Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CI‐Graph simultaneous localization and mapping for three‐dimensional reconstruction of large and complex environments using a multicamera system

Submapping and graphical methods have been shown to be valuable approaches to simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), providing significant advantages over the classical extended Kalman filter (EKF) solution: they are faster and, when using local coordinates, produce more consistent estimates. The main contribution of this paper is CI‐Graph SLAM, a novel algorithm that is able to efficiently map large environments by building a graph of submaps and a spanning tree of this graph with the following properties: (1) any pair of neighboring submaps in the spanning tree are conditionally independent and (2) the current submap is always up to date, containing the marginal probabilities of the submap variables given all previous measurements. Thanks to these properties, an old submap can be updated at any time by performing a single propagation from the current map to the old submap along the spanning tree. This operation is required only when a map is revisited, with a cost linear with the number of maps in the loop. At the end of the experiment the method performs a single propagation through the whole tree, recovering exactly the same marginals for all the map variables as the EKF–SLAM algorithm does, without ever needing to compute the whole covariance matrix. To evaluate CI‐Graph performance in extremely loopy environments, the method was tested using a synthetic Manhattan world. The behavior of the algorithm in large real environments is shown using the public data sets from the RAWSEEDS project in which a robot equipped with a trinocular camera traversed indoor and outdoor environments with several loops and revisited areas. Loops are robustly closed using a novel technique that detects candidate loop closures using a visual vocabulary tree and filters them using temporal and geometric constraints. Our experiments show that when using frontal cameras, the technique outperforms FAB‐MAP. The epipolar geometry of the loop‐closing images is used to find feature matches that are imposed on the CI‐Graph to correct the submap estimations along the loop. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
THE MOST DISTANT STARS IN THE MILKY WAY

We report on the discovery of the most distant Milky Way (MW) stars known to date: ULAS J001535.72+015549.6 and ULAS J074417.48+253233.0. These stars were selected as M giant candidates based on their infrared and optical colors and lack of proper motions. We spectroscopically confirmed them as outer halo giants using the MMT/Red Channel spectrograph. Both stars have large estimated distances, with ULAS J001535.72+015549.6 at 274 ± 74 kpc and ULAS J074417.48+253233.0 at 238 ± 64 kpc, making them the first MW stars discovered beyond 200 kpc. ULAS J001535.72+015549.6 and ULAS J074417.48+253233.0 are both moving away from the Galactic center at 52 ± 10 km s−1 and 24 ± 10 km s−1, respectively. Using their distances and kinematics, we considered possible origins such as: tidal stripping from a dwarf galaxy, ejection from the MW's disk, or membership in an undetected dwarf galaxy. These M giants, along with two inner halo giants that were also confirmed during this campaign, are the first to map largely unexplored regions of our Galaxy's outer halo.
Insulators and boundaries: versatile regulatory elements in the eukaryotic genome.

Insulators mark the boundaries of chromatin domains by limiting the range of action of enhancers and silencers. Although the properties of insulators have been well studied, their role in vivo has largely been a subject of speculation. Recent results make it possible to ascribe specific and essential functions to the insulators ofDrosophila, yeast, and vertebrates. In some cases, insulator activity can be modulated by nearby regulatory elements, bound cofactors, or covalent modification of the DNA. Not simply passive barriers, insulators are active participants in eukaryotic gene regulation.
VO2 responses to different intermittent runs at velocity associated with VO2max.

The purposes of this study were (1) to determine the time sustained above 90% of VO2max in different intermittent running sessions having the same overall time run at the velocity (vVO2max) associated with VO2max, and (2) to test whether the use of a fixed-fraction (50%) of the time to exhaustion at vVO2max (Tlim) leads to longer time spent at a high percentage of VO2max. Subjects were 8 triathletes who, after determination of their track vVO2max and Tlim, performed three intermittent running sessions alternating the velocity between 100% and 50% of vVO2max, termed 30 s-30 s, 60 s-30 s, and 1/2 Tlim, where the overall time at vVO2max was similar (= 3 x Tlim). VO2max achieved in the incremental test was 71.1 +/- 3.9 ml.min-1.kg-1 and Tlim was 236 +/- 49 s. VO2peak and peak heart rate were lower in 30 s-30 s than in the other intermittent runs. The time spent above 90% of VO2max was significantly (p < 0.001) longer either in 60 s-30 s (531 +/- 187 s) or in 1/2 Tlim-1/2 Tlim (487 +/- 176 s) than in 30 s-30 s (149 +/- 33 s). Tlim was negatively correlated with the time (in % of Tlim) spent above 90% of VO2max in 30 s-30 s (r = -0.75, p < 0.05). Tlim was also correlated with the difference of time spent over 90% of VO2max between 60 s-30 s and 30 s-30 s (r = 0.77, p < 0.05), or between 1/2 Tlim-1/2 Tlim and 30 s-30 s (r = 0.97, p < 0.001). The results confirm that vVO2max and Tlim are useful for setting interval-training sessions. However, the use of an individualized fixed-fraction of Tlim did not lead to longer time spent at a high percentage of VO2max compared to when using a fixed work-interval duration.
Yersinia enterocolitica Type III Secretion: Mutational Analysis of the yopQ Secretion Signal

ABSTRACT Pathogenic Yersinia spp. secrete Yop proteins via the type III pathway. yopQ codons 1 to 15 were identified as a signal necessary and sufficient for the secretion of a fused reporter protein. Frameshift mutations that alter codons 2 to 15 with little alteration of yopQ mRNA sequence do not abolish type III transport, suggesting a model in which yopQ mRNA may provide a signal for secretion (D. M. Anderson and O. Schneewind, Mol. Microbiol. 31:1139-1148, 2001). In a recent study, the yopE signal was truncated to codons 1 to 12. All frameshift mutations introduced within the first 12 codons of yopE abolished secretion. Also, multiple synonymous mutations that changed the mRNA sequence of yopE codons 1 to 12 without altering the amino acid sequence did not affect secretion. These results favor a model whereby an N-terminal signal peptide initiates YopE into the type III pathway (S. A. Lloyd et al., Mol. Microbiol. 39:520-531, 2001). It is reported here that codons 1 to 10 of yopQ act as a minimal secretion signal. Further truncation of yopQ, either at codon 10 or at codon 2, abolished secretion. Replacement of yopQ AUG with either of two other start codons, UUG or GUG, did not affect secretion. However, replacement of AUG with CUG or AAA and initiating translation at the fusion site with npt did not permit Npt secretion, suggesting that the translation of yopQ codons 1 to 15 is a prerequisite for secretion. Frameshift mutations of yopQ codons 1 to 10, 1 to 11, and 1 to 12 abolished secretion signaling, whereas frameshift mutations of yopQ codons 1 to 13, 1 to 14, and 1 to 15 did not. Codon changes at yopQ positions 2 and 10 affected secretion signaling when placed within the first 10 codons but had no effect when positioned in the larger fusion of yopQ codons 1 to 15. An mRNA mutant of yopQ codons 1 to 10, generated by a combination of nine synonymous mutations, was defective in secretion signaling, suggesting that the YopQ secretion signal is not proteinaceous. A model is discussed whereby the initiation of YopQ polypeptide into the type III pathway is controlled by properties of yopQ mRNA.
Rapid Acyl Migration between Pyrogallyl 1,2- and 1,3-Dipivaloates

Pyrogallol and its derivatives are biologically active compounds, and pyrogallol also forms the basis of an increasingly important tetrameric supramolecular scaffold. Pyrogallol[4]arenes are tetrameric macrocycles that form from 1,2,3-trihydroxybenzene and aldehydes under acidic conditions. Pyrogallol was treated with two equivalents of pivaloyl chloride to form pyrogallyl dipivaloate. A mixture of regioisomers was invariably obtained and a rapid equilibrium was observed between the 1,2- and 1,3-diesters in polar solvents. A pure sample of solid pyrogallyl 1,2-dipivaloate was isolated and its crystal structure was obtained. The pure compound was shown to rearrange to mixtures similar to those isolated initially.
Solution NMR structure and folding dynamics of the N terminus of a rat non-muscle alpha-tropomyosin in an engineered chimeric protein.

Tropomyosin is an alpha-helical coiled-coil protein that aligns head-to-tail along the length of the actin filament and regulates its function. The solution structure of the functionally important N terminus of a short 247-residue non-muscle tropomyosin was determined in an engineered chimeric protein, GlyTM1bZip, consisting of the first 19 residues of rat short alpha-tropomyosin and the last 18 residues of the GCN4 leucine zipper. A gene encoding GlyTM1bZip was synthesized, cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. Triple resonance NMR spectra were analyzed with the program AutoAssign to assign its backbone resonances. Multidimensional nuclear Overhauser effect spectra, X-filtered spectra and (3)J(H(N)-H(alpha)) scalar coupling were analyzed using AutoStructure. This is the first application of this new program to determine the three-dimensional structure of a symmetric homodimer and a structure not previously reported. Residues 7-35 in GlyTM1bZip form a coiled coil, but neither end is helical. Heteronuclear (15)N-(1)H nuclear Overhauser effect data showed that the non-helical N-terminal residues are flexible. The (13)C' chemical shifts of the coiled-coil backbone carbonyl groups in GlyTM1bZip showed a previously unreported periodicity, where resonances arising from residues at the coiled-coil interface in a and d positions of the heptad repeat were displaced relatively upfield and those arising from residues in c positions were displaced relatively downfield. Heteronuclear single quantum coherence spectra, collected as a function of temperature, showed that cross-peaks arising from the alpha-helical backbone and side-chains at the coiled-coil interface broadened or shifted with T(M) values approximately 20 degrees C lower than the loss of alpha-helix measured by circular dichroism, suggesting the presence of a folding intermediate. The side-chain of Ile14, a residue essential for binding interactions, exhibited multiple conformations. The conformational flexibility of the N termini of short tropomyosins may be important for their binding specificity.
Volunteer Engagement, Indirect Compensation and Youth Experience

This study applies the Order Tobit Regression approach to estimate volunteer engagement and retention. Using a sample of 14, 059 participants, this inquiry draws on the 2010 Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating (CSGVP) and ascertains that compensation (both direct and indirect) can have a significant impact on volunteerism. The findings indicate that direct (honorariums and payments) and indirect compensations (opportunity to network and develop skills) empower volunteers in engagement and retention. Youth experience aids in volunteer engagement, but not in retention. Youth experience and religiosity foster volunteering in later life. The analysis concludes that effective training, family support, and recognition play strategic roles in promoting volunteerism.
Modular double-cascade converter

A new multilevel converter topology with cascaded H-bridges and a multi-winding medium frequency isolation transformer is introduced. The proposed converter topology has a modular structure, which is achieved using cascaded H-bridges. The isolation for the H-bridges is provided by medium frequency isolation transformers which are small compared with line frequency transformers with the same power rating. The building blocks of the proposed converter topology can be connected in series or in parallel. Series connection adds voltage steps to output voltage, and parallel connection increases the power rating of the converter.
SMARCA 4 / BRG 1 is a novel prognostic biomarker predictive of cisplatin-based chemotherapy outcomes in resected non-small cell lung cancer

Erica Hlavin Bell, PhD, Arup R. Chakraborty, PhD, Xiaokui Mo, PhD, Ziyan Liu, MS, Konstantin Shilo, MD, Simon Kirste, MD, Petra Stegmaier, MD, Maureen McNulty, BS, Niki Karachaliou, MD, Rafael Rosell, MD, PhD, Gerold Bepler, MD, PhD, David P. Carbone, MD, PhD, and Arnab Chakravarti, MD Department of Radiation Oncology, Arthur G. James Hospital/Ohio State Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, OH, United States of America Center for Biostatistics, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, United States of America Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, United States of America Department of Radiation Oncology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany Translational Research Unit, Dr Rosell Oncology Institute, Quirón Dexeus University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain Catalan Institute of Oncology, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, United States of America Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, United States of America
"Determination of mycophenolic acid in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography"

A simple, sensitive and reproducible HPLC method is presented for determination of mycophenolic acid(MPA) in human plasma. Samples were prepared after precipitation of the plasma protein by addition of acetonitrile and naproxen was used as internal standard (I.S.). Separation was performed by reversedphase HPLC, using a Hamilton PRP-C18 Column, 51% acetonitrile and 49% potassium phosphate buffer (20 mM) at pH 3.0 as mobile phase, flow rate of 1.0 ml/min, and UV detection at 215 nm. MPA and I.S. had retention times of 7.5 and 11.35 min, respectively. The method showed an acceptable linearity in the range of 0. 1µg/ml-40µg/ml with r2 of . 9992. The concentration of 0. 1µg/ml was determined as quantification limit. Mean absolute recovery was 94.8%. The mean intra- and inter-day reproducibility of method was 4.6 and 11.4% respectively.
The Valuation and Risk Management of a DB Underpin Pension Plan

Hybrid pension plans offer employees the best features of both defined benefit and defined contribution plans. In this work, we consider the hybrid design offering a defined contribution benefit with a defined benefit guaranteed minimum underpin. This study applies the contingent claims approach to value the defined contribution benefit with a defined benefit guaranteed minimum underpin. The study shows that entry age, utility function parameters and the market price of risk each has a significant effect on the value of retirement benefits. We also consider risk management for this defined benefit underpin pension plan. Assuming fixed interest rates, and assuming that salaries can be treated as a tradable asset, contribution rates are developed for the Entry Age Normal (EAN), Projected Unit Credit(PUC), and Traditional Unit Credit (TUC) funding methods. For the EAN, the contribution rates are constant throughout the service period. However, the hedge parameters for this method are not tradable. For the accruals method, the individual contribution rates are not constant. For both the PUC and TUC, a delta hedge strategy is derived and explained. The analysis is extended to relax the tradable assumption for salaries, using the inflation as a partial hedge. Finally, methods for incorporating volatility reducing and risk management are considered.
Study on a real case of low frequency oscillation occurred in the black-start by a hydropower plant

This paper recaptures a low frequency oscillation occurred during simulation and finally being resolved in the real grid. Three hypothesis are proposed to tackle this issue, namely the ferro-resonance caused by hasty stepping up, the inrush current derived from remanence in transformer and the parameter resonance between the unit and experiment grid. After being refuted consecutively it is assumed that the auto-excitation system parameter resonates with grid. Expectedly the oscillation vanished by altering the control parameter with proof of some simulation results. At last two conclusions are presented from experimental analysis.
An Efficient Activity Recognition Framework: Toward Privacy-Sensitive Health Data Sensing

Recent advances in wireless sensor networks for ubiquitous health and activity monitoring systems have triggered the possibility of addressing human needs in smart environments through recognizing human real-time activities. While the nature of streams in such networks requires efficient recognition techniques, it is also subject to suspicious inference-based privacy attacks. In this paper, we propose a framework that efficiently recognizes human activities in smart homes based on spatiotemporal mining technique. In addition, we propose a technique to enhance the privacy of the collected human sensed activities using a modified version of micro-aggregation approach. An extensive validation of our framework has been performed on benchmark data sets yielding quite promising results in terms of accuracy and privacy-utility tradeoff.
The work of reuse: birth certificate data and healthcare accountability measurements

Data reuse – long a key focus of information studies and CSCW research on eScience – is increasingly a major issue in organizations attempting to leverage data gathered using information systems for accountability functions such as performance measurements. Carrying out organizational analytics and performance measurements for accountability typically rests on the ability to successfully reuse existing, procurable data. We present results from an ethnographic study of the practices of recording birth certificate data and related attempts to assess and improve birth certificate data in response to a new reuse of birth certificate data for measurements introduced to hold hospitals accountable for the quality of the care they are delivering. Drawing on literature on data reuse and information infrastructure, we describe the situated work that must take place in order for birth certificate data to be reused for accountability purposes, and the organizational capacity building that must take place to facilitate the reuse of birth certificate data for measurement oriented to organizational improvement and accountability.
Research and implementation of synchronized LXI interface

Synchronized LXI interface defines how to implement time and synchronize of LXI modules on internet, and is the key technology in automatic test system based on LXI. In this paper,character and driving specification of LXI are described, and function and cooperation of LXISyncArm, LXISyncTriggle, LXISyncEvent, LXISyncLog, LXISyncTime subsystem in LXISync interface are discussed, and finally LXISync interface is implemented to interchange data and command.
Copyright Considerations for Providing 3D Printing Services in the Library

EDITOR'S SUMMARY3D printing enables physical objects to be constructed from a virtual 3D model with the aid of a computer‐aided design (CAD) program. The CAD files and printed physical product may be protected by copyright law, covering rights to reproduce and distribute copies of the work, make derivative works and publicly display or perform the work. Copyright does not cover useful articles or works in the public domain. Libraries could become entangled in copyright infringement directly or secondarily by providing the equipment that may be used to infringe on a copyright. Libraries can manage their risks by developing and implementing policies regarding 3D printer use, including using a mediated service model and being mindful of the “unsupervised copying” exception in the copyright law for libraries and archives. Patron education on 3D printing provides an opportunity to explain library policies on use and copyright issues.
Voluntary Information Disclosure at IPO

Recent studies, starting with Hanley Weiss and Hoberg (2010), have used textual analysis to document that voluntary disclosure of information in IPO prospectuses is associated with lower IPO underpricing. We employ an alternative measure and model the issuer’s choice of information disclosure, documenting what factors lead to higher disclosure. We then find that the effect of disclosure on underpricing is asymmetric: firms that disclose more information enjoy lower underpricing, while firms that disclose less are not penalized by higher underpricing. Our measure allows us to account for the endogenous nature of information disclosure. We can therefore argue that the effect of disclosure on underpricing is causal.
Energy-based iterative cost aggregation in depth estimation with a stereo camera

This paper presents a novel algorithm for performing an efficient cost aggregation in stereo vision. The cost aggregation is re-formulated under an iterative framework with a perspective of an energy model. The convergence of global energy is exploited to calculate the number of the iterations in cost aggregation. Experimental results show that the proposed method improves the quality of the disparity.
REPRODUCIBILITY AND REPEATABILITY OF CIRRUS AND SPECTRALIS FOURIER-DOMAIN OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY OF HEALTHY AND EPIRETINAL MEMBRANE EYES

Purpose: To evaluate the accuracy and reproducibility of retinal thickness measurements in healthy and epiretinal membranes (ERM) eyes by Cirrus and Spectralis Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography devices. Methods: Eighty-seven ERM and 122 healthy subjects underwent 3 macular scans using both optical coherence tomography instruments. Mean thickness measurements in the nine Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study areas were compared, evaluating the repeatability and the relationship between devices. Results: Macular thickness increase was detected in ERM eyes for all optical coherence tomography parameters (P < 0.001). Mean foveal thickness was 423.5 ± 81.4 and 438.0 ± 54.2 &mgr;m for ERM eyes and 267.1 ± 20.2 and 277.5 ± 18.9 &mgr;m for healthy eyes using Cirrus and Spectralis, respectively. Macular average thickness in ERM eyes as determined by both optical coherence tomography was correlated (r = 0.812; P < 0.001) but significantly different (P = 0.044). In ERM eyes, measurements showed a mean of the coefficients of variation of 2.95%, 2.2%, and 1.01% using Cirrus, Spectralis, and Spectralis progression feature, respectively. Intraclass correlation coefficients were higher than 0.919 in all cases. Conclusion: Reproducibility of both Cirrus and Spectralis optical coherence tomography was high in healthy and ERM eyes. However, considerable differences were found between macular thickness measurements obtained by both devices despite the high correlation between them.