Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development of a Quartz Crystal Microbalance Biosensor with Aptamers as Bio-recognition Element

The ultimate goal in any biosensor development project is its use for actual sample detection. Recently, there has been an interest in biosensors with aptamers as bio-recognition elements, but reported examples all deal with standards, not human serum. In order to verify the differences of aptamer-based biosensor and antibody-based biosensor in clinical detection, a comparison of the performance of aptamer-based and antibody-based quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) biosensors for the detection of immunoglobulin E (IgE) in human serum was carried out. Aptamers (or antibodies) specific to IgE were immobilized on the gold surface of a quartz crystal. The frequency shifts of the QCM were measured. The linear range with the antibody (10–240 μg/L) compared to that of the aptamer (2.5–200 μg/L), but a lower detection limit could be observed in the aptamer-based biosensor. The reproducibility of the two biosensors was comparable. The aptamers were equivalent or superior to antibodies in terms of specificity and sensitivity. In addition, the aptamer receptors could tolerate repeated affine layer regeneration after ligand binding and recycling of the biosensor with little loss of sensitivity. When stored for three weeks, the frequency shifts of the aptamer-coated crystals were all greater than 90% of those on the response at the first day.
A semantic approach to wireless networking testbed infrastructure

High market demand for wireless networking services and devices has resulted in increased complexity of an infrastructure of networking testbeds because of the scale, diversity and exploitation levels of the involved resources. In this paper, we address the problem of managing the infrastructure of large wireless networking testbed by adopting a semantics-based approach to knowledge-driven system management. A novel data transformation language, fully based on the semantic web standards, is introduced. Using the introduced language, an XML description of testbed services can be transformed to semantically enriched data. Workflow of the transformation is explained on the example of semantic lifting of the ORBIT testbed infrastructure. The example provides experimental evidence for successful application of the proposed approach.
Variations in Relevance Assessments and the Measurement of Retrieval Effectiveness

The purpose of this article is to bring attention to the problem of variations in relevance assessments and the effects that these may have on measures of retrieval effectiveness. Through an analytical review of the literature, I show that despite known wide variations in relevance assessments in experimental test collections, their effects on the measurement of retrieval performance are almost completely unstudied. I will further argue that what we know about the many variables that have been found to affect relevance assessments under experimental conditions, as well as our new understanding of psychological, situational, user‐based relevance, point to a single conclusion. We can no longer rest the evaluation of information retrieval systems on the assumption that such variations do not significantly affect the measurement of information retrieval performance. A series of thorough, rigorous, and extensive tests is needed, of precisely how, and under what conditions, variations in relevance assessments do, and do not, affect measures of retrieval performance. We need to develop approaches to evaluation that are sensitive to these variations and to human factors and individual differences more generally. Our approaches to evaluation must reflect the real world of real users. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Heritable chromatin structure: Mapping “memory” in histones H3 and H4

Telomeric position effect in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a chromatin-mediated phenomenon in which telomere proximal genes are repressed (silenced) in a heritable, but reversible, fashion. Once a transcriptional state (active or silenced) is established, however, there is a strong tendency for that state to be propagated. Twenty-five years ago, H. Weintraub and colleagues suggested that such heritability could be mediated by posttranslational modification of chromatin [Weintraub, H. , Flint, S. J., Leffak, I. M. , Groudine, M. & Grainger, R. M. (1977) Cold Spring Harbor Symp. Quant. Biol. 42, 401–407]. To identify potential sites within the chromatin that might act as sources of “memory” for the heritable transmission, we performed a genetic screen to isolate mutant alleles of the histones H3 and H4 genes that would “lock” telomeric marker genes into a silenced state. We identified mutations in the NH2-terminal tail and core of both histones; most of the amino acid changes mapped adjacent to lysines that are known sites of acetylation or methylation. We developed a method using MS to quantify the level of acetylation at each lysine within the histone H4 NH2-terminal tail in these mutants. We discovered that each of these mutants had a dramatic reduction in the level of acetylation at lysine 12 within the histone H4 tail. We propose that this lysine serves as a “memory mark” for propagating the expression state of a telomeric gene: when it is unacetylated, silent chromatin will be inherited; when it is acetylated an active state will be inherited.
CS 229 Project : Particle classification

In electron tomography, averaging multiple particles of the macromolecule of interest is an essential tool to achieve high resolution reconstruction. A particle means one measurement of the object of interest in structural biology. Averaging requires aligning and classifying particles to obtain the highest resolution [1]. These tasks are very challenging because of low SNR(below 1) and missing frequency information(30 % along Z-axis) due to the image acquisition restrictions. In Fig. 1, we can clearly see the differences between two different layering in the averaged reconstructions(left column). However, in a single particle before averaging(right column), we can hardly see any structure at all due to low SNR. This makes the classification task challenging for humans do with naked eyes. It took 1688 and 1104 particles to create averaged single and double S-layer pore respectively.
Women with anorexia nervosa: finite element and trabecular structure analysis by using flat-panel volume CT.

PURPOSE To use finite element modeling based on flat-panel volume computed tomography (CT) and bone mineral density (BMD) provided by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to compare bone failure load, stiffness, and trabecular structure in women with anorexia nervosa (AN) and age-matched normal-weight control subjects. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was approved by the institutional review board and complied with HIPAA guidelines. Informed consent was obtained. Fourteen women, eight with AN (mean age, 26.6 years) and six control subjects (mean age, 26.3 years), underwent flat-panel volume CT of the distal radius to determine apparent trabecular bone volume fraction (BV/TV), apparent trabecular number (TbN), apparent trabecular thickness (TbTh), and apparent trabecular separation (TbSp). Bone strength and stiffness were calculated from uniaxial compression tests by using finite element models created from flat-panel volume CT. DXA was used to determine BMD of the radius, lumbar spine, and hip. Means ± standard deviations of all variables were calculated for both groups and compared (Student t test). Univariate regression analysis and stepwise regression modeling were performed. RESULTS Patients with AN had lower values for stiffness (284.77 kN/mm ± 76.14 vs 389.97 kN/mm ± 84.90, P = .04), failure load (4.98 kN ± 1.23 vs 7.01 kN ± 1.52, P = .02), BV/TV (0.32% ± 0.09 vs 0.44% ± 0.02, P = .007), and TbN (1.15 mm(-3) ± 0.20 vs 1.43 mm(-3) ± 0.13, P = . 008) and higher values for TbSp (0.62 mm ± 0.20 vs 0.40 mm ± 0.04, P = .02) compared with normal-weight control subjects. TbTh was lower in women with AN (P = .1). BMD measurements were significantly lower for the AN group. BMD measurements and trabecular parameters (except TbTh) correlated with stiffness and failure load (r = 0.58 to 0.83). CONCLUSION Failure load and stiffness are abnormal in women with AN compared with those in normal-weight control subjects and correlate with BMD and trabecular parameters.
Toward a stage theory of adaptive social media use : explaining change in facebook use

Koskelainen, Tiina Toward a Stage Theory of Adaptive Social Media Use: Explaining Change in Facebook Use Jyväskylä: University of Jyväskylä, 2018, 129 p. (JYU Dissertations ISSN 2489-9003; 12) ISBN 978-951-39-7531-9 (PDF) Existing research on information technology (IT) use has shown that postadoptive technology use is not a stable but a dynamic phenomenon in which users apply various adaptation behaviors. Users reshape the technology (IT adaptation), adjust their work routines (task adaptation), and change their own behavior (user adaptation) according to the changes induced by IT. Today, people use increasingly social media and other IT for personal purposes. Facebook (FB) is a good example of personal IT that people voluntarily use for years and has become an integral part of people’s everyday lives. Despite extensive research on IT use and IT/user adaptation, we know little about the dynamics of post-adoptive use behavior, especially in volitional use contexts— that is, contexts in which the end user is the one who decides whether, how, and how much to use IT. The overall objective of this doctoral dissertation is to understand changes in individuals’ post-adoptive behaviors and the underlying mechanisms by focusing on user adaptation in the context of FB use. Uncovering the dynamics of individual-level adaptation behaviors is important because FB use is a highly social phenomenon and thus provides new insights into IT use. To further examine the dynamics of IT post-adoption, I conducted a pre-study and a longitudinal diary study on FB use. Informed by the hermeneutic phenomenological research approach, I was able to discover individuals’ experiences of their FB use and user adaptation over time. Utilizing self-regulation theory as a sensitizing device during iterative data analysis enabled identifying the underlying mechanisms of user adaptation. Furthermore, a stage theory approach provided richer understanding of the process of user adaptation. This dissertation contributes to both theory and practice. First, the main theoretical contribution constitutes the introduction of a stage theory of user adaptation. This proposed theory extends our knowledge by illustrating and explaining FB users’ adaptive behaviors and the underlying reasons for these changes. Second, the practical implications consist of important, novel insights into user adaptation processes for system designers, developers, and individual users.
Nutritional strategies to counteract muscle atrophy caused by disuse and to improve recovery

Periods of immobilisation are often associated with pathologies and/or ageing. These periods of muscle disuse induce muscle atrophy which could worsen the pathology or elderly frailty. If muscle mass loss has positive effects in the short term, a sustained/uncontrolled muscle mass loss is deleterious for health. Muscle mass recovery following immobilisation-induced atrophy could be critical, particularly when it is uncompleted as observed during ageing. Exercise, the best way to recover muscle mass, is not always applicable. So, other approaches such as nutritional strategies are needed to limit muscle wasting and to improve muscle mass recovery in such situations. The present review discusses mechanisms involved in muscle atrophy following disuse and during recovery and emphasises the effect of age in these mechanisms. In addition, the efficiency of nutritional strategies proposed to limit muscle mass loss during disuse and to improve protein gain during recovery (leucine supplementation, whey proteins, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds, energy intake) is also discussed.
Gromov hyperbolicity of Denjoy domains with hyperbolic and quasihyperbolic metrics

We obtain explicit and simple conditions which in many cases allow one decide, whether or not a Denjoy domain endowed with the Poincare or quasihyperbolic metric is Gromov hyperbolic. The criteria are based on the Euclidean size of the complement. As a corollary, the main theorem allows to deduce the non-hyperbolicity of any periodic Denjoy domain.
Food security vs. nutrition security.

This article presents the status of food security versus nutrition security in India. Food security is defined as the availability and the access of food to all people; whereas nutrition security demands the intake of a wide range of foods which provides the essential needed nutrients. It is estimated that the average dietary intake in India is 2280 calories. In 9 major states the average was less than 2400 calories suggesting poverty. In a 1988-90 survey only 10% of the children and about 50% of the adults were considered to have a normal nutritional status. The rest suffered from different levels of Chronic Energy Deficiency. In addition contradictions have also developed within policies in India that seek to address these issues. Recognizing that agriculture is the key to poverty eradication India recently drafted the Agriculture Policy. The Policy focuses on rain-fed farming unemployment and malnutrition in rural areas revitalizing the cooperatives and increasing the involvement of nongovernmental organizations. However there are certain issues of concern in the Policy with the most damaging aspect seen in the promotion of existing inequalities in the rural sector.
SINR profile for spectral efficiency optimization of SIC receivers in the many-user regime

In dense wireless scenarios, and particularly under high traffic loads, the design of efficient random access protocols is necessary. Some candidate solutions are based on Direct-Sequence Spread Spectrum (DS-SS) combined with a Successive Interference Cancellation (SIC) demodulator, but the performance of these techniques is highly related to the distribution of the users received power. In that context, this paper presents a theoretical analysis to calculate the optimum user SINR profile at the decoder maximizing the spectral efficiency in bps/Hz for a specific modulation and practical Forward Error Correction (FEC) code. This solution is achieved by means of Variational Calculus operating in the asymptotic large-user case. Although a constant SINR function has been typically assumed in the literature (the one maximizing capacity), the theoretical results evidence that the optimum SINR profile must be an increasing function of the users received power. Its performance is compared with that of the uniform profile for two representative scenarios with different channel codes in a slightly overloaded system. The numerical results show that the optimum solution regulates the network load preventing the aggregate throughput from collapsing when the system is overloaded. In scenarios with a large number of transmitters, this optimum solution can be implemented in an uncoordinated manner with the knowledge of a few public system parameters.
Developing Cell Cluster based CAC for Cellular Networks

Cluster Connection Admission Control (Cluster CAC) schemes for wireless cellular networks are discussed. After reviewing the basic admission schemes for single-cluster network architecture, new more realistic multiple-cluster schemes are defined. Unlike single cluster schemes, such new multiple-cluster environment takes into account the hand-off events between different clusters. Two thresholds are defined in order to guarantee in the multiple-cluster network architecture the same performance level of single-cluster schemes. Computer simulation has been used to evaluate the main performance metrics assuming a Wireless ATM network environment.
OpenComRTOS: A Runtime Environment for Interacting Entities

OpenComRTOS is one of the few Real-Time Operating Systems for em- bedded systems that was developed using formal modelling techniques. The goal was to obtain a proven trustworthy component with a clean architecture that delivers high performance on a wide variety of networked embedded systems, ranging from single processor to distributed systems. The result is a scalable relibable communication sys- tem with real-time capabilities. Besides, a rigorous formal verification of the kernel algorithms led to an architecture which has several properties that enhance safety and real-time properties of the RTOS. The code size in particular is very small, typically 10 times less than a typical equivalent single processor RTOS. The small code size allows a much better use of the on-chip memory resources, which increases the speed of execution due to the reduction of wait states caused by the use of external memory. To this point we ported OpenComRTOS to the MicroBlaze processor from Xilinx, the Leon3 from ESA, the ARM Cortex-M3, the Melexis MLX16, and the XMOS. In this paper we concentrate on the Microblaze port, which is an environment where OpenComRTOS competes with a number of different operating systems, including the standard operating system Xilinx Micro Kernel. This paper reports code size fig- ures of the OpenComRTOS on a MicroBlaze target. We found that this code size is considerably smaller compared with published code sizes of other operating systems.
: Vandermonde Invariant Transformation 1 Vandermonde Invariant Transformation

Using more than one antenna at the transmitter and/or the receiver station has been proposed for mobile communication systems to attain increased capacity and interference suppresion by additionally exploiting the spatial separation of the mobile users. This use of antenna arrays at the receiver and/or sender provokes a noticable increase of the system performance by achieving antenna gain, enhanced interference cancelation, and also transmit-receive diversity. However, exploiting these properties requires the knowledge of the channel. Therefore channel estimation has to be applied to determine the parameters of the channel. These channel estimation schemes work better for higher signalto-noise ratios (SNR). To this end preprocessing schemes can be applied to the antenna output to amplify the user signal over the noise and interference. One of the most common structures of an antenna array is theUniform Linear Array(ULA). AssumingL different propagation paths impinging at a ULA with M antennas under the influence of additive, possibly colored noise produces the data model
The scarring effects of unemployment, low pay and skills under-utilization in Australia compared

There is a substantial literature on the scarring effects of unemployment on future employment prospects and a smaller one on the scarring effects of low pay, but the possibility that skills mismatch, in the form of skills under-utilization, may have similar detrimental effects has not been considered before. We use the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia panel to investigate the dynamics of unemployment, low pay and skills under-utilization, including differences by gender and education. We show that, in addition to earlier evidence on wage penalties and reduced job satisfaction, skills under-utilization scars future employment prospects in a way similar to that of low pay.
Perceptual noise shaping in dual-tree complex wavelet transform for image coding

In this paper, we extend the idea of noise shaping for dual-tree complex wavelet transform (DCWT) image coding to a perceptual-based noise shaping. In classical noise shaping, the spatial error information is compensated by adding it back into the whole DCWT domain, which allows the retained to coefficients have better capability to approximate the original image. The proposed perceptual noise shaping introduces a perceptual weight to the spatial errors. The weight involves the structural similarity (SSIM) measurement and other adjustment parameters to shape the spatial errors. Experimental results show that the perceptual noise shaping has better results for visual quality and provides higher SSIM index than classical noise shaping. For example, the proposed perceptual noise shaping achieves an overall SSIM of 0.891 for the 8 bit 512×512 “barbara” compared to 0.878 in classical noise shaping when 5000 coefficients are retained.
Flexible printed circuit defective detection based on image registration

This paper studies the application of advanced computer image processing techniques for solving problem of automated defect detection for flexible printed circuit (FPC). Referent image and inspecting image of FPC are obtained, and align them in the same position through affine transformation which is also called image registration. According to the principle that mutual information entropy (MI) increases as image registration accuracy improves, genetic algorithm integrated with MI is applied to searching optimal image registration parameters to improve image registration accuracy. The experimental result prove that the registration result can be optimized effectively. On the basis of that, inspecting image is subtracted from referent image, the residual image shows possible defect. Through analyzing the square and the shape of possible defect, all defects can be detected finally. The inspecting result proves accurate defect detection. The inspecting accuracy can reach 93.5%. And 200 inspecting targets cost 3891ms, The method proposed in paper does not only improve inspecting accuracy, but also improve efficiency in practice.
The effects of a treatment based on the use of virtual reality exposure and cognitive-behavioral therapy applied to patients with agoraphobia

Exposure to virtual reality phobic environments was used with patients with chronic agoraphobia. The exposure to virtual stimuli has been verified as a useful procedure in treating phobic disorders. However, there are some specific problems with agoraphobia (determining phobic stimuli, avatars, etc.). The aim of this experimental study is to test a combined treatment, virtual reality exposure and cognitive-behavioral treatment (VRET), compared with a traditional cognitive-behavioral approach (CBT), in reducing agoraphobia symptoms. Two experimental groups were used. 15 patients with chronic agoraphobia received a VRET procedure (3D), and 13 received CBT. Both groups had 11 treatment sessions. The post-treatment measurements included a brief behavioral avoidance test (BAT). Results showed a significant improvement in agoraphobia symptoms (cognition, body sensation, level of anxiety, depression) in both groups. In general, this improvement remained three months later. Also, the BAT procedure indicated the ability of most patients to deal with a phobic environment. Additionally, the VRET
Behavior Hierarchy for Autonomous Mobile Robots: Fuzzy-Behavior Modulation and Evolution

ABSTRACTRealization of autonomous behavior in mobile robots, using fuzzy logic control, requires formulation of rules which are collectively responsible for necessary levels of intelligence. Such a collection of rules can be conveniently decomposed and efficiently implemented as a hierarchy of fuzzy-behaviors. This article describes how this can be done using a behavior-based architecture. A behavior hierarchy and mechanisms of control decision-making are described. In addition, an approach to behavior coordination is described with emphasis on evolution of fuzzy coordination rules using the genetic programming (GP) paradigm. Both conventional GP and steady-state GP are applied to evolve a fuzzy-behavior for sensor-based goal-seeking. The usefulness of the behavior hierarchy, and partial design by GP, is evident in performance results of simulated autonomous navigation.