Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Recombination of Au20+ at low electron–ion collision energies

The rate coefficient for the recombination of Au20+ with free electrons was measured in the electron–ion collision energy range of 0–10 eV by employing the electron–ion merged-beams technique at the heavy-ion storage ring TSR of the Max-Planck-Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg, Germany. In contrast to earlier measurements with more highly charged Au25+ (Hoffknecht et al 1998 J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 31 2415), sharp dielectric recombination resonance features are observed.
Adaptive Keywords Extraction with Contextual Bandits for Advertising on Parked Domains

Domain name registrars and URL shortener service providers place advertisements on the parked domains (Internet domain names which are not in service) in order to generate profits. As the web contents have been removed, it is critical to make sure the displayed ads are directly related to the intents of the visitors who have been directed to the parked domains. Because of the missing contents in these domains, it is non-trivial to generate the keywords to describe the previous contents and therefore the users intents. In this paper we discuss the adaptive keywords extraction problem and introduce an algorithm based on the BM25F term weighting and linear multi-armed bandits. We built a prototype over a production domain registration system and evaluated it using crowdsourcing in multiple iterations. The prototype is compared with other popular methods and is shown to be more effective.
Neuromuscular Alteration in the Human Soleus Muscle During and After a Fatiguing 800 m Run

2 Preface . 3 Reader guidelines . 4 Introduction . 6 Theory . 8 The H-reflex . 8 The V-wave . 11 Peripheral supramaximal stimulation . 11 Transcranial magnetic stimulation . 12 Method . 13 Subjects . 13 Experimental setup . 13 800 m running protocol . 14 Stimulation procedures . 14 EMG recordings . 15 Force measurements . 16 Data analysis . 16 Statistical analysis . 17 Results . 18 Discussion . 25 Neuromuscular fatigue . 25 Peripheral fatigue . 25 Spinal modulation . 26 Supraspinal modulation . 27 Methodical considerations . 28 Conclusion . 30 Perspectives . 30 References . 32 Appendix 1 Manuscript Draft . 36 Appendix 2 Ethical approval (in Danish) . 46 Appendix 3 Thesis Summary (in Danish) . 58
DAUGHMAN"S ALGORITHM METHOD FOR IRIS RECOGNITION-A BIOMETRIC APPROACH

Iris recognition is considered to be the most reliable and accurate biometric identification system available. Iris recognition system captures an image of an individual's eye, the iris in the image is then meant for the further segmentation and normalization for extracting its feature. The performance of iris recognition systems depends on the process of segmentation. Segmentation is used for the localization of the correct iris region in the particular portion of an eye and it should be done accurately and correctly to remove the eyelids, eyelashes, reflection and pupil noises present in iris region. In our paper we are using Daughman's Algorithm segmentation method for Iris Recognition. Iris images are selected from the CASIA Database, then the iris and pupil boundary are detected from rest of the eye image, removing the noises. The segmented iris region was normalized to minimize the dimensional inconsistencies between iris regions by using Daugman's Rubber Sheet Model. Then the features of the iris were encoded by convolving the normalized iris region with 1D Log-Gabor filters and phase quantizing the output in order to produce a bit-wise biometric template. The Hamming distance was chosen as a matching metric, which gave the measure of how many bits disagreed between the templates of the iris.
Comparative analysis of geometrical properties of sampling schemes on the sphere

In this work, we carry out the comparative analysis of the geometrical properties of the sampling schemes on the sphere. Among the sampling schemes devised on the sphere, we focus on equiangular sampling, Gauss-Legendre (GL) quadrature based sampling, optimal-dimensionality sampling, sampling points of extremal systems and spherical design as these schemes support the accurate representation of the band-limited signals. We analyse sampling efficiency, minimum geodesic distance, mesh norm, mesh ratio and Riesz s-energy for these sampling schemes. Since these sampling schemes require different number of samples for the accurate representation of a band-limited signal and therefore have different sampling efficiency, we formulate these geometrical properties to take into account the sampling efficiency for a meaningful comparison. We illustrate that the optimal dimensionality, extremal system and spherical design sampling schemes exhibit desirable geometrical properties. Among these schemes, extremal system sampling scheme has superior geometrical properties. However, the accuracy of the representation of a band-limited signal degrades with the increase in band-limit for extremal system sampling scheme, due to which we propose to use extremal point sampling scheme for small band-limits. We also propose to use optimal dimensional sampling scheme for moderate to large band-limits as it exhibits desirable geometrical properties and has the capability to accurately represent the band-limited signal.
Methionine‐deficient diet extends mouse lifespan, slows immune and lens aging, alters glucose, T4, IGF‐I and insulin levels, and increases hepatocyte MIF levels and stress resistance

A diet deficient in the amino acid methionine has previously been shown to extend lifespan in several stocks of inbred rats. We report here that a methionine‐deficient (Meth‐R) diet also increases maximal lifespan in (BALB/cJ × C57BL/6 J)F1 mice. Compared with controls, Meth‐R mice have significantly lower levels of serum IGF‐I, insulin, glucose and thyroid hormone. Meth‐R mice also have higher levels of liver mRNA for MIF (macrophage migration inhibition factor), known to be higher in several other mouse models of extended longevity. Meth‐R mice are significantly slower to develop lens turbidity and to show age‐related changes in T‐cell subsets. They are also dramatically more resistant to oxidative liver cell injury induced by injection of toxic doses of acetaminophen. The spectrum of terminal illnesses in the Meth‐R group is similar to that seen in control mice. Studies of the cellular and molecular biology of methionine‐deprived mice may, in parallel to studies of calorie‐restricted mice, provide insights into the way in which nutritional factors modulate longevity and late‐life illnesses.
Number of Years of Annual Mass Treatment With Azithromycin Needed to Control Trachoma in Hyper-endemic Communities in Tanzania

Background. The World Health Organization recommends mass treatment as part of a trachoma control strategy. However, scant empirical data from hyperendemic communities exist on the number of rounds of treatment needed to reach a goal of <5% prevalence in children. We determined the prevalence of trachoma and infection with Chlamydia trachomatis in communities after 3–7 years of annual mass treatment in Tanzania. Methods. Seventy-one communities with trachoma and annual azithromycin coverage data were enrolled. A cross-sectional survey of ≥100 randomly selected children aged <5 years in each community was performed. Children were examined for clinical trachoma, and swab samples were taken for determination of ocular C. trachomatis infection. Results. After 3 years of mass treatment, the prevalence of trachoma decreased in a linear fashion with number of years of mass treatment, whereas decreased prevalences of C. trachomatis infection were related to the extent of the previous year’s azithromycin coverage. Our model suggests that, for communities with baseline trachoma prevalence of 50% and annual treatment coverage of 75%, >7 years of annual mass treatment will be needed to reach a prevalence of trachoma of <5%. Conclusions Country programs in trachoma-endemic regions must realistically expect that several years of annual mass treatment may be necessary to eliminate trachoma.
Playification: The PhySeEar case

The concept of playification has recently been proposed as an extension of, or alternative to, gamification. We present a playification design project targeting the re-design of physiotherapy rehabilitative sessions for elderly inpatients. The menial and repetitive nature of the physical exercises targeted for design might seem ideal for shallow widespread gamification approaches that add external rewards to entice usage. In the PhySeEar project, we introduced a "third agent" instead, in the form of technology that would take over some of the work typically carried out by the physiotherapist. This technological intervention triggered the emergence of playfulness, when inpatients and the therapist re-signified the ongoing activity by engaging in playful role-taking, such as blaming the technology for mistakes, or for sensitivity to the inpatient's inaccurate movements. Based on the experiences from this project, we discuss some of the major differences between playification and gamification
The relationship between chemistry self-efficacy of South African first year university students and their academic performance

This study investigated the self-efficacy of first-year Chemistry students at a South African university. The research involved a quantitative survey of 333 students using the College Chemistry Self-Efficacy Scale (CCSS) developed by Uzuntiryaki and Capa Aydin (2009). Descriptive statistics on data for the CCSS scales suggested that students have positive beliefs in their capability to accomplish chemistry tasks. The students scored more strongly on the self-efficacy constructs of cognitive and psychomotor skills than on everyday application. There was a significant difference between students of different professional orientations for cognitive skills and everyday applications, with students enrolled for Chemical Engineering having the highest mean scores for these constructs. A multiple regression analysis was run in order to explore the relationship between chemistry self-efficacy and performance in a chemistry examination. The analysis indicated that cognitive skills significantly predicted chemistry performance, while psychomotor skills and everyday applications had no significant impact. The implications for research and instruction are discussed in terms of the relationship between chemistry self-efficacy and performance.
A scoping review of deictic gesture use in toddlers with or at-risk for autism spectrum disorder

Background and aims Young children use deictic gestures, such as pointing, to indicate referents in their immediate environment. Early deictic gesture use is important in facilitating the development of language. In toddlers with or at-risk for autism spectrum disorder, the emergence and use of gestures may be delayed, and deficits in deictic gesture may inform clinical practice regarding early identification, differential diagnosis, and early intervention. The aim of this scoping review was to investigate the extent to which deictic gesture use has been examined in young children with or at-risk for autism spectrum disorder ≤ 36 months of age. Methods Four databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and ERIC) were comprehensively searched for relevant articles. Articles were reviewed in two phases: titles and abstracts followed by full text. Key variables related to participant/study characteristics and group differences on deictic gesture use were extracted. A narrative review was used to synthesize findings across studies. Main contribution Nineteen studies met inclusion criteria – 12 studies of toddlers with autism spectrum disorder and 7 studies of high-risk infant siblings of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Overall, toddlers with autism spectrum disorder were found to demonstrate reduced gesture use across deictic gesture types and ages compared to those with typical development. Findings were more variable when comparing toddlers with autism spectrum disorder to those with other developmental delays and in high-risk infant sibling studies. Although only measured in a limited number of studies, results suggest differences in gesture use in toddlers with autism spectrum disorder based on communicative function. Conclusions This review provides insight into the gesture use of toddlers with or at-risk for autism spectrum disorder. Results indicate the particular types of deictic gestures that may be delayed and the age ranges we might expect to observe these deficits in toddlers with autism spectrum disorder compared to those with typical development and other developmental delay groups. Results also reveal variability across studies in the measurement of gestures, and highlight where gaps remain in understanding deictic gesture use in young children with autism spectrum disorder. Implications Findings have research and clinical implications related to profiling and targeting gesture use as part of the assessment and treatment process, including identifying patterns of strength and weakness in deictic gesture use of young children with or at-risk for autism spectrum disorder.
Dark Energy and Emergent Spacetime

A natural geometric framework of noncommutative spacetime is symplectic geometry rather than Riemannian geometry. The Darboux theorem in symplectic geometry then admits a novel form of the equivalence principle such that the electromagnetism in noncommutative spacetime can be regarded as a theory of gravity. Remarkably the emergent gravity reveals a noble picture about the origin of spacetime, dubbed as emergent spacetime, which is radically different from any previous physical theory all of which describe what happens in a given spacetime. In particular, the emergent gravity naturally explains the dynamical origin of flat spacetime, which is absent in Einstein gravity: A flat spacetime is not free gratis but a result of Planck energy condensation in a vacuum. This emergent spacetime picture, if it is correct anyway, turns out to be essential to resolve the cosmological constant problem, to understand the nature of dark energy and to explain why gravity is so weak compared to other forces.
Phytochemical and Pharmacological Studies on the Genus Psoralea: A Mini Review

The genus Psoralea, which belongs to the family Fabaceae, comprises ca. 130 species distributed all over the world, and some of the plants are used as folk medicine to treat various diseases. Psoralea corylifolia is a typical example, whose seeds have been widely used in many traditional Chinese medicine formulas for the treatment of various diseases such as leucoderma and other skin diseases, cardiovascular diseases, nephritis, osteoporosis, and cancer. So, the chemical and pharmacological studies on this genus were performed in the past decades. Here, we give a mini review on this genus about its phytochemical and pharmacological studies from 1910 to 2015.
Optimal Demand Response Aggregation in Wholesale Electricity Markets

Advancements in smart grid technologies have made it possible to apply various options and strategies for the optimization of demand response (DR) in electricity markets. DR aggregation would accumulate potential DR schedules and constraints offered by small- and medium-sized customers for the participation in wholesale electricity markets. Despite various advantages offered by the hourly DR in electricity markets, practical market tools that can optimize the economic options available to DR aggregators and market participants are not readily attainable. In this context, this paper presents an optimization framework for the DR aggregation in wholesale electricity markets. The proposed study focuses on the modeling strategies for energy markets. In the proposed model, DR aggregators offer customers various contracts for load curtailment, load shifting, utilization of onsite generation, and energy storage systems as possible strategies for hourly load reductions. The aggregation of DR contracts is considered in the proposed price-based self-scheduling optimization model to determine optimal DR schedules for participants in day-ahead energy markets. The proposed model is examined on a sample DR aggregator and the numerical results are discussed in the paper.
β-Arrestin–Dependent Endocytosis of Proteinase-Activated Receptor 2 Is Required for Intracellular Targeting of Activated Erk1/2

Recently, a requirement for β-arrestin–mediated endocytosis in the activation of extracellular signal–regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) by several G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs) has been proposed. However, the importance of this requirement for function of ERK1/2 is unknown. We report that agonists of Gαq-coupled proteinase–activated receptor 2 (PAR2) stimulate formation of a multiprotein signaling complex, as detected by gel filtration, immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence. The complex, which contains internalized receptor, β-arrestin, raf-1, and activated ERK, is required for ERK1/2 activation. However, ERK1/2 activity is retained in the cytosol and neither translocates to the nucleus nor causes proliferation. In contrast, a mutant PAR2 (PAR2δST363/6A), which is unable to interact with β-arrestin and, thus, does not desensitize or internalize, activates ERK1/2 by a distinct pathway, and fails to promote both complex formation and cytosolic retention of the activated ERK1/2. Whereas wild-type PAR2 activates ERK1/2 by a PKC-dependent and probably a ras-independent pathway, PAR2(δST363/6A) appears to activate ERK1/2 by a ras-dependent pathway, resulting in increased cell proliferation. Thus, formation of a signaling complex comprising PAR2, β-arrestin, raf-1, and activated ERK1/2 might ensure appropriate subcellular localization of PAR2-mediated ERK activity, and thereby determine the mitogenic potential of receptor agonists.
A Sir2-Like Protein Participates in Mycobacterial NHEJ

In eukaryotic cells, repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) by the nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ) pathway is critical for genome stability. In contrast to the complex eukaryotic repair system, bacterial NHEJ apparatus consists of only two proteins, Ku and a multifunctional DNA ligase (LigD), whose functional mechanism has not been fully clarified. We show here for the first time that Sir2 is involved in the mycobacterial NHEJ repair pathway. Here, using tandem affinity purification (TAP) screening, we have identified an NAD-dependent deacetylase in mycobacteria which is a homologue of the eukaryotic Sir2 protein and interacts directly with Ku. Results from an in vitro glutathione S-transferase (GST) pull-down assay suggest that Sir2 interacts directly with LigD. Plasmid-based end-joining assays revealed that the efficiency of DSB repair in a sir2 deletion mutant was reduced 2-fold. Moreover, the Δsir2 strain was about 10-fold more sensitive to ionizing radiation (IR) in the stationary phase than the wild-type. Our results suggest that Sir2 may function closely together with Ku and LigD in the nonhomologous end-joining pathway in mycobacteria.
Analyzing Open Data from the City of Montreal

There is a significant effort towards moving much of the data from the city of Montreal into an Open Data format. In this short paper, we report on a recent initiative to analyze this data using machine learning techniques in the context of a graduate course project. We review the approach, summarize accomplishments, and provide several recommendations for improving the impact from such efforts.
Elevated Levels of Oxidized Low Density Lipoprotein Show a Positive Relationship With the Severity of Acute Coronary Syndromes

BackgroundThere is accumulating data that acute coronary syndromes relate to recent onset activation of inflammation affecting atherosclerotic plaques. Increased blood levels of oxidized low density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) could play a role in these circumstances. Methods and ResultsOx-LDL levels were measured in 135 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI; n=45), unstable angina pectoris (UAP; n=45), and stable angina pectoris (SAP; n=45) and in 46 control subjects using a sandwich ELISA method. In addition, 33 atherectomy specimens obtained from a different cohort of patients with SAP (n=10) and UAP (n=23) were studied immunohistochemically for ox-LDL. In AMI patients, ox-LDL levels were significantly higher than in patients with UAP (P <0.0005) or SAP (P <0.0001) or in controls (P <0.0001) (AMI, 1.95±1.42 ng/5 &mgr;g LDL protein; UAP, 1.19±0.74 ng/5 &mgr;g LDL protein; SAP, 0.89±0.48 ng/5 &mgr;g LDL protein; control, 0.58±0.23 ng/5 &mgr;g LDL protein). Serum levels of total, HDL, and LDL cholesterol did not differ among these patient groups. In the atherectomy specimens, the surface area containing ox-LDL–positive macrophages was significantly higher in patients with UAP than in those with SAP (P <0.0001). ConclusionsThis study demonstrates that ox-LDL levels show a significant positive correlation with the severity of acute coronary syndromes and that the more severe lesions also contain a significantly higher percentage of ox-LDL–positive macrophages. These observations suggest that increased levels of ox-LDL relate to plaque instability in human coronary atherosclerotic lesions.
Particle production from nonlocal gravitational effective action

In this paper we show how the nonlocal effective action for gravity, obtained after integrating out the matter fields, can be used to compute particle production and spectra for different space-time metrics. Applying this technique to several examples, we End that the perturbative calculation of the effective action up to second order in curvatures yields exactly the same results for the total number of particles as the Bogolyubov transformations method, in the case of massless scaler fields propagating in a Robertson-Walker space-time. Using an adiabatic approximation we also obtain the corresponding spectra and compare the results with the traditional WKB approximation. [S0556-2821(99)02920-3].
The Neural Correlates of Temporal Structure in Music

In this article, the author reviews studies on the neuroanatomical underpinnings of temporal structure in music . Music’s temporal structure has been studied using all the tools available to modern cognitive neu- roscience, including genetic models, neuroimaging, mathematical models, and lesion studies. Regions of the brain that attend to and track ongoing temporal structure in music are bilateral, unlike those that subserve temporal structure in speech, which are pre- dominantly left-lateralized. Musical structure pro- cessing appears to recruit networks in the prefrontal cortex, inferior frontal cortex, superior temporal poles, and cerebellum (including the cerebellar vermis). When the music is emotionally meaningful, activity extends to the ventral tagmental area, the nucleus accumbens, and the hypothalamus. The author concludes with a discussion of what remains to be addressed in this rapidly growing field as well as the challenges to be faced.
A dual grain hit-miss detector for large Die-Stacked DRAM caches

Die-Stacked DRAM caches offer the promise of improved performance and reduced energy by capturing a larger fraction of an application's working set than on-die SRAM caches. However, given that their latency is only 50% lower than that of main memory, DRAM caches considerably increase latency for misses. They also incur a significant energy overhead for remote lookups in snoop-based multi-socket systems. Ideally, it would be possible to detect in advance that a request will miss in the DRAM cache and thus selectively bypass it. This work proposes a “dual grain filter” which successfully predicts whether an access is a hit or a miss in most cases. Experimental results with commercial and scientific workloads show that a 158KB dual-grain filter can correctly predict data block residency for 85% of all accesses to a 256MB DRAM cache. As a result, average off-die latency with our filter is within 8% of that possible with a perfectly accurate filter, which is impractical to implement.