Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An improved sparse representation method for direction-of-arrival estimation in the presence of unknown mutual coupling

Mutual coupling is a practical problem in array signal processing, which seriously degrades the performance of most high-resolution array processing methods. In this paper, an improved sparse representation method is proposed for direction-of-arrival estimation in the presence of unknown mutual coupling. By making use of the special structure of mutual coupling matrix for uniform linear array, the mutual coupling effect is eliminated completely. Compared to the state-of-the-art sparsity-based methods, the proposed method shows higher resolution, lower variance and lower computational cost. Simulation results are presented to verify the performance of the proposed method.
Onto-Tools: an ensemble of web-accessible, ontology-based tools for the functional design and interpretation of high-throughput gene expression experiments

The Onto-Tools suite is composed of an annotation database and five seamlessly integrated web-accessible data mining tools: Onto-Express (OE), Onto-Compare (OC), Onto-Design (OD), Onto-Translate (OT) and Onto-Miner (OM). OM is a new tool that provides a unified access point and an application programming interface for most annotations available. Our database has been enhanced with more than 120 new commercial microarrays and annotations for Rattus norvegicus, Drosophila melanogaster and Carnorhabditis elegans. The Onto-Tools have been redesigned to provide better biological insight, improved performance and user convenience. The new features implemented in OE include support for gene names, LocusLink IDs and Gene Ontology (GO) IDs, ability to specify fold changes for the input genes, links to the KEGG pathway database and detailed output files. OC allows comparisons of the functional bias of more than 170 commercial microarrays. The latest version of OD allows the user to specify keywords if the exact GO term is not known as well as providing more details than the previous version. OE, OC and OD now have an integrated GO browser that allows the user to customize the level of abstraction for each GO category. The Onto-Tools are available online at http://vortex.cs. wayne.edu/Projects.html.
Anti‐monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 gene therapy inhibits restenotic changes (neointimal hyperplasia) after balloon injury in rats and monkeys

Prevention of restenosis after coronary intervention is a major clinical challenge, which highlights the need of new therapeutic options. Vascular injury may involve inflammatory responses that accelerate the recruitment and activation of monocytes through the activation of chemotactic factors, including monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 (MCP‐1). However, there is no definitive evidence supporting the role of MCP‐1 in restenosis. We recently devised a new strategy for anti‐MCP‐1 gene therapy by transfecting an N‐terminal deletion mutant of the MCP‐1 gene into skeletal muscles. We demonstrate here that this strategy suppressed monocyte infiltration/activation in the injured site and markedly inhibited restenotic changes (neointimal hyperplasia) after balloon injury of the carotid artery in rats and monkeys. This strategy also suppressed the local production of MCP‐1 and inflammatory cytokines. Therefore, monocyte infiltration and activation mediated by MCP‐1 are essential in the development of restenotic changes after balloon injury. This strategy may be a useful form of gene therapy against human restenosis.
A robotic assembly system capable of handling flexible cables with connector

In realizing a robotic assembly system of electronic products, recognizing the connectors with flexible cables as a single component is one of the most difficult problems, which prevents from automating the system. To overcome this problem, we used our proprietary 3-D range sensor and developed three component algorithms: one is to recognize randomly-stacked connectors; another is to automatically compensate rotational and positional errors by force sensor; the other is to set up visually-guided offline developing environments. In this paper, we introduce these component algorithms and their integration into an evaluation system in detail.
Security access control research trends

Information security policy is a critical property in any organization. For systems, the security policy addresses constraints on access by external systems and adversaries including programs and access to data by people. A continuous research effort is done throughout security policy aspects, such as policy procedures, documentation, policy enforcement, and administration. In this paper, we explore the research trends in an important component of security policies, which is access control. We survey the different modes of access controls, and identify the open research areas associated with them.
Object tracking by detection for video surveillance systems based on modified codebook foreground detection and particle filter

In this paper, a novel approach is proposed to achieve the multi-object tracking in video surveillance system using a combination of tracking by detection method. For the foreground objects detection part, we implement a modified codebook model. First, the block-based model upgrades the pixel-based codebook model to block level, thus improving the processing speed and reducing memory. Moreover, by adding the orientation and magnitude of the block gradient, the codebook model contains not only information of color, but also the texture feature in order to further reduce noises and refine more entire foreground regions. For the tracking aspect, we further utilize the data from the foreground detection that a color-edgetexture histogram is used by calculate the local binary pattern of the edge of the foreground objects which could have a good performance in describing the shape and texture of the objects. Finally, occlusion solutions strategies are applies to order to overcome the occlusion problems during tracking. Experimental results on different data sets prove that our method has better performance and good real-time ability.
Toward Autonomous Collision Avoidance by Steering

This paper presents a new automotive safety function called Emergency Lane Assist (ELA). ELA combines conventional lane guidance systems with a threat assessment module that tries to activate the lane guidance interventions according to the actual risk level of lane departure. The goal is to only prevent dangerous lane departure maneuvers. The ELA safety function is based on a statistical method that evaluates a list of safety concepts and tries to maximize the impact on accident statistics while minimizing development and hardware component costs. ELA runs in a demonstrator and successfully intervenes during lane changes that are likely to result in a collision and is also able to take control of the vehicle and return it to a safe position in the original lane. It has also been tested on 2000 km of roads in traffic without giving any false interventions
Stop, Look, Listen: Contemplative Teaching and Learning

In an age of overwhelming quantities of information, an increasing superficiality of understanding, and an increasing emphasis on “devices,” Christian educators can invite learners into transformational learning through focal contemplative practices that help learners sharpen their attention and deepen their experience. Participation in focal practices invites the emergence of contemplation and helps cultivate a readiness to receive the gift of contemplation. This essay explores briefly the relationship between focal practice and contemplation. It then considers three particular practices that can support and encourage contemplative knowing across a range of teaching/learning contexts: contemplative looking, contemplative reading, and contemplative play.
Controllable superstition and its relationship with enduring and behavioural involvement in gambling

Abstract Superstition is a salient belief given the desire of individuals to control outcomes in daily life, particularly in the context of gambling. This study contributes to the literature by distinguishing controllable superstition from uncontrollable superstition. Furthermore, their relationships with enduring involvement and, subsequently, behavioural involvement, including gambling frequency and variety, are examined. Using partial least squares structural equation modelling, the analysis of data collected from 496 casino gamblers indicates that uncontrollable superstition has two sub-dimensions, which include impersonal outcome and personal state. Controllable superstition positively predicts gambling frequency and variety via enduring involvement, whereas uncontrollable superstition has no effect on enduring involvement. The findings indicate that superstition should not be treated as a unidimensional construct, as controllable and uncontrollable superstitions have different effects on consequential variables. Practical implications are provided for gambling regulators and casino operators.
Image enhancement based on Retinex and lightness decomposition

In this paper, an efficient image enhancement method based on Retinex and lightness decomposition is proposed, which enhances details and preserves the naturalness simultaneously. The quality of an enhanced image is determined by two factors, details and naturalness. Accordingly, the lightness is proposed to be decomposed into reflex lightness and ambience illumination. The reflex lightness is utilized to extract details based on Retinex, and the ambience illumination is utilized to maintain the naturalness of scenes. Moreover, a coarse evaluation that keeps the corresponding order of ambience illumination is proposed to substitute the absolute amount of ambience illumination, which may not be necessary to preserve the naturalness. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method can efficiently improve the perceptual quality of images by not only enhancing the details of the images, but also keeping the naturalness of scenes.
A banner ads searching and counting system for sports videos

The ads exposure frequency in a TV is very important for the pricing of the advertising. If we count this exposure frequency by person, it will be very time consuming and error-prone. In this paper, we propose an approach and design a system for searching and counting the number of banner ads appearing in sports videos. The searching proceeds by matching feature points from pre-specified sample ads using the color histogram and the SURF (Speeded-Up Robust Features) algorithm. This searching approach can robustly identify objects among scaling and partial occlusion while achieving near real-time performance. This system worked effectively in our experiments using real videos.
Engineered hepatitis B virus surface antigen L protein particles for in vivo active targeting of splenic dendritic cells

Dendritic cells (DCs) are key regulators of adaptive T-cell responses. By capturing exogenous antigens and presenting antigen-derived peptides via major histocompatibility complex molecules to naïve T cells, DCs induce antigen-specific immune responses in vivo. In order to induce effective host immune responses, active delivery of exogenous antigens to DCs is considered important for future vaccine development. We recently generated bionanocapsules (BNCs) consisting of hepatitis B virus surface antigens that mediate stringent in vivo cell targeting and efficient endosomal escape, and after the fusion with liposomes (LP) containing therapeutic materials, the BNC-LP complexes deliver them to human liver-derived tissues in vivo. BNCs were further modified to present the immunoglobulin G (IgG) Fc-interacting domain (Z domain) derived from Staphylococcus aureus protein A in tandem. When mixed with IgGs, modified BNCs (ZZ-BNCs) displayed the IgG Fv regions outwardly for efficient binding to antigens in an oriented-immobilization manner. Due to the affinity of the displayed IgGs, the IgG-ZZ-BNC complexes accumulated in specific cells and tissues in vitro and in vivo. After mixing ZZ-BNCs with antibodies against DCs, we used immunocytochemistry to examine which antibodies delivered ZZ-BNCs to mouse splenic DCs following intravenous injection of the ZZ-BNCs. ZZ-BNCs displaying anti-CD11c monoclonal antibodies (α-CD11c-ZZ-BNCs) were found to accumulate with approximately 62% of splenic DCs, and reside within some of them. After the fusion with liposomes containing antigens, the α-CD11c-ZZ-BNCs could elicit the respective antibodies more efficiently than other nontargeting control vaccines, suggesting that this DC-specific nanocarrier is promising for future vaccines.
Reform on college fundamentals of computer course based on mobile computing

Fundamentals of Computer is a compulsory course of non-majors in many universities of China. In this paper, we explore the reform on this course for two goals. One is to redesign the teaching content: from operation oriented to computational thinking oriented. Computational thinking is one of the most important ability for 21st century and has become the primary goal of computer foundation education. New content covers the basic principles of computer science as well as the fundamental ways of thinking and problem solving with computer. The second goal is to improve teaching methods by leveraging mobile technology. We propose the use of MIT App Inventor, which is a simple tool for creating mobile applications for Android. Students with no prior knowledge of programming can create entertaining and socially useful applications with App Inventor while practicing computational thinking.
A Framework for Developing and Experimenting with Parallel Process Architectures to Support High-Performance Transport Systems

Multi-processing is a promising technique for improving the performance, scalability, and cost effectiveness of communication subsystems. Improving performance is becoming increasingly important to alleviate bottlenecks resulting from network transmission speeds that now often exceed the processing capacity of end-systems. This paper describes a modular framework for developing and experimenting with process architectures for bus-oriented, shared memory multiprocessors. A process architecture binds units of communication protocol processing (such as layers, functions, connections, and messages) with one or more processing elements. This paper describes several alternative process architectures supported by ADAPTIVE and outlines techniques used to perform controlled experimentation with these alter-
A nonapeptide encoded by human gene MAGE-1 is recognized on HLA-A1 by cytolytic T lymphocytes directed against tumor antigen MZ2-E

We have reported the identification of human gene MAGE-1, which directs the expression of an antigen recognized on a melanoma by autologous cytolytic T lymphocytes (CTL). We show here that CTL directed against this antigen, which was named MZ2-E, recognize a nonapeptide encoded by the third exon of gene MAGE-1. The CTL also recognize this peptide when it is presented by mouse cells transfected with an HLA-A1 gene, confirming the association of antigen MZ2-E with the HLA-A1 molecule. Other members of the MAGE gene family do not code for the same peptide, suggesting that only MAGE-1 produces the antigen recognized by the anti- MZ2-E CTL. Our results open the possibility of immunizing HLA-A1 patients whose tumor expresses MAGE-1 either with the antigenic peptide or with autologous antigen-presenting cells pulsed with the peptide.
revalence of Chagas disease in Brazil : A systematic review nd meta-analysis

Chagas disease is a major public health problem in Brazil and Latin America. During the last years, it has become an emerging problem in North America and Europe due to increasing international migration. Here we describe the prevalence of Chagas disease in Brazil through a systematic review. We searched national and international electronic databases, grey literature and reference lists of selected articles for population-based studies on Chagas disease prevalence in Brazil, performed from 1980 until September 2012. Forty-two articles with relevant prevalence data were identified from a total of 4985 references. Prevalence ranged from 0% to 25.1%. Most surveys were performed in the Northeast region, especially in the state of Piauí. We observed a high degree of heterogeneity in most pooled estimates (I2 > 75%; p < 0.001). The pooled estimate of Chagas disease prevalence across studies for the entire period was 4.2% (95% CI: 3.1–5.7), ranging from 4.4% (95% CI: 2.3–8.3) in the 1980s to 2.4% (95% CI: 1.5–3.8) after 2000. Females (4.2%; 95% CI: 2.6–6.8), >60 year-olds (17.7%; 95% CI: 11.4–26.5), Northeast (5.0%; 95% CI: 3.1–8.1) and Southeast (5.0%; CI: 2.4–9.9) regions and mixed (urban/rural) areas (6.4%; 95% CI: 4.2–9.4) had the highest pooled prevalence. About 4.6 million (95% CI: 2.9–7.2 million) of people are estimated to be infected with Trypanosoma cruzi. The small number of studies and small-scale samples of the general population in some areas limit interpretation, and findings of this review do not necessarily reflect the situation of the entire country. Systematic population-based studies at regional and national level are recommended to provide more accurate estimates and better define the epidemiology and risk areas of Chagas disease in Brazil. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Combined Dual Channel Impedance/pH-metry in Patients With Suspected Laryngopharyngeal Reflux

BACKGROUND/AIMS Laryngopharyngeal symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) such as globus sensation, hoarseness and chronic cough are becoming increasingly recognized. This study was aimed to investigate the diagnostic usefulness of combined dual channel multichannel intraluminal impedance (MII)/pH-metry in 'off-proton pump inhibitor (PPI)' patients with suspected laryngopharyngeal reflux. METHODS Ninety-eight patients with laryngopharyngeal symptoms of GERD were included. All patients were 'off-PPI' state for at least 2 weeks prior to the study, and underwent endoscopy and dual channel combined MII/pH-metry. RESULTS The mean age of the patients was 49.8 +/- 10.9 years and there were 44 males (44.9%). Fifty-three patients (54.1%) showed pathologic gastroesophageal reflux (GER). Combined dual channel MII/pH-metry achieved highest diagnostic yield of 49.0% and diagnostic yield of single channel combined MII/pH-metry was 37.8%. Addition of MII to standard pH-metry increased twofold of the diagnostic yield for detecting GER. Among 37 patients (37.8%) who had pathologic GER being detected by MII/pH-metry, 19 patients (19.4%) had nonacid GER (nonacid GER group) while 18 patients (18.4%) had acid GER (acid GER group). Pathologic GER group, as classified by MII/pH-metry showed more frequent globus sensation than nonpathologic GER group. Acid GER group had more proximal reflux than nonacid GER group, especially in the upright position. CONCLUSIONS In this study, combined dual channel MII/pH-metry showed the highest diagnostic yield for detecting GER. This technique can be performed primarily to accurately diagnose laryngopharyngeal reflux disease and exclude other causes of laryngopharyngeal symptoms.
Transient B-Cell Depletion Combined With Apoptotic Donor Splenocytes Induces Xeno-Specific T- and B-Cell Tolerance to Islet Xenografts

Peritransplant infusion of apoptotic donor splenocytes cross-linked with ethylene carbodiimide (ECDI-SPs) has been demonstrated to effectively induce allogeneic donor-specific tolerance. The objective of the current study is to determine the effectiveness and additional requirements for tolerance induction for xenogeneic islet transplantation using donor ECDI-SPs. In a rat-to-mouse xenogeneic islet transplant model, we show that rat ECDI-SPs alone significantly prolonged islet xenograft survival but failed to induce tolerance. In contrast to allogeneic donor ECDI-SPs, xenogeneic donor ECDI-SPs induced production of xenodonor-specific antibodies partially responsible for the eventual islet xenograft rejection. Consequently, depletion of B cells prior to infusions of rat ECDI-SPs effectively prevented such antibody production and led to the indefinite survival of rat islet xenografts. In addition to controlling antibody responses, transient B-cell depletion combined with ECDI-SPs synergistically suppressed xenodonor-specific T-cell priming as well as memory T-cell generation. Reciprocally, after initial depletion, the recovered B cells in long-term tolerized mice exhibited xenodonor-specific hyporesponsiveness. We conclude that transient B-cell depletion combined with donor ECDI-SPs is a robust strategy for induction of xenodonor-specific T- and B-cell tolerance. This combinatorial therapy may be a promising strategy for tolerance induction for clinical xenogeneic islet transplantation.
Circulating neutrophils in septic preterm neonates: comparison of two reference ranges.

OBJECTIVE To study the effect of sepsis on circulating neutrophils in very low birth weight neonates and to assess the usefulness of recently revised reference ranges for circulating neutrophils in the diagnosis of sepsis in this population by comparison with previously reported reference ranges. METHODS Neutrophil parameters (absolute total neutrophils, absolute total immature neutrophils, and the immature:total neutrophil proportion) were analyzed retrospectively in 202 sepsis episodes in 192 neonates (birth weight = 1055 +/- 246 g, X +/- SD; estimated gestational age = 29 +/- 2 weeks) between birth and 30 days of age. The percentage of values lying outside the reference ranges reported recently by Mouzinho et al and previously by Manroe et al were compared. To more accurately assess possible differences in specificity between the two reference ranges, neonates with early-onset group B streptococcal infection (n = 19) were compared with a matched control group (n = 51) using conditional logistic regression. RESULTS Greater sensitivity was observed using the previous reference ranges of Manroe et al over the entire study period (0 to 720 hours) both for the initial and the second complete blood count (CBC). The previous reference ranges also were more sensitive than the revised ranges for the initial CBC at 0 to 72 and at 73 to 720 hours and for infections attributable to coagulase-negative staphylococci. However, specificity in neonates without group B streptococcal infection was significantly greater with the revised reference ranges compared with those of Manroe et al (initial CBC, 73% vs 45%; serial CBCs, 59% vs 10%). CONCLUSION The observed differences in sensitivities may be of limited clinical significance because very low birth weight infants often are begun on antibiotic therapy regardless of laboratory values. However, the striking differences in specificity using the revised reference ranges suggest that these ranges may be clinically useful in determining length of antimicrobial therapy in infants in whom cultures remain sterile.