Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Response to Comments on "Reactions at Interfaces As a Source of Sulfate Formation in Sea-Salt Particles"

Understanding the formation of sulfate particles in the troposphere is critical because of their health effects and their direct and indirect effects on radiative forcing, and hence on climate. Laboratory studies of the chemical and physical changes in sodium chloride, the major component of sea-salt particles, show that sodium hydroxide is generated upon reaction of deliquesced sodium chloride particles with gas-phase hydroxide. The increase in alkalinity will lead to an increase in the uptake and oxidation of sulfur dioxide to sulfate in sea-salt particles. This chemistry is missing from current models but is consistent with a number of previously unexplained field study observations.
The incidence of allergy to propolis in 605 consecutive patients patch tested in Prague

605 consecutive patients were pinch texted with the standard CDRG lest series and with a 10% alcoholic solution of propolis, Positive allergic reactions to propolis were observed m 25 patients (4.2%); thirteen of them exhibited a simultaneous positive patch test to balsam of Peru. In view of the relatively high incidence of allergic reactions and the appearance of pseudo‐cross‐sensitivity to another common allergen, balsam of Peru, propolis should not he used in topical medicaments or as a component of cosmetic preparations.
Economic Issues Raised by Treatment of Takings Under NAFTA Chapter 11

Chapter 11 of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) allows most foreign investors from any NAFTA country to seek monetary damages for properties that might be appropriated, or any measure that might be deemed "tantamount to an expropriation" by the governments of any of the other NAFTA parties (Canada, Mexico, and the United States); to obtain such damages, the investor must go through the dispute settlement process provided in chapter 11 part B. A number of investors have used these provisions to argue that diminished value of an investment due to environment regulation is indeed tantamount to an expropriation and hence subject to monetary damages. If this line of argumentation is generally upheld, it would amount to a requirement that governments compensate investors for losses resulting from requirements to implement environmental safeguards (or to cease from activities that cause environmental damage). This article uses the reasoning of Ronald Coase, which is extensively articulated for the benefit of readers not familiar with this reasoning, to argue that in fact that such a requirement can in fact lead to an optimal outcome in terms of tradeoff of cost/benefit of an environmental regulation. However, Coase argued also that a requirement that the "polluter pay" can also lead to an optimal outcome, and for reasons of perceived equity, this latter approach is most often implemented in environmental regulation. The article goes further to argue that for a number of reasons not considered by Coase, the latter approach might, in an imperfect world where conditions for optimality are violated, in fact come closer to achieving an optimal outcome than the former.
An Editor for the Explanatory and Combinatory Dictionary of Comtemporary French (DECFC)

This paper presents a specialized editor for a highly structured dictionary. The basic goal in building that editor was to provide an adequate tool to help lexicologists produce a valid and coherent dictionary on the basis of a linguistic theory. If we want valuable lexicons and grammars to achieve complex natural language processing, we must provide very powerful tools to help create and ensure the validity of such complex linguistic databases. Our most important task in building the editor was to define a set of coherence rules that could be computationally applied to ensure the validity of lexical entries. A customized interface for browsing and editing was also designed and implemented.
Timing influenced general-cell genetic floorplanner

In this paper we present a timing-influenced floorplanner for general cell IC design. The floorplanner works in two phases. In the first phase we restrict the modules to be rigid and the floorplan to be slicing. The second phase of floorplanner allows modification to the aspect ratios of individual modules to further reduce the area of the overall bounding box. The first phase is implemented using genetic algorithm while in the second phase we adopt a constraint graph based approach. Experimental results are also presented.
Edge Effect on Eddy Current Detection for Subsurface Defects in Titanium Alloys

Additive/Subtractive Hybrid Manufacturing (ASHM) offers an opportunity for on-line detection due to its layer by layer process es . Eddy current detection (ECD) is a well-established non-destructive method for inspection of surface/subsurface defects in electrically conductive materials. The ECD-enabled ASHM is a promising manufacturing technology to fabricate the parts with good surface condition and material quality. However, edge effect, as an inherent characteristic of ECD, limits the industrial application of ECD. In this study, a specimen with subsurface defects located in the edge area is fabricated. The effects of the edge on ECD signals from subsurface defects are investigated. An effective scanning path is proposed to eliminate the edge effect. A Finite Element (FE) model of ECD is established to analyze the edge effect on ECD. This study provides guidance to determination of the ECD parameters.
Organic Diets Significantly Lower Children’s Dietary Exposure to Organophosphorus Pesticides

We used a novel study design to measure dietary organophosphorus pesticide exposure in a group of 23 elementary school-age children through urinary biomonitoring. We substituted most of children’s conventional diets with organic food items for 5 consecutive days and collected two spot daily urine samples, first-morning and before-bedtime voids, throughout the 15-day study period. We found that the median urinary concentrations of the specific metabolites for malathion and chlorpyrifos decreased to the nondetect levels immediately after the introduction of organic diets and remained nondetectable until the conventional diets were reintroduced. The median concentrations for other organophosphorus pesticide metabolites were also lower in the organic diet consumption days; however, the detection of those metabolites was not frequent enough to show any statistical significance. In conclusion, we were able to demonstrate that an organic diet provides a dramatic and immediate protective effect against exposures to organophosphorus pesticides that are commonly used in agricultural production. We also concluded that these children were most likely exposed to these organophosphorus pesticides exclusively through their diet. To our knowledge, this is the first study to employ a longitudinal design with a dietary intervention to assess children’s exposure to pesticides. It provides new and persuasive evidence of the effectiveness of this intervention.
The rule of six, a basic feature for efficient replication of Sendai virus defective interfering RNA

The addition of the hepatitis delta virus genomic ribozyme to the 3' end sequence of a Sendai virus defective interfering RNA (DI-H4) allowed the reproducible and efficient replication of this RNA by the viral functions expressed from cloned genes when the DI RNA was synthesized from plasmid. Limited nucleotide additions or deletions (+7 to -7 nucleotides) in the DI RNA sequence were then made at five different sites, and the different RNA derivatives were tested for their abilities to replicate. Efficient replication was observed only when the total nucleotide number was conserved, regardless of the modifications, or when the addition of a total of 6 nucleotides was made. The replicated RNAs were shown to be properly enveloped into virus particles. It is concluded that, to form a proper template for efficient replication, the Sendai virus RNA must contain a total number of nucleotides which is a multiple of 6. This was interpreted as the need for the nucleocapsid protein to contact exactly 6 nucleotides.
Hyperprolactinemia during antipsychotics treatment increases the level of coagulation markers

Objective The strong association between psychiatric patients who receive antipsychotics and the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) is known. Although previous reports suggest that hyperprolactinemia often increases markers of activated coagulation, few studies have examined the direct relationship between the prolactin level elevated by antipsychotics and activated markers of activated coagulation. Method The participants included 182 patients with schizophrenia (male =89, female =93) who received antipsychotic treatments for at least 3 months. Markers of VTE (D-dimer, fibrin/fibrinogen degradation products, and thrombin–antithrombin complex) and serum prolactin concentrations were measured. Results Prolactin levels were significantly correlated with the logarithmic transformation of the D-dimer (r=0.320, P=0.002) and fibrin/fibrinogen degradation product levels (r=0.236, P=0.026) but not of the thrombin–antithrombin complex level (r=0.117, ns) among men. However, no correlations were found between the VTE markers and prolactin levels among women. These results were confirmed using multiple regression analyses that included demographic factors and antipsychotic dosages. Conclusion The current study indicates that hyperprolactinemia is associated with an increase in markers of activated coagulation among men receiving antipsychotics. This finding clinically implies that monitoring and modulating prolactin levels among men are important to decrease the risk of VTE.
Contents Johannes Fürnkranz and Eyke Hüllermeier Pairwise Preference Learning and Ranking Active Learning of Ranking Functions Weighting Predictors in Memory-based Collaborative Filtering Björn Fiehn and Jörg Müller User-adaptive Matchmaking Pairwise Preference Learning and Ranking

We consider supervised learning of a ranking function, which is a mapping from instances to total orders over a set of labels (options). The training information consists of examples with partial (and possibly inconsistent) information about their associated rankings. From these, we induce a ranking function by reducing the original problem to a number of binary classification problems, one for each pair of labels. The main objective of this work is to investigate the trade-off between the quality of the induced ranking function and the computational complexity of the algorithm, both depending on the amount of preference information given for each example. To this end, we present theoretical results on the complexity of pairwise preference learning. We also carry out some controlled experiments investigating the predictive performance of our method for different types of preference information, such as top-ranked labels and complete rankings. The domain of this study is the prediction of a rational agent’s ranking of actions in an uncertain environment.
The Fourier structure of low degree polynomials

We study the structure of the Fourier coefficients of low degree multivariate polynomials over finite fields. We consider three properties: (i) the number of nonzero Fourier coefficients; (ii) the sum of the absolute value of the Fourier coefficients; and (iii) the size of the linear subspace spanned by the nonzero Fourier coefficients. For quadratic polynomials, tight relations are known between all three quantities. In this work, we extend this relation to higher degree polynomials. Specifically, for degree $d$ polynomials, we show that the three quantities are equivalent up to factors exponential in $d$.
Rap1-Rac1 Circuits Potentiate Platelet Activation

Objective—The goal of this study was to investigate the potential crosstalk between Rap1 and Rac1, 2 small GTPases central to platelet activation, particularly downstream of the collagen receptor GPVI. Methods and Results—We compared the activation response of platelets with impaired Rap signaling (double knock-out; deficient in both the guanine nucleotide exchange factor, CalDAG-GEFI, and the Gi-coupled receptor for ADP, P2Y12), to that of wild-type platelets treated with a small-molecule Rac inhibitor, EHT 1864 (wild-type /EHT). We found that Rac1 is sequentially activated downstream of Rap1 on stimulation via GPVI. In return, Rac1 provides important feedback for both CalDAG-GEFI– and P2Y12-dependent activation of Rap1. When analyzing platelet responses controlled by Rac1, we observed (1) impaired lamellipodia formation, clot retraction, and granule release in both double knock-out and EHT 1864-treated wild-type platelets; and (2) reduced calcium store release in EHT 1864-treated wild-type but not double knock-out platelets. Consistent with the latter finding, we identified 2 pools of Rac1, one activated immediately downstream of GPVI and 1 activated downstream of Rap1. Conclusion—We demonstrate important crosstalk between Rap1 and Rac1 downstream of GPVI. Whereas Rap1 signaling directly controls sustained Rac1 activation, Rac1 affects CalDAG-GEFI– and P2Y12-dependent Rap1 activation via its role in calcium mobilization and granule/ADP release, respectively.
Atomic Defects and Edge Structure in Single-layer Ti3C2Tx MXene

MXene phases have emerged as a promising group of 2D materials, finding applications in energy storage and conversion, catalysis, and electronic devices [1]. Most MXene phases are electrically conductive and are excellent candidates for supercapacitors. MXenes are fabricated from parent MAX phases, where M is an early transition metal, A is an A-group element, and X denotes C or N. The specific Ti 3 AlC 2 (MAX) to Ti 3 C 2 (MXene) conversion generally involves etching out the Al layer from MAX, leaving behind 2D flakes with the MXene structure [2]. The crystal structure of the typical and most-investigated MXene phase, Ti 3 C 2 T x , is shown in Figure 1a, where T x designates surface terminal groups. MXenes exhibit interesting defect structures that could be exploited to tune the functional properties. Atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) images (Figure 1b and 1c) were acquired to reveal point defects in single-layer MXene using a Nion UltraSTEM 60-100 equipped with a probe aberration corrector and operated at 60 kV. Figure 1c shows the typical defect configurations in a single-layer Ti 3 C 2 T x flake: a Ti vacancy (V Ti )and Ti vacancy clusters, with clusters ranging from 2-17 V Ti . The defect concentration was tuned by using an HF etchant with different concentrations, which influences the Ti
Hierarchical clustering algorithm for comprehensive orthologous-domain classification in multiple genomes

Ortholog identification is a crucial first step in comparative genomics. Here, we present a rapid method of ortholog grouping which is effective enough to allow the comparison of many genomes simultaneously. The method takes as input all-against-all similarity data and classifies genes based on the traditional hierarchical clustering algorithm UPGMA. In the course of clustering, the method detects domain fusion or fission events, and splits clusters into domains if required. The subsequent procedure splits the resulting trees such that intra-species paralogous genes are divided into different groups so as to create plausible orthologous groups. As a result, the procedure can split genes into the domains minimally required for ortholog grouping. The procedure, named DomClust, was tested using the COG database as a reference. When comparing several clustering algorithms combined with the conventional bidirectional best-hit (BBH) criterion, we found that our method generally showed better agreement with the COG classification. By comparing the clustering results generated from datasets of different releases, we also found that our method showed relatively good stability in comparison to the BBH-based methods.
Dopamine Operates as a Subsecond Modulator of Food Seeking

The dopamine projection to the nucleus accumbens has been implicated in behaviors directed toward the acquisition and consumption of natural rewards. The neurochemical studies that established this link made time-averaged measurements over minutes, and so the precise temporal relationship between dopamine changes and these behaviors is not known. To resolve this, we sampled dopamine every 100 msec using fast-scan cyclic voltammetry at carbon-fiber microelectrodes in the nucleus accumbens of rats trained to press a lever for sucrose. Cues that signal the opportunity to respond for sucrose evoked dopamine release (67 ± 20 nm) with short latency (0.2 ± 0.1 sec onset). When the same cues were presented to rats naive to the cue-sucrose pairing, similar dopamine signals were not observed. Thus, cue-evoked increases in dopamine in trained rats reflected a learned association between the cues and sucrose availability. Lever presses for sucrose occurred at the peak of the dopamine surges. After lever presses, and while sucrose was delivered and consumed, no further increases in dopamine were detected. Rather, dopamine returned to baseline levels. Together, the results strongly implicate subsecond dopamine signaling in the nucleus accumbens as a real-time modulator of food-seeking behavior.
Geometric Stereo Increases Accuracy of Depth Estimations for an Unmanned Air Vehicle with a Small Baseline Stereo System

— A small stereo camera is a light and economical solution for obstacle detection and avoidance for unmanned air vehicles (UAVs). It is possible to create depth maps of a scene given a pair of stereo frames from such a camera. However, the smaller and lighter the stereo camera, the smaller its baseline, which in turn limits its ability to discriminate objects that are farther away. Maximizing the effective range of the stereo setup is essential for real-time applications, where quick decisions need to be made to avoid obstacles approaching the UAV. To overcome this difficulty, we use knowledge of the camera’s position over time to mimic large baseline disparity calculations, a technique we have dubbed “geometric stereo. ” This paper outlines a simulation that shows that this technique is able to obtain better results for depth estimation with smaller confidence intervals than those obtained by simply averaging discrete depth maps over time.
How robust is the language architecture? The case of mood

In neurocognitive research on language, the processing principles of the system at hand are usually assumed to be relatively invariant. However, research on attention, memory, decision-making, and social judgment has shown that mood can substantially modulate how the brain processes information. For example, in a bad mood, people typically have a narrower focus of attention and rely less on heuristics. In the face of such pervasive mood effects elsewhere in the brain, it seems unlikely that language processing would remain untouched. In an EEG experiment, we manipulated the mood of participants just before they read texts that confirmed or disconfirmed verb-based expectations about who would be talked about next (e.g., that “David praised Linda because … ” would continue about Linda, not David), or that respected or violated a syntactic agreement rule (e.g., “The boys turns”). ERPs showed that mood had little effect on syntactic parsing, but did substantially affect referential anticipation: whereas readers anticipated information about a specific person when they were in a good mood, a bad mood completely abolished such anticipation. A behavioral follow-up experiment suggested that a bad mood did not interfere with verb-based expectations per se, but prevented readers from using that information rapidly enough to predict upcoming reference on the fly, as the sentence unfolds. In all, our results reveal that background mood, a rather unobtrusive affective state, selectively changes a crucial aspect of real-time language processing. This observation fits well with other observed interactions between language processing and affect (emotions, preferences, attitudes, mood), and more generally testifies to the importance of studying “cold” cognitive functions in relation to “hot” aspects of the brain.
An Efficient Parallel Algorithm with Partial Decision Feedback for Near-Optimal MIMO Detection

Maximum-likelihood detection (MLD) is the optimal scheme for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) channels. However, due to its exponentially high complexity, many alternative algorithms, including some parallel detection (PD) ones with low complexity and high stability, have been proposed for practical applications. Nevertheless, the existing PD algorithms are unable to exploit sufficiently the diversity order increment for low-complexity algorithms via MLD for partial layers, consequently, the complexity of the sub-detectors is still undesirably high. In this paper, a novel PD algorithm with relative low-complexity sub-detectors, i.e., the partial decision feedback sub-detectors, has been developed. Numerical analysis indicates that the proposed parallel algorithm can achieve the near-optimal performance with much lower complexity in comparison with the existing PD algorithms. Thus, this algorithm makes the parallel detection more feasible in real-life systems with limited parallel processing elements.
Risk of lung cancer among white and black relatives of individuals with early-onset lung cancer.

CONTEXT Evidence exists that lung cancer aggregates in families and recent findings of a chromosomal region linked to lung cancer susceptibility support a genetic component to risk. Family studies of early-onset lung cancer patients offer a unique opportunity to evaluate lifetime risk of lung cancer in relatives. OBJECTIVE To measure lung cancer aggregation and estimate lifetime risk among relatives of early-onset cases and population-based controls. DESIGN AND SETTING Familial aggregation and cumulative risk estimates from interview data of incident cases and concurrently ascertained controls between 1990 and 2003 in metropolitan Detroit, Mich. PARTICIPANTS The study included 7576 biological mothers, fathers, and siblings of 692 early-onset cases and 773 frequency-matched controls. One third of the population was black. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Cumulative lifetime risk of lung cancer, stratified by race and smoking behavior in relatives of early-onset cases and controls. RESULTS Smokers with a family history of early-onset lung cancer in a first-degree relative had a higher risk of developing lung cancer with increasing age than smokers without a family history. An increase in risk occurs after age 60 years in these individuals, with 17.1% (SE 2.4%) of white case relatives and 25.1% (SE 5.8%) of black case relatives diagnosed with lung cancer by age 70 years. Relatives of black cases were at statistically significant increased risk of lung cancer compared with relatives of white cases (odds ratio, 2.07, 95% confidence interval, 1.29-3.32) after adjusting for age, sex, pack-years, pneumonia, and chronic obstructive lung disease. CONCLUSIONS First-degree relatives of black individuals with early-onset lung cancer have greater risk of lung cancer than their white counterparts, and these risks are further amplified by cigarette smoking. These data provide estimates of lung cancer risk that can be used to offer counseling to family members of patients with early-onset lung cancer.