Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hubble Space Telescope WFPC Images of Emission Nebulosity near XZ Tauri

XZ Tauri is a M3 V T Tauri star with a pre-main-sequence binary companion detected by infrared speckle interferometry at a projected separation of 0. ″3 (about 40 AU). Previous ground-based observations of the system have shown bipolar emission nebulosity, including a possible jet knot. Images obtained with the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 on the Hubble Space Telescope show an elongated, filled bubble of emission nebulosity extending over 4'' to the north of the system which contains two or three compact knots. The source of the nebulosity is undetermined. For the first time, the components are separated in visible light, and the southern component (XZ Tau S) dominates the integrated light of the system. The reverse has been found to be true in the near-infrared. Thus we confirm that XZ Tauri belongs to the small class of young binaries with cool infrared companions.
On Achievable Rate Region of Multiple Coordinated Multiple Access Channels

Coordination between two or more multiple access channel (MAC) receivers can enlarge the achievable rate region of the whole system. This paper focuses on coordination by sharing the codebooks of the users between the receivers of MACs. We first define the achievable rate region of the time invariant multiple coordinated MAC (MCMAC) and subsequently derive its achievable rate region. We later express the achievable rate region in terms of the dominating points. We base our numerical analysis on the two-user two-receiver Gaussian coordinated MAC and make comparison with the interference channel, full cooperation and the individual MAC performance analysis. It is observed that this approach though suboptimal is less complex in comparison with full cooperation and that the MCMAC rate region is at least equal to the rate region of the uncoordinated approach. Over several channel states, the rate region of MCMAC exceeds that of the uncoordinated approach.
1 Dental X-ray Image Segmentation

Law enforcement agencies have been exploiting biometric identifiers for decades as key tools in forensic identification. With the evolution in information technology and the huge volume of cases that need to be investigated by forensic specialists, it has become important to automate forensic identification systems. While, ante mortem (AM) identification, that is identification prior to death, is usually possible through comparison of many biometric identifiers, postmortem (PM) identification, that is identification after death, is impossible using behavioral biometrics (e.g. speech, gait). Moreover, under severe circumstances, such as those encountered in mass disasters (e.g. airplane crashers) or if identification is being attempted more than a couple of weeks postmortem, under such circumstances, most physiological biometrics may not be employed for identification, because of the decay of soft tissues of the body to unidentifiable states. Therefore, a postmortem biometric identifier has to resist the early decay that affects body tissues. Because of their survivability and diversity, the best candidates for postmortem biometric identification are the dental features. In this paper we present an over view about an automated dental identification system for Missing and Unidentified Persons. This dental identification system can be used by both law enforcement and security agencies in both forensic and biometric identification. We will also present techniques for dental segmentation of X-ray images. These techniques address the problem of identifying each individual tooth and how the contours of each tooth are extracted.
The Antidepressant Effect of Laser Acupuncture: A Comparison of the Resting Brain's Default Mode Network in Healthy and Depressed Subjects During Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

BACKGROUND It has been suggested that the antidepressant effect of laser acupuncture involves modulation of the default mode network (DMN) or resting state network (RSN). In this study, the authors investigated changes in the DMN during laser acupuncture in depressed and nondepressed participants. OBJECTIVE To aim of this study was to determine if the modulation of the DMN effects by laser acupuncture in depressed participants are different from those of nondepressed participants. DESIGN Randomized stimulation was performed with laser acupuncture on four putative antidepressant acupoints (LR 14, LR 8, CV 14, and HT 7) in a block on-off design, while the blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) fMRI response was recorded from each subject's whole brain on a 3T scanner. DMN patterns of the participants were identified, using an independent component analysis. The identified DMN components from both the nondepressed group and the depressed group were then analytically compared using SPM5. SETTING This study took place at a research institute. SUBJECTS Ten nondepressed participants and 10 depressed participants (DS) as confirmed by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) participated in this study. INTERVENTION Low Intensity Laser Acupuncture. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Significant DMN patterns in one group were greater than those in the other group. RESULTS The nondepressed participants had significant modulation of DMN in the frontal region at the medial frontal gyrus (verum laser>rest, p<0.001) for three acupoints (LR 14, LR 8, and CV 14). For the depressive participants, the DMN modulation occurred at the inferior parietal cortex and the cerebellum (verum laser>rest, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Laser acupuncture on LR 8, LR 14, and CV 14 stimulated both the anterior and posterior DMN in both the nondepressed and depressed participants. However, in the nondepressed participants, there was consistently outstanding modulation of the anterior DMN at the medial frontal gyrus across all three acupoints. In the depressed participants, there was wider posterior DMN modulation at the parieto-temporal-limbic cortices. This is part of the antidepressant effect of laser acupuncture.
Antibody microinjection reveals an essential role for human polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) in the functional maturation of mitotic centrosomes

Mammalian polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) is structurally related to the polo gene product of Drosophila melanogaster, Cdc5p of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and plo1+ of Schizosaccharomyces pombe, a newly emerging family of serine-threonine kinases implicated in cell cycle regulation. Based on data obtained for its putative homologues in invertebrates and yeasts, human Plk1 is suspected to regulate some fundamental aspect(s) of mitosis, but no direct experimental evidence in support of this hypothesis has previously been reported. In this study, we have used a cell duplication, microinjection assay to investigate the in vivo function of Plk1 in both immortalized (HeLa) and nonimmortalized (Hs68) human cells. Injection of anti-Plk1 antibodies (Plk1+) at various stages of the cell cycle had no effect on the kinetics of DNA replication but severely impaired the ability of cells to divide. Analysis of Plk1(+)-injected, mitotically arrested HeLa cells by fluorescence microscopy revealed abnormal distributions of condensed chromatin and monoastral microtubule arrays that were nucleated from duplicated but unseparated centrosomes. Most strikingly, centrosomes in Plk1(+)-injected cells were drastically reduced in size, and the accumulation of both gamma-tubulin and MPM-2 immunoreactivity was impaired. These data indicate that Plk1 activity is necessary for the functional maturation of centrosomes in late G2/early prophase and, consequently, for the establishment of a bipolar spindle. Additional roles for Plk1 at later stages of mitosis are not excluded, although injection of Plk1+ after the completion of spindle formation did not interfere with cytokinesis. Injection of Plk1+ into nonimmortalized Hs68 cells produced qualitatively similar phenotypes, but the vast majority of the injected Hs68 cells arrested as single, mononucleated cells in G2. This latter observation hints at the existence, in nonimmortalized cells, of a centrosome-maturation checkpoint sensitive to the impairment of Plk1 function.
Evaluation of Scaling Invariance Embedded in Short Time Series

Scaling invariance of time series has been making great contributions in diverse research fields. But how to evaluate scaling exponent from a real-world series is still an open problem. Finite length of time series may induce unacceptable fluctuation and bias to statistical quantities and consequent invalidation of currently used standard methods. In this paper a new concept called correlation-dependent balanced estimation of diffusion entropy is developed to evaluate scale-invariance in very short time series with length . Calculations with specified Hurst exponent values of show that by using the standard central moving average de-trending procedure this method can evaluate the scaling exponents for short time series with ignorable bias () and sharp confidential interval (standard deviation ). Considering the stride series from ten volunteers along an approximate oval path of a specified length, we observe that though the averages and deviations of scaling exponents are close, their evolutionary behaviors display rich patterns. It has potential use in analyzing physiological signals, detecting early warning signals, and so on. As an emphasis, the our core contribution is that by means of the proposed method one can estimate precisely shannon entropy from limited records.
Cathepsin K Targeting Matrix Regenerative Nanoparticles for Small Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair

Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) are characterized by the loss of elasticity in the aorta wall leading to a chronic increase in diameter and resulting in rupture. This is due to the lack of regeneration of elastic fibers and chronic proteolytic breakdown of elastic fibers within the aorta mediated by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), specifically MMP2 and -9. Previous studies in our lab have shown cationic amphiphile-surface functionalized poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs) loaded with doxycycline (DOX) to inhibit MMP activity and stimulate elastic matrix synthesis, effects we attributed to both low doses (< 10 mg/ml) of DOX released and independent effects of cationic amphiphile pendant groups on the NP surface. This promises application of these NPs to arrest or regress AAA growth since high oral DOX dosing inhibits new elastic matrix formation in the AAA wall and has undesirable side effects. In this study, we investigated feasibility of antibody-based active targeting of intravenously infused NPs to the AAA wall. Cathepsin K, a cysteine protease, is a biomarker for AAA and overexpressed in abdominal aortic aneurysm tissue making it an ideal target moiety. We have shown using a covalent conjugation method of modifying the surface of the NPs with a cathepsin K antibody resulted in a more robust antibody attachment which did not affect the DOX release profile. Cathepsin K expression was confirmed to be localized on the cell surface and utilizing cathepsin K Ab-conjugated NPs, we demonstrated an increased NP
Beyond Corporate Responsibility: Implications for Management Development

Since the mid-1990s we have witnessed the rise of numerous constructive and positive activities aimed at developing or enhancing corporate responsibility and corporate citizenship as well as anti-globalization and anticorporate activism. And, of course, in 2008, we witnessed the meltdown of financial markets and numerous financial institutions as well as some major companies teetering on the brink of collapse. What is actually needed to create the world that many people want to live in may in fact be a new relationship between business and society, that is, new ways of looking at the corporation and its role in society, both in practice and in management education? We will argue that some initiatives, such as Corporation 2020, have already begun to explore these issues by taking a more holistic perspective on different purposes and roles of the corporation in the future. Management education, which has been severely criticized in the aftermath of the economic crisis, has an important role to play, but in a changed form. Implications for leadership and management education include the need to shift cognitive, moral, and emotional levels of development, renewed emphasis on balance both individually and socially, a less is more sensibility, a holistic systems perspective, and shifting the purpose of the firm to encompass not just shareholder needs, but also societal, stakeholder, and ecological needs and interests. In this article we explore some of the ways in which these attributes might be engendered in future leaders, at least in those management development and education programs interested in fostering a new wave of progressive leadership in management for the future.
A Novel Feature Extraction and Classification Methodology for the Recognition of Historical Documents

In this paper, we present a methodology for off-line character recognition that mainly focuses on handling the difficult cases of historical fonts and styles. The proposed methodology relies on a new feature extraction technique based on recursive subdivisions of the image as well as on calculation of the centre of masses of each sub-image with sub-pixel accuracy. Feature extraction is followed by a hierarchical classification scheme based on the level of granularity of the feature extraction method. Pairs of classes with high values in the confusion matrix are merged at a certain level and higher level granularity features are employed for distinguishing them. Several historical documents were used in order to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed technique.
Faster Private Set Intersection Based on OT Extension

Private set intersection (PSI) allows two parties to compute the intersection of their sets without revealing any information about items that are not in the intersection. It is one of the best studied applications of secure computation and many PSI protocols have been proposed. However, the variety of existing PSI protocols makes it difficult to identify the solution that performs best in a respective scenario, especially since they were not all implemented and compared in the same setting. In this work, we give an overview on existing PSI protocols that are secure against semi-honest adversaries. We take advantage of the most recent efficiency improvements in OT extension to propose significant optimizations to previous PSI protocols and to suggest a new PSI protocol whose runtime is superior to that of existing protocols. We compare the performance of the protocols both theoretically and experimentally, by implementing all protocols on the same platform, and give recommendations on which protocol to use in a particular setting.
Examining viscoelastic response of pregnant rat cervical tissue using 3, 4, and 5 element spring and dashpot models

Preterm birth is a leading cause of death and abnormality among newborn infants. Cervical insufficiency is one of the major causes of preterm birth. Unfortunately, this asymptomatic condition remains hidden to many patients until preterm birth occurs. Accurate characterization of the mechanical behavior of cervical tissue can enable the development of medical devices that can diagnose the condition of cervical insufficiency before labor begins and help avoid preterm birth. In this study, the main focus was to develop a simple viscoelastic model that can be used for describing the stress relaxation phenomenon of the rat cervical tissue. The intention was to develop a successful model from linear springs and viscous dashpots without using a repetitive scheme. Same basic elements were supposed to be used only once to investigate how simple discrete models perform in describing a complex behavior like soft biological tissue stress relaxation. For this purpose, 3, 4 and 5 element spring and dashpot models were developed and tested with the data obtained through uniaxial tensile stress relaxation ex vivo experiments on the pregnant rat cervical tissues with gestational ages of 15, 17, 19 and 21 days. The experimental data from pregnant rat cervices are preferred in order to examine whether the models can capture the change in the tissue properties as pregnancy proceeds. Although both 3 element and 4 element models are able to describe the stress relaxation behavior of the cervical tissue, the error analysis shows that 4 element model works best among the investigated models. 5 element models cannot be implemented to the stress relaxation curve due to the hyperbolic functions present in their governing equations. The analysis of variance results of the working models showed a significant decrease in all model parameters with increasing gestational ages. ii
bC1 of chili leaf curl betasatellite is a pathogenicity determinant

Background: Cotton leaf curl disease in the Indian subcontinent is associated with several distinct begomoviruses that interact with a disease-specific DNA satellite named Cotton leaf curl Multan betasatellite (CLCuMB). However, we have recently reported that Chili leaf curl betasatellite (ChLCB) is also occasionally found associated with the disease in Pakistan. The question as to whether ChLCB contributes to the development of disease symptoms such as leaf curling and enations remain to be answered. We have previously shown that the expression of bC1 of CLCuMB develops all symptoms of cotton leaf curl disease in Nicotiana benthamiana when expressed from PVX vector. Findings: The role of ChLCB in the induction of typical disease symptoms was studied by its expression from PVX vector in N. benthamiana. The expression of bC1 from PVX vector developed severe leaf curl symptoms and leaflike enations that resemble the phenotype induced by bC1 of CLCuMB. Conclusions: The results presented here show that the expression of bC1 of ChLCB from PVX vector exhibit phenotype typical of cotton leaf curl and therefore ChLCB may contribute to the disease symptoms.
Online Estimation of Discrete Densities

We address the problem of estimating a discrete joint density online, that is, the algorithm is only provided the current example and its current estimate. The proposed online estimator of discrete densities, EDDO (Estimation of Discrete Densities Online), uses classifier chains to model dependencies among features. Each classifier in the chain estimates the probability of one particular feature. Because a single chain may not provide a reliable estimate, we also consider ensembles of classifier chains and ensembles of weighted classifier chains. For all density estimators, we provide consistency proofs and propose algorithms to perform certain inference tasks. The empirical evaluation of the estimators is conducted in several experiments and on data sets of up to several million instances: We compare them to density estimates computed from Bayesian structure learners, evaluate them under the influence of noise, measure their ability to deal with concept drift, and measure the run-time performance. Our experiments demonstrate that, even though designed to work online, EDDO delivers estimators of competitive accuracy compared to batch Bayesian structure learners and batch variants of EDDO.
Lacking alignments? The next-generation sequencing mapper segemehl revisited

MOTIVATION Next-generation sequencing has become an important tool in molecular biology. Various protocols to investigate genomic, transcriptomic and epigenomic features across virtually all species and tissues have been devised. For most of these experiments, one of the first crucial steps of bioinformatic analysis is the mapping of reads to reference genomes. RESULTS Here, we present thorough benchmarks of our read aligner segemehl in comparison with other state-of-the-art methods. Furthermore, we introduce the tool lack to rescue unmapped RNA-seq reads which works in conjunction with segemehl and many other frequently used split-read aligners. AVAILABILITY lack is distributed together with segemehl and freely available at www.bioinf. uni-leipzig.de/Software/segemehl/.
Fcγ Receptor–mediated Induction of Dendritic Cell Maturation and Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I–restricted Antigen Presentation after Immune Complex Internalization

Dendritic cells (DCs) express several receptors for the Fc portion of immunoglobulin (Ig)G (FcγR), which mediate internalization of antigen–IgG complexes (immune complexes, ICs) and promote efficient major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II–restricted antigen presentation. We now show that FcγRs have two additional specific attributes in murine DCs: the induction of DC maturation and the promotion of efficient MHC class I–restricted presentation of peptides from exogenous, IgG-complexed antigens. Both FcγR functions require the FcγR-associated γ chain. FcγR-mediated MHC class I–restricted antigen presentation is extremely sensitive and specific to immature DCs. It requires proteasomal degradation and is dependent on functional peptide transporter associated with antigen processing, TAP1-TAP2. By promoting DC maturation and presentation on both MHC class I and II molecules, ICs should efficiently sensitize DCs for priming of both CD4+ helper and CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes in vivo.
Diet, Physical Activity, Lifestyle Behaviors, and Prevalence of Childhood Obesity in Irish Children: The Cork Children’s Lifestyle Study Protocol

Background Childhood obesity is complex, and its aetiology is known to be multifaceted. The contribution of lifestyle behaviors, including poor diet and physical inactivity, to obesity remains unclear. Due to the current high prevalence, childhood obesity is an urgent public health priority requiring current and reliable data to further understand its aetiology. Objective The objective of this study is to explore the individual, family, and environmental factors associated with childhood overweight and obesity, with a specific focus on diet and physical activity. A secondary objective of the study is to determine the average salt intake and distribution of blood pressure in Irish children. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted of children 8-11 years old in primary schools in Cork, Ireland. Urban schools were selected using a probability proportionate to size sampling strategy, and a complete sample of rural schools from one area in Cork County were invited to participate. Information collected included physical measurement data (anthropometric measurements, blood pressure), early morning spot and 24 hour urine samples, a 3 day estimated food diary, and 7 days of accelerometer data. Principal- (school head) reported, parent/guardian-reported, and child-reported questionnaires collected information on lifestyle behaviors and environmental attributes. The Cork Children’s Lifestyle Study (CCLaS) was designed by the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health in University College Cork, Ireland in 2011 and 2012. Piloting and modification of study methods was undertaken. Data collection took place between April 2012 and June 2013. Results Overall, 27/46 schools and 1075/1641 children, of which 623 were boys, participated. Preliminary data analysis is underway. It is anticipated that the results of the CCLaS study will be available in late 2014. Conclusions The CCLaS study has collected in-depth data on a wide range of individual, family, social, and environmental correlates which will allow us to access multilevel influences on childhood obesity. This study will contribute to the evidence base by highlighting current knowledge and gaps regarding the predominant drivers of childhood obesity.