Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Numerical Simulation of Electrostatic Charging Droplets in Microfluidic Devices

Precharged droplets can facilitate manipulation and control of low-volume liquids in dropletbased microfluidics. However, the working principle and charge quantification of the non-contact charging system remains elusive for precise control of droplets in practical systems. In this paper, for the first time, the mechanism of charging process (Fig. 1) was simulated and analyzed. The simulation was conducted using a commercial finite element code, COMSOL Multiphysics® software, based on the laminar two-phase flow level-set interface coupling with the electrostatic interface. Namely, the interface between the immiscible water and oil phases is tracked using the level set method, while the electric field in the droplet, oil and dielectric layers is calculated by the Poisson equation. A new design for more efficient charging was proposed based on the simulation results. This new design could increase the system capacitance (Fig. 2) and low the charging voltage to several tens volts. Finally, microfluidic devices of the proposed design were developed using standard microfabrication technology. The induced charge in a droplet was characterized by measuring the droplet trajectory in presnece of a transverse electric field. Figures used in the abstract Figure 1: Fig.1 Principle of the charging process. The left column is the top view and the right column is the side view. (a) a neutral droplet travels to the induction electrodes and, charges are induced and distributed on the surface. (b) a droplet is stretched at the Tjunction by hydrodynamic force. (c) a droplet is divided into two daughter droplets with opposite net charges.
Synthesis and applications of TEOS/PDMS hybrid material by the sol–gel process

An organically modified silicate, ormosil, was synthesized with an inorganic precursor, (tetraethoxysilane, TEOS) and an organic precursor [poly(dimethylsiloane), PDMS] through sol‐gel chemistry. The bonding characteristics of the composite were investigated via glass transition temperatures (Tg) and a hybridization model of TEOS and PDMS was illustrated schematically. The variation of Tg with the ratios of HCl/TEOS and TEOS/PDMS was observed. Ormosil sols for coating were obtained with TEOS/PDMS ratios from 60:40 to 90:10 and the best ormosil sol as the host of a dye laser was obtained from a ratio of 90:10. As the HCl/TEOS ratio was increased, higher Tg values were obtained but holes formed in the coated surface and laser output diminished. Dimerization of organic molecules was detected in the enlarged pore size of the host due to an increase in the ratio. The effects of HCl and PDMS on bonding characteristics were measured by dynamic mechanical thermal analyser (DMTA). UV/VIS spectrophotometry, spectrofluorimetry and scanning electron micrography (SEM) were used to obtain the properties relating to this study of inorganic‐organic composites. Copyright # 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
W ORKING P APER S ERIES W ORKING P

We find evidence that conflicts of interest are pervasive in the asset management business owned by investment banks. Using data from 1990 to 2008, we compare the alphas of mutual funds, hedge funds and institutional funds operated by investment banks and non-bank conglomerates. We find that while there is no difference in performance by fund type but being owned by an investment bank reduces alphas by 46 basis points per year in our baseline model. Making lead loans increases alphas but the dispersion of fees across portfolios decreases alphas. The economic loss is $4.9 billion per year
Dynamic Space Conflict Modeling for Construction Operations

Site planning is critical for efficient and safe construction operations. Current industry practice primarily relies on highly experienced planers and their personal judgment to anticipate and prevent space conflicts during construction operation. Inaccurate and unreliable site space planning not only leads to major loss of time and cost, but also negatively impact safety performance. Recent research has introduced new planning methods during the pre-construction phase to enhance site safety and productivity. This paper proposes a site spatial planning solution called Dynamic Space Conflict Modeling (DSCM), which can model dynamic field operations on a construction job site in a 3D model format based on the space demand of each activity and each resource. DSCM provides a process in which schedulers use time, crew information, and space demand of resources as inputs and capture the live space conflict as the output.
IIIT-H System Submission for FIRE 2014 Shared Task on Transliterated Search Conference

This paper describes our submission for FIRE 2014 Shared Task on Transliterated Search. The shared task features two sub-tasks: Query word labeling and Mixed-script Ad hoc retrieval for Hindi Song Lyrics. Query Word Labeling is on token level language identification of query words in code-mixed queries and back-transliteration of identified Indian language words into their native scripts. We have developed letter based language models for the token level language identification of query words and a structured perceptron model for back-transliteration of Indic words. The second subtask for Mixed-script Ad hoc retrieval for Hindi Song Lyrics is to retrieve a ranked list of songs from a corpus of Hindi song lyrics given an input query in Devanagari or transliterated Roman script. We have used edit distance based query expansion and language modeling followed by relevance based reranking for the retrieval of relevant Hindi Song lyrics for a given query.
Endocrine-Related Cancer ( 2000 ) 7 257 – 269 Apoptosis in mammary gland and cancer

Homeostasis in normal tissue is regulated by a balance between proliferative activity and cell loss by apoptosis. Apoptosis is a physiological mechanism of cell loss that depends on both pre-existing proteins and de novo protein synthesis, and the process of apoptosis is integral to normal mammary gland development and in many diseases, including breast cancer. The mammary gland is one of the few organ systems in mammals that completes its morphologic development postnatally during two discrete physiologic states, puberty and pregnancy. The susceptibility of the mammary gland to tumorigenesis is influenced by its normal development, particularly during stages of puberty and pregnancy that are characterized by marked alterations in breast cell proliferation and differentiation. Numerous epidemiologic studies have suggested that specific details in the development of the mammary gland play a critical role in breast cancer risk. Mammary gland development is characterized by dynamic changes in the expression profiles of Bcl-2 family members. The expression of Bcl-2 family proteins in breast cancer is also influenced by estradiol and by progestin. Since the ratio of proapoptotic to antiapoptotic proteins determines apoptosis or cell survival, hormone levels may have important implications in the therapeutic prevention of breast cancer.
Habitat suitability and modelling the potential distribution of the Plateau Snake Skink Ophiomorus nuchalis (Sauria: Scincidae) on the Iranian Plateau

Species distribution models estimate the relationship between species occurrences and environmental and spatial characteristics. Herein, we used maximum entropy distribution modelling (MaxEnt) for predicting the potential distribution of the Plateau Snake Skink Ophiomorus nuchalis on the Iranian Plateau, using a small number of occurrence records (i.e. 10) and environmental variables derived from remote sensing. The MaxEnt model had a high success rate according to test AUC scores (0.912). A remotely sensed enhanced vegetation index (39.1%), and precipitation of the driest month (15.4%) were the most important environmental variables that explained the geographical distribution of O. nuchalis. Our results are congruent with previous studies suggesting that suitable habitat of O. nuchalis is limited to the central Iranian Plateau, although mountain ranges in western and eastern Iran might be environmentally suitable but not accessible.
Occipitotemporal Representations are Modulated by Conceptual Knowledge and Interact with a Frontoparietal Network

Through selective attention, knowledge of abstract concepts can emphasize informative stimulus features. For example, the size of garments is critical when choosing what to purchase, whereas weight may be more important when deciding how to ship them. In two fMRI studies, we investigated whether neural representations of stimulus features vary according to these latent attentional effects. During scanning, participants categorized stimuli according to strategies that were learned through trial and error. Formal categorization models were fit to the behavioral data from each participant, and provided attentional weight estimates for each binary stimulus dimension. We found that when greater attention was devoted to a particular visual dimension (e.g., color), its value (e.g., red) was more easily decoded from occipitotemporal cortex; indicating that conceptual knowledge can modulate representations of individual perceptual features. To better understand this effect, we conducted a multivariate connectivity analysis, which allowed us to identify regions involved in reading out and/or modulating these visual feature representations. The results suggest that several frontoparietal regions integrate or modulate occipitotemporal stimulus feature representations.
Pricing ecological beauty under Dichotomous choice framework: the case of Taman Negara national park in Malaysia

Taman Negara is Malaysia’s premier national park and the largest in the country covering over 4343 square kilometers (434,300 hectares) of primary forest, spans across three states Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang - and is situated in the center of the Peninsula Malaysia. It is home to much wildlife and is a popular tourist attraction to both local and foreign tourists. This study attempts to determine the economic value of Taman Negara National Park by eliciting visitors’ willingness to pay (WTP) using contingent valuation method followed by single bounded dichotomous choices. A stepwise backward binary multivariate logistic regression model was used to measure WTP and to determine the factors that influence the variation in WTP. Primary data were obtained from 368 local and foreign visitors who have been interviewed in TN Park. The study found that both local and foreign visitors were willing to pay more than the current charges for entrance permit and nature based activities provided by TN Park. On average visitors are willing to pay for entrance permit RM 16.71 ($ 5.4) per person. The existing rate is RM 1 ($ 0.32) per person. Beside, WTP for all other activities such as fishing license, camera license, camping fee, canopy walkway and hide fee is much higher than the existing rates. The optimum pricing strategy should be a combination of policy objectives and information gathered from local and foreign visitors on WTP. In conclusion, this study can be used as a tool for revising pricing policies on TN national park in Malaysia. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.4038/suslj.v11i1. 5888 Sabaragamuwa University Journal 2012; V. 11 No. 1 pp 75-93
An Integrated Specification and Verification Environment for Component-Based Architectures of Large-Scale Distributed Systems

Abstract : The objectives of this project are to address challenges of constructing large-scale DoD software intensive systems by constructing an integrated modeling and specification framework that can support software product-line development based on widely-used component middleware frameworks that will likely form the basis of future DoD systems. This document provides the final performance report on this project.
Targeted Mutagenesis in the Study of the Tight Adherence (tad) Locus of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans

Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans is a Gram-negative, capnophilic (CO2 loving), coccobacillus found only in humans and Old World primates (for reviews, see Henderson et al., 2003, 2010). This bacterium is primarily known as the etiologic agent of Localized Aggressive Periodontitis (LAP), which is predominantly an infection of adolescents (Slots & Ting, 1999; Zambon, 1985). A. actinomycetemcomitans also causes extraoral infections, including infective endocarditis, septicemia, and abscesses (Fine et al., 2006; Fives-Taylor et al., 1999; Rahamat-Langendoen et al., 2011; van Winkelhoff & Slots 1999). A. actinomycetemcomitans is a member of the HACEK group of Gram-negative bacteria, all of which can cause infective endocarditis (Paturel et al., 2004). Most HACEK bacteria-caused cases of infective endocarditis result from A. actinomycetemcomitans. Poor oral health is a risk factor for developing severe extraoral infections by A. actinomycetemcomitans (Paturel et al., 2004; van Winkelhoff & Slots 1999). One study showed that 16% of patients with infective endocarditis from A. actinomycetemcomitans had dental procedures immediately prior to the onset of disease. A staggering 42% of A. actinomycetemcomitans-caused infective endocarditis patients had generalized dental disease  an indication of poor overall oral health.
1 Medi-test : Generating tests from medical reference 2 texts 3

The Medi-test system we developed was motivated by the large number of resources 10 available for the medical domain, as well as the number of tests needed in this field (during and 11 after the medical school) for evaluation, promotion, certification, etc. Generating questions to 12 support learning and user interactivity has been an interesting and dynamic topic in NLP since the 13 availability of e-book curricula and e-learning platforms. Current e-learning platforms offer 14 increased support for student evaluation, with an emphasis in exploiting automation in both test 15 generation and evaluation. In this context, our system is able to evaluate a student’s academic 16 performance for the medical domain. Using as input medical reference texts and supported by a 17 specially designed medical ontology, Medi-test generates different types of questionnaires for 18 Romanian language. The evaluation includes 4 types of questions (multiple-choice, fill in the blanks, 19 true/false and match), can have customizable length and difficulty and can be automatically graded. 20 A recent extension of our system also allows for the generation of tests which include images. We 21 evaluated our system with a local testing team, but also with a set of medicine students, and user 22 satisfaction questionnaires showed that the system can be used to enhance learning. 23
Geostrophic Adjustment of an Isolated Diapycnal Mixing Event and Its Implications for Small-Scale Lateral Dispersion

Abstract In this first of two companion papers, the time-dependent relaxation of an isolated diapycnal mixing event is examined in detail by means of numerical simulations, with an emphasis on the energy budget, particle displacements, and their implications for submesoscale oceanic lateral dispersion. The adjustment and dispersion characteristics are examined as a function of the lateral extent of the event L relative to the Rossby radius of deformation R. The strongest circulations and horizontal displacements occur in the regime R/L ≈ O(1). For short times, less than an inertial period, horizontal displacements are radial. Once the adjustment is completed, displacements become primarily azimuthal and continue to stir fluid over several to tens of inertial periods. The cumulative effect of many such events in terms of the effective lateral dispersion that they induce is examined in the companion paper.
The adventures of Miranda in the brave new world: learning in a Web 2.0 millennium

This paper looks at the implications of Web 2.0 technologies for university teaching and learning. The latest generation of undergraduates already live in a Web 2.0 world. They have new service expectations and are increasingly dissatisfied with teacher-centred pedagogies. To attract and retain these students, universities will need to rethink their operations. New social technologies mean that universities have the chance to create a new generation of student-centred learning environments, to realize the idea of a University 2.0. The following discussion draws upon a fictional character in order to capture the possible futures of such a brave new world. DOI: 10.1080/09687760701673568
360-Degree 3 D Ground Surface Reconstruction Using a Single Rotating Camera *

We propose a method for reconstructing 360degree 3D ground surfaces in high precision from images captured by a single rotating camera, assuming that the camera is mounted at an off-centered position on a construction equipment whose upper body is rotatable around a single axis (e.g. power shovel). We estimate a regular-grid ground surface, whose coordinate system is determined from the camera positions estimated by a standard structure from motion (SfM) technique. To produce high-quality ground surfaces, we first initialize the ground surface by fitting to the 3D points from SfM, then we minimize the variance of pixel values over the whole ground surface, where all contributable pixels are treated equally for the measurements, while removing outlier pixels which usually appear due to self-shadows and lens-flares under shiny weather conditions. The validity of the proposed method is demonstrated through experiments using synthetic and real images.
Optimal Allocation Techniques for Reducing the Sensing Error Probability with Improved Energy Detection in Cognitive Radio

-In cognitive radio, spectrum sensing is one of the important tasks and is used to detect primary users. Energy detection is used for the spectrum sensing when the prior information about the primary users is not available. In this paper an improved version of energy detection is reported by increasing the detection performance. In this work sensing error probability is reduced by using an algorithm to improve the energy detection, here a decision statistic is computed by an arbitrary positive index p in place of squaring operation. An optimal value of threshold is derived which is satisfying a minimum error probability and derived the minimum number of samples required to achieve a target error probability.
Lineage tracing of Pf 4-Cre marks hematopoietic stem cells and their progeny

The development of a megakaryocyte lineage specific Cre deleter, using the Pf4 (CXCL4) promoter (Pf4-Cre), was a significant step forward in the specific analysis of platelet and megakaryocyte cell biology. However, in the present study we have employed a sensitive reporter-based approach to demonstrate that Pf4-Cre also recombines in a significant proportion of both fetal liver and bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), including the most primitive fraction containing the long-term repopulating HSCs. Consequently, we demonstrate that Pf4-Cre activity is not megakaryocyte lineage-specific but extends to other myeloid and lymphoid lineages at significant levels between 15–60%. Finally, we show for the first time that Pf4 transcripts are present in adult HSCs and primitive hematopoietic progenitor cells. These results have fundamental implications for the use of the Pf4-Cre mouse model and for our understanding of a possible role for Pf4 in the development of the hematopoietic lineage. Citation: Calaminus SDJ, Guitart A, Sinclair A, Schachtner H, Watson SP, et al. (2012) Lineage Tracing of Pf4-Cre Marks Hematopoietic Stem Cells and Their Progeny. PLoS ONE 7(12): e51361. doi:10.1371/journal.pone. 0051361 Editor: Kathleen Freson, University of Leuven, Belgium Received August 1, 2012; Accepted November 7, 2012; Published December 27, 2012 Copyright: 2012 Calaminus et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Funding: The authors’ laboratories are supported by grants from Leukemia & Lymphoma Research (K.R.K), Kay Kendal Leukemia Fund (K.R.K, A.G.), The Royal Society (K.R.K), Tenovus Scotland (K.R.K), and the Cancer Research UK (L.M, K.R.K and T.L.H). K.R. K is a Cancer Research UK Senior Cancer Research Fellow. S.P.W is a BHF chair. A.S is supported by a PhD Studentship from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. H.S. is supported by a Ph.D. studentship from the BHF. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. * E-mail: l.machesky@beatson.gla. ac.uk (LMM); kamil.kranc@glasgow.ac.uk (KRK) . These authors contributed equally to this work. " These authors also contributed equally to this work.
Location Queries in Mobile Environments

We presentPRIVACY GRID − a framework for supporting anonymous location-based queries in mobile information de livery systems. ThePRIVACY GRID framework offers three unique capabilities. First, we provide a location privacy preference profile model, called location P3P, which allows mobile users to explicitly define their preferred location p rivacy requirements in terms of both location hiding measures (e.g., location k-anonymity and location l-diversity) and location service quality measures (e.g., maximum spatial res olution and maximum temporal resolution). Second, we develop three fast and effective location cloaking algorithm s for providing locationk-anonymity and locationl-diversity in a mobile environment. The Quad Grid cloaking algorithm is fast but has lower anonymization success rate. The dynamic bottom-up or top-down grid cloaking algorithms provide much higher anonymization success rate and yet are efficient in terms of both time complexity and maintenance cost. Finally, we discuss a hybrid approach that combines the topdown and bottom-up search of location cloaking regions to further lower the average anonymization time. In addition, we argue for incorporating temporal cloaking into the location cloaking process to further increase the success rate o f location anonymization. We also discuss the PRIVACY GRID mechanisms for anonymous support of range queries. Our experimental evaluation shows that the PRIVACY GRID approach can provide optimal location anonymity as defined by per user location P3P without introducing significant perfo rmance penalties.
Effect of catch areas on chemical composition and heavy metals concentration of chub mackerel ( Scomber japonicus )

The chemical composition and heavy metals content of chub mackerel caught at two different areas were investigated. Jeju mackerel (J-mackerel) showed a higher percentage of crude fat and lower moisture, crude protein, and ash compared to Pusan mackerel (P-mackerel) (p < 0.05). The fatty acid composition of J-mackerel showed higher levels of 14:0, 18:1n-7, 20:1n-9, 18:3n-3, and 20:5n-3 compared to P-mackerel (p < 0.05). Total amount of amino acid in Jmackerel was 177.35 ± 3.63 mg/g and that in P-mackerel was 213.05 ± 9.06 mg/g. There were significant differences in aspartic acid, glutamic acid, alanine, and leucine (p < 0.01). P-mackerel had significantly higher contents of Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, and Zn compared to J-mackerel (p < 0.05). The heavy metals contents of both Pand J-mackerel were less than maximum levels in the Korea Food Code. [Sun Young Lim. Effect of catch areas on chemical composition and heavy metals concentration of chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus). Life Sci J 2012;9(3):1276-1280] (ISSN:1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite. com. 182