Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Compact Spectral Bases for Value Function Approximation Using Kronecker Factorization

A new spectral approach to value function approximation has recently been proposed to automatically construct basis functions from samples. Global basis functions called proto-value functions are generated by diagonalizing a diffusion operator, such as a reversible random walk or the Laplacian, on a graph formed from connecting nearby samples. This paper addresses the challenge of scaling this approach to large domains. We propose using Kronecker factorization coupled with the Metropolis-Hastings algorithm to decompose reversible transition matrices. The result is that the basis functions can be computed on much smaller matrices and combined to form the overall bases. We demonstrate that in several continuous Markov decision processes, compact basis functions can be constructed without significant loss in performance. In one domain, basis functions were compressed by a factor of 36. A theoretical analysis relates the quality of the approximation to the spectral gap. Our approach generalizes to other basis constructions as well.
Startling Sweet Temptations: Hedonic Chocolate Deprivation Modulates Experience, Eating Behavior, and Eyeblink Startle

Many individuals restrict their food intake to prevent weight gain. This restriction has both homeostatic and hedonic effects but their relative contribution is currently unclear. To isolate hedonic effects of food restriction, we exposed regular chocolate eaters to one week of chocolate deprivation but otherwise regular eating. Before and after this hedonic deprivation, participants viewed images of chocolate and images of high-calorie but non-chocolate containing foods, while experiential, behavioral and eyeblink startle responses were measured. Compared to satiety, hedonic deprivation triggered increased chocolate wanting, liking, and chocolate consumption but also feelings of frustration and startle potentiation during the intertrial intervals. Deprivation was further characterized by startle inhibition during both chocolate and food images relative to the intertrial intervals. Individuals who responded with frustration to the manipulation and those who scored high on a questionnaire of impulsivity showed more relative startle inhibition. The results reveal the profound effects of hedonic deprivation on experiential, behavioral and attentional/appetitive response systems and underscore the role of individual differences and state variables for startle modulation. Implications for dieting research and practice as well as for eating and weight disorders are discussed.
BlowFab: Rapid Prototyping for Rigid and Reusable Objects using Inflation of Laser-cut Surfaces

This study proposes BlowFab, a prototyping method used to create a 2.5-dimensional prototype in a short time by combining laser cutting and blow molding techniques. The user creates adhesive areas and inflatable areas by engraving and cutting multilayered plastic sheets using a laser cutter. These adhesive areas are fused automatically by overlapping two crafted sheets and softening them with a heater. The user can then create hard prototypes by injecting air into the sheets. Objects can be bent in any direction by cutting incisions or engraving a resistant resin. The user can create uneven textures by engraving a pattern with a heat-resistant film. These techniques can be used for prototyping various strong inflatable objects. The finished prototype is strong and can be collapsed readily for storage when not required. In this study, the design process is described using the proposed method. The study also evaluates possible bending mechanisms and texture expression methods along with various usage scenarios and discusses the resolution, strength, and reusability of the prototype developed.
Internal organization of large protein families: Relationship between the sequence, structure, and function‐based clustering

The protein universe can be organized in families that group proteins sharing common ancestry. Such families display variable levels of structural and functional divergence, from homogenous families, where all members have the same function and very similar structure, to very divergent families, where large variations in function and structure are observed. For practical purposes of structure and function prediction, it would be beneficial to identify sub‐groups of proteins with highly similar structures (iso‐structural) and/or functions (iso‐functional) within divergent protein families. We compared three algorithms in their ability to cluster large protein families and discuss whether any of these methods could reliably identify such iso‐structural or iso‐functional groups. We show that clustering using profile‐sequence and profile–profile comparison methods closely reproduces clusters based on similarities between 3D structures or clusters of proteins with similar biological functions. In contrast, the still commonly used sequence‐based methods with fixed thresholds result in vast overestimates of structural and functional diversity in protein families. As a result, these methods also overestimate the number of protein structures that have to be determined to fully characterize structural space of such families. The fact that one can build reliable models based on apparently distantly related templates is crucial for extracting maximal amount of information from new sequencing projects. Proteins 2011; © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Learning a time-dependent master saliency map from eye-tracking data in videos

To predict the most salient regions of complex natural scenes, saliency models commonly compute several feature maps (contrast, orientation, motion.) and linearly combine them into a master saliency map. Since feature maps have different spatial distribution and amplitude dynamic ranges, determining their contributions to overall saliency remains an open problem. Most state-of-the-art models do not take time into account and give feature maps constant weights across the stimulus duration. However, visual exploration is a highly dynamic process shaped by many time-dependent factors. For instance, some systematic viewing patterns such as the center bias are known to dramatically vary across the time course of the exploration. In this paper, we use maximum likelihood and shrinkage methods to dynamically and jointly learn feature map and systematic viewing pattern weights directly from eye-tracking data recorded on videos. We show that these weights systematically vary as a function of time, and heavily depend upon the semantic visual category of the videos being processed. Our fusion method allows taking these variations into account, and outperforms other state-of-the-art fusion schemes using constant weights over time. The code, videos and eye-tracking data we used for this study are available online: this http URL
A comparison of three selection techniques for touchpads

Three methods of implementing the select operation on touchpads were compared. Two conventional methods using a physical button and using “lift-and-tap” - were compared with a new method using finger pressure with tactile feedback. The latter employs a pressure-sensing touchpad with a built-in relay. The relay is energized by a signal Corn the device driver when the finger pressure on the pad surface exceeds a programmable threshold, and this creates both aural and tactile feedback. The pressure data are also used to signal the action of a button press to the application. In an empirical test with 12 participants, the tactile condition was 20% faster than l&and-tap and 46% faster than using a button for selection. The result was similar on the ISO-recomm ended measure known as throughput. Error rates were higher with the tactile condition, however. These we attriiute to limitations in the prototype, such as the use of a capacitive-sensing touchpad and poor mechanical design. In a questionnaire, participants indicated a preference for the tactile condition over the button and lift-and-tap conditions.
Affinity Purification of Synenkephalin‐Containing Peptides Including a Novel 23.3‐Kilodalton Species

Abstract: Affinity chromatography has been used for rapid and high‐yield purification of synenkephalin (proenkephalin 1 ‐70) containing peptides present in bovine adrenal medulla (BAM) chromaffin granular lysate. A column of CN‐Br‐activated Sepharose 4B coupled to synenkephalin antiserum bound synenkephalin immunoreactivity which was eluted by a stepwise gradient of 50 mMammonium acetate containing 20% (vol/vol) acetonitrile over the pH range 7–3. Synenkephalin immunoreactivity emerged as two peaks, eluting at pH 5.5 and 4.5. Characterization of the two peaks by sodium dodecyl sulfate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting indicated that the pH 5.5 peak contained principally low‐molecular‐weight proenkephalin species (8.6 and 12.6 kilodaltons), whereas the pH 4.5 peak contained, in addition, high‐molecular‐weight proenkephalin species (18.2 and 23.3 kilodaltons). The 8.6‐ and 12.6‐ kilodalton species were isolated from the pH 5.5 peak by TSK gel filtration HPLC, whereas the pH 4.5 peak was further purified by passage over successive affinity columns coupled to antiserum against BAM 22P (proenkephalin 182–203) and [Met5]‐enkephalin‐Arg6‐Gly7‐Leu8. The former column retains the 23.3‐kilodalton species, whereas the latter column retains the 18.2‐kilodalton species. The 23.3‐ kilodalton peptide represents a novel putative proenkephalin intermediate (proenkephalin‐1–206), containing [Leu5]‐ enkephalin at the C‐terminus.
Chronic ingestion of high concentrations of cholecalciferol in cats.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether ingestion of 63 times the recommended amount of vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) results in renal calcification or damage in cats. ANIMALS 20 four-month-old kittens, 17 queens, and 20 kittens born to these queens. PROCEDURE 4-month-old kittens and queens were given a purified diet with 846 microg of cholecalciferol/kg of diet (high vitamin D3 diet) or 118 microg of cholecalciferol/kg of diet (control diet) for 18 months. Kittens born to queens were weaned onto the same diet given to dams. RESULTS There were no apparent adverse effects of the high vitamin D3 diet. Plasma cholecalciferol and 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25-OHD3) concentrations of queens and 4-month-old kittens given the high vitamin D3 diet significantly increased with time. At 6 months, plasma cholecalciferol concentrations in these kittens and queens were 140.0+/-7.3 nmol/L and 423.6+/-26.6 nmol/L, respectively (10 times initial values). Corresponding 25-OHD3 concentration in queens was 587.5+/-59.4 nmol/L (2.5-fold increase over initial values). At 3 months of age, kittens born to queens given the high vitamin D3 diet had an increase in serum BUN and calcium concentrations and a decrease in RBC and serum total protein, albumin, and hemoglobin concentrations. By 18 months, these kittens had an increase in plasma cholecalciferol (276.0+/-22.2 nmol/L) and 25-OHD3 (1,071.9+/-115.3 nmol/L) concentrations. However, all indices of renal function and the appearance of renal tissue on histologic evaluation were normal. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE These results indicate that cats are resistant to cholecalciferol toxicosis when the diet is otherwise complete and balanced.
Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Meteorological Elements in the North China District of China during 1960–2015

The North China District (NCD) is one of the main grain production regions in China. The double cropping system of irrigation has been leading to the groundwater table decline at the speed of 1–2 m per year. Climate change leads to uncertainty surrounding the future of the NCD agricultural system, which will have great effects on crop yields and crop water demands. In this research, the Meteorological dataset from 54 weather station sites over the period 1960–2015 were collected to quantify the long-term spatial and temporal trends of meteorological data, including daily minimum temperature (Tmin), maximum temperature (Tmax), precipitation, solar radiation, reference evapotranspiration (ET0), and aridity index (AI). The results show that the long-term wheat and maize growing season and annual average air temperatures (Tmin and Tmax) showed strong north to south increasing trends throughout the NCD. The average annual precipitation was 632.9 mm across the NCD, more than 70% of which was concentrated in the maize growing season. The regional average annual ET0 was 1026.1 mm, which was 531.2 and 497.4 mm for the wheat and maize growing season, respectively. The regional precipitation decreased from northwest to southeast in each growing season and annual timescale. The funnel areas have lower precipitation and higher ET0 than the regional average, which may lead to the mining of the groundwater funnel area. The regional average annual AI is 0.63, which lies in the humid class. For temporal analysis, the regional average trends in annual Tmin, Tmax, solar radiation, ET0, precipitation, and AI were 0.37 °C/10a, 0.15 °C/10a, −0.28 MJ/day/m2/10a, −2.98 mm/10a, −12.04 mm/10a, and 0.005/10a, respectively. The increasing trend of temperature and the decreasing trend of solar radiation may have a negative effect on the regional food security. The funnel area AI showed a significant increasing trend for the winter wheat growing season and a decreasing trend for maize, which indicated that more irrigation will be needed for the maize growing season and the winter fallow policy may lead to the increasing trend precipitation being wasted. Analyzing the growing season and the annual meteorological elements of the spatiotemporal trends can help us better understand the influence of climate change on the natural resources and agricultural development in both the past and the future, and will provide us with invaluable information for the modification of cropping patterns to protect the regional and national water and food security.
Enhanced Exposure of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Primary Isolate Neutralization Epitopes through Binding of CD4 Mimetic Compounds

ABSTRACT N-(4-Chlorophenyl)-N′-(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-piperidin-4-yl)-oxalamide (NBD-556) is a low-molecular-weight compound that reportedly blocks the interaction between human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) gp120 and its receptor CD4. We investigated whether the enhancement of binding of anti-gp120 monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) toward envelope (Env) protein with NBD-556 are similar to those of soluble CD4 (sCD4) by comparing the binding profiles of the individual MAbs to Env-expressing cell surfaces. In flow cytometric analyses, the binding profiles of anti-CD4-induced epitope (CD4i) MAbs toward NBD-556-pretreated Env-expressing cell surfaces were similar to the binding profiles toward sCD4-pretreated cell surfaces. To investigate the binding position of NBD-556 on gp120, we induced HIV-1 variants that were resistant to NBD-556 and sCD4 in vitro. At passage 21 in the presence of 50 μM NBD-556, two amino acid substitutions (S375N in C3 and A433T in C4) were identified. On the other hand, in the selection with sCD4, seven mutations (E211G, P212L, V255E, N280K, S375N, G380R, and G431E) appeared during the passages. The profiles of the mutations after the selections with NBD-556 and sCD4 were very similar in their three-dimensional positions. Moreover, combinations of NBD-556 with anti-gp120 MAbs showed highly synergistic interactions against HIV-1. We further found that after enhancing the neutralizing activity by adding NBD-556, the contemporaneous virus became highly sensitive to antibodies in the patient's plasma. These findings suggest that small compounds such as NBDs may enhance the neutralizing activities of CD4i and anti-V3 antibodies in vivo.
Speciation of heavy metals in disturbed and undisturbed sediments from Atchafalaya Bay, Houma Navigation Canal, and Southwest Pass, Louisiana

ix Introduction . 1 Sequential Extraction Procedure . 9 Problem Identification . 15 Study Areas . 16 Atchafalaya Delta Sites . 16 Houma Navigation Canal Sites . 18 Southwest Pass Sites . 20 Experimental Procedure . 22 Moisture Monitor . 23 ICP Procedure . 24 Materials and Standards . 25 Statistical Analysis . 26 Results . 27 Individual Elements . 30 ANOVA Results . 45 Variation Among Fractions . 46 Variation Among Fractions by Sediment Type . 47 Variation Among Fractions by Location . 48 Variation Among Fractions by Sediment Type by Location . 50 Discussion and Conclusions . 55 Elemental Distribution . 55 Elements . 56 Analysis Problems . 60 Limitations of Extraction Procedures . 61 Conclusions . 63 Bibliography . 66 Appendix A – General Characteristics of Sample Sites . 69
Analysis of Large-Scale Brain Data for Brain-Computer Interfaces

We present a systematic technique for extraction of useful information from large-scale neural data in the context of brain-computer interfaces. The technique is based on a direct linear discriminant analysis, recently developed for face recognition problems. We show that this technique is capable of extracting useful information from brain data in a systematic fashion and can serve as a general analytical tool for other types of biomedical data, such as images and collections of images (movies). The performance of the method is tested on intracranial electroencephalographic data recorded from the human brain
Capturing Multiple Interests in News Video Retrieval by Incorporating the Ostensive Model

We propose an adaptive news video retrieval approach which is based on the Ostensive Model of developing information needs. We therefore introduce a news video retrieval system called NewsBoy which captures the users’ implicit interactions with its graphical interface, extracts terms from visited video documents and stores them in user profiles. The terms are weighted based on the type of implicit feedback, multiple interests are identified by clustering the content of the profile. In this paper, we describe the architecture of the system and introduce our approach of adding the ostensive factor to capture the users’ evolving interest. Preliminary results show the acceptance of the system and highlights drawbacks.
The Atmospheric Branch of the Hydrological Cycle over the Negro and Madeira River Basins in the Amazon Region

The Amazon region, in South America, contains the largest rainforest and biodiversity in the world, and plays an important role in the regional and global hydrological cycle. In the present study, we identified the main sources of moisture of two subbasins of the Amazon River Basin, the Negro and Madeira River Basins respectively. The source-sink relationships of atmospheric moisture are investigated. The analysis is performed for the period from 1980–2016. The results confirm two main oceanic moisture sources for both basins, i.e., oceanic regions in the Tropical North and South Atlantic oceans. On the continents are, the Negro River Basin itself, and nearby regions to the northeast. For the Madeira River Basin, the most important continental sources are itself, and surrounding regions of the South American continent. Forward-trajectory analysis of air masses over the source regions is used to compute the moisture contribution to precipitation over basins. Oceanic (continental) sources play the most important role in the Negro River Basin (Madeira River Basin). The moisture contribution from the Tropical North Atlantic region modulates the onset and demise of the rainy season in the Negro River Basin; while the moisture contribution from the rest of the Amazon River Basin, the Madeira Basin itself, and Tropical South America leads to the onset of the rainy season in the Madeira River Basin. These regions also played the most important role in decreasing the moisture supply during most severe dry episodes in both basins. During ‘’El Nino’’, generally occurs a reduction (increase) of the moisture contribution to the Negro River Basin (Madeira River Basin; mainly from April to August) from almost all the sources, causing a decrease in the precipitation. Generally, the contrary occurs during ‘’La Nina’’.
Interactive volume segmentation with differential image foresting transforms

The absence of object information very often asks for considerable human assistance in medical image segmentation. Many interactive two-dimensional and three-dimensional (3-D) segmentation methods have been proposed, but their response time to user's actions should be considerably reduced to make them viable from the practical point of view. We circumvent this problem in the framework of the image foresting transform (IFT)-a general tool for the design of image operators based on connectivity-by introducing a new algorithm (DIFT) to compute sequences of IFTs in a differential way. We instantiate the DIFT algorithm for watershed-based and fuzzy-connected segmentations under two paradigms (single-object and multiple-object) and evaluate the efficiency gains of both approaches with respect to their linear-time implementation based on the nondifferential IFT. We show that the DIFT algorithm provides efficiency gains from 10 to 17, reducing the user's waiting time for segmentation with 3-D visualization on a common PC from 19-36 s to 2-3 s. We also show that the multiple-object approach is more efficient than the single-object paradigm for both segmentation methods.
Polymerase chain reaction and blood culture in blood donors screened by ELISA test for Chagas ’ disease

The objective of this study was to evaluate, through blood culture and PCR, the results of the ELISA for Chagas’ disease in the screening of blood donors in the public blood-supply network of the state of Paraná, Brazil, and to map the epidemiological profile of the donors with respect to their risk of infection by Trypanosoma cruzi. The negative and positive results of the ELISA were confirmed by blood culture and PCR for 190/191 individuals (99.5%). For one individual (0.5%), the ELISA was inconclusive, blood culture and IIF were negative, and IHA and PCR positive. Three individuals (1.6%) were positive for T. cruzi on all the tests. Donors were predominantly female, and natives of Paraná, of rural origin, had observed or been informed of the presence of the vector in the municipalities where they resided, had never received a blood transfusion, had donated blood 1 to 4 times, and reported no cases of Chagas’ disease in their families. We concluded that PCR and blood culturing have excellent potential for confirming the results of the ELISA, and that candidate blood donors with negative or positive tests have a similar risk of infection by T. cruzi, indicating that the ELISA test is sufficiently safe for screening blood prior to use.
A Charge Pump Circuit --- Cascading High-Voltage Clock Generator

A high efficiency charge pump circuit which is realized by multi-staged high-voltage clock (HVC) generator is presented. The ten-staged HVC charge pump circuit could pump the voltage up to 21.35 V at a supply voltage of 2 V in 0.35 mum CMOS process. It also shows that the clock voltage increased linearly as the stages of the high-voltage clock generator was increased. No saturation tendency of the pumping voltage was observed after the ten-stage of pumping.
Design Principles for a Spanish Treebank

Treebanks are widely recognised as a necessary source of information in NLP as well as in Linguistics studies. In this paper we present and justify methodological principles and syntactic criteria to build a Treebank for Spanish: annotating only explicit information, constituents and syntactic functions and being theory independent. Previous work is also presented in order to account for taken decisions. The annotation process will be done in different steps so that each one of them is the input of the next. We present the basic guidelines of syntactic annotation and the boundaries of the work to be done in a first step: annotation of low constituents and surface functions. Moreover, some semantic information (subject type) is likely to be included.