Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Solid-State Terahertz Superresolution Imaging Device in 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS Technology

Breaking through diffraction limit at terahertz frequencies is currently performed with the near-field scanning optical microscopy, which suffers from low integration and sensitivity limitations. In this paper, a solid-state superresolution imaging device in 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS technology operating around 534–562 GHz is presented. The device exhibits a single-chip integration of the complete imaging functionality, including a tunable CW illumination source, near-field sensing, and power detection with a high response of up to 9.65 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{A}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and a noise-equivalent power of around 15–21 pW<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$/\sqrt {\text {Hz}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> at 60 kHz. Here, the stopband characteristics of a novel cross-bridged double split-ring resonator are exploited as an object-tunable transmission gate between a 3-push Colpitts oscillator and a simple HBT power detector. The resonator features a 3-D topography to achieve high-spatial confinement of the surface near-fields and is capable of resolving structural details with an estimated lateral resolution down to 10–12 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. For a separate antenna-coupled oscillator breakout, a radiated power of up to 28.2 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{W}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> was measured. Furthermore, a 2-D raster-scanned superresolution image with a remarkable signal-to-noise ratio of 42 dB was captured for the device operating even at dc.
Therapeutic impact of intra‐operative transoesophageal echocardiography during noncardiac surgery *

The impact of transoesophageal echocardiography on haemodynamic management during elective noncardiac surgery was assessed during this observational prospective database analysis. Ninety‐nine consecutive patients were studied, who were at risk of intra‐operative myocardial ischaemia or haemodynamic instability (Class II indications) and were undergoing vascular, visceral or chest surgery. A total of 165 new echocardiographic findings were recorded. Based on these findings changes in drug therapy were made in 47% and changes in fluid therapy in 24% of patients. Left ventricular wall motion abnormalities were seen in 32% and other relevant diagnoses made in 10%. Echocardiography showed a significant impact on drug therapy in patients with pre‐operative systolic wall motion abnormalities (vasodilators: OR = 7.1, CI 95% = 2.1/24.0; vasopressors: OR = 3.3, CI 95% = 1.2/9.1) and patients with a history of left heart failure (vasodilators: OR = 5.2, CI 95% = 1.0/31.4). Fluid therapy was significantly influenced by echocardiographic findings during liver and lung transplantation (50% compared with 24% during other surgical interventions, p < 0.05).
Research on Removal of Estradiol in Water by Nanofiltration Membrane

Endocrine Disruptors, which is trace but more and more noted in aquatic environment, has a significant effect on people's hormone systems. The estradiol (E2) was a research object, and the effects of solution parameters (concentration, pH, ionic strength and natural organic matter (NOM) ) on the retention of trace E2 by nanofiltration membrane (NF) (BDXN-90 polyamind aromatic compound membrane) filtration process were investigated. Experimental results indicated that the trace E2 in water could be rejected very effectively by NF stability, and the average retention efficiency was above 95%. Moreover, in our operating conditions, Concentration, pH, ionic strength and NOM played important roles in retention of E2.
AI Gets a Brain

In the 50 years since John McCarthy coined the term artificial intelligence, much progress has been made toward identifying, understanding, and automating many classes of symbolic and computational problems that were once the exclusive domain of human intelligence. Much work remains in the field because humans still significantly outperform the most powerful computers at completing such simple tasks as identifying objects in photographs - something children can do even before they learn to speak.
Recognition of Convolutive Speech Mixtures by Missing Feature Techniques for ICA

One challenging problem for robust speech recognition is the cocktail party effect, where multiple speaker signals are active simultaneously in an overlapping frequency range. In that case, independent component analysis (ICA) can separate the signals in reverberant environments, also. However, incurred feature distortions prove detrimental for speech recognition. To reduce consequential recognition errors, we describe the use of ICA for the additional estimation of uncertainty information. This information is subsequently used in missing feature speech recognition, which leads to far more correct and accurate recognition also in reverberant situations at RT60 = 300ms.
Ontogenesis and cytomorphology of the nasal olfactory organs in the Oman Shark, Iago omanensis (Triakidae), in the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea

Sharks (Selachi) are among the largest predators in deep and shallow seas, feeding on live and dead prey. Olfaction is one of the central senses by which they forage, especially at night and in deep water. The organs responsible for this function are the olfactory rosettes, which are situated in their nares. This study follows the ontogenesis and cytological development of the olfactory rosettes of the Oman shark, Iago omanensis, found in the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea, at depths of 150‐1500 m.
Analysis of Conditional Paralytic Mutants in Drosophila Sarco-Endoplasmic Reticulum Calcium ATPase Reveals Novel Mechanisms for Regulating Membrane Excitability

Individual contributions made by different calcium release and sequestration mechanisms to various aspects of excitable cell physiology are incompletely understood. SERCA, a sarco-endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase, being the main agent for calcium uptake into the ER, plays a central role in this process. By isolation and extensive characterization of conditional mutations in the Drosophila SERCA gene, we describe novel roles of this key protein in neuromuscular physiology and enable a genetic analysis of SERCA function. At motor nerve terminals, SERCA inhibition retards calcium sequestration and reduces the amplitude of evoked excitatory junctional currents. This suggests a direct contribution of store-derived calcium in determining the quantal content of evoked release. Conditional paralysis of SERCA mutants is also marked by prolonged neural activity-driven muscle contraction, thus reflecting the phylogenetically conserved role of SERCA in terminating contraction. Further analysis of ionic currents from mutants uncovers SERCA-dependent mechanisms regulating voltage-gated calcium channels and calcium-activated potassium channels that together control muscle excitability. Finally, our identification of dominant loss-of-function mutations in SERCA indicates novel intra- and intermolecular interactions for SERCA in vivo, overlooked by current structural models.
Getting Its Measure: Oscillator Phase Noise Measurement Techniques and Limitations

Accurate measurement of phase noise is one of the most difficult measurements in all of electrical engineering. The biggest challenge is the huge dynamic range required in most phase noise measurements. There are several methods to measure phase noise, and the right one must be chosen to make the necessary measurements. To make a proper selection from the various methods, it is necessary to know and appreciate the weaknesses and strengths of each of the different techniques because none of these methods is perfect for every situation. This article focuses on key phase noise measurement techniques for oscillators and reviews their advantages and disadvantages.
Design of iterative learning control via alternating direction method of multipliers for building temperature control system

This paper proposes a design of Iterative Learning Control (ILC) based on Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers (ADMM) with application to building temperature control system (BTCS). BTCS is modeled by linear multi-agent system subjected to undirected communication topology. The main advantage of the proposed scheme is that it gives good performance despite existing the interconnection among rooms. In this paper, the ILC design is formulated as computing control input updating. Moreover, we apply ILC to a four-connected room model. It aims that the temperature of each room in building is controlled by a central controller. Finally, numerical results illustrate the effectiveness of ILC.
Associations of smoking with hospital-based care and quality of life in patients with obstructive airway disease.

STUDY OBJECTIVES To investigate the relationship between direct or environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure and both hospital-based care (HBC) and quality of life (QOL) among subjects with asthma. STUDY DESIGN We report baseline cross-sectional data on 619 subjects with asthma, including direct or ETS exposure and QOL, and prospective longitudinal data on HBC using administrative databases for 30 months following baseline evaluation. SETTING AND PATIENTS Participants were health maintenance organization members with physician-diagnosed asthma involved in a longitudinal study of risk factors for hospital-based asthma care. MEASUREMENTS Demographic characteristics and QOL were assessed with administered questionnaires, including the Marks Asthma Quality-of-Life (AQLQ) and SF-36 questionnaires. HBC was defined as episodes per person-year of hospital-based asthma care, which included emergency department and urgency care visits, and hospitalizations for asthma. RESULTS Current smokers reported significantly worse QOL than never-smokers in two of five domains of the AQLQ (p < 0.05). Subjects with ETS exposure also reported significantly worse QOL than those without ETS exposure in two domains (p < 0.05). On the SF-36, current smokers reported significantly worse QOL than never-smokers in five of nine domains (p < 0.05). Subjects with ETS exposure reported significantly worse QOL than those without ETS exposure in three domains (p < 0.05). Current smokers used significantly more hospital-based asthma care than never-smokers (adjusted relative risk [RR], 1.40; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01 to 1.95) while ex-smokers did not exhibit increased risk compared with nonsmokers (adjusted RR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.7 to 1.3). Also, subjects with ETS exposure used significantly more hospital-based asthma care than those without ETS exposure (RR, 2.34; 95% CI, 1.80 to 3.05). CONCLUSIONS Direct or environmental tobacco exposure prospectively predicted increased health-care utilization for asthma and reduced QOL in patients with asthma. These findings add to our existing knowledge of the detrimental effects of tobacco smoke and are of relevance specifically to patients with asthma.
Fine-grained checkpoint based on non-volatile memory

New non-volatile memory (e.g., phase-change memory) provides fast access, large capacity, byte-addressability, and non-volatility features. These features, fast-byte-persistency, will bring new opportunities to fault tolerance. We propose a fine-grained checkpoint based on non-volatile memory. We extend the current virtual memory manager to manage non-volatile memory, and design a persistent heap with support for fast allocation and checkpointing of persistent objects. To achieve a fine-grained checkpoint, we scatter objects across virtual pages and rely on hardware page-protection to monitor the modifications. In our system, two objects in different virtual pages may reside on the same physical page. Modifying one object would not interfere with the other object. This allows us to monitor and checkpoint objects smaller than 4096 bytes in a fine-grained way. Compared with previous page-grained based checkpoint mechanisms, our new checkpoint method can greatly reduce the data copied at checkpoint time and better leverage the limited bandwidth of non-volatile memory.
A critical assessment of theoretical methods for finding reaction pathways and transition states of surface processes

The performance of a variety of techniques for locating transition states on potential energy surfaces is evaluated within the density functional theory framework. Diffusion of a water molecule across NaCl(001) and HCl bond breaking on the same surface are treated as general test cases; the former is an example of a low barrier diffusion process and the latter an example of a relatively high barrier covalent bond rupture event. The methods considered include the nudged elastic band (NEB), Dewar, Healy and Stewart (DHS), dimer, constrained optimization (CO), activation–relaxation technique (ART) and one-side growing string (OGS) as well as novel combinations of the DHS with growing string (DHS + GS) and DHS plus climbing image (CI-DHS). A key conclusion to come from this study is that the NEB method is relatively fast, especially when just a single (climbing) image is used. Indeed, using more images represents an unnecessary computational burden for our set of processes. The dimer method exhibits variable performance; being poor for the water diffusion processes, which have small activation energies, but much more efficient for the HCl bond breaking process which has a higher barrier. When only a poor initial guess of the transition state geometry is available, the CI-DHS scheme is one of the most efficient techniques considered. And as a means to quickly establish an approximate minimum energy pathway the DHS + GS scheme offers some potential.
Mechanical Fluid Flow Enhances High-Affinity-IgE-Receptor-Mediated Secretion by Mast Cells Adherent to Fibronectin

We demonstrated the effect of interaction between mechanical fluid flow and the extracellular matrix on high-affinity-IgE-receptor (FcεRI)-mediated secretion by mast cells (cell line MC/9). Mechanical fluid flow did not affect secretion by the cells in the absence of exogenou agonists. Mechanical fluid flow did not affect secretion by cells adherent to fibronectin in the absence of exogenous agonists, but it did enhance FcεRI-mediated secretion by cells adherent to fibronectin. These finding indicate that fluid-flow-induced enhancement of secretion by mast cells requires both exogenous agonists and interaction between integrins and the extracellular matrix. The present study is the first to demonstrate that mechanical fluid flow enhances FcεRI-mediated secretion by a mast cell line adherent to fibronectin.
Redescription of the type materials of Haemaphysalis (Kaiseriana) bispinosa Neumann (India), H. (K.) neumanni Dönitz (Japan), H. (K.) lagrangei Larrousse (Vietnam), and H. (K.) yeni Toumanoff (Vietnam) (Ixodoidea, Ixodidae).

The lectotype or neotype specimens of these four species are redescribed and illustrated as part of an attempt to stabilize species concepts in the haemaphysalid subgenus Kaiseriana Santos Dias. Several species in the subgenus Kaiseriana Santos Dias of the ixodid genus Haemaphysalis have long been confused taxonomically or difficult to recognize with certainty owing to informal descriptions and illustrations in earlier literature. In an attempt to stabilize species concepts in this group, a lectotype or a neotype specimen has been selected for a number of taxa (Trapido, 1965) and these critical representatives of four species are redescribed and illustrated herein. Literature citations are restricted to those referring to the original descriptions and to the subsequently designated lectotype or neotype specimens. Haemaphysalis (Kaiseriana) bispinosa Neumann
Prognostic value of interim FDG-PET after two or three cycles of chemotherapy in Hodgkin lymphoma.

BACKGROUND Long-term survival from Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is 80-90%, but the treatment has serious late adverse effects. Modern risk-adapted treatment requires accurate assessment of the patient's prognosis. This investigation assessed the value of positron emission tomography (PET) with 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG-PET) after two or three cycles of chemotherapy for prediction of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 85 patients with HL underwent FDG-PET after two or three cycles of chemotherapy. Median follow-up was 3.3 years. FDG-PET results were related to PFS and OS using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Regression analyses were employed to test for independence of established pretreatment prognostic factors. RESULTS After two or three cycles of chemotherapy, 63 patients had negative FDG-PET scans, nine patients had minimal residual uptake (MRU) and 13 patients had positive scans. Three PET-negative patients and one patient from the MRU group relapsed. In the PET-positive group, nine patients progressed and two died. Survival analyses showed highly significant associations between early interim FDG-PET and PFS (P <0.0001) and OS (P <0.03). All advanced-stage patients with positive interim FDG-PET relapsed within 2 years. CONCLUSION Early interim FDG-PET is an accurate and independent predictor of PFS and OS in HL. A positive interim FDG-PET is highly predictive of relapse in advanced-stage disease.
Depressed calcium cycling contributes to lower ischemia tolerance in hearts of estrogen-deficient rats

ObjectiveEstrogens enhance ischemia tolerance (IT) in the myocardium, the mechanism of which remains unclear. We investigated the effects of long-term estrogen deprivation on the intracellular calcium (Ca2+i) transient of the heart and its possible influence on IT. MethodsHearts of ovariectomized (OVX) and sham-operated (control) adult female rats (some receiving estrogen therapy) were studied 10 weeks after surgical operation: control (n = 8), OVX (n = 10), sham-operated estrogen-substituted (n = 7), and ovariectomized estrogen-substituted (n = 9). In vivo heart function was assessed by echocardiography, whereas Ca2+i transients were recorded, concomitantly with left ventricular pressure and coronary flow, by Indo-1 surface fluorometry in isolated Langendorff-perfused hearts. Isolated hearts were subjected to a 30-minute global ischemia–30-minute reperfusion protocol. Left ventricular expression of myocardial sarcoendoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA2a), phospholamban (PLB), and Ser16-phosphorylated PLB was measured. ResultsOvariectomy did not influence resting cardiac function in vivo or ex vivo. However, Ca2+ removal was slower. During ischemia, Ca2+i elevation and ischemic contracture were more pronounced after ovariectomy. Postischemic restitution of inotropic function (developed pressure; +dP/dtmax) and lusitropic function (−dP/dtmax) and Ca2+i transient recovery (amplitude; ±dCa2+i/dtmax) were decreased in OVX hearts. Sarcoendoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase expression was unaltered, whereas PLB and Ser16-phosphorylated PLB levels were higher after ovariectomy. All effects of ovariectomy were restored by estrogen therapy. ConclusionsOvariectomy impairs myocardial Ca2+ removal by increasing the expression of the SERCA2a inhibitor PLB. Defective Ca2+ transport causes ischemic Ca2+i overload and insufficient postischemic recovery of Ca2+i transients, which entail depressed hemodynamic restitution. Protection of intact Ca2+ cycling in the myocardium by estrogens plays a major role in enhancing IT.
Family Transmission and Heritability of Externalizing Disorders

A NTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR AND substance dependence disorders are most notably characterized by the exceedingly high financial and human costs they exact on society. Although institutions such as the criminal justice system and treatment programs have been developed to cope with the consequences of these disorders, effective intervention will also require a better understanding of their etiology, particularly the nature of familial resemblance. Such an understanding requires answers to fundamental questions, such as “Is intergenerational transmission attributable to a general vulnerability to all disorders in this spectrum or is familial transmission primarily due to disorder-specific vulnerabilities? ” and “Are the origins of familial resemblance largely genetic or environmental in nature? ” Family studies consistently show that the presence of a substance dependence or antisocial behavior disorder in firstdegree relatives greatly increases a person’s risk of eventually developing the disorder. Although there is evidence of a general familial risk factor, family studies tend to show that the familial aggregation of different disorders is relatively more specific than general. Adoption studies are generally consistent with family studies in suggesting specific genetic and environmental risk factors rather than a general addictive tendency or pattern of deviant behavior. In addition, the familial aggregation of substance dependence and antisocial behavior disorders tends to be the same in men and women, alORIGINAL ARTICLE
Improving the Cooperation of Fuzzing and Symbolic Execution by Test-cases Prioritizing

Nowadays much attention is paid to the threat of vulnerabilities on the software security. Fuzzing and symbolic execution, complementary to each other, are two effective techniques in software testing. In this paper, we develop the prototype called FAS(Fuzzing and Symbolic) for software testing under both fuzzing and symbolic execution. In our method, the test cases are prioritized through deep-oriented strategy and large-distance-first strategy, in order to get a higher path-coverage with the condition of limited resource
Quantitative β-galactosidase assay suitable for high-throughput applications in the yeast two- hybrid system

Measurement of β-galactosidase (β-gal) activity is an important step in every yeast two-hybrid assay, yet many commonly used methods have distinct disadvantages, such as being only qualitative, time-consuming, and cumbersome when processing large numbers of samples. To overcome these drawbacks, we have implemented a novel technique, termed pellet X-gal assay, that allows simultaneous quantitative measurements from large numbers of samples with a minimum of hands-on time. The method was tested using five different, previously described protein-protein interactions and compared to two standard methods, the colony filter lift and the liquid ONPG assay. Our assay allows accurate quantitative measurements of protein-protein interactions and covers a greater dynamic range than the classic ONPG assay. The novel assay is robust and requires very little handling, making it suitable for applications in which several hundreds of individual protein interaction pairs need to be measured simultaneously.
AN OUTBREAK OF PASTEURELLOSIS IN KANO ZOO

An outbreak of pasteurellosis caused by Pasteurella multocida is reported in which six elands (Taurotragus oryx), a gnu (Connochaetes taurinus albojubatus), a zebra (Equus burchelli), five kangaroos (Macropus rufus), an ostrich (Struthio camelus camelus) and a bateleur eagle (Terathopius ecaudatus) died in Kano Zoological Gardens toward the end of the rainy season of 1978. Confirmation was based on cultural isolation of P. multocida. Analysis of likely factors that could have contributed to the outbreak indicated that it may have been precipitated initially by climatic stress associated with changes in rainfall, relative humidity and temperature.