Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Preparation of large scale and highly ordered vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) nanowire arrays towards high performance photodetectors

Large scale and highly ordered vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) nanowire arrays were successfully prepared. The nanowires were arranged parallel in the same direction and formed into a uniform and compact structure by using the improved self-assembly method. The V2O5 nanowire arrays were obtained from the in situ high temperature treatment of VO2(A) nanowire arrays. The as prepared V2O5 nanowire arrays show an excellent light response under visible light irradiation at room temperature. Experimentally, when the incident light intensity is 105 mW cm−2, the arrays exhibit a high responsivity of 160.3 mA W−1, a high detectivity of 6.5 × 108 Jones and a fast response time. These results pave the way for an effective approach to fabricate large-scale ordered semiconductor nanowire arrays and promising photoelectric detectors.
Diversity visualization in evolutionary algorithms

Evolutionary Algorithms (EAs) are well-known nature-inspired optimization methods. Diversity is an essenial aspect of each EA. It describes the variability of organisms in population. The lack of diversity is common problem – diversity should be preserved in order to evade local extremes (premature convergence). Niching algorithms are modifications of classical EAs. Niching is based on dividing the population into separate subpopulations it spreads the organisms effectively all over the search space and hence making the overall population diverse. Using niching methods also requires setting of their parameters, which can be very difficult. This paper presents a novel way of diversity visualization based on physical system simulation. This visualization is helpful when designing and tuning niching algorithms but it has also other uses. The visualization will be presented on NEAT the evolutionary algorithm which optimizes both the topology and the parameters of neural networks.
Male infertility-related molecules involved in sperm-oocyte fusion

Male infertility has become a very serious problem in the human reproduction system, but the molecular mechanism of infertility remains largely unknown. Fertilization is the phenomenon in which a sperm and oocyte find each other, interact, and fuse. Sperm-oocyte fusion-related factors on the sperm side play crucial roles in male infertility. For example, IZUMO1 is well-known as a sperm protein essential for fusion of a sperm and oocyte, but its dysfunction or mutation can result in male infertility. Recent studies showed a novel sperm protein named Bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI), which takes part in the sperm-oocyte fusion process. The complexity and expected redundancy of the factors involved makes the process intricate, with a still poorly understood mechanism, which is difficult to comprehend in full detail. This review summarizes the known molecules involved in the process of sperm-oocyte fusion, mainly focusing on the relevant factors on the sperm side, whose dysregulation may potentially be associated with male infertility. New insights may come from these molecules in this review, can facilitate the development of new treatments of male infertility, and may have a diagnostic value in infertility.
Comparison of decompressive surgery, electroacupuncture, and decompressive surgery followed by electroacupuncture for the treatment of dogs with intervertebral disk disease with long-standing severe neurologic deficits.

OBJECTIVE To compare the effects of decompressive surgery (DSX), electroacupuncture (EAP), and DSX followed by EAP (DSX + EAP) for the treatment of thoracolumbar intervertebral disk disease (IVDD) in dogs with severe neurologic deficits of > 48 hours' duration. DESIGN Retrospective case series and prospective clinical trial. ANIMALS 40 dogs between 3 and 6 years old and weighing between 10 and 20 kg (22 and 44 lb) with long-standing (> 48 hours) clinical signs of severe neurologic disease attributable to thoracolumbar IVDD. PROCEDURES Thoracolumbar medullar injury was classified on the basis of neurologic signs by use of a scale ranging from 1 (least severe) to 5 (most severe). The DSX dogs (n = 10) were retrospectively selected from those that underwent DSX for the treatment of thoracolumbar IVDD. In addition, 19 dogs received EAP alone and 11 dogs underwent DSX followed by EAP (DSX + EAP). Outcome was considered a clinical success when a dog initially classified as grade 4 or 5 was classified as grade 1 or 2 within 6 months after the end of treatment. RESULTS The proportion of dogs with clinical success was significantly higher for dogs that underwent EAP (15/19) than for dogs that underwent DSX (4/10); the proportion of dogs with clinical success for dogs that underwent DSX + EAP was intermediate (8/11). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE EAP was more effective than DSX for recovery of ambulation and improvement in neurologic deficits in dogs with long-standing severe deficits attributable to thoracolumbar IVDD.
Full-Duplex Transceiver System Calculations: Analysis of ADC and Linearity Challenges

Despite the intensive recent research on wireless single-channel full-duplex communications, relatively little is known about the transceiver chain nonidealities of full-duplex devices. In this paper, the effect of nonlinear distortion occurring in the transmitter power amplifier (PA) and the receiver chain is analyzed, beside the dynamic range requirements of analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). This is done with detailed system calculations, which combine the properties of the individual electronics components to jointly model the complete transceiver chain, including self-interference cancellation. They also quantify the decrease in the dynamic range for the signal of interest caused by self-interference at the analog-to-digital interface. Using these system calculations, we provide comprehensive numerical results for typical transceiver parameters. The analytical results are also confirmed with full waveform simulations. We observe that the nonlinear distortion produced by the transmitter PA is a significant issue in a full-duplex transceiver and, when using cheaper and less linear components, also the receiver chain nonlinearities become considerable. It is also shown that, with digitally intensive self-interference cancellation, the quantization noise of the ADCs is another significant problem.
The NuMesh: a modular, scalable communications substrate

Many standardized hardware communication interfaces offer runtime flexibility and configurability at the cost of efficiency. An alternate approach is the use of a highly-efficient, minimal communication element, with as much communication decision-making as possible done at compile time. NuMesh is a packaging and interconnect technology supporting high-bandwidth systolic communications on a 3D nearest-neighbor lattice; our goal is to combine Lego-like modularity with supercomputer performance. To date, the primary focus of the project has been the class of applications whose static communication patterns can be precompiled into independent and carefully choreographed finite state machines running on each node. Several extensions of the NuMesh to more general communication paradigms have been implemented, and the issues involved are under active exploration. This paper presents an overview of our approach, as well as an introduction to our current-generation prototype. We also discuss our software environment and simulation technology, and enumerate some of the applications and programming models we have developed to make full use of the capabilities of the NuMesh.
The elements of computer credibility

Given the importance of credibility in computing products, theresearch on computer credibility is relatively small. To enhanceknowledge about computers and credibility, we define key termsrelating to computer credibility, synthesize the literature in thisdomain, and propose three new conceptual frameworks for betterunderstanding the elements of computer credibility. To promotefurther research, we then offer two perspectives on what computerusers evaluate when assessing credibility. We conclude bypresenting a set of credibility-related terms that can serve infuture research and evaluation endeavors.
Subgiants as probes of galactic chemical evolution

Chemical abundances for 23 candidate subgiant stars have been derived with the aim at exploring their usefulness for studies of galactic chemical evolution. High-resolution spectra from ESO CAT-CES and NOT-SOFIN covered 16 different spectral regions in the visible part of the spectrum. Some 200 different atomic and molecular spectral lines have been used for abundance analysis of ∼30 elemental species. The wings of strong, pressure-broadened metal lines were used for determination of stellar surface gravities, which have been compared with gravities derived from H parallaxes and isochronic masses. Stellar space velocities have been derived from H and Simbad data, and ages and masses were derived with recent isochrones. Only 12 of the stars turned out to be subgiants, i.e. on the "horizontal" part of the evolutionary track between the dwarf- and the giant stages. The abundances derived for the subgiants correspond closely to those of dwarf stars. With the possible exceptions of lithium and carbon we find that subgiant stars show no "chemical" traces of post-main-sequence evolution and that they are therefore very useful targets for studies of galactic chemical evolution.
Context and Priorities for Paediatric Research in the Eighties

The discipline within which this review is made is epidemiology: the study of the group to complement the study of the individual. The intention is to show how an academic department of Child Health has used this method to study the health needs of children, to consider aspects of paediatrics to which it might be applied in the next decade, and to see how experience and prediction relate to each other. I accept William Harvey's definition of "research given three centuries ago: "To search out and study the secrets of Nature by experiment. " The words "context" and "priorities" in the title are more difficult, and I seem to reach their meaning through a common English saying which has applied to me more often than I like to remember. "He can't see the wood for the trees. " The saying is a recurring experience in forestry, where an uncontrolled landscape reveals a confusion of trees and woods and where selective felling and planting create a clarity of wood and trees. The wood is context, the trees priorities, and my thesis is that relevant priorities are only found if we understand the context from which they arise and in which they must be sought. I shall not refer to technical advances, necessary as they are, because I am concerned not with techniques but with the ideas that direct them. Of course, I accept the drive of the individual question in research and the personal commitment which must pursue it to the end. However, unrestrained individualism has led to the suffocating impact of the publication explosion which overwhelms us when we survey the range of journals in any scientific library. From this position, the question takes a different form and asks, "Can the dynamic of individual enquiry live in constructive tension with the restraints of the context within which it must work? "
Apical sorting of lysoGPI-anchored proteins occurs independent of association with detergent-resistant membranes but dependent on their N-glycosylation

Overexpression of C-terminally tagged PGAP3 causes predominant production of lysoGPI-APs in MDCK cells. In these cells, produced lysoGPI-APs are not incorporated into detergent-resistant membranes but are still delivered apically. The apical transport of both fully remodeled and lysoGPI-APs is sensitive to cholesterol depletion and ablation of N-glycosylation.
Technical Solutions for Privacy- Enhanced Personalization

This chapter presents a first-of-its-kind survey that systematically analyzes existing privacy-enhanced personalization (PEP) solutions and their underlying privacy protection techniques. The evaluation is based on an analytical framework of privacy-enhancing technologies, an earlier work of the authors. More specifically, we critically examine whether each PEP solution satisfies the privacy principles and addresses the privacy concerns that have been uncovered in the context of personalization. The chapter aims at helping researchers better understand the technical underpinnings, practical efficacies and limitations of existing PEP solutions, and at inspiring and developing future PEP solutions by outlining several promising research directions based on our findings.
Decision Theory: Poised for the New Millennium

50 years of consumer decision research has resulted in many decision models and decision strategies, yet they appear conflicting and inconsistent. We know that consumers use different strategies in different decision contexts, yet we have insufficient understanding of how they choose and apply these strategies to yield predictability. We know that consumers sometimes trade-off between attributes of products, but at other times they eliminate the product without trade-off. There is empirical support for a multi-phase decision process for complex decision contexts, yet few decision theories go beyond a single-phase, outcome focused approach. In this paper we examine existing consumer decision theory and propose an approach new to marketing, image theory, as a viable alternative that encompasses the existing theory while adding new insight. The strength of image theory lies in its multi-phase approach that allows, but does not require, trade-off between attributes and its applied data capture capabilities. Existing decision theories can be incorporated within its framework, with the consumer using one or more strategies within each phase and changing their strategy between phases. We believe image theory provides an opportunity for a broader perspective of consumer decision-making across multiple decision contexts.
Use of Modern Processors in Safety-Critical Applications

This paper investigates the implications of using modern superscalar processors in the safety-critical domain. Firstly, a description of current certification practice and devices is given as background. This is followed by an exposition of the certification argument for a processor when used in a safetycritical application. Throughout the presentation of the argument two types of modern processor are considered, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) processors and purpose-designed bespoke devices. This allows the elaboration of positive and negative features of processors that can be used as part of the selection (for COTS) or design (for bespoke) process.
ApproxIt: An approximate computing framework for iterative methods

Approximate computing, being able to tradeoff computation quality (e.g., accuracy) and computational effort (e.g., energy) for error-tolerant applications such as media processing and the emerging Recognition, Mining, and Synthesis (RMS) applications, has gained significant traction in recent years. Many of these applications employ iterative methods for solution-finding, wherein a sequence of improving approximate solutions are generated before reaching the final converged solution. In this work, we propose ApproxIt, a novel approximate computing framework for iterative methods with quality guarantees. To be specific, we present a lightweight quality estimator that is able to capture the solution quality of each iteration and use it to guide the selection of approximate computing mode in the next iteration. With the proposed dynamic effort scaling technique, ApproxIt is able to dramatically improve application energy efficiency under quality guarantees, as demonstrated in our experimental results.
Leveraging the Contributions of the Casual Majority to Identify Appealing Web Content

Users of peer production web sites differ greatly in their activity levels.A small minority are engaged contributors, while the vast majority are only casual surfers. The casual users devote little effort to evaluating the site's content and many of them visit the site only once. This churn poses a challenge for sites attempting to gauge user interest in their content. The challenge is especially severe for sites focusing on content with subjective quality, including movies, music, restaurants and items in other cultural markets. A key question is whether content evaluation should use opinions of all users or only the minority who devote significant effort to reviewing content? Using Amazon Mechanical Turk, we experimentally address this question by comparing outcomes for these two approaches. We find that the larger numbers of less informed users more than offset their noisy signals on content quality to provide rapid evaluation. However, such users are systematically biased, and the speed of their assessments comes at the expense of limited collective accuracy.
The mitochondrial UPR – protecting organelle protein homeostasis

Mitochondria are required for numerous essential metabolic processes including the regulation of apoptosis; therefore, proper maintenance of the mitochondrial proteome is crucial. The protein-folding environment in mitochondria is challenged by organelle architecture, the presence of reactive oxygen species and the difficulties associated with assembly of the electron transport chain, which consists of components encoded by both the mitochondrial and the nuclear genomes. Mitochondria have dedicated molecular chaperones and proteases that promote proper protein folding, complex assembly and quality control. Work in cultured mammalian cells and Caenorhabditis elegans has yielded clues to the mechanisms linking perturbations in the protein-folding environment in the mitochondrial matrix to the expression of nuclear genes encoding mitochondrial proteins. Here, we review the current knowledge of this mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt), compare it with the better understood UPR of the endoplasmic reticulum and highlight its potential impact on development and disease.
Actin foci facilitate activation of the phospholipase C-γ in primary T lymphocytes via the WASP pathway

Wiscott Aldrich Syndrome protein (WASP) deficiency results in defects in calcium ion signaling, cytoskeletal regulation, gene transcription and overall T cell activation. The activation of WASP constitutes a key pathway for actin filament nucleation. Yet, when WASP function is eliminated there is negligible effect on actin polymerization at the immunological synapse, leading to gaps in our understanding of the events connecting WASP and calcium ion signaling. Here, we identify a fraction of total synaptic F-actin selectively generated by WASP in the form of distinct F-actin ‘foci’. These foci are polymerized de novo as a result of the T cell receptor (TCR) proximal tyrosine kinase cascade, and facilitate distal signaling events including PLCγ1 activation and subsequent cytoplasmic calcium ion elevation. We conclude that WASP generates a dynamic F-actin architecture in the context of the immunological synapse, which then amplifies the downstream signals required for an optimal immune response. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.04953. 001
Numerical Limit Analysis of Reinforced Concrete Structures: Computational Modeling with Finite Elements for Lower Bound Limit Analysis of Reinforced Concrete Structures.

For more than half a century, limit state analysis based on the extremum principles have been used to assess the load bearing capacity of reinforced concrete structures. Extensive research within the field has lead to several techniques for performing such analysis manually. While these manual methods provide engineers with valuable tools for limit state analysis, their application becomes difficult with increased structural complexity. The main challenge is to solve the optimization problem posed by the extremum principles. This thesis is a study of how numerical methods can be used to solve limit state analysis problems. The work focuses on determination of the load bearing capacity of reinforced concrete structures by employing the lower bound theorem and a finite element method using equilibrium elements is developed. The recent year’s development within the field of convex optimization is applied to solve the limit state problems. Three different element types have been developed and tested. The first is a solid tetrahedral element with a linear stress distribution. The tri-axial stress state in the element is decomposed into concrete and reinforcement stresses, to which separate yield criteria are applied. The reinforcement is assumed to carry axial stresses only and is constrained by simple upperand lower limits while the modified Coulomb criterion is applied to the concrete stresses. The element is verified by analytical solutions and used to model and analyze a console beam with complex reinforcement layout. The second element is a beam element capable of carrying loads in three dimensions. The element employs a zone model which provides a discrete representation of the internal stress state in the beam. By applying the yield criterion on a stress state level, the element circumvents the need for a complex section force based yield criterion. The stresses are, similar to the solid model, decomposed into concrete and axial reinforcement stresses to which separate yield criteria are applied. An approximation to the modified Coulomb criterion using second-order cone constraints is developed for improved performance. An example is given in which an inverse T-beam is analyzed and the numerical results are compared to laboratory tests. The third and final element is a plane shell element capable of modeling membrane and plate bending behavior. The element employs a layered disk approach to create a discrete representation of the internal stresses. The stress state is separated and yield criteria are applied similar to the solid element. Because the transverse shear stresses are included in the modified Coulomb criterion, the element is capable of modeling the effects and
Red emitting Eu:ZnO nanorods for highly sensitive fluorescence intensity ratio based optical thermometry

Here, we report the synthesis of Eu:ZnO nanorods by a hydrothermal method and their use as fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) based optical temperature sensors. The as-prepared nanorods show band to band UV emission along with Eu3+ emissions accompanied by broad intense visible host defect related emissions under UV (355 nm) excitation, whereas only Eu3+ related emissions are observed under visible (532 nm) excitation. The emissions corresponding to 5D1, 5D0 → 7F1 and 5D1, 5D0 → 7F2 under 532 nm excitation are considered for FIR based temperature sensing as 5D1 and 5D0 bands are very close to each other and can possess a thermal equilibrium between them. The intensity ratio between these transitions follows a Boltzmann type distribution function. The sensitivity obtained by fitting the intensity ratio is very high (3013/T2 K−1 for 5D1, 5D0 → 7F2) as compared to the reported values for Eu3+ based sensors and can be applied in a wide range of temperatures (83–493 K). The sensitivity is highly influenced by the doping concentration of Eu, increases with doping up to a certain extent and then decreases.
UROKINASE PLASMINOGEN ACTIVATOR SYSTEM IN HUMANS WITH STABLE CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE

1. The present study compares plasma urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) peptide levels, plasma plasminogen inhibitor (PAI‐1) activity and urokinase receptors (uPAR) on peripheral blood monocytes of patients with stable coronary artery disease (SCAD) and healthy volunteers.