Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evidence for Asian dust effects from aerosol plume measurements during INTEX-B 2006 near Whistler, BC

Abstract. Several cases of aerosol plumes resulting from trans-Pacific transport were observed between 2 km and 5.3 km at Whistler, BC from 22 April 2006 to 15 May 2006. The fine particle ( 1 μm) were enhanced in all sulphate plumes. Fine particle organic mass concentrations were relatively low in most plumes and were nominally anti-correlated with the increases in the number concentrations of coarse particles. The ion chemistry of coarse particles sampled at Whistler Peak was dominated by calcium, sodium, nitrate, sulphate and formate. Scanning transmission X-ray microscopy of coarse particles sampled from the NCAR C-130 aircraft relatively close to Whistler indicated carbonate, potassium and organic functional groups, in particular the carboxyl group. Asian plumes reaching Whistler, BC during the INTEX-B study were not only significantly reduced of fine particle organic material, but organic compounds were attached to coarse particles in significant quantities. Suspension of dust with deposited organic material and scavenging of organic materials by dust near anthropogenic sources are suggested, and if any secondary organic aerosol (SOA) was formed during transport from Asian source regions across the Pacific it was principally associated with the coarse particles. An average of profiles indicates that trans-Pacific transport between 2 and 5 km during this period increased ozone by about 10 ppbv and fine particle sulphate by 0.2–0.5 μg m−3. The mean sizes of the fine particles in the sulphate plumes were larger when dust particles were present and smaller when the fine particle organic mass concentration was larger and dust was absent. The coarse particles of dust act to accumulate sulphate, nitrate and organic material in larger particles, diminishing the role of these compounds in indirect radiative forcing, but potentially enhancing their roles in direct radiative forcing.
On Good and Fair Paper-Reviewer Assignment

Peer review has become the most common practice for judging papers submitted to a conference for decades. An extremely important task involved in peer review is to assign submitted papers to reviewers with appropriate expertise which is referred to as paper-reviewer assignment. In this paper, we study the paper-reviewer assignment problem from both the goodness aspect and the fairness aspect. For the goodness aspect, we propose to maximize the topic coverage of the paper-reviewer assignment. This objective is new and the problem based on this objective is shown to be NP-hard. To solve this problem efficiently, we design an approximate algorithm which gives a 1/3-approximation. For the fairness aspect, we perform a detailed study on conflict-of-interest (COI) types and discuss several issues related to using COI, which, we hope, can raise some open discussions among researchers on the COI study. Finally, we conducted experiments on real datasets which verified the effectiveness of our algorithm and also revealed some interesting results of COI.
Branes, anti-branes and Brauer algebras in gauge-gravity duality

We propose gauge theory operators built using a complex Matrix scalar which are dual to brane-anti-brane systems in AdS5 ? S5, in the zero coupling limit of the dual Yang-Mills. The branes involved are half-BPS giant gravitons. The proposed operators dual to giant-anti-giant configurations satisfy the appropriate orthogonality properties. Projection operators in Brauer algebras are used to construct the relevant multi-trace Matrix operators. These are related to the ``coupled representations'' which appear in 2D Yang-Mills theory. We discuss the implications of these results for the quantum mechanics of a complex matrix model, the counting of non-supersymmetric operators and the physics of brane-anti-brane systems. The stringy exclusion principle known from the properties of half-BPS giant gravitons, has a new incarnation in this context. It involves a qualitative change in the map between brane-anti-brane states to gauge theory operators. In the case of a pair of sphere giant and anti-giant this change occurs when the sum of the magnitudes of their angular momenta reaches N.
Chronophysiology of Melatonin: Therapeutical Implications

Normal circadian rhythms are synchronized to a regular 24 hr environmental light/dark cycle. Both the su- prachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and melatonin are essential for this adaptation. Melatonin exerts its chronophysiological action in part by acting through specific receptors (MT 1 , MT 2 ) which have been identified in the plasma membrane of SCN as well as in several neural and non-neural tissues. Both receptors have been cloned and share general features with other G protein linked receptors. Melatonin also exerts direct effects on intracellular proteins such as calmodulin or tubu- lin and has strong free radical scavenger properties which are non-receptor mediated. Within the SCN, melatonin reduces neuronal activity in a time-dependent manner. SCN MT 1 and MT 2 receptors appear to be insensitive during the day, but sensitive at dusk and dawn (MT 2 ; causes phase shifts) or during early night period (MT 1 ; decreases neuronal firing rate). Melatonin secreted during nighttime provides enough inertia to resist minor perturbations of the circadian timing system. The disruption of these circadian mechanisms cause a number of sleep disorders named according to the International Classification of Sleep Disorders as circadian rhythm sleep disorders (CRSDs). CRSDs include delayed or advanced sleep phase syndromes, non 24 hr sleep/wake rhythm disorder, time zone change syndrome ("jet lag") and shift work sleep dis- order. Disturbances in the circadian phase position of plasma melatonin levels have been found in all these disorders. In addition, co-morbility of severe circadian alterations with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimerdisease (AD) has been documented. Although further research involving larger number of patients suffering CRSDs is required, currently there is sufficient evidence to implicate endogenous melatonin as an important mediator in CRSD pathophysiology. Mela- tonin and its analogs can constitute useful therapeutic tools to treat disturbed sleep-wake rhythms in CRSDs. Melatonin secretion decreases in AD patients and its administration improves sleep efficiency, sundowning and cognitive function. This effect can be particularly important in mild cognitive impairment, an etiologically heterogeneous syndrome charac- terized by cognitive impairment preceding dementia.
A Novel Entry/Uncoating Assay Reveals the Presence of at Least Two Species of Viral Capsids During Synchronized HIV-1 Infection

To better characterize the behavior of HIV-1 capsids we developed EURT, for Entry/Uncoating assay based on core-packaged RNA availability and Translation. EURT is an alternative to Blam-Vpr, but as reporter RNA translation relies on core opening, it can be used to study viral capsids behavior. Our study reveals the existence of two major capsid species, a dead end one in which the viral genome is readily exposed to the cytoplasm and a functional one in which such exposure requires artificial core destabilization. Although reverse transcription drives a faster loss of susceptibility of viral cores to high doses of PF74, it does not lead to higher exposure of the viral genome, implying that viral cores protect the genome irrespectively of reverse transcription. Lastly, IFNα drifts cores from functional to non-functional species, revealing a novel core-destabilizing activity. This assay sheds new light on the behavior of viral cores inside target cells.
Exploiting the redundancy for humanoid robots to dynamically step over a large obstacle

In this paper, we resolve the issue of stepping over a large obstacle by exploiting the redundancy of pelvis rotation and the versatility of foot trajectories for the humanoids. The control framework consists of a motion pattern that exploits the redundancy of pelvis rotation to enlarge the kinematic workspace, a generic foot trajectory generation which can be modified by a parametric interface to adapt to a specific task as well as utilizing the hip abduction to avoid obstacle collision. Moreover, the compensation strategies are also presented for reducing the discrepancies to implement the dynamic stepping motion on a real robot. The effectiveness is validated by COMAN's capability of dynamically stepping over a large obstacle of 10cm height by 5cm width which is almost 20% of its leg length in both simulation and experiment.
E-science experiences: software engineering practice and the EU DataGrid

The conduct of collaborative scientific study mediated by the internet -e-science - is giving rise to a new type of large distributed software project. This paper reports initial experiences of one such project: the European DataGrid. We record observations about the intended lifecycle and process, compared with actual practice. The paper explores the applicability of current software development practices from academic, commercial, and open source sectors in the context of such Grid projects.
A saliency map method with cortex-like mechanisms and sparse representation

In the field of visual attention, bottom-up or saliency-based visual attention allows primates to detect non-specific conspicuous objects or targets in cluttered scenes. Simple multi-scale "feature maps" detect local spatial discontinuities in intensity, color, orientation, and are combined into a "saliency" map. HMAX is a feature extraction method and this method is motivated by a quantitative model of visual cortex. In this paper, we introduce the Saliency Criteria to measure the perspective fields. This model is based on cortex-like mechanisms and sparse representation, Saliency Criteria is obtained from Shannon's self-information and entropy. We demonstrate that the proposed model achieves superior accuracy with the comparison to classical approach in static saliency map generation on real data of natural scenes and psychology stimuli patterns.
Hands touching hands: affective and evaluative effects of an interpersonal touch.

A 2 (touch-no touch) x 2 (sex of confederate) x 2 (sex of subject) between subjects design tested the affective and evaluative consequences of receiving an interpersonal touch in a Professional/Functional situation. It was found that the affective and evaluative response to touch was uniformly positive for females, who felt affectively more positive and evaluated the toucher and the environmental setting more favorably than in no touch conditions. The male response to touch was more ambivalent.
Prevention of Restenosis After Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty With Thromboxane A2‐Receptor Blockade: A Randomized, Double‐Blind, Placebo‐Controlled Trial

BackgroundGR32191B is a novel thromboxane A2-receptor antagonist with potent antiaggregational and antivasoconstrictive properties. We have conducted a randomized, doubleblind, placebo-controlled trial to study its usefulness in restenosis prevention. Methods and ResultsPatients received either GR32191B (80 mg orally before angioplasty and 80 mg/day orally for 6 months) or 250 mg i.v. aspirin before angioplasty and placebo fo6 months. Coronary angiograms before angioplasty, after angioplasty, and at 6-month follow-up were quantitatively analyzed. Angioplasty was attempted in 697 patients. For efficacy analysis, quantitative angiography at follow-up was available in 522 compliant patients (261 in each group). Baseline clinical and angiographic parameters did not differ between the two treatment groups. The mean difference in coronary diameter between postangioplasty and follow-up angiogram (primary end point) was −0.31 + 0.54 mm in the control group and −0.31 + 0.55 mm in the GR32191B group. Clinical events during 6-month follow-up, analyzed on intention-totreat basis, were ranked according to the highest category on a scale ranging from death (control, six; GR32191B, four) to nonfatal infarction (control, 22; GR32191B, 18), bypass grafting (control, 19; GR32191B, 22) and repeat angioplasty (control, 52; GR32191B, 48). No significant difference in ranking was detected. Six months after angioplasty, 75% of patients in the GR32191B group and 72% of patients in the control group were symptom free. ConclusionsLong-term thromboxane A2-receptor blockade with GR32191B does not prevent restenosis and does not favorably influence the clinical course after angioplasty.
Pie chart sonification

Different acoustic variables such as pitch, volume, timbre and position can be used to represent quantitative, qualitative and categorical aspects of the information. Such sonifications are particularly useful for those with visual impairments; they are also beneficial in circumstances where visual representations would be impossible to use or to enrich a graphical realization. We demonstrate methods of representing an audible pie chart representation such that the hearer understands the information through an equivalent representation. We implement and evaluate five designs. In each, the user is positioned at the center of the chart and perceives the information through positional sound sources.
Physical and psychosocial correlates of severe fatigue in rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVES Fatigue is a frequently experienced and patient-relevant complaint in RA. Disease activity, anaemia and pain are regarded as disease-related factors that may lead to fatigue in RA. However, psychosocial factors may also play a role in maintaining severe fatigue. The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of severe fatigue in RA patients, to study patient perceptions of fatigue and to determine which disease-related factors and psychosocial factors are independently associated with fatigue severity. METHODS For this study consecutive RA outpatients were enrolled (n = 228). The patients filled out questionnaires regarding fatigue using the Checklist Individual Strength (CIS), including psychosocial factors, pain and disability. The clinical data that were collected included ESR, CRP, haemoglobin level and 28-joint disease activity score (DAS-28). Chunk-wise backward linear regression was used for analysis. RESULTS Severe fatigue (CIS > or = 35) was experienced by 42% of the RA patients, and they perceived their fatigue as frustrating or exhausting. The severely fatigued RA patients scored worse on all measured psychosocial items, compared with patients without severe fatigue. Pain severity, role functioning, depressive mood, self-efficacy on fatigue, worrying, helplessness and non-restorative sleep were the factors most strongly associated with fatigue level. CONCLUSIONS A considerable proportion of RA patients had severe fatigue, with fatigue levels similar to chronic fatigue syndrome. Fatigue in RA was related to pain and functioning, not inflammation, as disease-related factors and to several psychosocial factors including coping and cognitions concerning fatigue.
A New Method for Detection of Cirrus Overlapping Water Clouds and Determination of Their Optical Properties

The frequent occurrence of high cirrus overlapping low water cloud poses a major challenge in retrieving their optical properties from spaceborne sensors. This paper presents a novel retrieval method that takes full advantage of the satellite data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). The main objectives are identification of overlapped high cirrus and low water clouds and determination of their individual optical depths, top heights, and emissivities. The overlapped high cloud top is determined from the MODIS CO2-slicing retrieval and the underlying low cloud top is determined from the neighboring MODIS pixels that are identified as single-layer low clouds. The algorithm applies a dual-layer cloud radiative transfer model using initial cloud properties derived from the MODIS CO2-slicing channels and the visible (0.65 m) and infrared (11 m) window channels. An automated iterative procedure follows by adjusting the high cirrus and low water cloud optical depths until computed radiances from the dual-layer model match with observed radiances from both the visible and infrared channels. The algorithm is valid for both single-layer and dual-layer clouds with the cirrus optical depth 4 (emissivity 0.85). For more than two-layer clouds, its validity depends on the thickness of the upper-layer cloud. A preliminary validation is conducted by comparing against ground-based active remote sensing data. Pixel-by-pixel retrievals and error analyses are presented. It is demonstrated that retrievals based on a single-layer assumption can result in systematic biases in the retrieved cloud top and optical properties for overlapped clouds. Such biases can be removed or lessened considerably by applying the new algorithm.
Dynamic Wavelet Synopses Management over Sliding Windows in Sensor Networks

Due to the dynamic nature of data streams, a sliding window is used to generate synopses that approximate the most recent data within the retrospective horizon to answer queries or discover patterns. In this paper, we propose a dynamic scheme for wavelet synopses management in sensor networks. We define a data structure sliding dual tree, abbreviated as SDT, to generate dynamic synopses that adapts to the insertions and deletions in the most recent sliding window. By exploiting the properties of Haar wavelet transform, we develop several operations to incrementally maintain SDT over consecutive time windows in a time- and space-efficient manner. These operations directly operate on the transformed time-frequency domain without the need of storing/reconstructing the original data. As shown in our thorough analysis, our SDT-based approach greatly reduces the required resources for synopses generation and maximizes the storage utilization of wavelet synopses in terms of the window length and quality measures. We also show that the approximation error of the dynamic wavelet synopses, i.e., L2-norm error, can be incrementally updated. We also derive the bound of the overestimation of the approximation error due to the incremental thresholding scheme. Furthermore, the synopses can be used to answer various kinds of numerical queries such as point and distance queries. In addition, we show that our SDT can adapt to resource allocation to further enhance the overall storage utilization over time. As demonstrated by our experimental results, our proposed framework can outperform current techniques in both real and synthetic data.
Approximate planning in POMDPs via MDP heuristic

MDP heuristic based POMDP algorithms have been considered as simple, fast, but imprecise solutions. This paper provides a novel MDP heuristic value iteration algorithm for POMDPs. Besides the help of MDP, our algorithm utilizes a weighted graph model for the belief point approximation and reassignment, to further improve the efficiency and decrease the space complexity. Experimental results indicate our algorithm is fast and has high solution quality for POMDP problems.
Detecting and eliminating chromatic aberration in digital images

Chromatic aberration is a form of distortion in color optical devices that produces undesirable color fringes along borders within images. In this paper, we propose a novel method for detecting and eliminating chromatic aberration using image processing. We first analyze the color difference behavior around edges that do not show chromatic aberration and propose a range limitation property for edges. After searching for the pixels that violate the above property, the corrected pixel values are generated to eliminate the color fringes. The proposed algorithm corrects both lateral and longitudinal aberration on a single distorted image, and experimental results demonstrate the performance of the proposed method is effective.
Towards testing future Web applications

The current Web applications are in continuous evolution to provide new and more complex functionalities, which can improve the user experience by means of adaptivity and dynamic changes. Since testing is the most frequently used technique to evaluate the quality of software applications in industry, novel testing approaches will be necessary to evaluate the quality of future (and more complex) web applications. In this paper, we investigate the testing challenges of future web applications and propose a testing methodology that addresses these challenges by the integration of search-based testing, model-based testing, oracle learning, concurrency testing, combinatorial testing, regression testing, and coverage analysis. This paper also presents a testing metamodel that states testing concepts and their relationships, which are used as the theoretical basis of the proposed testing methodology.
Error-Correcting Sample Preparation with Cyberphysical Digital Microfluidic Lab-on-Chip

Digital (droplet-based) microfluidic technology offers an attractive platform for implementing a wide variety of biochemical laboratory protocols, such as point-of-care diagnosis, DNA analysis, target detection, and drug discovery. A digital microfluidic biochip consists of a patterned array of electrodes on which tiny fluid droplets are manipulated by electrical actuation sequences to perform various fluidic operations, for example, dispense, transport, mix, or split. However, because of the inherent uncertainty of fluidic operations, the outcome of biochemical experiments performed on-chip can be erroneous even if the chip is tested a priori and deemed to be defect-free. In this article, we address an important error recoverability problem in the context of sample preparation. We assume a cyberphysical environment, in which the physical errors, when detected online at selected checkpoints with integrated sensors, can be corrected through recovery techniques. However, almost all prior work on error recoverability used checkpointing-based rollback approach, that is, re-execution of certain portions of the protocol starting from the previous checkpoint. Unfortunately, such techniques are expensive both in terms of assay completion time and reagent cost, and can never ensure full error-recovery in deterministic sense. We consider imprecise droplet mix-split operations and present a novel roll-forward approach where the erroneous droplets, thus produced, are used in the error-recovery process, instead of being discarded or remixed. All erroneous droplets participate in the dilution process and they mutually cancel or reduce the concentration-error when the target droplet is reached. We also present a rigorous analysis that reveals the role of volumetric-error on the concentration of a sample to be prepared, and we describe the layout of a lab-on-chip that can execute the proposed cyberphysical dilution algorithm. Our analysis reveals that fluidic errors caused by unbalanced droplet splitting can be classified as being either critical or non-critical, and only those of the former type require correction to achieve error-free sample dilution. Simulation experiments on various sample preparation test cases demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.