Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
STRINGENT CONSTRAINT ON THE SCALAR–NEUTRINO COUPLING CONSTANT FROM QUINTESSENTIAL COSMOLOGY

An extremely light (mϕ≪10-33eV), slowly-varying scalar field ϕ (quintessence) with a potential energy density as large as 60% of the critical density has been proposed as the origin of the accelerated expansion of the universe at present. The interaction of this smoothly distributed component with another predominantly smooth component, the cosmic neutrino background, is studied. The slow-roll approximation for generic ϕ potentials may then be used to obtain a limit on the scalar–neutrino coupling constant, found to be many orders of magnitude more stringent than the limits set by observations of neutrinos from SN 1987A. In addition, if quintessential theory allows for a violation of the equivalence principle in the sector of neutrinos, the current solar neutrino data can probe such a violation at the 10-10 level.
Reentry Resources Available to University Students Returning from Study Abroad Programs: A Case Study

This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Loyola eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses (1 year embargo) by an authorized administrator of Loyola eCommons. For more information, please contact ecommons@luc.edu. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS It is a pleasure to thank those who helped to make this thesis possible. I am grateful to the students for sharing their experiences with me and for taking a chance on study abroad‐ they will never forget it. I am also thankful to the Office for International Programs for allowing me access to these student experiences that made this project possible. I would especially like to thank my committee members, Dr. Noah Sobe and Dr. Terry Williams, for their patience and encouragement throughout this process. Dr. Sobe's mentorship and thoughtful feedback coupled with Dr. Williams' incredible kindness and lifelong commitment to student learning saved me when this project proved most difficult. I acknowledge the statistical support of Joshua Polanin, the restoring advice of Sophia Rodriguez, my great colleagues and friends in the OIP, the long‐time mentorship of Bradley Blankenship, and the great friendships of Cassie Sheets and Francesco Maiorano. I am also extremely grateful for the constant love and support of my grandparents, Joanne Wimmer, Ken Harbaum, and Chuck Pollis. I owe my deepest gratitude to my mother and father for their motivation and unending support through this project and their encouragement of international travel and study. Lastly, I am grateful for my own study abroad experiences in Italy‐ the inspiration for my dedication to the advancement of international study.
Deep neural network based posteriors for text-dependent speaker verification

The i-vector and Joint Factor Analysis (JFA) systems for text-dependent speaker verification use sufficient statistics computed from a speech utterance to estimate speaker models. These statistics average the acoustic information over the utterance thereby losing all the sequence information. In this paper, we study explicit content matching using Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) and present the best achievable error rates for speaker-dependent and speaker-independent content matching. For this purpose, a Deep Neural Network/Hidden Markov Model Automatic Speech Recognition (DNN/HMM ASR) system is used to extract content-related posterior probabilities. This approach outperforms systems using Gaussian mixture model posteriors by at least 50% Equal Error Rate (EER) on the RSR2015 in content mismatch trials. DNN posteriors are also used in i-vector and JFA systems, obtaining EERs as low as 0.02%.
Surgery of insular nonenhancing gliomas: volumetric analysis of tumoral resection, clinical outcome, and survival in a consecutive series of 66 cases.

BACKGROUND Despite intraoperative technical improvements, the insula remains a challenging area for surgery because of its critical relationships with vascular and neurophysiological functional structures. OBJECTIVE To retrospectively investigate the morbidity profile in insular nonenhancing gliomas, with special emphasis on volumetric analysis of tumoral resection. METHODS From 2000 to 2010, 66 patients underwent surgery. All surgical procedures were conducted under cortical-subcortical stimulation and neurophysiological monitoring. Volumetric scan analysis was applied on T2-weighted magnetic resonance images (MRIs) to establish preoperative and postoperative tumoral volume. RESULTS The median preoperative tumor volume was 108 cm. The median extent of resection was 80%. The median follow-up was 4.3 years. An immediate postoperative worsening was detected in 33.4% of cases; a definitive worsening resulted in 6% of cases. Patients with extent of resection of > 90% had an estimated 5-year overall survival rate of 92%, whereas those with extent of resection between 70% and 90% had a 5-year overall survival rate of 82% (P < .001). The difference between preoperative tumoral volumes on T2-weighted MRI and on postcontrast T1-weighted MRI ([T2 - T1] MRI volume) was computed to evaluate the role of the diffusive tumoral growing pattern on overall survival. Patients with preoperative volumetric difference < 30 cm demonstrated a 5-year overall survival rate of 92%, whereas those with a difference of > 30 cm had a 5-year overall survival rate of 57% (P = .02). CONCLUSION With intraoperative cortico-subcortical mapping and neurophysiological monitoring, a major resection is possible with an acceptable risk and a significant result in the follow-up.
Study of Ultra High Performance Fiber Reinforced Concrete with Expansive and Shrinkage Reducing Agents

UltraHigh Performance Fiber Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC) exhibits remarkable mechanical performance, which can allow to reduce the cross-section of structural members. However,a problem involving UHPFRC isthe likely tendency to crack at early age, due to autogenous and plastic shrinkages, caused by the very low water-to-binder ratio adopted. Therefore, this experimental work intends to detect the effectiveness of a possible solution for reducing the risk of shrinkage cracks in UHPFRC, by adding to the mixture a suitable combination of expansive and shrinkage reducing agents.Compressionand bending testswere carried out up to28 days of curing. Free drying shrinkage strains were evaluated up to 56 days of exposure to 50% relative humidity. The experimental results obtained by using expansive and shrinkage reducing agents were extremely encouraging in termsof free dryingshrinkage reduction, and even surprising in terms of flexural behaviour.
Intussusception: Clinical Presentations and Imaging Characteristics

Objective The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of clinical findings associated with intussusception based on age and to evaluate the test characteristics of the presence of air in the ascending colon on abdominal radiographs and the effectiveness of ultrasound in diagnosing intussusception. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study via chart review at a tertiary care center from January 2002 to December 2008. All children, aged 0 to 17 years, were identified with intussusception by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision diagnostic coding. Charts were reviewed for clinical signs and symptoms at presentation, and all diagnostic studies were retrieved. A pediatric radiologist reviewed all films and ultrasounds. Results A total of 219 patients were identified with intussusception. One hundred thirty-two (60%) of patients were male; 127 (60%) were younger than 1 year (median, 7 months), 59 (27%) were 13 to 35 months (median, 23 months), and 33 (15%) were 3 years or older (median, 5 years). Children younger than 12 months were more likely to present with emesis, irritability, and guaiac-positive or grossly bloody stools compared with children older than 12 months (P < 0.05). In children older than 12 months, abdominal pain was the most common symptom (>96%). Plain films were performed in 192 children, and of these, 163 (85%) had no air present in the ascending colon. Abdominal ultrasound was performed on 63 patients, with 58 (92%) having findings consistent with intussusception. Conclusions Abdominal pain is the most common complaint in all ages for children presenting with intussusception. In children younger than 12 months, the strongest clinical predictors are emesis, irritability, and blood in the stool. For diagnosing intussusceptions, radiographs of the abdomen performed well, but ultrasound performed better, diagnosing intussusception in 92% of the cases.
A pseudo-Daugavet property for narrow projections in Lorentz spaces

Let X be a rearrangement-invariant space. An operator T : X → X is called narrow if for each measurable set A and each " > 0 there exists x ∈ X with x 2 = �A, R xdµ = 0 and k Txk 2, then there exists a constant kX > 1 so that for every narrow projection P on Lw,p k Id − P k ≥ kX. This generalizes earlier results on Lp and partially answers a question of E. M. Semenov. Moreover we prove that every rearrangement-invariant function space X with an absolutely continuous norm contains a complemented subspace isomorphic to X which is the range of a narrow projection and a non-narrow projection, which gives a negative answer to a question of A.Plichko and M.Popov.
Cloud Computing: Opportunities and Challenges

We live and operate in the world of computing and computers. The Internet has drastically changed the computing world from the concept of parallel computing to distributed computing to grid computing and now to cloud computing. Cloud computing is a new wave in the field of information technology. Some see it as an emerging field in computer science. It consists of a set of resources and services offered through the Internet. Hence, "cloud computing" is also called "Internet computing. " The word "cloud" is a metaphor for describing the Web as a space where computing has been preinstalled and exists as a service. Operating systems, applications, storage, data, and processing capacity all exist on the Web, ready to be shared among users. Figure 1 shows a conceptual diagram of cloud computing.
Towards an adaptive selection of loss estimation techniques in software-defined networks

Next generation Software-defined Networks (SDN) aim at deeply programmable switches which can be leveraged by SDN controllers to offload self-contained, logically persistent tasks. One such task is flow and network monitoring, specifically, fault detection and loss estimation, which is essential for SDN applications that provide quality of service guarantees under network dynamics. In this work, we devise, implement, and evaluate fault detection and loss estimation techniques built upon tasks devolved to SDN switches. Subsequently, we contribute (i) an analysis and empirical evaluation of the benefits and costs of different packet loss estimators depending on the network conditions; and (ii) a case study showing how an adaptive monitoring framework, which flexibly exchanges the estimation techniques, would retain a thoroughly good fidelity while optimizing the monitoring costs.
THE ERROR COMPONENT IN SPATIAL DATA

No map can be picked apart into completely independent pellets of information. There is something collective and comprehensive about the spatial representation. First, the map is spatially continuous and comiected. There is also a deeper reason. Individual facts become more useful i nformation through an interaction with a structure of theory that provides a context to interpret the individual facts. In common usage, the main distinction between data and information arises from meaning, but meaning is context dependent. To be more concrete, the process of converting a particular fact into information must comprehend the fitness of that fact for some particular purpose. This line of argument provides an important introduction to the role of data quality in an information system. Quality has various definitions in industrial engineering (Hayes and Romig 1977), but one accepted definition is `fitness for use' (Chrisman 1983). Recently, the US National Committee Digital Cartographic Data Standards Task Force (DCDSTF 1988) has adopted this definition formally for inclusion in a US national standard for exchange of spatial data. The standard requires a quality report that provides the basis for a user to make the final judgement the conversion to information by interpretation for a particular use. N R CHRISMAN
Comparative transcriptome analysis of epithelial and fiber cells in newborn mouse lenses with RNA sequencing

Purpose The ocular lens contains only two cell types: epithelial cells and fiber cells. The epithelial cells lining the anterior hemisphere have the capacity to continuously proliferate and differentiate into lens fiber cells that make up the large proportion of the lens mass. To understand the transcriptional changes that take place during the differentiation process, high-throughput RNA-Seq of newborn mouse lens epithelial cells and lens fiber cells was conducted to comprehensively compare the transcriptomes of these two cell types. Methods RNA from three biologic replicate samples of epithelial and fiber cells from newborn FVB/N mouse lenses was isolated and sequenced to yield more than 24 million reads per sample. Sequence reads that passed quality filtering were mapped to the reference genome using Genomic Short-read Nucleotide Alignment Program (GSNAP). Transcript abundance and differential gene expression were estimated using the Cufflinks and DESeq packages, respectively. Gene Ontology enrichment was analyzed using GOseq. RNA-Seq results were compared with previously published microarray data. The differential expression of several biologically important genes was confirmed using reverse transcription (RT)-quantitative PCR (qPCR). Results Here, we present the first application of RNA-Seq to understand the transcriptional changes underlying the differentiation of epithelial cells into fiber cells in the newborn mouse lens. In total, 6,022 protein-coding genes exhibited differential expression between lens epithelial cells and lens fiber cells. To our knowledge, this is the first study identifying the expression of 254 long intergenic non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs) in the lens, of which 86 lincRNAs displayed differential expression between the two cell types. We found that RNA-Seq identified more differentially expressed genes and correlated with RT-qPCR quantification better than previously published microarray data. Gene Ontology analysis showed that genes upregulated in the epithelial cells were enriched for extracellular matrix production, cell division, migration, protein kinase activity, growth factor binding, and calcium ion binding. Genes upregulated in the fiber cells were enriched for proteosome complexes, unfolded protein responses, phosphatase activity, and ubiquitin binding. Differentially expressed genes involved in several important signaling pathways, lens structural components, organelle loss, and denucleation were also highlighted to provide insights into lens development and lens fiber differentiation. Conclusions RNA-Seq analysis provided a comprehensive view of the relative abundance and differential expression of protein-coding and non-coding transcripts from lens epithelial cells and lens fiber cells. This information provides a valuable resource for studying lens development, nuclear degradation, and organelle loss during fiber differentiation, and associated diseases.
Spatial distributions of hole traps and image latency in InSb focal plane arrays

Spatial distributions of hole trap sites on a quasipixel level in InSb arrays for SIRTF are examined. The dependence of flux, fluence, and applied bias on image latency is investigated, and experimental results are presented and discussed. Models of linearity and capacitance are compared with experimental results. We find increasing the depletion width in a light exposed pixel by larger reverse biasing decreases the trapped charge (or latency) in that pixel by factors of approximately 3. Assumed pixel geometries lead to an apparent spatial density of active trap sites that falls quickly with distance from the implants.
Analysis of Zeno behaviors in a class of hybrid systems

This note investigates conditions for existence of Zeno behaviors (where a system undergoes an unbounded number of discrete transitions in a finite length of time) in a class of hybrid systems. Zeno behavior occurs, for example, when a controller unsuccessfully attempts to satisfy an invariance specification by switching the system among different configurations faster and faster. Two types of Zeno systems are investigated: (1) strongly Zeno systems where all runs of the system are Zeno and (2) (weakly) Zeno systems where only some runs of the system are Zeno. For constant-rate and bounded-rate hybrid systems and some nonlinear generalizations, necessary and sufficient conditions for both Zenoness and strong Zenoness are derived. The analysis is based on studying the trajectory set of a certain "equivalent" continuous-time system that is associated with the dynamic equations of the hybrid system. The relation between the possibility of existence of Zeno behaviors in a system and the problem of existence of non-Zeno safety controllers (that keep the system in a specified region of its operating space) is also examined. It is shown that in certain Zeno systems, a minimally-interventive safety controller may not exist, even if a safety controller exists, disproving a conjecture made earlier in the literature.
INFLUENCE OF AMBIENT GAS ON THE TEMPERATURE AND DENSITY OF LASER PRODUCED CARBON PLASMA

The effect of ambient gas on the dynamics of the plasma generated by laser ablation of a carbon target using 1.06 μm radiation from a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser has been investigated using a spectroscopic technique. The emission characteristics of the carbon plasma produced in argon, helium and air atmospheres are found to depend strongly on the nature and pressure of the surrounding gas. It has been observed that hotter and denser plasmas are formed in an argon atmosphere rather than in helium or air as an ambient.
How Many People Could Use an SSVEP BCI?

Brain-computer interfaces (BCI) are communication systems that allow people to send messages or commands without movement. BCIs rely on different types of signals in the electroencephalogram (EEG), typically P300s, steady-state visually evoked potentials (SSVEP), or event-related desynchronization. Early BCI systems were often evaluated with a selected group of subjects. Also, many articles do not mention data from subjects who performed poorly. These and other factors have made it difficult to estimate how many people could use different BCIs. The present study explored how many subjects could use an SSVEP BCI. We recorded data from 53 subjects while they participated in 1–4 runs that were each 4 min long. During these runs, the subjects focused on one of four LEDs that each flickered at a different frequency. The eight channel EEG data were analyzed with a minimum energy parameter estimation algorithm and classified with linear discriminant analysis into one of the four classes. Online results showed that SSVEP BCIs could provide effective communication for all 53 subjects, resulting in a grand average accuracy of 95.5%. About 96.2% of the subjects reached an accuracy above 80%, and nobody was below 60%. This study showed that SSVEP based BCI systems can reach very high accuracies after only a very short training period. The SSVEP approach worked for all participating subjects, who attained accuracy well above chance level. This is important because it shows that SSVEP BCIs could provide communication for some users when other approaches might not work for them.
The PCH family protein, Cdc15p, recruits two F-actin nucleation pathways to coordinate cytokinetic actin ring formation in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Cytokinetic actin ring (CAR) formation in Schizosaccharomyces pombe requires two independent actin nucleation pathways, one dependent on the Arp2/3 complex and another involving the formin Cdc12p. Here we investigate the role of the S. pombe Cdc15 homology family protein, Cdc15p, in CAR assembly and find that it interacts with proteins from both of these nucleation pathways. Cdc15p binds directly to the Arp2/3 complex activator Myo1p, which likely explains why actin patches and the Arp2/3 complex fail to be medially recruited during mitosis in cdc15 mutants. Cdc15p also binds directly to Cdc12p. Cdc15p and Cdc12p not only display mutual dependence for CAR localization, but also exist together in a ring-nucleating structure before CAR formation. The disruption of these interactions in cdc15 null cells is likely to be the reason for their complete lack of CARs. We propose a model in which Cdc15p plays a critical role in recruiting and coordinating the pathways essential for the assembly of medially located F-actin filaments and construction of the CAR.
The Muscle Chloride Channel ClC-1 Has a Double-Barreled Appearance that Is Differentially Affected in Dominant and Recessive Myotonia

Single-channel recordings of the currents mediated by the muscle Cl− channel, ClC-1, expressed in Xenopus oocytes, provide the first direct evidence that this channel has two equidistant open conductance levels like the Torpedo ClC-0 prototype. As for the case of ClC-0, the probabilities and dwell times of the closed and conducting states are consistent with the presence of two independently gated pathways with ≈ 1.2 pS conductance enabled in parallel via a common gate. However, the voltage dependence of the common gate is different and the kinetics are much faster than for ClC-0. Estimates of single-channel parameters from the analysis of macroscopic current fluctuations agree with those from single-channel recordings. Fluctuation analysis was used to characterize changes in the apparent double-gate behavior of the ClC-1 mutations I290M and I556N causing, respectively, a dominant and a recessive form of myotonia. We find that both mutations reduce about equally the open probability of single protopores and that mutation I290M yields a stronger reduction of the common gate open probability than mutation I556N. Our results suggest that the mammalian ClC-homologues have the same structure and mechanism proposed for the Torpedo channel ClC-0. Differential effects on the two gates that appear to modulate the activation of ClC-1 channels may be important determinants for the different patterns of inheritance of dominant and recessive ClC-1 mutations.
Duplicate image detection in a stream of web visual data

We consider the problem of indexing and searching image duplicates in streaming visual data. This task requires a fast image descriptor, a small memory footprint for each signature and a quick search algorithm. To this end, we propose a new descriptor satisfying the aforementioned requirements. We evaluate our method on two different datasets with the use of different sets of distractor images, leading to large-scale image collections (up to 85 million images). We compare our method to the state of the art and show it exhibits among the best detection performances but is much faster (one to two orders of magnitude).
Lens-fed multiple beam array for millimeter wave indoor communications

This article shows a printed circuit lens fed multiple beam antenna array designed for millimeter wave indoor personal communication systems, which is formed by using of a linear array of equally spaced elements, fed with an improved printed circuit Rotman lens. Both the lens and the array are designed and built on the same dielectric substrate. The antenna operates in frequency range of 27-30 GHz and covers an angular sector near 120 degrees with 11 beams. A full azimuth coverage can be obtained through a set of three antenna arrays. Simulation results of phase and amplitude distributions, radiation pattern prediction as well as application considerations are given.