simultaneous measurement of wall shear rate and wall distension in major human arteries. Finally the feasibility of accurate volumetric flow measurements is discussed, and work-in-progress is reported
A Unified Framework for Flow Classification

IP traffic or Internet flow classification has played an important role in many network activities. Many works have been carried out for the past several years targeting different goals including Quality-of-Service support, security, management, and provisioning. However, these approaches are developed and evaluated separately without a general model that can be used to identify, categorize, and compare them. Thus, it is difficult for a newcomer to understand the principle of flow classification and to find a suitable method for her domain. This paper brings forth a mathematical model that describes the flow classification components and processes on an abstract level. We then classify existing flow classification approaches and compare them in a unified framework.
Organizational Design Types, Tracks and the Dynamics of Strategic Change

Change and stability in organizations is to be understood through the twin concepts of design archetypes and tracks. Organizations operate with structural designs which are given meaning and coherence by underlying interpretive schemes. Particular interpre tive schemes coupled with associated structural arrangements constitute a design archetype. The temporal relationship between an organization and one or more archetypes defines an organization's track. Prototypical tracks include inertia, aborted excursions, re-orientations and unresolved excursions. The particular track followed by an organization will be a function of the degree of alignment or compatibility between structures and contingency constraints, the pattern of commitment to prevailing and alternative interpretive schemes and the incidence of interest dissatisfaction of powerful groups.
The Viewband concept: Introducing life-cycle modeling in enterprise architectural frameworks

Enterprise architecture (EA) frameworks have been successfully used to support enterprise engineering activities by providing graphical and machine-processable constructs to represent enterprise systems. However, existing EA frameworks lack modeling approaches to represent the increasing complexity and coupling of modern enterprises, as these frameworks do not distinguish architectural blocks supporting the different enterprise lifecycle processes, such as operation, maintenance and governance. In this paper, we propose the Viewband concept, which can be used to explicitly introduce lifecycle modeling, thus overcoming the limitations of existing EA frameworks. We also present an overlay methodology to implement the Viewband concept by use of standard modeling structures in existing EA frameworks, thus gaining compliance with currently available technologies and documentation standards. We show the application of the Viewband concept, and the related implementation methodology, through a simplified example enterprise model in UPDM (Unified Profile for DoDAF and MODAF).
A Single Serotonergic Modulatory Cell Can Mediate Reinforcement in the Withdrawal Network of the Terrestrial Snail

A cluster of 40 serotonergic cells in the rostral part of pedal ganglia of the terrestrial snail Helix lucorum was shown previously to participate in the modulation of withdrawal behavior and to be necessary during the acquisition of aversive withdrawal conditioning in intact snails. Local extracellular stimulation of the serotonergic cells paired with a test stimulus elicited a pairing-specific increase (the difference between paired and explicitly unpaired sessions was significant, p <.01) of synaptic responses to test stimulation in the premotor interneurons involved in withdrawal. This result suggested participation of serotonergic cells in mediating the reinforcement in the withdrawal network. Intracellular stimulation of only one identified Pd4 cell from the pedal group of serotonergic neurons paired with a test stimulus also significantly increased (the difference between paired and explicitly unpaired sessions was significant, p <.05) synaptic responses to paired nerve stimulation in same premotor interneurons involved in withdrawal. Morphological investigation of a cluster of pedal serotonergic neurons showed that only the Pd4 cell had branches in the parietal ganglia neuropile where the synapses of premotor withdrawal interneurons and of presynaptic neurons are located. The data suggest that a single serotonergic cell can mediate the reinforcement in the withdrawal network of the terrestrial snail. Patterns of responses of the Pd4 cells to tactile and chemical stimuli conform to the suggestion.
The role of Tudor domains in germline development and polar granule architecture

Tudor domains are found in many organisms and have been implicated in protein-protein interactions in which methylated protein substrates bind to these domains. Here, we present evidence for the involvement of specific Tudor domains in germline development. Drosophila Tudor, the founder of the Tudor domain family, contains 11 Tudor domains and is a component of polar granules and nuage, electron-dense organelles characteristic of the germline in many organisms, including mammals. In this study, we investigated whether the 11 Tudor domains fulfil specific functions for polar granule assembly, germ cell formation and abdomen formation. We find that even a small number of non-overlapping Tudor domains or a substantial reduction in overall Tudor protein is sufficient for abdomen development. In stark contrast, we find a requirement for specific Tudor domains in germ cell formation, Tudor localization and polar granule architecture. Combining genetic analysis with structural modeling of specific Tudor domains, we propose that these domains serve as `docking platforms' for polar granule assembly.
Enhanced Lipid Stability in Whole Wheat Flour by Lipase Inactivation and Antioxidant Retention

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of dry heat, steam, and microwave treatments in decreasing lipase activity, while retaining antioxidant activity, to stabilize whole wheat flour against lipid degradation during storage. Bran was heat-treated in 230-g batches using four levels (exposure times) for each of the three treatment methods. Lipase activity and antioxidant activity were quantified for all treatment combinations. None of the treatments significantly decreased antioxidant activity; the levels determined to be optimal, inasmuch as further heating did not significantly decrease lipase activity, were 25 min of dry heat, 60 sec of microwave (1000W), and 60 sec of steam. These treatments effectively decreased lipase activity by 74, 93, and 96%, respectively. Optimum treatments were evaluated for acceptance using a consumer sensory panel during a 12-month storage period. No significant differences in acceptance were found between the control and any of the samples eith.
Height Retrieval of Isolated Buildings From Single High-Resolution SAR Images

Detection of man-made structures in urban areas, in terms of both geometric and electromagnetic features, from a single, possibly high resolution (HR), synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image is a highly interesting open challenge. Within this framework, a possible approach for the extraction of some relevant parameters, describing the shape and materials of a generic building, is proposed here. The approach is based on sound electromagnetic models for the radar returns of each element of the urban scene. A fully analytical representation of electromagnetic returns from the scene constituents to an active microwave sensor is employed. Some possible applications of feature extractions from real SAR images, based on the aforementioned approach, have already been presented in the literature as first examples of potentiality of a model-based approach, but here, the overall theory is analyzed and discussed in depth, to move to general considerations about its soundness and applicability, and the efficiency of further applications may be derived. For the sake of conciseness, although the proposed approach is general and can be applied for the retrieval of different scene parameters (in principle, anyone contributing to the radar return), we focus here on the extraction of the building height, and we assume that the other parameters are either a priori known (e.g., electromagnetic properties of the materials) or have been previously retrieved from the same SAR image (e.g., building length and width). An analysis of the sensitiveness of the height retrieval to both model inaccuracies and errors on the knowledge of the other parameters is performed. Some simulation examples accompany and validate the solution scheme that we propose.
Biodegradation of naphthalene and anthracene by chemo-tactically active rhizobacteria of populus deltoides

Several naphthalene and anthracene degrading bacteria were isolated from rhizosphere of Populus deltoides, which were growing in non-contaminated soil. Among these, four isolates, i.e. Kurthia sp. , Micrococcus varians, Deinococcus radiodurans and Bacillus circulans utilized chrysene, benzene, toluene and xylene, in addition to anthracene and naphthalene. Kurthia sp and B. circulans showed positive chemotactic response for naphthalene and anthracene. The mean growth rate constant (K) of isolates were found to increase with successive increase in substrate concentration (0.5 to 1.0 mg/50ml). B. circulans SBA12 and Kurthia SBA4 degraded 87.5% and 86.6% of anthracene while, Kurthia sp. SBA4, B. circulans SBA12, and M. varians SBA8 degraded 85.3 %, 95.8 % and 86.8 % of naphthalene respectively after 6 days of incubation as determined by HPLC analysis.