Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sampling measurements of low-frequency waveforms based on the Josephson voltage standard

A waveform synthesizer adopting a superconductor-normal metal-superconductor junction array has been developed, which can generate arbitrary stepwise waveforms with a number of the quantum-voltage steps up to 1-V level amplitude. As an application of the synthesizer, we have built a sampling voltmeter which measures the differential voltages between a sinusoidal waveform produced by a semiconductor-based ac source and the Josephson waveforms. We carried out extensive sampling measurements for a 50-Hz sine wave with 1-V amplitude, applying various sampling apertures.
Simulation tool for Wireless Sensor Network constellations in space

The explosion of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) has given rise to the creation of new embedded operating systems and consequently to the associated simulation environments. Most of these environments are designed for testing applications that do not require node mobility and long distances between nodes. The design of WSNs has recently involved space applications. WSNs in space hold the promise to be an attractive replacement of traditional expensive satellite missions. Space applications have characteristics different from terrestrial applications, the primary being the long distance between the motes (up to a few thousand kilometers) and the very high mote's velocity (7.5 km/s in Low Earth Orbit). This implies that existing simulators have to be adapted to model and simulate space application's conditions. This work presents the extensions made to the Cooja simulator, a simulator for Contiki OS motes. The extensions made (constellation positioning, mobility and propagation delay) enable the simulation of WSNs constellations in space.
Equiluminance Cells in Visual Cortical Area V4

We report a novel class of V4 neuron in the macaque monkey that responds selectively to equiluminant colored form. These “equiluminance” cells stand apart because they violate the well established trend throughout the visual system that responses are minimal at low luminance contrast and grow and saturate as contrast increases. Equiluminance cells, which compose ∼22% of V4, exhibit the opposite behavior: responses are greatest near zero contrast and decrease as contrast increases. While equiluminance cells respond preferentially to equiluminant colored stimuli, strong hue tuning is not their distinguishing feature—some equiluminance cells do exhibit strong unimodal hue tuning, but many show little or no tuning for hue. We find that equiluminance cells are color and shape selective to a degree comparable with other classes of V4 cells with more conventional contrast response functions. Those more conventional cells respond equally well to achromatic luminance and equiluminant color stimuli, analogous to color luminance cells described in V1. The existence of equiluminance cells, which have not been reported in V1 or V2, suggests that chromatically defined boundaries and shapes are given special status in V4 and raises the possibility that form at equiluminance and form at higher contrasts are processed in separate channels in V4.
Research Department Costly Financial Intermediation in Neoclassical Growth Theory

_________________________________________________________________________ The neoclassical growth model is extended to include costly intermediated borrowing and lending between households. This is an important extension as substantial resources are used in intermediating the large amount of borrowing and lending between households. In 2007, in the United States, the amount intermediated was 1.7 times GNP, and the resources used in this intermediation amounted to at least 3.4 percent of GNP. The theory implies that financial intermediation services are an intermediate good and that the spread between borrowing and lending rates measures the efficiency of the financial sector. _____________________________________________________________________________________ * Mehra, Arizona State University and NBER; Piguillem, Einaudi Institute for Economics and Finance; Prescott, Arizona State University and Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. This paper was previously published as Working Paper 655 and Staff Report 405 under the title “Intermediated Quantities and Returns. ” We thank the editor, the two referees, Andy Abel, Costas Azariadis, Sudipto Bhattacharya, Bruce Lehmann, John Cochrane, George Constantinides, Cristina De Nardi, Douglas Diamond, John Donaldson, John Heaton, Jack Favilukis, Francisco Gomes, Fumio Hayashi, Daniel Lawver, Anil Kashyap, Juhani Linnainmaa, Robert Lucas, Ellen McGrattan, Krishna Ramaswamy, Jesper Rangvid, Kent Smetters, Michael Woodford, Dimitri Vayanos, Amir Yaron, Stephen Zeldes, the seminar participants at the Arizona State University, Bank of Korea, University of Calgary, UCLA, UCSD, Charles University, University of Chicago, Columbia University, Duke University, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, ITAM, London Business School, London School of Economics, University of Mannheim, University of Minnesota, University of New South Wales, Peking University, Reykjavik University, Rice University, University of Tokyo, University of Virginia, Wharton, Yale University, Yonsei University, the Economic Theory conference in Kos, the conference on Money, Banking and Asset Markets at the University of Wisconsin and ESSFM in Gerzensee for helpful comments. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis or the Federal Reserve System.
High Phobic Anxiety Is Related to Lower Leukocyte Telomere Length in Women

Background Chronic psychological distress has been linked to shorter telomeres, an indication of accelerated aging. Yet, little is known about relations of anxiety to telomeres. We examined whether a typically chronic form of anxiety – phobic anxiety – is related to telomere length. Methodology/Principal Findings Relative telomere lengths (RTLs) in peripheral blood leukocytes were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction among 5,243 women (aged 42–69 years) who: were participants in the Nurses' Health Study; were controls in prior case-control studies of telomeres and disease, or randomly selected healthy participants in a cognitive function sub-study; had completed the Crown-Crisp phobic index proximal to blood collection. Adjusted least-squares mean RTLs (z-scores) were calculated across phobic categories. Higher phobic anxiety was generally associated with lower RTLs (age-adjusted p-trend = 0.09); this association was similar after adjustment for confounders – paternal age-at-birth, smoking, body mass index (BMI) and physical activity (p-trend = 0.15). Notably, a threshold was identified. Among women with Crown-Crisp<6 points, the multivariable-adjusted least-squares mean RTL z-score = 0.02 standard units; however, among the most phobic women (Crown-Crisp≥6), the multivariable-adjusted least-squares mean RTL z-score = −0.09 standard units (mean difference = −0.10 standard units; p = 0.02). The magnitude of this difference was comparable to that for women 6 years apart in age. Finally, effect modification by BMI, smoking and paternal age was observed: associations were stronger among highly phobic women with BMI≥25 kg/m2, without smoking history, or born to fathers aged ≥40 years. Conclusions/Significance In this large, cross-sectional study high phobic anxiety was associated with shorter telomeres. These results point toward prospective investigations relating anxiety to telomere length change.
A Case for Deconstructing Hardware Transactional Memory Systems

Major hardware and software vendors are curious about transactional memory (TM), but are understandably cautious about committing to hardware changes. Our thesis is that deconstructing transactional memory into separat e, interchangeable components facilitates TM adoption in two ways. First, it aids hardware TM refinement, allowing vendors to adopt TM earlier, knowing that they can more easily refine as pects later. Second, it enables the components to be applied to other uses, including reliability, security, performance, and correctness, providing value even if TM is not widely used. We develop some evidence for our thesis via experience with LogTM variants and preliminary case studies of scalable watchpoints and race recording for deterministic replay.
Inflammatory Monocytes Orchestrate Innate Antifungal Immunity in the Lung

Aspergillus fumigatus is an environmental fungus that causes invasive aspergillosis (IA) in immunocompromised patients. Although -CC-chemokine receptor-2 (CCR2) and Ly6C-expressing inflammatory monocytes (CCR2+Mo) and their derivatives initiate adaptive pulmonary immune responses, their role in coordinating innate immune responses in the lung remain poorly defined. Using conditional and antibody-mediated cell ablation strategies, we found that CCR2+Mo and monocyte-derived dendritic cells (Mo-DCs) are essential for innate defense against inhaled conidia. By harnessing fluorescent Aspergillus reporter (FLARE) conidia that report fungal cell association and viability in vivo, we identify two mechanisms by which CCR2+Mo and Mo-DCs exert innate antifungal activity. First, CCR2+Mo and Mo-DCs condition the lung inflammatory milieu to augment neutrophil conidiacidal activity. Second, conidial uptake by CCR2+Mo temporally coincided with their differentiation into Mo-DCs, a process that resulted in direct conidial killing. Our findings illustrate both indirect and direct functions for CCR2+Mo and their derivatives in innate antifungal immunity in the lung.
Multimodal, Multi-user and Adaptive Interaction for Interactive Storytelling Applications

The ability that users have to interact and change stories according to their own desires is what differentiates interactive narratives from conventional films. Moreover, this ability expands the boundaries of computer games towards new forms of digital entertainment. However, designing an interaction model for an interactive storytelling system involves several challenges, from the need for natural interaction interfaces to adequate multi-user settings. In this paper we present the development and evaluation of a multimodal, multi-user, and adaptive interaction system for an interactive storytelling application.
A-770041, a Novel and Selective Small-Molecule Inhibitor of Lck, Prevents Heart Allograft Rejection

Lck, one of eight members of the Src family of tyrosine kinases, is activated after T cell stimulation and is required for T-cell proliferation and interleukin (IL)-2 production. Inhibition of Lck has been a target to prevent lymphocyte activation and acute rejection. Here, we report the pharmacologic characterization of 1-methyl-1H-indole-2-carboxylic acid (4-{1-[4-(4-acetyl-piperazin-l-yl)-cyclohexyl]-4-amino-1H-pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidin-3-yl}-2-methoxy-phenyl)-amide (A-770041), an orally bioavailable pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine with increased selectivity for Lck compared with previously reported compounds. A-770041 is a 147 nM inhibitor of Lck (1 mM ATP) and is 300-fold selective against Fyn, the other Src family kinase involved in T-cell signaling. Concanavalin A-stimulated IL-2 production in whole blood is inhibited by A-770041 with an EC50 of approximately 80 nM. A-770041 is orally bioavailable (F = 34.1 ± 7.2% at 10 mg/kg) and has a t1/2 of 4.1 ± 0.1 h. Concanavalin A-induced IL-2 production in vivo is inhibited by oral administration of A-770041 (in vivo EC50 = 78 ± 28 nM). Doses of A-770041 at or above 10 mg/kg/day prevent rejection of hearts transplanted heterotopically in rats from Brown Norway donors to Lewis recipients across a major histocompatibility barrier for least 65 days. Grafts from animals treated with 20 mg/kg/day A-770041 or 10 mg/day Cyclosporin A had minimal microvascular changes or multifocal mononuclear infiltrates. However, mineralization in myocytes from the grafts from A-770041-treated animals was less than animals treated with Cyclosporin A. Lck inhibition is an attractive target to prevent acute rejection.
Post-Autistic Software

It is said that the main difficulty with software is that we have no design processes that reliably lead us to software that is dependable, reliable, usable, safe, and secure. These goals are complex and difficult to achieve. They are evaluated along two dimensions, which we call engineering and social, Success in the engineering dimension is evaluated by “correctness” -that software satisfies rigorous specifications on its function and performance. Correctness is fiendishly difficult because most systems are complex, they cannot be specified with sufficient rigor, the proofs are intractable, and testing is inconclusive. Success in the social dimension is evaluated by “fitness” -that software match the practices, expectations, intentions, ambitions, assessments, and experiences of users. Fitness is difficult because each individual evaluates according to personal interests and concerns.
Solid-State Light Sources Getting Smart

More than a century after the introduction of incandescent lighting and half a century after the introduction of fluorescent lighting, solid-state light sources are revolutionizing an increasing number of applications. Whereas the efficiency of conventional incandescent and fluorescent lights is limited by fundamental factors that cannot be overcome, the efficiency of solid-state sources is limited only by human creativity and imagination. The high efficiency of solid-state sources already provides energy savings and environmental benefits in a number of applications. However, solid-state sources also offer controllability of their spectral power distribution, spatial distribution, color temperature, temporal modulation, and polarization properties. Such “smart” light sources can adjust to specific environments and requirements, a property that could result in tremendous benefits in lighting, automobiles, transportation, communication, imaging, agriculture, and medicine.
Understanding mirror neurons.

This paper reports about our investigation on action understanding in the brain. We review recent results of the neurophysiology of the mirror system in the monkey. Based on these observations we propose a model of this brain system which is responsible for action recognition. The link between object affordances and action understanding is considered. To support our hypothesis we describe two experiments where some aspects of the model have been implemented. In the first experiment an action recognition system is trained by using data recorded from human movements. In the second experiment, the model is partially implemented on a humanoid robot which learns to mimic simple actions performed by a human subject on different objects. These experiments show that motor information can have a signifi cant role in action interpretation and that a mirror-like representation can be developed autonomously as a result of the interaction between an individual and the environment.
Comportament dels llits fluïditzants naturals a l'estany de Banyoles

The solid in suspension at the upflowing underground sources in the bottom of Banyoles lake (Spain) can be described as a fluidized bed. However, because of its non homogeneous composition (mainly limestones, gypsum and marls with a mean diameter of the order of 15 p m), its behaviour is complex: the total density can decrease even though porosity doesn't increase, a higher influx doesn't mean for sure a lower porosity and so on. However, a sistematic study of the bed composition and the segregation and sedimentation proceses allow us to explain these behaviours. Otherwise, in this article, the history of the bed is considered as a selector element of its own evolution. Other phenomenologies as dependence of the bed expansion on the porosity are considered too.
Robustness improvement of an SRAM cell against laser-induced fault injection

This paper presents the design of an SRAM cell with a robustness improvement against laser-induced fault injection. We report the fault sensitivity mapping of a first SRAM design. A careful analysis of its results combined with the use of an electrical model at transistor level of the photoelectric effect induced by a laser permit us to validate our approach. The robustness improvement is due to a specific layout which takes into account the topology of the cell and to the effect of a triple well implant on the laser sensitivity of NMOS transistors.
Exploring population genetic structure in three species of Lesser Antillean bats

We explore population genetic structure in phyllostomid bats (Ardops nichollsi, Brachyphylla cavernarum and Artibeus jamaicensis) from the northern Lesser Antilles by investigating the degree to which island populations are genetically differentiated. Our hypothesis, that the island populations are genetically distinct because of a combination of founding events, limited migration and genetic drift exacerbated by catastrophe‐induced fluctuations in population size, is derived from a priori hypotheses erected in the literature. The first prediction of this hypothesis, that within each species island populations are monophyletic, was tested using a parametric bootstrap approach. Island monophyly could not be rejected in Ardops nichollsi (P = 0.718), but could be rejected in B. cavernarum (P < 0.001) and Artibeus jamaicensis (P < 0.001). A second prediction, that molecular variance is partitioned among islands, was tested using an amova and was rejected in each species [Ardops nichollsi (P = 0.697); B. cavernarum (P = 0.598); Artibeus jamaicensis (P = 0.763)]. In B. cavernarum and Artibeus jamaicensis, the admixture in mitochondrial haplotypes from islands separated by > 100 km of ocean can be explained either by interisland migration or by incomplete lineage sorting of ancestral polymorphism in the source population. As an a posteriori test of lineage sorting, we used simulations of gene trees within a population tree to suggest that lineage sorting is an unlikely explanation for the observed pattern of nonmonophyly in Artibeus jamaicensis (PW < 0.01; PSE = 0.04), but cannot be rejected in B. cavernarum (PW = 0.81; PSE = 0.79). A conservative interpretation of the molecular data is that island populations of Artibeus jamaicensis, although isolated geographically, are not isolated genetically.
A re-evaluation of the stratigraphy and evolution of the Kohistan arc sequence, Pakistan Himalaya: implications for magmatic and tectonic arc-building processes

New field mapping and structural data, combined with published geochemical data, from the Kohistan arc in the NW Himalaya, enable a re-evaluation of the arc stratigraphy. Key lithological units and their relationships are more clearly defined, permitting the construction of a revised magmatic-tectonic history for the arc. The oldest units are transitional oceanic-type basalts, which form the basement to the subduction related sequence. Arc-type gabbroic sheets and plutons intrude the oceanic basalts: together these form the Kamila Amphibolite Belt. Metasediments and basaltic lavas were deposited, within an extensional basin, onto the Kamila Amphibolite Belt basement. This sequence, exposed across the arc, forms a distinct stratigraphic unit which is formally defined here as the Jaglot Group. Sediment-charged turbidity currents transported material into the basin, whilst submarine eruptions contributed the basaltic component. This period of extension culminated in the eruption of high-Mg boninites of the Chalt Volcanic Group which overlie the rocks of the Jaglot Group. The earliest granitoids of the Kohistan Batholith predate suturing and intrude the Jaglot and Chalt sequences. At c. 100 Ma Kohistan sutured to Asia. suturing being accompanied by thickening of the arc with the development of major intra-arc shear zones and a penetrative, regionally developed steep cleavage. At c. 85 Ma intra-arc rifting permitted the emplacement into the arc of the voluminous gabbronorites of the Chilas Complex which clearly intrudes the Kamila Amphibolite Belt to the south and the Jaglot Group to the north. The Chilas Complex has been regarded as part of the pre-suturing, juvenile arc sequence. Field evidence summarized here show this to be not so. Heat advection associated with emplacement of the Complex caused amphibolite facies regional metamorphism, melting of the lower arc and plutonism. Some of the resultant granitoid plutons were unroofed and eroded during a compressional phase at between 80 and 55 Ma, before emplacement of further plutons and extrusion of basaltic through to rhyolitic volcanic rocks at between 55 and 40 Ma. At least three phases of extension and rifting, each separated by short lived phases of compression, characterized arc evolution. Much of the magmatism is controlled by extensional tectonics within the overriding plate of the kind commonly associated with a retreating subduction zone.
Optimizing multi-graph learning: towards a unified video annotation scheme

Learning based semantic video annotation is a promising approach for enabling content-based video search. However, severe difficulties, such as insufficiency of training data and curse of dimensionality, are frequently encountered. This paper proposes a novel unified scheme, Optimized Multi-Graph-based Semi-Supervised Learning (OMG-SSL), to simultaneously attack these difficulties. Instead of only using a single graph, OMG-SSL integrates multiple graphs into a regularization and optimization framework to sufficiently explore their complementary nature. We then show that various crucial factors in video annotation, including multiple modalities, multiple distance metrics, and temporal consistency, in fact all correspond to different correlations among samples, and hence they can be represented by different graphs. Therefore, OMG-SSL is able to simultaneously deal with these factors within a unified framework. Experiments on the TRECVID benchmark demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed approach.
Locality Optimizations for Multi-Level Caches

Compiler transformations can significantly improve data locality of scientific programs. In this paper, we examine the impact of multi-level caches on data locality optimizations. We find nearly all the benefits can be achieved by simply targeting the L1 (primary) cache. Most locality transformations are unaffected because they improve reuse for all levels of the cache; however, some optimizations can be enhanced. Inter-variable padding can take advantage of modular arithmetic to eliminate conflict misses and preserve group reuse on multiple cache levels. Loop fusion can balance increasing group reuse for the L2 (secondary) cache at the expense of losing group reuse at the smaller L1 cache. Tiling for the L1 cache also exploits locality available in the L2 cache. Experiments show enhanced algorithms are able to reduce cache misses, but performance improvements are rarely significant. Our results indicate existing compiler optimizations are usually sufficient to achieve good performance for multi-level caches.