Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Project-Teams MC 2 “ Classical ” Electropermeabilization Modeling at the Cell Scale

In this paper we derive two models (a static and a dynamical model) based on the description of the electric potential in a biological cell in order to model the cell electropermeabilization. Existence and uniqueness results are provided for each model, and an accurate numerical method to compute the solution is presented. We then present numerical results that corroborate the experimental results, which tends to justify the validity of our modeling. We emphasize that our new models involve very few parameters, compared with the most achieved model but they describe the same qualitative results. Moreover our numerical results are quantitavely close to the experimental data. Key-words: Cell modeling, non-linear partial differential equations, Finite differences on cartesian grids ∗ Corresponding author: clair.poignard@inria.fr Modélisation de l’électroporation cellulaire par micropulses Résumé : Dans cet article, deux modèles d’électroporation cellulaire sont présentés: un modèle statique et un modèle dynamique. Ces modèles sont obtenus via une description du potentiel électrique dans une cellule. Des résultats d’existence et d’unicité sont donnés pour chaque modèle et une méthode numérique permettant de calculer précisément la solution de chacun de ces problèmes est décrite. Des simulations numériques qui corroborent les résultats expérimentaux concluent ce travail, justifiant la validité de la modélisation. Notons que ces nouveaux modèles ne comportent que peu de paramètres, comparés aux modèles existants, tout en décrivant les mêmes comportements, avec des résultats proches des résultats expérimentaux. Mots-clés : Modélisation bio-cellulaire, Equations aux dérivées partielles non linéaires, Méthodes de différences finies sur grilles cartésiennes Cell electroporation modeling 3
Quantum Snake Walk on Graphs by Ansis Rosmanis

Quantum walks on graphs have been proven to be a useful tool in quantum algorithm construction for various problems. In this thesis we introduce a new type of continuoustime quantum walk on graphs called the quantum snake walk, the basis states of which are fixed-length paths (snakes) in the underlying graph. We first consider the quantum snake walk on the line. The analysis of the eigenvalues and the eigenvectors of the Hamiltonian governing the walk reveals that most states initially localized in a segment on the line always remain in that same segment. However, there are exponentially small (in the length of the snake) fraction of states which move on the line as wave packets with momentum inversely proportional to the length of the snake. Next we show how an algorithm based on the quantum snake walk might be able to solve an extended version of the glued trees problem which asks to find a path connecting both roots of the glued trees graph. No efficient quantum algorithm solving this problem is known yet. For that reason we consider a specific extension of the glued trees graph and analyze how the quantum snake walk behaves on it. In particular we show that the quantum snake walk on the infinite binary tree, restricted to certain superpositions, in many aspects is very similar to the quantum snake walk on the line. We also argue why the quantum snake walk, initialized in certain superpositions on one side of the glued trees graph, after certain amount of time is likely to be found on the other side of the graph. This seems to be crucial if we want our algorithm to work.
Interactive Robots as Facilitators of Childrens Social Development

Early communication between a child and a caregiver is mainly embodied through touch and eyecontact, which convey various kinds of emotional information (Kaye, 1982; Trevarthen, 2001). This communication of emotion develops into joint attention (Butterworth & Jarrett, 1991), where both alternate between looking at the same object or event and looking at each other. By mutually monitoring emotions and attention in this way, the child and the caregiver share awareness of a topical target as well as emotional attitudes towards it. Thus, the child can learn the meaning and value of various objects and events in the world, which leads him or her to the acquisition of language and culture (Tomasello, 1993, 1999). With inspiration from the psychological study of social development, we have developed a childlike robot, Infanoid (Kozima, 2002), and a creature-like robot, Keepon (Kozima et al., 2004), as research platforms for testing and elaborating on psychological models of human social intelligence and its development in real-world settings. We are currently implementing on these robots software modules required for embodied interaction with people, especially with children. In addition, we are observing and analyzing social development in children when they interact with these robots. These two complementary research activities will help us to model social communication and its development during the first years of life. This paper describes design principles of interactive robots for the cognitive study of human social intelligence and for the development of pedagogical and therapeutic services for children’s social development. After reviewing recent psychological findings on children’s social development and recent advances in robotics facilitating social interaction with children, we discuss design principles that make robots capable of embodied interaction with children. We introduce our robotic platforms, Infanoid and Keepon, as examples of implementation of these design principles. We then describe how typically-developing children interact with Infanoid and Keepon, from which we model how social interaction dynamically unfolds as time passes and how such interactions qualitatively change with age. We have conducted longitudinal field observations of a group of children with developmental disorders and a group of typically-developing preschool children interacting with Keepon. We learned from these observations that an appropriately designed robot could facilitate not only dyadic interaction between a child and the robot, but also triadic interaction among children and carers, where the robot functions as a pivot of the interpersonal interactions. Finally, we discuss the possible use of interactive robots in pedagogical and therapeutic services for typically-developing children and for those with developmental disorders, especially autistic spectrum disorders.
Method Development and Validation Study for Quantitative Determination of 3-Ethynylaniline Content in Erlotinib by Liquid Chromatography – Tandem Mass Spectrometry

A sensitive and selective liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) method was developed for the quantitative determination of 3-ethynylaniline, a process related genotoxic impurity in synthesis of erlotinib. The 3-ethynylaniline in erlotinib drug was analyzed on a Hypersil BDS C-8 (50 mm × 4.6 mm, 3 μm) column interfaced with a triple quadruple tandem MS operated in a multiple reaction monitoring mode. Positive electrospray ionization was employed as the ionization source and the mobile phase used was 5.0 mM ammonium acetate–acetonitrile (55:45, v/v). The developed method was validated as per ICH guidelines in terms of specificity, limit of detection, limit of quantification, linearity, precision, accuracy, and robustness. This method shows excellent sensitivity in the quantification of impurity at the level of 0.6 ppm with 1.9% relative standard deviation. The calibration curve showed good linearity over the concentration range of 0.6-6.0 ppm with a correlation coefficient of >0.9991. The accuracy of the method was between 96.26% and 100.64%.
Immunobiology of Japanese Encephalitis Virus

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is an acute central nervous system inflammatory disease cause by infection with Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), a small, enveloped, plus-strand RNA virus belonging to the family Flaviviridae. It is the leading cause of viral encephalitis in South-East Asia, India and China, where 3 billion people are at risk of contracting the disease (Erlanger et al., 2009). Annually, about 35,000 cases of JE are reported, resulting in about 10,000 deaths and a high incidence of neuropsychiatric deficits among survivors. Treatment of JE patients is supportive and in the absence of availability of antiviral compounds the mainstay of protection against JE is vaccination (Halstead & Thomas, 2011). In the past decades there has been an expansion of the geographic distribution of the virus in Asia and the Asia-Pacific region (van den Hurk et al., 2009) and there is an urgent requirement for improved human and veterinary JE vaccines. An understanding of the immunological responses that lead to recovery from infection with JEV and account for vaccine-mediated protection is important in the design of rational approaches to new treatments and vaccines against the disease, and will be the focus of this review.
Transitory Carbohydrate Reserves in Vegetative Organs of Coconut Under Different Growth Conditions and Its Relation with Reproductive and Vegetative Growth of The Palm

The study evaluated the non structural carbohydrate reserves in vegetative organs and vegetative and reproductive growth rates of a 25 year old Tall x Tall coconut ( Cocos nucifera L ) during the peak season of coconut yield (May/June) under S 2 and S 4 Land Suitability Classes (LSC) in three Agro Ecological Regions (WL 3 , IL 1a and DL 3 ). Trunk (inner and outer), root (new roots and mature roots) and leaf samples (petiole, leaf blade and leaf ekel from 9th, 14th and 22nd fronds) were collected, total soluble sugars (TSS) and starch concentrations were analyzed and TSS and starch reserves at palm level were estimated. Growth rate of trunk and leaves (vegetative) and developing nuts of all bunches of a palm (reproductive) were measured. The highest (3.86 kg month -1 ) and the lowest (0.81 kg month -1 ) reproductive growth rates and the highest (3.8 kg month -1 ) and the lowest (2.1 kg month -1 ) vegetative growth rates were found in the palms grown under S 2 and S 4 LSC in the DL 3 , respectively. There was a constant vegetative growth rate of 3.3 kg month -1 for the palms in WL 3 and IL 1a irrespective of the AER or LSC. The most dominant nonstructural reserve substance in the vegetative organs of coconut was soluble sugars (TSS) and the starch concentration was approximately half the TSS concentration in all vegetative parts irrespective of the AER or the LSC. TSS and starch showed a marked pattern of distribution, with highest concentration in trunk (114-134 mg g -1 TSS and 60-83 mg g -1 starch), intermediate in leaves (69-117 mg g -1 TSS and 33-69 mg g -1 starch) and lowest in roots (22-79 mg g -1 TSS and 17-33 mg g -1 starch). The highest TSS and starch reserves in leaf compartments (kg per palm) were found in the S 2 -grown palms of the DL 3 which had the highest reproductive and vegetative growth rates during May-June season. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.4038/cocos.v19i2. 4753
Devil continues to wear “ counterfeit ” Prada : A tale between two Chinese cities

Purpose This study aims to examine the influence of social and personality factors on attitudes towards counterfeiting of luxury brands and purchase intention between China Chinese and Taiwan Chinese consumers. Design/methodology/approach Data collection was conducted using a mall intercept approach in downtown Shanghai and Taipei. A self-administered questionnaire was developed and back-translated from English to Chinese and distributed. Structural equation modeling in LISREL was used to analyze the data. Findings It was found that collectivism has a positive relationship towards attitudes towards counterfeiting of luxury brands for the China Chinese but not for the Taiwan Chinese. Personal gratification was found to have a negative relationship towards attitudes towards counterfeiting of luxury brands for the Taiwan Chinese consumers. Integrity and status consumption were found to have a positive relationship towards attitudes towards counterfeiting of luxury brands for both the China Chinese and Taiwan Chinese consumers. Research limitations/implications The findings are limited to comparing between China Chinese in Shanghai and Taiwan Chinese from Taipei, therefore the results may not be generalizable across all Chinese consumers or international consumers. In addition, only luxury brands were examined in this study. Future studies would need to address other contexts or specific product categories. Practical implications This research presents findings from two Chinese cities. The consumers may be from the same region, however it is found from the study they pose different attitudes and purchase intentions towards counterfeits of luxury brands. Therefore, the insights from this study provide a deeper understanding into the differences between Chinese consumers and implications for practitioners, academics and policy makers. Originality/value The majority of the cross-national studies often compared between so-called Western countries or Eastern countries. This study examined counterfeiting from China (which is deemed as one of the largest manufacturers of counterfeits) and Taiwan (which was one of the largest counterfeiters decades ago). This provides insights into the development and differences between regional consumers and their attitudes towards counterfeits of luxury brands.
A qualitative analysis of rising tones in Dublin English

In this paper, we present the results of a preliminary study of the intonation system of Dublin English (DE) with a particular focus on rising tones. After analysing a corpus recorded in the framework of the PAC Program, we conclude that Dublin English has a hybrid intonation system that mixes standard English contours like falls and rises, and Northern Irish contours like rise-falls. Rising declaratives are also found (as reported by [7] and [8]), but we argue that some of these rising tones are occurrences of Uptalk and do not belong to the Urban Northern British Intonation (UNBI) that is found in Belfast. Indeed the analysis of extracts of conversations providing an ecological context makes it possible to perform a qualitative study of the interactional and pragmatic functions linked to Uptalk, and this is, as far as we know, the first study of the kind on Dublin English rising tones. We conclude that UNB rises take the form of rise-plateaus in DE. Continuation rises can be realized as rise-plateaus or low rises, while uptalk takes the form of full rises and high rises.
Investigating the Possibility of Geopolymer to Produce Inorganic-Bonded Wood Composites for Multifunctional Construction Material – A Review

Wood-based composites are widely used in consumer products, either in structural or non-structural applications. One of the basic elements for wood-based composites is the binder itself. Recent years have seen great development and trends in the field of eco-friendly binders in woodbased composite. There have been many concerns on the effects of formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds (VOC) released from wood-based products. Researchers have put lot of effort into developing environmental friendly products with enhanced sustainability. Binder materials with a focus on geopolymers (i.e., alumino-silicates) are discussed in this publication. The development and utilization of geopolymeric binders is relatively new in the field of wood-based composites. Up to the present there has been insufficient information regarding the manufacturing conditions and properties of wood-nonwood composite materials prepared using a geopolymeric binder. This paper considers the background of geopolymer materials and the possibilities of producing inorganic-bonded wood composite using geopolymer.
Digital Crossroads: American Telecommunications Policy in the Internet Age

Telecommunications policy profoundly affects the economy and our everyday lives. Yet accounts of important telecommunications issues tend to be either superficial (and inaccurate) or mired in jargon and technical esoterica. In Digital Crossroads, Jonathan Nuechterlein and Philip Weiser offer a clear, balanced, and accessible analysis of competition policy issues in the telecommunications industry. After giving a big picture overview of the field, they present sharply reasoned analyses of the major technological, economic, and legal developments confronting communications policymakers in the twenty-first century. Since the passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, when Congress fundamentally reoriented the existing regulatory scheme, no book has cogently explained the intricacies of telecommunications competition policy in the Internet age for general readers, students, and practitioners alike. Digital Crossroads meets this need, focusing on the regulatory dimensions of competition in wireline and wireless telephone service; competition among rival platforms for broadband Internet service and video distribution; and the Internet's transformation of every aspect of the telecommunications industry, particularly through the emergence of "voice over Internet protocol" (VoIP). The authors explain not just the complicated legal issues governing the industry, but also the rapidly changing technological and economic context in which these issues arise. The book includes extensive endnotes and tables that cover relevant court decisions, FCC orders, and academic commentaries; a glossary of acronyms; a statutory addendum containing the most important provisions of federal telecommunications law; and two appendixes with information on more specialized topics.
Cellular viability and osteogenic differentiation potential of human gingiva-derived stem cells in 2D culture following treatment with anionic, cationic, and neutral liposomes containing doxorubicin

The effects of doxorubicin, particularly doxorubicin liposome, on stem cells have remained to be fully elucidated. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of anionic, cationic and neutral liposomes loaded with doxorubicin on the viability and osteogenic differentiation potential of human gingiva-derived stem cells in two-dimensional culture. Doxorubicin-loaded liposomes were prepared using the traditional thin-lipid-film hydration method. Stem cells were seeded on a culture plate and maintained in osteogenic media. The morphology of the stem cells was observed under an inverted microscope. The number of viable cells was determined using a Cell-Counting Kit-8 assay. The alkaline phosphatase activity was assessed and Alizarin Red S staining was performed to evaluate osteogenic differentiation. A higher concentration of doxorubicin caused noticeable changes in the morphology of the stem cells. Decreases in cellular viability were observed after applying doxorubicin. The application of doxorubicin, particularly at higher concentrations, produced a noticeable decrease in alkaline phosphatase activity and Alizarin Red S staining. The present study indicated that application of doxorubicin with or without liposomes reduced the cellular viability and osteogenic differentiation. Among the different treatments, the doxorubicin-loaded cationic liposomes induced the strongest reduction in the cellular viability and osteogenic differentiation in the stem cell culture.
Searching for the first stars with the Gaia mission

Aims. We construct a theoretical model to predict the number of orphan afterglows (OA) from gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) triggered by primordial metal free (Pop III) stars expected to be observed by the Gaia mission. In particular, we consider primordial metal free stars which were affected by radiation from other stars (Pop III.2) as a possible target. Methods. We use a semi-analytical approach, with the inclusion of all relevant feedback effects, to construct the cosmic star formation history and its connection with GRBs cumulative number. The OA events are generated via Monte-Carlo method, and realistic simulations of Gaia’s scanning law are performed to derive the observation probability expectation. Results. We show that � 0.4% of all Pop III.2 afterglows should appear in the sky above of Gaia observational flux limit. Combining this result with simulations of Gaia’s scanning law, we expect to observe an average of � 13%±7% of all OA above the observational sensitivity.
Occurrence of western scrub-jays (Aphelocoma californica) near forest edges in fragmented golden-cheeked warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia) habitat

Abstract The western scrub-jay (Aphelocoma californica) is a common nest predator and has been documented depredating nests of the federally endangered golden-cheeked warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia), a woodland songbird, in central Texas. We conducted opportunistic and transect surveys for western scrub-jays across two vegetation classes (woodland and shrub-scrub) to investigate the proximity of scrub-jays to golden-cheeked warblers breeding in a fragmented landscape. We used a chi-square test to compare the number of observed and expected scrub-jay detections for each vegetation class. To investigate if scrub-jays are an edge-occupying species, we compared the distance to nearest vegetation edge of actual scrub-jay detections to a null distribution of mean random distances. We found that scrub-jays occur in areas closer to vegetation class boundaries but do not appear to prefer one vegetation type over the other. Our findings suggest that golden-cheeked warblers may have higher nest predation risk in fragmented areas of their breeding range.
Fusion of SAR and Multispectral Images Using Random Forest Regression for Change Detection

In order to overcome the insufficiency of single remote sensing data in change detection, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and optical image data can be used together for supplementation. However, conventional image fusion methods fail to address the differences in imaging mechanisms and cannot overcome some practical limitations such as usage in change detection or temporal requirement of the optical image. This study proposes a new method to fuse SAR and optical images, which is expected to be visually helpful and minimize the differences between two imaging mechanisms. The algorithm performs the fusion by establishing relationships between SAR and multispectral (MS) images by using a random forest (RF) regression, which creates a fused SAR image containing the surface roughness characteristics of the SAR image and the spectral characteristics of the MS image. The fused SAR image is evaluated by comparing it to those obtained using conventional image fusion methods and the proposed method shows that the spectral qualities and spatial qualities are improved significantly. Furthermore, for verification, other ensemble approaches such as stochastic gradient boosting regression and adaptive boosting regression are compared and overall it is confirmed that the performance of RF regression is superior. Then, change detection between the fused SAR and MS images is performed and compared with the results of change detection between MS images and between SAR images and the result using fused SAR images is similar to the result with MS images and is improved when compared to the result between SAR images. Lastly, the proposed method is confirmed to be applicable to change detection.
Theories on the Scientific Principles applicable to the Reviver Dr

Dr Benjamin Sinclair attained his PhD at the University of Queensland and has worked as a lecturer in MRI physics at University of Queensland and as a Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne. His major area of study and research is in the field of brain imaging. Dr Sinclair has published papers on a range of topics including supernova cosmology, space plasma physics, heritability of brain networks and effects of physical exercise interventions on brain atrophy in elderly people.