Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stereo Video Transmission Using LDPC Code

Stereo video is widely used because it can provide depth information. However, it is difficult to store and transmit stereo video due to the huge data amount. So, high efficient channel encoding algorithm and proper transmission strategy is needed to deal with the video transmission over limited bandwidth channel. In this paper, unequal error protection (UEP) based on low density parity check (LDPC) code was used to transmit stereo video over wireless channel with limited bandwidth. Different correction level LDPC code was used according to the importance of video stream to reconstruction at the receiver. Simulation result shows that the proposed transmission scheme increases the PSNR of reconstructed image, and improves the subjective effect.
Knowledge Provenance Infrastructure

The web lacks support for explaining information provenance. When web applications return answers, many users do not know what information sources were used, when they were updated, how reliable the source was, or what information was looked up versus derived. Support for information provenance is expected to be a harder problem in the Semantic Web where more answers result from some manipulation of information (instead of simple retrieval of information). Manipulation includes, among other things, retrieving, matching, aggregating, filtering, and deriving information possibly from multiple sources. This article defines a broad notion of information provenance called knowledge provenance that includes proof-like information on how a question answering system arrived at its answer(s). The article also describes an approach for a knowledge provenance infrastructure supporting the extraction, maintenance and usage of knowledge provenance related to answers of web applications and services.
RaGoÛt: An Arpeggio of Tastes

A marine wave power plant includes interconnected, swingable, floating basic units with anchoring means. Each unit consists of bearing displacement tubes, a stationary member and a displacement body movably joined thereto and moving with the waves. The wave movements are converted to electrical energy via a hydraulic-electrical system. The rear surface of the movable member is curved with its center of curvature at the journalling axis on the stationary member to avoid pumping between the two members, while a journalling arm is length-adjustable for different wave characteristics. To control the various parameters dependent on incoming waves, a sensor measures the water level in front of the displacement body. The movements of this body, the radian volume of the hydraulic motor and the electrical power output is controlled via a process computer.
The Effect of Delaying Childbirth on Primary Cesarean Section Rates

Background The relationship between population trends in delaying childbirth and rising rates of primary cesarean delivery is unclear. The aims of the present study were (1) to characterize the association between maternal age and the outcome of labor, (2) to determine the proportion of the increase in primary cesarean rates that could be attributed to changes in maternal age distribution, and (3) to determine whether the contractility of uterine smooth muscle (myometrium) varied with maternal age. Methods and Findings We utilized nationally collected data from Scotland, from 1980 to 2005, and modeled the risk of emergency cesarean section among women delivering a liveborn infant in a cephalic presentation at term. We also studied isolated myometrial strips obtained from 62 women attending for planned cesarean delivery in Cambridge, England, from 2005 to 2007. Among 583,843 eligible nulliparous women, there was a linear increase in the log odds of cesarean delivery with advancing maternal age from 16 y upwards, and this increase was unaffected by adjustment for a range of maternal characteristics (adjusted odds ratio for a 5-y increase 1.49, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.48–1.51). Increasing maternal age was also associated with a longer duration of labor (0.49 h longer for a 5-y increase in age, 95% CI 0.46–0.51) and an increased risk of operative vaginal birth (adjusted odds ratio for a 5-y increase 1.49, 95% CI 1.48–1.50). Over the period from 1980 to 2005, the cesarean delivery rate among nulliparous women more than doubled and the proportion of women aged 30–34 y increased 3-fold, the proportion aged 35–39 y increased 7-fold, and the proportion aged ≥40 y increased 10-fold. Modeling indicated that if the age distribution had stayed the same over the period of study, 38% of the additional cesarean deliveries would have been avoided. Similar associations were observed in multiparous women. When studied in vitro, increasing maternal age was associated with reduced spontaneous activity and increased likelihood of multiphasic spontaneous myometrial contractions. Conclusions Delaying childbirth has significantly contributed to rising rates of intrapartum primary cesarean delivery. The association between increasing maternal age and the risk of intrapartum cesarean delivery is likely to have a biological basis.
Synthesis of AuPt heteronanostructures with enhanced electrocatalytic activity toward oxygen reduction.

Nanostructured Pt is the most efficient catalyst known for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. 2] However, Pt suffers from poisoning associated with electrolytes and the hydroxy layer, which limits the ORR kinetics and long-term stability. To improve the activity of Pt, morphology control of the Pt particles 5] and using Pt-based bimetallic alloy nanoparticles instead of pure Pt as the electrocatalyst have been extensively studied for the past decade. Recently, Pt-based heteronanostructures such as Pt monolayers or sub-monolayers on metal nanoparticles, core–shell nanoparticles, and particle-on-particle nanostructures have been explored to address the activity, durability, and cost of the particles. 10–14] For example, Xia and co-workers and Peng and Yang showed that Pt-on-Pd heterostructures exhibited higher electrocatalytic activities and stabilities toward ORR than those of the state-of-the-art Pt/C catalyst. The improved catalytic properties could be attributed to relatively large surface areas and the presence of particularly active facets on Pt nanocatalysts supported on metal nanoparticles. The seed-mediated growth method has been used in the synthesis of such Pt-based heteronanostructures because this technique can enable the formation of metallic nanostructures with precisely controlled morphology and composition. The shape of seed and corresponding specific exposed facets has a great influence on the nucleation and growth of the deposited metal and thus determines the structural and catalytic properties of the resultant nanostructures, although most of the previous studies on the Ptbased heterostructured catalysts have relied on the Pt growth on the roughly spherical metal nanoparticles. Herein, we report on the synthesis of heterogeneous bimetallic nanocrystals consisting of Pt multibranches on Au nanocrystal cores with well-defined morphologies (cubes, rods, and octahedra) as illustrated in Scheme 1, and the effect of underlying core geometry on the electrocatalytic activity for the ORR. The reasons for choosing Au nanocrystals as supports for Pt growth are that synthesis protocols for the preparation of shapeand size-controlled Au nanocrystals have been well developed, and the incorporation of Au into Pt catalysts leads to profound enhancement of both electrocatalytic activity and stability.
A Modeling Approach Supporting Access Control Delegation in a Disaster Management Context

Disaster management can be defined as the organization and management of resources and responsibilities for dealing with all humanitarian aspects of emergencies. This paper is about organizational policies when assigning responsibilities during a flood scenario. Specially, we focus on dynamic access control policies supporting delegation. Delegation is a dynamic behavior involving a user passing his access control authorizations to other users within organizations. This defines one aspect of collaboration at the organizational level. In this paper, we propose to model the delegation access control approach from the flooding business process modeling to its deployment. In doing so, we describe the delegation process, define the access control model, and implement the authorization policies within a disaster management framework.
Alignment of continuous video onto 3D point clouds

We propose a general framework for aligning continuous (oblique) video onto 3D sensor data. We align a point cloud computed from the video onto the point cloud directly obtained from a 3D sensor. This is in contrast to existing techniques where the 2D images are aligned to a 3D model derived from the 3D sensor data. Using point clouds enables the alignment for scenes full of objects that are difficult to model, for example, trees. To compute 3D point clouds from video, motion stereo is used along with a state-of-the-art algorithm for camera pose estimation. Our experiments with real data demonstrate the advantages of the proposed registration algorithm for texturing models in large-scale semi-urban environments. The capability to align video before a 3D model is built from the 3D sensor data opens up new possibilities for 3D modeling. We introduce a novel modeling-through-registration approach that fuses 3D information from both the 3D sensor and the video. Initial experiments with real data illustrate the potential of the proposed approach.
Interactive boolean operations on surfel-bounded solids

In this paper we present an algorithm to perform interactive boolean operations on free-form solids bounded by surfels. We introduce a fast inside-outside test to check whether surfels lie within the bounds of another surfel-bounded solid. This enables us to add, subtract and intersect complex solids at interactive rates. Our algorithm is fast both in displaying and constructing the new geometry resulting from the boolean operation.We present a resampling operator to solve problems resulting from sharp edges in the resulting solid. The operator resamples the surfels intersecting with the surface of the other solid. This enables us to represent the sharp edges with great detail.We believe our algorithm to be an ideal tool for interactive editing of free-form solids.
Overexpression of microRNA-138 attenuates cardiac hypertrophic response through repression of YAP 1

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been identified as important players in the pathogenesis of cardiac hypertrophy. In the present study, we evaluated the potential role of miR-138 in cardiac hypertrophy and the potential molecular mechanisms. We observed that in mice with transverse aortic constriction (TAC), miR-138 expression was remarkably reduced in the hypertrophic hearts. Overexpression of miR-138 attenuated the cardiac hypertrophy in vivo and the hypertrophic responses in Ang-II-treated mouse cardiomyocytes in vitro. YAP1 was experimentally validated as a direct target of miR-138, and its mRNA and protein levels were increased in Ang-II-treated cardiomyocytes. Therefore, the findings of the present article revealed a novel molecular mechanism for cardiac hypertrophy and indicated miR-138 as a potential therapeutic target for this disease.
Age Sensitivity of Behavioral Tests and Brain Substrates of Normal Aging in Mice

Knowledge of age sensitivity, the capacity of a behavioral test to reliably detect age-related changes, has utility in the design of experiments to elucidate processes of normal aging. We review the application of these tests in studies of normal aging and compare and contrast the age sensitivity of the Barnes maze, eyeblink classical conditioning, fear conditioning, Morris water maze, and rotorod. These tests have all been implemented to assess normal age-related changes in learning and memory in rodents, which generalize in many cases to age-related changes in learning and memory in all mammals, including humans. Behavioral assessments are a valuable means to measure functional outcomes of neuroscientific studies of aging. Highlighted in this review are the attributes and limitations of these measures in mice in the context of age sensitivity and processes of brain aging. Attributes of these tests include reliability and validity as assessments of learning and memory, well-defined neural substrates, and sensitivity to neural and pharmacological manipulations and disruptions. These tests engage the hippocampus and/or the cerebellum, two structures centrally involved in learning and memory that undergo functional and anatomical changes in normal aging. A test that is less well represented in studies of normal aging, the context pre-exposure facilitation effect (CPFE) in fear conditioning, is described as a method to increase sensitivity of contextual fear conditioning to changes in the hippocampus. Recommendations for increasing the age sensitivity of all measures of normal aging in mice are included, as well as a discussion of the potential of the under-studied CPFE to advance understanding of subtle hippocampus-mediated phenomena.
Atomistic Simulation of Heavily Plastic Deformation of Pearlitic Steel: Nano-sized Processes of Wiredrawing and Indentation

We conduct molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of pearlitic steel in which iron and carbon atoms are included. The paper aims at clarifying micro-or nano-sized mechanism of plastic deformation of pearlitic steel in wiredrawing process. By using embedded atom method (EAM) potential, we construct a nano-sized computational wiredrawing model of pearlitic steel where lamellae structures of ferrite and cementite phases are attached to each other and it is subjected to conventional drawing condition using a hollow die. Basically, diffusion of carbon atoms around the ferrite-cementite interface is observed during plastic deformation. In order to recognize probable mechanisms by which carbon atoms migrate from cementite to ferrite, dislocation emission and its movement are observed in detail. Besides, the plasticity in pearlitic steel is also discussed in this research by using nano-indentation model where a nano-sized spherical indenter compresses lamellae structures of cementite and ferrite. Both wiredrawing and nano-indentation computational models provides new insight concerning atomistic mechanism occurring in heavily plastic deformation of pearlitic steel.
Recurrent SKIL-activating rearrangements in ETS-negative prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is the third most common cause of male cancer death in developed countries, and one of the most comprehensively characterized human cancers. Roughly 60% of prostate cancers harbor gene fusions that juxtapose ETS-family transcription factors with androgen regulated promoters. A second subtype, characterized by SPINK1 overexpression, accounts for 15% of prostate cancers. Here we report the discovery of a new prostate cancer subtype characterized by rearrangements juxtaposing the SMAD inhibitor SKIL with androgen regulated promoters, leading to increased SKIL expression. SKIL fusions were found in 6 of 540 (1.1%) prostate cancers and 1 of 27 (3.7%) cell lines and xenografts. 6 of 7 SKIL-positive cancers were negative for ETS overexpression, suggesting mutual exclusivity with ETS fusions. SKIL knockdown led to growth arrest in PC-3 and LNCaP cell line models of prostate cancer, and its overexpression led to increased invasiveness in RWPE-1 cells. The role of SKIL as a prostate cancer oncogene lends support to recent studies on the role of TGF-β signaling as a rate-limiting step in prostate cancer progression. Our findings highlight SKIL as an oncogene and potential therapeutic target in 1-2% of prostate cancers, amounting to an estimated 10,000 cancer diagnoses per year worldwide.
Molecular-Genetic Imaging Based on Reporter Gene Expression

Molecular imaging includes proteomic, metabolic, cellular biologic process, and genetic imaging. In a narrow sense, molecular imaging means genetic imaging and can be called molecular-genetic imaging. Imaging reporter genes play a leading role in molecular-genetic imaging. There are 3 major methods of molecular-genetic imaging, based on optical, MRI, and nuclear medicine modalities. For each of these modalities, various reporter genes and probes have been developed, and these have resulted in successful transitions from bench to bedside applications. Each of these imaging modalities has its unique advantages and disadvantages. Fluorescent and bioluminescent optical imaging modalities are simple, less expensive, more convenient, and more user friendly than other imaging modalities. Another advantage, especially of bioluminescence imaging, is its ability to detect low levels of gene expression. MRI has the advantage of high spatial resolution, whereas nuclear medicine methods are highly sensitive and allow data from small-animal imaging studies to be translated to clinical practice. Moreover, multimodality imaging reporter genes will allow us to choose the imaging technologies that are most appropriate for the biologic problem at hand and facilitate the clinical application of reporter gene technologies. Reporter genes can be used to visualize the levels of expression of particular exogenous and endogenous genes and several intracellular biologic phenomena, including specific signal transduction pathways, nuclear receptor activities, and protein–protein interactions. This technique provides a straightforward means of monitoring tumor mass and can visualize the in vivo distributions of target cells, such as immune cells and stem cells. Molecular imaging has gradually evolved into an important tool for drug discovery and development, and transgenic mice with an imaging reporter gene can be useful during drug and stem cell therapy development. Moreover, instrumentation improvements, the identification of novel targets and genes, and imaging probe developments suggest that molecular-genetic imaging is likely to play an increasingly important role in the diagnosis and therapy of cancer.
Class-Dependent Sparse Representation Classifier for Robust Hyperspectral Image Classification

Sparse representation of signals for classification is an active research area. Signals can potentially have a compact representation as a linear combination of atoms in an overcomplete dictionary. Based on this observation, a sparse-representation-based classification (SRC) has been proposed for robust face recognition and has gained popularity for various classification tasks. It relies on the underlying assumption that a test sample can be linearly represented by a small number of training samples from the same class. However, SRC implementations ignore the Euclidean distance relationship between samples when learning the sparse representation of a test sample in the given dictionary. To overcome this drawback, we propose an alternate formulation that we assert is better suited for classification tasks. Specifically, class-dependent sparse representation classifier (cdSRC) is proposed for hyperspectral image classification, which effectively combines the ideas of SRC and K-nearest neighbor classifier in a classwise manner to exploit both correlation and Euclidean distance relationship between test and training samples. Toward this goal, a unified class membership function is developed, which utilizes residual and Euclidean distance information simultaneously. Experimental results based on several real-world hyperspectral data sets have shown that cdSRC not only dramatically increases the classification performance over SRC but also outperforms other popular classifiers, such as support vector machine.
Active Noise Cancellation Without Secondary Path Identification by Using an Adaptive Genetic Algorithm

This paper presents an adaptive genetic algorithm (AGA) for an active noise control (ANC) system. The conventional ANC system often implements the filtered extended least mean square (FXLMS) algorithm to update the coefficients of the linear finite-impulse response (FIR) and nonlinear Volterra filters, owing to its simplicity; meanwhile, the FXLMS algorithm may converge to local minima. In this paper, the FXLMS algorithm is replaced with an AGA to prevent the local minima problem. Additionally, the proposed AGA method does not require identifying the secondary path for the ANC, explaining why no plant measurement is necessary when designing an AGA-based ANC system. Simulation results demonstrate that the effectiveness of the proposed AGA method can suppress the nonlinear noise interference under several situations without clearly identifying the secondary path.
Transforming the OOram three-model architecture into a UML-based process

Three-model architecture (TMA) is a software process defined for the OOram method, and aimed at developing business information systems. In our experience, TMA is very helpful in building client-server applications using object-oriented and database technology. However, in order to use a standard notation and to take full advantage of the benefits provided by use case-driven processes, it is convenient to transfer TMA to UML. In this paper we present the translation of TMA into a UML-based process. The enterprise, information and task models of TMA are translated into UML models while preserving their original purpose. An important benefit of the process obtained is to provide guidelines for the elicitation of use cases and domain classes from the enterprise model.
MTHFR C677T polymorphism is associated with hyperlipidemia in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

CONTEXT: Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are prone for coronary artery disease (CAD), and hyperhomocysteinemia is an independent risk factor for CAD. MTHFR deficiency is the most common cause of hyperhomocysteinemia, thereby provoking a possible association between PCOS and MTHFR C677T polymorphism. AIMS: The aim of this study was to investigate an association of MTHFR C677T polymorphism with PCOS. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: 92 women with PCOS (Rotterdam criteria) and 95 age-matched controls were compared with respect to MTHFR C677T polymorphism. The 2 genotypes (CC and CT) obtained were compared with clinical and laboratory parameters in women with PCOS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a case-control study, clinical, biochemical, hormonal and genetic analysis (PCR-RFLP of peripheral leucocytes) was carried out on all women with PCOS as well as controls. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Student “t” test for quantitative and Chi-square test for nominal variables was used. For estimation of risk, odds ratio and 95% confidence interval were calculated. RESULTS: The odds ratio of bearing a heterozygous genotype (CT) was 1.32 in women with PCOS as compared to controls (P = 0.48). No homozygous mutation (TT) was found in the study population. Serum cholesterol was more in heterozygous (CT) genotype (215.48 ± 25.56 mg/dl) as compared to normal (CC) genotype (203.29 ± 16.35 mg/dl) in women with PCOS (P = 0.01). Similarly, serum triglyceride was more in heterozygous (CT) genotype (95.86 ± 37.34 mg/dl) as compared to normal (CC) genotype (82.36 ± 20.88 mg/dl) in women with PCOS (P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Although not statistically significant, there is a slightly higher prevalence of heterozygous (CT) genotype in women with PCOS. MTHFR C677T polymorphism when present may confer an increased susceptibility to develop hyperlipidemia in women with PCOS. More prospective studies are needed to confirm whether this hyperlipidemia due to MTHFR C677T polymorphism clinically manifests into CAD in long term in women with PCOS.