Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Chaotic dynamics in shear-band-mediated plasticity of metallic glasses

Metallic glasses response to the mechanical stress in a complex and inhomogeneous manner with plastic strain highly localized into nanoscale shear bands. Contrary to the well-defined deformation mechanism in crystalline solids, understanding the mechanical response mechanism and its intrinsic correlation with the macroscopical plasticity in metallic glasses remains long-standing issues. Through a combination of experimental and theoretical analysis, we showed that the shear banding process in metallic glasses exhibits complex chaotic dynamics, which manifests as the existence of a torus destroyed phase diagram, a positive Lyapunov exponent and a fractional Lyapunov dimension. We also demonstrated that the experimentally observed large plasticity fluctuation of metallic glasses tested at the same conditions can be interpreted from the chaotic shear-band dynamics, which could leads to an uncertainty on the appearance of the critical condition for runaway shear banding. Physically, the chaotic shear-band dynamics arises from the interplay between structural disordering and temperature rise within the shear band. By tuning the deformation parameters, the chaotic dynamics can be transformed to a periodic orbit state corresponding to a smaller plasticity fluctuation in metallic glasses. Our results suggest that the plastic flow of metallic glasses is a complex dynamic process, which is highly sensitive to initial conditions and reminiscent of the "butterfly effect" as observed in many complex dynamic systems.
Diagrams in the mod p cohomology of Shimura curves

Abstract We prove a local–global compatibility result in the mod $p$ Langlands program for $\mathrm {GL}_2(\mathbf {Q}_{p^f})$. Namely, given a global residual representation $\bar {r}$ appearing in the mod $p$ cohomology of a Shimura curve that is sufficiently generic at $p$ and satisfies a Taylor–Wiles hypothesis, we prove that the diagram occurring in the corresponding Hecke eigenspace of mod $p$ completed cohomology is determined by the restrictions of $\bar {r}$ to decomposition groups at $p$. If these restrictions are moreover semisimple, we show that the $(\varphi ,\Gamma )$-modules attached to this diagram by Breuil give, under Fontaine's equivalence, the tensor inductions of the duals of the restrictions of $\bar {r}$ to decomposition groups at $p$.
Deep Learning-Based Polar Code Design

In this work, we introduce a deep learning-based polar code construction algorithm. The core idea is to represent the information/frozen bit indices of a polar code as a binary vector which can be interpreted as trainable weights of a neural network (NN). For this, we demonstrate how this binary vector can be relaxed to a soft-valued vector, facilitating the learning process through gradient descent and enabling an efficient code construction. We further show how different polar code design constraints (e.g., code rate) can be taken into account by means of careful binary-to-soft and soft-to-binary conversions, along with rate-adjustment after each learning iteration. Besides its conceptual simplicity, this approach benefits from having the “decoder-in-the-toop”, i.e., the nature of the decoder is inherently taken into consideration while learning (designing) the polar code. We show results for belief propagation (BP) decoding over both AWGN and Rayleigh fading channels with considerable performance gains over state-of-the-art construction schemes.
Spectral dimension as a tool for analyzing nonperturbative propagators

We derive general properties of the scale-dependent effective spectral dimensions of non-perturbative gauge boson propagators as they appear as solutions from different methods in Yang-Mills theories. In the ultraviolet and for short time scales the anomalous dimensions of the propagators lead to a slight decrease of the spectral dimension as compared to the one of a free propagator. Lowering the momentum scale, the spectral dimension decreases further. The class of propagators which display a maximum at Euclidean momenta, and thus violate positivity, always approaches a spectral dimension of one for large times. We also show that the longest time intervals are not related to the deep infrared but to the momentum scale defined by the position of the maximum.
How much graphene in space?

The possible presence of graphene in the interstellar medium (ISM) is examined by comparing the interstellar extinction curve with the ultraviolet absorption of graphene calculated from its dielectric functions experimentally obtained with the electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) method. Based on the absence in the interstellar extinction curve of the [Formula: see text] π-π* electronic interband transition of graphene, we place an upper limit of [Formula: see text] of C/H on the interstellar graphene abundance, exceeding the previous estimate by a factor of [Formula: see text]3 which made use of the dielectric functions measured with the spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) method. Compared with the SE method which measures graphene in air (and hence its surface is contaminated) in a limited energy range of [Formula: see text]0.7-5 [Formula: see text], the EELS probes a much wider energy range of [Formula: see text]0-50 [Formula: see text] and is free of contamination. The fact that the EELS dielectric functions are substantially smaller than that of SE naturally explains why a higher upper limit on the graphene abundance is derived with EELS. Inspired by the possible detection of C24, a planar graphene sheet, in several Galactic and extragalactic planetary nebulae, we also examine the possible presence of C24 in the diffuse ISM by comparing the model IR emission of C24 with the observed IR emission of the Galactic cirrus and the diffuse ISM towards l = 44°20' and b = -0°20'. An upper limit of [Formula: see text] on C24 is also derived from the absence of the characteristic vibrational bands of C24 at [Formula: see text]6.6, 9.8, and 20 [Formula: see text] in the observed IR emission.
Circuit equivalence in 2-nilpotent algebras

The circuit equivalence problem of a finite algebra $\mathbf A$ is the computational problem of deciding whether two circuits over $\mathbf A$ define the same function or not. This problem not just generalises the equivalence problem for Boolean circuits, but is also of high interest in universal algebra, as it models the problems of checking identities in $\mathbf A$. In this paper we discuss the complexity for algebras from congruence modular varieties. A partial classification was already given by Idziak and Krzaczkowski, leaving essentially only a gap for nilpotent but not supernilpotent algebras. We start a systematic study of this open case, proving that the circuit equivalence problem is in P for $2$-nilpotent such algebras.
CDF-S XT1 and XT2: White Dwarf Tidal Disruption Events by Intermediate-mass Black Holes?

Recently, two fast X-ray transients (XT1 and XT2) have been reported from the search in the Chandra Deep Field (CDF) data. Each transient shows an initial plateau lasting around hundreds to thousands of seconds followed by a rapid decay in the light curve. In particular, CDF-S XT2 is found to be associated with a galaxy at redshift z = 0.738 and was explained as a counterpart of a binary neutron-star merger event. In this Letter, motivated by the short duration and decay slopes of the two transients, we consider an alternative interpretation in which both events are accretion-driven flares from tidal disruption of white dwarfs by intermediate-mass black holes. We derive a theoretical model of the accretion rate history and find that it fits the observed X-ray light curves well. The extremely super-Eddington peak luminosity of XT2 can be explained by the beaming effect of the system, likely in the form of a jet.
Storage Class Memory: Principles, Problems, and Possibilities

Storage Class Memory (SCM) is a class of memory technology which has recently become viable for use. Their namearises from the fact that they exhibit non-volatility of data, similar to secondary storage while also having latencies comparable toprimary memory and byte-addressibility. In this area, Phase Change Memory (PCM), Spin-Transfer-Torque Random Access Memory(STT-RAM), and Resistive RAM (ReRAM) have emerged as the major contenders for commercial and industrial use. In this paper, wedescribe how these memory types function, while highlighting the problems of endurance and performance that these memory typesface. We also discuss the future possibilities of Multi-Level Cells (MLCs), as well as how SCM can be used to construct accelerators.
Evaluation of antioxidant treatments for the modulation of macrophage function in the context of retinal degeneration

Purpose Oxidative stress and macrophages have been implicated in the pathogenesis of atrophic and neovascular age-related macular degeneration (aAMD and nvAMD). It is unclear whether oxidative injury mediates macrophage involvement in AMD. We aimed to investigate the effect of antioxidant treatments on human monocyte-derived macrophages (hMDMs) from patients with AMD in models for the disease. Methods Four antioxidant treatments were evaluated (G1: lutein + zeaxanthin, G2: lutein + zeaxanthin and zinc, G3: lutein + zeaxanthin, zinc, Lyc-O-Mato, and carnosic acid, G4: lutein + zeaxanthin, carnosic acid, and beta-carotene, G5: olive oil as vehicle control). The compounds were added to the culture medium of M1 (interferon-gamma [IFN-Ɣ] and lipopolysaccharide [LPS]) and M2a (interleukin-13 [IL-13] and IL-4) hMDMs from patients with AMD (n=7 and n=8, respectively). Mouse choroidal tissue was cultured with supernatants from treated M1/M2a hMDMs, to evaluate the effect of treatments on the angiogenic properties of macrophages with choroidal sprouting assay (CSA). Mouse retinal explants were cultured with treated hMDMs for 18 h, and evaluated for photoreceptor apoptosis using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) labeling. Adult BALB/c mice (n=8) were exposed to 8,000 lux bright light for 3 h, and treated orally with antioxidant supplements for 7 days that preceded light injury and following it. Oxidative stress was assessed using an anti-4 hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) antibody. Retinal function and the thickness of the outer nuclear layer were evaluated with electroretinography (ERG) and histological analysis, respectively. Results The G3 treatment reduced M2a hMDMs-associated sprouting in the CSA compared to the untreated group (n=7, −1.52-fold, p=0.05). Conversely, the G2 treatment was associated with an increased neurotoxic effect of M2a hMDMs in the retinal explant assay compared to the control group (n=7, 1.37-fold, p=0.047), as well as compared to the G3 treatment group (1.46-fold, p=0.01). The G4 treatment was also associated with increased cytotoxicity compared to the control group (1.48-fold, p=0.004), and compared to the G3 treatment group (1.58-fold, p=0.001). In the in vivo light damage model, mice (n=8) supplemented with G2, G3, and G4 had decreased levels of oxidative injury assessed using 4-HNE labeling (−2.32-fold, −2.17-fold, and −2.18-fold, respectively, p<0.05 for all comparisons). None of the treatments were associated with reduced photoreceptor cell loss, as shown with histology and ERG. Conclusions Antioxidant treatment modulates M2a hMDMs at the functional level. In particular, we found that the G3 combination has a beneficial effect on M2a macrophages in reducing their angiogenic and neurotoxic capacity ex vivo. In addition, antioxidant treatments considerably reduced the oxidative stress level in light-damaged retinas. Further research is required to assess whether such therapies may curb macrophage-driven photoreceptor loss and neovascularization in AMD.
Logs and Lifeguards : Accelerating Dynamic Program Monitoring

Runtime monitoring tools are invaluable for detecting various types of bugs, in both sequential and multi-threaded programs. However, running one of these tools slows down the monitored program by an order of magnitude or more, thereby limiting the tool’s usefulness. Fortunately, the emergence of chip multiprocessors as a dominant computing platform means that resources are available on-chip to assist in monitoring tasks. This paper presents an architecture for exploiting such resources in order to dramatically reduce the overheads for runtime program monitoring. Specifically, we propose adding hardware support for logging a main program’s trace and delivering it to another (otherwise idle) processor for inspection. A lifeguard program running on this other processor executes the desired monitoring task. Simulation results using three diverse lifeguards (for address checking, for security exploit detection, and for data race detection) demonstrate that our design typically accelerate monitoring tasks by an order of magnitude. Note that such improvements would not be possible if lifeguards were to execute a standard emulation loop of repeatedly fetching a log entry and branching to the appropriate handler. Instead, our design provides a hardware mechanism for lifeguard programs to jump directly to the next appropriate handler and, for common cases, to deliver handler arguments directly to registers. Our design also includes a prediction-based compression scheme that reduces the log-related bandwidth and storage requirements by an order of magnitude, to less than one byte per instruction.
EFFECT OF INTERFERON-α ON CORTICAL GLUTAMATE IN PATIENTS WITH HEPATITIS C : A PROTON MRS STUDY

Citing this paper Please note that where the full-text provided on King's Research Portal is the Author Accepted Manuscript or Post-Print version this may differ from the final Published version. If citing, it is advised that you check and use the publisher's definitive version for pagination, volume/issue, and date of publication details. And where the final published version is provided on the Research Portal, if citing you are again advised to check the publisher's website for any subsequent corrections.
Extracting Semantic Knowledge from Wikipedia

A semantic model of Polish used as a last level validation of hypotheses in an automatic speech recognition system is described. Semantic modelling is a key technique to improve automatic speech recognition of Polish which is a non-positional language. However, a vast amount of text and efficient methods are necessary to train a useful model. Wikipedia archives were used to develop and test a semantic analysis method. Wikipedia archives are stored in a simple XML with special mediawiki markup describing structure and formatting of articles. This markup allows us to set the boundaries of topics precisely and on a few levels: article, section, paragraph and sentence.
On Autonomous Spatial Exploration with Small Hexapod Walking Robot using Tracking Camera Intel RealSense T265

In this paper, we report on the deployment of the combination of commercially available off-the-shelf embedded visual localization system and RGB-D camera in an autonomous robotic exploration performed by small hexapod walking robot. Since the multi-legged walking robot is capable of traversing rough terrains, the addressed exploration problem is to create a map of an unknown environment while simultaneously performing the traversability assessment of the explored environment to efficiently and safely reach next navigational waypoints. The proposed system is targeted to run onboard of small multi-legged robots, and therefore, the system design is focused on computationally efficient approaches using relatively lightweight components. Therefore, we take advantages of the recently introduced tracking camera Intel RealSense T265 and RGB-D camera Intel RealSense D435 that are deployed to our developed autonomous hexapod walking robot that is equipped with adaptive locomotion control. Together with the proposed computationally efficient data representation and traversability assessment, the developed system supports onboard mapping and online decision-making within the exploration strategy even on a platform with low computational capabilities. Based on the reported experimental evaluation of the tracking camera, the developed system provides sufficiently accurate localization, and the robot has been able to explore indoor and outdoor environments fully autonomously.
Bioinformatic analysis of the role of MNAT 1 in the progression of lung cancer and its correlation with the prognosis of patients

Objective: The objective of the present study was to analyse the effects of MNAT1 on the progression of lung cancer and its role in predicting the prognosis of patients with lung cancer. Methods: Gene expression array data of lung cancer patients and non-lung cancer patients was downloaded from a public database (GEO) for bioinformatics analysis. DAVID and STRING databases were used to screen differentially expressed genes, which were then subjected to GO enrichment analysis, signal pathway analysis and protein interaction analysis. In addition, the clinical data of the lung cancer patients was obtained from the Oncomine database and used to analyse the effect of MNAT1 expression levels on overall survival. Results: A total of 178 differentially expressed genes were obtained from the matrix database, among which 14 genes were expressed at a high level, including MNAT1, and 164 were expressed at a low level. GO enrichment analysis showed that the differentially expressed genes were mainly located in the nucleus and cytoplasm and were involved in cell cycle regulation and DNA repair. KEGG signalling pathway analysis showed that the signalling pathways related to differential gene aggregation were basal excision repair and nucleotide excision repair. The protein interaction network showed that the main related proteins included MNAT1, SUPT5H, TDRD12, and TRIM21. Oncomine data analysis showed that MNAT1 was highly expressed in lung cancer patients, and the survival rate of patients with a high MNAT1 expression was lower than those with a low MNAT1 expression. Conclusion: High expression of MNAT1 predicts a poor prognosis in lung cancer patients, and MNAT1 might function as an oncogene in the development of lung cancer.
Disentangling Style Factors from Speaker Representations

Our goal is to separate out speaking style from speaker identity in utterance-level representations of speech such as ivectors and x-vectors. We first show that both i-vectors and x-vectors contain information not only about speaker but also about speaking style (for one data set) or emotion (for another data set), even when projected into a low-dimensional space. To disentangle these factors, we use an autoencoder in which the latent space is split into two subspaces. The entangled information about speaker and style/emotion is pushed apart by the use of auxiliary classifiers that take one of the two latent subspaces as input and that are jointly learned with the autoencoder. We evaluate how well the latent subspaces separate the factors by using them as input to separate style/emotion classification tasks. In traditional speaker identification tasks, speakerinvariant characteristics are factorized from channel and then the channel information is ignored. Our results suggest that this so-called channel may contain exploitable information, which we refer to as style factors. Finally, we propose future work to use information theory to formalize style factors in the context of speaker identity.
The Effectiveness of Self-Tutorial Study vs . Classroom-Based Instruction for Real Estate Relicensure : An Experimental Study

Much research in distance education is conducted by academics in academic settings. This month’s article features a non-academic professional group attempting to determine the relative efficacy of their prescribed methods for fulfilling mandated professional development hours. This study illustrates the reality of researchers working within the design constraints of a contracted study, where the study design was dictated by the sponsoring agency. While the design was constrained, the research was carried out with painstaking thoroughness and reported with sufficient detail to encourage replication.
A DSP-based Discrete Space Vector Modulation Direct Torque Control of Sensorless Induction Machines

In this paper, we present a Direct Torque Control scheme of an induction motor operating without speed sensor. The estimation of the stator flux and the rotor speed is performed by an adaptive observer. In order to reduce the torque, flux, current and speed ripple a Discrete Space Vector Modulation (DSVM-DTC) strategy is implemented using a DSP-based hardware. To illustrate the performances of this control scheme, experimental results are presented.
ViVoLAB Speaker Diarization System for the DIHARD 2019 Challenge

This paper presents the latest improvements in Speaker Diarization obtained by ViVoLAB research group for the 2019 DIHARD Diarization Challenge. This evaluation seeks the improvement of the diarization task in adverse conditions. For this purpose, the audio recordings involve multiple scenarios with no restrictions in terms of speakers, overlapped speech nor quality of the audio. Our submission follows the traditional segmentation-clustering-resegmentation pipeline: Speaker embeddings are extracted from acoustic segments with a single speaker on them, later clustered by means of a PLDA. Our contribution in this work is focused on the clustering step. We present results with our Variational Bayes PLDA clustering and our tree-based clustering strategy, which sequentially assigns the different embeddings to its corresponding speaker according to a PLDA model. Both strategies compare multiple diarization hypotheses and choose their candidate one according to a generative criterion. We also analyze the impact of the different available embeddings in the state-of-the-art with both clustering approaches.
Using concurrent relational logic with helpers for verifying the AtomFS file system

Concurrent file systems are pervasive but hard to correctly implement and formally verify due to nondeterministic interleavings. This paper presents AtomFS, the first formally-verified, fine-grained, concurrent file system, which provides linearizable interfaces to applications. The standard way to prove linearizability requires modeling linearization point of each operation---the moment when its effect becomes visible atomically to other threads. We observe that path inter-dependency, where one operation (like rename) breaks the path integrity of other operations, makes the linearization point external and thus poses a significant challenge to prove linearizability. To overcome the above challenge, this paper presents Concurrent Relational Logic with Helpers (CRL-H), a framework for building verified concurrent file systems. CRL-H is made powerful through two key contributions: (1) extending prior approaches using fixed linearization points with a helper mechanism where one operation of the thread can logically help other threads linearize their operations; (2) combining relational specifications and rely/guarantee conditions for relational and compositional reasoning. We have successfully applied CRL-H to verify the linearizability of AtomFS directly in C code. All the proofs are mechanized in Coq. Evaluations show that AtomFS speeds up file system workloads by utilizing fine-grained, multicore concurrency.