Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sketch plus colorization deep convolutional neural networks for photos generation from sketches

In this paper, we introduce a method to generate photos from sketches using Deep Convolutional Neural Networks (DCNN). This research proposes a method by combining a network to invert sketches into photos (sketch inversion net) with a network to predict color given grayscale images (colorization net). By using this method, the quality of generated photos is expected to be more similar to the actual photos. We first artificially constructed uncontrolled conditions for the dataset. The dataset, which consists of hand-drawn sketches and their corresponding photos, were pre-processed using several data augmentation techniques to train the models in addressing the issues of rotation, scaling, shape, noise, and positioning. Validation was measured using two types of similarity measurements: pixel-difference based and human visual system (HVS) which mimics human perception in evaluating the quality of an image. The pixel-difference based metric consists of Mean Squared Error (MSE) and Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR) while the HVS consists of Universal Image Quality Index (UIQI) and Structural Similarity (SSIM). Our method gives the best quality of generated photos for all measures (844.04 for MSE, 19.06 for PSNR, 0.47 for UIQI, and 0.66 for SSIM).
Analysis of MAP 4 function in living cells using green fluorescent protein (GFP) chimeras

MAP 4 is a ubiquitous microtubule-associated protein thought to play a role in the polymerization and stability of microtubules in interphase and mitotic cells. We have analyzed the behavior of protein domains of MAP 4 in vivo using chimeras constructed from these polypeptides and the green fluorescent protein (GFP). GFP-MAP 4 localizes to microtubules; this is confirmed by colocalization of GFP-MAP 4 with microtubules that have incorporated microinjected rhodamine-tubulin, and by loss of localized fluorescence after treatment of cells with anti-microtubule agents. Different subdomains of MAP 4 have distinct effects on microtubule organization and dynamics. The entire basic domain of MAP 4 reorganizes microtubules into bundles and stabilizes these arrays against depolymerization with nocodazole. Within the basic domain, the PGGG repeats, which are conserved with MAP 2 and tau, have a weak affinity for microtubules and are dispensable for microtubule binding, whereas the MAP 4-unique PSP region can function independently in binding. The projection domain shows no microtubule localization, but does modulate the association of various binding subdomains with microtubules. The acidic carboxy terminus of MAP 4 strongly affects the microtubule binding characteristics of the other domains, despite constituting less than 6% of the protein. These data show that MAP 4 association with microtubules is modulated by sequences both within and outside the basic domain. Further, our work demonstrates that GFP chimeras will allow an in vivo analysis of the effects of MAPs and their variants on microtubule dynamics in real time.
An instruction set for the efficient implementation of the CORDIC algorithm

In this paper, an instruction set for a processor is proposed which is very well suited for the implementation of the CORDIC algorithm. This instruction set is efficient for both the hardware implementation of the processor and the CORDIC software implementation. This is achieved by conditional instructions which reduce the number of lines of code significantly. In order to implement the conditional instructions in the processor hardware model with a conventional ALU, only a few additional gates are necessary. Thus, the increase in area and timing of the processor is negligible due to these additional instructions. The presented approach is a very good trade-off from a hardware/software co-design perspective if both the hardware and software efficiency is important.
A survey of coverage based testing tools

Test coverage is sometimes used as a way to measure how thoroughly software is tested. Coverage is used by software developers and sometimes by vendors to indicate their confidence in the readiness of their software. This survey studies and compares 17 coverage-based testing tools focusing on, but not restricted to coverage measurement. We also survey additional features, including program prioritization for testing, assistance in debugging, automatic generation of test cases, and customization of test reports. Such features make tools more useful and practical, especially for large-scale, real-life commercial software applications. Our initial motivations were both to understand the available test coverage tools and to compare them to a tool that we have developed, called eXVantage1 (a tool suite that includes code coverage testing, debugging, performance profiling, and reporting). Our study shows that each tool has its unique features tailored to its application domains. Therefore this study can be used to pick the right coverage testing tools depending on various requirements.
Domination and its applications in ad hoc wireless networks with unidirectional links

We consider an efficient distributed algorithm for determining a dominating and absorbant set of vertices (mobile hosts) in a given directed graph that represents an ad hoc wireless network with unidirectional links. This approach is based on the concept of dominating set in graph theory. A host /spl upsi/ is called a dominating neighbor (absorbant neighbor) of another host u if there is a directed edge (/spl upsi/, u) ((u, /spl upsi/)). A subset of vertices is dominating and absorbant if every vertex not in the subset has one dominating neighbor and one absorbant neighbor in the subset. A quick formation process of a dominating and absorbant set is given and this set can be easily updated when the network topology changes dynamically. Ideas for dominating-set-based routing in an ad hoc wireless network with unidirectional links are also given. The effectiveness of the approach is confirmed through a simulation study.
Temporal Relation Classification in Persian and English contexts

This paper introduces the first pattern-based Persian Temporal Relation Classifier (PTRC) that finds the type of temporal relations between pairs of events in the Persian texts. The proposed system uses support vector machines (SVMs) equipped by combinations of simple, convolution tree, and string subsequence kernels (SSK). In order to evaluate the algorithm, we have developed a Persian TimeBank (PTB) corpus. PTRC not only increases the performance of the classification by applying new features and SSK, but also alleviates the probable adverse effects of the Free Word Orderness (FWO) of Persian on temporal relation classification. We have also applied our proposed algorithm to two standard corpora on English (i.e., TimeBank and TempEval-2) to measure the efficiency of the new features and SSK. The experiments show the accuracies of 65.6%, 59.53%, 50.2%, and 62.17% on an augmented version of PTB, TimeBank, tasks E and F of TempEval-2, respectively. Consequently, we have achieved the third best result on TimeBank, and the second best result on the task F of TempEval-2.
A normally-off GaN FET with high threshold voltage uniformity using a novel piezo neutralization technique

In this paper, we successfully demonstrate a recessed gate normally-off GaN FET on a silicon substrate with high threshold voltage (V<inf>th</inf>) uniformity and low on-resistance. In order to realize high V<inf>th</inf> uniformity, a novel V<inf>th</inf> control technique is proposed, which we call “piezo neutralization technique”. This technique includes a piezo neutralization (PNT) layer formed at the bottom of the gate recess. Since the PNT layer neutralizes the polarization charges under the gate, the V<inf>th</inf> comes to be independent of the gate-to-channel span. The fabricated normally-off GaN FET with PNT structure exhibits an excellent V<inf>th</inf> uniformity (σ(V<inf>th</inf>)=18 mV) and a state-of-the-art combination of the specific on-resistance (R<inf>on</inf>A=500 mΩmm<sup>2</sup>) and the breakdown voltage (V<inf>B</inf>≫1000 V). The normally-off GaN FETs wtih PNT structure show great promise as power devices.
Structural and Functional Characterization of SporoSAG

Toxoplasma gondii, the etiological agent of toxoplasmosis, utilizes stage-specific expression of antigenically distinct glycosylphosphatidylinositol-tethered surface coat proteins to promote and establish chronic infection. Of the three infective stages of T. gondii, sporozoites are encapsulated in highly infectious oocysts that have been linked to large scale outbreaks of toxoplasmosis. SporoSAG (surface antigen glycoprotein) is the dominant surface coat protein expressed on the surface of sporozoites. Using a bioinformatic approach, we show that SporoSAG clusters with the SAG2 subfamily of the SAG1-related superfamily (SRS) and is non-polymorphic among the 11 haplogroups of T. gondii strains. In contrast to the immunodominant SAG1 protein expressed on tachyzoites, SporoSAG is non-immunogenic during natural infection. We report the 1.60 Å resolution crystal structure of SporoSAG solved using cadmium single anomalous dispersion. SporoSAG crystallized as a monomer and displays unique features of the SRS β-sandwich fold relative to SAG1 and BSR4. Intriguingly, the structural diversity is localized to the upper sheets of the β-sandwich fold and may have important implications for multimerization and host cell ligand recognition. The structure of SporoSAG also reveals an unexpectedly acidic surface that contrasts with the previously determined SAG1 and BSR4 structures where a basic surface is predicted to play a role in binding negatively charged glycosaminoglycans. Our structural and functional characterization of SporoSAG provides a rationale for the evolutionary divergence of this key SRS family member.
Monitoring General Linear Profiles Using Multivariate Exponentially Weighted Moving Average Schemes

We propose a statistical process control scheme that can be implemented in industrial practice, in which the quality of a process can be characterized by a general linear profile. We start by reviewing the general linear profile model and the existing monitoring methods. Based on this, we propose a novel multivariate exponentially weighted moving average monitoring scheme for such a profile. We introduce two other enhancement features, the variable sampling interval and the parametric diagnostic approach, to further improve the performance of the proposed scheme. Throughout the article, we use a deep reactive ion etching example from semiconductor manufacturing, which has a profile that fits a quadratic polynomial regression model well, to illustrate the implementation of the proposed approach.
Searching for an endogenous anti-Alzheimer molecule: identifying small molecules in the brain that slow Alzheimer disease progression by inhibition of ß-amyloid aggregation.

BACKGROUND Alzheimer disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that progresses with marked interindividual clinical variability. We postulate the existence of endogenous molecules within the human brain exerting an antiaggregant activity that will prevent/slow Alzheimer disease progression. METHODS We performed in silico studies to determine if the small endogenous molecules L-phosphoserine (L-PS) and 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid (3-HAA) could bind to the target region of ß-amyloid responsible for protein misfolding. In vitro assays measured the antiaggregation effect of these molecules at varying concentrations. RESULTS In silico studies demonstrated that L-PS and 3-HAA, both endogenous brain molecules, were capable of binding to the histidine(13)-histidine-glutamine-lysine(16) (HHQK) region of ß-amyloid involved in misfolding: these interactions were energetically favoured. The in vitro assays showed that both L-PS and 3-HAA were capable of inhibiting ß-amyloid aggregation in a dose-dependent manner, with 3-HAA being more potent than L-PS. LIMITATIONS Studies were performed in silico and in vitro but not in vivo. CONCLUSION We successfully identified 2 endogenous brain molecules, L-PS and 3-HAA, that were capable of binding to the region of ß-amyloid that leads to protein misfolding and neurotoxicity. Both L-PS and 3-HAA were able to inhibit ß-amyloid aggregation in varying concentrations; levels of these compounds in the brain may impact their effectiveness in slowing/preventing ß-amyloid aggregation.
Electrolyte transport in a central core model of the renal medulla.

Transport of Na+, K+, Cl-, urea, and water is described in a central core model of the renal medulla. Equations for mass balance, Poiseuille flow, and the Nernst-Planck equation describe the continuous behavior of the system along the medullary axis and along the distal nephron; the Kedem and Katchalsky phenomenology describes passive transmural transport; active transmural transport obeys Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Numerical solution of the differential equations shows that to a close approximation any combination of active Na+ and active Cl- transport can generate the same concentration profiles but will generate very different potential profiles, and consequently, very different K+ absorption in thick ascending limb of Henle's loop. If a net transport stoichiometry of 2 Cl- ions to 1 Na+ ion is selected for the pumps, an active Cl- transport rate of approximately 10,000 peq.s-1.cm-2 gives K+ and Na+ concentrations in early distal nephron and a medullary osmolality profile in reasonable agreement with experimental data.
Adaptive location recommendation algorithm based on location-based social networks

With the development of social network and location-based services, location-based social network rose. In the Geo-Social recommended system, location recommendation has become a focus of recent research. This paper analyzes three questions the personalized recommendation algorithm may face: location data sparseness, cold start and registered locations near and far from the usual residence. Through the analysis of those questions, we propose an improved adaptive location recommendation algorithm. This algorithm merges user collaborative filtering, social influence, and naive Bayesian classification. It adapts to the user's current location, and recommend the most suitable location. In this paper, we compare the improved algorithm with other recommendation algorithms, verifying the feasibility, and effectiveness of the improved algorithm. Experimental results indicate that the improved algorithm can solve the problems of personalized place recommendations, and recommend place better.
Evaluation of oxidative stress markers in infertile women

Reproductive failure is a significant public health concern. Recently, ROS have been shown to have an important role in the normal functioning of the reproductive system and in the pathogenesis of infertility in females. Oxidative stress affects both natural and assisted infertility. Treatment that reduces OS may help infertile women with the disease that is caused by imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants. MDA is an end product of lipid peroxidation which can be used as a biomarker to measure the level of oxidative stress. TAC measures the low molecular weight non enzymatic antioxidants. Increase in MDA and decrease in TAC indicates an increase in oxidative stress. In the present study, it was observed that there was a statistically significant increase in serum MDA levels in female factor infertility and unexplained infertility when compared to controls. There was a statistically significant decrease in serum TAC in female factor infertility and unexplained infertility when compared to controls and statistically significant increase in serum LDH in infertile women with unexplained infertility compared to the control group and female factor infertility signifying the apoptotic damage in the unexplained infertility. Rajeshwary P, M. Nagaprasanth, Salma Mahaboob R, G. Obulesu. Evaluation of oxidative stress markers in infertile women. IAIM, 2016; 3(10): 239-244.
A note on the quantum collision and set equality problems

The results showing a quantum query complexity of $\Theta(N^{1/3})$ for the collision problem do not apply to random functions. The issues are two-fold. First, the $\Omega(N^{1/3})$ lower bound only applies when the range is no larger than the domain, which precludes many of the cryptographically interesting applications. Second, most of the results in the literature only apply to $r$-to-1 functions, which are quite different from random functions. Understanding the collision problem for random functions is of great importance to cryptography, and we seek to fill the gaps of knowledge for this problem. To that end, we prove that, as expected, a quantum query complexity of $\Theta(N^{1/3})$ holds for all interesting domain and range sizes. Our proofs are simple, and combine existing techniques with several novel tricks to obtain the desired results. Using our techniques, we also give an optimal $\Omega(N^{1/3})$ lower bound for the set equality problem. This new lower bound can be used to improve the relationship between classical randomized query complexity and quantum query complexity for so-called permutation-symmetric functions.
Phase jump technique for minimization of load voltage transients in SSSC-based voltage regulator

There is a large body of literature on modeling, design, and analysis of static-synchronous-series-compensator (SSSC) for voltage restoration and regulation. Most of them focus on investigating the impacts of source voltage disturbance only and give less emphasis on characterizing the whole system under load disturbances. This paper will derive a mathematical model to describe the static and dynamic characteristics of a capacitor-supported SSSC-based voltage regulator and will propose a phase jump technique that can minimize the load voltage fluctuation under load type and load value disturbances. The proposed technique has been applied to a 3kVA, 220V system. Experimental results show that the proposed technique can effectively reduce the load voltage fluctuation from 20% to 5% and reduce the settling time by 90% under a sudden change of the load type from inductive to capacitive, and vice versa.
Directionality in distribution and temporal structure of variability in skill acquisition

Observable structure of variability presents a window into the underlying processes of skill acquisition, especially when the task affords a manifold of solutions to the desired task result. This study examined skill acquisition by analyzing variability in both its distributional and temporal structure. Using a virtual throwing task, data distributions were analyzed by the Tolerance, Noise, Covariation-method (TNC); the temporal structure was quantified by autocorrelation and detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA). We tested four hypotheses: (1) Tolerance and Covariation, not Noise, are major factors underlying long-term performance improvement. (2) Trial-to-trial dynamics in execution space exhibits preferred directions. (3) The direction-dependent organization of variability becomes more pronounced with practice. (4) The anisotropy is in directions orthogonal and parallel to the solution manifold. Results from 13 subjects practicing for 6 days revealed that performance improvement correlated with increasing Tolerance and Covariation; Noise remained relatively constant. Temporal fluctuations and their directional modulation were identified by a novel rotation method that was a priori ignorant about orthogonality. Results showed a modulation of time-dependent characteristics that became enhanced with practice. However, this directionality was not coincident with orthogonal and parallel directions of the solution manifold. A state-space model with two sources of noise replicated not only the observed temporal structure but also its deviations from orthogonality. Simulations suggested that practice-induced changes were associated with an increase in the feedback gain and a subtle weighting of the two noise sources. The directionality in the structure of variability depended on the scaling of the coordinates, a result that highlights that analysis of variability sensitively depends on the chosen coordinates.
Looking for a humane interface: will computers ever become easy to use?

Landmarks in Human-Computer Interaction Thirty-five years ago Ivan Sutherland was working on Sketchpad, it has been 30 years since I published my belief that computers should be graphics-based and human-oriented (as opposed to character-based and technically-oriented) [7], 25 years since Xerox Palo Alto Research Center was established, 20 years since Apple was incorporated, 15 years since Windows development was started [4], and 10 years since the Macintosh began to meet its sales goals and the computer world at large became aware of the importance of GUIs (Graphical User Interfaces). It is now evident that one of the most remarkable changes in the computing milieu was in neither hardware nor software per se but was embodied in an interface design concept that has since been implemented, with variations, on a variety of platforms and operating systems. The primacy of the interface was a revolution largely unforeseen by even the boldest of science fiction writers. Interface technology has altered, perhaps forever, what it means to use a computer, and is as significant for the majority of computer users as was the advent of low-cost computing itself. The GUI, originally introduced primarily to provide a visual metaphor for an operating system, has changed our culture, sometimes in surprising ways. For example, when I first discussed “fonts” in connection with computers in the late 1960s most computer users didn’t know what I was talking about. Fonts were the province of the typographer, the printer, and the graphic artist. Now even schoolchildren have hundreds of fonts to use. The encapsulation of access to the Internet in a GUI was certainly a major factor in its recent emergence as a fundamental resource of the computer age. The landscape has changed: thirty years ago you could only have used a mouse at Doug Engelbart’s group at SRI. Two decades ago it was only at PARC that you could find what the majority of today’s users would recognize as a computer interface. But the Macintosh of a decade past would seem familiar to all of us. Looking for a Humane Interface: