Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Real-Time and Accurate Segmentation of 3-D Point Clouds Based on Gaussian Process Regression

In LIght Detection And Ranging (LIDAR)-based object detection, accurate object segmentation is of great importance, since segmentation is an essential preprocessing step for other perception tasks, such as classification and tracking. For segmenting objects, most of the previous methods have tried to eliminate the ground first, which typically incurs considerable overhead in computation and inaccuracy in object detection with point clouds gathered by using 3-D LIDARs. However, in many real-time applications, such as automated driving, segmentation should be performed within a specified time, because even a small delay in computation could result in vehicle collisions. In this paper, we propose a real-time and accurate object segmentation algorithm for 3-D point clouds, which does not carry out ground extraction as a first step. In the proposed algorithm, we generate candidate points of objects and find their borders based on the integrated structure of a 2-D grid and an undirected graph, which enables fast processing and yields an accurate segmentation result independent of ground extraction error. In order to enhance segmentation accuracy, we employ Gaussian process, which reduces over-segmentation that separates an object into multiple portions. We apply two types of Gaussian process models to alternately provide cues for merging adjacent over-segmented objects. Experimental results demonstrate that this paper achieves a real-time processing speed and higher segmentation accuracy than previous works in most evaluation metrics. With the application to tracking, we show that the enhanced segmentation accuracy increases the tracking accuracy by 11.4% even in the worst case.
Natural radioactivity in soil at regions around the uranium mine inAbu-Skhair Najaf Province, Iraq

The specific activity of 238U, 232Th and 40K was determined in 60 soil samples were collected from sites around the uranium mine in the Abu - Skhair in Najaf province, Iraq. The samples were determined using NaI(Tl) gamma ray spectrometry system. Mean values for 238U, 232Th and 40K specific activity were found to be (77.33±5.85) Bq/ kg, (9.36 ± 0.97) Bq/kg, and (426.31 ± 21.35) Bq/kg respectively. The study also examined radium equivalent Raeq associated with the natural radionuclides for 60 soil samples with an average of 123.54 ± 8.88 Bq/kg. A comparison of the measured values with the corresponding worldwide average values shows that the most specific activity of 238U and 40K radionuclides in the studied samples are higher than world average activity values
Flyover-Noise Reduction of Commercial Aircraft via Reduced Slat Deflections and Modified Flight Procedures

Current regulation and operation of commercial aircraft result in flyover noise that generates public protest well outside the recognized noise footprint of modern airports. This noise issue was recently exacerbated by the implementation of NextGen air-traffic control which uses GPS-based navigation for predictable flight paths and improved efficiency. This study documents flyover noise in residential communities during early approach (15-20 nautical miles from landing). Since airframe noise is significant during approach, reduced slat deflections are explored as a potential noise-reduction configuration. To document the aerodynamic effects of lower slat deflections, CFD simulations were conducted for an aircraft configuration representative of early approach. Additionally, modified flight procedures are proposed to mitigate existing flyover noise levels. Field measurements of flyover noise indicate a 5-8 dB difference between commercial aircraft with and without slats deployed. Both noise-mitigation strategies have promise, but reduced slat-deflection configurations will not likely be adopted without additional noise-certification requirements. Hence, the most promising near-term noise mitigation is to modify flight procedures to delay slat deployment and/or provide multiple approach flight paths.
Error correction by means of arithmetic codes: an application to resilient image transmission

In this paper, two novel maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimators for the decoding of arithmetic codes in the presence of transmission errors are presented. Trellis search techniques and a forbidden symbol are employed to obtain forward error correction. The proposed system is applied to lossless image compression and transmission across the BSC; the results are compared in terms of both performance and complexity with a traditional separated source and channel coding approach based on convolutional codes.
Administration of olanzapine as an antiemetic agent changes glucose homeostasis in cisplatin-treated rats.

We investigated the effects of olanzapine on cisplatin-induced pica (the consumption of non-nutrient materials such as kaolin) and glucose homeostasis in rats to clarify the effects of olanzapine when used as an anti-emetic drug. Rats were injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) with either 5 mg/kg cisplatin or saline. Additionally, 2 or 10 mg/kg olanzapine were administered i.p. to the rats 10 min before the administration of cisplatin and subsequently administered every 24 h for 3 d. Kaolin and food intake was measured using an automatic monitoring apparatus. Plasma glucose levels were measured by an enzyme electrode method. The plasma levels of insulin and intact proinsulin were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The proinsulin-to-insulin (P/I) ratio was calculated. Cisplatin significantly increased kaolin intake, but decreased food intake and body weight up to 72 h. Olanzapine had no effect on these parameters. Neither olanzapine nor cisplatin alone had a significant effect on the plasma levels of glucose, insulin, or proinsulin. However, a combination of olanzapine and cisplatin significantly decreased plasma insulin levels, but increased plasma intact proinsulin levels and the P/I ratio. Our results suggest that an additive deterioration of insulin-secreting beta-cell function and disturbance of glucose homeostasis should be considered during treatment of patients with olanzapine for cisplatin-induced nausea and vomiting.
Ceriodaphnia dubia as a Potential Bio-Indicator for Assessing Acute Aluminum Oxide Nanoparticle Toxicity in Fresh Water Environment

Growing nanomaterials based consumer applications have raised concerns about their potential release into the aquatic ecosystems and the consequent toxicological impacts. So environmental monitoring of the nanomaterials in aqueous systems becomes imperative. The current study reveals the potential of Ceriodaphnia dubia (C. dubia) as a bio-indicator for aluminum oxide nanoparticles in a fresh water aquatic ecosystem where it occupies an important ecological niche as a primary consumer. This study aims to investigate the aluminium oxide nanoparticle induced acute toxicity on Ceriodaphnia dubia in a freshwater system. The bioavailability of the aluminum oxide nanoparticles has been studied with respect to their aggregation behavior in the system and correlated with the toxicity endpoints. The oxidative stress generated by the particles contributed greatly toward their toxicity. The crucial role of leached aluminium ion mediated toxicity in the later phases (48 h and 72 h) in conjunction with the effects from the nano-sized particles in the initial phases (24 h) puts forth the dynamics of nanotoxicity in the test system. The internalization of nanoparticles (both gross and systemic uptake) as substantiated through the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectral (ICP-OES) analysis was another major contributor toward acute toxicity. Concluding the present study, Ceriodaphnia dubia can be a promising candidate for bio-monitoring the aluminium oxide nanoparticles in a fresh water system.
Diel metabolomics analysis of a hot spring chlorophototrophic microbial mat leads to new hypotheses of community member metabolisms

Dynamic environmental factors such as light, nutrients, salt, and temperature continuously affect chlorophototrophic microbial mats, requiring adaptive and acclimative responses to stabilize composition and function. Quantitative metabolomics analysis can provide insights into metabolite dynamics for understanding community response to such changing environmental conditions. In this study, we quantified volatile organic acids, polar metabolites (amino acids, glycolytic and citric acid cycle intermediates, nucleobases, nucleosides, and sugars), wax esters, and polyhydroxyalkanoates, resulting in the identification of 104 metabolites and related molecules in thermal chlorophototrophic microbial mat cores collected over a diel cycle in Mushroom Spring, Yellowstone National Park. A limited number of predominant taxa inhabit this community and their functional potentials have been previously identified through metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analyses and in situ metabolisms, and metabolic interactions among these taxa have been hypothesized. Our metabolomics results confirmed the diel cycling of photorespiration (e.g., glycolate) and fermentation (e.g., acetate, propionate, and lactate) products, the carbon storage polymers polyhydroxyalkanoates, and dissolved gasses (e.g., H2 and CO2) in the waters overlying the mat, which were hypothesized to occur in major mat chlorophototrophic community members. In addition, we have formulated the following new hypotheses: (1) the morning hours are a time of biosynthesis of amino acids, DNA, and RNA; (2) photo-inhibited cells may also produce lactate via fermentation as an alternate metabolism; (3) glycolate and lactate are exchanged among Synechococcus and Roseiflexus spp. ; and (4) fluctuations in many metabolite pools (e.g., wax esters) at different times of day result from species found at different depths within the mat responding to temporal differences in their niches.
Improving object detection with deep convolutional networks via Bayesian optimization and structured prediction

Object detection systems based on the deep convolutional neural network (CNN) have recently made ground-breaking advances on several object detection benchmarks. While the features learned by these high-capacity neural networks are discriminative for categorization, inaccurate localization is still a major source of error for detection. Building upon high-capacity CNN architectures, we address the localization problem by 1) using a search algorithm based on Bayesian optimization that sequentially proposes candidate regions for an object bounding box, and 2) training the CNN with a structured loss that explicitly penalizes the localization inaccuracy. In experiments, we demonstrate that each of the proposed methods improves the detection performance over the baseline method on PASCAL VOC 2007 and 2012 datasets. Furthermore, two methods are complementary and significantly outperform the previous state-of-the-art when combined.
Distributed Beamforming Techniques for Weighted Sum-Rate Maximization in MISO Interfering Broadcast Channels

In this letter, we study a linear beamforming technique for weighted sum-rate (WSR) maximization in multiple-input single-output interfering broadcast channels. We focus on a distributed beamforming scheme which utilizes local channel state information (CSI) to mitigate inter-cell interference. In order to decouple the WSR maximization problem which involves the beamforming vectors of all base stations (BSs) into a distributed WSR problem as a function of local CSI, we apply high signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio approximation. After defining the distributed WSR function, we solve the decoupled problems by using a zero-gradient based algorithm which converges to a local optimal point. Unlike conventional distributed schemes where additional information should be exchanged at each iteration, each BS of the proposed scheme utilizes only the local CSI to compute its beamforming vectors. Also we prove the convergence of the proposed algorithm. Simulation results show that our proposed algorithm exhibits the WSR performance almost identical to the centralized scheme with substantially reduced overhead.
Power Management of Intelligent Buildings Facilitated by Smart Grid: A Market Approach

The emergence of smart grid technology is offering a unique opportunity to improve power management in intelligent buildings through the integration and optimization of distributed energy resources and loads. In this paper, the interactions of multiple intelligent buildings in the context of energy market, as well as distributed energy generation and storage facilities, is considered. Within a time horizon divided into multiple periods in which generations and loads are forecasted, each building in a certain period may experience power surplus or deficit. While any deficit can be obtained from the market, buildings may consider selling their unused power back to the market. A dynamic pricing model based on differential game theory is set up in order to study the interactions of these players and how they maximize their profit. We also propose algorithms to implement and operate the system over the time horizon considered. Furthermore, numerical studies are performed to validate the model and algorithms.
Structure and Dynamics of the Membrane-Bound Cytochrome P450 2C9

The microsomal, membrane-bound, human cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C9 is a liver-specific monooxygenase essential for drug metabolism. CYPs require electron transfer from the membrane-bound CYP reductase (CPR) for catalysis. The structural details and functional relevance of the CYP-membrane interaction are not understood. From multiple coarse grained molecular simulations started with arbitrary configurations of protein-membrane complexes, we found two predominant orientations of CYP2C9 in the membrane, both consistent with experiments and conserved in atomic-resolution simulations. The dynamics of membrane-bound and soluble CYP2C9 revealed correlations between opening and closing of different tunnels from the enzyme's buried active site. The membrane facilitated the opening of a tunnel leading into it by stabilizing the open state of an internal aromatic gate. Other tunnels opened selectively in the simulations of product-bound CYP2C9. We propose that the membrane promotes binding of liposoluble substrates by stabilizing protein conformations with an open access tunnel and provide evidence for selective substrate access and product release routes in mammalian CYPs. The models derived here are suitable for extension to incorporate other CYPs for oligomerization studies or the CYP reductase for studies of the electron transfer mechanism, whereas the modeling procedure is generally applicable to study proteins anchored in the bilayer by a single transmembrane helix.
we.b: the web of short urls

Short URLs have become ubiquitous. Especially popular within social networking services, short URLs have seen a significant increase in their usage over the past years, mostly due to Twitter's restriction of message length to 140 characters. In this paper, we provide a first characterization on the usage of short URLs. Specifically, our goal is to examine the content short URLs point to, how they are published, their popularity and activity over time, as well as their potential impact on the performance of the web. Our study is based on traces of short URLs as seen from two different perspectives: i) collected through a large-scale crawl of URL shortening services, and ii) collected by crawling Twitter messages. The former provides a general characterization on the usage of short URLs, while the latter provides a more focused view on how certain communities use shortening services. Our analysis highlights that domain and website popularity, as seen from short URLs, significantly differs from the distributions provided by well publicised services such as Alexa. The set of most popular websites pointed to by short URLs appears stable over time, despite the fact that short URLs have a limited high popularity lifetime. Surprisingly short URLs are not ephemeral, as a significant fraction, roughly 50%, appears active for more than three months. Overall, our study emphasizes the fact that short URLs reflect an "alternative" web and, hence, provide an additional view on web usage and content consumption complementing traditional measurement sources. Furthermore, our study reveals the need for alternative shortening architectures that will eliminate the non-negligible performance penalty imposed by today's shortening services.
Examining a Supramodal Network for Conflict Processing: A Systematic Review and Novel Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Data for Related Visual and Auditory Stroop Tasks

Cognitive control over conflicting information has been studied extensively using tasks such as the color-word Stroop, flanker, and spatial conflict task. Neuroimaging studies typically identify a fronto-parietal network engaged in conflict processing, but numerous additional regions are also reported. Ascribing putative functional roles to these regions is problematic because some may have less to do with conflict processing per se, but could be engaged in specific processes related to the chosen stimulus modality, stimulus feature, or type of conflict task. In addition, some studies contrast activation on incongruent and congruent trials, even though a neutral baseline is needed to separate the effect of inhibition from that of facilitation. In the first part of this article, we report a systematic review of 34 neuroimaging publications, which reveals that conflict-related activity is reliably reported in the anterior cingulate cortex and bilaterally in the lateral prefrontal cortex, the anterior insula, and the parietal lobe. In the second part, we further explore these candidate conflict regions through a novel functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment, in which the same group of subjects perform related visual and auditory Stroop tasks. By carefully controlling for the same task (Stroop), the same to-be-ignored stimulus dimension (word meaning), and by separating out inhibitory processes from those of facilitation, we attempt to minimize the potential differences between the two tasks. The results provide converging evidence that the regions identified by the systematic review are reliably engaged in conflict processing. Despite carefully matching the Stroop tasks, some regions of differential activity remained, particularly in the parietal cortex. We discuss some of the task-specific processes which might account for this finding.
Visibility: Science and Regulation

Abstract The 1999 Regional Haze Rule provides a context for this review of visibility, the science that describes it, and the use of that science in regulatory guidance. The scientific basis for the 1999 regulation is adequate. The deciview metric that tracks progress is an imperfect but objective measure of what people see near the prevailing visual range. The definition of natural visibility conditions is adequate for current planning, but it will need to be refined as visibility improves. Emissions from other countries will set achievable levels above those produced by natural sources. Some natural events, notably dust storms and wildfires, are episodic and cannot be represented by annual average background values or emission estimates. Sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission reductions correspond with lower sulfate (SO4 2−) concentrations and visibility im-provements in the regions where these have occurred. Non-road emissions have been growing more rapidly than emissions from other sources, which have remained stable or decreased since 1970. Simpler models representing transport, limiting precursor pollutants, and gas-to-particle equilibrium should be used to understand where and when emission reductions will be effective, rather than large complex models that have insufficient input and validation measurements. Examples of model-based source attribution show large differences among estimates from various modeling systems and with ambient measurements.
Temporal Association of Herpes Simplex Virus ICP4 with Cellular Complexes Functioning at Multiple Steps in PolII Transcription

The herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) immediate early protein, ICP4, participates in the regulation of viral gene expression by both activating and repressing RNA polII transcription. We used affinity purification of ICP4 expressed in infected cells followed by mass spectrometry and western blot analysis to determine the composition of cellular complexes associated with ICP4 throughout infection. ICP4 was associated with TFIID complexes containing a distinct set of TAFs. These complexes were most abundant early, but were detected throughout infection, whereas Mediator was found in ICP4 containing complexes later in infection, indicating a temporal pattern for the utilization of these complexes for the transcription of the viral genome. The form of Mediator copurifying with ICP4 was enriched for the kinase domain and also lacked the activator-specific component, Med26, suggesting that Mediator-ICP4 interactions may be involved in repression of viral transcription. The N-terminal 774 amino acids of ICP4, which retains partial function, were sufficient to form complexes with TFIID and Mediator, although these interactions were not as strong as with full-length ICP4. Additionally, components involved in transcription elongation, chromatin remodeling, and mRNA processing were isolated with ICP4. Together our data indicate that ICP4 plays a more integrated role in mediating HSV transcription, possibly affecting multiple steps in transcription and gene expression.
Role of hepatitis B virus genotype D & its mutants in occult hepatitis B infection

Background & objectives: Non-detection of hepatitis B virus (HBV) envelope protein (hepatitis B surface antigen, HBsAg) in a chronically HBV infected individual has been described as occult infection. One possible reason for this phenotype is alteration in large (L-HBsAg) to small (S-HBsAg) envelope protein ratio associated with reduced or non secretion of HBsAg. This results in quantitative levels of serum HBsAg below the detection limit of enzyme immunoassays. Genotype D of HBV has a characteristic 33 nucleotide (nt) deletion upstream of the pre-S2/S promoter. This deletion may reduce HBsAg secretion in occult infection patients infected with genotype D HBV. Additional deletions in the pre-S2/S promoter may further aggravate reduced HBsAg secretion in patients infected with genotype D HBV. Thus, the aim of the present study was to determine the role of genotype D specific 33nt deletion and additional pre-S2/S promoter deletions in causing reduced or no secretion of HBsAg, in occult infection. Since these deletions overlap virus polymerase, their effect on virus replication was also investigated. Methods: We examined the in vitro expression of HBsAg, ratio of cure and ‘e’ antigen (HBcAg/HBeAg), their secretion and virus replication, using overlength 1.3 mer/1.86 mer genotype A replicons, and genotype D replicons with and without additional pre-S2/S promoter deletions from cases of occult infection. Results: Genotype D replicon showed a decrease in HBsAg secretion compared to the wild-type genotype A. Genotype D replicons carrying additional pre-S2/S promoter deletions, showed further reduction in HBsAg secretion, demonstrated presence of intracellular HBcAg/HBeAg, virus replication intermediates and ‘e’ antigen secretion. Interpretation & conclusions: The characteristic 33 nt deletion of genotype D HBV reduces HBsAg secretion. Additional pre-S2/S promoter deletions may further diminish HBsAg secretion, leading to occult infection. Pre-S2/S promoter deletions do not affect HBV replication.