Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MULTIWAVELENGTH OBSERVATIONS AND MODELING OF 1ES 1959+650 IN A LOW FLUX STATE

We report on the VERITAS observations of the high-frequency peaked BL Lac object 1ES 1959+650 in the period 2007–2011. This source is detected at TeV energies by VERITAS at 16.4 standard deviation (σ) significance in 7.6 hr of observation in a low flux state. A multiwavelength spectral energy distribution (SED) is constructed from contemporaneous data from VERITAS, Fermi-LAT, RXTE PCA, and Swift UVOT. Swift XRT data is not included in the SED due to a lack of simultaneous observations with VERITAS. In contrast to the orphan γ-ray flare exhibited by this source in 2002, the X-ray flux of the source is found to vary by an order of magnitude, while other energy regimes exhibit less variable emission. A quasi-equilibrium synchrotron self-Compton model with an additional external radiation field is used to describe three SEDs corresponding to the lowest, highest, and average X-ray states. The variation in the X-ray spectrum is modeled by changing the electron injection spectral index, with minor adjustments of the kinetic luminosity in electrons. This scenario produces small-scale flux variability of the order of ≲ 2 in the high energy (E > 1 MeV) and very high energy (E > 100 GeV) γ-ray regimes, which is corroborated by the Fermi-LAT, VERITAS, and Whipple 10 m telescope light curves.
Antimycotic potential of a diterpenoid taxoquinone against Candida species isolated from Metasequoia glyptostroboides

The objective of this study was to confirm the antimycotic potential of a diterpenoid compound taxoquinone, isolated from Metasequoia glyptostroboides against pathogenic isolates of Candida species. The taxoquinone (100 μg/disc) displayed potential anticandidal effect against Candia albicans KBN06P00076, KBN06P00074, C. glabrata KBN06P00066, KBN06P00068, C. tropicalis KBN06P00682, KBN06P00058, C. parapsilosis KBN06P00060, KBN06P00055, and C. guilliermondii KBN06P00492 and KBN06P00867 as a diameter of zones of inhibition, found in the range of 10 ± 0.6 to 13 ± 1.1 mm. The minimum inhibitory and minimum fungicidal concentrations of taxoquinone against the tested clinical isolates were found in the range of 125 to 500 and 125 to 1,000 μg/mL, respectively. On the viable counts of the tested fungal isolates, the taxoquinone evoked a remarkable anticandidal effect. Elaborative study of SEM revealed potential detrimental effect of taxoquinone on the morphology of C. parapsilosis KBN06P00060 at MIC concentration. These findings confirmed therapeutic potential of taxoquinone.
Electronic Excitations and Radiation Damage in Macromolecular Crystallography

Macromolecular crystallography at cryogenic temperatures has so far provided the majority of the experimental evidence that underpins the determination of the atomic structures of proteins and other biomolecular assemblies by means of single crystal X-ray diffraction experiments. One of the core limitations of the current methods is that crystal samples degrade as they are subject to X-rays, and two broad groups of effects are observed: global and specific damage. While the currently successful approach is to operate outside the range where global damage is observed, specific damage is not well understood and may lead to poor interpretation of the chemistry and biology of the system under study. In this work, we present a phenomenological model in which specific damage is understood as the result of a single process, the steady excitation of crystal electrons caused by X-ray absorption, which acts as a trigger for the bulk effects that manifest themselves in the form of global damage and obscure the interpretation of chemical information from XFEL and synchrotron structural research.
Pixel-based colour contrast for abandoned and stolen object discrimination in video surveillance

A novel approach is proposed for discriminating between abandoned or stolen previously detected stationary foreground regions in video surveillance. It is based on measuring the colour contrast of the contour of the stationary object under analysis at pixel level. Two contrasts are computed by analysing such a contour in the current and background frames. Then, both are combined for performing the discrimination. The experimental results over a heterogeneous dataset containing real scenarios demonstrate that this approach outperforms the related literature and greatly reduces the computational cost of the discrimination task, allowing real-time operation.
Implications of Sea-Level Rise for Estonia

Abstract Estonia is a coastal country with a long coastline (3800 km) for which climate change and accelerated sea-level rise are key problems that need to be considered in any future impact assessment. Due to its flat, low-lying coastal zone, any rise in sea level places many coastal ecosystems and recreationally valuable sandy beaches at risk. Milder winters, combined with increased storminess and the absence of sea-ice cover, would exacerbate these impacts. However, isostatic uplift and the distance of coastal settlements from the present coastline could reduce these risks. This paper presents the potential impact of a 1-m global sea-level rise by 2100 if no adaptation is undertaken. Seven representative study areas, characterising all shore types in Estonia, were selected for sea-level rise vulnerability and adaptation assessment. The diverse structure of Estonia's coasts, the rapidly migrating shorelines, and the abundance of small islands were found to complicate reliable predictions regarding climate warming and accelerated sea-level rise. SISUTUTVUSTUS: Eesti on pika rannajoonega (3800 km) mereäärne maa. Seetõttu on võimalik meretaseme tõus üks võtmeküsimusi kliima muutuse mõju hindamisel Eesti jaoks. Kuna siinne rannik on valdavalt madal ja tasane, on paljud väärtuslikud rannikuökosüsteemid kliima muutuse ja meretaseme tõusu korral hävimisohus. Paljud kõrge rekreatiivse väärtusega liivarannad lakkaksid eksisteerimast. Kliima muutusega kaasnevate pehmete talvede, jääkatte puudumise ning sagedaste tormide koosmõju teravdaksid veelgi ülalmainitud protsesse. Ent isostaatiline maakerge ja rannikuäärsete asulate paiknemine tänapäeva rannajoonest eemal mõnevõrra leevendavad riski suurust. Käesolevas artiklis on esitatud analüüsi tulemused aastaks 2100 toimuva 1 meetrise globaalse meretaseme tõusu stsenaariumi järgi tingimusel, et mingeid kaitse- ega kohandamismeetmeid ei võeta eelnevalt tarvitusele. Meretaseme tõusuga kaasneva rannikualade haavatavuse ning selle tagajärgedele vastavate kaitse- ja kohandamismeetmete analüüsiks valiti seitse võtmeala, mis esindavad kõiki peamisi Eesti rannikutüüpe. Eesti rannikutüüpide vahel-dusrikkus, kiiresti muutuv rannajoon ning saarte rohkus teevad kliima soojenemise ning meretaseme tõusu võimalike tagajärgede ennustamise väga keerukaks.
Hardware implementation of the quasi-maximum likelihood estimator core for polynomial phase signals

Flexible, multiple-clock-cycle, hardware design for the quasi-maximum likelihood (QML) algorithm core realisation for the polynomial phase signals (PPSs) estimation is proposed. The QML algorithm significantly outperforms existing PPS estimators in terms of accuracy. However, its practical applications require efficient software and hardware systems. The main challenges in the proposed hardware development with respect to existing systems for time–frequency (TF) analysis are realisation of TF representation based instantaneous frequency estimator, the polynomial regression, and phase extraction. The developed design is tested on a PPS corrupted by a white Gaussian noise and verified by a field programmable gate array circuit design. All implementation and verification details are provided along with the comparison of the results achieved by hardware and software implementations.
Moduli Spaces and Vector Bundles: Geometric Invariant Theory

In these lectures we will describe a method of constructing quotients in algebraic geometry. The natural context for the construction is that of schemes, but for simplicity we will work always with varieties defined over an algebraically closed field k; this field can have any characteristic. These notes are intended to be reasonably self-contained, although some proofs are omitted; further details, if needed, can be found in my Tata Institute notes • P. E. Newstead, Introduction to moduli problems and orbit spaces, TIFR, Bombay, 1978 (out of print but many people have copies).
Synthesis, Spectroscopic Properties, and Cell Imaging of Novel Chlorinated Fluorescent Proteins-labeling Probe

A novel chlorinated fluorescent proteinslabeling probe with a linker and reactive group was prepared in 7 steps by the reaction of resorcinol with 3, 6-dichloro-4-carboxyphthalic anhydride in the presence of methanesulfonic acid. The spectral properties and the pH dependence of the chlorinated fluorescein were studied. This fluorescent probe showed absorbance peak at 508 nm and fluorescence peak at 524 nm. It was found that it has absorption and emission maxima at long wavelengths and high fluorescence quantum yield. Structures of target compounds and intermediates were determined by IR, MS, H NMR and element analysis. The fluorescence imaging of living cells showed that it was localized in cell nucleus. This probe will be a useful reagent for the preparation of stable fluorescent conjugates.
Evolutionary Game Gynamics Driven by Heterogeneous Self-learning Rules

How to achieve full cooperation among large numbers of individuals is essential for both artificial and biological systems. Learning rules (or updating rules), which specify how individuals change their behavior over time, are vital to probe this problem. Here, we incorporate individual heterogeneity into the self-evaluation process and propose the heterogeneous self-learning dynamics. When the selection intensity is weak, we analytically derive that the final outcomes of the heterogeneous dynamics can be obtained by combining the outcomes of all the corresponding homogeneous dynamics in well-mixed populations. Meanwhile, a simple condition is found which tells whether one behavior will be more abundant than the other in the long run. All of our analytical results are verified by simulations. Our work thus reveals some interesting characteristics of heterogeneous self-learning dynamics.
Autonomous Guidance of UAVs for Real-Time Target Tracking in Adversarial Environments

While recent technological advances have enabled the development of unmanned vehicular systems and recent implementations have proven their benefits in both military and civilian applications, the full benefit of unmanned systems will be utilized when they can operate autonomously. The primary requirements of autonomy are the capabilities of detecting internal and external changes, and of reacting to them without human intervention in a safe and efficient manner. This can be achieved by developing and implementing autonomous guidance and control systems (AGCS) to ''pilot'' unmanned vehicles (Rathbun et al., 2002; Finke et al., 2003; Flint et al., 2002; Jun et al., 2002; Pongpunwattana & Rysdyk, 2004; Nikolas et al., 2003; Zhu et al., 2005; Waydo & Murray,2003). Tracking highly mobile targets is a type of mission that can significantly benefit from the use of UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) with the capability of autonomy, especially when the pursuit is to take place in an environment where various sources of ''threat'', obstacles and restricted areas may exist. In a military scenario, multiple UAVs can be used to track enemy or escort a friendly convoy while avoiding no-fly zones and possible sites of SAMs (Surface-to-Air Missiles). In a border patrol application, UAVs can be employed to track intruders while staying within the border and avoiding high elevation. In a law-enforcement scenario, criminals might be pursued or a specific vehicle might be tracked for protection while avoiding high buildings or residential areas. As a wild-life protection effort, animals can be tracked while avoiding high elevation. When threat exposure, obstacle and/or restricted region are not among the concerns of a tracking problem, UAV trajectories are commanded to fly directly over the moving target (Sengupta & Hedrick, 2003; Spry et al., 2005). When the target is evasive in an intelligent manner, the tracking problem is the subject of pursuit-evasion game theory (Jang & Tomlin, 2005; Antoniades et al., 2003; Vidal et al., 2002; Hespanha et al.,2000; Hespanha et al.,1999). Ground target tracking and required sensors are also particularly studied (Sengupta & Hedrick, 2003; Schumacher 2005; Sinha et al.,2004; Shea, 2000; Koch & Klem, 2001). For example, in (Sengupta & Hedrick, 2003), the tracking is performed by utilizing an offset vector. There are various new challenges when tracking needs to be done by mobile sensors in an area where there exist various threats, obstacles and/or restricted areas as well as other vehicles to avoid. There might be various and completely different types of ''threats'', obstacles and restricted areas, and the information regarding their presence and/or level
Impact of star formation history on the measurement of star formation rates

Context. Measuring star formation across the Universe is key to constrain models of galaxy formation and evolution. Yet, determining the SFR (star formation rate) of galaxies remains a challenge. Aims. In this paper we investigate in isolation the impact of a variable star formation history on the measurement of the SFR. Methods. We combine 23 state-of-the-art hydrodynamical simulations of 1<z<2 galaxies on the main sequence with the cigale spectral energy distribution modelling code. This allows us to generate synthetic spectra every 1 Myr for each simulation, taking the stellar populations and the nebular emission into account. Using these spectra, we estimate the SFR from classical estimators which we compare with the true SFR we know from the simulations. Results. We find that except for the Lyman continuum, classical SFR estimators calibrated over 100 Myr overestimate the SFR from ~25% in the FUV band to ~65% in the U band. Such biases are due 1) to the contribution of stars living longer than 100 Myr, and 2) to variations of the SFR on timescales longer than a few tens of Myr. Rapid variations of the SFR increase the uncertainty on the determination of the instantaneous SFR but have no long term effect. Conclusions. The discrepancies between the true and estimated SFR may explain at least part of the tension between the integral of the star formation rate density and the stellar mass density at a given redshift. To reduce possible biases, we suggest to use SFR estimators calibrated over 1 Gyr rather than the usually adopted 100 Myr timescales.
Identifying supply and demand in the Hungarian corporate loan market

During the recent crisis bank lending to the non-financial corporate sector declined substantially in Hungary and this slump proceeds in the aftermath of the recession as well. However it is not evident whether it is a result of the slow recovery of the real economy (the lack of credit demand), or it is caused by the balance sheet adjustment of financial intermediaries, that is tight credit supply is prevalent. In this paper we identify supply and demand in the corporate loan market in Hungary and decompose the developments of lending to supply and demand factors. Doing this a simultaneous econometric model is estimated on a panel dataset, which covers the major banks in the industry. The model takes into account the results of the Bank Lending Survey of MNB, which provides some information about lending standards and banks’ willingness to lend. Our results suggest that tight supply conditions have played an important role in the decline of lending, especially after the outbreak of the crisis. At the same time, demand has been contracted as well during the recession, although it has started to recover in 2010. At the end of 2010 we may conclude that the decline in supply and demand accounted for the drop in corporate lending in a ratio of around 2/3-1/3, respectively.
New Active Packaging Films Made from Gelatin Modified with Fungal Melanin

Fungal melanin was used to prepare gelatin-based composite films. The films of various melanin concentrations (0.1%, 0.5% and 1% w/w) were prepared using a solution casting method. The mechanical, antioxidant, antimicrobial, water vapor, oxygen and UV-Vis barrier properties, as well as any available surface polyphenolics were studied. FT-IR and Raman spectroscopy studies were carried out to analyse the chemical composition of the resulting films. The hydrophobocity, solubility, colour response, optical properties and opacity were also determined. The results of this study showed that the modification of gelatin with fungal melanin had no influence on mechanical and water vapor barrier properties, oxygen barrier properties were improved. The UV-Vis barrier properties of modified films were significantly improved. Modified gelatin films showed good antioxidant activity but were inactive against microorganisms. The modification with melanin caused changes in colour values, decreasing lightness and increasing the redness and yellowness of the films. Based on the results of this study, fungal melanin has good potential to be utilised as a value-added modifier that can improve the properties of gelatin films.
Organization and Supply of Long‐term Care Services for the Elderly: A Bird's‐eye View of Old and New EU Member States

This article provides an overview of the organization of formal long-term care (LTC) systems for the elderly in ten old and 11 new EU member states (MS). Generally, we find that the main responsibility for regulating LTC services is centralized in half of these countries, whereas in the remaining countries, this responsibility is typically shared between authorities at the central level and those at the regional or local levels in both institutional and home-based care. Responsibilities for planning LTC capacities are jointly met by central and non-central authorities in most countries. Access to publicly financed services is rarely means tested, and most countries have implemented legal entitlements conditional on needs. In virtually all countries, access to institutional care is subject to cost sharing, which also applies to home-based care in most countries. The relative importance of institutional LTC relative to home-based LTC services differs significantly across Europe. Although old MS appear to be experiencing some degree of convergence, institutional capacity levels still span a wide range. Considerable diversity may also be observed in the national public–privatemix in the provision of LTC services. Lastly, free choice between public and private providers exists in the vast majority of these countries. This overview provides vital insights into the differences and similarities in the organization of LTC systems across Europe, especially between old and newMS, while also contributing valuable insight into previously neglected topics, thus broadening the knowledge base of international experience for mutual learning. (author's abstract)
On the Rate of Convergence of Discrete‐Time Contingent Claims

This paper characterizes the rate of convergence of discrete‐time multinomial option prices. We show that the rate of convergence depends on the smoothness of option payoff functions, and is much lower than commonly believed because option payoff functions are often of all‐or‐nothing type and are not continuously differentiable. To improve the accuracy, we propose two simple methods, an adjustment of the discrete‐time solution prior to maturity and smoothing of the payoff function, which yield solutions that converge to their continuous‐time limit at the maximum possible rate enjoyed by smooth payoff functions. We also propose an intuitive approach that systematically derives multinomial models by matching the moments of a normal distribution. A highly accurate trinomial model also is provided for interest rate derivatives. Numerical examples are carried out to show that the proposed methods yield fast and accurate results.
Quantitative reverse HSC 70 , HSP 70 mtHSP 70 GRP 78 Mitochondria

© 2010 TERRAPUB, Tokyo. All rights reserved. doi:10.5047/absm.2010. 00304.0111 , Abstract Stress proteins (heat-shock proteins, HSPs), which comprise an evolutionally wellconserved protein family, are induced in response to a variety of stress conditions and metabolic insults. When cells are subjected to sudden environmental changes, stress proteins are induced and play a central role in cellular homeostasis. A response to sudden adverse environmental changes is referred to as the heat-shock or stress response and is accompanied by a rapid increase in the synthesis of stress proteins. Given the importance of stress proteins in thermal adaptation at the cellular level, we have studied the expression, regulation, and protective functions of the members of the HSP70 stress protein family under normal and stress conditions in a variety of fish species. HSP70/heat-shock cognate protein-70 (HSC70) plays essential roles in the receptor complex formation and activation of Activin/Nodal/transforming growth factor-β and bone morphogenetic protein receptors and facilitates Nodal signaling. In addition, chaperone-mediated autophagy assisted by HSP70/heat-shock cognate (HSC)70 may be responsible for the stress responses in fish cells. HSP70 and HSC70 translocated into the lysosomes were found to accelerate protein degradation and catabolism under both stressed and normal conditions. Stress Protein HSP70 in Fish
Adaptive Spatio-Temporal Filters for Infrared Target Detection by Anusha

We show how nonlinear filters tuned to the spatial and temporal frequency of a moving target may be used to selectively detect and track certain specified moving objects in an image sequence, while ignoring other moving objects as well as background movement. Further, we describe an algorithm for adaptation of the filter parameters to maximize the strength of the filter output as the target changes in speed or size. We characterize the performance of these tunable filters in detection and tracking of a moving target in infrared imagery, first for artificially-generated scenes, and then for real infrared imagery. Adaptive Spatio-Temporal Filters for Infrared Target Detection Anusha Muthu Natarajan, M.S. The University of Arizona, 2005 Director: Dr. Charles M. Higgins We show how nonlinear filters tuned to the spatial and temporal frequency of a moving target may be used to selectively detect and track certain specified moving objects in an image sequence, while ignoring other moving objects as well as background movement. Further, we describe an algorithm for adaptation of the filter parameters to maximize the strength of the filter output as the target changes in speed or size. We characterize the performance of these tunable filters in detection and tracking of a moving target in infrared imagery, first for artificially-generated scenes, and then for real infrared imagery.
Term Weighting for Information Retrieval Using Fuzzy Logic

The rising quantity of available information has constituted an enormous advance in our daily life. However, at the same time, some problems emerge as a result from the existing difficulty to distinguish the necessary information among the high quantity of unnecessary data. Information Retrieval has become a capital task for retrieving the useful information. Firstly, it was mainly used for document retrieval, but lately, its use has been generalized for the retrieval of any kind of information, such as the information contained in a database, a web page, or any set of accumulated knowledge. In particular, the so-called Vector Space Model is widely used. Vector Space Model is based on the use of