Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Partially independent control scheme for spacecraft rendezvous in near-circular orbits

Due to the complexity and inconstancy of the space environment, accurate mathematical models for spacecraft rendezvous are difficult to retrieve, which consequently complicates the control tasks. In this paper, a linearized time-varying plant model with consideration of the external perturbations is developed to approximate the spacecraft rendezvous in near-circular orbits. In order to achieve the robust stability with optimal performance cost, a partially independent control scheme is proposed, which consists of a robust anti-windup controller for the in-plane motion and a H∞ controller for the out-of-plane motion. The effectiveness and advantages of the partially independent control scheme are verified by comparing with other control schemes in a numerical example.
Distributed Monitoring of the R2 Statistic for Linear Regression

The problem of monitoring a multivariate linear regression model is relevant in studying the evolving relationship between a set of input variables (features) and one or more dependent target variables. This problem becomes challenging for large scale data in a distributed computing environment when only a subset of instances is available at individual nodes and the local data changes frequently. Data centralization and periodic model recomputation can add high overhead to tasks like anomaly detection in such dynamic settings. Therefore, the goal is to develop techniques for monitoring and updating the model over the union of all nodes’ data in a communication-efficient fashion. Correctness guarantees on such techniques are also often highly desirable, especially in safety-critical application scenarios. In this paper we develop DReMo — a distributed algorithm with very low resource overhead, for monitoring the quality of a regression model in terms of its coefficient of determination (R statistic). When the nodes collectively determine that R has dropped below a fixed threshold, the linear regression model is recomputed via a network-wide convergecast and the updated model is broadcast back to all nodes. We show empirically, using both synthetic and real data, that our proposed method is highly communication-efficient and scalable, and also provide theoretical guarantees on correctness.
Alternative Interleukin 17A/F Locus Haplotypes Are Associated With Increased Risk to Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis

We studied the genetic epidemiology of primary large‐joint (hip and knee) osteoarthritis (OA), in order to find disease risk factors by a candidate‐gene approach. We used case–control study in the Croatian Caucasian population. We genotyped 500 OA patients (260 hip, 240 knee; both with total joint replacements) and 597 healthy individuals for single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in interleukin 17A (IL17A) (rs2275913) and IL17F (rs763780 and rs1889570) genes. On the basis of our population and allelic and genotypic frequencies haplotypes were predicted by PHASE software and compared between patients and controls. The three‐SNP haplotype (rs2275913–rs763780–rs1889570) G–C–A confers predisposition to hip (p < 0.005) but not knee OA. The three‐SNP haplotype having opposed nucleotides A–T–G was found significantly associated with 2.6 times higher risk for developing knee (p < 0.02) but not hip OA. The haplotype G–T (IL17A–IL17F; rs2275913–rs763780) is associated with protection to the disease in hip OA (p < 0.01). Our analyses show that two disparate haplotypes within the IL17A‐F gene locus are associated with higher risk to developing hip and knee OA in the Croatian population. The data might suggest a difference in the etiology of hip OA from that of the knee OA, perhaps due to an unknown dissimilarity in vulnerability of these joints to the actions of IL17. Alternatively, other differences in genetic factors like the long non‐protein coding region LINCMD1 and/or microRNA species like miR133b and miR206 found in the vicinity of the IL17 locus might be involved in the observed risk. © 2019 The Authors. Journal of Orthopaedic Research® published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Orthopaedic Research Society. J Orthop Res 37:1972–1978, 2019
Forward Backward Greedy Algorithms for Multi-Task Learning with Faster Rates

A large body of algorithms have been proposed for multi-task learning. However, the effectiveness of many multi-task learning algorithms highly depends on the structural regularization, which incurs bias in the resulting estimators and leads to slower convergence rate. In this paper, we aim at developing a multi-task learning algorithm with faster convergence rate. In particular, we propose a general estimator for multitask learning with row sparsity constraint on the parameter matrix, i.e., the number of nonzero rows in the parameter matrix being small. The proposed estimator is a nonconvex optimization problem. In order to solve it, we develop a forward backward greedy algorithm with provable guarantee. More specifically, we prove that the output of the greedy algorithm attains a sharper estimation error bound than many state-of-the-art multi-task learning methods. Moreover, our estimator enjoys model selection consistency under a mild condition. Thorough experiments on both synthetic and real-world data demonstrate the effectiveness of our method and back up our theory.
Weight convergence of SpikeProp and adaptive learning rate

Surges during training process are a major obstacle in training a Spiking Neural Network (SNN) using Spike-Prop algorithm and its derivatives [1]. In this paper, we perform weight convergence analysis to understand the proper step size during SpikeProp learning and hence avoid surges during the training process. Using the results of weight convergence analysis, we propose an optimum adaptive learning rate in each iteration which will yield suitable step size within the bounds of convergence condition. The performance of this adaptive learning rate is compared with existing methods via several simulations. It is observed that the use of adaptive learning rate significantly increases the success rate of SpikeProp algorithm along with significant improvement in speed.
Fungal glycans and the innate immune recognition

Polysaccharides such as α- and β-glucans, chitin, and glycoproteins extensively modified with both N- and O-linked carbohydrates are the major components of fungal surfaces. The fungal cell wall is an excellent target for the action of antifungal agents, since most of its components are absent from mammalian cells. Recognition of these carbohydrate-containing molecules by the innate immune system triggers inflammatory responses and activation of microbicidal mechanisms by leukocytes. This review will discuss the structure of surface fungal glycoconjugates and polysaccharides and their recognition by innate immune receptors.
Impact of digital ulcers on disability and health-related quality of life in systemic sclerosis

Objective: To assess the impact of digital ulcers (DUs) on disability and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Methods: Two hundred and thirteen patients with SSc were evaluated at four annual meetings of a patient society between 2004 and 2007 (n = 177) or during hospital stay (n = 36). HRQoL was assessed by the SF-36, global disability by the health assessment questionnaire (HAQ), hand disability by the Cochin Hand Function Scale (CHFS) and global hand and wrist mobility by the Kapandji index. Results: Sixty-seven patients (31.4%) had at least one DU at the time of evaluation. Patients with DUs showed significantly more pitting scars (p<0.001) and calcinosis (p<0.0001) than others. Patients with DU had significantly greater HAQ (mean (SD) 1.218 (0.723) vs 0.930 (0.717), p = 0.008), CHFS (mean (SD) 27.38 (20.68) vs 16.73 (18.19), p<0.0001) and aesthetic prejudice (mean (SD) 6.1 (2.2) vs 3.9 (2.5), p<0.0001) scores than others. Hand and wrist mobility were significantly diminished in patients with DU (mean (SD) Kapandji score 75.3 (22.8) vs 81.7 (19.2), p<0.0001). The presence of a DU did not significantly alter the physical component but influenced the mental component (mean (SD) 43.38 (12.53) vs 39.58 (9.54), p = 0.026) of the SF36. Conclusion: Patients with SSc with DUs have reduced wrist and hand mobility, increased global and hand disabilities and decreased mental component of HRQoL.
Overlapping Trace Norms in Multi-View Learning

Multi-view learning leverages correlations between different sources of data to make predictions in one view based on observations in another view. A popular approach is to assume that, both, the correlations between the views and the view-specific covariances have a lowrank structure, leading to inter-battery factor analysis, a model closely related to canonical correlation analysis. We propose a convex relaxation of this model using structured norm regularization. Further, we extend the convex formulation to a robust version by adding an `1-penalized matrix to our estimator, similarly to convex robust PCA. We develop and compare scalable algorithms for several convex multi-view models. We show experimentally that the view-specific correlations are improving data imputation performances, as well as labeling accuracy in real-world multi-label prediction tasks.
A memetic algorithm using local search chaining forblack-box optimization benchmarking 2009 for noise free functions

Memetic algorithms with continuous local search methods have arisen as effective tools to address the difficulty of obtaining reliable solutions of high precision for complex continuous optimisation problems. There exists a group of continuous search algorithms that stand out as brilliant local search optimisers. Several of them, like CMA-ES, often require a high number of evaluations to adapt its parameters. Unfortunately, this feature makes difficult to use them to create memetic algorithms. In this work, we show a memetic algorithm that applies CMA-ES to refine the solutions, assigning to each individual a local search intensity that depends on its features, by chaining different local search applications. Experiments are carried out on the noise free Black-Box Optimization Benchmarking BBOB'2009 test suite.
Koios++: A Query-Answering System for Handwritten Input

In this paper we propose KOIOS++, which automatically processes natural language queries provided by handwritten input. The system integrates several recent achievements in the area of handwriting recognition, natural language processing, information retrieval, and human computer interaction. It uses a knowledge base described by the resource description framework (RDF). Our generic approach first generates a lexicon as background information for the handwritten text recognition. After recognizing a handwritten query, several output hypotheses are sent to a natural language processing system in order to generate a structured query (SPARQL query). Subsequently, the query is applied to the given knowledge base and a result graph visualizes the retrieved information. At all stages, the user can easily adjust the intermediate results if there is any undesired outcome. The system is implemented as a web-service and therefore works for handwritten input on digital paper as well as on input on Pen-enabled interactive surfaces. Furthermore, we build on the generic RDF-representation of semantic knowledge which is also used by the linked open data (LOD) initiative. As such, our system works well in various scenarios. We have implemented prototypes for querying company knowledge bases, the DBPedia1, the DBLP computer science bibliography2, and a knowledge base of the DAS 2012.
Betaine Fermentation and Oxidation by Marine Desulfuromonas Strains

Two bacterial strains were dominant in anaerobic enrichment cultures with betaine (N,N,N-trimethylglycine) as a substrate and intertidal mud as an inoculum. One was a coccoid bacterium which was a trimethylamine (TMA)-fermenting methanogen similar to Methanococcoides methylutens. The other strain, a rod-shaped, gram-negative, motile bacterium, fermented betaine. On the basis of its ability to oxidize acetate and ethanol to CO2 with sulfur as an electron acceptor, its inability to reduce sulfate and sulfite, its morphology, the presence of c-type cytochromes, and other characteristics, the isolated strain PM1 was identified as Desulfuromonas acetoxidans. Although only malate and fumarate were known as substrates for fermentative growth of this species, the type strain (DSM 684) also fermented betaine. Strain PM1 grew with a doubling time of 9.5 h at 30°C on betaine and produced approximately 1 mol of TMA per mol of betaine, 0.75 mol of acetate, and presumably CO2 as fermentation products but only in the presence of selenite (100 nM). In this fermentation, betaine is probably reductively cleaved to TMA and acetate, and part of the acetate is then oxidized to CO2 to provide the reducing equivalents for the initial cleavage reaction. In the presence of sulfur, betaine was converted to TMA and presumably CO2 with the formation of sulfide; then, only traces of acetate were produced.
The patents retrieval prototype in the MOLTO project

This paper describes the patents retrieval prototype developed within the MOLTO project. The prototype aims to provide a multilingual natural language interface for querying the content of patent documents. The developed system is focused on the biomedical and pharmaceutical domain and includes the translation of the patent claims and abstracts into English, French and German. Aiming at the best retrieval results of the patent information and text content, patent documents are preprocessed and semantically annotated. Then, the annotations are stored and indexed in an OWLIM semantic repository, which contains a patent specific ontology and others from different domains. The prototype, accessible online at http://molto-patents.ontotext. com, presents a multilingual natural language interface to query the retrieval system. In MOLTO, the multilingualism of the queries is addressed by means of the GF Tool, which provides an easy way to build and maintain controlled language grammars for interlingual translation in limited domains. The abstract representation obtained from the GF is used to retrieve both the matched RDF instances and the list of patents semantically related to the user's search criteria. The online interface allows to browse the retrieved patents and shows on the text the semantic annotations that explain the reason why any particular patent has matched the user's criteria.
Steps toward the integration of speaker recognition in real-world telecom applications

The current market situation is characterized by a significant interest in speaker recognition functionalities in telecommunication systems (e.g. phone banking). This paper presents a field-test assessment of a speaker recognition algorithm, in a realistic context. Such field tests are particularly useful because the requirements for those real-world systems can be significantly different from those focused on by the research laboratories. Therefore, the results presented in this paper are divided into two groups. The quantitative ones describe the performance achieved in terms of Equal Error Rates (EER) as a function of the field-test conditions and different limitations on the enrollment and test duration. On the other hand, we discuss some innovative qualitative outcomes which are mainly based on non-technical but subjective impressions reported by the participants.
Effects of Spectator Ligands on the Specific Recognition of Intrastrand Platinum-DNA Cross-links by High Mobility Group Box and TATA-binding Proteins* 210

The results presented describe the effects of various spectator ligands, attached to a platinum 1,2-intrastand d(GpG) cross-link in duplex DNA, on the binding of high mobility group box (HMGB) domains and the TATA-binding protein (TBP). In addition to cisplatin-modified DNA, 15-base pair DNA probes modified by {Pt(1R,2R-diaminocyclohexane)}2+,cis-{Pt(NH3)(cyclohexylamine)}2+, {Pt(ethylenediamine)}2+,cis-{Pt(NH3)(cyclobutylamine)}2+, and cis-{Pt(NH3)(2-picoline)}2+were examined. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays show that both the A and B domains of HMGB1 as well as TBP discriminate between different platinum-DNA adducts. HMGB1 domain A is the most sensitive to the nature of the spectator ligands on platinum. The effect of the spectator ligands on protein binding also depends highly on the base pairs flanking the platinated d(GpG) site. Double-stranded oligonucleotides containing the AG*G*C sequence, where the asterisks denote the sites of platination, with different spectator ligands are only moderately discriminated by the HMGB proteins and TBP, but the recognition of dsTG*G*A is highly dependent on the ligands. The effects of HMGB1 overexpression in a BG-1 ovarian cancer cell line, induced by steroid hormones, on the sensitivity of cells treated with [Pt(1R,2R-diaminocyclohexane)Cl2] andcis-[Pt(NH3)(cyclohexylamine)Cl2] were also examined. The results suggest that HMGB1 protein levels influence the cellular processing ofcis-{Pt(NH3)- (cyclohexylamine)}2+, but not {Pt((1R,2R)-diaminocyclohexane)}2+, DNA lesions. This result is consistent with the observed binding of HMGB1a to platinum-modified dsTG*G*A probes but not with the binding affinity of HMGB1a and HMGB1 to platinum-damaged dsAG*G*C oligonucleotides. These experiments reinforce the importance of sequence context in platinum-DNA lesion recognition by cellular proteins.
Re-Assembly of the Genome of Francisella tularensis Subsp. holarctica OSU18

Francisella tularensis is a highly infectious human intracellular pathogen that is the causative agent of tularemia. It occurs in several major subtypes, including the live vaccine strain holarctica (type B). F. tularensis is classified as category A biodefense agent in part because a relatively small number of organisms can cause severe illness. Three complete genomes of subspecies holarctica have been sequenced and deposited in public archives, of which OSU18 was the first and the only strain for which a scientific publication has appeared [1]. We re-assembled the OSU18 strain using both de novo and comparative assembly techniques, and found that the published sequence has two large inversion mis-assemblies. We generated a corrected assembly of the entire genome along with detailed information on the placement of individual reads within the assembly. This assembly will provide a more accurate basis for future comparative studies of this pathogen.
Fucosylated haptoglobin is a novel marker for pancreatic cancer: Detailed analyses of oligosaccharide structures

Changes in oligosaccharide structures have been reported in certain types of malignant transformation and thus can be used as tumor markers in certain types of cancer. In the case of pancreatic cancer (PC) cell lines, a variety of fucosylated proteins are secreted into the conditioned media. To identify fucosylated proteins in the sera of patients with PC, we performed Western blot analysis using Aleuria Aurantia Lectin (AAL), which is specific for fucosylated structures. An approximately 40 kD protein was found to be highly fucosylated in PC and N‐terminal analysis revealed that it was the β chain of haptoglobin. While the appearance of fucosylated haptoglobin has been reported in other diseases such as hepatocellular carcinoma, liver cirrhosis, gastric cancer, and colorectal cancer, the incidence was significantly higher in the case of PC. Fucosylated haptoglobin was observed more frequently at the advanced stage of PC and disappeared after operation. Haptoglobin has four sites of N‐glycans and site‐directed oligosaccharide analysis invoving MS was performed. Site‐specific increases in fucosylation of bi‐antennary glycans of sites 2 and 4, and of tri‐antennary glycans of all sites were observed in PC, compared to in normal volunteers and chronic pancreatitis. Therefore, increases in fucosylation seem to be not due to inflamation, but cancer itself. Coculturing of a human hepatoma cell line, Hep3B, with PC cells‐induced production of fucosylated haptoglobin, suggesting that PC produces a factor that induces the production of fucosylated haptoglobin. On clinical investigation of 100 cases of colorectal cancer, cases in which it was located near the liver showed a higher positive rate of fucosylated haptoglobin, suggesting that the location of the cancer might also be an important factor for fucosylated haptoglobin if cancer tissues produce such inducible factors. Thus, fucosylated haptoglobin could become a novel tumor marker for PC and complicated mechanisms would be involved in its production.
Genotoxic Effects of Potentized Homeopathic Medicines on Plasmodium berghei

Homeopathic drugs have been evaluated for their suitable candidature as potent antimalarials. However, the exact mode of action, of these homeopathic remedies still remains a matter of conjecture. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of potentized homeopathic antimalarials on the integrity of the DNA of Plasmodium berghei (ANKA strain), in erythrocytes of Swiss albino mice. Short term in vitro culture of P. berghei was done with 50 μl of homeopathic medicines i.e. china (Chin.), chelidonium (Chel.), arsenicum album (Ars.alb.) and malaria officinalis (Mal.off.). The treated cells were passed through comet assay using ethidium bromide staining. The extent of DNA damage was expressed in terms of % head-DNA, % tail DNA, tail length and Olive tail moment. DNA damage was analysed in CASP software. Present study revealed that the 30 C potency of above medicines are capable of causing considerable DNA damage in the parasite. Maximum damage was observed in Ars. 30 C (16.4 ± 1.6 % tail DNA) followed by Chin 30 C (13.3 ± 0.7% tail DNA). DNA damage was significantly very less in Mal off. 30 C (2.6 ± 2.0% tail DNA) and Chel. 30 C (2.39 ± 0.4% tail DNA). Although, the exact mode of action of these remedies still remains doubtful. It is hypothesized that certain genes are responsible for the therapeutic activity of homeopathic remedies. From the study we conclude that even highly diluted homeopathic medicines disturbs the integrity of DNA. Further studies are required to confirm the role of specific genes and their expression to know the exact mechanism of ultra-high diluted drugs.
Temporal frequency probing for 5D transient analysis of global light transport

We analyze light propagation in an unknown scene using projectors and cameras that operate at transient timescales. In this new photography regime, the projector emits a spatio-temporal 3D signal and the camera receives a transformed version of it, determined by the set of all light transport paths through the scene and the time delays they induce. The underlying 3D-to-3D transformation encodes scene geometry and global transport in great detail, but individual transport components (e.g., direct reflections, inter-reflections, caustics, etc.) are coupled nontrivially in both space and time. To overcome this complexity, we observe that transient light transport is always separable in the temporal frequency domain. This makes it possible to analyze transient transport one temporal frequency at a time by trivially adapting techniques from conventional projector-to-camera transport. We use this idea in a prototype that offers three never-seen-before abilities: (1) acquiring time-of-flight depth images that are robust to general indirect transport, such as interreflections and caustics; (2) distinguishing between direct views of objects and their mirror reflection; and (3) using a photonic mixer device to capture sharp, evolving wavefronts of "light-in-flight".