Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Novel Matched Filter for Neural Action Potential Detection

Detection of neural action potentials in background noise is the fist step to many neural researches. Matched filter is a simple and effective action potential detector, but it is found to be too sensitive to the amplitudes differences among the action potentials to be useful in general applications. By introducing adjust function, an improved matched filter detector is proposed. The detector eliminates the variance of differences among action potential amplitudes produced by matched filter. The method is tested and the results show that the improved matched filter outperforms classic matched filter method and energy operator method by getting higher correct ratio and lower false ratio.
Genetic complex multiple kernel for relevance vector regression

Relevance vector machine (RVM) is a state-of-the-art technique for regression and classification, as a sparse Bayesian extension version of the support vector machine. The selection of a kernel and associated parameter is a critical step of RVM application. The real-world application and recent researches have emphasized the requirement to multiple kernel learning, in order to boost the fitting accuracy by adapting better the characteristics of the data. This paper presents a data-driven evolutionary approach, called Genetic Complex Multiple Kernel Relevance Vector Regression (GCMK RVR), which combines genetic programming(GP) and relevance vector regression to evolve an optimal or near-optimal complex multiple kernel function. Each GP chromosome is a tree that encodes the mathematical expression of a complex multiple kernel function. Numerical experiments on several benchmark datasets show that the RVR involving this GCMK perform better than not only the widely used simple kernel, Polynomial, Gaussian RBF and Sigmoid kernel, but also the convex linear multiple kernel function.
Ice Adhesion Measurements of Ice Mitigation Coatings Pertinent to Aircraft Icing

Aircraft anti-icing/de-icing is one of the important areas of concern in current aerospace research. One of the several techniques that are currently identified to address this problem is the use of special ice mitigation coatings which can be applied to prevent or reduce the adhesion of ice on the essential control surfaces. Measurement of ice adhesion strength through shear test is a common method to evaluate the ice phobic performance of such coatings. In the present study, a static ice shear testing mechanism was developed to investigate the effectiveness of different surfaces and super hydrophobic coatings. Furthermore, the ice adhesion test model was validated and the measurement uncertainties related to geometric parameters of the model were identified using finite element analysis model and subsequently validated with the ice adhesion experiment.
Construction and optimization of a ‘ NG Morbidostat ’-An automated continuous-culture device for studying the pathways towards antibiotic resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae [ version 1 ; peer review : awaiting peer review ]

To obtain a detailed picture of the dynamics of antibiotic resistance development in , we built a morbidostat according to the Neisseria gonorrhoeae protocol of Toprak . , adjusted to the specific characteristics required for the et al growth of . In this article we describe the adaptations, N. gonorrhoeae specifications and the difficulties we encountered during the construction and optimization of the NG morbidostat. As a proof of concept, we conducted a morbidostat experiment by increasing concentrations of azithromycin in response to bacterial growth. We started the experiment with two N. reference strains WHO-F and WHO-X. These strains were grown gonorrhoeae in 12 mL GC Broth supplemented with IsoVitaleXTM (1%) and vancomycin, colistin, nystatin, trimethoprim (VCNT) selective supplement for 30 days in a 6% CO environment at 36°C. Samples of the cultures were taken 2-3 times a week and minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of azithromycin were determined using E-test. The initial MICs of WHO-F and WHO-X were 0.125 μg/mL and 0.25 μg/mL, respectively. In less than 30 days, we were able to induce high level azithromycin resistance in , with a 750 and N. gonorrhoeae 1000 fold increase in MIC for WHO-F and WHO-X, respectively.
Unassisted translocation of large polypeptide domains across phospholipid bilayers

Although transmembrane proteins generally require membrane-embedded machinery for integration, a few can insert spontaneously into liposomes. Previously, we established that the tail-anchored (TA) protein cytochrome b(5) (b5) can posttranslationally translocate 28 residues downstream to its transmembrane domain (TMD) across protein-free bilayers (Brambillasca, S., M. Yabal, P. Soffientini, S. Stefanovic, M. Makarow, R.S. Hegde, and N. Borgese. 2005. EMBO J. 24:2533–2542). In the present study, we investigated the limits of this unassisted translocation and report that surprisingly long (85 residues) domains of different sequence and charge placed downstream of b5's TMD can posttranslationally translocate into mammalian microsomes and liposomes at nanomolar nucleotide concentrations. Furthermore, integration of these constructs occurred in vivo in translocon-defective yeast strains. Unassisted translocation was not unique to b5 but was also observed for another TA protein (protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B) whose TMD, like the one of b5, is only moderately hydrophobic. In contrast, more hydrophobic TMDs, like synaptobrevin's, were incapable of supporting unassisted integration, possibly because of their tendency to aggregate in aqueous solution. Our data resolve long-standing discrepancies on TA protein insertion and are relevant to membrane evolution, biogenesis, and physiology.
SYNTHESIS METHODS OF METALLIC NANOPARTICLES-AN OVERVIEW

In this work some of the synthesis methods of metallic nanoparticles are presented. There are two main ways to obtain nanoparticles, depending on the direction in which the processes take part, namely top-down (subtraction of material) and bottom-up (addition of material). Top-down methods include mechanical milling, while laser ablation and bioreduction are just a few techniques included in bottom-up approaches. The wide area of application of nanomaterials has led to a continuous development of the procedures used in their synthesis process.
Synthetic traffic generation based on Measurement-driven modeling of large Wireless Local Area Networks

Wireless local area networks (WLANs) are increasingly being deployed to address the growing demand for wireless access. Contrary to traditional wired-network topologies that reflect the physical hardwired connection of routers, wireless network topologies are more dynamic and have a stochastic element due to the radio propagation conditions, the user mobility and client-AP association process. To improve current best-effort services offered by WLANs, several mechanisms, such as, capacity planning, link adaptation and load balancing, have been proposed. For their performance analysis, models of the network and user activity are critical. Unfortunately, current simulators use simplistic traffic and mobility models [8].
Modeling the effects of compression and suppression on estimates of auditory frequency selectivity

Frequency selectivity is one of the basic properties of the auditory system: it describes its ability to partly separate the frequency components of complex stimuli. This property of hearing in humans can be characterized behaviorally using masking experiments. Estimates of tuning derived from nonsimultaneous masking conditions, when the signal and the masker do not overlap in time, tend to show sharper tuning than those derived from simultaneous masking conditions. It has been suggested that a major part of the difference between estimates of frequency selectivity in the two masking conditions may be due to effects of suppression (see [1] for a review). Suppression refers to the phenomenon that the auditory system’s response to a sound can be decreased by the presence of another sound.
Experimental study on the impact of endoscope distortion correction on computer-assisted celiac disease diagnosis

The impact of applying barrel distortion correction to endoscopic imagery in the context of automated celiac disease diagnosis is experimentally investigated. For a large set of feature extraction techniques, it is found that contrasting to intuition, no improvement but even significant result degradation of classification accuracy can be observed. For techniques relying on geometrical properties of the image material (“shape”), moderate improvements of classification accuracy can be achieved. Reasons for this somewhat unexpected results are discussed and ways how to exploit potential distortion correction benefits are sketched.
Optimally Parsing a Sequence into Different Classes Based on Multiple Types of Evidence

We consider the problem of parsing a sequence into different classes of subsequences. Two common examples are finding the exons and introns in genomic sequences and identifying the secondary structure domains of protein sequences. In each case there are various types of evidence that are relevant to the classification, but none are completely reliable, so we expect some weighted average of all the evidence to provide improved classifications. For example, in the problem of identifying coding regions in genomic DNA, the combined use of evidence such as codon bias and splice junction patterns can give more reliable predictions than either type of evidence alone. We show three main results: 1. For a given weighting of the evidence a dynamic programming algorithm returns the optimal parse and any number of sub-optimal parses. 2. For a given weighting of the evidence a dynamic programming algorithm determines the probability of the optimal parse and any number of sub-optimal parses under a natural Boltzmann-Gibbs distribution over the set of possible parses. 3. Given a set of sequences with known correct parses, a dynamic programming algorithm allows one to apply gradient descent to obtain the weights that maximize the probability of the correct parses of these sequences.
Automated Selection and Configuration of Cloud Environments Using Software Product Lines Principles

Deploying an application to a cloud environment has recently become very trendy, since it offers many advantages such as improving reliability or scalability. These cloud environments provide a wide range of resources at different levels of functionality, which must be appropriately configured by stakeholders for the application to run properly. Handling this variability during the configuration and deployment stages is a complex and error-prone process, usually made in an ad hoc manner in existing solutions. In this paper, we propose a software product lines based approach to face these issues. Combined with a domain model used to select among cloud environments a suitable one, our approach supports stakeholders while configuring the selected cloud environment in a consistent way, and automates the deployment of such configurations through the generation of executable deployment scripts. To evaluate the soundness of the proposed approach, we conduct an experiment involving 10 participants with different levels of experience in cloud configuration and deployment. The experiment shows that using our approach significantly reduces time and most importantly, provides a reliable way to find a correct and suitable cloud configuration. Moreover, our empirical evaluation shows that our approach is effective and scalable to properly deal with a significant number of cloud environments.
Genetic Diversity and Population Structure in Elite U.S. and Race Stock Accessions of Upland Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum)

Assessing genetic diversity and population structure is prerequisite to the systematic utilization and conservation of germplasm resources of crop plants. The genetic diversity and population structure in a combined panel of 557 Gossypium hirsutum L. accessions including 375 cultivars and 182 race stocks using 114 pairs of simple sequence repeat primers were evaluated in the current study. Six G. barbadense L. accessions were included as an out-group. Genotyping the diversity panel of 563 accessions with the markers identified a total of 819 alleles and 662 alleles within G. hirsutum. Population structure analysis identified one G. barbadense group and five G. hirsutum groups corresponding to southwestern cultivars, Mexican collections, western cultivars, southeastern and mid-south cultivars, and Guatemalan collections. Average genetic distance of 0.253 indicated a moderate level of genetic diversity in this panel. Analysis of molecular variance revealed a low level of differentiation among cultivated cotton groups compared to landrace accessions. Genetic diversity and population structure analyses suggest landraces of Guatemala could be a potential source of novel genetic variability for U.S. cotton. Further, multiple core sets with different levels of allele richness were identified. The diversity panel and the core sets identified could be a good resource for broadening the genetic base of U.S. cotton and for genetic analysis of agronomic traits.
Cardiomyocyte H9c2 Cells Exhibit Differential Sensitivity to Intracellular Reactive Oxygen Species Generation with Regard to Their Hypertrophic vs Death Responses to Exogenously Added Hydrogen Peroxide

Many researchers have hypothesized that differences in reactive oxygen species levels can trigger the cellular decision between hypertrophy and cell death in cardiomyocytes. In the present study, we examined the relationship between reactive oxygen species levels and hypertrophy or cell death in H9c2 cardiomyocytes after the addition of hydrogen peroxide. Following addition of hydrogen peroxide, we observed a slight increase in fluorescence intensity of 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein, a probe of intracellular reactive oxygen species, and cell hypertrophy in H9c2 cells (normal cells). In contrast, a dramatic increase in fluorescence intensity was followed by cell death in glutathione-depleted H9c2 cells. In the presence of the antioxidant Trolox or the iron chelator deferoxamine, both normal and glutathione-depleted cells developed hypertrophy without a concomitant increase in levels of reactive oxygen species. An inhibitor of p53, pifithrin-alpha, prevented cell death after the addition of hydrogen peroxide; instead a substantial increase in levels of reactive oxygen species and hypertrophy were observed. These results suggest that H9c2 cells exhibit differential sensitivity to intracellular reactive oxygen species generation with regard to their hypertrophic versus death responses to exogenously added hydrogen peroxide.
Bolted Wood Connections Loaded Perpendicular-to-Grain : Effect of Wood Species

This paper deals specifically with the splitting mode of failure, for bolted connections loaded perpendicular to grain in glued laminated timber (glulam). In 2004, a new design equation was developed by Lehoux and Quenneville to predict the ultimate load capacity of these splitting failures. Although the new design equation takes into account the many parameters that affect the ultimate load capacity, the equation was only validated for the Spruce-Pine glulam species. Therefore, the experimental program and research described in this document was undertaken to assess the effect of wood species on connection resistance.
Including Exogenous Factors in the Evaluation of Harvesting Crew Technical Efficiency using a Multi-Step Data Envelopment Analysis Procedure

The performance of a harvesting crew in terms of its ability to transform inputs into outputs is influenced by discretionary factors within the unit’s control, such as the selection of machines and operators. However, factors associated with the operating environment, such as terrain slope and tree size that are outside the direct control of management, can also influence harvesting system efficiency. Using data on forest harvesting operations in New Zealand, this paper applies an established four-stage Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) procedure to estimate the managerial efficiency of independent forest harvesting contractors, while taking into account the influence of the operating environment. The performance of 67 harvesting contractors is evaluated using seven inputs, one output (system productivity) and three operating environment factors in an input-oriented, variable return to scale DEA. The results show that the operating environment including terrain slope, log sorts and piece size influence the efficient use of inputs by harvesting contractors. A significant difference is observed between the mean managerial efficiency of the crews before and after controlling for the influence of the operating environment, the latter being higher by 11%. This study provides evidence that without accounting for the influence of the operating environment, the resulting DEA efficiency estimates will be biased; the performance of crews in favourable operating environment would be overestimated and those in unfavourable environment underestimated.
Cells in Laminae III and IV of the Rat Spinal Cord that Possess the Neurokinin-1 Receptor and Have Dorsally Directed Dendrites Receive a Major Synaptic Input from Tachykinin-Containing Primary Afferents

Many neurons with cell bodies in laminae III or IV of the spinal dorsal horn possess the neurokinin 1 receptor and have dorsal dendrites that arborize in the superficial dorsal horn. We have performed a confocal microscopic study to determine whether these cells receive inputs from substance P-containing primary afferents. All neurons of this type received contacts from substance P-immunoreactive axons, and in most cases the contacts onto dorsal dendrites were very numerous. A great majority (90–100%) of substance P-immunoreactive varicosities in contact with these cells were also immunoreactive with antibody to calcitonin gene-related peptide, indicating that they were of primary afferent origin. The density of contacts from substance P-immunoreactive varicosities onto these cells was significantly higher than that seen on cholinergic neurons in lamina III (which do not possess the receptor). Electron microscopy revealed that synapses were present at points of contact between substance P-immunoreactive boutons and dorsal dendrites of cells with the neurokinin 1 receptor. Some cells of this type belong to the spinothalamic tract, and we therefore examined neurons with cell bodies in laminae III or IV that possessed the neurokinin 1 receptor and were labeled retrogradely after thalamic injection of cholera toxin B subunit. These cells also received contacts from substance P-immunoreactive axons on their dorsal dendrites. The results of this study indicate that neurons of this type are a major target for substance P-containing primary afferents.
MODELLING FATIGUE WITH SELF-HEATING OF POLYMERIC COMPOSITES BASED ON STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF TEMPERATURE PROFILES

The self-heating effect occurring during the fatigue loading of polymeric composite structures subjected to cyclic loading or vibration is a result of energy dissipation appearing due to the viscoelastic properties of the matrix of such composites. The occurrence of the self-heating effect during the operation of structural elements is very dangerous, since the increasing selfheating temperature intensifies the initiation and propagation of fatigue damage, and may significantly shorten the residual life of such elements. Following this, it is necessary to control this process. The theoretical models developed to date may be inaccurate in predicting the residual life of a structure subjected to fatigue with the appearance of self-heating, especially after the initiation of structural damage. Therefore, the authors proposed the empirical model based on estimating the parameters from the self-heating temperature profiles with statistical analysis of these parameters, which allows one to determine the estimators and predict the residual life of composite structures working in such conditions in more accurate way.
Coverage-Driven Self-Deployment for Cluster Based Mobile Sensor Networks

Coverage, energy efficiency and connectivity are important metrics for sensor network deployment. In this paper, we propose a relay shift based approach to eliminate coverage hole due to the initial random dropping or the existence of faulty sensors. The sensors in our model are assumed to have only limited mobility. Firstly, the optimal number of clusters are determined by energy function and the optimal cluster head positions are determined by Fuzzy C-mean (FCM). We use proposed Relay Shift Based Algorithm (A*-RSBA) for movement assisted sensor deployment. A* algorithm is applied to find a shortest path from a redundant sensor node to a virtual node point in an uncovered area, and each sensor moves along this path by relay shift based on the principle that evenly distributed sensors can provide better coverage. Simulation results show that our approach can improve coverage within a short time and limited movement distance as well as ensuring connectivity and energy efficiency.
The diversity of some local upland rice cultivars in Northern of Vietnam

Droughts have been occurring commonly in the recent years while upland rice became potential crops because of its high drought tolerance. In this study, we have evaluated the diversity of some local upland rice cultivars in Northern Vietnam in order to preserving and developing the genetic resources of upland rice. Forty seven local upland cultivars were collected from mountainous provinces in Northern Vietnam and classified into two subspecies: indica (33 cultivars) and japonica (14 cultivars). We have evaluated the diversity of these cultivars by studying some morphological and qualitative characteristics of grains. Out of these 47 cultivars, 12 cultivars were selected to evaluate the genetic diversity by RAPD technique. The genetic similarity and different coefficients of these cultivars were determined by using NTSYSpc-2.02i program. The dendrogram is established with four groups and the genetic distances between cultivars range from 7.69% to 34.0%. The genetic diversity coefficient of these cultivars is 52.37%. The reactivity for drought of these 12 upland rice cultivars was shown in the diversity of drought tolerant phenotype. These cultivars were divided into 4 groups according to the relative drought tolerance index. The difference coefficients range from 1.003% to 9.394% and the phenotypic diversity coefficient is 73.15%. Keywords-upland rice; diversity; Northern Vietnam; RAPD; drought tolerance.