Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Low density parity check coding for magnetic recording channels with media noise

The application of low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes for use in high-density magnetic recording channels is considered. A first order position jitter model is assumed in order to include the effect of signal dependent transition noise present in high density longitudinal thin film recording. Coding gains using pattern dependent noise-predictive soft detection to account for the transition noise are also determined via simulation. Results show that LDPC code performance degrades in equalized (colored) additive noise, but exhibits remarkable performance in the presence of signal dependent transition noise, especially when used in conjunction with an appropriately optimized detector.
1-1-2013 Predictable Sequences and Competing with Strategies

First, we study online learning with an extended notion of regret, which is defined with respect to a set of strategies. We develop tools for analyzing the minimax rates and deriving efficient learning algorithms in this scenario. While the standard methods for minimizing the usual notion of regret fail, through our analysis we demonstrate the existence of regret-minimization methods that compete with such sets of strategies as: autoregressive algorithms, strategies based on statistical models, regularized least squares, and follow-theregularized-leader strategies. In several cases, we also derive efficient learning algorithms. Then we study how online linear optimization competes with strategies while benefiting from the predictable sequence. We analyze the minimax value of the online linear optimization problem and develop algorithms that take advantage of the predictable sequence and that guarantee performance compared to fixed actions. Later, we extend the story to a model selection problem on multiple predictable sequences. At the end, we reanalyze the problem from the perspective of dynamic regret. Last, we study the relationship between Approximate Entropy and Shannon Entropy, and propose the adaptive Shannon Entropy approximation methods (e.g., Lempel-Ziv sliding window method) as an alternative approach to quantify the regularity of data. The new approach has the advantage of adaptively choosing the order of regularity. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Applied Mathematics First Advisor Alexander Rakhlin Second Advisor Abraham J. Wyner Subject Categories Applied Mathematics | Statistics and Probability This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn. edu/edissertations/872 PREDICTABLE SEQUENCES AND COMPETING WITH STRATEGIES
Evidence for Aberrant Astrocyte Hemichannel Activity in Juvenile Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis (JNCL)

Juvenile Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis (JNCL) is a lysosomal storage disease caused by an autosomal recessive mutation in CLN3 that leads to vision loss, progressive cognitive and motor decline, and premature death. Morphological evidence of astrocyte activation occurs early in the disease process and coincides with regions where neuronal loss eventually ensues. However, the consequences of CLN3 mutation on astrocyte function remain relatively ill-defined. Astrocytes play a critical role in CNS homeostasis, in part, by their ability to regulate the extracellular milieu via the formation of extensive syncytial networks coupled by gap junction (GJ) channels. In contrast, unopposed hemichannels (HCs) have been implicated in CNS pathology by allowing the non-discriminant passage of molecules between the intracellular and extracellular milieus. Here we examined acute brain slices from CLN3 mutant mice (CLN3Δex7/8) to determine whether CLN3 loss alters the balance of GJ and HC activity. CLN3Δex7/8 mice displayed transient increases in astrocyte HC opening at postnatal day 30 in numerous brain regions, compared to wild type (WT) animals; however, HC activity steadily decreased at postnatal days 60 and 90 in CLN3Δex7/8 astrocytes to reach levels lower than WT cells. This suggested a progressive decline in astrocyte function, which was supported by significant reductions in glutamine synthetase, GLAST, and connexin expression in CLN3Δex7/8 mice compared to WT animals. Based on the early increase in astrocyte HC activity, CLN3Δex7/8 mice were treated with the novel carbenoxolone derivative INI-0602 to inhibit HCs. Administration of INI-0602 for a one month period significantly reduced lysosomal ceroid inclusions in the brains of CLN3Δex7/8 mice compared to WT animals, which coincided with significant increases in astrocyte GJ communication and normalization of astrocyte resting membrane potential to WT levels. Collectively, these findings suggest that alterations in astrocyte communication may impact the progression of JNCL and could offer a potential therapeutic target.
Modeling, simulation and performance analysis of a grid-tied voltage source inverter based photovoltaic system under balanced and non-linear load conditions

Subsisting as one of the most promising energy resources, the exploitation of the solar energy in the favor of mankind is proliferated. The photovoltaic (PV) generation is a kind of dc current source, a dc electrical energy, which is connected to the utility-grid through power-electronics-interfacing devices such as DC-DC converter and inverter. The controlling technique is advantageously applied owing to control the voltage source inverter without actually employing the current source inverter. The presented grid connected PV system (100 kW) is simulated in the MATLAB/SIMULINKR environment and analyzed for changing environmental conditions. For maximum utilization of the studied PV system (under different illuminations and panel temperatures), maximum power point tracking based on perturb & observe algorithm has been adopted in the present work. The system is tested under normal, heavy and non-linear loading conditions and the simulation results have proven the integrity of the controller to maintain the unity power-factor of the grid. The use of L-C-L third order filter plays the key role to reduce the total harmonic distortion to the value of 1.74%.
Automatic generation of pronunciation lexicons for Mandarin spontaneous speech

Pronunciation modeling for large vocabulary speech recognition attempts to improve recognition accuracy by identifying and modeling pronunciations that are not in the ASR systems pronunciation lexicon. Pronunciation variability in spontaneous Mandarin is studied using the newly created CASS corpus of phonetically annotated spontaneous speech. Pronunciation modeling techniques developed for English,are applied to this corpus to train pronunciation models which are then used for Mandarin broadcast news transcription.
Role of Coronin 1B in PDGF-Induced Migration of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

Rationale: The type I subclass of coronins, a family of actin-binding proteins, regulates various actin-dependent cellular processes, including migration. However, the existence and role of coronins in vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) migration has yet to be determined. Objective: The goal of the present study was to define the mechanism by which coronins regulate platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)–induced VSMC migration. Methods and Results: Coronin 1B (Coro1B) and 1C (Coro1C) were both found to be expressed in VSMCs at the mRNA and protein levels. Downregulation of Coro1B by siRNA increases PDGF-induced migration, while downregulation of Coro1C has no effect. We confirmed through kymograph analysis that the Coro1B-downregulation-mediated increase in migration is directly linked to increased lamellipodial protraction rate and protrusion distance in VSMC. In other cell types, coronins exert their effects on lamellipodia dynamics by an inhibitory interaction with the ARP2/3 complex, which is disrupted by the phosphorylation of Coro1B. We found that PDGF induces phosphorylation of Coro1B on serine-2 via PKC[Latin Small Letter Open E], leading to a decrease in the interaction of Coro1B with the ARP2/3 complex. VSMCs transfected with a phosphodeficient S2A Coro1B mutant showed decreased migration in response to PDGF, suggesting that the phosphorylation of Coro1B is required for the promotion of migration by PDGF. In both the rat and mouse, Coro1B phosphorylation was increased in response to vessel injury in vivo. Conclusions: Our data suggest that phosphorylation of Coro1B and the subsequent reduced interaction with ARP2/3·complex participate in PDGF-induced VSMC migration, an important step in vascular lesion formation.
Making dipoles to spectrometer quality using adjustments during measurement

Twenty-seven window frame dipole magnets requiring spectrometer-like fields were made for the IR-FEL at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. These magnets incorporate Purcell gaps, mu metal pole faces and adjustable field clamps. After outlining their specifications, this paper describes the processes used in magnet manufacturing, the program of magnetic mapping used, as well as the adjustments made to meet tight optics-driven requirements. Described are the measurements made to quantify fringe fields, verify field homogeneity, map core and integrated field as a function of current, and characterize the horizontal and vertical focusing terms designed into the dipoles. Also described are the techniques that were successfully used to tune individual magnets to meet the tight tolerancing of all these parameters.
Distance Adaptation Method for Magnetic Resonance Coupling Between Variable Capacitor-Loaded Parallel-Wire Coils

A distance adaptation method for magnetic resonance coupling between coils is proposed. It is known that transmitting and receiving parallel-wire coils provide longer distance of highly efficient transmission when compared with single-wire coils. Instead of matching the coil impedance to the port impedance at the coil feed point, the ratio of the currents on one wire to the other of the parallel-wire coil is manipulated by a loading scheme of variable capacitors in the proposed system. Such a current manipulation gradually changes the coil operation equivalently from the parallel-wire coil to the single-wire coil. This enables us to obtain highly efficient transmission continuously in a wide variation of the coil distance. Impedance and quality factor of the proposed system are discussed with the equivalent circuit. Current distributions of the parallel-wire coils are exploited by the method-of-moments-based software FEKO. A prototype transmission system exhibits insertion loss less than 0.9 dB in a range from 0.2 to 0.7 m at 11.25 MHz.
The Sleepy Teenager – Diagnostic Challenges

The sleepy teenager puts the doctor in a, often tricky, situation where it must be decided if we deal with normal physiology or if we should suspect pathological conditions. What medical investigations are proper to consider? What differential diagnoses should be considered in the first place? And what tools do we actually have? The symptoms and problems that usually are presented at the clinical visit can be both of medical and psychosocial character – and actually they are often a mixture of both. Subsequently, the challenge to investigate the sleepy teenager often includes the examination of a complex behavioral pattern. It is important to train and develop diagnostic skills and to realize that the physiological or pathological conditions that can cause the symptoms may have different explanations. Research in sleep disorders has shown different pathological mechanisms congruent with the variations in the clinical picture. There are probably also different patterns of involved neuronal circuits although common pathways may exist. The whole picture remains to be drawn in this interesting and challenging area.
Framing the Controversial

Geoengineering is an example of a highly political science-driven topic. We explore how researchers frame geoengineering and what implications these frames have for the science-policy interface and the politicization of science. Our analysis revealed three main ways to frame geoengineering in scientific literature. The “Risk-benefit” frame emphasizes calculation and further research, the “Governance” frame emphasizes the need to develop institutions and procedures, and the “Natural balance” frame focuses on the ethical aspects of geoengineering. The researchers’ frames have different political implications, indicating a need to ensure transparency and dialogue at the science-policy nexus.
Temporal Processing in the Visual System

Encoding time is one of the most important features of the mammalian brain. The visual system, comprising almost half of the brain is of no exception. Time processing enables us to make goal-directed behavior in the optimum “time window” and launch a ballistic eye movement, reach/grasp an object or direct our processing resources (attention) from one point of interest to another. In addition, encoding time is critical for higher cognitive functions, enabling us to make causal inferences. The limitations of temporal individuation in the visual stream seem to vary across the visual field: the resolution gradually drops as objects become farther away from the center of gaze, where little differences were found in terms of resolution for objects in the upper versus lower visual field. This resolution of temporal individuation is vastly different from the resolution ascribed to spatial individuation. If individuation is mediated through attention, as some researchers have proposed, the general term ”attention” seems to possess different properties, at least regarding temporal and spatial processing. Next we looked at another aspect of encoding time: Temporal Order Judgments (TOJ), where animals had to judge the relative timing onset of two visual events. After training two monkeys on the task, we recorded from neurons in the lateral intraparietal
Title : Sperm transport and retention at the fertilization site is orchestrated by a chemical guidance and oviduct movement Running head : Sperm transport to the fertilization site

Running head: Sperm transport to the fertilization site Authors: Guidobaldi HA, Teves ME, Uñates DR, Giojalas LC. 1 Centro de Biología Celular y Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina. 2 Corresponding author: Laura C. Giojalas Centro de Biología Celular y Molecular Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales Universidad Nacional de Córdoba Av. Vélez Sarsfield 1611 X5016GCA Córdoba Argentina. Phone: +54-351-4334141 ext. 402 Fax: +54-351-4332097 E-mail: lcgiojalas@com.uncor. edu
Single Classifier Approach for Verb Sense Disambiguation based on Generalized Features

We present a supervised method for verb sense disambiguation based on VerbNet. Most previous supervised approaches to verb sense disambiguation create a classifier for each verb that reaches a frequency threshold. These methods, however, have a significant practical problem that they cannot be applied to rare or unseen verbs. In order to overcome this problem, we create a single classifier to be applied to rare or unseen verbs in a new text. This single classifier also exploits generalized semantic features of a verb and its modifiers in order to better deal with rare or unseen verbs. Our experimental results show that the proposed method achieves equivalent performance to per-verb classifiers, which cannot be applied to unseen verbs. Our classifier could be utilized to improve the classifications in lexical resources of verbs, such as VerbNet, in a semi-automatic manner and to possibly extend the coverage of these resources to new verbs.
New Strategies to Prolong the In Vivo Life Span of Iron-Based Contrast Agents for MRI

Superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) and ultra small superparamagnetic iron oxide (USPIO) nanoparticles have been developed as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents. Iron oxide nanoparticles, that become superparamagnetic if the core particle diameter is ~ 30nm or less, present R1 and R2 relaxivities which are much higher than those of conventional paramagnetic gadolinium chelates. Generally, these magnetic particles are coated with biocompatible polymers that prevent the agglomeration of the colloidal suspension and improve their blood distribution profile. In spite of their potential as MRI blood contrast agents, the biomedical application of iron oxide nanoparticles is still limited because of their intravascular half-life of only few hours; such nanoparticles are rapidly cleared from the bloodstream by macrophages of the reticulo-endothelial system (RES). To increase the life span of these MRI contrast agents in the bloodstream we proposed the encapsulation of SPIO nanoparticles in red blood cells (RBCs) through the transient opening of cell membrane pores. We have recently reported results obtained by applying our loading procedure to several SPIO nanoparticles with different chemical physical characteristics such as size and coating agent. In the current investigation we showed that the life span of iron-based contrast agents in the mice bloodstream was prolonged to 12 days after the intravenous injection of murine SPIO-loaded RBCs. Furthermore, we developed an animal model that implicates the pretreatment of animals with clodronate to induce a transient suppression of tissue macrophages, followed by the injection of human SPIO-loaded RBCs which make it possible to encapsulate nanoparticle concentrations (5.3-16.7mM Fe) higher than murine SPIO-loaded RBCs (1.4-3.55mM Fe). The data showed that, when human RBCs are used as more capable SPIO nanoparticle containers combined with a depletion of tissue macrophages, Fe concentration in animal blood is 2-3 times higher than iron concentration obtained by the use of murine SPIO-loaded RBCs.
Ozone application for the people health state monitoring by the total unsaturation index determination

There exists evidence about the influence of oxidative stress in certain pathologic states, especially chronic diseases. Measurements of lipid peroxide levels and the levels of their byproducts are routinely used as indices of oxidative stress; however, until now, analytic assays used to determine lipid peroxidation have limitations regarding sensitivity, specificity, and timing of analysis. In the present brief review, we introduce the method of the double bond index (DB-index), a promising method of evaluation for lipid metabolism disturbance and lipid peroxidation measurement. DB-index calculation is based on the patented Total Unsaturation Analyzer (TUA) which instrumentation is fundament on the organic unsaturated compounds property of integrate ozone in the double bond site (one ozone molecule by each double bond) in a fast way. By this technique it is possible to determine in a short time (1-3 minutes) and with high precision (± 1%) the lipids total unsaturation in plasma and in cellular membranes. Some notable cases where DB-index has been established as diagnostic and prognostic criteria in different diseases and possibilities of present and future applications in the clinical analysis are discussed.
CPSO-Based Hybrid Approach for Scheduling Parallel Machines with Processing Set Restrictions

We consider identical parallel machine scheduling problem where every job is only allowed to be processed on a specified subset of machines. We develop an efficient CPSO (Chaotic Particle Swarm Optimization) based hybrid approach to solve the above problem with the objective of minimizing total number of tardy jobs. In the proposed approach, the problem is firstly decomposed into a machine assignment subproblem and a job sequencing subproblem, then the job sequencing subproblem is solved optimally by a heuristic algorithm with the time complexity of O(mnlogn), and the machine assignment subproblem is solved by the proposed CPSO algorithm, in which the problem characteristics are incorporated to enhance the performance of exploration and exploitation in the proposed algorithm. Numerical computations show that the proposed hybrid approach outperforms several other methods on the studied problems.
Wireless Localization Networks for Indoor Service Robots

This paper presents wireless localization networks for locating stationary object in an indoor office environment. Actual experimental test results based on UWB (IEEE 802.15.4a), WLAN (IEEE 802.11), and ZigBee (IEEE 802.15.4) are briefly presented and advantages and disadvantages of each method are also addressed. A new method based on received-signal strength index (RSSI) of radio signals emitted from fixed reference nodes is outlined. In the new method, mobile reference tags are used to detect signal strength accurately so that reliable signal propagation model can be produced.
Ontology-based recommender system for information support in knowledge-intensive processes

Knowledge-intensive processes are difficult to support because of their complexity, high variability and unpredictable information requirements. Therefore such process types are handled manually by knowledge workers with expertise in the domain. Yet to make informed decisions, knowledge workers require a multitude of domain specific, case-related information. This often leads to a time-consuming search for information and knowledge required to address the issues occurring in the case. To reduce the time spent searching for information, we propose an ontology-based recommender system that provides case-related information based on documents gathered in accumulated similar cases. The recommender system builds models of domain specific concepts for past cases as well as for the current case, which are used for case similarity calculation. To evaluate the performance of parts of our approach we used the OHSUMED document collection and compared the cosine similarity measure of ontological case model against textual case model.
Identification of the Atypical L-Type Ca2+ Channel Blocker Diltiazem and Its Metabolites As Ghrelin Receptor Agonists

Using a high-throughput functional screen, the atypical L-type Ca2+ channel blocker diltiazem was discovered to be an agonist at the human ghrelin (GHSR1a) receptor. In cellular proliferation, Ca2+ mobilization, and bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET-2) assays, diltiazem was a partial agonist at GHSR1a receptors, with 50 to 80% relative efficacy compared with the GHSR1a peptide agonist GHRP-6, and high nanomolar to low micromolar potency, depending upon the assay. Seven of the known primary metabolites of diltiazem were synthesized, and three of them (MA, M1, and M2) were more efficacious and/or more potent than diltiazem at GHSR1a receptors, with a rank order of agonist activity of M2 > M1 > MA > diltiazem, whereas M4 and M6 metabolites displayed weak agonist activity, and the M8 and M9 metabolites were inactive. Binding affinities of diltiazem and these metabolites to GHSR1a receptors followed a similar rank order. In vivo tests showed that diltiazem and M2 each stimulated growth hormone release in male Sprague-Dawley neonatal rats, although to a lesser degree than GHRP-6. Thus, diltiazem and chemical analogs of diltiazem represent a new class of GHSR1a receptor agonists. The possible contributions of GHSR1a receptor activation to the clinical actions of diltiazem are discussed in the context of the known beneficial cardiovascular effects of ghrelin.
Automatic Melody Transcription based on Chord Transcription

This paper focuses on automatic melody transcription in a situation where a chord transcription is already available. Given an excerpt of music in audio form and a chord transcription in symbolic form, the task is to create a symbolic melody transcription that consists of note onset times and pitches. We present an algorithm that divides the audio into segments based on the chord transcription, and then matches potential melody patterns to each segment. The algorithm uses chord information to favor melody patterns that are probable in the given harmony context. To evaluate the algorithm, we present a new ground truth dataset that consists of 1,5 hours of audio excerpts together with hand-made melody and chord transcriptions.