Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Structural, optical and dielectric properties of relaxor-ferroelectric Pb0.78Ba0.22Sc0.5Ta0.5O3

We report on the synthesis of a new relaxor compound with chemical formula Pb0.78Ba0. 22Sc0.5Ta0. 5O3 (PBST). Single crystals were obtained by the high-temperature solution growth method. The structure of the new compound is of double-perovskite type with face-centred cubic symmetry at room temperature. The frequency dependence of the dielectric constant of PBST shows a strong dielectric dispersion in a wide temperature range and a dielectric-constant maximum near 200 K at 10 kHz. The local atomic environment was probed by Raman scattering and optical absorption spectroscopy. The results show that the incorporation of Ba deforms the BO6 octahedra adjoining the BaO12-polyhedra along the direction and shortens the Pb–O bond lengths next to the BaO12-polyhedra within the {111} planes. The random substitution of Ba for Pb leads to a wider distribution in the size and shape of the ferroic species in PBST compared to stoichiometric PbSc0.5Ta0. 5O3. The addition of Ba shifts the optical absorption edge to lower energies and gives rise to extra absorption peaks at 460 and 730 nm. The latter peak is related to polar atomic rearrangements in the vicinity of the Ba ions embedded into the PbSc0.5Ta0. 5O3 matrix.
Carbon and nitrogen stocks in the soils of Central and Eastern Europe

Abstract. Soil organic carbon and total nitrogen stocks are presented for Central and Eastern Europe. The study uses the soil geographic and attribute data held in a 1:2 500 000 scale Soil and Terrain (SOTER) database, covering Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, the Russian Federation (west of the Urals), Slovakia, and Ukraine. Means and coefficients of variation for soil organic carbon and total nitrogen are presented for each major FAO soil grouping. The mean content of organic carbon, to a depth of 1 m, ranges from 3.9 kg C m–2 for coarse textured Arenosols to 72.9 kg C m–2 for poorly drained Histosols. Mean carbon content for the mineral soils, excluding Arenosols, is 15.8 kg C m–2. The top 1 m of soil holds 110 Pg C (Pg=1015 g), which corresponds to about 7% of the global stock of soil organic carbon. About 44% of this carbon pool is held in the top 0.3 m of the soil, the layer that is most prone to be changed by changes in soil use and management. About 166 million ha in Central and Eastern Europe have been degraded by compaction, erosion of topsoil, fertility decline and crusting. The achievable level of carbon sequestration for these soils, upon adoption of ‘best’ management practices or restorative measures, is estimated.
Cytotoxicity Studies of Cyclometallated Ruthenium(II) Compounds: New Applications for Ruthenium Dyes

The antiproliferative activity of four Ru(II) dyes incorporating the cyclometallated ligand phpy– (deprotonated 2-phenylpyridine) have been tested against HeLa cells. All of the compounds exhibit cytotoxic activity similar to that of cisplatin. The most active compound, [Ru(phpy)(bpy)(dppn)]+ (4; bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine, dppn = benzo[i]dipyrido[3,2-a:2′,3′-c]phenazine), is 6 times more active than the platinum drug, and it is able to disrupt the mitochondria membrane potential. In addition, [Ru(phpy)(biq)2]+ (3; biq = 2,2′-biqinoline), with strong absorption at 640 nm, exhibits enhanced activity upon irradiation with 633 nm light. These findings demonstrate that coordinatively saturated cyclometallated Ru dyes have the potential to emerge as a new family of organometallic anticancer compounds, both in the dark and upon irradiation with low-energy light. The compound [Ru(phpy)(pap)(NCCH3)2]+ (5; pap = 2-(phenylazo)pyridine) was also synthesized and structurally characterized as a new precursor for the prepar.
Introduction: special issue on the economics of climate change and sustainability (Part B)

Abstract Climate change is considered to be one of the most significant and complex challenges facing the world in the twenty-first century. As such, it is essential to increase the knowledge base regarding climate change and how best to address its impacts through efficient policies. This special issue, which is divided into two parts – published in the previous and current issues of Environment and Development Economics – is a selection of papers related to ‘The Economics of Climate Change and Sustainability’, the topic of an international workshop organized by the Economics Department of the University of Bologna in April 2018. The papers in this special issue cover a wide range of climate-change-related topics, including endogenous growth and overlapping generation models; climate-related financing and green bonds; demography; location decisions and technology diffusion; quantitative relationships and experimental approaches. They aim at providing new insights into the economics of climate change and help to identify new directions for future research.
ISOTHERMAL LUMINESCENCE AND THERMO‐LUMINESCENCE OF NUCLEIC ACID BASES FOLLOWING γ‐IRRADIATION

Abstract— The emission spectra of radiation induced isothermal luminescence (ITL) and the thermolu‐minescence (TL) of purines and pyrimidines of nucleic acids and analogue 6‐azauracil in the form of pellets of dry polycrystalline powders have been studied at 77 K, and compared with their low temperature fluorescence and phosphorescence spectra. The qualitative and quantitative measurements of isothermal luminescence and thermoluminescence show that the two result from the same radiative transitions. The thermoluminescence emission was observed to coincide with the phosphorescence emission of the compounds in all the cases. The thermoluminescence of the pyrimidines and their analogue, however, have shown an additional component corresponding to their fluorescence in the ultraviolet region. An extension of the Weissbluth model based on the location of the electron traps in relation to the excited states of the compounds is proposed to explain their thermoluminescence emission.
UNSTEADY MHD BOUNDARY LAYER FLOW WITH DIFFUSION AND FIRST-ORDER CHEMICAL REACTION OVER A PERMEABLE STRETCHING SHEET WITH SUCTION OR BLOWING

In this study, unsteady MHD boundary layer flow with diffusion of chemically reactive species undergoing first-order chemical reaction over a permeable stretching sheet with suction or blowing and also with power-law variation in wall concentration is investigated. Using similarity transformation, the governing partial differential equations are converted into nonlinear self-similar ordinary differential equations. The transformed equations are then solved by the finite difference method using the quasi-linearization technique. Due to the increase in the unsteadiness parameter, the velocity initially decreases, but after a certain point it increases. A similar effect is also observed in case of concentration distribution. The increase in magnetic parameter causes a decrease in velocity and an increase in concentration. For increasing strength of applied suction both momentum and concentration boundary layer thicknesses decrease. On the other hand, applied blowing has reverse effects. Moreover, the mass transfer from the sheet is enhanced with increasing values of Schmidt number, reaction rate parameter, and also power-law exponent (related to wall concentration distribution). For high negative values of the power-law exponent, mass absorption at the sheet occurs. Moreover, due to increase of unsteadiness, this mass absorption is prevented.
Interpolation of CT Projections by Exploiting Their Self-Similarity and Smoothness

As the medical usage of computed tomography (CT) grows, the radiation dose should remain at a low level to reduce the health risks. Therefore, there is a need for algorithms that can reconstruct high-quality images from low-dose scans. In this regard, most of the recent studies have focused on iterative reconstruction algorithms, and little attention has been paid to restoration of the projection measurements, i.e., the sinogram. In this paper, we propose a novel sinogram interpolation algorithm. The proposed algorithm exploits the self-similarity and smoothness of the sinogram. Sinogram self-similarity is modeled in terms of the similarity of small blocks extracted from stacked projections. The smoothness is modeled via second-order total variation. Experiments with simulated and real CT data show that sinogram interpolation with the proposed algorithm leads to a substantial improvement in the quality of the reconstructed image, especially on low-dose scans. The proposed method can result in a significant reduction in the number of projection measurements.
Morphological Operation Residual Blocks: Enhancing 3D Morphological Feature Representation in Convolutional Neural Networks for Semantic Segmentation of Medical Images

The shapes and morphology of the organs and tissues are important prior knowledge in medical imaging recognition and segmentation. The morphological operation is a well-known method for morphological feature extraction. As the morphological operation is performed well in hand-crafted image segmentation techniques, it is also promising to design an approach to approximate morphological operation in the convolutional networks. However, using the traditional convolutional neural network as a black-box is usually hard to specify the morphological operation action. Here, we introduced a 3D morphological operation residual block to extract morphological features in end-to-end deep learning models for semantic segmentation. This study proposed a novel network block architecture that embedded the morphological operation as an infinitely strong prior in the convolutional neural network. Several 3D deep learning models with the proposed morphological operation block were built and compared in different medical imaging segmentation tasks. Experimental results showed the proposed network achieved a relatively higher performance in the segmentation tasks comparing with the conventional approach. In conclusion, the novel network block could be easily embedded in traditional networks and efficiently reinforce the deep learning models for medical imaging segmentation.
ES-Net: An Efficient Stereo Matching Network

Dense stereo matching with deep neural networks is of great interest to the research community. Existing stereo matching networks typically use slow and computationally expensive 3D convolutions to improve the performance, which is not friendly to real-world applications such as autonomous driving. In this paper, we propose the Efficient Stereo Network (ESNet), which achieves high performance and efficient inference at the same time. ESNet relies only on 2D convolution and computes multi-scale cost volume efficiently using a warping-based method to improve the performance in regions with fine-details. In addition, we address the matching ambiguity issue in the occluded region by proposing ESNet-M, a variant of ESNet that additionally estimates an occlusion mask without supervision. We further improve the network performance by proposing a new training scheme that includes dataset scheduling and unsupervised pre-training. Compared with other low-cost dense stereo depth estimation methods, our proposed approach achieves state-of-the-art performance on the Scene Flow [1], DrivingStereo [2], and KITTI-2015 dataset [3]. Our code will be made available.
Quantum-accelerated constraint programming

Constraint programming (CP) is a paradigm used to model and solve constraint satisfaction and combinatorial optimization problems. In CP, problems are modeled with constraints that describe acceptable solutions and solved with backtracking tree search augmented with logical inference. In this paper, we show how quantum algorithms can accelerate CP, at both the levels of inference and search. Leveraging existing quantum algorithms, we introduce a quantum-accelerated filtering algorithm for the alldifferent global constraint and discuss its applicability to a broader family of global constraints with similar structure. We propose frameworks for the integration of quantum filtering algorithms within both classical and quantum backtracking search schemes, including a novel hybrid classical-quantum backtracking search method. This work suggests that CP is a promising candidate application for early fault-tolerant quantum computers and beyond.
Three Operator Splitting with a Nonconvex Loss Function

We consider the problem of minimizing the sum of three functions, one of which is nonconvex but differentiable, and the other two are convex but possibly nondifferentiable. We investigate the Three Operator Splitting method (TOS) of Davis&Yin (2017) with an aim to extend its theoretical guarantees for this nonconvex problem template. In particular, we prove convergence of TOS with nonasymptotic bounds on its nonstationarity and infeasibility errors. In contrast with the existing work on nonconvex TOS, our guarantees do not require additional smoothness assumptions on the terms comprising the objective; hence they cover instances of particular interest where the nondifferentiable terms are indicator functions. We also extend our results to a stochastic setting where we have access only to an unbiased estimator of the gradient. Finally, we illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method through numerical experiments on quadratic assignment problems.
Accumulations of Projections-A Unified Framework for Random Sketches in Kernel Ridge Regression

Building a sketch of an n-by-n empirical kernel matrix is a common approach to accelerate the computation of many kernel methods. In this paper, we propose a unified framework of constructing sketching methods in kernel ridge regression (KRR), which views the sketching matrix S as an accumulation of m rescaled sub-sampling matrices with independent columns. Our framework incorporates two commonly used sketching methods, sub-sampling sketches (known as the Nystr\"om method) and sub-Gaussian sketches, as special cases with m=1 and m=infinity respectively. Under the new framework, we provide a unified error analysis of sketching approximation and show that our accumulation scheme improves the low accuracy of sub-sampling sketches when certain incoherence characteristic is high, and accelerates the more accurate but computationally heavier sub-Gaussian sketches. By optimally choosing the number m of accumulations, we show that a best trade-off between computational efficiency and statistical accuracy can be achieved. In practice, the sketching method can be as efficiently implemented as the sub-sampling sketches, as only minor extra matrix additions are needed. Our empirical evaluations also demonstrate that the proposed method may attain the accuracy close to sub-Gaussian sketches, while is as efficient as sub-sampling-based sketches.
Parametrization of a biochemical CO 2 exchange model for birch (Betula pendula Roth.)

Gas exchange of one-year-old silver birch ( Betula pendula Roth.) seedlings of boreal habitat was studied in laboratory conditions. Seedlings were exposed to stepwise changes in CO2 concentration and irradiance in five constant temperatures ranging from 9 to 33 °C. The Farquhar biochemical model was fitted to the response curves. Values for the photosynthesis parameters Jmax and Vc(max) as well as their temperature dependences were derived from the measurements. Following characteristics of the boreal growth conditions, the response curves were determined also at temperatures below 20 °C. This was, indeed, reflected to photosynthesis parameters, though results showed relatively large variation due to differences among leaves. The gas exchange rates of separate leaves could vary by 40% and also the temperature dependences were slightly different. The slope and curvature of the light response curve were relatively constant above 19 °C and decreased at low temperatures.
A strong maximum principle for the fractional laplace equation with mixed boundary condition

Abstract In this work we prove a strong maximum principle for fractional elliptic problems with mixed Dirichlet–Neumann boundary data which extends the one proved by J. Dávila (cf. [11]) to the fractional setting. In particular, we present a comparison result for two solutions of the fractional Laplace equation involving the spectral fractional Laplacian endowed with homogeneous mixed boundary condition. This result represents a non–local counterpart to a Hopf’s Lemma for fractional elliptic problems with mixed boundary data.
Extended TQFTs from non-semisimple modular categories

We construct 3-dimensional once-Extended Topological Quantum Field Theories (ETQFTs for short) out of (possibly non-semisimple) modular categories, and we explicitly identify linear categories and functors in their image. The circle category of an ETQFT produced by our construction is equivalent to the full subcategory of projective objects of the underlying modular category. In particular, it need not be semisimple.
Random phase approximation for gapped systems: Role of vertex corrections and applicability of the constrained random phase approximation

Erik G. C. P. van Loon, 2, ∗ Malte Rösner, Mikhail I. Katsnelson, and Tim O. Wehling 2 Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität Bremen, Otto-Hahn-Allee 1, 28359 Bremen, Germany Bremen Center for Computational Materials Science, Universität Bremen, Am Fallturm 1a, 28359 Bremen, Germany Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, NL-6525AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands
PEDOT:PSS assisted preparation of a graphene/nickel cobalt oxide hybrid counter electrode to serve in efficient dye-sensitized solar cells

Graphene/nickel cobalt oxide (Gr/NiCo2O4) hybrids with a nanostructure were prepared by the use of an in situ hydrothermal route, and applied as a counter electrode (CE) with poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) assisted preparation (here abbreviated as P-A) in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) for the first time. The surface morphology of the bilayer TiO2 photoanode was confirmed using scanning electron microscopy. The superior structural characteristics of the photoanode were advantageous to fast mass transport for the electrolyte, increasing the contact area between the electrolyte and active materials, and enabling the (P-A) Gr/NiCo2O4 CE to speed up the reduction of triiodide to iodide. Also, the CE with a superior nanostructure was evaluated by electrochemical characterization, which indicated that the (P-A) Gr/NiCo2O4 CE possessed excellent electrocatalytic activity in the iodide/triiodide electrolyte and a lower charge transfer resistance of 3.04 ± 0.02 Ω cm2 compared to that of the Pt electrode (3.63 ± 0.02 Ω cm2). Under optimum conditions, the DSSC based on the (P-A) Gr/NiCo2O4 CE achieved a remarkable power conversion efficiency of 8.10%, which is about 8.7% higher than that of the Pt-based DSSC (7.45%). The (P-A) Gr/NiCo2O4 CE can be considered as a promising alternative CE for Pt-free DSSCs.
Tripartite and Sign Consensus for Clustering Balanced Social Networks

In this paper we address two forms of consensus for multi-agent systems with undirected, signed, weighted, and connected communication graphs, under the assumption that the agents can be partitioned into three clusters, representing the decision classes on a given specific topic, for instance, the in favour, abstained and opponent agents. We will show that under some assumptions on the coop-erative/antagonistic relationships between the agents, simple modifications of DeGroot's algorithm allow to achieve tripartite consensus (if the opinions of agents belonging to the same class all converge to the same decision) or sign consensus (if the opinions of the agents in the three clusters converge to positive, zero and negative values, respectively).
Predictive Visual Tracking: A New Benchmark and Baseline Approach

As a crucial robotic perception capability, visual tracking has been intensively studied recently. In the real-world scenarios, the onboard processing time of the image streams inevitably leads to a discrepancy between the tracking results and the real-world states. However, existing visual tracking benchmarks commonly run the trackers offline and ignore such latency in the evaluation. In this work, we aim to deal with a more realistic problem of latency-aware tracking. The state-of-the-art trackers are evaluated in the aerial scenarios with new metrics jointly assessing the tracking accuracy and efficiency. Moreover, a new predictive visual tracking baseline is developed to compensate for the latency stemming from the onboard computation. Our latency-aware benchmark can provide a more realistic evaluation of the trackers for the robotic applications. Besides, exhaustive experiments have proven the effectiveness of the proposed predictive visual tracking baseline approach.
Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam excavates colossal over- and underdense structures over 360 deg2 out to z = 1

Subaru Strategic Program with the Hyper-Suprime Cam (HSC-SSP) has proven to be successful with its extremely-wide area coverage in past years. Taking advantages of this feature, we report initial results from exploration and research of expansive overand under-dense structures at z = 0.3 – 1 based on the second Public Data Release where optical 5-band photometric data for ∼ eight million sources with i < 23 mag are available over ∼ 360 square degrees. We not only confirm known superclusters but also find candidates of titanic overand under-dense regions out to z = 1. The mock data analysis suggests that the density peaks would involve one or more massive dark matter haloes (> 1014 M ) of the redshift, and the density troughs tend to be empty of massive haloes over > 10 comoving Mpc. Besides, the density peaks and troughs at z . 0.6 are in part identified as positive and negative weak lensing signals respectively, in mean tangential shear profiles, showing a good agreement with those inferred from the full-sky weak lensing simulation. The coming extensive spectroscopic surveys will be able to resolve these colossal structures in three-dimensional space. The number density information over the entire survey field is available as grid-point data on the website of the HSC-SSP data release (https://hsc.mtk.nao.ac.jp/ssp/data-release/).
Uncovering the Benefits and Challenges of Continuous Integration Practices

In 2006, Fowler and Foemmel defined ten core Continuous Integration (CI) practices that could increase the speed of software development feedback cycles and improve software quality. Since then, these practices have been widely adopted by industry and subsequent research has shown they improve software quality. However, there is poor understanding of how organizations implement these practices, of the benefits developers perceive they bring, and of the challenges developers and organizations experience in implementing them. In this article, we discuss a multiple-case study of three small- to medium-sized companies using the recommended suite of ten CI practices. Using interviews and activity log mining, we learned that these practices are broadly implemented but how they are implemented varies depending on their perceived benefits, the context of the project, and the CI tools used by the organization. We also discovered that CI practices can create new constraints on the software process that hurt feedback cycle time. For researchers, we show that how CI is implemented varies, and thus studying CI (for example, using data mining) requires understanding these differences as important context for research studies. For practitioners, our findings reveal in-depth insights on the possible benefits and challenges from using the ten practices, and how project context matters.