Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Structural Investigations of Surfaces and Orientation-SpecificPhenomena in Nanocrystals and Their Assemblies

Studies of colloidal nanocrystals and their assemblies are presented. Two of these studies concern the atomic-level structural characterization of the surfaces, interfaces, and interiors present in II-VI semiconductor nanorods. The third study investigates the crystallographic arrangement of cobalt nanocrystals in self-assembled aggregates. Crystallographically-aligned assemblies of colloidal CdSe nanorods are examined with linearly-polarized Se-EXAFS spectroscopy, which probes bonding along different directions in the nanorod. This orientation-specific probe is used, because it is expected that the presence of specific surfaces in a nanorod might cause bond relaxations specific to different crystallographic directions. Se-Se distances are found to be contracted along the long axis of the nanorod, while Cd-Se distances display no angular dependence, which is different from the bulk. Ab-initio density functional theory calculations upon CdSe nanowires indicate that relaxations on the rod surfaces cause these changes. ZnS/CdS-CdSe core-shell nanorods are studied with Se, Zn, Cd, and S X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). It is hypothesized that there are two major factors influencing the core and shell structures of the nanorods: the large surface area-to-volume ratio, and epitaxial strain. The presence of the surface may induce bond rearrangements or relaxations to minimize surface energy; epitaxial strain might cause the core and shell latticesmore » to contract or expand to minimize strain energy. A marked contraction of Zn-S bonds is observed in the core-shell nanorods, indicating that surface relaxations may dominate the structure of the nanorod (strain might otherwise drive the Zn-S lattice to accommodate the larger CdS or CdSe lattices via bond expansion). EXAFS and X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicate that Cd-Se bond relaxations might be anisotropic, an expected phenomenon for a rod-shaped nanocrystal. Ordered self-assembled aggregates of cobalt nanocrystals are examined with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and selected-area electron diffraction (SAED). SAED patterns from multilayered assemblies show that the nanocrystals have preferred crystallographic orientations. It is proposed that the nanocrystals are organized in a vortex-like or ''loop-closing'' arrangement, possibly due to magnetism. SAED and dark-field imaging used to investigate this hypothesis are presented, along with the data analysis. The effects of magnetism and nanocrystal faceting are discussed. « less
Antiproliferative effects of different plant parts of Panax notoginseng on SW480 human colorectal cancer cells

The chemical constituents and antiproliferative effects on SW480 human colorectal cancer cells of different plant parts of P. notoginseng were evaluated. The contents of saponins in extracts from root, rhizome, flower and berry of P. notoginseng were determined using high performance liquid chromatography. The contents and proportions of saponins were different among the four plant parts. Using the cell counting method, the antiproliferative effects were evaluated and the results indicated all four extracts, at 0.05–1.0 mg/mL, showed concentration‐related antiproliferative effects on the cancer cells. The flower extract had stronger effects compared with the other three extracts; at 1.0 mg/mL, it inhibited the cell growth by 93.1% (p < 0.01). The antiproliferative effects of major saponins in notoginseng, notoginsenoside R1, ginsenosides Rb1, Rb3 and Rg1, were also evaluated, and the observed effects of major constituents support the pharmacological activities of extracts. The effects of notoginseng extracts on cell cycle and apoptosis of SW480 cells were determined using flow cytometry. Notoginseng extract can arrest the cells in S and G2/M phases. Remarkably apoptosis induction activities of notoginseng extracts were observed with the flower extract possessing the most potent effect, supporting the antiproliferative effect. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Relay assisted F/TDMA ad hoc networks: node classification, power allocation and relaying strategies

This paper considers the design of relay assisted F/TDMA ad hoc networks with multiple relay nodes each of which assists the transmission of a predefined subset of source nodes to their respective destinations. Considering the sum capacity as the performance metric, we solve the problem of optimally allocating the total power of each relay node between the transmissions it is assisting. We consider four different relay transmission strategies, namely regenerative decode-and-forward (RDF), nonregenerative decode-and-forward (NDF), amplify- and-forward (AF) and compress-and-forward (CF). We first obtain the optimum power allocation policies for the relay nodes that employ a uniform relaying strategy for all nodes. We show that the optimum power allocation for the RDF and NDF cases are modified water-filling solutions. Weobserve that for a given relay transmit power, NDF always outperforms RDF whereas CF always provides higher sum capacity than AF. When CF and NDF are compared, it is observed that either of CF or NDF may outperform the other in different scenarios. This observation suggests that the sum capacity can be further improved by having each relay adopt its relaying strategy in helping different source nodes. We investigate this problem next and determine the optimum power allocation and relaying strategy for each source node that relay nodes assist. We observe that optimum power allocation for relay nodes with hybrid relaying strategies provides higher sum capacity than pure RDF, NDF, AF or CF relaying strategies.
D-brane recoil and infrared divergences in string theory.

It is shown that there are logarithmic operators in D-brane backgrounds that lead to infrared divergences in open-string loop amplitudes. These divergences can be canceled by changing the closed-string background by operators that correspond to the D-brane moving with constant velocity after some instant in time, since it is precisely such operators that give rise to the appropriate ultraviolet divergences in the closed-string channel. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society. }
Two on-chip bandwidth calibration methods for phase-locked loops used in wireless transceiver applications

Phase-locked loops (PLL) are essential building blocks in wireless transceivers. Concerning data transmission and reception the performance of the PLL is crucial for the overall performance of the whole system. The transmitter architecture of the presented system does not use mixers but the PLL itself for FSK modulation. Therefore especially the bandwidth of the PLL influences performance parameters. As the PLL bandwidth is subject to significant variations due to process, temperature and supply voltage, bandwidth calibration is an important measure to ensure the PLL performance specifications. This paper presents two methods which use building blocks of an existing transceiver to calibrate the PLL bandwidth. Both methods use existing features of the transceiver architecture and therefore require only minimal adjustments and in principal no additional building blocks in order to accomplish bandwidth calibration. The first method uses an ADC to measure the PLL Loop Filter Voltage and the second employs the receiver to observe the frequency and phase of the PLL output signal. The proposed methods have been verified by measurements using a test chip implemented in a low-cost Infineon 130 nm CMOS process and an FPGA board. The variation of the PLL bandwidth after calibration is lower than ±10% compared to more than ±60% for an uncalibrated PLL. The time needed for calibration lies between 32 μs and 200 μs.
Oxygenated-Blood Colour Change Thresholds for Perceived Facial Redness, Health, and Attractiveness

Blood oxygenation level is associated with cardiovascular fitness, and raising oxygenated blood colouration in human faces increases perceived health. The current study used a two-alternative forced choice (2AFC) psychophysics design to quantify the oxygenated blood colour (redness) change threshold required to affect perception of facial colour, health and attractiveness. Detection thresholds for colour judgments were lower than those for health and attractiveness, which did not differ. The results suggest redness preferences do not reflect a sensory bias, rather preferences may be based on accurate indications of health status. Furthermore, results suggest perceived health and attractiveness may be perceptually equivalent when they are assessed based on facial redness. Appearance-based motivation for lifestyle change can be effective; thus future studies could assess the degree to which cardiovascular fitness increases face redness and could quantify changes in aerobic exercise needed to increase facial attractiveness.
Effect of cavitation on the plastic deformation and failure of isotactic polypropylene

To clarify the effect of cavitation, which is mostly induced by crystalline phase, on the plastic deformation and failure of isotactic polypropylene, solid-state annealing at 160°C for 1.5 h is adopted to change the crystalline phase only while the amorphous phase keeps nearly intact. With aid of a special video setup, the relation of true stress and strain as well as the evolution of volume strain with axial strain has been derived. Enhancing crystalline phase due to annealing increases the yield stress and volume strain simultaneously. Moreover, the strain corresponding to steep increasing of volume strain is comparable with that related to yield, indicating that cavitation at early stage is accompanied with process of yield. With knowledge of toughness derived from impact tensile stretching and essential work of fracture (EWF), respectively, the relationship between cavitation and toughness has been correlated to some degree. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2007
Preference Representation with 3-Points Intervals

In this article we are interested in the representation of qualitative preferences with the help of 3-points intervals (a vector of three increasingly ordered points). Preferences are crucial when an agent has to autonomously make a choice over several possible actions. We provide first of all an axiomatization in order to characterize our representation and then we construct a general framework for the comparison of 3-points intervals. Our study shows that from the fifteen possible different ways to compare 3-points intervals, seven different preference structures can be defined, allowing the representation of sophisticated preferences. We show the usefulness of our results in two classical problematics: the comparison of alternatives and the numerical representation of preference structures. Concerning the former one, we propose procedures to construct non classical preference relations (intransitive preferences for example) over objects being described by three ordered points. Concerning the latter one, assuming that preferences on the pairwise comparisons of objects are known, we show how to associate a 3-points interval to every object, and how to define some comparison rules on these intervals in order to have a compact representation of preferences described with these pairwise comparisons.
Adaptive opportunistic routing protocol for energy harvesting wireless sensor networks

Using energy harvesting WSNs (EH-WSNs) are attractive as they can be solely powered by ambient energy sources. Multi-hop routing is important to achieve wide coverage as the transmission range of each node is limited. In this paper, we propose an adaptive opportunistic routing (AOR) protocol for multi-hop EH-WSNs that achieves high throughput using a regioning scheme that adapts to network conditions and energy availability. We evaluate AOR using extensive simulations incorporating experimental results from the characterization of different types of energy harvesters. The results show that AOR increases throughput in both monitoring and event-driven WSNs with different node densities and energy harvesting rates compared to traditional opportunistic routing protocols and other non-opportunistic routing protocols. We have also implemented AOR on a testbed of 20 energy harvesting sensor nodes and results show that AOR works well in EH-WSNs.
Stock-Still Behavior

During the course of a pilot study of toddlers' behavior and play, the experimenters observed a previously undocumented behavior. This behavior now labeled "stock-still" behavior, was noted at the age of 17.5 months and consisted of the toddlers' standing motionless at or near the doorway of a nursery when previously they had marched, seemingly intrepid, into the room on their own. A prospective study of eight children was undertaken to test the hypothesis that this behavior reliably occurs at a set time during the child's development. Analysis of videotape footage determined that the behavior did not occur as an isolated event but instead was part of a series of one to six individual events within a window spanning two to eight weeks, during a discrete period of time from ages 15.5 months to 18.5 months. It was hypothesized that this behavior may be a developmental marker of the moment when a toddler cognitively and affectively registers the differences between "inside" and "outside," self and other and inner space and outer space. This developmental step is manifested behaviorally as the child's ability to inhibit her responses to previously compelling external stimuli. This hypothesis, as well as its limitations, is herein discussed, and additional clarifying observations are suggested.
Motion Planning for a Redundant Manipulator Using Genetic Algorithm

The trajectory planning of redundant manipulator is key areas of research, which require efficient optimization algorithms. This paper presents a new method that combines multiple objectives for trajectory planning and generation for redundant manipulators. The algorithm combines collision detection, finding target and optimizing trajectory using Genetic algorithm. In order to optimize the path, an evaluation function is defined based on multiple criteria, including the total displacement of the end-effector, the total angular displacement of all the joints, as well as the uniformity of Cartesian and joint space velocities. These criteria result in minimized, smooth end-effector motions. These algorithm yields solutions instantaneously and generate the path. The proposed algorithm is analyzed and its performance is demonstrated through simulation and the results are compared with the other methods.
IdeaVis: a hybrid workspace and interactive visualization for paper-based collaborative sketching sessions

In this paper we describe IdeaVis, a novel approach for supporting co-located sketching sessions. Our system is based on digital pen & paper for augmenting the traditional paper-based workflows of sketching sessions. An additional focus & context visualization is used to support creative facilitators in exploring and examining the design activity, thereby increasing awareness over inhibitors that may impede the success of such sessions. The general applicability of our approach was confirmed in a user study with creative professionals. We conclude that live design activity visualizations can provide benefits for controlling typical inhibitors of creative group work without the need to change traditional workflows.
Email between private use and organizational purpose

Emails have become an eminent source of personal and organizational information. They are not only used for personal communication but also for the management of information and the coordination of activities within organizations. Email traffic also exhibits the social networks existing in organizations. However, the central problem, which we still face, is how to tap this rich source appropriately. Main problems in this respect are the personal character of emails (their privacy) and the mainly unstructured character of their contents. Since these two features are essential success factors for the use of email they cannot be simply ignored. Meanwhile there are various approaches to recover the hidden treasure and make the contained information available to information and process management. For example, semantic or mining technologies play a prominent role in this attempt. The paper gives an overview of different strategies to make organizational use of emails, also touching the role of privacy.
Phoneme Errors in Read and Spontaneous Non-Native Speech: Relevance for CAPT System Development

For the purpose of pronunciation assessment and training in a second language both read and spontaneous speech are employed. In this paper we present the results of a study on the nature of phoneme errors in Dutch read and spontaneous non-native speech and discuss the possible consequences and relevance of these findings for the purpose of developing Computer Assisted Pronunciation Training systems.
State of the art in photon density estimation

Photon density estimation techniques are a popular choice for simulating light transport in scenes with complicated geometry and materials. This class of algorithms can be used to accurately simulate inter-reflections, caustics, color bleeding, scattering in participating media and subsurface scattering. Since its introduction, photon density estimation has been significantly extended in computer graphics with the introduction of: specialized techniques that intelligently modify the positions or bandwidths to reduce visual error using a small number of photons, approaches which eliminates error completely in the limit, methods that use higher-order samples and queries to reduce error in participating media, and recent generalized formulations that bridge the gap between photon density estimation and other techniques. This course provides the necessary insight to implement all these latest advances in photon density estimation. The course starts out with a short introduction to photon density estimation using classical photon mapping, but the remainder of the two-part course provides new, hands-on explanations of the latest developments in this area by the experts behind each technique. The course will give the audience concrete and practical understanding of the latest developments in photon density estimation techniques that have not been presented in prior SIGGRAPH/SIGGRAPH Asia courses.
Bacterial etiology and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of diabetic foot infections in Tabriz, Iran

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate anaerobic and aerobic bacteria profile and determination of antibiotic susceptibility pattern in aerobic bacteria. Method: Specimens were cultured using optimal aerobic and anaerobic microbiological techniques. Identification of bacterial isolates was performed by standard microbiological methods and antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed according to the guidelines of Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). Result: 92 bacterial strains were isolated from 60 samples of diabetic foot ulcers. Predominant aerobic bacteria isolated from these infections were S. aureus (28%) followed by Enterobacteriaceae family (24%) including Escherichia coli (15%), Citrobacter spp. (4%), Enterobacter spp. (4%), and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus spp. (17%), Enterococcus spp. (15%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (7%) and Acinetobacter spp. (4%). No Clostridium spp. were isolated and 4% Bacteroides fragilis obtained from anaerobic culture. All Gram-positive isolates were susceptible to linezolid while all Enterobacteriaceae showed sensitivity to imipenem. Conclusion: Most of DFIs specimens were poly microbial infection and predominant bacteria were S. aureus and B. fragilis. These wounds may require use of combined antimicrobial therapy for initial management.
Transposed Genes in Arabidopsis Are Often Associated with Flanking Repeats

Much of the eukaryotic genome is known to be mobile, largely due to the movement of transposons and other parasitic elements. Recent work in plants and Drosophila suggests that mobility is also a feature of many nontransposon genes and gene families. Indeed, analysis of the Arabidopsis genome suggested that as many as half of all genes had moved to unlinked positions since Arabidopsis diverged from papaya roughly 72 million years ago, and that these mobile genes tend to fall into distinct gene families. However, the mechanism by which single gene transposition occurred was not deduced. By comparing two closely related species, Arabidopsis thaliana and Arabidopsis lyrata, we sought to determine the nature of gene transposition in Arabidopsis. We found that certain categories of genes are much more likely to have transposed than others, and that many of these transposed genes are flanked by direct repeat sequence that was homologous to sequence within the orthologous target site in A. lyrata and which was predominantly genic in identity. We suggest that intrachromosomal recombination between tandemly duplicated sequences, and subsequent insertion of the circular product, is the predominant mechanism of gene transposition.
Ray shooting and intersection searching amidst fat convex polyhedra in 3-space

We present a data structure for ray-shooting queries in a set of convex fat polyhedra of total complexity <i>n</i> in <i>R</i><sup>3</sup>. The data structure uses <i>O(n</i><sup>2+ε</sup>) storage and preprocessing time, and queries can be answered in <i>O</i>(log<sup>2</sup> <i>n</i>) time. A trade-off between storage and query time is also possible: for any <i>m</i> with <i>n < m < n</i><sup>2</sup>, we can construct a structure that uses <i>O(m</i><sup>1+ε</sup>) storage and preprocessing time such that queries take <i>O((n/√m)</i>log<sup>2</sup> <i>n</i>) time.We also describe a data structure for simplex intersection queries in a set of <i>n</i> convex fat constant-complexity polyhedra in <i>R</i><sup>3</sup>. For any <i>m</i> with <i>n < m < n</i><sup>3</sup>, we can construct a structure that uses <i>O(m</i><sup>1+ε</sup>) storage and preprocessing time such that all polyhedra intersecting a query simplex can be reported in <i>O((n/m</i><sup>1/3</sup>)log <i>n+k</i>) time, where <i>k</i> is the number of answers.
Expectations for Computer Security Incident Response

The purpose of this document is to express the general Internet community's expectations of Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs). It is not possible to define a set of requirements that would be appropriate for all teams, but it is possible and helpful to list and describe the general set of topics and issues which are of concern and interest to constituent communities.
Guessing Attacks in the pi-calculus with a Computational Justification

This paper presents an extension of the pi-calculus that can reason about brute force and guessing attacks. We relate new name declarations in the pi-calculus with random sampling in the computational model of security. The scope of a new name can then be expanded at a comparable cost as it would take to guess the randomly sampled value in the computational setting. We provide a syntax and reduction semantics for this system and a function that calculates the cost of a given attack, taking into account the ease with which the attacker can confirm their guesses. We argue the correctness of this calculus by relating it to the computational model of security. We show that if the cost of an attack in the calculus is less than exponential in a security parameter, then there exists a polynomial time Turing machine that can defeat the process with non-negligibility probability. On the other hand, if there is no sub-exponential cost attack, then the process is just as safe as its spi-calculus counterpart, and so the use of guessable names does not help the attacker.