Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An efficient road detection method in noisy urban environment

Road detection is a crucial part of autonomous driving system. Most of the methods proposed nowadays only achieve reliable results in relatively clean environments. In this paper, we combine edge detection with road area extraction to solve this problem. Our method works well even on noisy campus road whose boundaries are blurred with sidewalks and surface is often covered with unbalanced sunlight. First, segmentation is done and the segments which belong to road are chosen and merged. Second, we use Hough transform and a voting method to get the vanishing point. Then, the boundaries are searched according to the road shape. We also employ prediction to make our method achieve better performance in video sequence. Our method is fast enough to meet real-time requirement. Experiments were carried out on the intelligent vehicle SpringRobot (Fig. 1) on campus roads, which is a good representation of urban environment.
Harmonizing ABET accreditation and the certification of systems engineers

The ever‐increasing complexity of technology‐based systems that are conceived, designed, constructed, operated and maintained, and managed places heavy civic and professional responsibilities on engineers of all disciplines. Furthermore, the ubiquitous involvement of systems engineers in almost every sector of the economy and in government attests to the growing recognition of their pivotal contributions to systems' safety and effectiveness. For example, the expertise of systems engineers is commonly required in the planning, design, testing, operation, and maintenance of most physical and cyber‐based infrastructures (e.g., transportation, telecommunication, and electric power). This paper explores the needs, requirements, and challenges associated with the academic‐baccalaureate and professional certification of systems engineers, given the breadth and depth required of them, and especially the specific domain knowledge and expertise required to supplement their competence in systems engineering. The authors of this paper take no position on the repeated reference made by several certification organizations to the requirement of being a licensed professional engineer (PE). Finally, a closer partnership between ABET and the two major professional societies—INCOSE and the IEEE—would enable us to reach agreement on what constitutes a Body of Knowledge (BoK) in systems engineering at the baccalaureate level, which would provide an invaluable benchmark to colleges and universities that offer such degrees. The joint initiative by ABET and the two societies would (a) harmonize and solidify the specific requirements for the accreditation of systems engineering programs in colleges and universities in the United States and abroad, and (b) guide the development of BoK requirements for any certification of systems engineers beyond the baccalaureate level. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Eng 14
Lipoprotein Particle Size and Concentration by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Incident Type 2 Diabetes in Women

OBJECTIVE Diabetic dyslipoproteinemia is characterized by low HDL cholesterol and high triglycerides. We examined the association of lipoprotein particle size and concentration measured by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy with clinical type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This was a prospective study of 26,836 initially healthy women followed for 13 years for incident type 2 diabetes (n = 1,687). Baseline lipids were measured directly and lipoprotein size and concentration by NMR. Cox regression models included nonlipid risk factors (age, race, smoking, exercise, education, menopause, blood pressure, BMI, family history, A1C, and C-reactive protein). NMR lipoproteins were also examined after further adjusting for standard lipids. RESULTS Incident diabetes was significantly associated with baseline HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and NMR-measured size and concentration of LDL, IDL, HDL, and VLDL particles. The associations of these particles differed substantially by size. Small LDLNMR and small HDLNMR were positively associated with diabetes (quintile 5 vs. 1 [adjusted hazard ratios and 95% CIs], 4.04 [3.21–5.09] and 1.84 [1.54–2.19], respectively). By contrast, large LDLNMR and large HDLNMR were inversely associated (quintile 1 vs. 5, 2.50 [2.12–2.95] and 4.51 [3.68–5.52], respectively). For VLDLNMR, large particles imparted higher risk than small particles (quintile 5 vs. 1, 3.11 [2.35–4.11] and 1.31 [1.10–1.55], respectively). Lipoprotein particle size remained significant after adjusting for standard lipids and nonlipid factors. CONCLUSIONS In this prospective study of women, NMR lipoprotein size and concentrations were associated with incident type 2 diabetes and remained significant after adjustment for established risk factors, including HDL cholesterol and triglycerides.
A Practical Genome Scan for Population-Specific Strong Selective Sweeps That Have Reached Fixation

Phenotypic divergences between modern human populations have developed as a result of genetic adaptation to local environments over the past 100,000 years. To identify genes involved in population-specific phenotypes, it is necessary to detect signatures of recent positive selection in the human genome. Although detection of elongated linkage disequilibrium (LD) has been a powerful tool in the field of evolutionary genetics, current LD-based approaches are not applicable to already fixed loci. Here, we report a method of scanning for population-specific strong selective sweeps that have reached fixation. In this method, genome-wide SNP data is used to analyze differences in the haplotype frequency, nucleotide diversity, and LD between populations, using the ratio of haplotype homozygosity between populations. To estimate the detection power of the statistics used in this study, we performed computer simulations and found that these tests are relatively robust against the density of typed SNPs and demographic parameters if the advantageous allele has reached fixation. Therefore, we could determine the threshold for maintaining high detection power, regardless of SNP density and demographic history. When this method was applied to the HapMap data, it was able to identify the candidates of population-specific strong selective sweeps more efficiently than the outlier approach that depends on the empirical distribution. This study, confirming strong positive selection on genes previously reported to be associated with specific phenotypes, also identifies other candidates that are likely to contribute to phenotypic differences between human populations.
Lateral distribution and diffusion of plastocyanin in chloroplast thylakoids

The lateral distribution of plastocyanin in the thylakoid lumen of spinach and pea chloroplasts was studied by combining immunocytochemical localization and kinetic measurements of P700+ reduction at high time resolution. In dark-adapted chloroplasts, the concentration of plastocyanin in the photosystem I containing stroma membranes exceeds that in photosystem II containing grana membranes by a factor of about two. Under these conditions, the reduction of P700+ with a halftime of 12 microseconds after a laser flash of saturating intensity indicates that to greater than 95% of total photosystem I a plastocyanin molecule is bound. An analysis of the labeling densities, the length of the different lumenal regions, and the total amounts of plastocyanin and P700 shows that most of the remaining presumable mobile plastocyanin is found in the granal lumen. This distribution of plastocyanin is consistent with a more negative surface charge density in the stromal than in the granal lumen. During illumination the concentration of plastocyanin in grana increases at the expense of that in stroma lamellae, indicating a light-driven diffusion from stroma to grana regions. Our observations provide evidence that a high concentration of plastocyanin in grana in the light favors the lateral electron transport from cytochrome b6/f complexes in appressed grana across the long distance to photosystem I in nonappressed stroma membranes.
Embedding Visual Words into Concept Space for Action and Scene Recognition

In this paper we propose a novel approach to introducing semantic relations into the bag-of-words framework. We use the latent semantic models, such as LSA and pLSA, in order to define semantically-rich features and embed the visual features into a semantic space. The semantic features used in LSA technique are derived from the low-rank approximation of word-document occurrence matrix by SVD. Similarly, by using the pLSA approach, the topic-specific distributions of words can be considered dimensions of a concept space. In the proposed space, the distances between words represent the semantic distances which are used for constructing a discriminative and semantically meaningful vocabulary. We have tested our approach on the KTH action database and on the Fifteen Scene database and have achieved very promising results on both.
Wild-type p53-induced Phosphatase 1 Dephosphorylates Histone Variant γ-H2AX and Suppresses DNA Double Strand Break Repair*

In response to DNA double strand breaks, the histone variant H2AX at the break site is phosphorylated at serine 139 by DNA damage sensor kinases such as ataxia telangiectasia-mutated, forming γ-H2AX. This phosphorylation event is critical for sustained recruitment of other proteins to repair the break. After repair, restoration of the cell to a prestress state is associated with γ-H2AX dephosphorylation and dissolution of γ-H2AX-associated damage foci. The phosphatases PP2A and PP4 have previously been shown to dephosphorylate γ-H2AX. Here, we demonstrate that the wild-type p53-induced phosphatase 1 (WIP1) also dephosphorylates γ-H2AX at serine 139 in vitro and in vivo. Overexpression of WIP1 reduces formation of γ-H2AX foci in response to ionizing and ultraviolet radiation and blocks recruitment of MDC1 (mediator of DNA damage checkpoint 1) and 53BP1 (p53 binding protein 1) to DNA damage foci. Finally, these inhibitory effects of WIP1 on γ-H2AX are accompanied by WIP1 suppression of DNA double strand break repair. Thus, WIP1 has a homeostatic role in reversing the effects of ataxia telangiectasia-mutated phosphorylation of H2AX.
A neural network based method for the diagnosis of ageing insulators

This work attempts to apply an artificial neural network in order to diagnose ageing transmission line insulators. The insulator leakage current harmonic components are used as the input variables of the artificial neural network. The data used to train the network and test its performance is derived from experimental measurements carried out in artificial climatic chamber. The experimental result and neural network simulation results are presented accordingly. This novel method of ANN application can be viable in online diagnosis of insulators in service and lifespan estimation yielding efficient and effective predictive maintenance practices for power utilities in a cheap and less time-consuming manner.
BET Bromodomains Regulate Transforming Growth Factor-β-induced Proliferation and Cytokine Release in Asthmatic Airway Smooth Muscle*

Background: Airway smooth muscle (ASM) from asthmatics is in a hyperproliferative state and releases more cytokines than healthy individuals. Results: Inhibition of BET bromodomains reduces ASM proliferation and cytokine release by reducing Brd4 binding to the promoter regions of IL-6 and CXCL8. Conclusion: BET bromodomain mimics inhibit aberrant ASM proliferation and inflammation in asthmatic patients. Significance: These compounds may reduce airway remodeling in asthma. Airway smooth muscle (ASM) mass is increased in asthma, and ASM cells from patients with asthma are hyperproliferative and release more IL-6 and CXCL8. The BET (bromo- and extra-terminal) family of proteins (Brd2, Brd3, and Brd4) govern the assembly of histone acetylation-dependent chromatin complexes. We have examined whether they modulate proliferation and cytokine expression in asthmatic ASM cells by studying the effect of BET bromodomain mimics JQ1/SGCBD01 and I-BET762. ASM cells from healthy individuals and nonsevere and severe asthmatics were pretreated with JQ1/SGCBD01 and I-BET762 prior to stimulation with FCS and TGF-β. Proliferation was measured by BrdU incorporation. IL-6 and CXCL8 release was measured by ELISA, and mRNA expression was measured by quantitative RT-PCR. ChIP using a specific anti-Brd4 antibody and PCR primers directed against the transcriptional start site of IL-6 and CXCL8 gene promoters was performed. Neither JQ1/SGCBD01 nor I-BET762 had any effect on ASM cell viability. JQ1/SGCBD01 and I-BET762 inhibited FCS+TGF-β-induced ASM cell proliferation and IL-6 and CXCL8 release in healthy individuals (≥ 30 nm) and in nonsevere and severe asthma patients (≥100 nm), with the latter requiring higher concentrations of these mimics. JQ1/SGCBD01 reduced Brd4 binding to IL8 and IL6 promoters induced by FCS+TGF-β. Mimics of BET bromodomains inhibit aberrant ASM cell proliferation and inflammation with lesser efficiency in those from asthmatic patients. They may be effective in reducing airway remodeling in asthma.
Robust appearance-based object recognition using a fully connected Markov random field

We present a new kernel method for appearance-based object recognition, highly robust to noise and occlusion. It consists of a fully connected Markov random field that integrates results of Spin Glass theory with Gibbs probability distributions via nonlinear kernel mapping. We call this model Spin Glass-Markov Random Field. We present theoretical analysis and several experiments that show its effectiveness and robustness to noise and occlusion. We obtain in both cases excellent results. Particularly, we achieve a recognition rate above 93% with just 40% of visible portion of the object.
Protocol for an economic evaluation of the randomised controlled trial of culprit lesion only PCI versus immediate multivessel PCI in acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock: CULPRIT-SHOCK trial

Introduction Emergency percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of the culprit lesion for patients with acute myocardial infarctions is an accepted practice. A majority of patients present with multivessel disease with additional relevant stenoses apart from the culprit lesion. In haemodynamically stable patients, there is increasing evidence from randomised trials to support the practice of immediate complete revascularisation. However, in the presence of cardiogenic shock, the optimal management strategy for additional non-culprit lesions is unknown. A multicentre randomised controlled trial, CULPRIT-SHOCK, is examining whether culprit vessel only PCI with potentially subsequent staged revascularisation is more effective than immediate multivessel PCI. This paper describes the intended economic evaluation of the trial. Methods and analysis The economic evaluation will be conducted using a pre-trial decision model and within-trial analysis. The modelling-based analysis will provide expected costs and health outcomes, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio over the lifetime for the cohort of patients included in the trial. The within-trial analysis will provide estimates of cost per life saved at 30 days and in 1 year, and estimates of health-related quality of life. Bootstrapping and cost-effectiveness acceptability curves will be used to address any uncertainty around these estimates. Different types of regression models within a generalised estimating equation framework will be used to examine how the total cost and quality-adjusted life years are explained by patients’ characteristics, revascularisation strategy, country and centre. The cost-effectiveness analysis will be from the perspective of each country’s national health services, where costs will be expressed in euros adjusted for purchasing power parity. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval for the study was granted by the local Ethics Committee at each recruiting centre. The economic evaluation analyses will be published in peer-reviewed journals of the concerned literature and communicated through the profiles of the authors at www.twitter. com and www.researchgate. net. Trial registration number NCT01927549; Pre-results.
Can ventilation-feedback training augment exercise tolerance in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease?

RATIONALE Exercise-induced dynamic hyperinflation contributes to decreased exercise tolerance in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It is unknown whether respiratory retraining (ventilation-feedback [VF] training) can affect exercise-induced dynamic hyperinflation and increase exercise tolerance. OBJECTIVES To determine whether patients with COPD would achieve longer exercise duration if randomized to a combination of exercise training plus VF training than either form of training on its own. METHODS A total of 64 patients randomized to 1 of 3 groups: VF plus exercise (n = 22), exercise alone (n = 20), and VF alone (n = 22). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Exercise duration before and after 36 training sessions and exercise-induced dynamic hyperinflation and respiratory pattern before and after training were measured. In the 49 patients who completed training, duration of constant work-rate exercise was 40.0 (+/- 20.4) minutes (mean +/- SD) with VF plus exercise, 31.5 (+/- 17.3) minutes with exercise alone, and 16.1 (+/- 19.3) minutes with VF alone. Exercise duration was longer in VF plus exercise than in VF alone (P < 0.0001), but did not reach predetermined statistical significance when VF plus exercise was compared with exercise alone (P = 0.022) (because of multiple comparisons, P </= 0.0167 was used for statistical significance). After training, exercise-induced dynamic hyperinflation, measured at isotime, in VF plus exercise was less than in exercise alone (P = 0.014 for between-group changes) and less than in VF alone (P = 0.019 for between-group changes). After training, expiratory time was longer in VF plus exercise training (P < 0.001), and it was not significantly changed in the other two groups. CONCLUSIONS The combination of VF plus exercise training decreases exercise-induced dynamic hyperinflation and increases exercise duration more than VF alone. An additive effect to exercise training from VF was not demonstrated by predetermined statistical criteria.
Wikipedia and Web document based Query Translation and Expansion for Cross-language IR

In this paper we describe our approaches to retrieving crosslingual documents for question answering in the NTCIR ACLIA-IR4QA task. A few Chinese indexing techniques were used in our experiments. We mainly focused on using external recourses: web documents and Wikipedia for the key phrase identification, translation and query expansion. The evaluation shows encouraging results of our system.
CLARE: Cracking the LAnguage of Regulatory Elements

UNLABELLED CLARE is a computational method designed to reveal sequence encryption of tissue-specific regulatory elements. Starting with a set of regulatory elements known to be active in a particular tissue/process, it learns the sequence code of the input set and builds a predictive model from features specific to those elements. The resulting model can then be applied to user-supplied genomic regions to identify novel candidate regulatory elements. CLARE's model also provides a detailed analysis of transcription factors that most likely bind to the elements, making it an invaluable tool for understanding mechanisms of tissue-specific gene regulation. AVAILABILITY CLARE is freely accessible at http://clare.dcode. org/.
New Challenges in Gene Expression Data Analysis and the Extended GEPAS

Since the first papers published in the late nineties, including, for the first time, a comprehensive analysis of microarray data, the number of questions that have been addressed through this technique have both increased and diversified. Initially, interest focussed on genes coexpressing across sets of experimental conditions, implying, essentially, the use of clustering techniques. Recently, however, interest has focussed more on finding genes differentially expressed among distinct classes of experiments, or correlated to diverse clinical outcomes, as well as in building predictors. In addition to this, the availability of accurate genomic data and the recent implementation of CGH arrays has made mapping expression and genomic data on the chromosomes possible. There is also a clear demand for methods that allow the automatic transfer of biological information to the results of microarray experiments. Different initiatives, such as the Gene Ontology (GO) consortium, pathways databases, protein functional motifs, etc., provide curated annotations for genes. Whereas many resources on the web focus mainly on clustering methods, GEPAS has evolved to cope with the aforementioned new challenges that have recently arisen in the field of microarray data analysis. The web-based pipeline for microarray gene expression data, GEPAS, is available at http://gepas.bioinfo. cnio.es.
Steps towards effective IT governance: strategic IS planning, evaluation and benefits management

This paper reports on the results of an empirical study into the integration of strategic information systems planning and business-IT alignment, IT evaluation, and the proactive management of business benefits in large organisations, and to consider the linkages achieved between these processes. An argument is developed which suggests that at the heart of good IT governance practice is an integrated cycle of building a business case, alignment and prioritisation, evaluation, system acquisition, and post implementation proactive benefits realisation.
On Anonymization of String Data

String data is especially important in the privacy preserving data mining domain because most DNA and biological data is coded as strings. In this paper, we will discuss a new method for privacy preserving mining of string data with the use of simple template based condensation models. The template based model turns out to be effective in practice, and preserves important statistical characteristics of the
Computation Electromagnetism and Discrete Exterior Calculus Figure 1: Simulation of Guassian Pluse on Happy Buddha by Dec

Computational electromagnetism is concerned with the numerical study of Maxwell equations. By choosing a discrete Gaussian measure on prism lattice, we use discrete exterior calculus and lattice gauge theory to construct discrete Maxwell equations in vacuum case. We implement this scheme on Java development plateform to simulate the behavior of electromagnetic waves. This work is partially supported by NKBRPC (No. 2004CB318000) and NNSFC (No. 10871170) E-mail: yjma@mmrc.iss. ac.cn E-mail: lenozhengxie@yahoo.com. cn E-mail: yezheng@gmail.com
Skeleton-based motion capture for robust reconstruction of human motion

Optical motion capture provides an impressive ability to replicate gestures. However, even with a highly professional system there are many instances where crucial markers are occluded or when the algorithm confuses the trajectory of one marker with that of another. This requires much editing work on the part of the animator before the virtual characters are ready for their screen debuts. In this paper, we present an approach to increasing the robustness of a motion capture system by using a sophisticated anatomic human model. It includes a precise description of the skeleton's mobility and an approximated envelope. It allows us to accurately predict the 3-D location and visibility of markers, thus significantly increasing the robustness of marker tracking and assignment, and drastically reducing-or even eliminating-the need for human intervention during the 3D reconstruction process.