Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mean-square performance of a family of affine projection algorithms

Affine projection algorithms are useful adaptive filters whose main purpose is to speed the convergence of LMS-type filters. Most analytical results on affine projection algorithms assume special regression models or Gaussian regression data. The available analysis also treat different affine projection filters separately. This paper provides a unified treatment of the mean-square error, tracking, and transient performances of a family of affine projection algorithms. The treatment relies on energy conservation arguments and does not restrict the regressors to specific models or to a Gaussian distribution. Simulation results illustrate the analysis and the derived performance expressions.
Influence of the Sensor Local Track Covariance on the Track-to-Track Sensor Fusion

The information fusion of the processed sensory tracks is carried out using track-to-track fusion algorithms. The performance analysis of a selected track-to-track fusion algorithms under different sensory track covariance configurations are carried out in this paper. This is the first paper that does the study on the influence of sensory track covariance on the performance of three important algorithms for track-to-track fusion. A simulation setup with known system parameters and an optimal centralized measurement fuser based on the Kalman estimator as the benchmark is used to numerically evaluate the different algorithms with different sensory track covariance configurations. The results of this experiment shows that sensory track covariance plays an important role in achieving a consistent fused estimate in a track-to-track fusion problem. It is difficult to obtain this vital information at the fusion center in a real world system due to certain practical limitations. It is necessary to compensate this loss of information by estimating the respective sensor's local track covariance. Some practical solutions based on the available information at the fusion center, which could be used to carry out this compensation is proposed in this paper.
The Role of the Immune Response in the Pathogenesis of Thyroid Eye Disease: A Reassessment

Background Although thyroid eye disease is a common complication of Graves’ disease, the pathogenesis of the orbital disease is poorly understood. Most authorities implicate the immune response as an important causal factor. We sought to clarify pathogenesis by using gene expression microarray. Methods An international consortium of ocular pathologists and orbital surgeons contributed formalin fixed orbital biopsies. RNA was extracted from orbital tissue from 20 healthy controls, 25 patients with thyroid eye disease (TED), 25 patients with nonspecific orbital inflammation (NSOI), 7 patients with sarcoidosis and 6 patients with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA). Tissue was divided into a discovery set and a validation set. Gene expression was quantified using Affymetrix U133 Plus 2.0 microarrays which include 54,000 probe sets. Results Principal component analysis showed that gene expression from tissue from patients with TED more closely resembled gene expression from healthy control tissue in comparison to gene expression characteristic of sarcoidosis, NSOI, or granulomatosis with polyangiitis. Unsupervised cluster dendrograms further indicated the similarity between TED and healthy controls. Heat maps based on gene expression for cytokines, chemokines, or their receptors showed that these inflammatory markers were associated with NSOI, sarcoidosis, or GPA much more frequently than with TED. Conclusion This is the first study to compare gene expression in TED to gene expression associated with other causes of exophthalmos. The juxtaposition shows that inflammatory markers are far less characteristic of TED relative to other orbital inflammatory diseases.
Detection of nucleophosmin 1 mutations by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction versus capillary electrophoresis: a comparative study.

CONTEXT Nucleophosmin 1 (NPM1) is the most commonly mutated gene in acute myeloid leukemia. Detection of NPM1 mutations is useful for stratifying patients for therapy, predicting prognosis, and assessing for minimal residual disease. Several methods have been developed to rapidly detect NPM1 mutations in genomic DNA and/or messenger RNA specimens. OBJECTIVE To directly compare a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay with a widely used capillary electrophoresis assay for detecting NPM1 mutations. DESIGN We adopted and modified a qPCR assay designed to detect the 6 most common NPM1 mutations and performed the assay in parallel with capillary electrophoresis assay in 207 bone marrow aspirate or peripheral blood samples from patients with a range of hematolymphoid neoplasms. RESULTS The qPCR assay demonstrated a higher analytical sensitivity than the capillary electrophoresis 1/1000 versus 1/40, respectively. The capillary electrophoresis assay generated 10 equivocal results that needed to be repeated, whereas the qPCR assay generated only 1 equivocal result. After test conditions were optimized, the qPCR and capillary electrophoresis methods produced 100% concordant results, 85 positive and 122 negative. CONCLUSIONS Given the higher analytical sensitivity and specificity of the qPCR assay, that assay is less likely to generate equivocal results than the capillary electrophoresis assay. Moreover, the qPCR assay is quantitative, faster, cheaper, less prone to contamination, and well suited for monitoring minimal residual disease.
Activation of the cellular src gene by transducing retrovirus

Newly isolated strains of avian sarcoma virus, S1 and S2, were shown to have the transduced cellular src gene as their viral transforming gene (Yamagishi et al., Virology 137:266-275, 1984). In this work, the S1 and S2 genomes were molecularly cloned, and the junction sequences between the viral genomes and the c-src genes and the complete nucleotide sequences of the v-src genes transduced in these viruses were determined. Data on the junction sequences suggested that 5' recombination had occurred between the 5'-noncoding region of c-src and the 5' region of the gag sequence encoding p19 in both viruses and that 3' recombination had occurred in the last coding exon of c-src with either the middle portion of the env sequence encoding gp85 for S1 or the 3' portion of pol coding for reverse transcriptase for S2. Comparison of the amino acid sequences of the S1 and S2 src products deduced from the nucleotide sequences (pp62S1-src and pp62S2-src with that of c-src protein (pp60c-src) indicated that in pp62S1-src the 8 carboxy-terminal amino acid residues of the total of 533 in pp60c-src are replaced by 43 residues translated from the env sequence at the wrong frame. In pp62S2-src, on the other hand, the 14 carboxy-terminal amino acids of pp60c-src are replaced by the 38 carboxy-terminal residues of reverse transcriptase. The mechanism of c-src transduction and the structural changes necessary for pp60c-src activation are discussed.
Subsurface structures of a quick-clay sliding prone area revealed using land-river reflection seismic data and hydrogeological modelling

Abstract. Quick-clay landslides are common geohazards in Nordic countries and Canada. The presence of potential quick clays is confirmed using geotechnical investigations, but near-surface geophysical methods, such as seismic and resistivity surveys, can also help identifying coarse-grained materials associated to the development of quick clays. We present the results of reflection seismic investigations on land and in part of the Göta River in Sweden, along which many quick-clay landslide scars exist. This is the first time that such a large-scale reflection seismic investigation has been carried out to study the subsurface structures associated with quick-clay landslides. The results also show a reasonable correlation with the radio magnetotelluric and traveltime tomography models. The morphology of the river bottom and riverbanks, as e.g. subaquatic landslide deposits, is shown by side-scan sonar and bathymetric data. Undulating bedrock, covered by subhorizontal sedimentary glacial and postglacial deposits is clearly revealed. An extensive coarse-grained layer exists in the sedimentary sequence and is interpreted and modelled in a regional context. Individual fractures and fracture zones are identified within bedrock and sediments. Hydrological modelling of the coarse-grained layer confirms its potential for transporting fresh water infiltrated in fractures and nearby outcrops. The groundwater flow in the coarse-grained layer promotes leaching of marine salts from the overlying clays by slow infiltration and/or diffusion, which helps in the formation of potential quick clays. Magnetic data show coarse-grained materials at the landslide scar located in the study area, which may have acted as a sliding surface together with quick clays.
An Empirical Evaluation of Context-Sensitive Pose Estimators in an Urban Outdoor Environment

Abstract : When a mobile robot is executing a navigational task in an urban outdoor environment, accurate localization information is often essential. The difficulty of this task is compounded by sensor drop-out and the presence of non-linear error sources over the span of the mission. We have observed that certain motions of the robot and environmental conditions affect pose sensors in different ways. In this paper, we propose a computational method for localization that systematically integrates and evaluates contextual information that affects the quality of sensors, and utilize the information in order to improve the output of sensor fusion. Our method was evaluated in comparison with conventional probabilistic localization methods (namely, the extended Kalman filter and Monte Carlo localization) in a set of outdoor experiments. The results of the experiment are also reported in this paper.
Managing database overlap in systematic reviews using Batch Citation Matcher: case studies using Scopus.

Systematic reviews use explicit methodology to review and synthesize research evidence in health care [1]. The objective of the method is to limit bias, therefore, a comprehensive literature search is required to identify as much of the relevant literature as possible [2]. The role of multiple database searching is twofold (Figure 1): (1) to broaden coverage to include additional sources (unique coverage) and (2) to take advantage of differences in indexing across databases to increase the chances of retrieving relevant items that are in both databases (incremental retrieval). The marginal contribution of each additional source searched is the retrieval from the unique coverage plus the incremental retrieval from overlapping coverage. For example, if 55% of relevant studies are identified after searching database 1, and 95% are identified after searching database 1 and database 2, the marginal contribution of database 2 is 40%. In some systematic reviews, 20 or more databases with overlapping content may be searched [3–7]. Managing this overlap is a pressing issue for systematic reviewers. Figure 1 Potential contributions from searching an additional database MEDLINE is almost universally used as a starting point in health-related systematic reviews. Numerous useful limits [8, 9] and methodological hedges are available [10]. MEDLINE indexing has greater discriminating power than the indexing of several other biomedical databases, including EMBASE [11]. Thus it yields a smaller retrieval set without sacrificing recall. Scopus is a new database produced by Elsevier Science. Its data sources include MEDLINE, EMBASE, open access sources, scientific Websites, and gray literature. Scopus lacks a thesaurus, and indexing is not standardized across the different sources that Scopus draws its content from [12]. Searching additional databases with overlapping coverage but fewer precision-enhancing features may reintroduce irrelevant material that has already been eliminated from the retrieval in the database with the fullest feature set. Relevant items may be missed in one database when assigned indexing terms different than those used by the searcher. The same record might be retrieved from another database because the indexing in that database matches the terms selected by the searcher [13]. Yet without its own indexing system, Scopus provides little chance for such incremental retrieval and the marginal yield of relevant records will be limited to its unique coverage [6]. This paper presents the development and testing of a technique to efficiently isolate records from unique sources.
POLITECNICO DI TORINO Repository ISTITUZIONALE Laser-induced etching of few-layer graphene synthesized by Rapid-Chemical Vapour Deposition on Cu thin films /

The outstanding electrical and mechanical properties of graphene make it very attractive for several applications, Nanoelectronics above all. However a reproducible and non destructive way to produce high quality, large-scale area, single layer graphene sheets is still lacking. Chemical Vapour Deposition of graphene on Cu catalytic thin films represents a promising method to reach this goal, because of the low temperatures (T < 950°C−1000°C) involved during the process and of the theoretically expected monolayer self-limiting growth. On the contrary such self-limiting growth is not commonly observed in experiments, thus making the development of techniques allowing for a better control of graphene growth highly desirable. Here we report about the local ablation effect, arising in Raman analysis, due to the heat transfer induced by the laser incident beam onto the graphene sample.
A complete 12CO 2--1 map of M51 with HERA: II. Total gas surface densities and gravitational stability

Context. To date the onset of large-scale star formation in galaxies and its link to gravitational stability of the galactic disk have not been fully understood. The nearby face-on spiral galaxy M 51 is an ideal target for studying this subject. Aims. This paper combines CO, dust, H I, and stellar maps of M 51 and its companion galaxy to study the H 2 /H I transition, the gas-to-dust ratios, and the stability of the disk against gravitational collapse. Methods. We combine maps of the molecular gas using 12 CO 2-1 map HERA/IRAM-30 m data and H I VLA data to study the total gas surface density and the phase transition of atomic to molecular gas. The total gas surface density is compared to the dust surface density from 850 μ m SCUBA data. Taking into account the velocity dispersions of the molecular and atomic gas, and the stellar surface densities derived from the 2MASS K -band survey, we derive the total Toomre Q parameter of the disk. Results. The gas surface density $\Sigma_{\rm gas}$ in the spiral arms is ~$2{-}3$ higher compared to that of the interarm regions. The ratio of molecular to atomic surface density shows a nearly power-law dependence on the hydrostatic pressure P hydro . The $\Sigma_{\rm gas}$ distribution in M 51 shows an underlying exponential distribution with a scale length of h gas = 7.6 kpc representing 55% of the total gas mass, comparable to the properties of the exponential dust disk. In contrast to the velocity widths observed in H I, the CO velocity dispersion shows enhanced line widths in the spiral arms compared to the interarm regions. The contribution of the stellar component in the Toomre Q -parameter analysis is significant and lowers the combined Q -parameter Q tot by up to 70% towards the threshold for gravitational instability. The value of Q tot varies from 1.5-3 in radial averages. A map of Q tot shows values around 1 on the spiral arms indicating self-regulation at play.
Overcoming Truth Telling as an Obstacle to Initiating Safer Sex: Clients and Health Practitioners Planning Deception During HIV Test Counseling

This article considers how deception, as a strategy for handling delicate interpersonal situations, is raised and responded to during HIV pretest counseling sessions. Two cases are presented in which clients (CLs) formulate extrarelational sexual encounters as potential obstacles to initiating safer sex practices with long-term relational partners (because reinitiating safer sex with such partners would entail admission of the extrarelational encounters). Close analysis of spoken interaction reveals that CLs display their resistance to initiating safer sex by animating, through hypothetical dialogue, their long-term partners' requests for explanation of the disruption in their usual intimate behaviors; health practitioners attempt to overcome this obstacle of "truth telling" by suggesting deception in its place. This study extends current understandings of the formulation and planning of deceptive messages in the course of actual health promotion interactions. The implications of this investigation suggest that deception may pose a viable, albeit controversial, option when promoting disease prevention behaviors, especially in delicate interpersonal interactions such as not wanting to admit an extrarelational affair.
Scene classification for aerial images based on CNN using sparse coding technique

ABSTRACT Aerial scene classification purposes to automatically label aerial images with specific semantic categories. However, cataloguing presents a fundamental problem for high-resolution remote-sensing imagery (HRRS). Recent developments include several approaches and numerous algorithms address the task. This article proposes a convolutional neural network (CNN) approach that utilizes sparse coding for scene classification applicable for HRRS unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and satellite imagery. The article has two major sections: the first describes the extraction of dense multiscale features (multiple scales) from the last convolutional layer of a pre-trained CNN models; the second describes the encoding of extracted features into global image features via sparse coding to achieve scene classification. The authors compared experimental outcomes with existing techniques such as Scale-Invariant Feature Transform and demonstrated that features from pre-trained CNNs generalized well with HRRS datasets and were more expressive than low- and mid-level features, exhibiting an overall 90.3% accuracy rate for scene classification compared to 85.4% achieved by SIFT with sparse coding. Thus, the proposed CNN-based sparse coding approach obtained a robust performance that holds promising potential for future applications in satellite and UAV imaging.
Wave Overtopping over Coastal Structures with Oblique Wind and Swell Waves

Most guidelines on wave overtopping over coastal structures are based on conditions with waves from one direction only. Here, wave basin tests with oblique wave attack are presented where waves from one direction are combined with waves from another direction. This is especially important for locations where wind waves approach a coastal structure under a specific direction while swell waves approach the coastal structure under another direction. The tested structure was a dike with a smooth and impermeable 1:4 slope. The test programme consisted of four types of wave loading: (1) Wind waves only: “sea” (approaching the structure with an angle of 45°), (2) Wind waves and swell waves from the same direction (45°), (3) Wind waves and swell waves, simultaneously from two different directions (45° and −45°, thus perpendicular to each other), and (4) Wind waves, simultaneously from two different directions (45° and −45°, thus perpendicular to each other). Existing guidelines on wave overtopping have been extended to predict wave overtopping discharges under the mentioned types of wave loading (oblique sea and swell conditions).
Non-binary cyclic ADC with correlated level shifting technique

A proof-of-concept non-binary cyclic ADC with proposed correlated level shifting (CLS) technique is designed and fabricated in 90nm CMOS technology. By applying the odd/even structure to a multiplying digital-to-analog converter (MDAC), the amplifier with CLS can be used for a cyclic ADC, so that the allowable dynamic range of the proposed cyclic ADC almost is doubled comparing to the conventional cyclic ADC. As a result, the SNDR of ADC can be improved with smaller power penalty. Measurement results of the prototype confirm the effectiveness of the proposed CLS technique for cyclic ADC.
Critical path analysis of TCP transactions

Improving the performance of data transfers in the Internet (such as Web transfers) requires a detailed understanding of when and how delays are introduced. Unfortunately, the complexity of data transfers like those using HTTP is great enough that identifying the precise causes of delays is difficult. In this paper we describe a method for pinpointing where delays are introduced into applications like HTTP by using critical path analysis. By constructing and profiling the critical path, it is possible to determine what fraction of total transfer latency is due to packet propagation, network variation (e.g., queuing at touters or route fluctuation), packet losses, and delays at the server and at the client. We have implemented our technique in a tool called tcpeval that automates critical path analysis for Web transactions. We show that our analysis method is robust enough to analyze traces taken for two different TCP implementations (Linux and FreeBSD). To demonstrate the utility of our approach, we present the results of critical path analysis for a set of Web transactions taken over 14 days under a variety of server and network conditions. The results show that critical path analysis can shed considerable light on the causes of delays in Web transfers, and can expose subtleties in the behavior of the entire end-to-end system.
Cellular and Subcellular Localization of Endogenous Nitric Oxide in Young and Senescent Pea Plants12

The cellular and subcellular localization of endogenous nitric oxide (NO˙) in leaves from young and senescent pea (Pisum sativum) plants was studied. Confocal laser scanning microscopy analysis of pea leaf sections with the fluorescent probe 4,5-diaminofluorescein diacetate revealed that endogenous NO˙ was mainly present in vascular tissues (xylem and phloem). Green fluorescence spots were also detected in the epidermal cells, palisade and spongy mesophyll cells, and guard cells. In senescent leaves, NO˙ generation was clearly reduced in the vascular tissues. At the subcellular level, by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy with the spin trap Fe(MGD)2 and fluorometric analysis with 4,5-diaminofluorescein diacetate, NO˙ was found to be an endogenous metabolite of peroxisomes. The characteristic three-line electron paramagnetic resonance spectrum of NO˙, with g = 2.05 and aN = 12.8 G, was detected in peroxisomes. By fluorometry, NO˙ was also found in these organelles, and the level measured of NO˙ was linearly dependent on the amount of peroxisomal protein. The enzymatic production of NO˙ from l-Arg (nitric oxide synthase [NOS]-like activity) was measured by ozone chemiluminiscence. The specific activity of peroxisomal NOS was 4.9 nmol NO˙ mg−1 protein min−1; was strictly dependent on NADPH, calmodulin, and BH4; and required calcium. In senescent pea leaves, the NOS-like activity of peroxisomes was down-regulated by 72%. It is proposed that peroxisomal NO˙ could be involved in the process of senescence of pea leaves.