Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Behavior prediction at multiple time-scales in inner-city scenarios

We present a flexible and scalable architecture that can learn to predict the future behavior of a vehicle in inner-city traffic. While behavior prediction studies have mainly been focusing on lane change events on highways, we apply our approach to a simple inner-city scenario: approaching a traffic light. Our system employs dynamic information about the current ego-vehicle state as well as static information about the scene, in this case position and state of nearby traffic lights.
Comprehensive and Accurate Parasitic Capacitance Models for Two- and Three-Dimensional CMOS Device Structures

In this paper, we propose an accurate, detailed, and ready-to-use model to evaluate quickly parasitic capacitances on several CMOS architectures: planar bulk, planar FDSOI, planar double gate (DG), and FinFET (in DG or triple-gate configuration). This model takes into account raised source drain, trench contacts and discreet contacts, bilayer spacers, and inner-fringe capacitance screening. It has been validated with 2-D (FlexPDE software) and 3-D (Raphael software) simulations.
Flow Characteristics around Wall-Mounted Circular Cylinder above the Horseshoe Vortex Region in Sub-Critical, Critical, and Super-critical Flow Conditions

The relations between the flow characteristics around a circular cylinder have been investigated experimentally. The flow characteristics within three planes around a cylinder, mounted normal to the bed in an open channel, have been chosen for this study. Four different flow conditions were used in the study, changing from sub-critical to super-critical conditions. Two dimensional laser Doppler velocimetry was used to measure the instantaneous velocity components of stream-wise and vertical direction. The turbulent stresses of the flow field were calculated as a measure of the turbulent flow property criterion. The correlation coefficients between the turbulent stresses of points that are on the same height from bed within two different planes have been calculated as a measure for the relation between the different planes around the cylinder. A strong and stable relation has been found between the upstream and perpendicular profiles. Also, the spectra of the two velocity components time series at each of the measured points have been calculated, and similar peaks have been found in points with similar positions within the perpendicular and downstream planes. The results show existence of two different relations among the planes around the cylinder.
Panduratin A Inhibits Cell Proliferation by Inducing G0/G1 Phase Cell Cycle Arrest and Induces Apoptosis in Breast Cancer Cells

Because of the unsatisfactory treatment options for breast cancer (BC), there is a need to develop novel therapeutic approaches for this malignancy. One such strategy is chemotherapy using non-toxic dietary substances and botanical products. Studies have shown that Panduratin A (PA) possesses many health benefits, including anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-oxidant and anticancer activities. In the present study, we provide evidence that PA treatment of MCF-7 BC cells resulted in a time- and dose-dependent inhibition of cell growth with an IC50 of 15 μM and no to little effect on normal human MCF-10A breast cells. To define the mechanism of these anti-proliferative effects of PA, we determined its effect critical molecular events known to regulate the cell cycle and apoptotic machinery. Immunofluorescence and flow cytometric analysis of Annexin V-FITC staining provided evidence for the induction of apoptosis. PA treatment of BC cells resulted in increased activity/expression of mitochondrial cytochrome C, caspases 7, 8 and 9 with a significant increase in the Bax:Bcl-2 ratio, suggesting the involvement of a mitochondrial-dependent apoptotic pathway. Furthermore, cell cycle analysis using flow cytometry showed that PA treatment of cells resulted in G0/G1 arrest in a dose-dependent manner. Immunoblot analysis data revealed that, in MCF-7 cell lines, PA treatment resulted in the dose-dependent (i) induction of p21WAF1/Cip1 and p27Kip1, (ii) downregulation of Cyclin dependent kinase (CDK) 4 and (iii) decrease in cyclin D1. These findings suggest that PA may be an effective therapeutic agent against BC.
The Information Content of Share Repurchase Programs

Contrary to the implications of many payout theories, we find that announcements of open-market share repurchase programs are not followed by an increase in operating performance. However, we find that repurchasing firms experience a significant reduction in systematic risk and cost of capital relative to non-repurchasing firms. Further, consistent with the free cash-flow hypothesis, we find that the market reaction to share repurchase announcements is more positive among those firms that are more likely to overinvest. Finally, we find evidence to indicate that investors underreact to repurchase announcements because they initially underestimate the decline in cost of capital. Copyright 2004 by The American Finance Association.
Reducing spread in climate model projections of a September ice-free Arctic

This paper addresses the specter of a September ice-free Arctic in the 21st century using newly available simulations from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5). We find that large spread in the projected timing of the September ice-free Arctic in 30 CMIP5 models is associated at least as much with different atmospheric model components as with initial conditions. Here we reduce the spread in the timing of an ice-free state using two different approaches for the 30 CMIP5 models: (i) model selection based on the ability to reproduce the observed sea ice climatology and variability since 1979 and (ii) constrained estimation based on the strong and persistent relationship between present and future sea ice conditions. Results from the two approaches show good agreement. Under a high-emission scenario both approaches project that September ice extent will drop to ∼1.7 million km2 in the mid 2040s and reach the ice-free state (defined as 1 million km2) in 2054–2058. Under a medium-mitigation scenario, both approaches project a decrease to ∼1.7 million km2 in the early 2060s, followed by a leveling off in the ice extent.
Light-Dependent Behavioral Phenotypes in PER3-Deficient Mice

A functional knockout of Period3 in mice (mPer3— / — ) results in a mildly altered circadian phenotype, and mPer3 shows a redundant role within the circadian clock. In this study, the authors reevaluated the Per3—/ — behavioral phenotype on a C57Bl/6J background and report altered responses to light. In constant light, free-running activity period was shorter than that of wild-type, whereas in constant darkness, no difference was observed between genotypes. The effect of light was parametric, and the difference in free-running period between genotypes increased under constant light with increasing light intensity. An attenuated response to light in Per3— / — mice was also demonstrated through reduced negative masking in activity in an ultradian protocol and a slower reentrainment to a shifted light-dark cycle when activity falls in the light period of the new light-dark cycle. Behavioral phase-shifts in response to a single delaying or advancing light pulse in the Per3—/— mouse were not compromised. This demonstrates that the mPer3— /— phenotype is characterized predominantly by altered sensitivity to light and not by the ability of the circadian system to respond to light. In addition to its redundant role within the molecular clock, these data suggest a new role for Per3 outside of the circadian clock and contributing to light input pathways.
Glucose and glucose-6-phosphate interaction with Xyl repressor proteins from Bacillus spp. may contribute to regulation of xylose utilization

The xyl operons of several gram-positive bacteria are regulated at the level of transcription by xylose-responsive repressor proteins (XylR). In addition, they are catabolite repressed. Here, we describe a mechanism by which glucose metabolism can affect both regulatory mechanisms. Glucose-6-phosphate appeared to be an anti-inducer of xyl operon transcription, since it could compete with xylose in interaction in vitro with XylR from Bacillus subtilis, B. megaterium, and B. licheniformis. On the other hand, glucose was a low-efficiency inactivator of XylR from B. subtilis and B. megaterium and a weak anti-inducer of XylR from B. licheniformis. Thus, the chemical nature of the substituent at C-5 of xylose and the primary structure of XylR determine the effect of these compounds on xyl operon transcription.
Experimental analysis of a variable autonomy framework for controlling a remotely operating mobile robot

This paper presents a principled experimental analysis of a variable autonomy control approach to mobile robot navigation. A Human-Initiative (HI) variable autonomy system is investigated, in which a human operator is able to switch the Level of Autonomy (LOA) between teleoperation (joystick control) and autonomous control (robot navigates autonomously towards waypoints selected by the human) on-the-fly. Our hypothesis is that the HI system will enable superior navigation performance compared to either teleoperation or autonomy alone, especially in scenarios where the performance of both the human and the robot may at times become degraded. We evaluate our hypothesis through carefully controlled and repeatable experiments using a significant number of human test-subjects.
Visual outcomes for high myopic patients with or without myopic maculopathy: a 10 year follow up study

Aim: To evaluate the visual outcomes for high myopic patients aged 40 years and older with or without myopic maculopathy. Methods: 552 high myopic (spherical equivalent ⩽−6.0D or axial length ⩾26.5 mm) patients were enrolled in the study, 230 cases with myopic maculopathy (at least lacquer cracks were identified) and 322 cases without maculopathy. The initial and final visual acuity (VA) (after 10 years) was compared between two groups. Additionally, the relation between sex, age, refraction, and axial length was analysed to find out the possible risk factors associated with visual outcome in myopic maculopathy. Results: In 92% of patients aged 40–49, final VA was better than 20/40 after 10 years of follow up. However, it was less than 40% in those older than 60 years. For more than 50% of patients older than 40 years of age with maculopathy, their vision had decreased more than two lines in Snellen VA after 10 years of follow up, compared to only 4.3% of analogues without myopic maculopathy. Patchy atrophy and choroidal neovascularisation in myopic macular degeneration groups showed poorer visual outcome than lacquer cracks in the macular lesion group. Other prognostic factors of visual outcomes were myopic refraction, axial length, and ageing. Conclusions: Clearly, prognosis for patients with maculopathy is poorer than for those without maculopathy. Refractive status, axial length, and ageing are the main factors involved in determining the visual outcomes. The macular grading also affects the visual outcome for high myopic patients.
A dilatonic deformation of AdS5 and its field theory dual

We find a nonsupersymmetric dilatonic deformation of AdS5 geometry as an exact nonsingular solution of the type-IIB supergravity. The dual gauge theory has a different Yang-Mills coupling in each of the two halves of the boundary spacetime divided by a codimension one defect. We discuss the geometry of our solution in detail, emphasizing the structure of the boundary, and also study the string configurations corresponding to Wilson loops. We also show that the background is stable under small scalar perturbations.
Methane Concentration in Mud Conduits of Submarine Mud Volcanoes: A Coupled Geochemical and Geophysical Approach

Mud volcanoes are among the largest geological sources releasing methane gas. Numerous studies have revealed their origins and compositions released from submarine mud volcanoes. However, quantification of the amount of gas inside submarine mud volcanoes has been challenging due to the difficulty of in situ measurements, which has hampered better evaluation for their contribution to the global methane budget. Here we provide a coupled geochemical and geophysical model that bridges bulk methane concentrations and seismic wave velocities in the mud conduit of submarine mud volcano. This model is applicable to most submarine mud volcanoes and is able to estimate methane concentration at the upper several hundreds of meters in the mud conduits using downhole logging data or seismic data. Our calculation for submarine mud volcanoes in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Nankai plate subduction zones shows that the weight fractions of gaseous and dissolved methane in total weight of sediment are 1,000–3,500 ppm within their mud conduits, which are much higher than previously expected from pore‐water evidence from conventional shallow subsurface sampling. Although more definitive calculations cannot be made until the model parameters are better constrained, our approach provides an opportunity for re‐estimating the global methane budget in submarine mud volcanoes, shedding new light upon the impact of submarine mud volcanism on carbon cycle.
Nonresonant femtosecond laser vaporization of aqueous protein preserves folded structure

Femtosecond laser vaporization-based mass spectrometry can be used to measure protein conformation in vitro at atmospheric pressure. Cytochrome c and lysozyme are vaporized from the condensed phase into the gas phase intact when exposed to an intense (1013 W/cm2), nonresonant (800 nm), ultrafast (75 fs) laser pulse. Electrospray postionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry reveals that the vaporized protein maintains the solution-phase conformation through measurement of the charge-state distribution and the collision-induced dissociation channels.
A review of long-term memory in natural and synthetic systems

Memory may be broadly regarded as information gained from past experience that is available in the service of ongoing and future adaptive behavior. The biological implementation of memory shares little with memory in synthetic cognitive systems where it is typically regarded as a passive storage structure. Neurophysiological evidence indicates that memory is neither passive nor centralized. A review of the relevant literature in the biological and computer sciences is conducted and a novel methodology is applied that incorporates neuroethological approaches with general biological inspiration in the design of synthetic cognitive systems: a case study regarding episodic memory provides an illustration of the utility of this methodology. As a consequence of applying this approach to the reinterpretation of the implementation of memory in synthetic systems, four fundamental functional principles are derived that are in accordance with neuroscientific theory, and which may be applied to the design of more adaptive and robust synthetic cognitive systems: priming, cross-modal associations, cross-modal coordination without semantic information transfer, and global system behavior resulting from activation dynamics within the memory system.
Is there an inherent conflict in managing fire for people and conservation

Wildfires are a natural disturbance in many ecosystems, creating challenges for land management agencies who need to simultaneously reduce risk to people and maintain ecological values. Here we use the PHOENIX RapidFire fire behaviour simulator to compare fuel treatment strategies that meet the twin objectives of reducing wildfire risk to human settlements and a fire sensitive endangered species, the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) in south-eastern Australia. The local koala population is in decline and a conservation management plan is being prepared to exclude wildfire for a 10-year period to assist with population recovery. Twelve scenarios developed by the land management agencies were compared using four indicators: wildfire size; burn probability; impact from exposure to fire; and treatment cost. Compared with the current risk setting, three treatment scenarios were found to reduce wildfire size and burn probability concurrently to both people and koalas. These strategies worked by increasing the landscape area treated, which came with increased financial cost. However, the impact from exposure to fire for both property and koala habitat remains high. Additional complementary strategies beyond landscape fuel reductions are needed to reduce impact from exposure in the event of a wildfire.
Precursor form of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor and mature brain‐derived neurotrophic factor are decreased in the pre‐clinical stages of Alzheimer's disease

Brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is critical for the function and survival of neurons that degenerate in the late stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD). There are two forms of BDNF, the BDNF precursor (proBDNF) and mature BDNF, in human brain. Previous studies have shown that BDNF mRNA and protein, including proBDNF, are dramatically decreased in end‐stage AD brain. To determine whether this BDNF decrease is an early or late event during the progression of cognitive decline, we used western blotting to measure the relative amounts of BDNF proteins in the parietal cortex of subjects clinically classified with no cognitive impairment (NCI), mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild to moderate AD. We found that the amount of proBDNF decreased 21 and 30% in MCI and AD groups, respectively, as compared with NCI, consistent with our previous results of a 40% decrease in end‐stage AD. Mature BDNF was reduced 34 and 62% in MCI and AD groups, respectively. Thus, the decrease in mature BDNF and proBDNF precedes the decline in choline acetyltransferase activity which occurs later in AD. Both proBDNF and mature BDNF levels were positively correlated with cognitive measures such as the Global Cognitive Score and the Mini Mental State Examination score. These results demonstrate that the reduction of both forms of BDNF occurs early in the course of AD and correlates with loss of cognitive function, suggesting that proBDNF and BDNF play a role in synaptic loss and cellular dysfunction underlying cognitive impairment in AD.
Non-Arbitrage up to Random Horizon for Semimartingale Models ∗

This paper addresses the question of how an arbitrage-free semimartingale model is affected when stopped at a random horizon. We focus on No-Unbounded-Profit-with-Bounded-Risk (called NUPBR hereafter) concept, which is also known in the literature as the first kind of non-arbitrage. For this non-arbitrage notion, we obtain two principal results. The first result lies in describing the pairs of market model and random time for which the resulting stopped model fulfills NUPBR condition. The second main result characterises the random time models that preserve the NUPBR property after stopping for any market model. These results are elaborated in a very general market model, and we also pay attention to some particular and practical models. The analysis that drives these results is based on new stochastic developments in semimartingale theory with progressive enlargement. Furthermore, we construct explicit martingale densities (deflators) for some classes of local martingales when stopped at random time.
Asymmetries in the acquisition of word-initial and word-final consonant clusters

Previous work on the acquisition of consonant clusters points to a tendency for word-final clusters to be acquired before word-initial clusters (Templin, 1957; Lleó & Prinz, 1996; Levelt, Schiller & Levelt, 2000). This paper evaluates possible structural, morphological, frequency-based, and articulatory explanations for this asymmetry using a picture identification task with 12 English-speaking two-year-olds. The results show that word-final stop+/s/ clusters and nasal+/z/ clusters were produced much more accurately than word-initial /s/+stop clusters and /s/+nasal clusters. Neither structural nor frequency factors are able to account for these findings. Further analysis of longitudinal spontaneous production data from 2 children aged 1;1–2;6 provides little support for the role of morphology in explaining these results. We argue that an articulatory account best explains the asymmetries in the production of word-initial and word-final clusters.
Flow cytometric immunophenotyping including Bcl‐2 detection on fine needle aspirates in the diagnosis of reactive lymphadenopathy and non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma

Fine‐needle aspiration (FNA) with immunophenotyping by immunocytochemistry (IC) on cytospins has recently received increased consideration in the diagnosis of lymphoma. The aim of our study was to establish the diagnostic value of a four‐color flow cytometric (FCM) panel, including cytoplasmic Bcl‐2, in cytologic diagnosis of malignant non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and reactive lymphoid hyperplasia (RH).
Sample size vs. bias in defect prediction

Most empirical disciplines promote the reuse and sharing of datasets, as it leads to greater possibility of replication. While this is increasingly the case in Empirical Software Engineering, some of the most popular bug-fix datasets are now known to be biased. This raises two significant concerns: first, that sample bias may lead to underperforming prediction models, and second, that the external validity of the studies based on biased datasets may be suspect. This issue has raised considerable consternation in the ESE literature in recent years. However, there is a confounding factor of these datasets that has not been examined carefully: size. Biased datasets are sampling only some of the data that could be sampled, and doing so in a biased fashion; but biased samples could be smaller, or larger. Smaller data sets in general provide less reliable bases for estimating models, and thus could lead to inferior model performance. In this setting, we ask the question, what affects performance more, bias, or size? We conduct a detailed, large-scale meta-analysis, using simulated datasets sampled with bias from a high-quality dataset which is relatively free of bias. Our results suggest that size always matters just as much bias direction, and in fact much more than bias direction when considering information-retrieval measures such as AUCROC and F-score. This indicates that at least for prediction models, even when dealing with sampling bias, simply finding larger samples can sometimes be sufficient. Our analysis also exposes the complexity of the bias issue, and raises further issues to be explored in the future.
Hepatitis C Virus Infection Upregulates CD55 Expression on the Hepatocyte Surface and Promotes Association with Virus Particles

ABSTRACT CD55 limits excessive complement activation on the host cell surface by accelerating the decay of C3 convertases. In this study, we observed that hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection of hepatocytes or HCV core protein expression in transfected hepatocytes upregulated CD55 expression at the mRNA and protein levels. Further analysis suggested that the HCV core protein or full-length (FL) genome enhanced CD55 promoter activity in a luciferase-based assay, which was further augmented in the presence of interleukin-6. Mutation of the CREB or SP-1 binding site on the CD55 promoter impaired HCV core protein-mediated upregulation of CD55. HCV-infected or core protein-transfected Huh7.5 cells displayed greater viability in the presence of CD81 and CD55 antibodies and complement. Biochemical analysis revealed that CD55 was associated with cell culture-grown HCV after purification by sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation. Consistent with this, a polyclonal antibody to CD55 captured cell culture-grown HCV. Blocking antibodies against CD55 or virus envelope glycoproteins in the presence of normal human serum as a source of complement inhibited HCV infection. The inhibition was enhanced in the presence of both the antibodies and serum complement. Collectively, these results suggest that HCV induces and associates with a negative regulator of the complement pathway, a likely mechanism for immune evasion.