Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Unsupervised Segmentation of Hyper-spectral Images via Diffusion Bases

In the field of hyper-spectral sensing, sensors capture images at hundreds and even thousands of wavelengths. These hyper-spectral images, which are composed of hyper-pixels, offer extensive intensity information which can be utilized to obtain segmentation results which are superior to those that are obtained using RGB images. However, straightforward application of segmentation is impractical due to the large number of wavelength images, noisy wavelengths and inter-wavelength correlations. Accordingly, in order to efficiently segment the image, each pixel needs to be represented by a small number of features which capture the structure of the image. In this paper we propose the diffusion bases dimensionality reduction algorithm (Schclar and Averbuch, 2015) to derive the features which are needed for the segmentation. We also propose a simple algorithm for the segmentation of the dimensionality reduced image. We demonstrate the proposed framework when applied to hyper-spectral microscopic images and hyper-spectral images obtained from an airborne hyper-spectral
The Impact of Open Leadership in Being Learning Organisations for Professional Learning

The study examines the impact of being learning organisations in secondary schools culture in fostering professional learning and development. The study sheds a light of qualities of learning organisations to catch change and innovation in digital age. The study has qualitative nature which 26 headmasters become part of the research process voluntarily. The self-reports were employed during the process and thematic analysis was done. Research findings are revealed that headmasters still keep working within the frame of traditional management approach however they reflected that approaching learning organisations is crucial in fostering professional learning. Approaching open leadership and management can be crucial in being learning organisation. In further studies, perceptions and experience of parents, teachers can be examined and experimental studies can be done in detail.
Influence of continuous and interval training on oxygen uptake on-kinetics.

PURPOSE To examine the relative effectiveness of moderate-intensity continuous training and high-intensity interval training on pulmonary O2 uptake (VO2) kinetics at the onset of moderate- and severe-intensity cycle exercise in previously sedentary subjects. METHODS Twenty-three healthy subjects (11 males; mean +/- SD age 24 +/- 5 yr; VO2peak 34.3 +/- 5.5 mL x kg(-1) x min(-1)) were assigned to one of three groups: a continuous training group that completed three to four sessions per week of 30-min duration at 60% VO2peak (LO); an interval training group that completed three to four sessions per week involving 20 x 1-min exercise bouts at 90% VO2peak separated by 1-min rest periods (HI); or a control group (CON). Before and after the 6-wk intervention period, all subjects completed a series of step exercise tests to moderate and severe work rates during which pulmonary VO2 was measured breath-by-breath. RESULTS ANOVA revealed that continuous and interval training were similarly effective in reducing the phase II VO2 time constant during moderate (LO: from 31 +/- 8 to 23 +/- 5 s; HI: from 32 +/- 9 to 21 +/- 4 s; both P < 0.05; CON: from 30 +/- 6 to 29 +/- 7 s; NSD) and severe exercise (LO: from 35 +/- 6 to 24 +/- 7 s; HI: from 32 +/- 11 to 24 +/- 7 s; both P < 0.05; CON: from 27 +/- 7 to 25 +/- 5 s; NSD) and in reducing the amplitude of the VO2 slow component (LO: from 0.38 +/- 0.10 to 0.29 +/- 0.09 L x min(-1); HI: from 0.41 +/- 0.28 to 0.30 +/- 0.28 L x min(-1); both P < 0.05; CON: from 0.54 +/- 0.22 to 0.66 +/- 0.38 L.min; NSD). CONCLUSIONS Six weeks of low-intensity continuous training and high-intensity interval training were similarly effective in enhancing VO2 on-kinetics following step transitions to moderate and severe exercise in previously untrained subjects.
Structural and Enzymatic Analysis of TarM Glycosyltransferase from Staphylococcus aureus Reveals an Oligomeric Protein Specific for the Glycosylation of Wall Teichoic Acid*

Background: TarM catalyzes the addition of α-GlcNAc to 4′-polyribitol-phosphate of wall teichoic acid (WTA) in S. aureus. Results: Structural analysis shows that TarM is a homotrimeric propeller-like glycosyltransferase. Conclusion: Enzyme processivity is linked to a novel domain that generates the trimer. Significance: Our structure-function analysis helps define the biosynthetic pathway leading to WTA glycosylation in S. aureus. Anionic glycopolymers known as wall teichoic acids (WTAs) functionalize the peptidoglycan layers of many Gram-positive bacteria. WTAs play central roles in many fundamental aspects of bacterial physiology, and they are important determinants of pathogenesis and antibiotic resistance. A number of enzymes that glycosylate WTA in Staphylococcus aureus have recently been identified. Among these is the glycosyltransferase TarM, a component of the WTA de novo biosynthesis pathway. TarM performs the synthesis of α-O-N-acetylglycosylated poly-5′-phosphoribitol in the WTA structure. We have solved the crystal structure of TarM at 2.4 Å resolution, and we have also determined a structure of the enzyme in complex with its substrate UDP-GlcNAc at 2.8 Å resolution. The protein assembles into a propeller-like homotrimer in which each blade contains a GT-B-type glycosyltransferase domain with a typical Rossmann fold. The enzymatic reaction retains the stereochemistry of the anomeric center of the transferred GlcNAc-moiety on the polyribitol backbone. TarM assembles into a trimer using a novel trimerization domain, here termed the HUB domain. Structure-guided mutagenesis experiments of TarM identify residues critical for enzyme activity, assign a putative role for the HUB in TarM function, and allow us to propose a likely reaction mechanism.
Retargeting of adenoviral infection to melanoma: Combining genetic ablation of native tropism with a recombinant bispecific single‐chain diabody (scDb) adapter that binds to fiber knob and HMWMAA

Gene therapy is an emerging and promising modality for the treatment of malignant melanoma and other neoplasms for which conventional therapies are inadequate. Various therapeutic genes have shown promise for tumor cell killing. However, successful gene therapy depends on the development of efficient and targeted gene transfer vectors. Here we describe a novel strategy for targeting of adenovirus‐mediated gene transfer to melanoma cells. This strategy combines genetic ablation of native adenoviral tropism with redirected viral binding to melanoma cells via a bispecific adapter molecule, a bacterially expressed single‐chain diabody, scDb MelAd, that binds to both the adenoviral fiber protein and to the high molecular weight melanoma‐associated antigen (HMWMAA). This antigen is widely and specifically expressed on the surface of melanoma cells and its expression is associated with tumor development and progression. Our results showed specific and strong binding of the anti‐HMWMAA scFv RAFT3 and the bispecific adapter scDb MelAd to melanoma cells. In adenoviral infection experiments, we demonstrated i) substantially (>50‐fold) reduced infectivity of capsid mutant adenoviruses, ii) restored (up to 367‐fold increase), CAR‐independent and HMWMAA‐mediated infectivity of these mutant viruses by scDb MelAd specifically in melanoma cells, and iii) higher levels of transgene expression in melanoma cells by fiber mutant virus complexed with scDbMelAd, relative to a vector with wild‐type fibers. We confirmed the utility of this targeting strategy with human primary melanoma cells that represent clinically relevant substrates. These experiments established that the retargeting strategy mediates up to 54‐fold increased adenoviral gene transfer to CAR‐negative melanoma cells compared to the vector with native tropism. Hence, the HMWMAA‐targeted adenoviral vector lacking native tropism exhibits both enhanced specificity and augmented infectivity of gene transfer to melanoma cells, suggesting that it is feasible to use this vector to improve gene therapy for malignant melanoma. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Proteomic-based screening of miRNAs metabolic pathway targeting

The analysis of miRNA expression profile is powerful support to screen new disease biomarkers. One miRNA can control the expression of several different protein mRNAs. Lack of knowledge about the process of target recognition is a weak point in the development of reliable computational tools for miRNA target selection. Here we present a novel integrative approach for to predict potential miRNA target. It is a workflow founded on integration proteomic and miRNA information. The software has been tested on a sample of proteomic data obtained from samples of mouse subjected to the effect of Environmental Cigarette Smoke (ECS).
HISTONE DEACETYLASE19 Is Involved in Jasmonic Acid and Ethylene Signaling of Pathogen Response in Arabidopsis

Histone acetylation is modulated through the action of histone acetyltransferases and deacetylases, which play key roles in the regulation of eukaryotic gene expression. Previously, we have identified a yeast histone deacetylase REDUCED POTASSIUM DEPENDENCY3 (RPD3) homolog, HISTONE DEACETYLASE19 (HDA19) (AtRPD3A), in Arabidopsis thaliana. Here, we report further study of the expression and function of HDA19. Analysis of Arabidopsis plants containing the HDA19:β-glucuronidase fusion gene revealed that HDA19 was expressed throughout the life of the plant and in most plant organs examined. In addition, the expression of HDA19 was induced by wounding, the pathogen Alternaria brassicicola, and the plant hormones jasmonic acid and ethylene. Using green fluorescent protein fusion, we demonstrated that HDA19 accumulated in the nuclei of Arabidopsis cells. Overexpression of HDA19 in 35S:HDA19 plants decreased histone acetylation levels, whereas downregulation of HDA19 in HDA19-RNA interference (RNAi) plants increased histone acetylation levels. In comparison with wild-type plants, 35S:HDA19 transgenic plants had increased expression of ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR1 and were more resistant to the pathogen A. brassicicola. The expression of jasmonic acid and ethylene regulated PATHOGENESIS-RELATED genes, Basic Chitinase and β-1,3-Glucanase, was upregulated in 35S:HDA19 plants but downregulated in HDA19-RNAi plants. Our studies provide evidence that HDA19 may regulate gene expression involved in jasmonic acid and ethylene signaling of pathogen response in Arabidopsis.
Removal of Collagen Nerve Conduits (NeuraGen) after Unsuccessful Implantation: Focus on Histological Findings

Abstract Nerve conduits are nonneural, hollow tubular structures designed to bridge the gap of a sectioned nerve, to protect the nerve from scar formation, and to guide the regenerating fibers into the distal nerve stump. In the 8-year experience of our department, four patients aged 14 to 50 years had an unsuccessful implantation of a nerve conduit (NeuraGen, Integra, Plainsboro, NJ). In these four patients, the collagen tubes were replaced by an autogenous nerve graft. The histological specimens showed characteristic histological findings of a scar neuroma without any signs of foreign body reaction in three cases and with minimal foreign body reaction in one case. The collagen nerve tube was completely resorbed in all cases after a time period of 6 to 17 months and could not be detected marco- or microscopically. To our knowledge, this is the first report in the English and German literature describing the histological characteristics of explanted collagen nerve tubes in humans.
Photovoltaic restoration of high visual acuity in rats with retinal degeneration

Patients with retinal degeneration lose sight due to gradual demise of photoreceptors. Electrical stimulation of the surviving retinal neurons provides an alternative route for delivery of visual information. We developed subretinal photovoltaic arrays to convert pulsed light into bi-phasic pulses of current to stimulate the nearby inner retinal neurons. Bright pulsed illumination is provided by image projection from video goggles and avoids photophobic effects by using near-infrared (NIR, 880-915nm) light. Experiments in-vitro and in-vivo demonstrate that the network-mediated retinal stimulation preserves many features of natural vision, such as flicker fusion, adaptation to static images, and most importantly, high spatial resolution. Our implants with 70μm pixels restored visual acuity to half of the normal level in rats with retinal degeneration. Ease of implantation and tiling of these wireless arrays to cover a large visual field, combined with their high resolution opens the door to highly functional restoration of sight.
Supplement to : iLab 20 M : A large-scale controlled object dataset to investigate deep learning

Experiment I: category prediction In this experiment, we randomly select 2K samples from 7 categories (boat, bus, f1car, tank, train, ufo, and van) and feed them to a pretrained CNN model, specifically Alexnet. Having fc7 and pool5 representations of selected samples ready, we use the t-SNE algorithm to reduce their dimensionality to 2D. In addition, 20K images are randomly selected from all 7 categories and the network is fine-tuned on the provided data for object categorization. The same procedure is carried out on the fine-tuned (FT) network. Fig. 1 depicts the results. Our results in Fig. 1 show that fc7 representation works remarkably well at recognizing object level categories as they are mutually linearly separable after fine-tuning the network. Furthermore, pool5 representation does not contain discriminative information between object categories compared to fc7. This result is in alignment with Bakry et al., [1]. Fig. 1 also demonstrates the effect of fine-tuning on feature spaces. The distributions of samples for different categories tend to become very compact and concentrated after fine-tuning. Notice that fine-tuning does not add more discriminative power to the pool5 representation.
Stochastic safety analysis of stochastic hybrid systems

This work establishes an optimisation scheme for computing safety of stochastic hybrid systems. Specifically, the scheme computes the probability of reaching the set of unsafe states from a set of initial states. We address hybrid systems with both sporadic and state dependent switches. The method combines two approaches: the barrier certificate method and potential theory.
Breakthrough of the year. The discovery of the Higgs boson.

No recent scientific advance has generated more hoopla than this one. On 4 July, researchers working with the world9s biggest atom smasher—the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland—announced that they had spotted a particle that appears to be the long-sought Higgs boson, the last missing piece in physicists9 standard model of fundamental particles and forces. The news captured the imagination of people around the world, and now, Science has chosen it as its Breakthrough of the Year.
Finger vein image enhancement using interval type-2 fuzzy sets

In this paper a unique finger vein image enhancement method is proposed using interval type-2 fuzzy sets. Image enhancement is a significant stage in finger vein recognition as it is necessary to minimize the effects of non-uniform illumination and low local contrast in the captured vein images. Interval type-2 fuzzy sets is presented as an efficient tool to enhance the finger vein images in the paper. Aggregate of the upper and lower membership functions of the interval type-2 fuzzy sets are is calculated using Einstein T co-norm. A significantly enhanced image is obtained with the modified membership function. The experiment is performed on different finger vein images and the results are compared with the existing methods.
Toward a modular precision ecosystem for high-performance computing

With the memory bandwidth of current computer architectures being significantly slower than the (floating point) arithmetic performance, many scientific computations only leverage a fraction of the computational power in today’s high-performance architectures. At the same time, memory operations are the primary energy consumer of modern architectures, heavily impacting the resource cost of large-scale applications and the battery life of mobile devices. This article tackles this mismatch between floating point arithmetic throughput and memory bandwidth by advocating a disruptive paradigm change with respect to how data are stored and processed in scientific applications. Concretely, the goal is to radically decouple the data storage format from the processing format and, ultimately, design a “modular precision ecosystem” that allows for more flexibility in terms of customized data access. For memory-bounded scientific applications, dynamically adapting the memory precision to the numerical requirements allows for attractive resource savings. In this article, we demonstrate the potential of employing a modular precision ecosystem for the block-Jacobi preconditioner and the PageRank algorithm—two applications that are popular in the communities and at the same characteristic representatives for the field of numerical linear algebra and data analytics, respectively.
Automated abstraction of building models for 3D navigation on mobile devices

Due to their limited expressive capabilities and computational resources, typical mobile devices are still not appropriate for real-time 3D navigation, in particular when widespread building models in the urban environments have a very detailed geometry. In order to better balance the capability of mobile devices and the perception demands of the users in 3D navigation, this paper proposes an automated algorithm to generate structure-preserving abstractions of building models for the purpose of suitable dataset preparation. Building models are segmented into different structural parts, and each structural part is approximated by a convex polyhedron, then the convex parts are combined together to achieve the ultimate abstraction. The robustness and efficiency of the algorithm is proved by extensive experiments.
Pathogenesis of hemorrhagic pulmonary edema and massive pulmonary hemorrhage in the newborn.

Clinical observations, coagulation studies, and analysis of simultaneously obtained samples of lung effluent and arterial or venous blood for hematocrit and protein composition as determined by gel filtration were performed on 15 infants collapsing with blood stained liquid flowing from their tracheas. The results indicate that (1) The lung effluent was in most cases hemorrhagic edema fluid and not whole blood. (2) The most important precipitating factor was probably acute left ventricular failure due to asphyxia, although other factors favoring increased filtration of liquid from pulmonary capillaries or causing lung damage may have played a contributory role in pathogenesis. (3) Coagulation disorders probably served to exacerbate the condition but not initiate it.
The Dominance Pattern of Coronary Artery of Adult Bangladeshi People- A Postmortem Morphological Study

Background: Incidence of the heart disease increases day by day in Bangladesh. Recent advances in cardiac surgery and the search for new techniques toward investigation of the heart are demanding a review of the anatomy of the coronary arteries. Method: The present study was performed on sixty (60) adult postmortem human hearts of Bangladeshi people. The samples were divided into 3 age groups: Group A (20 to 40 years) consists of 35 male & 7 female samples, Group B (41 to 60 years) consists of 3 female samples and Group C (61 to 75 years) consists of 7 male samples. Results: In the present study, dominance pattern of the coronary artery was right for male in-group A, B, C were 32 (91.4%), 7(87.5%), 6(85.7%), respectively and for female were 6 (85.7%). 3 (100%) respectively. It was left for male in-group A, B, C were 3 (8.6%), 1 (12.5%), 1(14.3%), respectively and for female was 1 (14.3%). Conclusion: The results of the present study can be helpful to the cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons in the proper diagnosis and management of the heart diseases. Key words : Postmortem heart, Coronary arteries, Ischaemic heart disease. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.3329/cardio.v1i1. 8200 Cardiovasc. j. 2008; 1(1) : 21-25
Dynamic control interaction assessment in power systems with Wind Energy Conversion Systems

This paper addresses the study of the existing dynamic interaction phenomena between control devices of variable speed wind generators and conventional generators embedded in power systems. A direct-drive wind generation system with a permanent magnet synchronous generator has been chosen to make the study because of the relative complexity of the back-to-back converters used to make the grid connection. Dynamic models of generators and their controls are implemented in a MATLAB-based digital program suitable for performing large scale power system dynamic simulations. Based on this modeling and implementation, a simple and effective numerical procedure is proposed to assess an interaction level index between the generators' controller. Lastly, the IEEE 14-bus benchmark system is employed to show the usefulness of the proposed method.
A double-level-V/sub th/ select gate array architecture for multi-level NAND flash memories

This paper first explains that gate array noise during a bit-by-bit program verify operation, named source line noise, is estimated to have a crucial adverse effect on the threshold voltage (V/sub th/) control and causes a serious problem in Multi-Level NAND Flash Memories. Then a new array architecture, a Double-Level-V/sub th/ Select Gate Array Architecture, is introduced to eliminate this noise without cell area penalty.
The Human β-Globin Locus Control Region Can Silence as Well as Activate Gene Expression

ABSTRACT Using recombinase-mediated cassette exchange to test multiple transgenes at the same site of integration, we demonstrate a novel chromatin context-dependent silencer activity of the β-globin locus control region (LCR). This silencer activity requires DNase I hypersensitive sites HS2 and HS3 but not HS4. After silencing, the silenced cassettes adopt a typical closed chromatin conformation (histone H3 and H4 deacetylation, histone H3-K4 methylation, DNA methylation, and replication in late S phase). In the absence of the LCR at the same site of integration, the chromatin remains decondensed. We demonstrate that the LCR is necessary but not sufficient to trigger these chromatin changes. We also provide evidence that this novel silencing activity is caused by transcriptional interference triggered by activation of transcription in the flanking sequences by the LCR.
Antipyretic and Anti‐inflammatory Effects of Asiaticoside in Lipopolysaccharide‐treated Rat through Up‐regulation of Heme Oxygenase‐1

Asiaticoside (AS), a triterpenoid isolated from Centella asiatica, has been found to exhibit antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory activities in several experimental animal models. However, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. In this study, we provide experimental evidences that AS dose‐dependently inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced fever and inflammatory response, including serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α and interleukin (IL)‐6 production, liver myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, brain cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) protein expression and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production. Interestingly, AS increased serum IL‐10 level, liver heme oxygenase‐1 (HO‐1) protein expression and activity. Furthermore, we found that the suppressive effects of AS on LPS‐induced fever and inflammation were reversed by pretreatment with ZnPPIX, a HO‐1 activity inhibitor. In summary, our results suggest that AS has the antipyretic and anti‐inflammatory effects in LPS‐treated rat. These effects could be associated with the inhibition of pro‐inflammatory mediators, including TNF‐α and IL‐6 levels, COX‐2 expression and PGE2 production, as well as MPO activity, which might be mediated by the up‐regulation of HO‐1. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.