Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Osmolarity and spectrophotometric property of brilliant blue green define the degree of toxicity on retinal pigment epithelial cells exposed to surgical endoilluminator

Objective To evaluate the effect of varying concentrations of brilliant blue green (BBG) and their different biochemical characteristics on retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells under xenon light source illumination at varying distances to identify safe parameters for intraoperative use. Methods Human retinal RPE cells (ARPE-19) were exposed to two concentrations (0.25 and 0.50 mg/mL) of BBG and illuminated with a xenon surgical illuminator at varying distances (10 and 25 mm), intensity levels, and time intervals (1, 5, and 15 minutes). Additionally, the effect of osmolarity was examined by diluting BBG in different concentrations of glucose. Cytotoxicity of BBG and osmolarity effects on cell viability were evaluated using a WST-1 assay. Light absorption and emission characteristic of BBG in different solvents were measured using a plate reader at different wavelengths. Lastly, the activity of caspase-3 was also studied. Results Cell viability of ARPE-19 cells was 77.4%±12.7%, 78.7%±17.0%, and 65.0%±19.7% at 1, 5, and 15 minutes to exposure of high illumination xenon light at 10 mm (P<0.05) compared to controls. At both distances of illumination (10 and 25 mm), similar cell viabilities were seen between 1 and 5 minutes of exposure. However, there was a decline in viability when the illumination was carried out to 15 minutes in all groups (P<0.05). There was no significant reduction in cell viability in presence or absence of xenon light in different osmolar solutions concentrations of glucose (P>0.05). Maximal light absorption of BBG was noted between 540 and 680 nm. Activated caspase-3 level was not significant in both the concentrations of BBG (P>0.05). Conclusion Our findings suggest that BBG at 0.25 mg/mL during vitreoretinal surgery is safe and not toxic to RPE cells up to 5 minutes under focal high illumination (10 mm) and up to 15 minutes under medium diffuse illumination (25 mm). BBG was safe to be mixed with isotonic glucose solution at the concentration range of 2.5%–10%, regardless of the illumination status.
QoS-Based Model Driven Assessment of Adaptive Reactive Systems

Adaptable reactive software systems continuously interact with their environment responding to external stimuli and triggering events that may be perceived by their users. Designing and maintaining such systems is a challenging task. A key issue to be faced concerns the assessment of their effectiveness, in terms of the ability to meet their required Quality of Service. This paper introduces a model driven approach to support this assessment, with a focus on performance and dependability attributes. Our approach takes advantage from an existing intermediate modeling language and introduces the necessary extensions to cope with reactive systems. The presented model driven framework exploits the idea of defining a model transformation chain that maps a design oriented model of the system to an analysis oriented model that lends itself to the application of a suitable analysis methodology. We identify some key concepts that should be present in the design model of an adaptable reactive system, and show how to devise a transformation from such a model to a target analysis models.
International Conference on Information Systems ( ICIS ) 1-1-2010 SIGNALING IN CONTENT SHARING PLATFORMS

Internet-based peer-to-peer (P2P) content sharing p latforms have emerged as a widespread mechanism for sharing electronic content using the Int rnet. A persistent problem with such platforms is the ex ante assessment of content inte gr ty and quality. In this ongoing study, we address this understudied issue. Using a multi-meth od research design, we identify using a grounded theory building approach three broad class es of signaling mechanisms associated with the content, contributor, and network that users in tegratively use to assess the risk-benefit tradeoffs in downloading a given unit of content (e .g., a file). We propose that these signals influence users’ holistic perception of risk-benefi t differential, and in turn influence the likelihoo d of downloading content files. We describe the statu of this research-in-progress study. Our primary expected contribution is a middle-range the ory of signaling that predicts how signaling mechanisms influence user behavior in such platform s.
Estimating the Shadow Economy

Abstract : In a series of recent articles, Frey and Weck (F-W) attempt to measure the relative sizes of the shadow economy, the part of GNP that escapes measurement as the result of evasion. Their work represents a substantial methodological innovation in research on the shadow economy. They base their approach on factors that they believe affect the size of that economy, rather than employing measures, such as the ratio of currency to demand deposits (Gutmann, 1977) or the ratio of transactions to measured GNP (Feige, 1979), to estimate its magnitude indirectly. While basing estimates of the size of the shadow economy directly on causal variables is a promising approach, Frey and Weck's paper contains three important shortcomings. First, it is too aggregative. Taxes and regulations are very heterogeneous collections of instruments, with widely differing consequences for the size of the shadow economy. Second, inappropriate surrogates are chosen for some of the variables. The result is that the rankings of nations, particularly with respect to tax and regulatory burdens, may be incorrect. Third, the labor force variables should be treated not as causal but as endogenous. For example, a low official labor force participation rate is a consequence, not a cause, of a large shadow economy.
Temporal responses of NDVI to precipitation and temperature in the central Great Plains, USA

Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) is generally recognized as a good indicator of terrestrial vegetation productivity. Understanding climatic influences, in particular precipitation and temperature, on NDVI enables prediction of productivity changes under different climatic scenarios. We examined temporal responses of remotely sensed NDVI to precipitation and temperature during a nine-year period (1989-97) in Kansas. Biweekly (every two weeks) and monthly precipitation data were derived from 410 weather stations and biweekly temperature data were derived from 17 weather stations inside and around the borders of Kansas. Biweekly and monthly climate maps were derived by interpolation. Biweekly growing season (March-October) NDVI values for Kansas were calculated using National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) NDVI images. Average growing season NDVI values were highly correlated with precipitation received during the current growing season and seven preceding months (15-month duration); biweekly NDVI values were correlated with precipitation received during 2-4 preceding biweekly periods; and response time of NDVI to a major precipitation event was typical 1-2 biweekly periods (2-4 weeks). Temperature was positively correlated with NDVI early and late in the growing season, and there was a weak negative correlation between temperature and NDVI in the mid growing season. Precipitation has the primary influence on NDVI and, by inference, on productivity. The relationship between precipitation and NDVI is strong and predictable when viewed at the appropriate spatial scale.
Leakage reduction in stacked sub-10nm double-gate MOSFETs

In this paper, the effectiveness of transistor stacking (or supply-gating) to reduce the leakage in the standby-mode of operation of sub-10nm double-gate MOSFETs is investigated. For that purpose, device parameters such as symmetric/asymmetric gate-to-source/drain underlap and body thickness are optimized to improve the ON-state current to the OFF-state current ratio. The optimized devices are then used in circuit simulation to analyze the dependence of each major leakage source (direct source-to-drain tunneling, thermionic, and gate oxide leakage currents) on the device geometry (tsi and symmetry in LUN) and input vectors for two- and three-stacked transistors. The analysis shows that supply-gating is effective in reducing direct source-to-drain current as well as thermionic leakage in the stand-by mode of operation for sub-10nm technology.
1 Hybrid Spatial Representation Models for Strip Packing Problems

We propose two mixed-integer linear programming based approaches for the 2-D orthogonal strip packing problem. Using the knowledge of the alternative forms of time representation in scheduling formulations, we show how to efficiently combine three different concepts into the xand ydimensions. One model features a discrete representation of the x-axis (strip width) and a continuous representation with general precedence variables in the y-axis (strip height). The other features a full continuous-space representation with the same approach for the y-axis and a single non-uniform grid made up of slots, for the x-axis. The drawback of the latter is that it requires an iterative search procedure over the number of slots to find the global optimal solution to the problem whereas the new hybrid discrete/continuous-space model needs to be solved only once. Through the solution of a set of twenty nine instances from the literature, we show that this is a better approach, even when compared to three alternative MILP models ranging from a pure discrete-space to a pure continuousspace with precedence variables in both dimensions.
Faint Field Galaxies around Bright Stars: A New Strategy for Imaging at the Diffraction Limit

This paper presents a new strategy for observing faint galaxies with high‐order natural guide star systems. We have imaged five high Galactic latitude fields within the isoplanatic patch of bright stars (8.5 mag < R < 10.3 mag). The fields provide a rich set of faint field galaxies that are observable with a natural guide star adaptive optics (AO) system on a large telescope. Because of the small fields of many AO science cameras, these preliminary images are necessary to identify candidate galaxies. We present the photometry and positions for 78 objects (at least 40 galaxies) near five bright stars, appropriate for diffraction‐limited studies with the Keck and other AO systems on large ground‐based telescopes. The K‐band seeing conditions in each field were excellent (0.″4–0.″7), allowing us to identify stars and estimate galaxy sizes. We also simulate AO images of field galaxies to determine the feasibility of infrared morphological studies at the diffraction limit. With new high‐order AO systems coming on line with 8–10 m class telescopes, we believe these observations are invaluable in beginning to study faint galaxy populations at the diffraction limit.
Two-year direct and indirect costs for patients with inflammatory rheumatic joint diseases: data from real-life follow-up of patients in the NOR-DMARD registry.

OBJECTIVE The overall aim of this study was to estimate the total costs for patients with RA, AS and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) treated with DMARDs. Specific aims were to compare the costs across diagnoses and over time. METHODS The main data source was the Norwegian DMARD register (NOR-DMARD) that captures outcomes and resource use among patients starting therapy with synthetic and biologic DMARDs. Costs were estimated for four 6-month periods from the start of a DMARD regimen. We included RA (n=1152), AS (n=186) and PsA (n=374) patients with available 2-year data. Direct costs included pharmaceuticals, imaging examinations, in-hospital and out-hospital care, stays in rehabilitation units and visits to general practitioners, private rheumatologists and physiotherapists. Indirect cost included patients' work absenteeism. Differences in costs across diagnoses were tested by Kruskal-Wallis equality-of-populations rank test and changes in costs between first and fourth 6-month periods were tested by paired t-tests. RESULTS Total 2-year costs were similar across diagnoses for patients on synthetic treatment (RA/AS/PsA €64,300/63,200/64,500) and on biologic treatment (€121,900/115,319/111,200). The largest cost component was productivity loss. Total costs decreased significantly from the first to the fourth 6-month periods for all diagnoses, and this decrease was influenced by reductions both in direct and indirect costs. CONCLUSION Total costs were similar across the main inflammatory rheumatic diseases. Biologic DMARD treatment entails considerable drug cost, but the total costs decline during the first 2 years on treatment in both RA, AS and PsA.
On the Applicability of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes as VLSI Interconnects

This paper presents a comprehensive study of the applicability of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) as interconnects in nanoscale integrated circuits. A detailed analysis of SWCNT interconnect resistance (considering its dependence on all physical parameters, as well as factors affecting the contact resistance), the first full 3-D capacitance simulations of SWCNT bundles for realistic very large scale integration (VLSI) interconnect dimensions, and a quantitative evaluation of the importance of inductive effects in SWCNT interconnects are presented. The applicability of carbon nanotube (CNT) based vias (vertical interconnects)-the most realizable CNT interconnects in the current state of the art-is addressed for the first time. It is shown that CNT interconnects can provide 30%-40% improvement in the delay of millimeter-long global interconnects. The applicability of CNT monolayers as local interconnects is found to be much more limited than that reported in the prior literature. Dense CNT bundle global interconnects are shown to offer a 4times reduction in power dissipation while achieving the same delay as optimally buffered Cu interconnects at the 22 nm node. This power saving increases to 8times at the 14 nm node. Furthermore, 3-D finite-element electrothermal simulations show that CNT bundles used as vias in between Cu metal layers can provide large improvement in metal interconnect lifetime by lowering the temperature of the hottest interconnects.
Segmentación del comprador online en México: un estudio con base en la frecuencia de compra electrónica

Se examinan los patrones de consumo en internet. Con una muestra de 1495 consumidores online, se exploran las distintas agrupaciones (tipologías) con base en su frecuencia de compra. Se empleó el análisis clúster para clasificar a los compradores mexicanos en los distintos segmentos de mercado. Los resultados muestran tres diferentes segmentos: a) frecuentes, b) ocasionales y c) esporádicos. Por medio de las tablas de contingencia y de correspondencias se analizó si las diferencias se pueden atribuir a las experiencias negativas relacionadas con la entrega del bien adquirido que experimentan los consumidores
Cooperative Spectrum Sensing in a Realistic Cognitive Radio Environment

Cognitive Radio is a novel technology that has the potential to deal with the requirement and scarcity of the underutilized radio spectrum. A remedy to spectrum scarcity is to improve spectrum utilization by spectrum sensing where the secondary unlicensed users are allowed to access the underutilized licensed bands when the primary licensed users are inactive. Cooperative Spectrum Sensing (CSS) is done by collaboratively detecting the spectrum holes by Energy Detection technique to improve the spectrum sensing performance. In most existing contributions each Cognitive Radio reports their local sensing results to a Cognitive Base Station (CBS) for a final decision where the reporting channel is considered as an ideal error free channel. In this paper a realistic cooperative spectrum sensing network is designed where the reporting channels from the cognitive radios (CRs) to the CBS are affected by Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) and Rayleigh fading. To minimize the effects caused by these channel uncertainties an optimal Minimum Mean Square Error (MMSE) detector is used to improve the detection performance under realistic spectrum sensing environment. Simulation results investigating the performance degradation incurred by considering realistic reporting channels is analysed and presented in various practical scenarios.
A compact low-voltage first-order temperature-compensated CMOS current reference

This paper presents the design of two new low-voltage first-order temperature compensated CMOS current references. To achieve compact topologies able to operate under low voltage with low power consumption, they are based on the simplest approach of cross-coupled current mirrors, and compensation is obtained by introducing a temperature dependent current mirror ratio. Results for 0.18 μm CMOS implementations show that the proposed 1 μA references operate with supplies down to 1 V showing temperature drifts below 238 ppm/°C over the (-40 to 120°C) range, which makes them suitable for low-cost portable applications.
Comparing SVD and SDAE for Analysis of Islamist Forum Postings

We analyze postings in the Turn to Islam forum using techniques based on singular value decomposition (SVD) and the deep learning technique of stacked denoising autoencoders (SDAE). Models based on frequent words and jihadist language intensity are used, and the results compared. Our main conclusion is that SDAE approaches, while clearly discovering structure in document-word matrices, do not yet provide a natural interpretation strategy, limiting their practical usefulness. In contrast, SVD approaches provide interpretable models, primarily because of the coupling between document and word variation patterns.
Spatial scaling properties of annual streamflow in the United States

Abstract The spatial scaling properties of annual average streamflow is examined using records from 1 433 river basins across the continental United States. The log-linear relationship ln(E[Qr i]) = a + br ln(Ai) is representative throughout the United States, where E[Qr i] represents the expectation of the rth moment of annual streamflow at site i, and Ai represents drainage area. The scaling model parameters ar and br follow nearly perfect linear relationships ar = rα and br = rβ throughout the continental United States. We conclude that the probability distribution of annual streamflow follows simple scaling relationships in all regions of the United States. In temperate regions where climate is relatively homogeneous, scale alone describes most of the variability in the moments of annual streamflow. In the more climatically heterogeneous regions, such as in the Upper Colorado and Missouri river basins, scale alone is a poor predictor of the moments of annual flow.
A Simulation-Based Approach for Automated Feature Localization

The complexity of modern chips is rapidly increasing. To fulfill tight time-to-market constraints, more and more blocks from previous designs are reused or third party IP blocks are licensed. However, such blocks are often only poorly documented making adjustments to the blocks a difficult task. This paper presents a technique for automatic feature localization for hardware designs. Our approach helps a developer in understanding a design by localizing parts of the code which implement a certain feature of interest. We evaluate the approach on three open source designs. For those designs, our approach yields a more precise localization of the code implementing the different features than the documentation of the design.
The Prediction of Mental Health by the Mechanisms of Immature Defense Style

This research aims to study the relation between defense mechanisms and the quality of life of the students studying at the universities of Tehran. For this purpose, a group of 428 students (including 202 male and 226 female one) is sampled by multistage random sampling method to answer the questions of the quality of life and defense mechanisms scales. The results show that there is a significant positive relation between mental health and the mechanisms of immature defense style including rationalization, projection, omnipotence, acting out, somatization, autistic fantasy, passive aggression, and displacement at the level of 0.001. No relation was found between mental health and other mechanisms. The results of the analysis of multivariate regression show that only projection, rationalization, and omnipotence are able to predict mental health, and other immature defense style mechanisms lack such predictability
Comparative Methylation of ERVWE1/Syncytin-1 and Other Human Endogenous Retrovirus LTRs in Placenta Tissues

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are globally silent in somatic cells. However, some HERVs display high transcription in physiological conditions. In particular, ERVWE1, ERVFRDE1 and ERV3, three proviruses of distinct families, are highly transcribed in placenta and produce envelope proteins associated with placenta development. As silencing of repeated elements is thought to occur mainly by DNA methylation, we compared the methylation of ERVWE1 and related HERVs to appreciate whether HERV methylation relies upon the family, the integration site, the tissue, the long terminal repeat (LTR) function or the associated gene function. CpG methylation of HERV-W LTRs in placenta-associated tissues was heterogeneous but a joint epigenetic control was found for ERVWE1 5′LTR and its juxtaposed enhancer, a mammalian apparent LTR retrotransposon. Additionally, ERVWE1, ERVFRDE1 and ERV3 5′LTRs were all essentially hypomethylated in cytotrophoblasts during pregnancy, but showed distinct and stage-dependent methylation profiles. In non-cytotrophoblastic cells, they also exhibited different methylation profiles, compatible with their respective transcriptional activities. Comparative analyses of transcriptional activity and LTR methylation in cell lines further sustained a role for methylation in the control of functional LTRs. These results suggest that HERV methylation might not be family related but copy-specific, and related to the LTR function and the tissue. In particular, ERVWE1 and ERV3 could be developmentally epigenetically regulated HERVs.
Handwritten Digits Recognition using Deep Convolutional Neural Network: An Experimental Study using EBlearn

In this paper, results of an experimental study of a deep convolution neural network architecture which can classify different handwritten digits using EBLearn library are reported. The purpose of this neural network is to classify input images into 10 different classes or digits (0-9) and to explore new findings. The input dataset used consists of digits images of size 32X32 in grayscale (MNIST dataset).
Architectural Assertions: Checking Architectural Constraints at Run-Time

The inability to express architectural concepts and constraints explicitly in implementation code invites the problem of architectural drift and corrosion. We propose runtime checks as a solution to mitigate this problem. The key idea of our approach is to express architectural constraints or properties in an assertion language and use the runtime assertion checker of the assertion language to detect any violations of the constraints. The architectural assertions are written in terms of architectural concepts such as components, connectors, and configurations, and thus they can be easily mapped to or traced back to the original high-level constraints written in an architectural description language. We believe that our approach is effective and more practical than and complements static techniques.
Embedded plateau problem

We show that if C is a simple closed curve bounding an embedded disk in a closed 3-manifold M, then there exists a disk D in M with boundary C such that D minimizes the area among the embedded disks with boundary C. Moreover, D is smooth, minimal and embedded everywhere except where the boundary C meets the interior of D. The same result is also valid for homogenously regular manifolds with sufficiently convex boundary.