Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
VARIABLE O vi AND N v EMISSION FROM THE X-RAY BINARY LMC X-3: HEATING OF THE BLACK HOLE COMPANION

Based on high-resolution ultraviolet spectroscopy obtained with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) and the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, we present new detections of O vi and N v emission from the black hole X-ray binary (XRB) system LMC X-3. We also update the ephemeris of the XRB using recent radial velocity measurements obtained with the echelle spectrograph on the Magellan–Clay telescope. We observe significant velocity variability of the UV emission, and we find that the O vi and N v emission velocities follow the optical velocity curve of the XRB. Moreover, the O vi and N v intensities regularly decrease between binary phase = 0.5 and 1.0, which suggests that the source of the UV emission is increasingly occulted as the B star in the XRB moves from superior to inferior conjunction. These trends suggest that illumination of the B star atmosphere by the intense X-ray emission from the accreting black hole creates a hot spot on one side of the B star, and this hot spot is the origin of the O vi and N v emission. However, the velocity semiamplitude of the ultraviolet emission, KUV≈ 180 km s−1, is lower than the optical semiamplitude; this difference could be due to rotation of the B star. Comparison of the FUSE observations taken in 2001 November and 2004 April shows a significant change in the O vi emission characteristics: in the 2001 data, the O vi region shows both broad and narrow emission features, while in 2004 only the narrow O vi emission is clearly present. Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer data show that the XRB was in a high/soft state in the 2001 November epoch but was in a transitional state in 2004 April, so the shape of the X-ray spectrum might change the properties of the region illuminated on the B star and thus change the broad versus narrow characteristics of the UV emission. If our hypothesis about the origin of the highly ionized emission is correct, then careful analysis of the emission occultation could, in principle, constrain the inclination of the XRB and the mass of the black hole.
Discovering Functional Neuronal Connectivity from Serial Patterns in Spike Train Data

Repeating patterns of precisely timed activity across a group of neurons (called frequent episodes) are indicative of networks in the underlying neural tissue. This letter develops statistical methods to determine functional connectivity among neurons based on nonoverlapping occurrences of episodes. We study the distribution of episode counts and develop a two-phase strategy for identifying functional connections. For the first phase, we develop statistical procedures that are used to screen all two-node episodes and identify possible functional connections (edges). For the second phase, we develop additional statistical procedures to prune the two-node episodes and remove false edges that can be attributed to chains or fan-out structures. The restriction to nonoverlapping occurrences makes the counting of all two-node episodes in phase 1 computationally efficient. The second (pruning) phase is critical since phase 1 can yield a large number of false connections. The scalability of the two-phase approach is examined through simulation. The method is then used to reconstruct the graph structure of observed neuronal networks, first from simulated data and then from recordings of cultured cortical neurons.
Proliferation of microglia and astrocytes in the dentate gyrus following entorhinal cortex lesion: a quantitative bromodeoxyuridine‐labelling study

Entorhinal cortex lesion of adult rats induces glial activation and proliferation in the deafferented dentate molecular layer. Double‐labelling immunocytochemistry for the astrocyte‐specific antigen glial fibrillary acidic protein or the microglial cell marker Griffonia simplicifolia isolectin B4 with bromodeoxyuridine detection revealed that microglia counts and the proliferation rate in the ipsilateral dentate gyrus reached a maximum in the molecular layer at 3 days post‐lesion (dpl) and returned to control levels by 30 dpl. Astrocyte counts in the ipsilateral dentate gyrus peaked at 30 dpl, with maximum proliferation at 7 dpl. At 100 dpl the astrocyte count had reverted to control levels. Glial proliferation was not restricted to the ipsilateral molecular layer but also occurred to some degree in the granule cell layer and the contralateral dentate gyrus. Thus entorhinal cortex lesion induces a rapid microglia reaction and long‐lasting astrocyte activation in the deafferented termination zone of the perforant path. We conclude that glial proliferation after entorhinal cortex lesion follows a complex temporal and spatial pattern that coincides with processes of neuronal and axonal reorganization.
Improvements in virtual sensors: using spatial information to estimate remote sensing spectra

Abstract : Various instruments are used to create images of the Earth and other objects in the universe in a diverse set of wavelength bands with the aim of understanding natural phenomena. Sometimes these instruments are built in a phased approach, with additional measurement capabilities added in later phases. In other cases, technology may mature to the point that the instrument offers new measurement capabilities that were not planned in the original design of the instrument. In still other cases, high resolution spectral measurements may be too costly to perform on a large sample and therefore lower resolution spectral instruments are used to take the majority of measurements. Many applied science questions that are relevant to the earth science remote sensing community require analysis of enormous amounts of data that were generated by instruments with disparate measurement capabilities. In past work, we addressed this problem using Virtual Sensors: a method that uses models trained on spectrally rich (high spectral resolution) data to fill in unmeasured spectral channels in spectrally poor (low spectral resolution) data. We demonstrated this method by using models trained on the high spectral resolution Terra MODIS instrument to estimate what the equivalent of the MODIS 1.6 micron channel would be for the NOAA AVHRR/2 instrument. The scientific motivation for the simulation of the 1.6 micron channel is to improve the ability of the AVHRR/2 sensor to detect clouds over snow and ice. This work contains preliminary experiments demonstrating that the use of spatial information can improve our ability to estimate these spectra.
"Love our kids, lock your guns": a community-based firearm safety counseling and gun lock distribution program.

BACKGROUND Safer storage practices may reduce injury rates by limiting youth access to firearms. OBJECTIVE To determine if a firearm safety counseling and gun lock distribution program improved storage practices. DESIGN Community-based before-after trial. SETTING Urban county in central North Carolina. PARTICIPANTS One hundred twelve adult gun owners recruited through a mass media advertising campaign. INTERVENTION In the parking lot of a shopping mall, participants completed a survey, and were then provided with tailored counseling, gun safety information, a gun lock, and instructions to use it. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Firearm storage practices, assessed by survey and personal interview (baseline) and telephone interview (6-month follow-up). RESULTS Most participants were white (62%), men (63%), had children (58%), and owned a gun for protection (74%). At follow-up, of the 82 participants, 63 (77%) (up from 39 [48%]) reported storing their gun(s) in a locked compartment (P =.004), 59 (72%) (up from 0) reported using gun locks (P =.001), 61 (74%) (up from 57 [69%]) reported storing their ammunition locked in a separate location, 59 (72%) (up from 52 [63%]) reported storing their gun(s) unloaded, and 6 (7%) (down from 15 [18%]) reported storing firearms unlocked and loaded. Participants with children were more likely at baseline to store weapons unlocked and loaded (38 [59%] vs 19 [41%]; P =.02) but were more likely after counseling to lock their weapons (29 [58%] vs 14 [44%]) and remove guns from the home (5 [10%] vs 0 [0%]). CONCLUSIONS This program prompted reporting of safer firearm storage practices, particularly among parents. Longer follow-up, verification of self-reports and correct use, testing of gun locks, and monitoring firearm injury rates after distribution programs are needed to establish the public health potential of this approach.
Agribot for Polyculture and Crop Monitoring

Automation robot is used in many of the fields such as defense, surveillance, medical field, industries and so on. This paper mainly deals with polyculture where moisture and temperature are the important parameters considered. The threshold level for moisture and temperature for each soil is predetermined by taking samples of around three soil types (clay soil, black soil, and alluvial soil). In this system, the soil moisture sensor is interfaced with the Raspberry Pi, the sensor will sense the data and it will pass the information to Raspberry Pi so that it will ON/OFF the DC motor to irrigate automatically. A webpage is created to give instructions to the robot to move forward and backward which also enables the user to get live video streaming from the farmland via the webcam.
Identifying Inflamed Carotid Plaques Using In Vivo USPIO-Enhanced MR Imaging to Label Plaque Macrophages

Background—Inflammation within atherosclerotic lesions contributes to plaque instability and vulnerability to rupture. We set out to evaluate the use of a macrophage labeling agent to identify carotid plaque inflammation by in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods and Results—Thirty patients with symptomatic severe carotid stenosis scheduled for carotid endarterectomy underwent multi-sequence MRI of the carotid bifurcation before and after injection of ultrasmall superparamagnetic particles of iron oxide (USPIOs). USPIO particles accumulated in macrophages in 24 of 30 plaques (80%). Areas of signal intensity reduction, corresponding to USPIO/macrophage-positive histological sections, were visualized in 24 of 27 (89%) patients, with an average reduction in signal intensity induced by the USPIO particles of 24% (range, 3.1% to 60.8%). Conclusions—USPIO-enhanced MRI can identify plaque inflammation in vivo by accumulation of USPIO within macrophages in carotid plaques.
Sensitivity of Homogeneous Ice Nucleation to Aerosol Perturbations and Its Implications for Aerosol Indirect Effects Through Cirrus Clouds

The magnitude and sign of anthropogenic aerosol impacts on cirrus clouds through ice nucleation are still very uncertain. In this study, aerosol sensitivity (ηα), defined as the sensitivity of the number concentration (Ni) of ice crystals formed from homogeneous ice nucleation to aerosol number concentration (Na), is examined based on simulations from a cloud parcel model. The model represents the fundamental process of ice crystal formation that results from homogeneous nucleation. We find that the geometric dispersion (σ) of the aerosol size distribution used in the model is a key factor for ηα. For a monodisperse size distribution, ηα is close to zero in vertical updrafts (V < 50 cm s−1) typical of cirrus clouds. However, ηα increases to 0.1–0.3 (i.e., Ni increases by a factor of 1.3–2.0 for a tenfold increase in Na) if aerosol particles follow lognormal size distributions with a σ of 1.6–2.3 in the upper troposphere. By varying the input aerosol and environmental parameters, our model reproduces a large range of ηα values derived from homogeneous ice nucleation parameterizations widely used in global climate models (GCMs). The differences in ηα from these parameterizations can translate into a range of anthropogenic aerosol longwave indirect forcings through cirrus clouds from 0.05 to 0.36 W m−2 with a GCM. Our study suggests that a larger ηα (0.1–0.3) is more plausible and the homogeneous nucleation parameterizations should include a realistic aerosol size distribution to accurately quantify anthropogenic aerosol indirect effects.
Contagious yawning in chimpanzees

Six adult female chimpanzees were shown video scenes of chimpanzees repeatedly yawning or of chimpanzees showing open–mouth facial expressions that were not yawns. Two out of the six females showed significantly higher frequencies of yawning in response to yawn videos; no chimpanzees showed the inverse. Three infant chimpanzees that accompanied their mothers did not yawn at all. These data are highly reminiscent of the contagious yawning effects reported for humans. Contagious yawning is thought to be based on the capacity for empathy. Contagious yawning in chimpanzees provides further evidence that these apes may possess advanced self–awareness and empathic abilities.
Emergency management of decompensated peripartum cardiomyopathy

Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a rare life-threatening cardiomyopathy of unknown cause that occurs in the peripartum period in previously healthy women. [1] the symptomatic patients should receive standard therapy for heart failure, managed by a multidisciplinary team. The diagnosis of PPCM rests on the echocardiographic identification of new left ventricular systolic dysfunction during a limited period surrounding parturition. Diagnostic criteria include an ejection fraction of less than 45%, fractional shortening of less than 30%, or both, and end-diastolic dimension of greater than 2.7 cm/m2 body surface-area. This entity presents a diagnostic challenge because many women in the last month of a normal pregnancy experience dyspnea, fatigue, and pedal edema, symptoms identical to early congestive heart failure. There are no specific criteria for differentiating subtle symptoms of heart failure from normal late pregnancy. Therefore, it is important that a high index of suspicion be maintained to identify the rare case of PPCM as general examination showing symptoms of heart failure with pulmonary edema. PPCM remains a diagnosis of exclusion. No additional specific criteria have been identified to allow distinction between a peripartum patient with new onset heart failure and left ventricular systolic dysfunction as PPCM and another form of dilated cardiomyopathy. Therefore, all other causes of dilated cardiomyopathy with heart failure must be systematically excluded before accepting the designation of PPCM. Recent observations from Haiti[2] suggest that a latent form of PPCM without clinical symptoms might exist. The investigators identified four clinically normal postpartum women with asymptomatic systolic dysfunction on echocardiography, who subsequently either developed clinically detectable dilated cardiomyopathy or improved and completely recovered heart function.
Protostars and Outflows in the NGC 7538 IRS 9 Cloud Core

New high-resolution observations of HCO+ J = 1 → 0, H13CN J = 1 → 0, SO (22 → 11), and continuum with BIMA at 3.4 mm show that the NGC 7538 IRS 9 cloud core is a site of active, ongoing star formation. Our observations reveal at least three young bipolar molecular outflows, all ~10,000-20,000 yr old. IRS 9 drives a bipolar extreme high-velocity outflow observed nearly pole-on. South of IRS 9 we find a cold protostellar condensation with a size of ~14′′ × 6′′ and a mass of more than 250 M☉. This is the center of one of the outflows and shows deep redshifted self-absorption in HCO+, suggesting that there is a protostar embedded in the core, still in a phase of active accretion. This source is not detected in the far-infrared, suggesting that the luminosity is less than 104 L☉; yet, the mass of the outflow is ~60 M☉. The redshifted HCO+ self-absorption profiles observed toward the southern protostar and IRS 9 predict accretion rates of a few times 10-4 to 10-3 M☉ yr-1. Deep VLA continuum observations at 3.6 cm show that IRS 9 coincides with a faint thermal VLA source, but no other young star in the IRS 9 region has any detectable free-free emission at a level of ~60 μJy at 3.6 cm. The HCO+ abundance is significantly enhanced in the hot IRS 9 outflow. A direct comparison of mass estimates from HCO+ and CO for the well-characterized redshifted IRS 9 outflow predicts an HCO+ enhancement of more than a factor of 30, or [HCO+/H2] ≥ 6 × 10-8.
Edge computing for interactive media and video streaming

Video streaming and computer games are among the most popular and highest bandwidth consuming media in the Internet. Video contents consume around 70% of the total bandwidth usage in the Internet today. Advancements in media generation tools, high processing power, and high speed connectivity have enabled generation of live, interactive, multi-view media generation. Cognitive assisted and online multi-player gaming have unlocked new horizons for gaming experience. However, such interactive gaming, and multi-view and 360-degree view videos, are currently limited by delay intolerance and excessive bandwidth usage. Edge computing is the name of a set of new technologies, such as cloudlets, micro data centers, fog, and mobile edge computing. It aims to provide storage and computational resources near to user at the network edge, to minimize latency and response time. Edge computing is foreseen as a significant enabler of Internet of Every Thing (IoET) era by extending the cloud services and resources at the end of the network to deliver very low latency and real-time communication. It can provide significant services to video and gaming applications and enable new stream of interactive multimedia era. In this paper, we highlight some of the potentials and prospects of edge computing for interactive media, and present some preliminary works in the area. We shed light on how edge computing can be used to tackle various challenges faced by todays interactive media application. We also present the benefits of using edge computing to save cost, bandwidth, and energy in multimedia applications, video streaming, and transcoding.
L'expression des gènes cibles dans le modelage osseux vertébral de la truite arc-en-ciel d'élevage : effets de différents apports en phosphore

V Table des matières . VII Liste des tableaux . XI Liste des figures . XIII Liste des abbréviations et sigles . XV Remerciements . XXI Avant‐propos . XXIII 1 Chapter 1: Literature review . 1 1.1 Fish production . 1 1.1.1 Aquaculture in Canada . 1 1.1.2 General problematic and management strategies for aquaculture farming . 2 1.1.3 Phosphorus uses and problematic in aquaculture . 2 1.2 Phosphorus . 4 1.2. 1 Phosphorus requirement. 4 1.2. 2 Mineral homeostasis . 5 1.3 Bone tissue . 7 1.3. 1 Bone components and vertebrae . 7 1.3. 2 Bone deformities with emphasis on P‐induced vertebral deformities . 10 1.4 Cellular activity in bone formation and remodelling . 17 1.4. 1 Osteoblasts and osteocytes . 17 1.4. 2 Osteoclasts and bone resorption . 19 1.4. 3 Osteoclast‐osteoblast communication . 21 1.4. 4 Chondrocytes, cartilage matrix and endochondral bone formation . 21 1.5 Hormonal regulation . 23 1.5. 1 Parathyroid hormone‐related protein . 23
Retinal blood vessel segmentation in high resolution fundus photographs using automated feature parameter estimation

Several ophthalmological and systemic diseases are manifested through pathological changes in the properties and the distribution of the retinal blood vessels. The characterization of such alterations requires the segmentation of the vasculature, which is a tedious and time-consuming task that is infeasible to be performed manually. Numerous attempts have been made to propose automated methods for segmenting the retinal vasculature from fundus photographs, although their application in real clinical scenarios is usually limited by their ability to deal with images taken at different resolutions. This is likely due to the large number of parameters that have to be properly calibrated according to each image scale. In this paper we propose to apply a novel strategy for automated feature parameter estimation, combined with a vessel segmentation method based on fully connected conditional random fields. The estimation model is learned by linear regression from structural properties of the images and known optimal configurations, that were previously obtained for low resolution data sets. Our experiments in high resolution images show that this approach is able to estimate appropriate configurations that are suitable for performing the segmentation task without requiring to re-engineer parameters. Furthermore, our combined approach reported state of the art performance on the benchmark data set HRF, as measured in terms of the F1-score and the Matthews correlation coefficient.
Estimation of Melanin and Hemoglobin Using Spectral Reflectance Images Reconstructed from a Digital RGB Image by the Wiener Estimation Method

A multi-spectral diffuse reflectance imaging method based on a single snap shot of Red-Green-Blue images acquired with the exposure time of 65 ms (15 fps) was investigated for estimating melanin concentration, blood concentration, and oxygen saturation in human skin tissue. The technique utilizes the Wiener estimation method to deduce spectral reflectance images instantaneously from an RGB image. Using the resultant absorbance spectrum as a response variable and the extinction coefficients of melanin, oxygenated hemoglobin and deoxygenated hemoglobin as predictor variables, multiple regression analysis provides regression coefficients. Concentrations of melanin and total blood are then determined from the regression coefficients using conversion vectors that are numerically deduced in advance by the Monte Carlo simulations for light transport in skin. Oxygen saturation is obtained directly from the regression coefficients. Experiments with a tissue-like agar gel phantom validated the method. In vivo experiments on fingers during upper limb occlusion demonstrated the ability of the method to evaluate physiological reactions of human skin.
Analysis of Harmonics in UHF RFID Signals

In this paper, a detailed study is proposed on the properties of UHF RF identification (RFID) signals when the communication between the reader and tag is established. The main objective is to analyze the harmonics produced by the chip and radiated by the tag antenna. From experimentation, the characteristics of the nonlinearities contained in the signals are highlighted and linked to the theory of the backscattering in the RFID context. Several experiences taking into account the standards are proposed. Moreover, several commercial tags are considered in order to compare the observations. The used configuration, the experimental setup, and the protocols are described in detail. In particular, the generation of periodic and reproducible sequences of bits is introduced and its advantages are emphasized. Finally, contrarily to the classic approaches that tend to eliminate the harmonics generated by the rectifiers of tags, the great interest of the possible exploitation of backscattered harmonics is discussed in perspectives and some ideas of applications are given.
A New Predictive Lateral Load Transfer Ratio for Rollover Prevention Systems

In rollover prevention systems, a real-time lateral load transfer ratio (LTR) is typically computed to predict the likelihood of a vehicle to rollover and, hence, initiate rollover prevention measures. A traditional LTR largely relies on a lateral accelerometer signal to calculate rollover propensity. A new predictive LTR (PLTR) is developed in this paper, which utilizes a driver's steering input and several other sensor signals available from the vehicle's electronic stability control system. The new PLTR index can provide a time-advanced measure of rollover propensity and, therefore, offers significant benefits for closed-loop rollover prevention. Simulation results are presented using the industry-standard software CarSim to demonstrate the benefits of the new PLTR index. Experimental results of open-loop comparisons between LTR and PLTR indexes are presented, followed by experimental results on the closed-loop implementation of a PLTR-based rollover prevention system. The results in this paper document how a predictive rollover index can be developed and the advantages of such a system in rollover prevention.