Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SRTM DEM and its application advances

The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) provides for the first time a near-global high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM) with great advantages of homogeneous quality and free availability. The last 10 years or so have seen rapid advances in the data processing and applications of SRTM DEM. From the perspective of SRTM, we present in this article a brief overview of the principles, datasets, void filling and accuracy of SRTM DEM first. Special emphasis is on its application advances in various research fields including, but not limited to, geology, geomorphology, water resources and hydrology, glaciology, evaluation of natural hazards and vegetation surveys. Problems that arose from the applications and the future research interests are also addressed. We hope this study will greatly facilitate the ease of use of SRTM DEM in extensive fields.
Ultra Wide band and High Dynamic range Low Noise Amplifier for Low Frequency applications in Radio Astronomy

In low frequency astronomy « 300 MHz), antennas used to collect radiation from the sky; function like short dipoles (1« ). /2) over an appreciable range of wavelengths. Since the short dipoles do not possess appreciable impedance matched bandwidth for 50 [2 systems, coupling of sky radiation to amplifiers connected to the output of antennas will be highly inefficient over a substantial portion of the bandwidth. This in general leads to degradation in the Signal to Noise ratio. This can be compensated by minimizing the noise contribution by the receiver system and ensuring that the sky noise dominates the system temperature despite the inefficiency of coupling. This necessitates the development of a low noise amplifiers at low frequencies. Since the low frequency environment is highly dominated by the strong manmade interference signals, the amplifier should also have a very high dynamic range. In this project an improved design of LNAto achieve low noise, broadband and high dynamic range operation is examined to develop an effective front-end for a new low frequency telescope being designed by Raman Research Institute (RR! ), operating in the frequency range of 30-300 MHz. Microwave Integrated Circuit (MIC) approach has been followed in the design of LNAinstead of Monolithic Microwave Integrated circuit (MMIC) technique, since the latter is impractical for implementation in the laboratory and is economically viable for small number of units required as a part of this activity. As a part of this development program we have designed and tested a low noise ii HEMT amplifier (Noise Temperature = 50 K) with wide bandwidth (30-300 MHz) using thermal noise canceling technique. In the second phase we are attempting to increase the dynamic range performance using Post-distortion technique. In the third phase we will develop a differential amplifier with the same characteristics which can be directly connected to the balanced line from a short dipole. LIBRARY RAMAN RESEARCH INSTITU-l t. C.V. RAMAN AVENUE SADASHIVANAGAR BANGALORE-S60 080
Thymoquinone Restores Radiation‐Induced TGF‐β Expression and Abrogates EMT in Chemoradiotherapy of Breast Cancer Cells

Radiotherapy remains a prime approach to adjuvant therapies in patients with early and advanced breast cancer. In spite of therapeutic success, metastatic progression in patients undergoing therapy, limits its application. However, effective therapeutic strategies to understand the cellular and molecular machinery in inhibiting radiation‐induced metastatic progression, which is poorly understood so far, need to be strengthened. Ionizing radiation was known to prompt cancer cell's metastatic ability by eliciting Transforming Growth Factor‐beta (TGF‐β), a key regulator in epithelial–mesenchymal transdifferentiation and radio‐resistance. In this viewpoint, we employed thymoquinone as a radiosensitizer to investigate its migration and invasion reversal abilities in irradiated breast cancer cell lines by assessing their respective attributes. The role of metastasis regulatory molecules like TGF‐β, E‐cadherin, and integrin αV and its downstream molecules were determined using RT‐PCR, western blotting, immunofluorescence, and extracellular TGF‐β levels affirmed through ELISA assays. These studies affirmed the TGF‐β restoring ability of thymoquinone in radiation‐driven migration and invasion. Also, results demonstrated that the epithelial markers E‐cadherin and cytokeratin 19 were downregulated whereas mesenchymal markers like integrin αV, MMP9, and MMP2 were upregulated by irradiation treatment; however thymoquinone pre‐sensitization has reverted the expression of these proteins back to control proteins expression. Here, paclitaxel was chosen as an apoptosis inducer in TGF‐β restored cells and confirmed its cytotoxic effects in radiation alone and thymoquinone sensitized irradiated cells. We conclude that this therapeutic modality is effective in preventing radiation‐induced epithelial–mesenchymal transdifferentiation and concomitant induction of apoptosis in breast cancer. J. Cell. Physiol. 230: 620–629, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company
In vivo general trends, filtration and toxicity of nanoparticles

In vivo General Trends, Filtration and Toxicity of Nanoparticles The medical field is a vastly expanding one and with the discovery of nanoparticles (carbon nanotubes, diamondoids, fullerenes, gold and silver nanoparticles, quantum dots, etc.), there lies a vast field of unsolved medical diagnoses to be reassessed. Upon reassessment of the current medical problems, it is important to know what happens to a particle once it is free in the body. This review examines the different destinations of nanomaterials after they enter the body, their toxicity and their filtration. Assessing the destination of nanoparticles is done in order to find out whether they are removed by macrophages. It is concluded the strongest trends of the nanoparticles itself is of shape and surface chemistry. Toxicity of nanoparticles is found to be mostly dose-dependent. The nanoparticle filtration goal is to have the body naturally filter out the nanoparticles without a response from the immune system.
Variation inMammographic Breast Density Assessments Among Radiologists in Clinical Practice AMulticenter Observational Study

Results: Overall, 36.9% of mammograms were rated as showing dense breasts. Across radiologists, this percentage ranged from 6.3% to 84.5% (median, 38.7% [interquartile range, 28.9% to 50.9%]), with multivariable adjustment for patient characteristics having little effect (interquartile range, 29.9% to 50.8%). Examination of patient subgroups revealed that variation in density assessment across radiologists was pervasive in all but the most extreme patient age and BMI combinations. Among women with consecutive mammograms interpreted by different radiologists, 17.2% (5909 of 34 271) had discordant assessments of dense versus nondense status.
Sensor-based self-localization for wheeled mobile robots

A reliable and robust algorithm for localizing a mobile robot in an indoor environment that is relatively consistent with an a priori map is demonstrated. The algorithm uses an extended Kalman filter that combines dead-reckoning, ultrasonic, and infrared sensor data to estimate current position and orientation. Through a thresholding approach, unexpected obstacles can be detected. Experimental results from implementation in a mobile robot, Nomad-200, are presented. <<ETX>>
Pile defect detection based on wavelet packet energy ratio and Support Vector Machine

This article focuses on the topic of pile defect detection. In the proposed scheme, wavelet packet transform method is used to process the stress wave reflected signals. In order to identify the types of piles, the SVM is used to classify the defects. In particular, a novel feature extraction approach based on wavelet packet energy ratio is proposed in this paper. Different from the conventional power spectral density features, the wavelet packet energy ratio features provide a new way to detect pile defects, and the features also reflect more information of signals. The simulation results show the approach has a high classification accuracy in pile defect detection, and it is simple, effective and easy to implement.
The web is watching you: A comprehensive review of web-tracking techniques and countermeasures

Web tracking is a commonly-used practice on the Internet devoted to retrieve user information for activities such as personalization or advertisement. These techniques are said to drive the web economy, although they are commonly used to invade users’ privacy. In the last years, a general concern raised about web tracking, looking forward to combat it in many ways like regulations, anti-tracking methods and even standardization. In this paper, we analyze and discuss the current techniques for web-tracking as well as techniques for its detection and analysis, and countermeasures to prevent web tracking.
Analytic Evaluation and Application of a Novel Spectrophotometric Serum Lithium Method to a Rapid Response Laboratory

The authors present an evaluation of the Lithium DST spectrophotometric method developed by Thermotrace (Victoria, Australia) on a Hitachi 917 analyzer. Accuracy was assessed by method comparison with an ion-selective electrode (ISE; Roche Integra 700) (n = 80). Linearity, within-run and between-run precision, and susceptibility to interference by hemolysis, icterus, lipemia, and sodium were assessed. The method was linear to 3.0 mmol/L, and analyzer auto-dilution extended the reportable range to 7.2 mmol/L. Within-run coefficient of variation was 1.5% at 0.68 mmol/L and 0.7% at 2.06 mmol/L. Between-run precision for the same lithium concentrations assayed daily for 20 days were 3.1% and 1.9%, respectively. Method agreement with ISE was excellent, with an intercept of 0.000 and slope of 1.000 by Passing Bablock regression analysis. Hemolysis, icterus, lipemia, and high and low sodium levels did not significantly interfere. The manufacturer's recommended calibration stability of 1 week was confirmed. The authors conclude that this method is reliable, accurate, and precise. The Thermotrace serum lithium spectrophotometric method provides a useful alternative to ISE or flame photometry, facilitates workstation consolidation on the Hitachi 917 multiple-channel analyzer, and is well adapted for use in a rapid response laboratory.
THE KINEMATICS OF SWIMMING IN ANURAN LARVAE

The kinematics of swimming in tadpoles from four species of anurans ( Rana catesbeiana Shaw, Rana septentrionalis Baird, Rana clamitans Latreille and Bufo americanus Holbrook) was studied using computer-assisted analysis of high speed (≥200 frames s −1 ) cine records. 1. Tadpoles exhibit the same positive, linear relationship between tail beat frequency and specific swimming speed commonly reported for subcarangiform fishes. 2. Tadpoles show an increase in the maximum amplitude of the tail beat with increasing swimming speed up to approximately 4 lengths s −1 . Above 4 lengths s −1 , amplitude approaches an asymptote at approximately 25 % of length. 3. Tadpoles with relatively longer tails have lower specific amplitudes. 4. Froude efficiencies for tadpoles are similar to those reported for most subcarangiform fishes. 5. Bufo larvae tend to have higher specific maximum amplitude, higher tail beat frequencies, lower propeller efficiencies (at least at intermediate speeds) and substantially less axial musculature than do comparable-sized Rana larvae. These differences may relate to the fact that Bufo larvae are noxious to many potential predators and consequently need not rely solely on locomotion for defence. 6. Tadpoles exhibit larger amounts of lateral movement at the snout than do most adult fishes. 7. The point of least lateral movement during swimming in tadpoles is at the level of the semi-circular canals, as assumed in models on the evolution of the vertebrate inner ear. 8. Passive oscillation of anaesthetized and curarized tadpoles at the base of their tail produces normal kinematics in the rest of the tail. This supports the idea that muscular activity in the posterior, tapered portion of the tadpole tail does not serve a major role in thrust production during normal, straightforward swimming at constant velocity. 9. The angle of incidence and lateral velocity of the tail tip as it crosses the path of motion are not consistent with theoretical predictions of how thrust should be generated. The same parameters evaluated at the high point of the tail fin (approximately midtail) suggest that that portion of the tail generates thrust most effectively. 10. Ablation of the end of the tail in passively oscillated tadpoles confirms that the terminal portion of the tadpole tail serves to reduce excessive amplitude in the more anterior portion of the tail, where most thrust is generated. 11. The posterior portion of the tail is important in reducing turbulence around a tadpole. It may also function to produce thrust during irregular, intricate movements, such as swimming backwards. 12. Tadpoles are comparable to subcarangiform fishes of similar size in their maximum swimming speed and mechanical efficiency, despite the fact that they have much less axial musculature and lack the elaborate skeletal elements that stiffen the fins in fishes. The simple shape of the tadpole tail appears to allow these animals efficient locomotion over short distances and high manoeuvrability, while maintaining the potential for rapid morphological change at metamorphosis.
EKFPnP: Extended Kalman Filter for Camera Pose Estimation in a Sequence of Images

In real-world applications the Perspective-n-Point (PnP) problem should generally be applied in a sequence of images which a set of drift-prone features are tracked over time. In this paper, we consider both the temporal dependency of camera poses and the uncertainty of features for the sequential camera pose estimation. Using the Extended Kalman Filter (EKF), a priori estimate of the camera pose is calculated from the camera motion model and then corrected by minimizing the reprojection error of the reference points. Experimental results, using both simulated and real data, demonstrate that the proposed method improves the robustness of the camera pose estimation, in the presence of noise, compared to the state-of-the-art.
New approach for stochastic downscaling and bias correction of daily mean temperatures to a high-resolution grid

In applications of climate information, coarse-resolution climate projections commonly need to be downscaled to a finer grid. One challenge of this requirement is the modeling of sub-grid variability and the spatial and temporal dependence at the finer scale. Here, a post-processing procedure is proposed for temperature projections that addresses this challenge. The procedure employs statistical bias correction and stochastic downscaling in two steps. In a first step, errors that are related to spatial and temporal features of the first two moments of the temperature distribution at model scale are identified and corrected. Secondly, residual space-time dependence at the finer scale is analyzed using a statistical model, from which realizations are generated and then combined with appropriate climate change signal to form the downscaled projection fields. Using a high-resolution observational gridded data product, the proposed approach is applied in a case study where projections of two regional climate models from the EURO-CORDEX ensemble are bias-corrected and downscaled to a 1x1 km grid in the Trondelag area of Norway. A cross-validation study shows that the proposed procedure generates results that better reflect the marginal distributional properties of the data product and have better consistency in space and time than empirical quantile mapping.
Characterization of a zwf mutant of Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7942

A mutant of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7942 carrying a disrupted gene encoding glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (zwf) produced no detectable glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase as assessed by enzyme assay and Western blot (immunoblot) analysis. This mutant exhibited significantly impaired dark viability.
Elicited Antibodies in Baboons Exposed to Tissues from α1,3-Galactosyltransferase Gene-Knockout Pigs

Background. This study investigates anti-nonGal antibodies (Abs) in baboons after α1,3-galactosyltransferase gene-knockout (GalT-KO) pig heart transplantation (Tx). Methods. Four baboons underwent pig heart Tx under chronic immunosuppression, which was discontinued after graftectomy. During follow-up, one baboon also received a pig splenocyte infusion. Hearts and splenocytes were from GalT-KO pigs (n=3) or pigs with low Gal expression (Gal-low, n=2), all of swine leukocyte antigen (SLA) dd haplotype. Several weeks after graftectomy, sera were tested by flow cytometry and cytotoxicity assay on porcine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) for elicited anti-nonGal Abs. Sera were adsorbed on a Gal immunoaffinity matrix, and tested for SLA haplotype specificity using PBMC from SLA aa, cc, and dd haplotypes. Results. Before heart Tx, no baboon had anti-nonGal Abs demonstrable by binding or cytotoxicity to GalT-KO PBMC. All four baboons developed anti-nonGal Abs after Tx, demonstrable by flow cytometry, and three sera from baboons showed cytotoxicity to GalT-KO PBMC of SLAdd haplotype. After adsorption of anti-Gal Abs, the elicited anti-nonGal Abs showed similar binding to PBMCs from pigs of all three haplotypes (SLAdd, SLAaa, SLAcc). Conclusions. Anti-nonGal Abs developed after GalT-KO pig heart Tx into baboons. The most potent of these antibodies appeared to detect antigens shared by the three pig haplotypes tested. It remains unclear whether these antibodies are directed towards shared SLA determinants or other pig antigens, and whether antibodies with specificity for allelic SLA determinants are also present, but at lower titer.
Functional analysis of affinity-purified polyhistidine-tagged DnaA protein.

DnaA protein initiates DNA replication at the Escherichia coli chromosomal origin. We describe a system for efficient production and purification of replicatively active DnaA protein. The dnaA gene was cloned in-frame with a sequence encoding a polyhistidine tag and expressed from a T7 promoter regulated by the lac operator. DnaA with the amino terminal polyhistidine tag was isolated using immobilized metal-ion affinity chromatography. Immunoblot analysis indicated that the tagged protein was intact and migrated with the expected molecular weight. The yield of purified protein was greater than 10 mg per liter of cell culture. The polyhistidine-tagged DnaA protein was comparable to nontagged DnaA protein for initiating in vitro DNA replication, binding to oriC DNA, binding of allosteric effector adenine nucleotides, and interaction with membrane acidic phospholipids. This system for rapid and high-yield generation of replication-active DnaA protein should facilitate structure-function studies and mutagenic analyses of this initiator protein.
Statistical Dynamics of Learning Processes in Spiking Neural Networks

In previous work, the author and Dr. Jer-Nan Juang contributed a new neural net architecture, within the framework of “second generation” neural models. We showed how to implement backpropagation learning in a massively parallel architecture involving only local computations – thereby capturing one of the principal advantages of biological neural nets. Since then, a large body of neural-biological research has given rise to the “third-generation” models, namely spiking neural nets, wherein the brief, sharp pulses (spikes) produced by neurons are explicitly modeled. Information is encoded not in average firing rates, but in the temporal pattern of the spikes. Further, no physiological basis for backpropagation has been found, rather, synaptic plasticity is driven by the timing of spikes. The present paper examines the statistical dynamics of learning processes in spiking neural nets. Equations describing the evolution of synaptic efficacies and the probability distributions of the neural states are derived. Although the system is strongly nonlinear, the typically large number of synapses per neuron (~10,000) permits us to obtain a closed system of equations. As in the earlier work, we see that the learning process in this more realistic setting is dominated by local interactions; thereby preserving massive parallelism. It is hoped that the formulation given here will provide the basis for the rigorous analysis of learning dynamics in very large neural nets (10 neurons in the human brain! ) for which direct simulation is difficult or impractical.
Automatic Vehicle Detection, Tracking and Recognition of License Plate in Real Time Videos

Automatic video analysis from traffic surveillance cameras is a fast-emerging field based on computer vision techniques. It is a key technology to public safety, intelligent transport system (ITS) and for efficient management of traffic. In recent years, there has been an increased scope for automatic analysis of traffic activity. We define video analytics as computer-vision-based surveillance algorithms and systems to extract contextual information from video. In traffic scenarios several monitoring objectives can be supported by the application of computer vision and pattern recognition techniques, including the detection of traffic violations (e.g., illegal turns and one-way streets) and the identification of road users (e.g., vehicles, motorbikes, and pedestrians). Currently most reliable approach is through the recognition of number plates, i.e., automatic number plate recognition (ANPR), which is also known as automatic license plate recognition (ALPR), or radio frequency transponders. Here full-featured automatic system for vehicle detection, tracking and license plate recognition is presented. This system has many applications in pattern recognition and machine vision and they ranges from complex security systems to common areas and from parking admission to urban traffic control. This system has complex characteristics due to diverse effects as fog, rain, shadows, uneven illumination conditions, occlusion, variable distances, velocity of car, scene's angle in frame, rotation of plate, number of vehicles in the scene and others. The main objective of this work is to show a system that solves the practical problem of car identification for real scenes. All steps of the process, from video acquisition to optical character recognition are considered to achieve an automatic identification of plates.
Localization of Heart Poisons in the Monarch Butterfly

The cardiac glycosides that monarch butterflies sequester from milkweed plants during the larval stage differ remarkably in their emetic potency and are concentrated to different degrees in the various parts of the body as well as in the two sexes (Fig. 1). The very high concentrations of these compounds in the wings probably facilitate learned taste rejection in predators and account for the relatively high frequency of Danaid butterflies with beak-marked wings in natural populations. The cardiac glycosides in the abdomen have a much higher emetic potency than those in the rest of the body. Consequently, naive, extremely hungry, or forgetful birds which capture and peck off the wings but eat the abdomen discard the least emetic glycosides and ingest the most emetic, and thus again experience emesis. The nonrandom distribution of cardenolides in the wings, abdomen, and thorax, together with the fact that monarch males not only contain lower concentrations of cardiac glycosides than females but also contain cardenolides that are overall less emetic than those in females, is interpreted as evidence that these poisons are incorporated at a physiological cost. This cost, balanced against the benefits of protection from predation, provides a selective basis for the occurrence of both emetic and nonemetic individuals in natural populations. Since birds can discriminate emetic from nonemetic monarchs on the basis of taste, it is not necessary to invoke theories of kind of group selection to explain the evolution of this kind of unpalatability.