Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the mechanism of the step coverage of blanket tungsten chemical vapor deposition

In this study, computer modeling of the contact fill process with chemical vapor deposition, (CVD) of tungsten is usedto show the importance of several details on the quality of the fill process. The effect of surface curvature on the stepcoverage of CVD-W has been investigated. It is shown that for contacts with an aspect ratio smaller than one, the effect ofsurface curvature is substantial and actually improves step coverage. Therefore, surface curvature for features with aspectratios smaller than one, should be accounted for in computer simulations of the fill process. For contacts with aspect ratioslarger than one the effect of surface curvature is negligible. It is shown that the size of the void (which will be formed incases of step coverage less than 100%) is a better way to describe the quality of the deposition and the repercussions of thevoid on subsequent process steps such as tungsten etch back. In addition, the size of the void depends for a given set ofdeposition conditions solely on the depth of the contact rather than the contact diameter (for aspect ratios larger than 1.0).
Collaboration partner portfolio along the growth of Chinese firms' innovation capability: configuration, evolution and pattern

This paper examines RD 2) the partner portfolios of CMEs with high growth rate are characterised by a smaller number of partners, lower level of repeated partnerships and higher collaboration intensity, while the low-growth CMEs just show an opposite trend; 3) universities have gradually become the most prominent partners of both high-growth and low-growth CMEs, but the firms are also experiencing a significant growth in their portfolios. By contrast, the role of research institutes is decreasing rapidly, especially in low-growth CMEs. Finally, four typical collaboration patterns are drawn from in-depth analysis of Chinese collaborating firms.
Coupled autoencoders learning for zero-shot classification with domain shift

Zero-shot classification (ZSC) aims to classify images from the class whose training samples are unavailable. A typical method addressing this issue is to learn a projection from feature space to attribute space so that a relation of training samples and test samples could be built. However, the projection merely learned from training samples does not apply in unseen classes due to domain shift between them. To tackle this issue, we propose a novel method in this paper that jointly learns coupled autoencoders to alleviate the distribution divergence of samples. We learn a projection by adopting encoder-decoder paradigm in both seen and unseen classes. The proposed method is evaluated for zero-shot recognition on two benchmark datasets, achieving competitive results.
The importance of temporal heterothermy in bats

Animals must balance their energy budgets even when confronted with periodic food shortages and/or adverse environmental conditions. Especially, small endothermic animals require large amounts of energy to maintain high and stable body temperatures (Tb) via endogenous heat production. To deal with energetic challenges, many small endotherms are heterothermic, abandon regulation of high Tb and enter a state of torpor resulting in large energy savings. Torpor is used by many bat species because they are small, have high rates of heat loss and rely on fluctuating food resources (e.g. insects, fruit, nectar). Many bats use torpor all year, but the expression of temporal heterothermy can be strongly seasonal especially for temperate and subtropical species, which may hibernate for long periods. Recent advances in our understanding of torpor expression in bats have been made using temperature telemetry for remote data collection of Tb in free-ranging wild individuals from all climate zones. This new knowledge on free-ranging bats has revealed the importance of torpor expression not only for energy conservation but also for other benefits, such as reduction of extrinsic mortality (e.g. predation). On the contrary, dense clustering during hibernation, important for minimizing energy and water loss, may also expose bats to infectious disease. An emerging, cold-tolerant fungal pathogen of bats causes a new disease called white-nose syndrome (WNS), which is devastating populations of multiple species in eastern North America. Given the importance of temporal heterothermy to their biology, and links between torpor expression and mortality from WNS, it is becoming increasingly important to understand the ecology and physiology of torpor in this largely understudied and cryptic mammalian group. Here, we review past and current literature to summarize the importance and evolution of heterothermy in bats.
A proposal for teaching programming through the Five-Step Method

We have proposed a new method of advancing from CS Unplugged through the new process of CS Plugged to fullfledged computer programming languages, as a means of deepening understanding in computer programming education. We also have proposed a new Five-Step Method consisting of the following steps: Step 1, A CS Unplugged activity; Step 2, A CS Plugged activity; Step 3, A trace table, Step 4, Preparing pseudocode; and Step 5, Writing Java source code.
Development and analysis of a single-stage converter for small-scale wind power system

In this paper, analysis of single-stage ac/dc converter for small-scale wind power generation system is proposed. The harmonic currents of wind generator are reduced so as to decrease the wind turbine noise. The proposed three-phase wind converter has zero-voltage switch in the active switches. Compared with a traditional two-stage converter, high efficiency and high step-up voltage ratio are also accomplished. In addition, based on the proposed wind converter, both power factor correction and MPPT functions are achieved. Finally, the simulation and experimental results verified the validity of the proposed converter.
An improved force-based deployment algorithm for wireless sensor network

In this paper, an improved force-based deployment algorithm for wireless sensor network is proposed. In order to maximize the network coverage while enhancing the efficiency of the algorithm implementation, the resultant of force exerted on sensors is set based on the ratio of the transmission range and sensing range. To decrease the waste overlap, the distance threshold is set, so the oscillating movement and the total moving distance of sensors decreases. Theoretical deduction proves that the network maintains connectivity when the network is connected initially. Simulation results clearly indicate the benefits of this algorithm in terms of network coverage.
Evaluating Domain Adaptation for Machine Translation Across Scenarios

We present an evaluation of the benefits of domain adaptation for machine translation, on three separate domains and language pairs, with varying degrees of domain specificity and amounts of available training data. Domain-adapted statistical and neural machine translation systems are compared to each other and to generic online systems, thus providing an evaluation of the main options in terms of machine translation. Alongside automated translation metrics, we present experimental results involving professional translators, in terms of quality assessment, subjective evaluations of the task and post-editing productivity measurements. The results we present quantify the clear advantages of domain adaptation for machine translation, with marked impacts for domains with higher specificity. Additionally, the results of the experiments show domain-adapted neural machine translation systems to be the optimal choice overall
Risk factors and prognostic role of an electrical storm in patients after myocardial infarction with an implanted ICD for secondary prevention

Introduction The aim of our study was to determine the risk factors for electrical storm (ES) and to assess the impact of ES on the long-term prognosis in patients after myocardial infarction (MI) with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) for secondary prevention of sudden cardiac death (SCD). Material and methods We retrospectively analyzed 416 patients with coronary artery disease after MI who had an implanted ICD for secondary prevention of SCD. Fifty (12%) patients had one or more incidents of an electrical storm – the ES (+) group. We matched the reference group of 47 patients from 366 ES (–) patients. Results We analyzed 3,408 episodes of ventricular arrhythmias: 3,148 ventricular tachyarrhythmic episodes in the ES (+) group (including 187 episodes of ES) and 260 in the ES (–) group. Multivariate logistic regression showed that inferior wall MI (RR = 3.98, 95% CI: 1.52–10.41) and the absence of coronary revascularization (RR = 2.92, 95% CI: 1.18–7.21) were independent predictors of ES (p = 0.0014). During 6-year observation of 97 patients, there were 39 (40%) deaths: 25 (50%) subjects in the ES (+) group and 14 (30%) in the ES (–) group (p = 0.036). Independent predictors of death were: the occurrence of ES (HR = 1.93), older age (HR = 1.06), and lower left ventricular ejection fraction (HR = 0.95) (for all p < 0.001). Conclusions Electrical storm in patients after MI with ICD for secondary prevention is a relatively common phenomenon and has a negative prognostic significance. Myocardial infarction of the inferior wall and the absence of coronary revascularization are predisposing factors for the occurrence of an ES.
A Large Multilingual and Multi-domain Dataset for Recommender Systems

This paper presents a multi-domain interests dataset to train and test Recommender Systems, and the methodology to create the dataset from Twitter messages in English and Italian. The English dataset includes an average of 90 preferences per user on music, books, movies, celebrities, sport, politics and much more, for about half million users. Preferences are either extracted from messages of users who use Spotify, Goodreads and other similar content sharing platforms, or induced from their ”topical” friends, i.e., followees representing an interest rather than a social relation between peers. In addition, preferred items are matched with Wikipedia articles describing them. This unique feature of our dataset provides a mean to derive a semantic categorization of the preferred items, exploiting available semantic resources linked to Wikipedia such as the Wikipedia Category Graph, DBpedia, BabelNet and others.
Green Cloud Computing Resource Managing Policies a Survey

: Green cloud is a buzzword that refers to the potential environmental benefits that information technology (IT) services delivered over the Internet will offer society. The word combines the words green -- meaning environmentally friendly and cloud, the traditional image for online and the shortened name for a type of service delivery model known as cloud processing. According to market research performed by Pike Research, the wide-spread use of cloud processing could trigger a potential 38% decrease in worldwide data center energy expenditures by 2020. The savings is primarily accomplished by consolidating data centers and maximizing power usage efficiency (PUE), improving recycling efforts, bringing down carbon and gas emissions and minimizing water usage in cooling the rest of the centers. Because so much of a data center’s energy expenditures support data storage space, the Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) features promoted new technologies and architectures to help save energy. This paper surveys resource allocation techniques to enhance power consumption by cloud information centers supporting green cloud computing.
The Niki and Julie Corpus: Collaborative Multimodal Dialogues between Humans, Robots, and Virtual Agents

The Niki and Julie corpus contains more than 600 dialogues between human participants and a human-controlled robot or virtual agent, engaged in a series of collaborative item-ranking tasks designed to measure inﬂuence. Some of the dialogues contain deliberate conversational errors by the robot, designed to simulate the kinds of conversational breakdown that are typical of present-day automated agents. Data collected include audio and video recordings, the results of the ranking tasks, and questionnaire responses; some of the recordings have been transcribed and annotated for verbal and nonverbal feedback. The corpus has been used to study inﬂuence and grounding in dialogue. All the dialogues are in American English.
Situation Assessment for Planning Lane Changes: Combining Recurrent Models and Prediction

One of the greatest challenges towards fully autonomous cars is the understanding of complex and dynamic scenes. Such understanding is needed for planning of maneuvers, especially those that are particularly frequent such as lane changes. While in recent years advanced driver-assistance systems have made driving safer and more comfortable, these have mostly focused on car following scenarios, and less on maneuvers involving lane changes. In this work we propose a situation assessment algorithm for classifying driving situations with respect to their suitability for lane changing. For this, we propose a deep learning architecture based on a Bidirectional Recurrent Neural Network, which uses Long Short-Term Memory units, and integrates a prediction component in the form of the Intelligent Driver Model. We prove the feasibility of our algorithm on the publicly available NGSIM datasets, where we outperform existing methods.
A Research on the Combination Strategies of Multiple Features for Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Image Classification

It has been common to employ multiple features in the identification of the images acquired by hyperspectral remote sensing sensors, since more features give more information and have complementary properties. Few studies have discussed the combination strategies of multiple feature groups. This study made a systematic research on this problem. We extracted different groups of features from the initial hyperspectral images and tried different combination scenarios. We integrated spectral features with different textural features and employed different dimensionality reduction algorithms. Experimental results on three widely used hyperspectral remote sensing images suggested that “dimensionality reduction before combination” performed better especially when textural features performed well. The study further compared different combination frameworks of multiple feature groups, including direct combination, manifold learning, and multiple kernel method. The experimental results demonstrated the effectiveness of direct combination with an autoweight calculation.
A molecular ruler determines the repeat length in eukaryotic cilia and flagella

Existence of cellular structures with specific size raises a fundamental question in biology: How do cells measure length? One conceptual answer to this question is by a molecular ruler, but examples of such rulers in eukaryotes are lacking. In this work, we identified a molecular ruler in eukaryotic cilia and flagella. Using cryo-electron tomography, we found that FAP59 and FAP172 form a 96–nanometer (nm)–long complex in Chlamydomonas flagella and that the absence of the complex disrupted 96-nm repeats of axonemes. Furthermore, lengthening of the FAP59/172 complex by domain duplication resulted in extension of the repeats up to 128 nm, as well as duplication of specific axonemal components. Thus, the FAP59/172 complex is the molecular ruler that determines the 96-nm repeat length and arrangements of components in cilia and flagella. A protein complex controls the length and assembly of repeat structures in eukaryotic cilia and flagella. Molecular ruler rules cilia and flagella length Cilia and flagella contain within their ultrastructure repeating structures at regularly spaced intervals. How does the cell measure length with nanometer precision? Oda et al. identify a flagella protein complex in Chlamydomonas that appears to act as a sort of molecula ruler to define repeat length. Genetic changes that would change the length of this protein led to corresponding changes in the length of repeats within the resulting flagella. Science, this issue p. 857
Firearm Ownership, Storage Practices, and Suicide Risk Factors in Washington State, 2013-2016

Objectives To characterize firearm ownership and storage practices in Washington State and assess their relationship with suicide risk factors. Methods Using Washington State Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data for 2013 to 2016, we conducted survey-weighted multivariable Poisson regression models to obtain prevalence ratios (PRs) and confidence intervals (CIs). Results Of 34 884 adult respondents, 34.3% (95% CI = 33.7%, 35.0%) reported a firearm in their household, among whom 36.6% (95% CI = 35.4%, 37.7%) stored their firearm locked and unloaded. There were no differences in mental health indicators by firearm ownership or storage practice status. Binge and chronic alcohol use were somewhat more prevalent among adults from firearm-owning households (PR = 1.2; 95% CI = 1.1, 1.3; PR = 1.2; 95% CI = 1.1, 1.4, respectively) and among those living in households not practicing safe storage (PR = 1.4; 95% CI = 1.2, 1.7; PR = 1.9; 1.5, 2.3, respectively). Conclusions Variability in mental health does not explain the substantial increased suicide risk among individuals in firearm-owning households. Greater prevalence of alcohol misuse among adults in firearm-owning households not practicing safe storage highlights the need for suicide prevention interventions.
Tactile Confusions of the Fingers and Toes

Recent research has shown systematic patterns of confusions between digits of the hands and feet. The present study addressed whether such confusions arise from early somatosensory maps or higher level body representations. As the glabrous and hairy skin of the hands and feet have distinct representations in somatosensory cortex, an effect arising from early somatotopic maps may show distinct patterns on each skin surface. In contrast, if the effect arises from higher level body representations which represent the digits as volumetric units, similar patterns should be apparent regardless of which side of the digit is touched. We obtained confusion matrices showing the pattern of mislocalization on the glabrous and hairy skin surfaces of the toes (Experiment 1) and fingers (Experiment 2). Our results replicated the characteristic pattern of mislocalizations found on the glabrous skin reported in previous studies. Critically, these effects were highly similar on the hairy skin surface of both the toes and fingers. Despite the pattern of mislocalizations being highly stereotyped across participants, there were consistent individual differences in the pattern of confusions across the two skin surfaces. These results suggest that mislocalizations occur at the level of individual digits, consistent with their resulting from higher level body representations.
Synthetic avenues towards a tetrasaccharide related to Streptococcus pneumonia of serotype 6A

Streptococcus pneumonia (SPn) is a Gram-positive bacterium which causes life threatening diseases. The bacteria protect themselves against non-specific host defence by an external polysaccharide (PS) capsule which bears a repeating unit, α-D-Galp(1->3)-α-D-Glcp(1->3)-α-L-Rhap(1->3)-D-Rib (SPn 6A). A closer look at the structure reveals the presence of α-linked galactose and glucose residues. The synthesis of these 1,2-cis glycosidic linkages are considered challenging particularly in the context of a one-pot oligosaccharide synthesis. We have synthesized the aforesaid tetrasaccharide (SPn 6A) based on both stepwise and sequential one-pot glycosylation reactions using easily accessible common building blocks; eventually similar overall yields were obtained in both cases.
Design and implementation of roaming in wireless mesh network based on SDN

Wireless mesh networks (WMNs) have been broadly accepted as a high-performance and low-cost solution to last-mile broadband internet access. But it is still difficult to reach seamless roaming. This paper proposes a software-defined wireless mesh network (SD-WMN) providing seamless roaming services. The advantages of the SD-WMN include: (1) reducing the handover latency and the number of lost packets by a quick disconnect mechanism; (2) updating the node flow table in time from a logically-centralized controller. Experiments taken in the streaming media VOD system have proved the feasibility and efficiency of SD-WMN.
Prognostic Significance of CD 44 v 6 / v 7 in Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia

CD44 is a transmembrane glycoprotein, a member of a family of cell adhesion molecules, and a mediator of interaction between bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) and leukemia cells. CD44 can be divided into standard and variant isoforms: CD44 standard (CD44s) and CD44 variant (CD44v). The CD44v gene has ten variant exons (v1–v10) which can be selectively spliced, leading to production of different CD44 variant isoforms (Ponta et al., 2003). Of these CD44 variants, the v6-containing variant isoforms have been reported to correlate with metastasis and infiltration in multiple cancers (Herold et al., 1996; Naor et al., 2008; Yu et al., 2010; Zhang et al., 2012). The higher frequency of CD44 v6-containing variant isoforms were found in mononuclear cells (MNCs) from patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and lymphoma than in MNCs from healthy donors (Akisik et al., 2002). CD44v6/v7 was demonstrated to be the principal isoforms able to bind osteopontin (OPN), leading to the initiation of a signal transduction cascade that may result in phosphorylation of some kinases such as phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and protein kinase C (PKC), and consequently in suppression of apoptosis. In addition, this
Social Play Behaviour: Cooperation, Fairness, Trust, and the Evolution of Morality

People often wonder if some nonhuman animal beings (hereafter animals) have codes of social conduct that regulate their behaviour in terms of what is permissible and what is not permissible during social encounters. In a recent issue of this journal (Volume 7, No. 1–2, 2000), researchers from many disciplines debated the evolutionary origins of morality. Essentially, they were interested in discussing animal roots on which human morality might be built, even if it is not identical to animal morality. Charles Darwin’s (1859; 1872/1998) ideas about evolutionary continuity, namely that behavioural, cognitive, and emotional variations among different species are differences in degree rather than difference in kind, are often invoked in such exercises. Evolutionary reconstructions of social behaviour often depend on educated guesses (some good and some not so good) about the past social (and other) environments in which ancestral beings lived. Often it is difficult to know with a great deal of certainty very much about these variables and how they may have figured into evolutionary scenarios. It is an understatement to note that is very difficult to study the evolution of morality in any animal species, and the very notion of animal morality itself often makes for heated discussions. Bernstein’s (2000) concern that ‘morality in animals might lie outside of the realm of measurement techniques available to science’ (p. 34) needs to be taken seriously. Nonetheless, it seems clear that detailed comparative analyses of social behaviour in animals can indeed provide insights into the evolution of social morality. To be sure, these sorts of studies are extremely challenging, but the knowledge that is gained is essential in our efforts to learn more about the evolution of sociality and social morality.