Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fundamental Properties of the Molecular Au Clusters

Monolayer-protected gold clusters (MPCs) are a very interesting and fascinating class of compounds, from the points of view of both the fundamental science and their possible applications. They are composed of a gold core, with a diameter smaller than a few nanometers, and are surrounded by a protecting organo-thiolate monolayer, bonded by covalent Au-S bonds. Due to their dimensions, these systems exhibit properties in between those of molecules and nanoparticles, therefore displaying unique physical and chemical behaviors. In this Thesis, some properties of the most stable and well-known molecular MPC are addressed and studied. The investigation focuses on fundamental features, including solid-state properties, optical behavior, reactivity and especially their magnetic properties. The investigation of the latter constitutes the major part of this work. Particular attention is dedicated to the effect of ligands on these phenomena. The main tool of our investigation was electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, which was used to study these MPCs both in solution and in the solid state. The topics addressed are to understand the magnetic interactions between gold core and the capping ligands in solutions phase and ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interactions between clusters in the solid state. Another magnetic resonance technique, nuclear magnetic resonance, was used for the study of the ligand exchange kinetics. The data obtained from a number of experimental techniques and computational calculations were used in conjunction with these two main tools.
New Microscopic Methods for the Functional Imaging of Energy Materials at the Nanoscale

The replacement of fossil fuel-based technologies still requires an effective high-efficiency and low-cost photovoltaic (PV) technology. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Renewable Electricity Futures Study, 80% of the power generated in the US could be from renewable sources by 2050 [1], which requires that PV electricity generation increases to >10%. Yet, only 1% of the electricity is generated by solar power today [2]. The current high cost/Watt, $5.3/W for <10kW systems, is still the main challenge to achieve NREL’s target. Perovskites and thin-film polycrystalline materials are a potential alternative for low-cost PV, but improvement in efficiency is required to ensure low cost/W. The performance of the best solar cells is still limited by the open-circuit voltage (Voc), the maximum voltage available from a PV device, which is related to the radiative recombination (photon emission) within the material. The Voc of both well-established and emerging materials is considerably below theoretical predictions [3]. This work addresses this critical limiting factor that constrains perovskite and thin-film polycrystalline solar cells’ performance. While macroscopic light currentvoltage (I-V) measurements are useful for determining the overall device performance, a nanoscale imaging spectroscopy method to spatially resolve the local optical and electrical properties to access charge carrier recombination processes within materials for PV is crucial for understanding inefficiencies [4,5].
Fast Incremental Clustering of Gaussian Mixture Speaker Models for Scaling up Retrieval In On-Line Broadcast

In this paper, we introduce a hierarchical classification approach in the incremental framework of speaker indexing. The technique of incremental generation of speaker-homogeneous segments is applied in the first phase. Then, we propose a hierarchical classification approach that applied in the speaker indexing framework. This approach benefits from the efficiency of Gaussian mixture model (GMM) merge algorithm to the high accuracy of update Gaussian mixture models which referenced by speakers tree index. The adaptive threshold algorithm reduces the cost of exploring the speakers GMM into the balanced binary tree of speaker's index, whose complexity becomes logarithmic curve
Operational Large-Area Forest Monitoring in Siberia Using ALOS PALSAR Summer Intensities and Winter Coherence

Focusing on Siberia, the feasibility of using Advanced Land Observing Satellite Phased Arrayed L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) summer-intensity and winter-coherence images for large-area forest monitoring was investigated. Fine beam dual horizontal/horizontal and horizontal/vertical (polarization) intensity strip images were acquired during the summer of 2007. The processing consisted of radiometric calibration, orthorectification, and topographic normalization. The coherence was estimated from interferometric pairs with 46-day repeat-pass intervals. The pairs were acquired during the winters of 2006/2007 and 2007/2008. During both winters, suitable weather conditions that allow for low temporal decorrelation had been reported. By using PALSAR intensities and winter-coherence data, areas of forest and nonforest were separated. By combining both data types, a minimal overlap of the class signatures was observed, even though the analysis was conducted at the pixel level and no speckle filter was applied. The study concludes that the operational delineation of forest cover using PALSAR data is feasible. By applying a segmentation-based classification, an accuracy of 93% was obtained.
A Light Lexicon-based Mobile Application for Sentiment Mining of Arabic Tweets

Most advanced mobile applications require server-based and communication. This often causes additional energy consumption on the already energy-limited mobile devices. In this work, we provide to address these limitations on the mobile for Opinion Mining in Arabic. Instead of relying on compute-intensive NLP processing, the method uses an Arabic lexical resource stored on the device. Text is stemmed, and the words are then matched to our own developed ArSenL. ArSenL is the first publicly available large scale Standard Arabic sentiment lexicon (ArSenL) developed using a combination of English SentiWordnet (ESWN), Arabic WordNet, and the Arabic Morphological Analyzer (AraMorph). The scores from the matched stems are then processed through a classifier for determining the polarity. The method was tested on a published set of Arabic tweets, and an average accuracy of 67% was achieved. The developed mobile application is also made publicly available. The application takes as input a topic of interest and retrieves the latest Arabic tweets related to this topic. It then displays the tweets superimposed with colors representing sentiment labels as positive, negative or neutral. The application also provides visual summaries of searched topics and a history showing how the sentiments for a certain topic have been evolving.
Surgical Outcomes in Small Cell Lung Cancer

Background The experience of a single-institution regarding surgery for small cell lung cancer (SCLC) was reviewed to evaluate the surgical outcomes and prognoses. Materials and Methods From July 1990 to December 2009, thirty-four patients (28 male) underwent major pulmonary resection and lymph node dissection for SCLC. Lobectomy was performed in 24 patients, pneumonectomy in eight, bilobectomy in one, and segmentectomy in one. Surgical complications, mortality, the disease-free survival (DFS) rate, and the overall survival rate were analyzed retrospectively. Results The median follow-up period was 26 months (range, 4 to 241 months), and there was one surgical mortality (2.9%). Six patients (17.6%) experienced recurrence, all of which were systemic. Eight patients died during follow-up; four died of disease progression and the other four died of pneumonia or of another non-cancerous cause. The three-year DFS rate was 79.2±2.6% and the overall survival rate was 66.4±10.5%. Recurrence or death was significantly prevalent in the patients with lymph node metastasis (p=0.001) as well as in those who did not undergo adjuvant chemotherapy (p=0.008). The three-year survival rate was significantly greater in the patients with pathologic stage I/II cancer than in those with stage III cancer (84% vs. 13%, p=0.001). Conclusion Major pulmonary resection for small cell lung cancer is feasible in selected patients. Patients with pathologic stage I or II disease showed an excellent survival rate after surgery and adjuvant treatment. Prospective randomized studies will be needed to define the role of surgery in early-stage small cell lung cancer.
MIRA: A Multi-layered On-Chip Interconnect Router Architecture

Recently, Network-on-Chip (NoC) architectures have gained popularity to address the interconnect delay problem for designing CMP / multi-core/SoC systems in deep sub-micron technology. However, almost all prior studies have focused on 2D NoC designs. Since three dimensional (3D) integration has emerged to mitigate the interconnect delay problem, exploring the NoC design space in 3D can provide ample opportunities to design high performance and energy-efficient NoC architectures. In this paper, we propose a 3D stacked NoC router architecture, called MIRA, which unlike the 3D routers in previous works, is stacked into multiple layers and optimized to reduce the overall area requirements and power consumption. We discuss the design details of a four-layer 3D NoC and its enhanced version with additional express channels, and compare them against a (6times6) 2D design and a baseline 3D design. All the designs are evaluated using a cycle-accurate 3D NoC simulator, and integrated with the Orion power model for performance and power analysis. The simulation results with synthetic and application traces demonstrate that the proposed multi-layered NoC routers can outperform the 2D and naive 3D designs in terms of performance and power. It can achieve up to 42% reduction in power consumption and up to 51% improvement in average latency with synthetic workloads. With real workloads, these benefits are around 67% and 38%, respectively.
Adrenergic Pathways Do Not Mediate Peptide YY‐Induced Inhibition of Pancreatic Exocrine Secretion

The influence of extrapancreatic nerves and intrapancreatic adrenergic activity on the inhibition of pancreatic exocrine secretion by peptide YY (PYY) was studied in conscious dogs. Chronic pancreatic fistulae were created in five mongrel dogs while a second group of five dogs also underwent complete pancreatic denervation. After recovery, a continuous infusion of secretin (62 ng/kg/h) and cholecystokinin (CCK; 50 ng/kg/h) was administered over 2 h. An infusion of PYY (400 pmol/kg/h) was then given randomly, during either the first or second experimental hour. The experiments were then replicated after establishing adrenergic blockade with continuous background infusions of either phentolamine (0.2 mg/kg/h), propranolol (0.5 mg/kg bolus) or a combination of phentolamine and propranolol. The secretinicholecysto-kinin-induced bicarbonate and protein outputs were significantly inhibited by PYY in both the innervated and denervated animals. Adrenergic blockade failed to eliminate the inhibitory effects of PYY. We conclude that extrapancreatic neural pathways, including adrenergic mechanisms, do not mediate the inhibitory effects of PYY. The results suggest that PYY inhibits secretidchole-cystokinin-induced pancreatic response by an indirect nonadrenergic mechanism.
Third heart sound in hospitalised patients with acute heart failure: insights from the ATTEND study

Several previous studies have suggested that detection of a third heart sound (S3) in patients with chronic congestive heart failure is associated with adverse long‐term outcomes. However, the short‐term prognostic value of identifying an S3 on admission in patients with acute heart failure (AHF) is not well established. We therefore analysed the in‐hospital prognostic value of detecting an S3 on admission in hospitalised patients with AHF.
Enriching Dictionaries with Images from the Internet - Targeting Wikipedia and a Japanese Semantic Lexicon: Lexeed -

We propose a simple but effective method for enriching dictionary definitions with images based on image searches. Various query expansion methods using synonyms/hypernyms (or related words) are evaluated. We demonstrate that our method is effective in obtaining highprecision images that complement dictionary entries, even for words with abstract or multiple meanings.
Inhibitors of Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases Downregulate COX-2 Expression in Human Chondrocytes

Inducible prostaglandin synthase (cyclooxygenase-2, COX-2) is expressed in rheumatoid and osteoarthritic cartilage and produces high amounts of proinflammatory prostanoids in the joint. In the present study we investigated the effects of the inhibitors of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways Erk1/2, p38, and JNK on COX-2 expression and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production in human chondrocytes. Proinflammatory cytokine IL-1β caused a transient activation of Erk1/2, p38, and JNK in immortalized human T/C28a2 chondrocytes and that was followed by enhanced COX-2 expression and PGE2 production. PD98059 (an inhibitor of Erk1/2 pathway) suppressed IL-1-induced COX-2 expression and PGE2 production in a dose-dependent manner, and seemed to have an inhibitory effect on COX-2 activity. SB203580 (an inhibitor of p38 pathway) but not its negative control compound SB202474 inhibited COX-2 protein and mRNA expression and subsequent PGE2 synthesis at micromolar drug concentrations. SP600125 (a recently developed JNK inhibitor) but not its negative control compound N1-methyl-1,9-pyrazolanthrone downregulated COX-2 expression and PGE2 formation in a dose-dependent manner. SP600125 did not downregulate IL-1-induced COX-2 mRNA expression when measured 2 h after addition of IL-1β but suppressed mRNA levels in the later time points suggesting post-transcriptional regulation. Our results suggest that activation of Erk1/2, p38, and JNK pathways belongs to the signaling cascades that mediate the upregulation of COX-2 expression and PGE2 production in human chondrocytes exposed to proinflammatory cytokine IL-1β.
Evaluating a Tool for Improving Accessibility to Charts and Graphs

This article reports a case study of the iterative design and evaluation of a natural language-driven assistive technology, iGraph-Lite, providing people who are blind access to line graphs. Two laboratory-based usability studies involving blind and sighted people are presented with a discussion of the ensuing implementation of changes. Blind participants were found to adopt different graph interrogation strategies than sighted participants. A small field study is then reported in which a blind user who works with graphs took part to determine the degree to which the iGraph-Lite commands would meet the needs of blind graph experts. The final study invited sighted graph experts and novices to visually inspect and explain a set of line graphs comparable to those used in the usability studies. It aimed to highlight the concepts and the range of words sighted people use, to ascertain the appropriateness of the iGraph-Lite lexicon. A set of preliminary guidelines is presented.
Design and implementation of microcontroller-based platform-independent Real-time WebSocket Server for monitoring and control applications

This paper presents design and implementation technique of Microcontroller-based Real-time WebSocket Server for monitoring and control applications. The main goals of this research are to design and implement a WebSocket Server that can run on various sizes and platforms of microcontrollers. The WebSocket is asynchronous full-duplex communication protocol used to exchange data between a client and a server. All proposed algorithms are designed and implemented as microcontroller platform independent. They are implemented in standard C language which can decrease the size of program memory (Flash/ROM) and data memory (RAM), reduce computational time and also easy to port to other platforms. To evaluate the proposed algorithms, we first design and implement a WebSocket Server that works as both 4-channel data acquisition and 4-channel PWM signal generator running in a microcontroller. The data acquisition and signal generator can be monitored and controlled through internet network using web-based application. In additional, we develop Web-based applications working as 4-channel oscilloscope and 4-channel PWM signal designer to monitor and control the system. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithms can be used for real-time application as expected.
The Non-Parametric Model for Linking Galaxy Luminosity with Halo/Subhalo Mass: Are First Brightest Galaxies Special?

We revisit the longstanding question of whether first brightest cluster galaxies are statistically drawn from the same distribution as other cluster galaxies or are "special", using the new non-parametric, empirically based model presented in Vale&Ostriker (2006) for associating galaxy luminosity with halo/subhalo masses. We introduce scatter in galaxy luminosity at fixed halo mass into this model, building a conditional luminosity function (CLF) by considering two possible models: a simple lognormal and a model based on the distribution of concentration in haloes of a given mass. We show that this model naturally allows an identification of halo/subhalo systems with groups and clusters of galaxies, giving rise to a clear central/satellite galaxy distinction. We then use these results to build up the dependence of brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) magnitudes on cluster luminosity, focusing on two statistical indicators, the dispersion in BCG magnitude and the magnitude difference between first and second brightest galaxies. We compare our results with two simple models for BCGs: a statistical hypothesis that the BCGs are drawn from a universal distribution, and a cannibalism scenario merging two galaxies from this distribution. The statistical model is known to fail from work as far back as Tremaine&Richstone (1977). We show that neither the statistical model nor the simplest possibility of cannibalism provide a good match for observations. Our CLF models both give similar results, in good agreement with observations. Specifically, we find between -25 and -25.5 in the K-band, sigma(m_1)~0.25 and between 0.6 and 0.8, for cluster luminosities in the range of 10^12 to 10^13 h^-2 L_sun.
Protein coding potential of retroviruses and other transposable elements in vertebrate genomes

We suggest an annotation strategy for genes encoded by retroviruses and transposable elements (RETRA genes) based on a set of marker protein domains. Usually RETRA genes are masked in vertebrate genomes prior to the application of automated gene prediction pipelines under the assumption that they provide no selective advantage to the host. Yet, we show that about 1000 genes in four vertebrate gene sets analyzed contain at least one RETRA gene marker domain. Using the conservation of genomic neighborhood (synteny), we were able to discriminate between RETRA genes with putative functionality in the vertebrates and those that probably function only in the context of mobile elements. We identified 35 such genes in human, along with their corresponding mouse and rat orthologs; which included almost all known human genes with similarity to mobile elements. The results also imply that the vast majority of the remaining RETRA genes in current gene sets are unlikely to encode vertebrate functions. To automatically annotate RETRA genes in other vertebrate genomes, we provide as a tool a set of marker protein domains and a manually refined list of domesticated or ancestral RETRA genes for rescuing genes with vertebrate functions.
Microscale simulations of the mechanics of spongy-particle systems

Open-porous deformable particles, often envisaged as sponges, are ubiquitous in biological and industrial systems (e.g. casein micelles in dairy products and microgels in cosmetics). The rich behavior of these suspensions is owing to the elasticity of the supporting network of the particle, and the viscosity of permeating solvent. Therefore, the rate-dependent size change of these particles depends on their structure, i.e. the permeability. This work aims at investigating the effect of the particle-size dynamics and the underlying particle structure, i.e. the particle permeability, on the transient and long-time behavior of suspensions of spongy particles in the absence of applied deformation, using the dynamic two-scale model developed by Hütter et al. [Faraday Discuss. , 158, 407-424 (2012)]. In the highdensity limit, the transient behavior is found to be accelerated by the particle-size dynamics, even at average size-changes as small as 1%. The accelerated dynamics is evidenced by (i) the higher short-time diffusion coefficient as compared to elastic-particle systems and (ii) the accelerated formation of the stable FCC crystal structure. Furthermore, after long times, the particle-size dynamics of spongy particles is shown to result in lower stationary values of the energy and normal stresses as compared to elastic-particle systems. This dependence of the long-time behavior of these systems on the permeability, that essentially is a transport coefficient and hence must not affect the equilibrium properties, confirms that full equilibration has not been reached.
AnnealedImitation : FastDynamicsfor Maximum Clique Marcello Pelillo

We proposea new classof heuristics for the maximum clique problem (MCP) whosebasic ingredientsare: (1) a parameterizedcontinuous formulation of MCP, (2) an instability analysis of equilibria of imitation dynamics fr om evolutionary gametheory, and (3) a principled way of varying a regularization parameter during the evolution processso as to avoid inefficient solutions. The resulting “annealed imitation” class is shown to contain algorithms that are dramatically faster than and as accurate as state-of-the-art neural network heuristics for maximum clique.
PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT IN TQM ENVIRONMENT: DESIRED CHARACTERISTICS AND NEED FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

A proper performance measurement system is widely recognized as one of the most important dimensions of TQM and a critical success factor of TQM implementation. However, many companies find it challenging to design, manage and update a performance measurement system in TQM context. In order to provide recommendations for these companies, this paper investigates the performance management practices adopted by a sample of the finalists in the Total Quality category of Canada Awards for Business Excellence.
Role of Kinesin-1 in the Pathogenesis of SPG10, a Rare Form of Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia

Molecular protein motors play key roles in processes such as intracellular cargo transport and brain wiring, and failure of function can give rise to serious diseases. Kinesin-1, a member of the kinesin superfamily (also known as KIFs) is a two-headed motor protein that uses energy derived from ATP hydrolysis to transport diverse types of intracellular cargo toward the plus-ends of microtubules within axons. Recent studies at the level of a single molecule have provided extensive knowledge on how kinesin-1 moves along microtubules. Further elucidation of kinesin-1 movement may shed light on its influence on axon generation, thereby leading to therapies for diseases such as spastic paraplegia type 10 (SPG10), the subject of this review. SPG10 is an autosomal dominant form of hereditary spastic paraplegia caused by mutations in KIF5A, which encodes one of the isoforms of kinesin-1 (KIF5A, KIF5B, and KIF5C). Although little is known about the cargo of KIF5A, a recent study revealed an axonal transport defect of mitochondria in a KIF5A − / − mouse model. This review discusses the consensus moving model of kinesin-1 and the pathogenicity of SPG10 caused by defective KIF5A function.