Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diblock copolymer ordering induced by patterned surfaces

We use a Ginzburg-Landau free-energy functional to investigate diblock copolymer morphologies when the copolymer melt interacts with one surface or is confined between two chemically patterned surfaces. For temperatures above the order-disorder transition a complete linear response description of the copolymer melt is given, in terms of an arbitrary two-dimensional surface pattern. The appearance of order in the direction parallel to the surface is found as a result of the order in the perpendicular direction. Below the order-disorder transition and in a thin-film geometry, our procedure enables an analytic calculation of distorted perpendicular and tilted lamellar phases in the presence of uniform or striped surface fields.
Fatty Acid Desaturases, Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Regulation, and Biotechnological Advances

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are considered to be critical nutrients to regulate human health and development, and numerous fatty acid desaturases play key roles in synthesizing PUFAs. Given the lack of delta-12 and -15 desaturases and the low levels of conversion to PUFAs, humans must consume some omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in their diet. Many studies on fatty acid desaturases as well as PUFAs have shown that fatty acid desaturase genes are closely related to different human physiological conditions. Since the first front-end desaturases from cyanobacteria were cloned, numerous desaturase genes have been identified and animals and plants have been genetically engineered to produce PUFAs such as eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. Recently, a biotechnological approach has been used to develop clinical treatments for human physiological conditions, including cancers and neurogenetic disorders. Thus, understanding the functions and regulation of PUFAs associated with human health and development by using biotechnology may facilitate the engineering of more advanced PUFA production and provide new insights into the complexity of fatty acid metabolism.
Commentary: ways of asking and ways of living: reflections on the 50th anniversary of Morris' ever-useful Uses of Epidemiology.

To be of use. To Jeremy Morris (b. 1910), writing a half-century ago in his now classic text, Uses of Epidemiology, the promise—and responsibility—of epidemiology was clear: to generate scientific knowledge about the ‘presence, nature and distribution of health and disease among the population’ (p. 96), ultimately in order to ‘abolish the clinical picture’(p. 98). Committed to improving the ‘health of the community’ (p. 96),Morris argued that ‘one of the most urgent social needs of the day’ that epidemiology could address was ‘identifying harmful ways of living’ and ‘rules of healthy living’ (p. 98). Uniquely equipping epidemiology to carry out this task was, in his view, its population and historical perspective and its dual engagement with studying ‘human biology’ and ‘the social aspects of health and disease’ (p. 97). Viewing epidemiology as a necessary complement to what he deemed equally vital clinical and laboratory research (p. 99), Morris affirmed that the discipline’s distinct uses ‘all stem from the fact that in epidemiology the group is studied and not merely particular individuals or cases in the group’ (p. 97). How might epidemiologists enhance their capacity to do useful research? Morris’ answer: by use of better methods. Only the sort of methods Morris had in mind were not the kinds of technical methods emphasized by the ‘modern epidemiology’ of recent years, as necessary as he knew them to be. Rather, Morris’ objective was to articulate a methodical approach for epidemiological thinking:
No supernovae detected in two long-duration gamma-ray bursts

There is strong evidence that long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are produced during the collapse of a massive star. In the standard version of the collapsar model, a broad-lined and luminous Type Ic core-collapse supernova (SN) accompanies the GRB. This association has been confirmed in observations of several nearby GRBs. Recent observations show that some long-duration GRBs are different. No SN emission accompanied the long-duration GRBs 060505 and 060614 down to limits fainter than any known Type Ic SN and hundreds of times fainter than the archetypal SN 1998bw that accompanied GRB 980425. Multi-band observations of the early afterglows, as well as spectroscopy of the host galaxies, exclude the possibility of significant dust obscuration. Furthermore, the bursts originated in star-forming galaxies, and in the case of GRB 060505, the burst was localized to a compact star-forming knot in a spiral arm of its host galaxy. We find that the properties of the host galaxies, the long duration of the bursts and, in the case of GRB 060505, the location of the burst within its host, all imply a massive stellar origin. The absence of an SN to such deep limits therefore suggests a new phenomenological type of massive stellar death.
Lorentz invariance and supersymmetry of four particle scattering amplitudes in the S N R 8 orbifold sigma model

The $S^N\R^8$ supersymmetric orbifold sigma model is expected to describe the IR limit of the Matrix string theory. In the framework of the model the type IIA string interaction is governed by a vertex which was recently proposed by R.Dijkgraaf, E.Verlinde and H.Verlinde. By using this interaction vertex we derive all four particle scattering amplitudes directly from the orbifold model in the large $N$ limit.
Image Target Recognition Using Pulse Coupled Neural Networks Time Matrix

A novel method for image target recognition based on the Pulse Coupled Neural Networks (PCNN) time matrix is presented in this paper. We describe the PCNN and put forward the concept of PCNN time matrix. The time matrix contains useful information related to spatial information of the image that is under processing. According to some physical concepts, a kind of new invariable feature of image histogram vector, histogram vector center, is defined, which is used in image target recognition. The results of computer simulations are that histogram vector center of PCNN time matrix has the ability of anti-geometric distortions (translation, rotation and scaling, TRS), and its extraction method is simple. Moreover, little parameters are extracted, and the presented target recognition approach is more efficient which compared with the traditional method.
Sex, Diastolic Blood Pressure, and Outcome after Thrombolysis for Ischemic Stroke

Background. The goal of this study was to identify differences in risk factors and functional outcome between the two sexes in patients treated with thrombolysis for ischemic stroke. Methods. This cohort study audited data from patients treated with thrombolysis for ischemic stroke during a 3-year period at Södersjukhuset, Stockholm. Results. Of the 355 patients included in the study, 162 (45%) were women and 193 (54%) were men. Women were older with a median age of 76 years; median age for men was 69 years (P < 0.0001). Diastolic blood pressure was lower for women compared to men (P = 0.001). At admission fewer women had a favorable modified Rankin Scale score compared to men (93.8% versus 99%, P = 0.008). Three months after discharge functional status did not differ significantly between the two sexes. Diastolic blood pressure was associated to functional outcome only in men when sex specific odds ratios were calculated (OR, 5.7; 95% CI, 1.7–20). Conclusion. The study indicates that females appear to gain a relatively greater benefit from thrombolytic therapy than men due to a better functional recovery. A higher diastolic blood pressure increases the risk for a worse prospective functional status in men.
Modulation of the Cold-Activated Channel TRPM8 by Lysophospholipids and Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids

We investigated the role of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) and the effects of PLA2 products (polyunsaturated fatty acids and lysophospholipids) on the cold-sensitive channel transient receptor potential (melastatin)-8 (TRPM8), heterologously expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells. TRPM8 responses to cold and the agonist icilin were abolished by inhibitors of the calcium-independent (iPLA2) form of the enzyme, whereas responses to menthol were less sensitive to iPLA2 inhibition. Inhibition of PLA2 similarly abolished the cold responses of the majority of cold-sensitive dorsal root ganglion neurons. The products of PLA2 had opposing effects on TRPM8. Lysophospholipids (LPLs) (lysophosphatidylcholine, lysophosphatidylinositol, and lysophosphatidylserine) altered the thermal sensitivity of TRPM8, raising the temperature threshold toward normal body temperature. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), such as arachidonic acid, inhibited the activation of TRPM8 by cold, icilin, and menthol. The relative potencies of lysophospholipids and PUFAs are such that lysophosphatidylcholine is able to modulate TRPM8 in the presence of an equimolar concentration of arachidonic acid. Positive modulation by LPLs provides a potential physiological mechanism for sensitizing and activating TRPM8 in the absence of temperature variations.
Cryptographic Algorithms Analysis Technology Research Based on Functions Signature Recognition

At present, the research on software reverse engineering pays more attention to cryptographic algorithms recognition and analysis. Malwares are becoming increasingly stealthy, more and more malwares are using cryptographic algorithms to protect themselves from being analyzed. There are no mature theory and tools to analyze cryptographic algorithms from the executable files effectively and exactly. In order to solve the problem efficiently, this paper discusses functions signature recognition technology, creating the cryptographic algorithms library including more than 3000 signature characteristics, and explores a way to recognize cryptographic algorithms based on functions signature recognition. Finally, the experiment results indicate the method is effective and feasible.
Measuring Morality in Political Attitude Expression

This study explores whether and how individuals evoke moral considerations when discussing their political beliefs. By analyzing open-ended responses in the 2012 American National Election Study using a previously validated dictionary, I find systematic ideological differences in moral reasoning, even when respondents are not explicitly asked about morality. The study proceeds to show that the reliance on moral considerations in attitude expression is amplified by the moral content of individual media environments.
A hybrid mode-matching spectral domain approach for evaluation of complex permittivity of lossy materials in cylindrical cavity

The cylindrical cavity resonator method is presented to evaluate the complex relative permittivity of lossy materials. The loaded sample in the cavity is required to have the rotational symmetry but may have bulky and/or wide sample. To measure the sample at the specified frequency with high Q, movable dielectric supports with low permittivity and low loss are loaded in cavity. Theoretical basis of the method is the hybrid electromagnetic field analysis, i.e. the extended spectral domain approach combined with mode-matching method (ESDMM). The proposed evaluation method is verified with virtual experiments as well as actual measurements.
A New Generation of X-ray Baggage Scanners Based on a Different Physical Principle

X-ray baggage scanners play a basic role in the protection of airports, customs, and other strategically important buildings and infrastructures. The current technology of baggage scanners is based on x-ray attenuation, meaning that the detection of threat objects relies on how various objects differently attenuate the x-ray beams going through them. This capability is enhanced by the use of dual-energy x-ray scanners, which make the determination of the x-ray attenuation characteristics of a material more precise by taking images with different x-ray spectra, and combining the information appropriately. However, this still has limitations whenever objects with similar attenuation characteristics have to be distinguished. We describe an alternative approach based on a different x-ray interaction phenomenon, x-ray refraction. Refraction is a familiar phenomenon in visible light (e.g., what makes a straw half immersed in a glass of water appear bent), which also takes place in the x-ray regime, only causing deviations at much smaller angles. Typically, these deviations occur at the boundaries of all objects. We have developed a system that, like other “phase contrast” based instruments, is capable of detecting such deviations, and therefore of creating precise images of the contours of all objects. This complements the material-related information provided by x-ray attenuation, and helps contextualizing the nature of the individual objects, therefore resulting in an increase of both sensitivity (increased detection rate) and specificity (reduced rate of false positives) of baggage scanners.
Performance Analysis of General Cut-Through Switching on Buffered MIN Switches

This paper presents a general analytical model for studying the effect of cut-through switching on buffered MIN (multistage interconnection network) switches. We consider two types of MIN switches: input-buffered MIN and output-buffered MIN. Previous studies of cut-through switching assumed the use of 2 × 2 switching elements as a building block for the MIN; and they are not applicable to MINs using switches of other sizes than 2 × 2. With the general model, we find that switch size actually plays a key role in determining the performance of cut-through switching on the buffered MIN switch. Our proposed model and analysis successfully exhibit these performance characteristics, many of which were unknown previously, in terms of normalized throughput and delay under various operating conditions. The proposed model allows us to quantitatively analyze the joint effect of major system parameters, switch size and others, on the performance of cut-through switching for the two types of MINs. Our analysis essentially shows that cut-through switching has different effects on the performance of the input-buffered MIN switch and the output-buffered MIN switch. The differences are indicated and elaborated. In addition, through simulation we study the performance of cut-through switching on the buffered MIN switch under bursty traffic and hot-spot traffic.
New examples of homogeneous Einstein metrics.

A Riemannian metric is said to be Einsteinif the Ricci curvature is a constant multiple of the metric. Given a manifold M, one can ask whether M carries an Einstein metric and, if so, how many. This fundamental question in Riemannian geometry is for the most part unsolved (cf. [Bes]). As a global PDE or a variational problem, the question is intractible. It becomes more manageable in the homogeneous setting, and so many of the known examples of compact simply connected Einstein manifolds are homogeneous. In this paper we give a technique for finding and classifying all homogeneous metrics on any given homogeneous space, including those that are not diagonal with respect to the isotropy representation. We also examine some compact simply connected homogeneous spaces G/H, whereG is simple andH is closed and connected. On each space we describe all G-invariant Einstein metrics. For such spaces, the normal homogeneous Einstein metrics were classified by Wang and Ziller [WZ1]. Among the metrics we shall find, there is only one normal metric: the metric on S7 × S7 induced by the Killing form. In fact, apart fromS7× S7, none of our examples of homogeneous Einstein metrics is even naturally reductive. Each of our examples has G-invariant metrics that are not diagonal with respect to the isotropy representation of H. Few examples of this type have been previously examined. Some nondiagonal examples arise as fibrations with Riemannian submersion metrics, where the base and fibre are Einstein—for example, if the base and fibre are irreducible symmetric spaces. Using this method, we can expect a product Einstein metric on each of the examples to follow. Jensen does this to find a homogeneous Einstein metric on Stiefel manifolds VkR. He restricts to a two-parameter family of diagonal SO (n)-invariant metrics onVkR [J2]. Using very different methods, Sagle also considers Stiefel manifolds, showing that VkR carries at least one Einstein metric [S]. Sagle first discovered the SO (n)-invariant Einstein metric onV2R. Neither Sagle nor Jensen observes that the homogeneous Einstein metric on V2R is unique. More recently, Arvanitoyeorgos looks at a special family of SO(n)-invariant metrics onVkR [A]. None of these methods exhausts all possible homogeneous Einstein metrics.
Phytoremediation of a highly creosote-contaminated soil by means of Salix viminalis

The aims of this study were to investigate whether Salix viminalis could grow in a highly creosote contaminated soil and, if so, whether the introduction of the plant enhanced the dissipation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The purpose was also to examine whether inoculation of two different bacterial strains further enhanced the decrease of the contaminant. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse during ten weeks. The soil was collected at a former wood impregnation site belonging to the Swedish railway administration, in Krylbo, Sweden. The experiment comprised two different levels of PAH contaminated soil, the creosote soil used as such or diluted with an arable soil (1:1). The main PAHs studied in this experiment were phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene and benzo[a]pyrene. The soil samples were extracted with toluene and analysed by GC-MS. Microbial analyses were made to measure the number of extracted and cultivable bacteria (CFU/g soil) and dominating bacteria were tested for gram, fluorescence and oxidase reactions. The plants were infected by some bacterial disease which probably was an inherent infection of the cuttings and the number of "healthy" plants was reduced by 2/3 in both the creosote soil and the diluted soil. The initial PAH concentrations were very high, particularly for fluoranthene and pyrene. Some PAH degradation occurred in pots without plants, but the dissipation of all studied PAHs was enhanced in the presence of Salix viminalis and also the reduction of more recalcitrant compounds such as benzo[a]pyrene was impressive. In the presence of plants the PAH compounds were reduced in the creosote soil by 67 %, 79%, 77% and 43 % for anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene and benzo[a]pyrene respectively compared to the initial values and by 61 %, 66%, 79% and 30% in the mixed soil. For all studied PAHs the concentrations in the rhizosphere soil were found to be greater than in the bulk soil and this could probably be explained mostly by the movement of compounds from the surrounding soil into the rhizosphere, but partly also by an increased solubility. The results indicate that the introduction of the inocula was not succesful, but due to the inadequate number of pots with "healthy" plants no conclusions could be drawn. The microbial analyses showed a significantly higher number of cultivable bacteria per gram of soil in treatments with plants both compared to the initial soil and the treatments without plants.
Mobile File Filtering

Mobile le systems has been required to provide mechanisms which reduce the impact of low band-width data links and intermittent connectivity on applications. To minimise the frequency of voluntary disconnections (caused by delays with le accesses which are unacceptable to the user), the limited bandwidths of wireless networks must be used to best eeect. In this paper, we propose two user-level dynamic ltering mechanisms, inclusive and exclusive lters, which deene an adaptive volume. Acting in concert, these lters aim to minimise communication costs associated with maintaining overall consistency of les shared between mobile and desktop users. We present and analyse the results of a simulation study of the eeectiveness of our proposed adaptive volumes.
Comments on “Unidirectional Chosen-Ciphertext Secure Proxy Re-Encryption”

Libert and Vergnaud proposed a unidirectional proxy re-encryption scheme with temporary delegation (IEEE Trans. Inf. Theory, vol. 57, no. 3, pp. 1786-1802, Mar. 2011). They claimed that the scheme is chosen ciphertext secure in the chosen key model. However, their proof has a minor error in the simulation of the re-encryption oracle. The adversary is able to distinguish between the simulated environment and the real attack environment by using responses from the re-encryption oracle. Fortunately, we can amend the proof without any modification of the original scheme.
Evaluation of Background Subtraction Algorithms with Post-Processing

Processing a video stream to segment foreground objects from the background is a critical first step in many computer vision applications. Background subtraction (BGS) is a commonly used technique for achieving this segmentation. The popularity of BGS largely comes from its computational efficiency, which allows applications such as human-computer interaction, video surveillance, and traffic monitoring to meet their real-time goals. Numerous BGS algorithms and a number of post-processing techniques that aim to improve the results of these algorithms have been proposed. In this paper, we evaluate several popular, state-of-the-art BGS algorithms and examine how post-processing techniques affect their performance. Our experimental results demonstrate that post-processing techniques can significantly improve the foreground segmentation masks produced by a BGS algorithm. We provide recommendations for achieving robust foreground segmentation based on the lessons learned performing this comparative study.
A dynamic routing control system for high-performance PC cluster with multi-path Ethernet connection

VLAN-based flexible, reliable and expandable commodity network (VFREC-Net) is a network construction technology for PC clusters that allows multi-path network routing to be configured using inexpensive Layer-2 Ethernet switches based on tagged-VLAN technology. Current VFREC-Net system encounters problems with traffic balancing when the communication pattern of the application does not fit the network topology, due to its static routing scheme. We have developed a framework to solve this problem by allowing dynamic rewriting of the routing table from the application level. The basic function of modifying the VLAN-ID assignment for the communicating node pair from user application is supported. Using this function, it is possible to dynamically select the path to the destination from multiple paths. We also provide an API library for MPI programming to use the above framework, and confirmed its effectiveness through communication optimization on the NPB Kernel-CG benchmark.
Modeling of the heliospheric interface: multi-component nature of the heliospheric plasma

We present a new model of the heliospheric interface - the region of the solar wind interaction with the local interstellar medium. This new model performs a multi-component treatment of charged particles in the heliosphere. All charged particles are divided into several co-moving types. The coldest type, with parameters typical of original solar wind protons, is considered in the framework of fluid approximation. The hot pickup proton components created from interstellar H atoms and heliospheric ENAs by charge exchange, electron impact ionization and photoionization are treated kinetically. The charged components are considered self-consistently with interstellar H atoms, which are described kinetically as well. To solve the kinetic equation for H atoms we use the Monte Carlo method with splitting of trajectories, which allows us 1) to reduce statistical uncertainties allowing correct interpretation of observational data; 2) to separate all H atoms in the heliosphere into several populations depending on the place of their birth and on the type of parent protons.