Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Emission Ratios of the Tropospheric Ozone Precursors Nitrogen Dioxide and Formaldehyde from Australia's Black Saturday Fires

The 'Black Saturday' fires were a series of devastating forest fires that burned across Victoria, Australia, during February and March of 2009. In this study we have used satellite data made publically available by NASA from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and the Atmospheric InfraRed Sounder (AIRS) to track the smoke plume from the Black Saturday firestorm and explore the chemical aging of the smoke plume in the first days after emission. We also determined emission ratios for formaldehyde and nitrogen dioxide within smoke from fires actively burning across Victoria between 7 and 17 February 2009. The mean emission ratios with respect to carbon monoxide derived for these two tropospheric ozone precursors are (0.016 ± 0.004 mol.mol −1 ) for formaldehyde and (0.005 ± 0.002 mol.mol −1 ) for nitrogen dioxide. The mean emission ratio for formaldehyde with respect to CO is in broad agreement with values previously quoted in the literature for temperate forest fires. However, to our knowledge there are no previous measurements of emission ratios for nitrogen dioxide from Australian temperate forest fires.
Mass of Vesta

The asteroid 197 (Arete) approaches asteroid 4 (Vesta) within 0.04 astronomical unit once every 18 years. It may therefore be possible to determine the mass of Vesta from observations of Arete. From 72 observations a value of (1.20 � 0.08) x 10-10 solar mass was derived, the indicated uncertainty being a probable error.
A Multimodal Framework for Recognizing Emotional Feedback in Conversational Recommender Systems

A conversational recommender system should interactively assist users in order to understand their needs and preferences and produce personalized recommendations accordingly. While traditional recommender systems use a single-shot approach, the conversational ones refine their suggestions during the conversation since they gain more knowledge about the user. This approach can be useful in case the recommender is embodied in a conversational agent acting as a shopping assistant in a smart retail context. In this case, knowledge about the user preferences may be acquired during the conversation and by observing the user behavior. In such a setting, besides "rational" information, the agent may grasp information also about extra-rational factors such as attitudes, emotions, likes and dislikes. This paper describes the study performed in order to develop a multimodal framework for recognizing the shopping attitude of the user during the interaction with DIVA, a Dress-shopping InteractiVe Assistant. In particular, speech prosody, gestures and facial expressions have been taken into account for providing feedback to the system and refining the recommendation accordingly.
Invasive Group A Streptococcal Disease: Risk Factors for Adults

We conducted a case-control study to identify risk factors for invasive group A streptococcal (GAS) infections, which can be fatal. Case-patients were identified when Streptoccus pyogenes was isolated from a normally sterile site and control subjects (two or more) were identified and matched to case-patients by using sequential-digit telephone dialing. All participants were noninstitutionalized surveillance area residents, >18 years of age. Conditional logistic regression identified the risk factors for invasive GAS infection: in adults 18 to 44 years of age, exposure to one or more children with sore throats (relative risk [RR]=4.93, p=0.02), HIV infection (RR =15.01, p=0.04), and history of injecting drug use (RR=14.71, p=0.003); in adults >45 years of age, number of persons in the home (RR=2.68, p=0.004), diabetes (RR= 2.27, p=0.03), cardiac disease (RR=3.24, p=0.006), cancer (RR= 3.54, p=0.006), and corticosteroid use (RR=5.18, p=0.03). Thus, host and environmental factors increased the risk for invasive GAS disease.
Low-rank sparse matrix decomposition for sparsity-driven SAR image reconstruction

We consider the development of a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image reconstruction method that decomposes the imaged field into a sparse and a low-rank component. Such a decomposition is of interest in image analysis tasks such as segmentation and background subtraction. Conventionally, such operations are performed after SAR image formation. However image formation methods may produce images that are not well suited for such interpretation tasks since they do not incorporate interpretation objectives to the SAR imaging problem. We exploit recent work on sparse and low-rank decomposition of matrices and incorporate such a decomposition into the process of SAR image formation. The outcome is a method that jointly reconstructs a SAR image and decomposes the formed image into its low-rank background and spatially sparse components. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method on both synthetic and real SAR images.
Between nurture and nature: The shifting determinants of female fertility in Danish twin cohorts

Abstract Behaviors related to fertility constitute primary candidates for investigating the relevance of evolutionary influences and biological dispositions on contemporary human behaviors. Using female Danish twin cohorts born 1870–1968, we document important transformations in the relative contributions of “nurture” and “nature” to within‐cohort variations in early and complete fertility, and we point toward a systematic relation between the socioeconomic context of cohorts and the relevance of genetic and shared environmental factors. This transformation is most striking for early fertility where genetic factors strengthen over time and are consistent with up to 50 percent of the variation in early fertility in most recent cohorts. Understanding this emerging relevance of genetic factors is of central importance because early fertility constitutes an important determinant of complete fertility levels in low‐fertility societies, and because teenage motherhood and early childbearing are often associated with negative life‐cycle consequences. Moreover, our results emphasize the need for socially and contextually informed analyses of nature and nurture that allow both factors to influence human reproductive behavior over time.
Evidence that cAMP-dependent protein kinase and a protein factor are involved in reactivation of triton X-100 models of sea urchin and starfish spermatozoa

A fraction obtained from detergent-extract of sea urchin or starfish spermatozoa using DEAE-cellulose chromatography reactivated Triton X- 100 models of the spermatozoa in a cAMP-dependent manner. The DEAE fraction contained cAMP-dependent protein kinase with a high level of specific activity. Rabbit muscle inhibitor protein highly specific for cAMP-dependent protein kinases inhibited the ability of the deae fraction to induce reactivation of Triton X-100 models.l This inhibition paralleled inhibition of cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity of the DEAE fraction, suggesting participation of the enzyme in the cAMP-dependent reactivation of Triton X-100 models. However, cAMP-dependent protein kinase further purified from the DEAE fraction was incapable of reactivating these models by itself. A protein factor which was separated from the protein kinase in the course of purification of the enzyme was found to also be necessary for the reactivation. When cAMP-dependent protein kinase was pretreated with protein kinase inhibitor before addition of the protein factor, the reactivation of Triton X-100 models was no longer detected. However, after the protein factor had been incubated with cAMP and cAMP- dependent protein kinase, protein kinase inhibitor did not repress reactivation of Triton X-100 models. We propose that the reactivation needs phosphorylation of the protein factor by cAMP-dependent protein kinase.
Complex information processing: a file structure for the complex, the changing and the indeterminate

THE KINDS OF FILE structures required if we are to use the computer for personal files and as an adjunct to creativity are wholly different in character from those customary in business and scientific data processing. They need to provide the capacity for intricate and idiosyncratic arrangements, total modifiability, undecided alternatives, and thorough internal documentation. I want to explain how some ideas developed and what they are. The original problem was to specify a computer system for personal information retrieval and documentation, able to do some rather complicated things in clear and simple ways. In this paper I will explain the original problem. Then I will explain why the problem is not simple, and why the solution (a file structure) must yet be very simple. The file structure suggested here is the Evolutionary List File, to be built of zippered lists. A number of uses will be suggested for such a file, to show the breadth of its potential usefulness. Finally, I want to explain the philosophical implications of this approach for information retrieval and data structure in a changing world.
AlGaN-GaN Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor High-Electron-Mobility Transistors With Very High- $k$ Oxynitride $\hbox{TaO}_{x} \hbox{N}_{y}$ Gate Dielectric

We investigated AlGaN-GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor high-electron-mobility transistors (MIS-HEMTs) with high-permittivity (high-k) oxynitride TaOxNy gate dielectric (k ~24) obtained by sputtering deposition. The MIS-HEMTs show excellent pulsed current-voltage characteristics, small off-leakage currents (<; 10-10 A/mm), high on/off current ratios (> 1010), and favorable threshold voltage stabilities. From comparisons with MIS-HEMTs with TaOx gate dielectric, we conclude that N incorporation in gate dielectric can suppress current collapse and deep-level states.
Microfabrication and nanomechanical characterization of polymer microelectromechanical system for biological applications

Polymer microelectromechanical system (MEMS) devices are promising for biological applications such as development of biosensors and biomechanical devices. In order to develop polymer biological MEMS (BioMEMS), polymer microfabrication techniques are required, and the nanomechanics studies, including measurement of the nanomechanical properties of the polymer materials, must be carried out. This article presents the development of soft lithography based polymer BioMEMS microfabrication techniques and systematic studies on the nanomechanical characterization of the polymer thin films and beams. Poly (methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) and poly (propyl methacrylate) (PPMA) are used to make the polymer beams for MEMS integration. The hardness, elastic modulus and creep behavior of PMMA and PPMA thin films and microstructures were measured using continuous stiffness measurement nanoindentation technique, and the scratch resistance of the polymer thin films was measured using a nanoscratch technique. The elastic modul.
Measurement and analysis of cyberlocker services

Cyberlocker Services (CLS) such as RapidShare and Megaupload have recently become popular. The decline of Peer-to-Peer (P2P) file sharing has prompted various services including CLS to replace it. We propose a comprehensive multi-level characterization of the CLS ecosystem. We answer three research questions: (a) what is a suitable measurement infrastructure for gathering CLS workloads; (b) what are the characteristics of the CLS ecosystem; and (c) what are the implications of CLS on Web 2.0 (and the Internet). To the best of our knowledge, this work is the first to characterize the CLS ecosystem. The work will highlight the content, usage, performance, infrastructure, quality of service, and evolution characteristics of CLS.
Early Detection of Spam Mobile Apps

Increased popularity of smartphones has attracted a large number of developers to various smartphone platforms. As a result, app markets are also populated with spam apps, which reduce the users' quality of experience and increase the workload of app market operators. Apps can be "spammy" in multiple ways including not having a specific functionality, unrelated app description or unrelated keywords and publishing similar apps several times and across diverse categories. Market operators maintain anti-spam policies and apps are removed through continuous human intervention. Through a systematic crawl of a popular app market and by identifying a set of removed apps, we propose a method to detect spam apps solely using app metadata available at the time of publication. We first propose a methodology to manually label a sample of removed apps, according to a set of checkpoint heuristics that reveal the reasons behind removal. This analysis suggests that approximately 35% of the apps being removed are very likely to be spam apps. We then map the identified heuristics to several quantifiable features and show how distinguishing these features are for spam apps. Finally, we build an Adaptive Boost classifier for early identification of spam apps using only the metadata of the apps. Our classifier achieves an accuracy over 95% with precision varying between 85%-95% and recall varying between 38%-98%. By applying the classifier on a set of apps present at the app market during our crawl, we estimate that at least 2.7% of them are spam apps.
Effect of ATP Binding and Hydrolysis on Dynamics of Canine Parvovirus NS1

ABSTRACT The replication protein NS1 is essential for genome replication and protein production in parvoviral infection. Many of its functions, including recognition and site-specific nicking of the viral genome, helicase activity, and transactivation of the viral capsid promoter, are dependent on ATP. An ATP-binding pocket resides in the middle of the modular NS1 protein in a superfamily 3 helicase domain. Here we have identified key ATP-binding amino acid residues in canine parvovirus (CPV) NS1 protein and mutated amino acids from the conserved A motif (K406), B motif (E444 and E445), and positively charged region (R508 and R510). All mutations prevented the formation of infectious viruses. When provided in trans, all except the R508A mutation reduced infectivity in a dominant-negative manner, possibly by hindering genome replication. These results suggest that the conserved R510 residue, but not R508, is the arginine finger sensory element of CPV NS1. Moreover, fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP), complemented by computer simulations, was used to assess the binding properties of mutated fluorescent fusion proteins. These experiments identified ATP-dependent and -independent binding modes for NS1 in living cells. Only the K406M mutant had a single binding site, which was concluded to indicate ATP-independent binding. Furthermore, our data suggest that DNA binding of NS1 is dependent on its ability to both bind and hydrolyze ATP.
Algorithm Selection: A Quantitative Approach

The widespread use of algorithmic trading has led to the question of whether the most suitable algorithm is always being used. We propose a practical framework to help traders qualitatively characterize algorithms as well as quantitatively evaluate comparative performance among various algorithms. We demonstrate the applicability of the quantitative model using historical data from orders executed through ITG Algorithms.
Information Retrieval in Hypertext Systems: an Approach Using Bayesian Networks

SUMMARY The emphasis in most hypertext systems is on the navigational methods, rather than on the global document retrieval mechanisms. When a search mechanism is provided, it is often restricted to simple string matching or to the Boolean model. As an alternate method, we propose a retrieval mechanism using Bayesian inference networks. The main contribution of our approach is the automatic construction of this network using the expected mutual information measure to build the inference tree, and using Jaccard’s formula to define fixed conditional probability relationships.
Converting graphical DSP programs into memory constrained software prototypes

Since software prototypes of DSP applications are most efficient when their code and data space requirements can be accommodated entirely within the on-chip memory of the target processor it is crucial to employ efficient memory-minimizing compilation techniques in a DSP software prototyping system. In this paper, we introduce two techniques for the combined minimization of code and data when compiling graphical programs that are based on the synchronous dataflow (SDF) model. The first method is a customization to acyclic graphs of a bottom-up technique, called Pairwise Grouping of Adjacent Nodes (PGAN), that was proposed earlier for general SDF graphs. We show that our customization significantly reduces the complexity of the general PGAN algorithm and performs optimally for a certain class of applications. The second approach is a top-down technique, called Recursive Partitioning by Minimum Cuts (RPMC), that is based on a generalized minimum cut operation. From an extensive experimental study, we conclude that RPMC and our customization of PGAN are complementary, and both should be incorporated into SDF-based prototyping environments in which the minimization of memory requirements is important.
Stimulation of the mesencephalic locomotor region elicits controlled swimming in semi‐intact lampreys

The role of the mesencephalic locomotor region (MLR) in initiating and controlling the power of swimming was studied in semi‐intact preparations of larval and adult sea lampreys. The brain and the rostral portion of the spinal cord were exposed in vitro, while the intact caudal two‐thirds of the body swam freely in the Ringer's‐containing chamber. Electrical microstimulation (2–10 Hz; 0.1–5.0 μA) within a small periventricular region in the caudal mesencephalon elicited well‐coordinated and controlled swimming that began within a few seconds after the onset of stimulation and lasted throughout the stimulation period. Swimming stopped several seconds after the end of stimulation. The power of swimming, expressed by the strength of the muscle contractions and the frequency and the amplitude of the lateral displacement of the body or tail, increased as the intensity or frequency of the stimulating current were increased. Micro‐injection of AMPA, an excitatory amino acid agonist, into the MLR also elicited active swimming. Electrical stimulation of the MLR elicited large EPSPs in reticulospinal neurons (RS) of the middle rhombencephalic reticular nucleus (MRRN), which also displayed rhythmic activity during swimming. The retrograde tracer cobalt‐lysine was injected into the MRRN and neurons (dia. 10–20 μm) were labelled in the MLR, indicating that this region projects to the rhombencephalic reticular formation. Taken together, the present results indicate that, as higher vertebrates, lampreys possess a specific mesencephalic region that controls locomotion, and the effects onto the spinal cord are relayed by brainstem RS neurons.
VORTEX MACHINING: LOCALIZED SURFACE MODIFICATION USING AN OSCILLATING FIBER PROBE

This paper demonstrates for the first time a method for surface modification of a substrate material based on the generation of localized vortices of abrasive slurry using slender oscillating fibers. In experiments presented in this paper, the abrasive slurry is a water based suspension of 1 µm alumina particles. This is pumped onto, and flows across, the specimen surface. A fiber (typically 7 µm in diameter and between 3.5 to 5 mm long) is immersed into this flowing slurry and oscillated at frequencies around 30–40 kHz to produce a small rotational flow (vortex) that results in the locally accelerated particles. Using such a system, it has been possible, over machining times of 6–24 hours, to produced localized depressions in the surface of a silicon substrate with typical depths of around 60–700 nm and widths of around 10–300 µm. Based on these initial studies the material removal rate is estimated to be approximately 40 nm per hour. Using white light interferometry and stylus profilometry the surface deviations (roughness) of these features have a root mean square variation in the region 1–2 nm, which is comparable to that of the surface remote from the machined feature.
CAP Phase II Simulations for the Air Force HEL-JTO Project: Atmospheric Turbulence Simulations on NAVO's 3000-Processor IBM P4+ and ARL's 2000-Processor Intel Xeon EM64T Cluster

Shear turbulence induced by the Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) instability in a stratified fluid is simulated in support of the Air Force High-Energy-Laser Joint Tactical Office (HEL-JTO) project using the new 3000-processor NAVO IBM Power 4+ system (Kraken). The results are used to 1) compare with and improve a dynamic LES method we have developed, and 2) provide the high-resolution simulation component of a new subgrid-scale (SGS) model we have developed for optical turbulence forecasting. We also discuss the relative performance of Kraken and the new 2000-processor Intel XEON EM64T cluster (Jvn) at ARL, pointing out differences which amount primarily to inter-node network performance. We suggest "%of wall time spent communicating" as a standard DoD benchmark criterion for very large distributed systems, as other more conventional criteria do not necessarily represent this important system and algorithm metric.
Essence: Olfactory Interfaces for Unconscious Influence of Mood and Cognitive Performance

The sense of smell is perhaps the most pervasive of all senses, but it is also one of the least understood and least exploited in HCI. We present Essence, the first olfactory computational necklace that can be remotely controlled through a smartphone and can vary the intensity and frequency of the released scent based on biometric or contextual data. This paper discusses the role of smell in designing pervasive systems that affect one's mood and cognitive performance while being asleep or awake. We present a set of applications for this type of technology as well as the implementation of the olfactory display and the supporting software. We also discuss the results of an initial test of the prototype that show the robustness and usability of Essence while wearing it for long periods of time in multiple environments.
Goal-directed multimodal locomotion through coupling between mechanical and attractor selection dynamics

One of the most significant challenges in bio-inspired robotics is how to realize and take advantage of multimodal locomotion, which may help robots perform a variety of tasks adaptively in different environments. In order to address the challenge properly, it is important to notice that locomotion dynamics are the result of interactions between a particular internal control structure, the mechanical dynamics and the environment. From this perspective, this paper presents an approach to enable a robot to take advantage of its multiple locomotion modes by coupling the mechanical dynamics of the robot with an internal control structure known as an attractor selection model. The robot used is a curved-beam hopping robot; this robot, despite its simple actuation method, possesses rich and complex mechanical dynamics that are dependent on its interactions with the environment. Through dynamical coupling, we will show how this robot performs goal-directed locomotion by gracefully shifting between different locomotion modes regulated by sensory input, the robot’s mechanical dynamics and an internally generated perturbation. The efficacy of the approach is validated and discussed based on the simulation and on real-world experiments.