Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Linear Photometric Stereo using Close Lighting Images based on Intensity Differential

In this paper, we propose a new linear photometric stereo met hod from images taken under close light sources. When an images are taken under close light source, we can obta in not only surface normal but also shape from the images. However, relationship between observed in tensity and object shape is not linear, and then, we have to use non-linear optimization to estimate object sh ape. In order to estimate object shape by just linear estimation, we focus not only direct observed intens i ies, but also differentials of the intensities in this paper. By using the set of observed intensity and its differe ntials, we can represent relationship between object shape and intensities linearly. By this linear representat ion, linear estimation of object shape achieved even if obtained images are taken under close light sources. Expe rimental results show our proposed method can reconstruct object shape by only linear estimation efficien tly and accurately.
RoboTable: An Infrastructure for Intuitive Interaction with Mobile Robots in a Mixed-Reality Environment

This paper presents the design, development, and testing of a tabletop interface called RoboTable, which is an infrastructure supporting intuitive interaction with both mobile robots and virtual components in a mixed-reality environment. With a flexible software toolkit and specifically developed robots, the platform enables various modes of interaction with mobile robots. Using this platform, prototype applications are developed for two different application domains: RoboPong investigates the efficiency of the RoboTable system in game applications, and ExploreRobot explores the possibility of using robots and intuitive interaction to enhance learning.
OpenCollab: A Blockchain Based Protocol to Incentivize Open Source Software Development

Open source software is one of the fundamental building blocks of today’s technology dependent society and is relied upon by parties ranging from large technology corporations to individual hobbyist developers. The open question left for technologists is how to make open source software projects more sustainable. The rise of decentralized networks of self-organizing, self-coordinating users incentivized by valuable cryptographic tokens enabled by Ethereum smart contracts creates the possibility of a system with embedded economics for open source software development that aligns the incentives of all parties. We present two contributions that can serve as building blocks for a potentially better solution to open source software sustainability: a command line tool that enables a decentralized Git workﬂow without the need for a centralized service like Github and a proof-of-concept blockchain based protocol for incentivizing open source software development using a cryptographic token. Both contributions are implemented using Ethereum smart contracts.
Tight linkage of genes that encode the two glutamate synthase subunits of Escherichia coli K-12

A hybrid deoxyribonucleic acid molecule, plasmid pRSP20, which was isolated from the Clarke and Carbon Escherichia coli gene bank, was shown to complement the gltB31 mutation, which affects the synthesis of glutamate synthase in E. coli strain PA340. We present evidence which demonstrates that plasmid pRSP20 carries an 8-megadalton E. coli chromosomal fragment, including the genes encoding the two unequal glutamate synthase subunits. Polypeptides with molecular weights of about 135,000 and 53,000, which comigrated with purified E. coli glutamate synthase subunit polypeptides and immunoprecipitated with antibodies to E. coli glutamate synthase, were synthesized by minicells carrying the pRSP20 plasmid.
Function of the human immunodeficiency virus types 1 and 2 Rev proteins is dependent on their ability to interact with a structured region present in env gene mRNA

The interaction of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Rev protein with a structured region in env mRNA (the Rev-responsive element [RRE]) mediates the export of structural mRNAs from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. We demonstrated that unlike HIV-1 Rev, which functions with both the HIV-1 and HIV-2 RREs, HIV-2 Rev functions only with the HIV-2 RRE. Rev-RRE binding studies suggested that the lack of nonreciprocal complementation stems from the inability of HIV-2 Rev to interact with HIV-1 RRE RNA. Maintenance of RNA secondary structure, rather than the primary nucleotide sequence, appeared to be the major determinant for interaction of both HIV-1 and HIV-2 Rev with the HIV-2 RRE. Moreover, the binding domain of the HIV-2 RRE recognized by HIV-1 Rev was dissimilar to the binding domain of the HIV-1 RRE, in terms of both secondary structure and primary nucleotide sequence. Our results support the hypothesis that function of HIV Rev proteins and possibly the functionally similar Rex proteins encoded by the human T-cell leukemia viruses (HTLVs) HTLV-I and HTLV-II is controlled by the presence of RNA secondary structure generated within the RRE RNA.
Radiolabeled Amino Acids for Oncologic Imaging

Radiolabeled amino acids (AAs) are an important class of imaging agents for PET and SPECT that target the increased levels of AA transport by many tumor cells. System L AA transport has been a major focus of tracer development, and work in this field has led to several tracers that are effective for imaging brain tumors. Emerging data also support the use of certain radiolabeled AAs for neuroendocrine tumors and prostate cancer. Recently, new 18F-labeled AAs have been developed that target transporters other than system L, including system A, glutamine, xCT, and cationic AA transporters. This review provides an overview of this class of molecular imaging agents and highlights the current status of oncologic imaging with radiolabeled AAs in terms of tracer considerations and key clinical applications.
An Improved Fuzzy Energy Management Strategy Based-On Particle Swarm Optimal Algorithm for Electric Vehicle

This paper proposes an improved fuzzy energy management strategy based on particle swarm optimal algorithm for electric vehicle with dual-battery storage system. The proposed method adds optimization criterions on the basis of fuzzy rules to maximize the charge-discharge efficiency and achieve optimal power allocation. Simulation results based on Matlab / Simulink illustrated that the improved fuzzy energy management could increase the charge-discharge efficiency and mileage, effectively reduce power output of the main-battery in the case of the low remaining capacity, and extend the lifetime of the main battery to a certain extent.
Sketching Slides: interactive creation and automatic solution of constrained document layout problems

The efficiency of desktop publishing is severely limited by the lack of sophisticated automatic document layout systems. State-of-the-art algorithms either require the input to be written in a description language such as HTML and LATEX, or to be a manually designed layout template. However, description languages are ill-suited to express layout problems with weak semantics and layout templates shift the burden from the end user to the template designer. This thesis defines a general layout problem with linear constraints in simple geometric terms. This problem definition encompasses many wellresearched layout problems, including table layout problems, yellow page layout problems, and many user interface layout problems. The first contribution of this thesis is an algorithm that solves this general class of layout problems by treating them as equitable resource allocation problems. The available document area is a resource that is distributed among inter-element gaps. The layout problem is transformed into a lexicographic min-ordering optimization problem that is solved using linear programming techniques in real-time. User-generated input problems are frequently overor under-constrained. If the layout problem is over-constrained, the quality of the solution layout degrades gracefully. The layout algorithm finds the solution layout with the most equitable distribution of constraint errors among the soft layout constraints, i.e., the solution closest to the user’s original intent. Conversely, the layout algorithm detects the underconstrained subproblems that adversely affect the solution layout. It adds the minimal number of constraints required to achieve the fully specified layout problem that is closest to the user’s input. The second contribution of this thesis is the creation of an intuitive direct manipulation user interface that lets users create the aforementioned class of general constrained layout problems. It hides the complexity of the constraint system and avoids the usability problems that have plagued constraint drawing applications. It eliminates the need of document description languages and manually-created layout templates. The layout algorithm and the user interface have been implemented in our ICBM system. In the evaluation, we show that the best state-of-the-art specialized table layout algorithms do not outperform the general ICBM layout algorithm by any significant margin.
Comparison of Molecular Typing Methods Useful for Detecting Clusters of Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli Isolates through Routine Surveillance

ABSTRACT Campylobacter spp. may be responsible for unreported outbreaks of food-borne disease. The detection of these outbreaks is made more difficult by the fact that appropriate methods for detecting clusters of Campylobacter have not been well defined. We have compared the characteristics of five molecular typing methods on Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli isolates obtained from human and nonhuman sources during sentinel site surveillance during a 3-year period. Comparative genomic fingerprinting (CGF) appears to be one of the optimal methods for the detection of clusters of cases, and it could be supplemented by the sequencing of the flaA gene short variable region (flaA SVR sequence typing), with or without subsequent multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Different methods may be optimal for uncovering different aspects of source attribution. Finally, the use of several different molecular typing or analysis methods for comparing individuals within a population reveals much more about that population than a single method. Similarly, comparing several different typing methods reveals a great deal about differences in how the methods group individuals within the population.
Nebular spectroscopy of the nearby Type IIb supernova 2011dh

We present nebular spectra of the nearby Type IIb supernova (SN) 2011dh taken between 201 and 678 d after core collapse. At these late times, SN 2011dh exhibits strong emission lines including a broad and persistent Hα feature. New models of the nebular spectra confirm that the progenitor of SN 2011dh was a low-mass giant (M ≈ 13–15 M_⊙) that ejected ∼ 0.07 M_⊙ of ^(56)Ni and ∼ 0.27 M_⊙ of oxygen at the time of explosion, consistent with the recent disappearance of a candidate yellow supergiant progenitor. We show that light from the SN location is dominated by the fading SN at very late times (∼2 yr) and not, for example, by a binary companion or a background source. We present evidence for interaction between the expanding SN blast wave and a circumstellar medium at late times and show that the SN is likely powered by positron deposition ≳1 yr after explosion. We also examine the geometry of the ejecta and show that the nebular line profiles of SN 2011dh indicate a roughly spherical explosion with aspherical components or clumps.
Molecular Determinants of MecA as a Degradation Tag for the ClpCP Protease*

Regulated proteolysis by ATP-dependent proteases is universal in all living cells. In Bacillus subtilis, the degradation of the competence transcription factor ComK is mediated by a ternary complex involving the adaptor protein MecA and the ATP-dependent protease ClpCP. Here we demonstrate that a C-terminal, 98-amino acid domain of MecA (residues 121–218) serves as a non-recycling, degradation tag and targets a variety of fusion proteins to the ClpCP protease for degradation. MecA-(121–218) facilitates productive oligomerization of ClpC, stimulates the ATPase activity of ClpC, and allows the activated ClpC complex to stably associate with ClpP. Importantly, the ClpCP protease undergoes dynamic cycles of assembly and disassembly, which are triggered by association with MecA and the degradation of MecA, respectively.
Association Rule Mining

Association Rule Mining (ARM) is concerned with how items in a transactional database are grouped together. It is commonly known as market basket analysis, because it can be likened to the analysis of items that are frequently put together in a basket by shoppers in a market. From a statistical point of view, it is a semiautomatic technique to discover correlations among a set of variables. ARM is widely used in myriad applications, including recommender systems (Lawrence, Almasi, Kotlyar, Viveros, & Duri, 2001), promotional bundling (Wang, Zhou, & Han, 2002), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) (Elliott, Scionti, & Page, 2003), and cross-selling (Brijs, Swinnen, Vanhoof, & Wets, 1999). In addition, its concepts have also been integrated into other mining tasks, such as Web usage mining (Woon, Ng, & Lim, 2002), clustering (Yiu & Mamoulis, 2003), outlier detection (Woon, Li, Ng, & Lu, 2003), and classification (Dong & Li, 1999), for improved efficiency and effectiveness. CRM benefits greatly from ARM as it helps in the understanding of customer behavior (Elliott et al., 2003). Marketing managers can use association rules of products to develop joint marketing campaigns to acquire new customers. The application of ARM for the cross-selling of supermarket products has been successfully attempted in many cases (Brijs et al., 1999). In one particular study involving the personalization of supermarket product recommendations, ARM has been applied with much success (Lawrence et al., 2001). Together with customer segmentation, ARM helped to increase revenue by 1.8%. In the biology domain, ARM is used to extract novel knowledge on protein-protein interactions (Oyama, Kitano, Satou, & Ito, 2002). It is also successfully applied in gene expression analysis to discover biologically relevant associations between different genes or between different environment conditions (Creighton & Hanash, 2003).
DUODENAL OBSTRUCTION AS SHOWN BY RADIOGRAPHY

IN a paper published recently on Distension Changes in the Duodenum in Chronic Intestinal Stasis,' to which I furnished the radiographic evidence, Mr. W. Arbutbnot Lane described a condition of kinking at the duodenojejunal junction, and the changes resulting from it. The matter is dealt with further by him in a clinical lecture on the Kinks which Develop in our Drainage System in Chronic Intestinal Stasis.2 I am now in a position to give definite radiographic proof of the actual existence of the changes he describes. The duodenal obstruction clearly is of an intermittent nature. This should be carefully noted at the outset, for it is not to be expected that positive evidence will 'be obtained in every case and at every examination. 1n many cases with the typical signs of duodenal inflammnation, and in some in whioh the fact of the presence of
Doubts on diffusion: Challenging the assumed Indian origin of Iron Age agate and carnelian beads in Southeast Asia

Iron Age agate and carnelian beads found in Southeast Asia have long been assumed to be Indian imports, often featuring in diffusion-orientated theories of Southeast Asian state development that cite Indian influence as a major causal factor. The origin of these beads is tested here, through a pioneering non-destructive geochemical sourcing study of carnelian beads and potential source material. Our results suggest that many of these beads do not derive from India. Instead, a complex multi-source origin, involving some local Southeast Asian manufacture, appears likely. This finding further erodes the already crumbling foundation of diffusion-based theories of Southeast Asian state development. An alternative, regionally focused, approach to the study of these beads is recommended using geochemical analysis to help trace their trade within Southeast Asia. This will enable a better understanding of their role in, and impact upon, existing prestige goods exchange networks within the region.
Wireless Applications: Middleware Security

In this chapter, we survey the security of wireless applications and middleware. Nowadays, we are, more and more, relying on the use of mobile and wireless systems such as PDAs, cell-phones, pagers, etc., for communication, work and entertainment. The popularity of these devices is increasing day after day. These devices now offer increased bandwidth and processing power, so that great variety of applications can be executed on them. Alongside, the security issues typically associated with wired computing have now migrated to the mobile systems’ world. Many middleware frameworks (e.g. J2ME), that have been adapted to respect the resource limitations of such type of devices, offer high level security features. In this context, we examined the security objectives of applications and middleware, the vulnerabilities they face, the detection techniques used to uncover them and the hardening practices performed to remedy them.
What does grid information technology really mean? Definitions, taxonomy and implications in the organisational field

Grid technologies are of increasing interest in science and technology all around the world. From the perspective of management, however, there have been very few studies analysing grids. This new phenomenon should be studied as another element in the technological infrastructures of firms, but this requires a clear specification of the content of the term ‘grid’. We also need to understand what types of technology are referred to by this new concept, how they are interrelated and what are the major strategic implications. With the current work we aim to achieve these objectives: we propose a definition for ‘grid information technology’; we establish an integrative classification of the different types of grid technologies and anticipate the strategic implications that grid technologies will exert on governance structures.
Two markers, IS901-IS902 and p40, identified by PCR and by using monoclonal antibodies in Mycobacterium avium strains

The occurrence of two markers, a newly identified 40-kDa protein (p40) and the insertion sequence IS901-IS902, in strains of Mycobacterium avium subspp. was evaluated. Analysis of 184 type and field strains of the M. avium complex from human, animal, and environmental sources by PCR specific to IS901 and by a monoclonal antibody specific to p40 demonstrated the presence of the two molecular markers in all of the M. avium subsp. silvaticum strains examined and also in a number of M. avium subsp. avium strains (the latter isolated mainly from pigs). The appearance of the two markers was completely concurrent in all strains. Further, the marker-positive M. avium subsp. avium strains were mainly serotype 2, whereas M. avium complex strains of serotypes 4, 6, 8, 9, and 10 were marker negative. The M. avium subsp. avium type strains ATCC 25291 and approximately 50% of the M. avium subsp. avium field strains isolated from animals contained the markers, while only one strain of human origin was found to be marker positive. Therefore, IS901 and p40 appear to have substantial potential to differentiate among isolates of the M. avium complex. This observation raises new issues regarding classification of strains, since the presence of the markers was found to be inconsistent with the present taxonomic grouping of M. avium subspp.
Dysfunction of the default mode network in Parkinson disease: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study.

OBJECTIVE To examine the integrity of the default mode network in patients with Parkinson disease (PD). Previous functional neuroimaging experiments have studied executive deficits in patients with PD with regard to task-related brain activation. However, recent studies suggest that executive performance also relies on the integrity of the default mode network (ie, medial prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, precuneus, and lateral parietal and medial temporal cortices), characterized by a deactivation of these cortical areas during the performance of executive tasks. DESIGN We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate cortical deactivations during a card-sorting task (retrieval and manipulation of short-term memory contents) compared with a simple sensory-motor matching task. In addition, a functional connectivity analysis was performed. SETTING Tertiary outpatient clinic. PARTICIPANTS Seven patients with mild to moderate PD (not taking medication) and 7 healthy controls. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Cortical deactivations. RESULTS Both groups showed comparable deactivation of the medial prefrontal cortex but different deactivation in the posterior cingulate cortex and the precuneus. Compared with controls, patients with PD not only showed less deactivation of the posterior cingulate cortex and the precuneus, they even demonstrated a reversed pattern of activation and deactivation. Connectivity analysis yielded that in contrast to healthy individuals, medial prefrontal cortex and the rostral ventromedial caudate nucleus were functionally disconnected in PD. CONCLUSIONS We describe specific malfunctioning of the default mode network during an executive task in PD. This finding is plausibly linked to dopamine depletion and may critically contribute to the understanding of executive deficits in PD.
A simple approach to diverse humanoid locomotion

We propose a simple design strategy for diverse humanoid locomotion, which does not require a precise model of the robot and does not need careful design of desired gait trajectories. We show that a humanoid robot can walk using simple sinusoidal desired joint trajectories with their phase adjusted by a coupled oscillator model. We use the center of pressure location and its velocity to detect the phase of the robot dynamics. This phase information is used to modulate the desired joint trajectories. We do not explicitly use dynamical parameters of the humanoid robot. We applied the proposed control strategy to our newly developed human sized humanoid robot CB and a small size humanoid robot, enabling them to generate diverse range of locomotive patterns.
Aldosterone antagonism studies in the rhesus monkey.

Renal studies in femal rhesus monkeys indicated that 10 micron g was an optimum i.m. sodium-retaining dose of aldosterone. Aldosterone was injected i.m. at dosages of 2.5, 5, 10 and 20 micron g/animal. The 10-micron g dose induced about a 50% reduction in sodium excretion (from 3.7 to 1.7 mEq/6 hr) and was selected as the standard dose for antagonism studies. K excretion and urine volume remained unchanged. Subsequently, the oral antialdosterone activities of spironolactone and canrenone, a delta6 metabolite, were assessed at dosages of 1, 4 and 8 mg/kg. Dose-related increases in the aldosterone-depressed urinary Na/k ratio occurred primarily as a consequence of enhanced sodium excretion. Canrenone possessed antialdosterone potency equal to that of spironolactone. In the absence of exogenous aldosterone, spironolactone (16 mg/kg) was essentially devoid of diuretic activity whereas hydrochlorothiazide (1 mg/kg) induced marked increases in Na (256%) and K (105%) excretion and urine volume (109%).