Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Non-parametric Ensemble Kalman methods for the inpainting of noisy dynamic textures

In this work, we propose a novel non parametric method for the temporally-consistent inpainting of dynamic texture sequences. The inpainting of texture image sequences is stated as a stochastic assimilation issue, for which a novel model-free and data-driven Ensemble Kalman method is introduced. Our model is inspired by the Analog Ensemble Kalman Filter (AnEnKF) recently proposed for the assimilation of geophysical space-time dynamics, where the physical model is replaced by the use of statistical analogs or nearest neighbours. Such a non-parametric framework is of key interest for image processing applications, as prior models are seldom available in general. We present experimental evidence for real dynamic texture that using only a catalog database of historical data and without having any assumption on the model, the proposed method provides relevant dynamically-consistent interpolation and outperforms the classical parametric (autoregressive) dynamical prior.
A generalized matrix-decomposition processor for joint MIMO transceiver design

A generalized matrix-decomposition processor is designed and implemented, which supports QR decomposition (QRD), eigenvalue decomposition (EVD), and geometric-mean decomposition (GMD), to accelerate computations in MIMO precoding/beamforming systems. The processor adopts memory-based architecture with 16 processing elements (PEs) each consisting of one CORDIC module. An improved GMD algorithm is proposed, which reduces 13.2% complexity and can be implemented by homogeneous CORDIC operations. The EVD adopts the Rayleigh quotient shift and deflation technique to accelerate convergence. The basis computations can be accomplished by mirrored operations during channel matrix decomposition. From the implementation results, the generalized processor achieves decomposition throughput of 10M, 0.99M, 2.96M matrixes per second for 4 × 4 complex QRD, EVD and GMD.
Using the Internet for survey research: A case study

The Internet provides opportunities to conduct surveys more efficiently and effectively than traditional means. This article reviews previous studies that use the Internet for survey research. It discusses the methodological issues and problems associated with this new approach. By presenting a case study, it seeks possible solutions to some of the problems, and explores the potential the Internet can offer to survey researchers.
Vamp-7 Mediates Vesicular Transport from Endosomes to Lysosomes

A more complete picture of the molecules that are critical for the organization of membrane compartments is beginning to emerge through the characterization of proteins in the vesicle-associated membrane protein (also called synaptobrevin) family of membrane trafficking proteins. To better understand the mechanisms of membrane trafficking within the endocytic pathway, we generated a series of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies against the cytoplasmic domain of vesicle-associated membrane protein 7 (VAMP-7). The antibodies recognize a 25-kD membrane-associated protein in multiple tissues and cell lines. Immunohistochemical analysis reveals colocalization with a marker of late endosomes and lysosomes, lysosome-associated membrane protein 1 (LAMP-1), but not with other membrane markers, including p115 and transferrin receptor. Treatment with nocodozole or brefeldin A does not disrupt the colocalization of VAMP-7 and LAMP-1. Immunoelectron microscopy analysis shows that VAMP-7 is most concentrated in the trans-Golgi network region of the cell as well as late endosomes and transport vesicles that do not contain the mannose-6 phosphate receptor. In streptolysin- O–permeabilized cells, antibodies against VAMP-7 inhibit the breakdown of epidermal growth factor but not the recycling of transferrin. These data are consistent with a role for VAMP-7 in the vesicular transport of proteins from the early endosome to the lysosome.
Perceptual User Study for Combined Treemap

Space-filling visualization techniques have proved their capability in visualizing large hierarchical structured data. However, most existing techniques restrict their partitioning process in vertical and horizontal direction only, which cause problem with identifying hierarchical structures. According to Gestalt research, limiting tree map visualisation to rectangles blocks the utilisation of human capability on object recognition, due to the same fixed size (90 degrees) of all the angles of the shapes in the tree visualisation. However, this assertion was only supported by theory and not rooted in empirical perception data. We conducted a series of controlled experiments to investigate the effect of shape variation of data elements and container in visual data analysis process. We first studied how shape variation affects user's perception in the visual data analysis process. We compared combined treemap with traditional rectangular treemaps, slice & dice treemaps and squarifed treemaps. Finally, we demonstrated the effect of the new approach which combines rectangular and non-rectangular treemaps and validate the method based on the empirical results.
Ultra-wideband tightly coupled dipole phased array antenna

In this paper, a 2 × 8 elements ultra-wideband tightly coupled dipole antenna array is presented. The array is constructed by placing alternate dipole elements on the opposite sides of a substrate. The array is designed to operate in the FCC frequency band for ultra-wideband (3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz) wireless communication. The mutual coupling between the elements in the proposed array is high and it is used to enhance the performance of the array. An ultra-wideband 175 Ω to 50 Ω parallel strip to microstrip line transition is used as a balun and impedance transformer in the proposed structure. In the proposed array good input impedance match is achieved along with good radiation characteristics throughout the band of interest. The overall size of the array is 240 mm × 120 mm × 58.5 mm.
Methane activation by chromium oxide cations in the gas phase: A theoretical study

Density Functional Theory, in its B3LYP formulation, was used to explore quantitative details of the potential energy hypersurfaces for the CH bond activation reaction of methane by chromium dioxide cation. Both doublet ground and quartet excited states of the cation were considered, and all the minima and transition states localized along the paths leading to the formation of the experimentally observed products were characterized. All the calculated paths involve spin inversions that decrease the barrier heights of the involved transition states but do not play a significant role. Reaction pathways were also studied employing the nonhybrid BP86 functional, the reparametrized B3LYP* functional, and the CCSD(T) approach. Because other examples in the literature indicate that sequential ligation enhances the reactivity of bare transition metals cations, the state‐selective reactivity of the chromium monoxide cation with respect to methane was also investigated and compared with that of the bare cation. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 27: 174–187, 2006
Genetic Interactions between PEROXIN 12 and Other Peroxisome-Associated Ubiquitination Components 1 [ OPEN ]

Most eukaryotic cells require peroxisomes, organelles housing fatty acid b-oxidation and other critical metabolic reactions. Peroxisomal matrix proteins carry peroxisome-targeting signals that are recognized by one of two receptors, PEX5 or PEX7, in the cytosol. After delivering the matrix proteins to the organelle, these receptors are removed from the peroxisomal membrane or matrix. Receptor retrotranslocation not only facilitates further rounds of matrix protein import but also prevents deleterious PEX5 retention in the membrane. Three peroxisome-associated ubiquitin-protein ligases in the Really Interesting New Gene (RING) family, PEX2, PEX10, and PEX12, facilitate PEX5 retrotranslocation. However, the detailed mechanism of receptor retrotranslocation remains unclear in plants. We identified an Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) pex12 Glu-to-Lys missense allele that conferred severe peroxisomal defects, including impaired b-oxidation, inefficient matrix protein import, and decreased growth. We compared this pex12-1 mutant to other peroxisome-associated ubiquitination-related mutants and found that RING peroxin mutants displayed elevated PEX5 and PEX7 levels, supporting the involvement of RING peroxins in receptor ubiquitination in Arabidopsis. Also, we observed that disruption of any Arabidopsis RING peroxin led to decreased PEX10 levels, as seen in yeast and mammals. Peroxisomal defects were exacerbated in RING peroxin double mutants, suggesting distinct roles of individual RING peroxins. Finally, reducing function of the peroxisome-associated ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme PEX4 restored PEX10 levels and partially ameliorated the other molecular and physiological defects of the pex12-1 mutant. Future biochemical analyses will be needed to determine whether destabilization of the RING peroxin complex observed in pex12-1 stems from PEX4-dependent ubiquitination on the pex12-1 ectopic Lys residue.
Understanding Rating Behaviour and Predicting Ratings by Identifying Representative Users

Online user reviews describing various products and services are now abundant on the web. While the information conveyed through review texts and ratings is easily comprehensible, there is a wealth of hidden information in them that is not immediately obvious. In this study, we unlock this hidden value behind user reviews to understand the various dimensions along which users rate products. We learn a set of users that represent each of these dimensions and use their ratings to predict product ratings. Specifically, we work with restaurant reviews to identify users whose ratings are influenced by dimensions like 'Service', 'Atmosphere' etc. in order to predict restaurant ratings and understand the variation in rating behaviour across different cuisines. While previous approaches to obtaining product ratings require either a large number of user ratings or a few review texts, we show that it is possible to predict ratings with few user ratings and no review text. Our experiments show that our approach outperforms other conventional methods by 16-27% in terms of RMSE.
Foxb1 Regulates Negatively the Proliferation of Oligodendrocyte Progenitors

Oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPC), neurons and astrocytes share a neural progenitor cell (NPC) in the early ventricular zone (VZ) of the embryonic neuroepithelium. Both switch to produce either of the three cell types and the generation of the right number of them undergo complex genetic regulation. The components of these regulatory cascades vary between brain regions giving rise to the unique morphological and functional heterogeneity of this organ. Forkhead b1 (Foxb1) is a transcription factor gene expressed by NPCs in specific regions of the embryonic neuroepithelium. We used the mutant mouse line Foxb1-Cre to analyze the cell types derived from Fobx1-expressing NPCs (the Foxb1 cell lineage) from two restricted regions, the medulla oblongata (MO; hindbrain) and the thalamus (forebrain), of normal and Foxb1-deficient mice. Foxb1 cell lineage derivatives appear as clusters in restricted regions, including the MO (hindbrain) and the thalamus (forebrain). Foxb1-expressing NPCs produce mostly oligodendrocytes (OL), some neurons and few astrocytes. Foxb1-deficient NPCs generate mostly OPC and immature OL to the detriment of neurons, astrocytes and mature OL. The axonal G-ratio however is not changed. We reveal Foxb1 as a novel modulator of neuronal and OL generation in certain restricted CNS regions. Foxb1 biases NPCs towards neuronal generation and inhibits OPC proliferation while promoting their differentiation.
Tissue and serum samples of patients with papillary thyroid cancer with and without benign background demonstrate different altered expression of proteins

Background Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is mainly diagnosed using fine-needle aspiration biopsy. This most common form of well-differentiated thyroid cancer occurs with or without a background of benign thyroid goiter (BTG). Methods In the present study, a gel-based proteomics analysis was performed to analyse the expression of proteins in tissue and serum samples of PTC patients with (PTCb; n = 6) and without a history of BTG (PTCa; n = 8) relative to patients with BTG (n = 20). This was followed by confirmation of the levels of proteins which showed significant altered abundances of more than two-fold difference (p < 0.01) in the tissue and serum samples of the same subjects using ELISA. Results The data of our study showed that PTCa and PTCb distinguish themselves from BTG in the types of tissue and serum proteins of altered abundance. While higher levels of alpha-1 antitrypsin (A1AT) and heat shock 70 kDa protein were associated with PTCa, lower levels of A1AT, protein disulfide isomerase and ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2 N seemed apparent in the PTCb. In case of the serum proteins, higher abundances of A1AT and alpha 1-beta glycoprotein were detected in PTCa, while PTCb was associated with enhanced apolipoprotein A-IV and alpha 2-HS glycoprotein (AHSG). The different altered expression of tissue and serum A1AT as well as serum AHSG between PTCa and PTCb patients were also validated by ELISA. Discussion The distinctive altered abundances of the tissue and serum proteins form preliminary indications that PTCa and PTCb are two distinct cancers of the thyroid that are etiologically and mechanistically different although it is currently not possible to rule out that they may also be due other reasons such as the different stages of the malignant disease. These proteins stand to have a potential use as tissue or serum biomarkers to discriminate the three different thyroid neoplasms although this requires further validation in clinically representative populations.
Gramian-Preserving Frequency Transformation for State-Space Digital Filters

This paper proposes a new expression of frequency transformation for state-space digital filters. The proposed frequency transformation has the property of preserving the controllability Gramian and the observability Gramian of prototype state-space digital filters. This property shows that the proposed frequency transformation preserves the useful realizations of prototype digital filters such as minimum roundoff noise realizations, balanced realizations and limit cycle free realizations. Moreover, it is proved that the proposed frequency transformation retains an important inequality property with respect to the norm of the of limit cycle free digital filters. These results are derived from a modified formulation of Mullis and Roberts' frequency transformation and balanced realizations of allpass filters
A second monoclinic polymorph of bis(2,2′-bipyridine-κ2 N,N′)diiodidomanganese(II)

The MnII ion in the title complex, [MnI2(C10H8N2)2], is six-coordinated in a distorted cis-N4I2Mn octahedral environment by four N atoms of the two chelating 2,2′-bipyridine ligands and two iodide anions. As a result of the different trans effects of the N and I atoms, the Mn—N bonds trans to the I atom are slightly longer than the Mn—N bonds trans to the N atom. The dihedral angle between the approximately planar ligands [maximum deviation = 0.064 (7) Å] is 75.0 (1)°. Numerous inter- and intramolecular π–π interactions between the pyridyl rings are present, the shortest centroid–centroid distance being 3.905 (5) Å. The structure reported herein represents a new monoclinic polymorph of the previously reported monoclinic (P21/c) form [Ha (2011 ▶). Z. Kristallogr. New Cryst. Struct. 226, 187–188].
Characterization of Oyster Voltage-Dependent Anion Channel 2 (VDAC2) Suggests Its Involvement in Apoptosis and Host Defense

Genomic and transcriptomic studies have revealed a sophisticated and powerful apoptosis regulation network in oyster, highlighting its adaptation to sessile life in a highly stressful intertidal environment. However, the functional molecular basis of apoptosis remains largely unexplored in oysters. In this study, we focused on a representative apoptotic gene encoding voltage-dependent anion channel 2 (VDAC2), a porin that abounds at the mitochondrial outer membrane. This is the first report on the identification and characterization of a VDAC gene in the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas (CgVDAC2). The full length of CgVDAC2 was 1,738 bp with an open reading frame of 843 bp that encoded a protein of 281 amino acids. A four-element eukaryotic porin signature motif, a conserved ATP binding motif, and a VKAKV-like sequence were identified in the predicted CgVDAC2. Expression pattern analysis in different tissues and developmental stages as well as upon infection by ostreid herpesvirus 1 revealed the energy supply-related and immunity-related expression of CgVDAC2. CgVDAC2 was co-localized with mitochondria when it was transiently transfected into HeLa cells. Overexpression of CgVDAC2 in HEK293T cells suppressed the UV irradiation-induced apoptosis by inhibiting the pro-apoptotic function of CgBak. RNA interference induced reduction in CgVDAC2 expression showed a promoted apoptosis level upon UV light irradiation in hemocytes. The yeast two-hybrid system and co-immunoprecipitation assay indicated a direct interaction between CgVDAC2 and the pro-apoptotic protein CgBak. This study revealed the function of VDAC2 in oyster and provided new insights into its involvement in apoptosis modulation and host defense in mollusks.
Building Wavelet Histograms on Large Data in MapReduce

MapReduce is becoming the de facto framework for storing and processing massive data, due to its excellent scalability, reliability, and elasticity. In many MapReduce applications, obtaining a compact accurate summary of data is essential. Among various data summarization tools, histograms have proven to be particularly important and useful for summarizing data, and the wavelet histogram is one of the most widely used histograms. In this paper, we investigate the problem of building wavelet histograms efficiently on large datasets in MapReduce. We measure the efficiency of the algorithms by both end-to-end running time and communication cost. We demonstrate straightforward adaptations of existing exact and approximate methods for building wavelet histograms to MapReduce clusters are highly inefficient. To that end, we design new algorithms for computing exact and approximate wavelet histograms and discuss their implementation in MapReduce. We illustrate our techniques in Hadoop, and compare to baseline solutions with extensive experiments performed in a heterogeneous Hadoop cluster of 16 nodes, using large real and synthetic datasets, up to hundreds of gigabytes. The results suggest significant (often orders of magnitude) performance improvement achieved by our new algorithms.
Neuropsychological Functioning of Homeless Men

Numerous biological and psychological factors associated with impaired neurological functioning have been identified as common among the homeless, but there has been relatively little systematic examination of the cognitive functioning of homeless people. This study explored the neuropsychological functioning of 90 homeless men. There was great variability in their test scores, but the presence of possible cognitive impairment was detected in 80% of the sample. Average general intellectual functioning and reading abilities were found to be relatively low, and the incidence of impairments in reading, new verbal learning, memory, and attention and concentration was high. These findings suggest that the homeless men in this study had considerable assessment and treatment needs that were not being met by most of the health and social services offered to them.
PLENA and FARINELLI: redundancy and regulatory interactions between two Antirrhinum MADS‐box factors controlling flower development

We report the discovery of an Antirrhinum MADS‐box gene, FARINELLI (FAR), and the isolation of far mutants by a reverse genetic screen. Despite striking similarities between FAR and the class C MADS‐box gene PLENA (PLE), the phenotypes of their respective mutants are dramatically different. Unlike ple mutants, which show homeotic conversion of reproductive organs to perianth organs and a loss of floral determinacy, far mutants have normal flowers which are partially male‐sterile. Expression studies of PLE and FAR, in wild‐type and mutant backgrounds, show complex interactions between the two genes. Double mutant analysis reveals an unexpected, redundant negative control over the B‐function MADS‐box genes. This feature of the two Antirrhinum C‐function‐like genes is markedly different from the control of the inner boundary of the B‐function expression domain in Arabidopsis, and we propose and discuss a model to account for these differences. The difference in phenotypes of mutants in two highly related genes illustrates the importance of the position within the regulatory network in determining gene function.
Implications of researcher assumptions about perceived relative advantage and compatibility

Although scale reuse is an important and efficient research practice, it may not always be the most appropriate practice. Mechanistically reusing scales developed for a particular context may lead to a variety of undesirable effects. One of the risks is that frequently reused scales can inadvertently begin to alter the definitions of related constructs. When this occurs, a full understanding of the constructs can be lost. Innovation diffusion is one area in which evidence suggests that this has occurred, specifically for relative advantage and compatibility. This article seeks to better understand the risks of mechanistic scale reuse within the information systems field, with a specific focus on the relative advantage and compatibility constructs. We review the information systems literature focusing on IT adoption and diffusion, examining the theoretical and empirical relationships between relative advantage and compatibility. Evidence from this review indicates that there may be both conceptual and empirical overlap between the two, which has led to inconsistent empirical and theoretical treatment of the constructs across studies. We also report an empirical examination of the domain coverage of the scales, which provides evidence that the scales a) exhibit a high degree of conceptual and empirical overlap and b) only represent a subset of their full conceptualization. We offer recommendations for researchers who wish to use these constructs in future work.
Quantifying Quality Requirements Using Planguage

Within the last decade, requirements engineering has benefited from increased attention. Several good books are now available, from general textbooks on requirements engineering to specific monographs on advanced topics. Among the many benefits has been an increased awareness of the importance of specifying quality requirements. However, outside of structured English, few methods for specifying quality requirements have been established. Planguage, created by Tom Gilb, is one notable exception. Designed to quantify qualitative statements in plans, specifications, and designs, Planguage is a keyword-driven language that allows measurable, testable quality requirements to be written. Planguage has many benefits; it is easy to learn, flexible, compact, extensible, and prevents omissions by providing a consistent set of parameters for quality requirements. In this paper, Planguage keywords and syntax are introduced. Examples of quality requirements before and after using Planguage are given, and the experiences of introducing Planguage within a product engineering environment are discussed.