Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hollow core antiresonant fibres for fibre laser applications

Hollow core photonic crystal fibres (HC-PCFs) have promising applications in high power beam delivery, chemical sensing and gas-based nonlinear optics. According to the waveguide mechanisms they based on, HC-PCFs are typically classified into two kinds. One kind guide light via a two dimensional photonic bandgap while the other through anti-resonant reflection. The former one is so-called hollow core photonic bandgap fibres (HC-PBGFs) while the latter is commonly named hollow core anti-resonant fibres (HAFs). Compared to HC-PBGFs, HAFs can have much broader transmission windows and more flexible fibre designs. As a result, HAFs are currently more popular than HC-PBGFs. Hence the topic of this thesis is focused on HAFs. HAFs have already been demonstrated to have potential on the application of gas filled fibre lasers. As early as 2002, the first demonstration of the Raman scattering emission had been observed with an H2 filled HAF. During the past decades, a lot of efforts have been devoted into the gas filled HAF lasers. However, so far there is no demonstration of any all HAF based fibre laser because there exist two restrictions. The first restriction is that hollow core fibres are favoured in long wavelength regions where solid core glass fibres suffer high material loss, besides, a small cavity cross section (i.e., fibre core size) is preferred to reduce the lasing threshold. However, the confinement loss of a HAF (i.e., cavity loss) increases fastly when core size gets smaller or wavelength gets longer. The second restriction is there is no hollow core fibre based fibre coupler to build an all hollow core fibre based laser ring cavity. Therefore, the task of this thesis is to get rid of these two restrictions to make our contributions to all HAF based fibre lasers. Nanyang Technological University Singapore iv Firstly, I develop the hollow core fibre fabrication technique based on our local facilities. Secondly, I design, fabricate, and characterize a HAF which can have relatively low transmission loss in small core and long wavelength conditions. Thirdly, I design, fabricate, and characterize a HAF based fibre coupler whose power splitting ratio is tunable by adjusting the fibre strain. Thirdly, I use the HAF based fibre coupler to build a ring cavity in a fibre laser system, where the tunable feature of the fibre coupler helps to optimize the conversion efficiency. Moreover, the HAF based fibre coupler is experimentally proved to be able to split and deliver the ultra fast laser pulse without degradation. Nanyang Technological University Singapore
Highly Relevant Routing Recommendation Systems for Handling Few Data Using MDL Principle

Many classification algorithms existing today suffer in handling many so-called "few data" or "limited data" instances. In this paper we show how to score query relevance with handle on few data by adopting a Minimum Description Length (MDL) principle. The main outcome is a strongly relevant routing recommendation system model (average(F)=0.72, M>=0.71; all scales of 1) supported by MDL based classification which is very good in handling few data by a large percentage margin of data degeneration (up to 50 percent loss).
Case management of arthritis patients in primary care: a cluster-randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE To assess whether providing information on arthritis self-management through general practitioners (GPs) increases the quality of life in patients with osteoarthritis and whether additional case management provided by practice nurses shows better results. METHODS We conducted a pragmatic, cluster-randomized, controlled, 3-arm trial that included 1,021 patients from 75 primary care practices in Germany. GPs were randomized to intervention group I, group II, or a control group. GPs of both intervention groups participated in 2 peer group meetings. In intervention group II, additional case management was conducted via telephone by a practice nurse. The primary outcome was change in quality of life, assessed by the German version of the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales Short Form (AIMS2-SF). Secondary outcomes were health service utilization, prescriptions, and physical activity. Data were controlled for depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 as a potential confounder. RESULTS Of 1,125 administered questionnaires, 1,021 were analyzed. Compared with the control group, no significant changes occurred in intervention group I with respect to the primary outcome. Performed radiographs decreased significantly (P = 0.050), whereas prescriptions of acetaminophen increased significantly (P < 0.001). In intervention group II, significant changes in the AIMS2-SF dimensions social (P < 0.001), symptom (P = 0.048), and lower body (P = 0.049) were identified. Radiographs (P = 0.031) and orthopedic referrals (P = 0.044) decreased whereas prescriptions of pain relievers increased significantly. CONCLUSION Improving the quality of life in patients with arthritis using arthritis self-management seems challenging. Simply providing this information through GPs is not sufficient but combining it with case management seems to be a promising approach.
Static and Dynamic Path Planning Using Incremental Heuristic Search

Path planning is an important component in any highly automated vehicle system. In this report, the general problem of path planning is considered first in partially known static environments where only static obstacles are present but the layout of the environment is changing as the agent acquires new information. Attention is then given to the problem of path planning in dynamic environments where there are moving obstacles in addition to the static ones. Specifically, a 2D car-like agent traversing in a 2D environment was considered. It was found that the traditional configuration-time space approach is unsuitable for producing trajectories consistent with the dynamic constraints of a car. A novel scheme is then suggested where the state space is 4D consisting of position, speed and time but the search is done in the 3D space composed by position and speed. Simulation tests shows that the new scheme is capable of efficiently producing trajectories respecting the dynamic constraint of a car-like agent with a bound on their optimality.
Modified optimal control pilot model for computer-aided design and analysis

This paper presents the theoretical development of a modified optimal control pilot model based upon the optimal control model (OCM) of the human operator developed by Kleinman, Baron, and Levison. This model is input compatible with the OCM and retains other key aspects of the OCM, such as a linear quadratic solution for the pilot gains with inclusion of control rate in the cost function, a Kalman estimator, and the ability to account for attention allocation and perception threshold effects. An algorithm designed for each implementation in current dynamic systems analysis and design software is presented. Example results based upon the analysis of a tracking task using three basic dynamic systems are compared with measured results and with similar analyses performed with the OCM and two previously proposed simplified optimal pilot models. The pilot frequency responses and error statistics obtained with this modified optimal control model are shown to compare more favorably to the measured experimental results than the other previously proposed simplified models evaluated.
Complete Genome Sequence of Shewanella sp. WE21, a Rare Isolate with Multiple Novel Large Genomic Islands

ABSTRACT We present here the whole-genome sequence of Shewanella sp. WE21, an unusual omega-3 fatty acid-producing bacterium isolated from the gastrointestinal tract of the freshwater fish Sander vitreus (walleye). This genome contains a number of unique, large genomic islands with genes not present in other Shewanella bacteria.
Comparative Analysis of UL16 Mutants Derived from Multiple Strains of Herpes Simplex Virus 2 (HSV-2) and HSV-1 Reveals Species-Specific Requirements for the UL16 Protein

ABSTRACT Orthologs of the herpes simplex virus (HSV) UL16 gene are conserved throughout the Herpesviridae. Because of this conservation, one might expect that the proteins perform similar functions for all herpesviruses. Previous studies on a UL16-null mutant derived from HSV-2 strain 186 revealed a roughly 100-fold replication defect and a critical role for UL16 in the nuclear egress of capsids. These findings were in stark contrast to what has been observed with UL16 mutants of HSV-1 and pseudorabies virus, where roughly 10-fold replication deficiencies that were accompanied by defects in the secondary envelopment of cytoplasmic capsids were reported. One possible explanation for this discrepancy is that HSV-2 strain 186 is not representative of the HSV-2 species. To address this possibility, multiple UL16-null mutants were constructed in multiple HSV-2 and HSV-1 strains by CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis, and their phenotypes were characterized side by side. This analysis showed that all the HSV-2 UL16 mutants had 50- to 100-fold replication deficiencies that were accompanied by defects in the nuclear egress of capsids, as well as defects in the secondary envelopment of cytoplasmic capsids. By contrast, most HSV-1 UL16 mutants had 10-fold replication deficiencies that were accompanied by defects in secondary envelopment of cytoplasmic capsids. These findings indicated that UL16 has HSV species-specific functions. Interestingly, HSV-1 UL16 could promote the nuclear egress of HSV-2 UL16-null strains, suggesting that, unlike HSV-1, HSV-2 lacks an activity that can promote nuclear egress in the absence of UL16. IMPORTANCE HSV-2 and HSV-1 are important human pathogens that cause distinct diseases in their hosts. A complete understanding of the morphogenesis of these viruses is expected to reveal vulnerabilities that can be exploited in the treatment of HSV disease. UL16 is a virion structural component that is conserved throughout the Herpesviridae and functions in virus morphogenesis; however, previous studies have suggested different roles for UL16 in the morphogenesis of HSV-2 and HSV-1. This study sought to resolve this apparent discrepancy by analyzing multiple UL16 mutant viruses derived from multiple strains of HSV-2 and HSV-1. The data indicate that UL16 has HSV species-specific functions, as HSV-2 has a requirement for UL16 in the escape of capsids from the nucleus whereas both HSV-2 and HSV-1 require UL16 for final envelopment of capsids at cytoplasmic membranes.
Low-Dose Formaldehyde Delays DNA Damage Recognition and DNA Excision Repair in Human Cells

Objective Formaldehyde is still widely employed as a universal crosslinking agent, preservative and disinfectant, despite its proven carcinogenicity in occupationally exposed workers. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to understand the possible impact of low-dose formaldehyde exposures in the general population. Due to the concomitant occurrence of multiple indoor and outdoor toxicants, we tested how formaldehyde, at micromolar concentrations, interferes with general DNA damage recognition and excision processes that remove some of the most frequently inflicted DNA lesions. Methodology/Principal Findings The overall mobility of the DNA damage sensors UV-DDB (ultraviolet-damaged DNA-binding) and XPC (xeroderma pigmentosum group C) was analyzed by assessing real-time protein dynamics in the nucleus of cultured human cells exposed to non-cytotoxic (<100 μM) formaldehyde concentrations. The DNA lesion-specific recruitment of these damage sensors was tested by monitoring their accumulation at local irradiation spots. DNA repair activity was determined in host-cell reactivation assays and, more directly, by measuring the excision of DNA lesions from chromosomes. Taken together, these assays demonstrated that formaldehyde obstructs the rapid nuclear trafficking of DNA damage sensors and, consequently, slows down their relocation to DNA damage sites thus delaying the excision repair of target lesions. A concentration-dependent effect relationship established a threshold concentration of as low as 25 micromolar for the inhibition of DNA excision repair. Conclusions/Significance A main implication of the retarded repair activity is that low-dose formaldehyde may exert an adjuvant role in carcinogenesis by impeding the excision of multiple mutagenic base lesions. In view of this generally disruptive effect on DNA repair, we propose that formaldehyde exposures in the general population should be further decreased to help reducing cancer risks.
A GENERAL FRAMEWORK FOR COMPONENT ESTIMATION

Component estimation arises in Independent Component Analysis (ICA), Blind Source Separation (BSS), wavelet analysis and signal denoising [1], image reconstruction [2, 3], Factor Analysis [4], and sparse coding [5, 6]. In theoretical and algorithmic developments, an important distinction is commonly made between sub- and super-gaussian densities, super-gaussian densities being characterized as having high kurtosis, or having a sharp peak and heavy tails. In this paper we present a generalized convexity framework similar to a classical concept of E.F. Beckenbach [7], which we refer to as relative convexity. Based on a partial ordering induced by relative convexity, we derive a new measure of function curvature and a new criterion for super-gaussianity that is both simpler and of wider application than the kurtosis criterion. The relative convexity framework also provides an inequality that can be used to derive stable and eective descent algorithms for estimation of the parameters in the Bayesian linear model when sub- or super-gaussian priors are used. Apparently almost all common symmetric densities are comparable in this ordering to Gaussian, and thus are either sub- or super-gaussian, despite the fact that the measure is instantaneous, in contrast to momentbased measures. We present several algorithms for component estimation that are shown to be descent algorithms based on the relative convexity inequality arising from the assumption of super-gaussian priors. We also show an interesting relationship between the curvature of a convex or concave function and the curvature of its Fenchel-Legendre conjugate, which results in an elegant duality relationship between estimation with sub- and super-gaussian densities.
Clinical diagnostic model for sciatica developed in primary care patients with low back-related leg pain

Background Identification of sciatica may assist timely management but can be challenging in clinical practice. Diagnostic models to identify sciatica have mainly been developed in secondary care settings with conflicting reference standard selection. This study explores the challenges of reference standard selection and aims to ascertain which combination of clinical assessment items best identify sciatica in people seeking primary healthcare. Methods Data on 394 low back-related leg pain consulters were analysed. Potential sciatica indicators were seven clinical assessment items. Two reference standards were used: (i) high confidence sciatica clinical diagnosis; (ii) high confidence sciatica clinical diagnosis with confirmatory magnetic resonance imaging findings. Multivariable logistic regression models were produced for both reference standards. A tool predicting sciatica diagnosis in low back-related leg pain was derived. Latent class modelling explored the validity of the reference standard. Results Model (i) retained five items; model (ii) retained six items. Four items remained in both models: below knee pain, leg pain worse than back pain, positive neural tension tests and neurological deficit. Model (i) was well calibrated (p = 0.18), discrimination was area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) 0.95 (95% CI 0.93, 0.98). Model (ii) showed good discrimination (AUC 0.82; 0.78, 0.86) but poor calibration (p = 0.004). Bootstrapping revealed minimal overfitting in both models. Agreement between the two latent classes and clinical diagnosis groups defined by model (i) was substantial, and fair for model (ii). Conclusion Four clinical assessment items were common in both reference standard definitions of sciatica. A simple scoring tool for identifying sciatica was developed. These criteria could be used clinically and in research to improve accuracy of identification of this subgroup of back pain patients.
Wheat flour proteases and their action on gluten proteins in dilute acetic acid

The presence in wheat flour of several kinds of proteases was shown on the basis of pH-activity profile, substrate specificity, and response to inhibitors. Among them, 14C-hemoglobin and cbz-Phe-Ala hydrolases (14C-Hbase and CPAase) showed optimal activity around pH 4. 14C-Hbase was inhibited almost completely by pepstatin, and CPAase was partially inhibited by DFP. About 85% of 14C-Hbase activity and 40% of CPAase activity in the original flour were retained in gluten fraction. The decrease in viscosity of the gluten solution in dilute acetic acid was effectively prevented by pepstatin. An SDS-PAGE pattern showed that hydrolysis of gluten proteins was prevented effectively by pepstatin, although not completely, and that the simultaneous addition of pepstatin and DFP prevented completely self-digestion of the gluten proteins. Therefore, pepstatin and DFP sensitive proteases were shown to be responsible for the self-digestion of gluten proteins. The mode of action of these enzymes was relatively specific f.
Cross-Cultural Personality Prediction based on Twitter Data

Social networking platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram, which generate a vast amount of data every second, emerged dramatically within the last ten years. This huge rich data provides crucial information about social interactions and human behaviour. Therefore, it is possible to identify the personality traits of a person by extracting and analysing relevant information from the social media. Recently, researchers demonstrated that personality prediction can be performed by using historical textual features and user profiles. While cross-cultural personality research is considered as a powerful tool to observe the differences in personality psychology, machine learning researchers analysing social media data did not perform research on the development of cross-cultural personality prediction models yet. In this paper, we propose a new research topic called cross-cultural personality prediction and discuss how these kinds of models can be built in practice. In the joint research project, we investigate whether there is a cultural or language difference in personality between people in two countries namely, South Korea and Turkey in Twitter. It will be particularly interesting because both of the countries are in Asia, but located in both ends of Asia and we’ll investigate whether there is any meaningful personality difference in two countries or not. We argue that this kind of research will impact not only personality services such as IBM Personality Insight, but also cross-cultural personality psychology research area in the near future.
(Machine) Learning Parameter Regions ∗

Taking random draws from a parameter region in order to approximate its shape is a supervised learning problem (analogous to sampling pixels of an image to recognize it). Misclassiﬁcation error—a common criterion in machine learning—provides an oﬀ-the-shelf tool to assess the quality of a given approximation. We say a parameter region can be learned if there is an algorithm that yields a misclassiﬁcation error of at most (cid:15) with probability at least 1 ´ δ , regardless of the sampling distribution. We show that learning a parameter region is possible if and only if it is not too complex. Moreover, the tightest band that contains a d -dimensional parameter region is always learnable from the inside (in a sense we make precise), with at least p 1 ´ (cid:15) q{ (cid:15) ln p 1 { δ q draws, but at most p 2 d { (cid:15) q ln p 2 d { δ q . We illustrate the usefulness of our results using structural vector autoregressions. We show how many orthogonal matrices are necessary/suﬃcient to evaluate the impulse responses’ identiﬁed set and how many ‘shotgun plots’ to report when conducting joint inference on impulse responses. (JEL-Classiﬁcation: C1, C32)
Society Sustainable Food Processing Inspired by Nature

Processed Food [108_TD$DIFF]As a Global Good? In today’s society, processed food can be perceived as less natural and unhealthy [1], and the demand for organic and minimally processed food is increasing. Here, we illustrate how principles inspired by nature (processes and mechanisms used by living organisms such as plants, microorganisms, or animals) can be translated to food processing to produce nutritious and tasty food that can be used to combat global health challenges, such as aging,malnutrition, obesity, and allergy. We also propose that the degree of processing of food is less important to evaluate than are the health contribution of the processed food in the daily diet and the environmental impact of the processing.
Qualitative management accounting research: rationale, pitfalls and potential

Purpose – The paper aims to provide an overview of the rationale for qualitative research in management accounting. It discusses how qualitative research could serve the development of theory, and provides guiding principles for qualitative investigation. It also seeks to identify common problems in qualitative studies and lays out avenues for further qualitative inquiry.Design/methodology/approach – The paper relies on critical reflection and deductive logic in its discussion, drawing on a wide range of theoretical pronouncements and methodological literature, as well as on some illustrative field studies in management accounting.Findings – The paper opens a broad panorama: it emphasizes field research as a necessary counterweight to textbook appreciations of management accounting, to idealized economic models and to consultancy‐oriented agenda. It identifies how field research serves theory development in different ways, providing a set of practical principles which assist qualitative efforts. The paper.
Maximal Oxygen Uptake Is Achieved in Hypoxia but Not Normoxia during an Exhaustive Severe Intensity Run

Highly aerobically trained individuals are unable to achieve maximal oxygen uptake (V˙O2max) during exhaustive running lasting ~2 min, instead V˙O2 plateaus below V˙O2max after ~1 min. Hypoxia offers the opportunity to study the (V˙O2) response to an exhaustive run relative to a hypoxia induced reduction in V˙O2max. The aim of this study was to explore whether there is a difference in the percentage of V˙O2max achieved (during a 2 min exhaustive run) in normoxia and hypoxia. Fourteen competitive middle distance runners (normoxic V˙O2max 67.0 ± 5.2 ml.kg−1.min−1) completed exhaustive treadmill ramp tests and constant work rate (CWR) tests in normoxia and hypoxia (FiO2 0.13). The V˙O2 data from the CWR tests were modeled using a single exponential function. End exercise normoxic CWR V˙O2 was less than normoxic V˙O2max (86 ± 6% ramp, P < 0.001). During the hypoxic CWR test, hypoxic V˙O2max was achieved (102 ± 8% ramp, P = 0.490). The phase II time constant was greater in hypoxia (12.7 ± 2.8 s) relative to normoxia (10.4 ± 2.6 s) (P = 0.029). The results demonstrate that highly aerobically trained individuals cannot achieve V˙O2max during exhaustive severe intensity treadmill running in normoxia, but can achieve the lower V˙O2max in hypoxia despite a slightly slower V˙O2 response.