Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nascent HDL formation in hepatocytes and role of ABCA1, ABCG1, and SR-BI[S]

To study the mechanisms of hepatic HDL formation, we investigated the roles of ABCA1, ABCG1, and SR-BI in nascent HDL formation in primary hepatocytes isolated from mice deficient in ABCA1, ABCG1, or SR-BI and from wild-type (WT) mice. Under basal conditions, in WT hepatocytes, cholesterol efflux to exogenous apoA-I was accompanied by conversion of apoA-I to HDL-sized particles. LXR activation by T0901317 markedly enhanced the formation of larger HDL-sized particles as well as cellular cholesterol efflux to apoA-I. Glyburide treatment completely abolished the formation of 7.4 nm diameter and greater particles but led to the formation of novel 7.2 nm-sized particles. However, cells lacking ABCA1 failed to form such particles. ABCG1-deficient cells showed similar capacity to efflux cholesterol to apoA-I and to form nascent HDL particles compared with WT cells. Cholesterol efflux to apoA-I and nascent HDL formation were slightly but significantly enhanced in SR-BI-deficient cells compared with WT cells under basal but not LXR activated conditions. As in WT but not in ABCA1-deficient hepatocytes, 7.2 nm-sized particles generated by glyburide treatment were also detected in ABCG1-deficient and SR-BI-deficient hepatocytes. Our data indicate that hepatic nascent HDL formation is highly dependent on ABCA1 but not on ABCG1 or SR-BI.
A Quantum Algorithm for finding Minimal Exclusive-Or Expressions for incompletely specified Boolean Functions

This paper presents a quantum algorithm for finding minimal ESCT (Exclusive-or Sum of Complex Terms) or ESOP (Exclusive-or Sum Of Products) expressions for any arbitrary incompletely specified switching function. The proposed algorithm takes advantage of the inherent massive parallelism of quantum circuits in order to achieve better complexity than the conventional ones. The proposed xor expressions such as ESCT can be used to implement an arbitrary Boolean function into a reversible or even a quantum circuit.
JSEG-based image segmentation in computer vision for agricultural mobile robot navigation

This project aims to apply image processing techniques in computer vision featuring an omnidirectional vision system to agricultural mobile robots (AMR) used for trajectory navigation problems, as well as localization matters. To carry through this task, computational methods based on the JSEG algorithm were used to provide the classification and the characterization of such problems, together with Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) for pattern recognition. Therefore, it was possible to run simulations and carry out analyses of the performance of JSEG image segmentation technique through Matlab/Octave platforms, along with the application of customized Back-propagation algorithm and statistical methods in a Simulink environment. Having the aforementioned procedures been done, it was practicable to classify and also characterize the HSV space color segments, not to mention allow the recognition of patterns in which reasonably accurate results were obtained.
Dynamic Models for People Detection and Tracking

In this paper we propose a real-time algorithm for detecting and tracking moving objects in a video sequence. Based on the on-line boosting framework, our algorithm is able to detect an object as a member of a class, e.g. pedestrian, then a specific model for each instance of the class can be built on-line allowing at the same time robust tracking and recognition of the particular instance as it leaves and re-enters the scene. Promising experimental results have been performed on standard video sequences.
Towards automatic stereo pair extraction for 3D visualisation of historical aerial photographs

An efficient and almost automatic method for stereo pair extraction of aerial photos is proposed. There are several challenging problems that needs to be taken into consideration when creating stereo pairs from historical aerial photos. These problems are discussed and solutions are proposed in order to obtain an almost automatic procedure with as little input as possible needed from the user. The result is a rectified and illumination corrected stereo pair. It will be discussed why viewing aerial photos in stereo is important since the depth cue gives more information than single photos do.
The world of parents and peers: coercive exchanges and children's social adaptation

The relation among child antisocial behavior, child coercive exchanges with parents and peers, and the social adaptation of middle-childhood-aged boys and girls was investigated. The 374 children were observed during laboratory tasks with their parents and during recess with peers. A covariance model was tested that hypothesized that coercive exchanges with parents and peers would contribute uniquely to a multiple-agent assessment of child antisocial behavior, supporting an ecological view of social development. A single model described both boys and girls adequately, although minor gender-specific variations in effect size did produce a better fit. Children's antisocial behavior was associated with school maladaption primarily among boys, as represented by academic engagement in the classroom and peer nominations of social preference. Children's antisocial behavior and coercive interactions, in contrast, were correlated with peer antisocial behavior in both girls and boys.
On the representation of de Bruijn graphs

The de Bruijn graph plays an important role in bioinformatics, especially in the context of de novo assembly. However, the representation of the de Bruijn graph in memory is a computational bottleneck for many assemblers. Recent papers proposed a navigational data structure approach in order to improve memory usage. We prove several theoretical space lower bounds to show the limitations of these types of approaches. We further design and implement a general data structure (dbgfm) and demonstrate its use on a human whole-genome dataset, achieving space usage of 1.5 GB and a 46% improvement over previous approaches. As part of dbgfm, we develop the notion of frequency-based minimizers and show how it can be used to enumerate all maximal simple paths of the de Bruijn graph using only 43 MB of memory. Finally, we demonstrate that our approach can be integrated into an existing assembler by modifying the ABySS software to use dbgfm.
Detection of rare disseminated tumor cells identifies head and neck cancer patients at risk of treatment failure.

PURPOSE This study was designed to help establish the most appropriate samples and tests to detect disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) for head and neck cancer patients. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Samples of bone marrow (BM) and central venous blood (CVB), collected preoperatively, and BM and peripheral venous blood, collected 3 months transcription postoperatively, were screened for the presence of DTCs using immunocytochemistry (ICC) with a pan-cytokeratin antibody and E48 reverse transcriptase-PCR. The molecular approach was also applied to intraoperative CVB. RESULTS The concordance between the molecular and ICC tests applied to preoperative samples, measured by Cohen's kappa, was not uniformly good, which likely reflected sampling errors, heterogeneity of E48 antigen expression, or stochastic effects. However, testing samples of BM and CVB preoperatively with the molecular or ICC approaches gave results that predicted disease-free survival and distant-metastases-free survival. Application of a single preoperative test predicted development of distant metastases, and the prediction could be improved by combining information derived from testing both CVB and BM. Applying two tests to the same sample of blood or BM served to validate the findings from a single assay but did not improve the prediction. Testing the intraoperative sample of CVB was also a sensitive predictor of distant metastases, but testing BM or blood 3 months postsurgery was not useful. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that detection of DTCs pre- or intraoperatively indicates a high risk of local and distant recurrence and reduced survival in head and neck cancer.
ThinRAID: Thinning Down RAID Array for Energy Conservation

The current power managements in RAID array are mostly designed to conserve energy by spinning down partial disks of standard RAID architecture. However, spinning down several disks not only decreases disk parallelism, but also creates new problems, for example, partial chunks of the stripe cannot be accessed directly or multiple chunks of the same stripe are stored on the same disk, which affect spatial locality. We refer these problems as stripe degradation, which results in further performance degradation. To avoid such problems, this paper proposes a new RAID storage architecture called ThinRAID, which uses a subset of disks to build a capacity-adaptive RAID array based on the volume of the data set. Also, the other non-essential disks are spun down to save energy. When the workload is projected to become heavier based on our forecast model, data are migrated to disks that have recently transitioned from standby to active. Furthermore, we also propose a novel data reorganization algorithm that can minimize data migration. We have implemented ThinRAID in the Linux kernel and evaluated its performance and energy efficiency by replaying seven representative traces. Experimental results show that ThinRAID can save 15-27 percent on energy on average over conventional RAID, with minimum performance degradation. In comparison to PARAID, ThinRAID achieves up to 62 percent performance improvement.
The Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Is Involved in Angiotensin II But Not Aldosterone/Salt-Induced Cardiac Remodelling

Experimental and clinical studies have shown that aldosterone/mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) activation has deleterious effects in the cardiovascular system; however, the signalling pathways involved in the pathophysiological effects of aldosterone/MR in vivo are not fully understood. Several in vitro studies suggest that Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) plays a role in the cardiovascular effects of aldosterone. This hypothesis remains to be demonstrated in vivo. To investigate this question, we analyzed the molecular and functional consequences of aldosterone exposure in a transgenic mouse model with constitutive cardiomyocyte-specific overexpression of a mutant EGFR acting as a dominant negative protein (DN-EGFR). As previously reported, Angiotensin II-mediated cardiac remodelling was prevented in DN-EGFR mice. However, when chronic MR activation was induced by aldosterone-salt-uninephrectomy, cardiac hypertrophy was similar between control littermates and DN-EGFR. In the same way, mRNA expression of markers of cardiac remodelling such as ANF, BNF or β-Myosin Heavy Chain as well as Collagen 1a and 3a was similarly induced in DN-EGFR mice and their CT littermates. Our findings confirm the role of EGFR in AngII mediated cardiac hypertrophy, and highlight that EGFR is not involved in vivo in the damaging effects of aldosterone on cardiac function and remodelling.
Using a Process Dissociation Approach to Assess Verbal Short-Term Memory for Item and Order Information in a Sample of Individuals with a Self-Reported Diagnosis of Dyslexia

Previous studies have examined whether difficulties in short-term memory for verbal information, that might be associated with dyslexia, are driven by problems in retaining either information about to-be-remembered items or the order in which these items were presented. However, such studies have not used process-pure measures of short-term memory for item or order information. In this work we adapt a process dissociation procedure to properly distinguish the contributions of item and order processes to verbal short-term memory in a group of 28 adults with a self-reported diagnosis of dyslexia and a comparison sample of 29 adults without a dyslexia diagnosis. In contrast to previous work that has suggested that individuals with dyslexia experience item deficits resulting from inefficient phonological representation and language-independent order memory deficits, the results showed no evidence of specific problems in short-term retention of either item or order information among the individuals with a self-reported diagnosis of dyslexia, despite this group showing expected difficulties on separate measures of word and non-word reading. However, there was some suggestive evidence of a link between order memory for verbal material and individual differences in non-word reading, consistent with other claims for a role of order memory in phonologically mediated reading. The data from the current study therefore provide empirical evidence to question the extent to which item and order short-term memory are necessarily impaired in dyslexia.
Office-by-example: an integrated office system and database manager

Office-by-Example (OBE) is an integrated office information system that has been under development at IBM Research. OBE, an extension of Query-by-Example, supports various office features such as database tables, word processing, electronic mail, graphics, images, and so forth. These seemingly heterogeneous features are integrated through a language feature called example elements. Applications involving example elements are processed by the database manager, an integrated part of the OBE system. In this paper we describe the facilities and architecture of the OBE system and discuss the techniques for integrating heterogeneous objects.
Hadamard Conjugation for the Kimura 3ST Model: Combinatorial Proof Using Path Sets

Under a stochastic model of molecular sequence evolution the probability of each possible pattern of a characters is well defined. The Kimura's three-substitution-types (K3ST) model of evolution, allows analytical expression for these probabilities of by means of the Hadamard conjugation as a function of the phylogeny T and the substitution probabilities on each edge of TM . In this paper we produce a direct combinatorial proof of these results, using pathset distances which generalise pairwise distances between sequences. This interpretation provides us with tools that were proved useful in related problems in the mathematical analysis of sequence evolution.
New dimensions in wavelet analysis

A new class of signal analysis tools that generalizes the popular wavelet and short-time Fourier transforms is introduced. The class allows skews and rotations of the analyzing wavelet in the time-frequency plane, in addition to the time and frequency translations and scalings used by conventional transforms. In addition to providing a unifying framework for studying existing time-frequency representations, the general class provides a systematic method for designing new representations with properties useful for certain types of signals. <<ETX>>
Identity, bargaining, and third-party mediation

This paper elucidates a theory of identity formation and applies it to the study of international negotiation. The theory acknowledges that actors/agents can adopt a multiplicity of identities, and it treats changes in the salience of identities as endogenous to the contextually dependent processes of interpersonal and intergroup interactions. Typically, strong identities are viewed as encouraging conflict and exacerbating interstate disputes. Our theory, however, suggests a palliative role for identity: third-party mediation can more effectively resolve conflicts when it enhances shared, if initially less salient, aspects of the disputants’ identities. We discuss several causal pathways through which the process of enhancing identity salience can increase the likelihood of successful conflict resolution, providing a complementary mechanism for the effectiveness of mediation to those extant in the literature. The paper concludes with a practical method for applying the theory's insights to the choice of mediator and the mediator's technique.
Imes Discussion Paper Series Institute for Monetary and Economic Studies Bank of Japan 2-1-1 Nihonbashi-hongokucho Sectoral Co-movement, Monetary-policy Shock, and Input-output Structure Sectoral Co-movement, Monetary-policy Shock, and Input-output Structure

The co-movement of output across the sector producing non-durables (that is, non-durable goods and services) and the sector producing durables is well-established in the monetary business-cycle literature. However, standard sticky-price models that incorporate sectoral heterogeneity in price stickiness (that is, sticky non-durables prices and flexible durables prices) cannot generate this feature. We argue that an input-output structure provides a solution to this problem. Here we develop a two-sector model with an input-output structure, which is calibrated to the U.S. economy. In the model, each sector's output affects those of the others by acting as an intermediate input This connection between the sectors provides a channel through which sectoral co-movement is induced. seminar participants at GLMM (Green Line Macro Meeting) in December 2007 in Boston, and the staff of the Institute for Monetary and Economic Studies (IMES), the Bank of Japan, for their useful comments. Views expressed in this paper are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Bank of Japan.
Design, Modeling, and FPAA-Based Control of a High-Speed Atomic Force Microscope Nanopositioner

An XYZ nanopositioner is designed for fast the atomic force microscopy. The first resonant modes of the device are measured at 8.8, 8.9, and 48.4 kHz along the X-, Y-, and Z-axes, respectively, which are in close agreement to the finite-element simulations. The measured travel ranges of the lateral and vertical axes are 6.5 μm × 6.6 μm and 4.2 μm, respectively. Actuating the nanopositioner at frequencies beyond 1% of the first resonance of the lateral axes causes mechanical vibrations that result in degradation of the images generated. In order to improve the lateral scanning bandwidth, controllers are designed using the integral resonant control methodology to damp the resonant modes of the nanopositioner and to enable fast actuation. Due to the large bandwidth of the designed nanopositioner, a field programmable analog array is used for analog implementation of the controllers. High-resolution images are successfully generated at 200-Hz line rate with 200×200 pixel resolution in closed loop.
Target Definition in Salvage Radiotherapy for Recurrent Prostate Cancer: The Role of Advanced Molecular Imaging

Salvage radiotherapy (SRT) represents the main treatment option for relapsing prostate cancer in patients after radical prostatectomy. Several open questions remain unanswered in terms of target volumes definition and delivered doses for SRT: the effective dose necessary to achieve biochemical control in the SRT setting may be different if the tumor recurrence is micro- or macroscopic. At the same time, irradiation of only the prostatic bed or of the whole pelvis will depend on the localization of the recurrence, local or locoregional. In the “theragnostic imaging” era, molecular imaging using positron emission tomography (PET) constitutes a useful tool for clinicians to define the site of the recurrence, the extent of disease, and individualize salvage treatments. The best option currently available in clinical routine is the combination of radiolabeled choline PET imaging and multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), associating the nodal and distant metastases identification based on PET with the local assessment by MRI. A new generation of targeted tracers, namely, prostate-specific membrane antigen, show promising results, with a contrast superior to choline imaging and a higher detection rate even for low prostate-specific antigen levels; validation studies are ongoing. Finally, imaging targeting bone remodeling, using whole-body SPECT–CT, is a relevant complement to molecular/metabolic PET imaging when bone involvement is suspected.
The Construction and Analysis of Short Scales of Language Proficiency: Classical Psychometric, Latent Trait, and Nonparametric Approaches

The study reported in this article used classical psychometric, latent trait, and nonparametric approaches to analyze 13- and 14item scales of English language proficiency. Tests of English listening comprehension (dictation) and reading ("copytest") were constructed by modifying the standard dictation testing procedure to create items of text segments which varied considerably in both length and difficulty. Both the dictation and copytest were found to be homogeneous, cumulative scales of language proficiency with high reliability and validity. Log ability scores provided by Rasch analysis were found to correlate better with other measures of language proficiency than did the dictation and copytest raw scores. These findings indicate that the two language testing techniques investigated provide a useful, innovative approach to measuring general aspects of language proficiency. The theoretical and practical advantages of this approach over other language proficiency measurement techniques are discussed, as are implications for measuring other cognitive variables.
RECESSIVE GENES IN SEVERE MENTAL DEFECT.

HETEROGENEOUS CONDITIONS like mental defect are refractory to genetic analysis. Empirical risks, twin concordances, and elevated consanguinity rates have led to no real understanding of the role of genetic factors, and cytological and biochemical studies have so far clarified only a minority of cases. One methodology which has not so far been tried is that of population genetics. Recent developments in this field, especially segregation and consanguinity analysis, provide a new approach to an old and difficult problem, yielding information about the number of loci and gene frequencies of recessive factors for severe mental defect, their penetrance and mutation rates, and the mechanism which maintains these genes in the population despite the greatly reduced fertility of affected persons. The techniques are applicable to other conditions of heterogeneous etiology, for which severe mental defect may serve as an example of how a recessive component can be isolated from a complex mixture.
On the effect of time efficiency in DSV under stress

One of the most promising biometric modalities suggested to secure mobile devices is dynamic signature verification. It is widely accepted by users as to sign is considered a usual action. At the time to sign documents, it happens that people tend to feel stress or discomfort, but does it influence negatively to the signature recognition? In this work several users participated in a usability evaluation signing in a common smartphone with a stylus under stress conditions. This is targeting the potential use of this kind of biometric systems in scenarios where the user may suffer a certain level of stress, such as in courts, banks or even shopping. We have focused in one of the main usability factors: the efficiency in terms of the time on tasks. Our findings suggest that longer signatures are more negatively influenced in performance by stress situations than shorter signatures, but this performance decrease is still acceptable for recognition.
PROPOSAL FOR DEVELOPING AN APPROACH TO CONSTRAINTS BASED MULTI-DIMENSIONAL DATA CLUSTERING AIDED WITH ASSOCIATIVE CLUSTERING USING COMPARATIVE STUDY

Our paper outlines a proposal for developing an approach to constraints based multi-dimensional data clustering aided with associative clustering. Our proposed approach evolved from comparative study of associative clustering, gene expression, multi-dimensional large data sets in a distributed environment from state of the art. Our proposed approach will work well in many of the emerging distributed, ubiquitous, possibly privacy-sensitive data mining applications. Clustering on multidimensional data sets using parallel algorithms may degrade performance linearly with increase in data size as well other challenges such as different data types and formats, computational complexity have to be taken care of. We are proposing a scalable parallel algorithm which will cater to these challenges.