Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Drops on hydrophobic surfaces & vibrated fluid surfaces

We set up a 2D computational Finite-Element Method (FEM) model describing the initial descent of a droplet down an inclined hydrophobic substrate. We solve the full Navier-Stokes equations inside the drop domain, and use the Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian method to keep track of the droplet surface. The contact angle is included by using the Frennet-Serret equations. We investigate the behaviour of the drop velocity as a function of the slip length and compare with experimental results. Furthermore, we quantify the energy associated with centre of mass translation and internal fluid motion. The model predicts trajectories for tracer particles deposited inside the drop, and satisfactorily describes the sliding motion of steadily accelerating droplets. The model can be used for determining a characteristic slip parameter, associated with slip lengths and drag reduction for hydrophobic surfaces. PACS. 47.11. Fg Finite element methods – 47.55. DDrops and bubbles – 47.55. np Contact lines
Severe Complications of Radiofrequency Ablation Therapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: An Analysis of 3,891 Ablations in 2,614 Patients

Objective: To clarify information on and frequency of complications as well as mortality rate after radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for hepatocellular carcinoma.Methods: The results of a questionnaire obtained mainly from members of the Osaka Liver Cancer Study Group at 43 departments of 38 facilities were analyzed in order to clarify the current status of RFA, and information on and frequency of complications and death occurring after RFA. Results: Between January 1999 and May 2002, a total of 3,891 RFA therapies were performed percutaneously in 2,542 patients, laparoscopically in 23, and operatively in 49 (2,614 patients in total). Complications were observed in 207 of 2,614 patients (7.9%), and 9 (0.3%) died within 3 months after RFA. Among these 9 nonsurvivors, 3 had liver failure, 3 rapid progression and sarcomatous changes, 1 biliary injury, 1 gastrointestinal bleeding, and 1 acute myocardial infarction. The departments that treated larger numbers of patients per month had a smaller number of complications and deaths. Conclusion: It is possible that complications of RFA can be reduced by gathering experience.
Supplementary Material to : Motion Clouds : Model-based stimulus synthesis of natural-like random textures for the study of motion perception

Both NX and NY are determined by the frame (stimulus) size (X and Y ), while Nframe is determined by the frame rate (frate) and the stimulus duration (T ). These parameters define the stimulus’ spatiotemporal periods. In this example we set Nframe = 30. Additionally, velocities Vx and Vy have arbitrary units with the convention that if Vx = 1, it means that average motion is equal to an average displacement of one spatial period over one temporal period and the same applies to Vy. (See Figure 1). In line with this, we had introduced earlier the normalization factor ft0 = NX Nframe . In the spatiotemporal domain implies that there is a translation of a distance V AX during a period T . We remind that degrees of visual angle are defined by V A = 2 ∗ arctan (S/2D), where S is stimulus size on the screen (X or Y ) and D is the viewing distance.
Can fMRI measures of brain motor activation add significantly to other variables in the prediction of treatment response?

See related article, pages 2108–2114. This study is among the first to address the basic question of whether fMRI measures of brain motor activation can add significantly to other variables in the prediction of treatment response. The study attempts to use baseline variables in a cohort of 24 chronic stroke patients to predict response to a specific form of rehabilitation, 6 weeks of rehabilitation therapy that targeted arm motor function, especially distally. Patients were also randomized and either did or did not undergo motor cortex electrical stimulation, but the evaluation of this treatment was not the purpose of this study. This work presents evidence of the use of fMRI as a useful tool to help predicting the responsiveness to an intervention aimed to improve arm motor function. It applies to patients able to mobilize the hand (active wrist extension of at least 5 degrees) and a measurable activation in the ipsilesional primary motor cortex (iM1). It is examining whether fMRI data can predict outcome, but crucially whether it can predict outcome over and above other scores. Only 2 variables out of 13 remain at the end of the analyses: degree of hand …
Reducing offline evaluation bias of collaborative filtering

Recommendation systems have been integrated into the majority of large online systems to filter and rank information according to user profiles. It thus influences the way users interact with the system and, as a consequence, bias the evaluation of the performance of a recommendation algorithm computed using historical data (via offline evaluation). This paper presents a new application of a weighted offline evaluation to reduce this bias for collaborative filtering algorithms.
Optimizing elliptic curve scalar multiplication with near-factorization

Elliptic curve scalar multiplication ([k]P where k is an integer and P is a point on the elliptic curve) is widely used in encryption and signature generation. In this paper, we explore a factorization-based approach called Near-Factorization that can be used in conjunction with existing optimization techniques such as Window NAF (Non Adjacent Form). We present a performance model of Near-Factorization and validate model results with those from a simulation. We compare Near-Factorization with wNAF for a range of scalar sizes, window sizes, divisor lengths and Hamming weights of divisor. The use of Near-Factorization with wNAF results in a considerable reduction in the effective Hamming weight of the scalar and a reduction in overall computation cost for Koblitz curves.
Exploring Urban Lifestyles Using a Nonparametric Temporal Graphical Model

We propose a new unsupervised nonparametric temporal topic model to discover lifestyle patterns from location-based social networks. By relating the textual content, time stamps, and venue categories associated to user check-ins, our framework detects the predominant lifestyle patterns in a given geographic region. The temporal component of our model allows us to analyse the evolution of lifestyle patterns throughout the year. We provide examples of interesting patterns that have been discovered by our model, and we show that our model compares favourably to existing approaches in terms of lifestyle pattern quality and computation time. We also quantitatively show that our model outperforms existing methods in a time stamp prediction task.
On bipolarity in argumentation frameworks

In this article, we propose a survey of the use of bipolarity in argumentation frameworks. On the one hand, the notion of bipolarity relies on the presence of two kinds of entities that have a diametrically opposed nature and that represent repellent forces (a positive entity and a negative entity). The notion exists in various domains (for example with the representation of preferences in artificial intelligence, or in cognitive psychology). On the other hand, argumentation process is a promising approach for reasoning, based on the construction and the comparison of arguments. It follows five steps: building the arguments, defining the interactions between these arguments, valuating the arguments, selecting the most acceptable arguments and, finally, drawing a conclusion. Using the nomenclature proposed by Dubois and Prade, this article shows on various applications, and with some formal definitions, that bipolarity appears in argumentation (in some cases if not always) and can be used in each step of this process under different forms. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Intervening Sequence of Coxiella burnetii: Characterization and Evolution

The intervening sequence (IVS) of Coxiella burnetii, the agent of Q fever, is a 428-nt selfish genetic element located in helix 45 of the precursor 23S rRNA. The IVS element, in turn, contains an ORF that encodes a hypothetical ribosomal S23 protein (S23p). Although S23p can be synthesized in vitro in the presence of an engineered E. coli promoter and ribosome binding site, results suggest that the protein is not synthesized in vivo. In spite of a high degree of IVS conservation among different strains of C. burnetii, the region immediately upstream of the S23p start codon is prone to change, and the S23p-encoding ORF is evidently undergoing reductive evolution. We determined that IVS excision from 23S rRNA was mediated by RNase III, and IVS RNA was rapidly degraded, thereafter. Levels of the resulting 23S rRNA fragments that flank the IVS, F1 (~1.2 kb) and F2 (~1.7 kb), were quantified over C. burnetii's logarithmic growth phase (1–5 d). Results showed that 23S F1 quantities were consistently higher than those of F2 and 16S rRNA. The disparity between levels of the two 23S rRNA fragments following excision of IVS is an interesting phenomenon of unknown significance. Based upon phylogenetic analyses, IVS was acquired through horizontal transfer after C. burnetii's divergence from an ancestral bacterium and has been subsequently maintained by vertical transfer. The widespread occurrence, maintenance and conservation of the IVS in C. burnetii imply that it plays an adaptive role or has a neutral effect on fitness.
Studies on Mechanical and Morphological Characterization of Developed Jute/Hemp/Flax Reinforced Hybrid Composites for Structural Applications

ABSTRACT In the present study, an attempt has been made to develop and characterize natural fiber-based composites (jute/epoxy, hemp/epoxy, flax/epoxy) and their hybrid composites (jute/hemp/epoxy, hemp/flax/epoxy, and jute/hemp/flax/epoxy) using hand-lay-up technique. Mechanical characterization (tensile, flexural, impact, and hardness test) of the developed composites was performed. The interface between fiber and matrix was examined using scan electron microscopy (SEM). Among (jute/epoxy, hemp/epoxy, flax/epoxy), flax/epoxy composite has shown higher hardness (98 Shore-D) and tensile strength (46.2 MPa) whereas better flexural and impact strength have been shown by hemp/epoxy (85.59 MPa) and jute/epoxy (7.68 kJ/m2) composites respectively. Results showed that hybrid composites observed better mechanical properties. Jute/hemp/flax/epoxy hybrid composite showed the highest tensile strength, modulus and impact strength of 58.59 MPa, 1.88 GPa, and 10.19, kJ/m2, respectively. Jute/hemp/epoxy hybrid composite achieved the maximum flexural strength of 86.6 MPa.
A CHRONOLOGY OF LATE HOLOCENE GLACIER FLUCTUATIONS ON MOUNT RAINIER, WASHINGTON

Lichenometric studies permit close dating for the timing of stabilization of the late Holocene moraines built by North Mowich, Carbon, Winthrop, Cowlitz, and Ohanapecosh glaciers on Mount Rainier. The moraine chronologies indicate synchronous responses among these glaciers during the past 200 yr. Periods of glacier recession began be
Chemical Genetic Engineering of G Protein-coupled Receptor Kinase 2*

G protein-coupled receptor kinases (GRKs) play a pivotal role in receptor regulation. Efforts to study the acute effects of GRKs in intact cells have been limited by a lack of specific inhibitors. In the present study we have developed an engineered version of GRK2 that is specifically and reversibly inhibited by the substituted nucleotide analog 1-naphthyl-PP1 (1Na-PP1), and we explored GRK2 function in regulated internalization of the μ-opioid receptor (μOR). A previously described method that conferred analog sensitivity on various kinases, by introducing a space-creating mutation in the conserved active site, failed when applied to GRK2 because the corresponding mutation (L271G) rendered the mutant kinase (GRK2-as1) catalytically inactive. A sequence homology-based approach was used to design second-site suppressor mutations. A C221V second-site mutation produced a mutant kinase (GRK2-as5) with full functional activity and analog sensitivity as compared with wild-type GRK2 in vitro and in intact cells. The role of GRK2-as5 activity in the membrane trafficking of the μOR was also characterized. Morphine-induced internalization was completely blocked when GRK2-as5 activity was inhibited before morphine application. However, inhibition of GRK2-as5 during recycling and reinternalization of the μOR did not attenuate these processes. These results suggest there is a difference in the GRK requirement for initial ligand-induced internalization of a G protein-coupled receptor compared with subsequent rounds of reinternalization.
Individual differences in hypertext browsing strategies

The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in web browsing strategies between older and younger participants and also between individuals displaying verbaliser and imager cognitive styles. Typically, verbalisers process information in word form, whereas imagers process information in terms of images. Ten minutes each were allowed to 58 participants to read information in either a hierarchical or relational hypertext with the expectation of answering questions on this information. Browsing strategies were assessed firstly by using three indices of browsing patterns (number of pages visited, proportion of pages visited and pages revisited) and secondly by analysing assessments of browsing strategies given by independent judges. Differences were found between imagers and verbalisers for the indices of browsing patterns, with verbalisers visiting more pages in the hierarchical architecture and imagers visiting more pages in the relational architecture. Similarly, differences were noted between younger and older participants, with the younger groups visiting more pages in the hierarchical condition and the older groups visiting more pages in the relational condition. No differences were observed for the judge's ratings of browsing strategy. The findings have possible implications for the design of web-based instructional systems.
Flow injection analysis of three N-substituted phenothiazine drugs with amperometric detection at a carbon fibre array electrode.

The carbon fibre array electrode is demonstrated as a useful detector for flow injection analysis in the amperometric mode of detection.A liquid chromatographic internal sampling valve was used to inject the sample into the supporting electrolyte stream and sampling rates as high as 200 samples per hour were feasible using a flow-rate of 1 ml min–1. The oxidations of three pharmaceutically important phenothiazine drugs, namely perphenazine, triflupromazine. HCI and fluphenazine.2HCI, were investigated and an assay procedure was developed for these compounds and their formulations. Detection limits for the analytes were a few tenths of ananogram.
Combining Clustering Algorithm with Factorization Machine for Friend Recommendation in Social Network

Social Network Service (SNS) has been explosively growing and generating huge amounts of data every day, it is a meaningful job to mine useful information from the big data which generated from the social networks. In this paper, we study the relationship and behavior of social network users, and then put forward a model which combines Clustering Algorithm with Factorization Machine (FM) for SNS Friend Recommendation. With the help of Clustering Algorithm, we classified the users and make it easy to locate users' characteristics and interests, and by using FM we can solve the Data Sparseness problem effectively. We trained this model by Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm and verified our model using Ten cent Webo's real dataset and proved it has a better computational efficiency and better accuracy in recommending friends.
The Cognitive Study of Art, Language, and Literature

The cognitive turn in the humanities is an aspect of a more general cognitive turn taking place in the contemporary study of human beings. Because it interacts with cognitive neuroscience, it can seem unfamiliar to students of the humanities, but in fact it draws much of its content, many of its central research questions, and many of its methods from traditions of the humanities as old as classical rhetoric. Its purpose in combining old and new, the humanities and the sciences, poetics and cognitive neurobiology is not to create an academic hybrid but instead to invent a practical, sustainable, intelligible, intellectually coherent paradigm for answering basic and recurring questions about the cognitive instruments of art, language, and literature.
Deer, predators, and the emergence of Lyme disease

Lyme disease is the most prevalent vector-borne disease in North America, and both the annual incidence and geographic range are increasing. The emergence of Lyme disease has been attributed to a century-long recovery of deer, an important reproductive host for adult ticks. However, a growing body of evidence suggests that Lyme disease risk may now be more dynamically linked to fluctuations in the abundance of small-mammal hosts that are thought to infect the majority of ticks. The continuing and rapid increase in Lyme disease over the past two decades, long after the recolonization of deer, suggests that other factors, including changes in the ecology of small-mammal hosts may be responsible for the continuing emergence of Lyme disease. We present a theoretical model that illustrates how reductions in small-mammal predators can sharply increase Lyme disease risk. We then show that increases in Lyme disease in the northeastern and midwestern United States over the past three decades are frequently uncorrelated with deer abundance and instead coincide with a range-wide decline of a key small-mammal predator, the red fox, likely due to expansion of coyote populations. Further, across four states we find poor spatial correlation between deer abundance and Lyme disease incidence, but coyote abundance and fox rarity effectively predict the spatial distribution of Lyme disease in New York. These results suggest that changes in predator communities may have cascading impacts that facilitate the emergence of zoonotic diseases, the vast majority of which rely on hosts that occupy low trophic levels.
Algebraic Techniques for Linear Deterministic Networks

We here summarize some recent advances in the study of linear deterministic networks, recently proposed as approximations for wireless channels. This work started by extending the algebraic framework developed for multicasting over graphs in [1] to include operations over matrices and to admit both graphs and linear deterministic networks as special cases. Our algorithms build on this generalized framework, and provide as special cases unicast and multicast algorithms for deterministic networks, as well as network code designs using structured matrices.
Action-Model Based Multi-agent Plan Recognition

Multi-Agent Plan Recognition (MAPR) aims to recognize dynamic team structures and team behaviors from the observed team traces (activity sequences) of a set of intelligent agents. Previous MAPR approaches required a library of team activity sequences (team plans) be given as input. However, collecting a library of team plans to ensure adequate coverage is often difficult and costly. In this paper, we relax this constraint, so that team plans are not required to be provided beforehand. We assume instead that a set of action models are available. Such models are often already created to describe domain physics; i.e., the preconditions and effects of effects actions. We propose a novel approach for recognizing multi-agent team plans based on such action models rather than libraries of team plans. We encode the resulting MAPR problem as a satisfiability problem and solve the problem using a state-of-the-art weighted MAX-SAT solver. Our approach also allows for incompleteness in the observed plan traces. Our empirical studies demonstrate that our algorithm is both effective and efficient in comparison to state-of-the-art MAPR methods based on plan libraries.
MARK/Par1 Kinase Is Activated Downstream of NMDA Receptors through a PKA-Dependent Mechanism

The Par1 kinases, also known as microtubule affinity-regulating kinases (MARKs), are important for the establishment of cell polarity from worms to mammals. Dysregulation of these kinases has been implicated in autism, Alzheimer’s disease and cancer. Despite their important function in health and disease, it has been unclear how the activity of MARK/Par1 is regulated by signals from cell surface receptors. Here we show that MARK/Par1 is activated downstream of NMDA receptors in primary hippocampal neurons. Further, we show that this activation is dependent on protein kinase A (PKA), through the phosphorylation of Ser431 of Par4/LKB1, the major upstream kinase of MARK/Par1. Together, our data reveal a novel mechanism by which MARK/Par1 is activated at the neuronal synapse.
Lipid Droplets and Mycobacterium leprae Infection

Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease and is a major source of morbidity in developing countries. Leprosy is caused by the obligate intracellular bacterium Mycobacterium leprae, which infects as primary target Schwann cells. Lepromatous leprosy exhibits multiple lesions of the skin, eyes, nerves, and lymph nodes. The sites of infection are characterized by the presence of foamy macrophages, fully packed with lipid droplets (LDs), which are induced by M. leprae. In the last years, it has become evident that M. tuberculosis imports lipids from foamy macrophages and is dependent on fatty acids for growth in infected macrophages. M. leprae seems to have similar mechanisms for scavenging lipids from the host. But due to the inability to culture M. leprae on laboratory media, research progresses only slowly. However, in the last years, substantial progress has been made in the field of lipid metabolism in M. leprae. Herein, we will present and summarize the lipid droplets formation and the metabolism of lipids during M. leprae infection.
Measurement-based frame error model for simulating outdoor Wi-Fi networks

We present a measurement-based model of the frame error process on a Wi-Fi channel in rural environments. Measures are obtained in controlled conditions, and careful statistical analysis is performed on the data, providing information which the network simulation literature is lacking. Results indicate that most network simulators use a frame loss model that can miss important transmission impairments even at a short distance, particularly when considering antenna radiation pattern anisotropy and multi-rate switching.
Temporal reasoning about composite and/or periodic events

In many application areas, including planning, workflow, guideline and protocol management, the description of the domain involves composite and/or periodic events, mutually related by temporal constraints on the execution order. Such events represent ‘classes’, since they can be instantiated to specific executions of the plan, guideline etc., and each execution must ‘respect’ the temporal constraints imposed on the corresponding classes. The main goal of our work is to propose an approach dealing with the above-mentioned temporal phenomena. To achieve such an objective, the authors propose a tractable domain-independent temporal reasoner. This enhances the generality of our approach, which provides a domain-independent module that can be integrated with other software tools to solve temporal problems in specific domains. From the methodological point of view, the authors first devise a representation formalism coping with the aforesaid phenomena, and then they describe temporal constraint propagation algorithms to deal with constraint inheritance and to perform temporal consistency checking. The representation formalism has been designed carefully, to obtain algorithms that are both complete and tractable. Finally, the paper also shows experimental results, including an application of the authors’ approach to clinical guidelines, evaluating their impact on future applications and research activities.