Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multimode Spectroscopy for Self-referenced Plasmonic Biosensing

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is an efficient mechanism for biosensing due to its high field intensity and subwavelength confinement. However, the information obtained from these sensors is limited as they only rely on a single measurement at TM polarization. This limitation results in cross sensitivity of the surface plasmon (SP) wave to several parameters such as variations in bulk solution concentration or temperature fluctuations, in addition to the analyte to be measured. In this dissertation the possibility to decouple the aforementioned parameters from the analyte by spectroscopy with more than one mode is investigated. A hybrid plasmonic waveguide (HPWG) and a plasmon waveguide resonance (PWR) sensor are considered for exciting two resonance modes using dual-polarization spectroscopy. These sensors are based on different combinations of a dielectric waveguide and a plasmonic guiding layer. Depending on the overlap of each mode (TE or TM) with the sensing region, each mode exhibits different sensitivity to the measurand. The structural properties of these sensors have been optimized using a genetic algorithm (GA) to ensure optimum performance. Moreover, a method to decouple the interfering surface and bulk effects is presented. The applications of the PWR sensor for refractive index sensing, thin film measurement, and kinetic analysis of proteinnanoparticle interactions are experimentally demonstrated and compared with the conventional SPR sensor. It is demonstrated that for refractive index sensing the TM mode of the PWR sensor has six times smaller refractive index resolution than that of the SPR sensor. To further enhance the functionality of the plasmonic sensors, two grating based designs are proposed which can perform three-mode spectroscopy. The first design contains a one iii dimensional dielectric grating based SPR sensor (DGSPR) and the second grating sensor contains a one dimensional metallic grating loaded on an SPR sensor (MGSPR). Both designs are optimized with a GA to obtain three resonance modes. A detailed analysis of these designs using numerical and analytical methods is presented. The performance of each mode is compared with that of the conventional SPR sensor. Finally, a method to differentiate three interfering effects is provided.
Fault Injection: A Method for Validating Computer-System Dependability

A fault tolerant computer system's dependability must be validated to ensure that its redundancy has been correctly implemented and the system will provide the desired level of reliable service. Fault injection-the deliberate insertion of faults into an operational system to determine its response offers an effective solution to this problem. We survey several fault injection studies and discuss tools such as React (Reliable Architecture Characterization Tool) that facilitate its application. >
Adaptive Minimum-Maximum Exclusive Mean Filter for Impulse Noise Removal

Many filters are proposed for impulse noise removal. However, they are hard to keep excellent denoising performance with high computational efficiency. In response to this difficulty, this paper presents a novel fast filter, adaptive minimum-maximum exclusive mean (AMMEM) filter to remove impulse noise. Although the AMMEM filter is a variety of the maximum-minimum exclusive mean (MMEM) filter, however, the AMMEM filter inherits the advantages, and overcomes the drawbacks, compared with the MMEM filter. To increase the various performances of noise removal, the AMMEM filter uses an adaptive size window, introduces two flexible factors, projection factor P and detection factor T, and limits the calculation scope of the AVG. The experimental results show the AMMEM filter makes a significant improvement in terms of noise detection, image restoration, and computational efficiency. Even at noise level as high as 95%, the AMMEM filter still can restore the images with good visual effect.
Peripheral Inflammatory Markers Contributing to Comorbidities in Autism

This study evaluates the contribution of peripheral biomarkers to comorbidities and clinical findings in autism. Seventeen autistic children and age-matched typically developing (AMTD), between three to nine years old were evaluated. The diagnostic followed the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th Edition (DMS-IV) and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) was applied to classify the severity. Cytokine profile was evaluated in plasma using a sandwich type ELISA. Paraclinical events included electroencephalography (EEG) record. Statistical analysis was done to explore significant differences in cytokine profile between autism and AMTD groups and respect clinical and paraclinical parameters. Significant differences were found to IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17, IL-12p40, and IL-12p70 cytokines in individuals with autism compared with AMTD (p < 0.05). All autistic patients showed interictalepileptiform activity at EEG, however, only 37.5% suffered epilepsy. There was not a regional focalization of the abnormalities that were detectable with EEG in autistic patients with history of epilepsy. A higher IL-6 level was observed in patients without history of epilepsy with interictalepileptiform activity in the frontal brain region, p < 0.05. In conclusion, peripheral inflammatory markers might be useful as potential biomarkers to predict comorbidities in autism as well as reinforce and aid informed decision-making related to EEG findings in children with Autism spectrum disorders (ASD).
Effect of broiler breeder feeding programme and feeder space change at photostimulation using maize- or wheat-based diets on broiler progeny growth performance and leg health

Abstract 1. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of diet type, maternal feeding programme at 29 weeks of age and breeder feeder space change at photostimulation on broiler progeny performance and leg health at 6 weeks of age. 2. Fast-feathering Cobb 500 broiler breeders were fed on either maize- or wheat-based diets that had been formulated to have similar nutrient composition during growing and layer phases. Two feeding programmes, fast or flow, were used from 14 to 29 weeks of age. At 22 weeks, 69 females from each pen were placed in a layer house where feeder space was either similar to that in rearing (6.3 to 6.5 cm/female) or was increased from 6.3 to 8.4 cm/female. Eggs produced at 32 and 44 weeks of age were collected and incubated for two broiler experiments. A total of 16 male and 16 female one-d-old chicks were placed in floor pens in two experiments, respectively, with 6 and 4 replicate pens. Broiler gait scores and leg problem prevalence were evaluated at 6 weeks of age. 3. Data were analysed as a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design with diet type, feeding programme and feeder space change as main factors. 4. The wheat diet increased the probability of observing crooked toes in broiler progeny compared to the use of maize, but only when breeders were fed according to the fast feeding programme and given similar feeder space as during rearing. 5. Breeders given more feeder space in the laying period produced progeny with more locomotion problems compared with those provided similar feeder space, but only when maize was used and the slow feeding programme was applied to the breeders. 6. The maternal feeding programme interacted with other factors to influence progeny leg health, but it did not solely influence walking ability or leg problems of progeny. 7. In conclusion, an increased probability of observing walking impairment of broiler progeny was detected when breeders were given greater feeder space at photostimulation rather than no change and fed according to the slow feeding programme using maize diets in breeders and progeny.
VITP: an information transfer protocol for vehicular computing

Recent advances in wireless inter-vehicle communication systems enable the development of Vehicular Ad-Hoc Networks (VANET) and create significant opportunities for the deployment of a wide variety of vehicular applications and services. In this paper, we introduce the Vehicular Information Transfer Protocol (VITP), an application-layer communication protocol, which is designed to support the establishment of a distributed, ad-hoc service infrastructure over VANET. The VITP infrastructure can be used to provide location-based, traffic-oriented services to drivers, using information retrieved from vehicular sensors and taking advantage of on-board GPS navigation systems. In this paper, we present the key design concepts of the protocol and the infrastructure, the protocol specification, simple examples of protocol interactions that support driver inquiries, and a simulation study of VITP performance properties.
A perspective on the next challenges for TTS research

The quality of speech synthesis has come a long way since Homer Dudley's "Voder" in 1939. In fact, with the widespread use of unit-selection synthesizers, the naturalness of the synthesized speech is now high enough to pass the Turing test for short utterances, such as voice prompts. Therefore, it seems valid to ask the question "what are the next challenges for TTS research"? This paper tries to identify unsolved issues, the solution of which would greatly enhance the state of the art in TTS.
Tweaking and Tweeting: Exploring Twitter for Nonmedical Use of a Psychostimulant Drug (Adderall) Among College Students

Background Adderall is the most commonly abused prescription stimulant among college students. Social media provides a real-time avenue for monitoring public health, specifically for this population. Objective This study explores discussion of Adderall on Twitter to identify variations in volume around college exam periods, differences across sets of colleges and universities, and commonly mentioned side effects and co-ingested substances. Methods Public-facing Twitter status messages containing the term “Adderall” were monitored from November 2011 to May 2012. Tweets were examined for mention of side effects and other commonly abused substances. Tweets from likely students containing GPS data were identified with clusters of nearby colleges and universities for regional comparison. Results 213,633 tweets from 132,099 unique user accounts mentioned “Adderall. ” The number of Adderall tweets peaked during traditional college and university final exam periods. Rates of Adderall tweeters were highest among college and university clusters in the northeast and south regions of the United States. 27,473 (12.9%) mentioned an alternative motive (eg, study aid) in the same tweet. The most common substances mentioned with Adderall were alcohol (4.8%) and stimulants (4.7%), and the most common side effects were sleep deprivation (5.0%) and loss of appetite (2.6%). Conclusions Twitter posts confirm the use of Adderall as a study aid among college students. Adderall discussions through social media such as Twitter may contribute to normative behavior regarding its abuse.
Retrieval of Cemented Monolithic Zirconia Single unit Implant Restoration Using Er:YSGG Laser: A Novel Non Sectionalized Separation Technique

ii Dedication . v Acknowledgments . vi Vita . vii List of Tables . ix List of Figures . x Chapter 1: Introduction . 1 Chapter 2: Materials and Method . 5 Chapter 3: Results . 11 Chapter 4: Discussion . 14 Chapter 5: Conclusion . 22 References . 24 Appendix A: Tables . 29 Appendix B: Figures . 35
A faster B spline snake

Active contour model(or'snake') is efficient in object contour extraction. It is widely applied in many fields, such as human facial feature extraction, segmenation of medical images, vedio object segmentation, 3D reconstruction, and so on. The implementation of GVF into the B Spline snake is specified, the resulting GVF B spline snake, retains the advantages of GVF snake. In this paper SOR method is assembled to speed GVF computation, and the same effect is reached in snake deforming by Conjugate Gradient method. The modified snake algorithm performs more effective and faster over original B spline snake.
Functional Maturation of Drug Transporters in the Developing, Neonatal, and Postnatal Kidney

Because renal function in newborns is immature, the pharmacokinetics of drugs administered to neonates vary significantly from adult patients. The establishment of drug transport systems is a key process in the functional maturation of the nephron. However, a thorough examination of the expression of the main drug transporters in the kidney throughout all stages of development (embryonic, postnatal, and mature) has yet to be carried out, and the functional (physiological) impact is not well understood. Using time-series microarray data, we analyzed the temporal behavior of mRNA levels for a wide range of SLC and ABC transporters in the rodent kidney throughout a developmental time series. We find dynamic increases between the postnatal and mature stages of development for a number of transporters, including the proximal tubule-specific drug and organic anion transporters (OATs) OAT1 (SLC22a6) and OAT3 (SLC22a8). The OATs are the major multispecific basolateral drug, toxin, and metabolite transporters in the proximal tubule responsible for handling of many drugs, as well as the prototypical OAT substrate para-aminohippurate (PAH). We therefore performed specific in vivo pharmacokinetic analysis of the transport of PAH in postnatal and maturing rodent kidney. We show that there is a 4-fold increase in PAH clearance during this period. Clearance studies in Oat1 and Oat3 knockouts confirm that, as in the adult, Oat1 is the principle transporter of PAH in the postnatal kidney. The substantial differences observed supports the need for better understanding of pharmacokinetics in the newborn and juvenile kidney compared with the adult kidney at the basic and clinical level.
Levodopa-Induced Dyskinesia Is Strongly Associated with Resonant Cortical Oscillations

The standard pharmacological treatment for Parkinson's disease using the dopamine precursor levodopa is unfortunately limited by gradual development of disabling involuntary movements for which the underlying causes are poorly understood. Here we show that levodopa-induced dyskinesia in hemiparkinsonian rats is strongly associated with pronounced 80 Hz local field potential oscillations in the primary motor cortex following levodopa treatment. When this oscillation is interrupted by application of a dopamine antagonist onto the cortical surface the dyskinetic symptoms disappear. The finding that abnormal cortical oscillations are a key pathophysiological mechanism calls for a revision of the prevailing hypothesis that links levodopa-induced dyskinesia to an altered sensitivity to dopamine only in the striatum. Apart from having important implications for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, the discovered pathophysiological mechanism may also play a role in several other psychiatric and neurological conditions involving cortical dysfunction.
Modelling strong interactions and longitudinally polarized vector boson scattering

We study scattering of the electroweak gauge bosons in 5D warped models. Within two different models we determine the precise manner in which the Higgs boson and the vector resonances ensure the unitarity of longitudinal vector boson scattering. We identify three separate scales that determine the dynamics of the scattering process in all cases. For a quite general background geometry of 5D, these scales can be linked to a simple functional of the warp factor. The models smoothly interpolate between a `composite' Higgs limit and a Higgsless limit. By holographic arguments, these models provide an effective description of vector boson scattering in 4D models with a strongly coupled electroweak breaking sector.
Oral tribology: Update on the relevance to study astringency in wines

Oral tribology is emerging as a new paradigm to quantify friction and lubrication of food-saliva mixtures in the oral mucosa. Recently, oral tribology has captured research attention in quantifying wine astringency, a characteristic ‘dryness feeling’, which strongly impacts consumer preference. Hence, this paper aims to provide a concise review of oral tribology in the context of wine astringency. Firstly, the important roles of ‘biolubricant’ saliva, salivary proteins and current tribo-pairs used in oral tribology measurements are reviewed. Then, we have discussed the key mechanisms of wine astringency involving polyphenol-salivary protein interactions (hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interactions), rupture of the lubricating salivary film and oral sensation of discrete particles. Studies employing Stribeck curve analysis and microstructural characterisation to understand polyphenol-salivary protein interactions are reviewed. Finally, we highlighted the need for bio-relevant tribo-pairs, simulated oral conditions and tribology-sensory correlation, before such quantification can be used to characterise wine astringency at a commercial level.
Activation of Shaker Potassium Channels

A functional kinetic model is developed to describe the activation gating process of the Shaker potassium channel. The modeling in this paper is constrained by measurements described in the preceding two papers, including macroscopic ionic and gating currents and single channel ionic currents. These data were obtained from the normally activating wild-type channel as well as a mutant channel V2, in which the leucine at position 382 has been mutated to a valine. Different classes of models that incorporate Shaker's symmetrical tetrameric structure are systematically examined. Many simple gating models are clearly inadequate, but a model that can account for all of the qualitative features of the data has the channel open after its four subunits undergo three transitions in sequence, and two final transitions that reflect the concerted action of the four subunits. In this model, which we call Scheme 3+2′, the channel can also close to several states that are not part of the activation path. Channel opening involves a large total charge movement (10.8 e0), which is distributed among a large number of small steps each with rather small charge movements (between 0.6 and 1.05 e0). The final two transitions are different from earlier steps by having slow backward rates. These steps confer a cooperative mechanism of channel opening at Shaker's activation voltages. In the context of Scheme 3+2′, significant effects of the V2 mutation are limited to the backward rates of the final two transitions, implying that L382 plays an important role in the conformational stability of the final two states.
Autogenous bone harvesting and grafting in advanced jaw resorption: morbidity, resorption and implant survival.

AIM To analyse the morbidity arising from autogenous bone graft harvesting, graft resorption and implant survival in grafted sites. MATERIALS AND METHODS Only comparative clinical trials on the harvest of autogenous bone grafts were selected. Studies were excluded if they compared autogenous bone grafts to bone substitutes or vascularised free bone grafts. RESULTS A total of 24 studies were included in the review. Six intraoral or distant donor sites were identified. The highest level of evidence was reached by a randomised controlled trial. The mandibular ramus was the source of bone that was preferred by the patients. From this intraoral donor site bone was harvested under local anaesthesia on an outpatient basis. Patients' acceptance of chin bone harvesting was low. It led to a considerable morbidity that included pain, superficial skin sensitivity disorders and wound healing problems at the donor site. Patients even preferred iliac crest bone harvesting over bone harvesting from the chin, although this distant donor site required general anaesthesia and a hospital stay. The harvest of posterior iliac crest block led to less morbidity than the harvest of anterior iliac crest block grafts. When only cancellous bone was needed, percutaneous bone harvesting from the iliac crest led to less morbidity than an open approach to the iliac crest. CONCLUSIONS Dependent on the required graft structure and amount of bone needed, ramus grafts, block bone grafts from the posterior iliac crest and cancellous bone grafts harvested with a trephine from the anterior iliac crest should be chosen.
Stable kernels and ﬂuid body envelopes

Recent advances in robotics leads us to consider, on the one hand, the notion of a kernel, a set of stable algorithms that drive developmental dynamics and, on the other hand, variable body envelopes that change over time. This division reverses the classic notion of a ﬁxed body on which diﬀerent software can be applied to consider a ﬁxed software that can be applied to diﬀerent kinds of embodiment. Thus, it becomes possible to study how a particular embodiment shapes developmental tra jectories in speciﬁc ways. It also leads us to a novel view of the development of skills, from sensorimotor dexterity to abstract thought, based on the notion of a ﬂuid body in continuous redeﬁnition.
Ultrashort laser pulse propagation and imaging in biological tissue and model random media: steps towards optical mammography

Ultrashort laser pulses passing through a random turbid medium are temporally spread into ballistic, snake, and diffuse components. The intensity and the speed of the ballistic pulse are found to depend on the scattering characteristics of the medium. The diffuse component can be approximated by the diffusion theory when the laser pulse propagates through a distance of more than 10 transport mean free path. The early arriving portion of the diffuse pulse, known as the snake component, consists of photons that propagate along zig-zag paths slightly off the straight path. The attenuation of the snake photon depends on the transport mean free path of the random medium and it decreases exponentially as its thickness increases. However, the snake photon attenuates much more slowly than the ballistic photon. Snake photons have to be used for time-resolved imaging through a thick biological tissue. Ultrafast time-resolved detection of ballistic and snake photons are illustrated for locating opaque and translucent objects hidden in highly scattering media. A thin slab of chicken fat tissue (2.5 mm thick) embedded inside a thick chicken breast tissue (40 mm) has been located by detecting snake photons at X.625 nm. Near infrared light is scattered less in tissue and can be used to image through a significantly thicker tissue. The current ultrashort pulse lasers and ultrafast time-resolved detection techniques can be potentially used to image tumors in a breast.
The J Computer

This paper presents the J Computer, a processor that natively implements a subset of the Java Virtual Machine specification for Java ME CLDC v1.0a in hardware. The computer contains a 32-bit microprocessor, method code cache, and a number of hardware device modules, such as a tone generator, a PS/2 keyboard, and an alpha-blending VGA graphics renderer into which Java code running on the main processor can make remote procedure calls. The user may download arbitrary class files to the J Computer via an RS-232 connection. The design was verified in simulation, and synthesized on a Xilinx Virtex2 FPGA. Successful execution of Java implementations of a prime number discovery algorithm and a simple pong game with audio demonstrated the computer's functionality. Table of