Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intermodulation and Harmonic Distortion in Traveling-Wave Semiconductor Cascade Laser

Intermodulation distortion and harmonic distortion in a traveling-wave semiconductor cascade laser (TWSCL) is investigated. The TWSCL is an extension of the idea of a semiconductor cascade laser where transmission lines connect the laser diodes in a cascade followed by a terminating impedance. The nonlinear behavior of the TWSCL is analyzed using harmonic balance and determined to be comparable to a resistively matched laser diode. The analysis is further supported using a perturbative approach. Experimental results for a TWSCL using packaged devices are presented.
X-Ray Emission Processes in Radio Jets

The emission processes responsible for the observed X-rays from radio jets are commonly believed to be nonthermal, but in any particular case, it is unclear if synchrotron emission or one or more varieties of inverse Compton emission predominates. We present a formulation of inverse Compton emission from a relativistically moving jet ("IC/beaming") that relies on radio-emitting synchrotron sources for which the energy densities in particles and fields are comparable. We include the nonisotropic nature of inverse Compton scattering of the relativistic electrons on photons of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and provide beaming parameters for a number of jets. A list of X-ray-emitting jets is given and the jets are classified on the basis of their morphology and spectral energy distribution to determine their likely emission process. We conclude that these jets have significant bulk relativistic velocities on kiloparsec scales, that higher redshift sources require less beaming because the energy density of the CMB is significantly greater than locally, and that for some nearby sources synchrotron X-ray emission predominates because the jet makes a large angle to the line of sight.
The proteasome inhibitor bortezomib sensitizes cells to killing by death receptor ligand TRAIL via BH3-only proteins Bik and Bim

Previously, we showed that the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib/Velcade (formerly PS-341) synergizes with the protein tumor necrosis factor α–related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL), a ligand for certain death receptors, to induce apoptosis in cell lines derived from prostate and colon cancers. Because apoptosis is often triggered by BH3-only proteins of the Bcl-2 family, we have explored the hypothesis that bortezomib contributes to the apoptosis by up-regulating their levels. Indeed, bortezomib induced increases of Bik and/or Bim in multiple cell lines but not notably of two other BH3-only proteins (Puma and Bid) nor other family members (Bax, Bak, Bcl-2, and Bcl-xL). The increase in Bik levels seems to reflect inhibition by bortezomib of its proteasome-mediated degradation. Importantly, both Bik and Bim seem central to the proapoptotic function of bortezomib, because mouse embryo fibroblasts in which the genes for both Bik and Bim had been disrupted were refractory to its cytotoxic action. Similarly, the synergy between bortezomib and TRAIL in killing human prostate cancer cells was impaired in cells in which both Bik and Bim were down-regulated by RNA interference. Further evidence that bortezomib acts through the mitochondrial pathway regulated by the Bcl-2 family is that deficiency for APAF-1, which acts downstream of Bcl-2, also blocked its apoptotic effect. These results implicate BH3-only proteins, in particular both Bik and Bim, as important mediators of the antitumor action of bortezomib and establish their role in its enhancement of TRAIL-induced apoptosis.
A Multiscale Operator for Document Image Binarization

Basically, document image binarization consists on the segmentation of scanned gray level images into text and background, and is a basic preprocessing stage in many image analysis systems. It is essential to threshold the document image reliably in order to extract useful information and make further processing such as character recognition and feature extraction. The main difficulties arise when dealing with poor quality document images, containing nonuniform illumination, shadows and smudge, for example. This paper presents an efficient morphological-based document image binarization technique that is able to cope with these problems. We evaluate the proposed approach for different classes of images, such as historical and machine-printed documents, obtaining promising results.
An N‐Terminal Dileucine Motif Directs Two‐Pore Channels to the Tonoplast of Plant Cells

Two‐pore channels (TPCs) constitute a family of endolysosomal cation channels with functions in Ca2+ signaling. We used a mutational analysis to investigate the role of channel domains for the trafficking of the Arabidopsis TPC1 to the tonoplast, a process that is generally not well understood in plants. The results show that the soluble C‐terminus was not essential for targeting but for channel function, while further C‐terminal truncations of two or more transmembrane domains impaired protein trafficking. An N‐terminal dileucine motif (EDPLI) proved to be critical for vacuolar targeting of TPC1, which was independent of the adaptor protein AP‐3. Deletion or mutation of this sorting motif, which is conserved among TPCs caused redirection of the protein transport to the plasma membrane. An N‐terminal region with a predicted α‐helical structure was shown to support efficient vacuolar trafficking and was essential for TPC1 function. Similar to their localization in mammalian endosomes and lysosomes, MmTPC1 and MmTPC2 were targeted to small organelles and the membrane of the lytic vacuole, respectively, when expressed in plant cells. These results shed new light on the largely uncharacterized sorting signals of plant tonoplast proteins and reveal similarities between the targeting machinery of plants and mammals.
Detection of Quantitative Trait Loci Affecting Leg Conformation Traits in Danish Holstein Cattle

Strong legs and feet give longer herd life of dairy cows. Therefore, many countries include measures of leg and feet conformation traits in their breeding programs, often as early predictors of longevity. Five leg conformation traits were measured on grand-daughters of 19 Danish Holstein sire families with 33 to 105 sons. The traits measured were: rear legs side view, rear legs rear view, hock quality, bone quality and foot angle. A genome scan was performed to detect quantitative trait loci (QTL) based on the 29 autosomes using microsatellite markers. Data were analysed across and within families for QTL effecting leg conformation traits. A regression method and variance component method was used for QTL detection. For the five different leg conformation traits seven chromosome wise significant QTL were detected across families for rear legs side view, 4 for rear legs rear view, 5 for hock quality, 4 for bone quality and one for foot angle.
Research on indoor position algorithm based on image sequence

People's demand for location information increase sharply, and people begin the research on the technology of vision location. In order to achieve of the result of exact and quick positioning, describe indoor position algorithm on block match of image sequence. First,initialize the image sequence, and then define search area, compute the MAD, return the coordinates of image, transform the coordinates, at last, get the change of two images. Experimental results show that the mobile track by algorithm can represent the actual path approximately.
S-Net: A Declarative Approach towards Streaming Networks of Asynchronous Components.

We present the design of S-Net, a coordination language and component technology based on stream processing. S-Net achieves a near-complete separation between application code, written in a conventional programming language, and coordination code written in S-Net itself. S-Net boxes integrate existing sequential code as stream-processing components into streaming networks, whose construction is based on algebraic formulae built out of four network combinators. Subtyping on the level of boxes and networks and a tailor-made inheritance mechanism achieve flexible software reuse.
A Noise Robust Speech Recognition System Using Wavelet Front End and Support Vector Machines

Recent works in speech recognition technology, classification techniques is focused on models, such as support vector machines (SVMs), in order to improve the generalization ability of the machine learning for noisy environments. However kernel function plays a vital role in the generalization ability of the SVMs. This paper address, the issue of noise robustness for an Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) system focusing on a wavelet domain front end and SVM based classifier with different kernel functions. The proposed ASR has a front end that exploits the benefits of wavelet techniques for speech enhancement and feature extraction along with a comparison of different kernel functions for classification. The experiments are performed on speaker independent TIMIT database which are trained in a clean environment and later tested in the presence of AWGN for various Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) levels. Experiments indicate that for large vocabulary the wavelet front end and the Radial Basis Function (RBF) kernel has more convergence area when compared to the polynomial kernel and the linear kernel for classification and robustness.
Technoreview: In vivo bioluminescence imaging for integrated studies of infection

Understanding biological processes in the context of intact organ systems with fine temporal resolution has required the development of imaging strategies that reveal cellular and molecular changes in the living body. Reporter genes that confer optical signatures on a given biological process have been used widely in cell biology and have been used more recently to interrogate biological processes in living animal models of human biology and disease. The use of internal biological sources of light, luciferases, to tag cells, pathogens, and genes has proved to be a versatile tool to provide in vivo indicators that can be detected externally. The application of this technology to the study of animal models of infectious disease has not only provided insights into disease processes, but has also revealed new mechanisms by which pathogens may avoid host defences during infection.
Magnetic resonance imaging of pilocytic astrocytomas: usefulness of the minimum apparent diffusion coefficient (adc) value for differentiation from high-grade gliomas

Background: On contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) images, pilocytic astrocytomas (PAs) are usually well-enhanced tumors that may mimic high-grade gliomas (HGGs). On the other hand, it has been suggested that areas exhibiting minimum apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values reflect the sites of highest cellularity within heterogeneous tumors. Purpose: To test the hypothesis that the cellularity of PAs is significantly different to the cellularity of HGGs, which should result in significant differences in minimum ADC values. Material and Methods: Between 1999 and 2005, 15 patients (nine males, six females) with histopathologically confirmed PAs underwent pretreatment MR examination including diffusion-weighted (DW) imaging. We reviewed their MR findings with respect to the size, location, morphology, contrast enhancement, and minimum ADC value of the tumors. The minimum ADC values of the 15 PAs were compared with those of 104 HGGs diagnosed during the same period. Results: The diameter of the 15 PAs ranged from 11 to 60 mm (mean 36 mm); all were located around the ventricles, and all contained enhancing components. All except two small (11 and 14 mm) PAs contained cystic components. The minimum ADC values were significantly higher in PAs (median 1.688, range 1.375–1.897×10−3 mm2/s) than HGGs (0.997, 0.543–2.024×10−3 mm2/s) (P<0.0001), although there was substantial overlap. Among the tumors with enhancing components, all but one PA were differentiated from the 76 HGGs with enhancing components (0.922, 0.543–1.462×10−3 mm2/s) when the minimum ADC cutoff value was set at 1.5×10−3 mm2/s. Conclusion: The minimum ADC value may be helpful for the differentiation between PAs and HGGs. A tumor with enhancing components should be PA instead of HGG when the minimum ADC value is higher than 1.5×10−3 mm2/s.
Collective Contextual Anomaly Detection for Building Energy Consumption

Commercial and residential buildings are responsible for a substantial portion of total global energy consumption and as a result make a significant contribution to global carbon emissions. Hence, energy-saving goals that target buildings can have a major impact in reducing environmental damage. During building operation, a significant amount of energy is wasted due to equipment and human-related faults. To reduce waste, today’s smart buildings monitor energy usage with the aim of identifying abnormal consumption behaviour and notifying the building manager to implement appropriate energy-saving procedures. To this end, this research proposes the ensemble anomaly detection (EAD) framework. The EAD is a generic framework that combines several anomaly detection classifiers using majority voting. This anomaly detection classifiers are formed using existing machine learning algorithm. It is assumed that each anomaly classifier has equal weight. More importantly, to ensure diversity of anomaly classifiers, the EAD is implemented by combining pattern-based and predictionbased anomaly classifiers. For this reason, this research also proposes a new pattern-based anomaly classifier, the collective contextual anomaly detection using sliding window (CCADSW) framework. The CCAD-SW, which is also a machine leaning-based framework that identifies anomalous consumption patterns using overlapping sliding windows. The EAD framework combines the CCAD-SW, which is implemented using autoencoder, with two predictionbased anomaly classifiers that are implemented using the support vector regression and random forest machine-learning algorithms. In addition, it determines an ensemble threshold that yields an anomaly classifier with optimal anomaly detection capability and false positive minimization. Results show that the EAD performs better than the individual anomaly detection classifiers. In the EAD framework, the optimal ensemble anomaly classifier is not attained by combining the individual learners at their respective optimal performance levels. Instead, an ensemble threshold combination that yields the optimal anomaly classifier was identified by searching through the ensemble threshold space. The research was evaluated using real-world data provided by Powersmiths, located in Brampton, Ontario, Canada.
Development and validation of modeling framework for interconnected tendon networks in robotic and human fingers

The primary contribution of this work is the development of a generalized modeling methodology for complex tendon systems toward a long-term goal of modeling the mechanical structure of the human finger. The key feature of this model is its ability to predict how muscle forces will transmit through an interconnected tendon network based on tendon kinematics and the current joint posture, so that the transformation from input muscle forces to output joint torques and fingertip forces is accurately represented. The feasibility of this model is evaluated by using a tendon-driven robotic finger testbed. Moreover, we utilize the validated model to explore unique features of the extensor mechanism.
Impact of successive drought and re-watering cycles on growth and specific leaf area of two Populus x canadensis (Moench) clones, 'Dorskamp' and 'Luisa_Avanzo'.

Responses to successive drought and re-watering cycles (1-3 cycles) were compared in greenhouse-grown cuttings of Populus x canadensis (Moench) clones, 'Luisa_ Avanzo' and 'Dorskamp. ' Total leaf number increment rate, duration of leaf expansion, total and individual leaf area expansion rates and stomatal conductance were recorded periodically during the experiment. Soil water content (SWC) and predawn leaf water potential (Psi(WP)) were measured four times during each drought cycle. In parallel, relative leaf water content (RWC) and specific leaf area (SLA) were estimated on leaves collected from the top to bottom of each cutting. Under well-watered conditions, 'Luisa_Avanzo' and 'Dorskamp' differed in their patterns of leaf area expansion. Although duration of leaf expansion was similar between clones, 'Luisa_ Avanzo' exhibited higher total leaf number increment rates and individual leaf area increases than 'Dorskamp. ' As a result, 'Luisa_Avanzo' cuttings reached larger individual and total leaf areas than 'Dorskamp. ' 'Dorskamp' leaves had lower SLA than 'Luisa_Avanzo' leaves. In response to successive drought cycles, both clones underwent decreases in total leaf number increment rates and in total leaf area expansion rates, but both whole-plant and individual leaf areas were drastically reduced only in 'Luisa_Avanzo. ' 'Dorskamp' maintained a constant leaf area as a result of an increase in the duration of leaf expansion during drought and a significant stimulation of individual leaf area expansion rate and total leaf number increment rate in response to re-watering. Drought caused a greater decrease in SLA in 'Luisa_Avanzo' than in 'Dorskamp. ' Expanded leaves of 'Dorskamp' were constitutively dense or thick, or both, whereas leaves of 'Luisa_Avanzo' became dense or thick, or both, only in response to drought. In both clones, re-watering caused partial recovery of SLA to control values. Our data confirm previous field and greenhouse observations that 'Dorskamp' is more tolerant to successive drought and re-watering cycles than 'Luisa_Avanzo. ' We conclude that this difference is mainly attributable to the plasticity of 'Dorskamp' after re-watering, rather than to clonal differences in drought responses.
Principles for Vaccine Protection in Chickens and Domestic Waterfowl against Avian Influenza

Abstract: The H5N1 highly pathogenic (HP) avian influenza (AI) epizootic began with reports of mortality from China in 1996 and, by June 2005, caused outbreaks of disease in nine additional Asian countries, affecting or resulting in culling of over 200 million birds. Vaccines can be used in programs to prevent, manage, or eradicate AI. However, vaccines should only be used as part of a comprehensive control strategy that also includes biosecurity, quarantine, surveillance and diagnostics, education, and elimination of infected poultry. Potent AI vaccines, when properly used, can prevent disease and death, increase resistance to infection, reduce field virus replication and shedding, and reduce virus transmission, but do not provide “sterilizing immunity” in the field; i.e., vaccination does not completely prevent AI virus replication. Inactivated AI vaccines and a recombinant fowlpox‐H5‐AI vaccine are licensed and used in various countries. Vaccines have been shown to protect chickens, geese, and ducks from H5 HPAI. The inactivated vaccines prevented disease and mortality in chickens and geese, and reduced the ability of the field virus to replicate in gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts. Although the Asian H5N1 HPAI virus did not cause disease or mortality in ducks, the use of inactivated vaccine did reduce field virus replication in the respiratory and intestinal tracts. The inactivated vaccine protected geese from morbidity and mortality, and reduced challenge virus replication. The recombinant fowlpox‐H5‐AI vaccine has provided similar protection, but the vaccine is used only in chickens and with the advantage of application at 1 day of age in the hatchery.
Bovine Pituitary Membrane Glycoproteins Contain β‐N‐Acetylgalactosaminylated N‐Linked Sugar Chains

Abstract: Bovine pituitary glycoprotein hormones contain unique N‐linked sugar chains with GalNAcβ1 → 4GlcNAc structure in their outer chain moieties. In the present study, whether bovine pituitary membrane glycoproteins contain the sugar chains with the disaccharide structure was investigated. Western blot analysis of the membrane glycoproteins using Wistaria floribunda agglutinin (WFA), which binds oligosaccharides terminating with β‐N‐acetylgalactosamine residue(s), showed that most protein bands detected with Coomassie Brilliant Blue staining bind to WFA. However, no WFA binding was observed for the bands after treatment of the blotted filter with jack bean β‐N‐acetylhexosaminidase or N‐Glycanase. The WFA‐positive bands were also detected in membrane glycoprotein samples from bovine cerebrum, cerebellum, and medulla oblongata, although their expression levels were low. Structural analysis of the oligosaccharides released by hydrazinolysis from the pituitary membrane glycoproteins by serial lectin column chromatography and sequential exoglycosidase digestion revealed that the major oligosaccharides, which bound to a WFA‐agarose column, are of biantennary complex type with one and two GalNAcβ1 → 4GlcNAc groups in their outer chain moieties. These results indicate that the β‐N‐acetylgalactosaminylation is not unique to the glycoprotein hormones but occurs to most bovine pituitary glycoproteins.
A filter bank algorithm for hand vascular pattern biometrics

This paper presents a design of an algorithm for hand vascular pattern extraction algorithm, which is specifically designed for person verification applications. The algorithm is based on a filter bank approach since it applies two different filters to the input hand images; one for effective extraction of normal state blood vessels (normal mode filter) and the other for effective extraction of thin vessels and vessels in a contracted state (enhancement mode filter). We combine output of both filters to obtain the final hand vascular patterns. The filter bank approach has been proven to prevent possible loss of connectivity of vascular patterns in severe variations of weather temperature. In addition, the proposed NMF and EMF are designed to have filter coefficients in the form of power of two, which can be realized using fixed-point operators, and reduces hardware complexity dramatically. In order to evaluate the design, a prototype system has been implemented utilizing a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) device. The prototype system shows approximately five-times better verification error rate than the conventional single filter algorithm. And the person verification speed including feature extraction time is measured to be 133[ms/person].
Pesticin displays muramidase activity

Pesticin of Yersinia pestis is the only bacteriocin that converts sensitive cells to stable spheroplasts. The amino acid sequence of pesticin as derived from the nucleotide sequence shows no similarity to those of any of the bacteriocins. The unique properties of pesticin prompted an investigation of its mode of action. Since the pesticin plasmid does not encode a lysis protein for release of pesticin into the culture medium, pesticin was isolated from cells and purified to electrophoretic homogeneity. Highly purified pesticin degraded murein and murein glycan strands lacking the peptide side chains to products that were similar to those obtained by lysozyme, as revealed by high-resolution high-pressure liquid chromatography. After reduction of the murein degradation products with tritium-labeled sodium borohydride, acid hydrolysis, and separation of the products by thin-layer chromatography, radiolabeled muraminitol was identified. This indicates that pesticin is a muramidase, and not an N-acetyl-glucosaminidase, that converts cells into stable spheroplasts by slowly degrading murein.