Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Liquid–liquid phase transition in Stillinger–Weber silicon

It was recently demonstrated that Stillinger–Weber silicon undergoes a liquid–liquid first-order phase transition deep into the supercooled region (Sastry and Angell 2003 Nat. Mater. 2 739). Here we study the effects of perturbations on this phase transition. We show that the order of the liquid–liquid transition changes with negative pressure. We also find that the liquid–liquid transition disappears when the three-body term of the potential is strengthened by as little as 5%. This implies that the details of the potential could affect strongly the nature and even the existence of the liquid–liquid phase.
Prediction of Transcriptional Patterns of Gene Deletion Mutants by Modified Control Effective Flux

Metabolic Pathway Analysis (MPA) is important tool in the field of metabolic engineering. The possible pathway from substrates to products, or internal loops could be analyzed by Elementary Mode (EM) or Extreme Pathways (EP). An application of EMs is to predict transcriptional patterns for carbon source perturbation conditions by Control Effective Fluxes (CEFs) [1]. In our previous study [2], CEF is revised to gene modification conditions, for example, gene deletion or enzyme over-expression. The published gene expression data will vary for different sources due to the technical or biological reasons. In this study, the prediction capability of modified CEF (mCEF) is compared with the experimental data of different sources for pgi [3], sucA [4] and pykF [5] mutants of E. coli. The selection of cellular function is also discussed.
Producción cultural y turistificación: la construcción de la ciudad creativa en A Coruña

espanolEn esta comunicacion tratamos de demostrar como la ciudad de A Coruna (Espana) esta reconfigurando su modelo productivo a raiz de potenciar la dimension cultural como elemento transversal en el conjunto de las politicas publicas de gestion y regeneracion urbana. Por una parte, esta estrategia refuerza la imagen-marca de la ciudad y su capital simbolico y, en segundo lugar, potencia los modelos de consumo cultural derivados del incremento de las clases creativas en la ciudad. Primeramente, analizamos y localizamos a nivel de Distrito el incremento de las denominadas clases creativas a traves del criterio inicial de Richard Florida y proponemos un indicador de elaboracion propia. Caracterizamos la implementacion de politicas publicas de produccion cultural sustentadas en el diseno de grandes proyectos de regeneracion urbana y desarrollo tecnologico en tres escenarios paradigmaticos que confirman como la cultura se ha constituido en la piedra angular del planeamiento y el marketing urbano. Primero, un escenario de instrumentalizacion cultural ejemplificado en el caso del proyecto de la Avenida de la Innovacion y el Distrito Creativo; segundo, un fenomeno de turistificacion de las areas centrales de la ciudad con las conocidas como “Obras de La Marina”; y, finalmente, un proceso de espectacularizacion de la gestion urbana mediante la introduccion de aplicaciones tecnologicas a traves del programa “coruna Smart City”. EnglishIn this paper we try to demonstrate how the city of A Coruna (Spain) is reconfiguring its production model as a result of enhancing the cultural dimension as a transverse element in the overall of public policies of management and urban regeneration. On the one hand, this strategy reinforces the brand image of the city and its symbolic capital and, secondly, strengthen models of cultural consumption resulting from increased creative classes in the city. First, we analyse and located at District level the increase of so-called creative classes through the initial approach of Richard Florida and propose an indicator of own elaboration. We characterize the implementation of public policies of cultural production in the design of large urban regeneration projects and technological development in three paradigmatic scenarios that confirm how culture has become the cornerstone of planning and urban marketing. First, a scenario for cultural instrumentalisation exemplified in the case of the Project of an Avenue of Innovation and a Creative District; second, a phenomenon of touristification of the central area of the city known as “Works of La Marina”; and finally a process of spectacularisation of urban management by introducing technology applications through the “Coruna Smart City” program
An Algorithm for Object Function Optimization in Mutual Information-Based Image Registration

Image registration is widely used in remote sensing image processing, medical image analysis and many other fields. Mutual information-based image registration technique gained much attention recently. However, during the optimization procedure, because of the influence of interpolation and the changes of overlapping areas in the images, the object function of the mutual information method may converge at local maximums so that wrong transformation parameters are generated as a result. In this paper, an improved simulated annealing–simplex method is proposed to solve this problem. Experiment results show that registration precision can reach to the sub-pixel level.
Ethylene-promoted elongation: an adaptation to submergence stress.

BACKGROUND A sizeable minority of taxa is successful in areas prone to submergence. Many such plants elongate with increased vigour when underwater. This helps to restore contact with the aerial environment by shortening the duration of inundation. Poorly adapted species are usually incapable of this underwater escape. SCOPE Evidence implicating ethylene as the principal factor initiating fast underwater elongation by leaves or stems is evaluated comprehensively along with its interactions with other hormones and gases. These interactions make up a sequence of events that link the perception of submergence to a prompt acceleration of extension. The review encompasses whole plant physiology, cell biology and molecular genetics. It includes assessments of how submergence threatens plant life and of the extent to which the submergence escape demonstrably improves the likelihood of survival. CONCLUSIONS Experimental testing over many years establishes ethylene-promoted underwater extension as one of the most convincing examples of hormone-mediated stress adaptation by plants. The research has utilized a wide range of species that includes numerous angiosperms, a fern and a liverwort. It has also benefited from detailed physiological and molecular studies of underwater elongation by rice (Oryza sativa) and the marsh dock (Rumex palustris). Despite complexities and interactions, the work reveals that the signal transduction pathway is initiated by the simple expediency of physical entrapment of ethylene within growing cells by a covering of water.
Sliding motion of a bubble against an inclined wall from moderate to high bubble Reynolds number

The motion of a bubble sliding over an inclined wall from moderate to high bubble Reynolds number is studied experimentally for a wide range of liquid properties and bubbles sizes, considering wall inclination angles from nearly horizontal to nearly vertical. All experiments are restricted to sliding behavior, below the transition to steady bouncing motion. We study both the shape of the bubble and its drag coefficient. For small angles, the bubble shape is dominated by gravitational effects resulting in a flattened shape against the wall; for large angles, the bubble remains in constant contact with the wall but adopts a shape that is aligned perpendicularly to the wall, closer to that observed for an inertia- dominated free rising bubble. We model this transition of shape considering balances among surface tension, gravitational, and inertial forces; we observe good agreement with experiments. We found that the drag coefficient is strongly influenced by the shape that the bubble adopts as it slides over the wall. By considering the flow in the film and around the bubble, we propose a correlation to predict the drag coefficient for each regime of bubble shape. In the regime dominated by viscous effects, the drag of a single bubble is increased due to the mirror effect with the wall and by the friction in the film formed between the wall; conversely, for the case dominated by inertial effects, the drag coefficient is constant. The behavior for a single bubble is changed: no significant increase due to deformation. In both shape regimes the proposed expression agrees well with the experimental measurements.
Iop Publishing Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering Investigation of the Maskless Lithography Technique for the Rapid and Cost-effective Prototyping of Microfluidic Devices in Laboratories

This paper describes maskless lithography as a rapid and cost-effective technique for fabricating high-quality microfluidic devices in laboratories. The detailed effects of exposure parameters on microstructure features are explored. A quantitative analysis of these effects provides insights into the device design and the selection of optimum processing parameters. To overcome the limitation of small exposure area, subregion stitching and sequential exposure are adopted for fabricating larger patterns. Seamless stitching between adjacent exposure subregions is achieved by optimizing the grayscale values of the stitching side/corner. These data are also valuable for exploring grayscale and multi-step lithography. Various hydrodynamic microdevices are then fabricated and characterized to validate the optimized parameters. (Some figures may appear in colour only in the online journal)
Perioperative CA19-9 levels can predict stage and survival in patients with resectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

PURPOSE Different prognostic factors stratify patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The purpose of this study was to determine whether preoperative CA19-9 levels can predict stage of disease or survival and whether a change in preoperative to postoperative CA19-9 or the postoperative CA19-9 predicts overall survival. PATIENTS AND METHODS Four hundred twenty-four consecutive patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma underwent resection between January 1, 1985 and January 1, 2004. Of the patients with a bilirubin less than 2 mg/dL, 176 had preoperative CA19-9 values, and 111 had pre- and postoperative CA19-9 values. Survival was measured from the first postoperative CA19-9 level measured (median, 39 days) until death or last follow-up. A multivariate failure time model was fit using clinical, operative, pathologic, and adjuvant treatment characteristics, and a categorization was defined by the values and changes in CA19-9 before and after surgery. RESULTS Of the 176 patients, 128 (73%) had T3 lesions, and 99 (56%) had N1 disease; 138 patients (78%) underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy. Median preoperative CA19-9 levels were lower in N0 patients compared with patients with positive nodes (nine v 164 U/mL, respectively; nonparametric P = .06) and in T1/T2 patients versus T3 patients (41 v 162 U/mL, respectively; P = .03). Median follow-up time (n = 111) was 1.8 years (range, 1 to 12.9 years), with overall actuarial 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates of 70%, 36%, and 30%, respectively. Significant predictors of survival on multivariate analysis included a decrease in CA19-9 (P = .0005), negative lymph nodes (P = .001), lower T stage (P = .0008), and postoperative CA19-9 less than 200 U/mL (P = .0007). CONCLUSION In patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma, preoperative CA19-9 correlates with stage of disease. Both a postoperative decrease in CA19-9 and a postoperative CA19-9 value of less than 200 U/mL are strong independent predictors of survival, even after adjusting for stage. CA19-9 levels should be included in a patient's perioperative care and should be considered for prognostic nomograms.
Pre‐, peri‐ and neonatal risk factors for autism

Objective. To identify pre‐, peri‐ and neonatal risk factors for pervasive developmental disorders (PDD). Methods. We searched the Medline database through March 2011 for relevant case–control and population‐based studies on pre‐, peri‐ and neonatal hazards related to PDD, including autism. We identified 85 studies for this review. Data were extracted systematically and organized according to risk factors related to family history, pregnancy, gestational age, delivery, birth milestones and the neonate's condition at birth. Results. During the prenatal period, risk factors for PDD were advanced maternal or paternal ages, being firstborn vs. third or later, maternal prenatal medication use and mother's status as foreign born. During the perinatal and neonatal periods, the risk factors for PDD were preterm birth, breech presentation, planned cesarean section, low Apgar scores, hyperbilirubinemia, birth defect and a birthweight small for gestational age. The influence of maternal pre‐eclampsia, diabetes, vomiting, infections and stress during pregnancy requires further study in order to determine risk for PDD. Discussion. Despite evidence for the association of some pre‐, peri‐ and neonatal risk factors associated with PDD, it remains unclear whether these risks are causal or play a secondary role in shaping clinical expression in individuals with genetic vulnerability. A plausible hypothsesis is that improvements in obstetric and neonatal management have led to an increased rate of survivors with pre‐existing brain damage. Given the variety of risk factors, we propose that future studies should investigate combinations of multiple factors, rather than focusing on a single factor.
A Concise Reference to (Projected) Sérsic R 1/n Quantities, Including Concentration, Profile Slopes, Petrosian Indices, and Kron Magnitudes

Abstract Given the growing use of Sérsic's (1963, 1968) R 1/n model for describing the stellar distributions in galaxies, and the lack of any single reference that provides the various associated mathematical expressions, we have endeavoured to compile such a resource here. We present the standard intensity profile, and its various guises such as the luminosity, surface-brightness, and aperture–magnitude profile. Expressions to transform the effective surface brightness into the mean effective and central surface brightness are also given, as is the expression to transform between effective radii and exponential scale-lengths. We additionally provide expressions for deriving the ‘concentration’ of an R 1/n profile, and two useful equations for the logarithmic slope of the light-profile are given. Petrosian radii and fluxes are also derived for a range of Sérsic profiles and compared with the effective radii and total flux. Similarly, expressions to obtain Kron radii and fluxes are presented as a function of the Sérsic index n and the number of effective radii sampled. Illustrative figures are provided throughout. Finally, the core–Sérsic model, consisting of an inner power-law and an outer Sérsic function, is presented.
Pathologies of the larynx and trachea in childhood

Pathologies in the larynx and trachea in the pediatric age can be characterized in 4 main groups: airway stenosis, acute infections, benign neoplasia and foreign body aspiration. In this review main diagnostic strategies and therapeutic options are presented. Laryngomalazia is the most frequent condition of supraglottic stenosis. The term supraglottoplasty summarizes all different techniques used for it’s repair using an endoscopic approach. Glottic stenosis is rare in children. Usually a compromise between voice preservation and airway restoration has to be sought. Type of reconstruction and timing are varying considerably in individual cases, endoscopic approaches should be preferred. Subglottic stenosis remains the largest group in paediatric airway pathology, with cicatrial stenosis being predominant. Today, cricotracheal resection is the most successful treatment option, followed by the classical laryngotracheal reconstruction with autologous cartilage. In early infancy subglottic stenosis is particularly demanding. Endoscopic treatment is possible in selected patients, but open reconstruction is superior in more severe cases. Tracheostomy is not a safe airway in early infancy, it’s indication should be strict. Foreign body aspiration needs to be managed according to a clear algorhythm. Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis should be treated with emphasis on function preservation. The role of adjuvant medication remains unclear. Infectious diseases can be managed conservatively by a pediatrician in the majority of cases.
Elevated Serum Bisphenol A Level in Patients with Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Background: This study aimed to determine serum Bisphenol A (BPA) concentrations in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) as well as the association between serum BPA and several hormonal parameters in DCM patients compared with a healthy control group. Materials and methods: Eighty-eight DCM patients and 88 age- and gender-matched healthy controls were included. Serum BPA levels and several hormonal parameters (including total testosterone (T), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and estradiol (E2) were measured by using corresponding ELISA Kits. The free androgen index (FAI) was calculated by the formula: total T in nmol/L × 100/SHBG in nmol/L. Results: BPA levels in the total DCM group were significantly higher compared with that in the controls (6.9 ± 2.7 ng/mL vs. 3.8 ± 1.9 ng/mL, p < 0.001). Significant difference was also observed in SHBG and FAI between DCM patients and controls, (76.9 ± 30.9 nM/L vs. 41.0 ± 15.6 nM/L and 2.9 ± 3.5 vs. 5.3 ± 2.6, respectively, both of p < 0.001). Similar trends were observed in the male and female subgroup. Mean T level was lower in DCM group than in control group (540.8 ± 186.0 pg/mL vs. 656.3 ± 112.9 pg/mL, p < 0.001). Linear regression analysis has shown that increasing serum BPA levels were statistically significantly associated with increased SHBG levels. However, no statistical difference was noted for E2. Conclusion: Our findings firstly demonstrated that BPA exposure increased in DCM patients compared with that in healthy controls, while FAI and T levels decreased. SHBG presented a positive association with BPA. It is concluded that hormone disorder induced by BPA exposure might be an environmental factor in the pathology of DCM.
Tonal Hierarchies and Rare Intervals in Music Cognition

Four issues raised by Butler9s (1989) commentary are addressed. The first issue is the possibility that the results of perceptual studies of tonal hierarchies can be attributed to task-specific strategies developed in response to particular stimuli. Such strategies cannot account for the convergence across experiments employing varied tasks and stimulus materials. The second issue is the correspondence between statistical summaries of music and perceptual data. The correspondence is shown to be quite general and to have implications for the acquisition of tonal knowledge. The third issue is the process listeners use to identify the tonal center. Patternmatching to tonal hierarchies is shown to be a plausible process contributing to key-finding, whereas a tritone rule has limited applicability. The final issue is the effect of temporal order on pitch perception. Principled temporal-order effects are found in many psychological experiments, but not in those focusing on the tritone relation.
AIS Electronic Library (AISeL)

Concern over information privacy is widespread and rising. However, prior research is silent about the value of information privacy and the benefit of privacy protection. We conducted a conjoint analysis to explore individuals(cid:146) trade-offs between the benefits and costs of providing personal information to Websites. We find that economic incentives (monetary reward and future convenience) do affect individuals(cid:146) preferences over Websites with differing privacy policies. For instance, the disallowance of secondary use of personal information is worth between $39.83 and $49.78. Surprisingly, we find that cost-benefit trade-offs did not vary with personal characteristics including gender, contextual knowledge, individualism
Repetitive Allocation Modeling with MARTE

With the advent of multi-processor Systems-onChip (MpSoC), the need for modeling the distribution of a parallel application onto a parallel hardware architecture is increasing. The recent standard profile for the modeling and analysis of realtime and embedded systems (MARTE) provides a notation for the modeling of regular distributions. This notation allows to distribute computations to processing elements, data to shared or distributed memories, etc. In this paper we will highlight the expressivity of this notation and clarify its usage through examples and comparisons to other distribution notations such as in High Performance Fortran.
Weakly-coupled P2P system with a Network repository

The formal framework for weakly-coupled P2P database systems is based on the consideration of the incomplete e locally inconsistent information in Web. In order to overcome these difficulties and to obtain a reach ontology for users, in each peer-database can be encapsulated the semantic of a Data integration system to obtain a kind of Abstract Data Type, and we consider only certain answers from it, that are true in all minimal Herbrand models of such peerdatabase. The semantics of weakly-coupled P2P systems is based on view-based indirect mappings between peers. In this paper we enrich such P2P topology with the common Network repository in order to improve the query-answering capabilities, without introducing any form of a global P2P schema. We present an efficient query-answering algorithm based on such repository, and show that the query answers are computed according to a generalized hybrid modal S5 logic.
Communication patterns in VANETs

Vehicular networks are a very promising technology to increase traffic safety and efficiency, and to enable numerous other applications in the domain of vehicular communication. Proposed applications for VANETs have very diverse properties and often require nonstandard communication protocols. Moreover, the dynamics of the network due to vehicle movement further complicates the design of an appropriate comprehensive communication system. In this article we collect and categorize envisioned applications from various sources and classify the unique network characteristics of vehicular networks. Based on this analysis, we propose five distinct communication patterns that form the basis of almost all VANET applications. Both the analysis and the communication patterns shall deepen the understanding of VANETs and simplify further development of VANET communication systems.
QoS-Based Learning Services Composition for Ubiquitous Learning

With the advance of Internet technologies and handheld computer, lots of software components are built for ubiquitous learning activities. Meanwhile, many studies devote to the promotion of a universal access way and wider reusability of these ubiquitous learning components with the Web services. Nevertheless, the QoS capability will be a decisive characteristic to distinguish services with identical functionalities from each other. In this paper, we propose an efficient service selection scheme to help teacher pick out learning services by considering two different contexts namely single QoS-based service discovery and QoS-based optimization of service composition. Based on different concerns, we present the corresponding solutions to demonstrate the evaluation process of QoS capability for service selection. The experimental results not only showed our solution is more efficient than the others but also proved our solution can work well for complicated scenarios.