Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A more complete picture of metal hyperaccumulation through next-generation sequencing technologies

The mechanistic understanding of metal hyperaccumulation has benefitted immensely from the use of molecular genetics tools developed for Arabidopsis thaliana. The revolution in DNA sequencing will enable even greater strides in the near future, this time not restricted to the family Brassicaceae. Reference genomes are within reach for many ecologically interesting species including heterozygous outbreeders. They will allow deep RNA-seq transcriptome studies and the re-sequencing of contrasting individuals to unravel the genetic basis of phenotypic variation. Cell-type specific transcriptome analyses, which will be essential for the dissection of metal translocation pathways in hyperaccumulators, can be achieved through the combination of RNA-seq and translatome approaches. Affordable high-resolution genotyping of many individuals enables the elucidation of quantitative trait loci in intra- and interspecific crosses as well as through genome-wide association mapping across large panels of accessions. Furthermore, genome-wide scans have the power to detect loci under recent selection. Together these approaches will lead to a detailed understanding of the evolutionary path towards the emergence of hyperaccumulation traits.
Gaze-following, social monitoring, and joint attention in the great apes: A comparative analysis of visual communication and potential implications for cognition

DANAY CYNTHIA DOWNING. Gaze-following, social monitoring, and joint attention in the great apes: A comparative analysis of visual communication and potential implications for cognition. (Under the direction of DR. DIANE K. BROCKMAN) Previous experimental studies indicate that gaze-following is a reliable indicator of advanced cognitive capacity in social primates. Group-living primates, in particular, must navigate complex social relationships among group members and other conspecifics, and individuals thus require higher-level social-cognitive skills. The purpose of this research was to evaluate species-specific variation in the cognitive abilities of a unique population of semi-free-ranging apes composed of 15 orangutans and 30 chimpanzees housed at the Center for Great Apes in Wauchula, Florida, assess the degree to which individuals in these populations visually communicate with conspecifics via gaze-following, as well as investigate their capacity for joint visual attention. This research involved three separate observational studies, the goals of which were: to determine the capacity of subjects to follow the gaze of a human social partner; to assess individual frequencies of social monitoring as a function of age, sex, and species; and to investigate the ability of subjects to engage in joint attention with a human social partner toward functional objects (i.e. manipulative toys/possible tools) versus non-functional objects. Results of ANOVA and t-tests provided strong evidence for all three abilities and demonstrated that variation in frequencies of these behaviors between and within species was a consequence of the effects of sex and age. The significance of this research resides in the new insights that may be gained into the
Pose Correction and Subject-Specific Features for Face Authentication

In this paper, we present a face authentication system that can be broken down in three stages. Prior to feature extraction, a pose correction step is applied, so that frontal face images are synthesized through the use of flexible shape models and thin plate splines warping. Once the pre-processing is completed, a set of subject-specific key points is located in face images by means of a two-layer strategy. In the first level, locations are chosen from lines that depict facial structure, and Gabor features (jets) are extracted at these positions. In the second step, we evaluate these jets as individual classifiers over a training dataset, so that only the subset of points whose jets are good at discriminating between clients and imposters are preserved
Analysis of computer vision and sensor technologies to assist the visually impaired

Assistive technologies in the medical industry have been on an ever increasing trend in the past few years. The past few years have seen some great medical innovations which are helping cure and prevent diseases which were earlier thought incurable. Despite such huge improvements, many of the engineering innovations are yet to be realized to its full potential in the medical industry. The field of assistive technologies for the visually impaired has been such a realm. Assistive technologies have been there for many years but the scope and application of these technologies have been very limited. The recent advances in the computer vision and inertial navigation systems can be easily employed in this field to give much more control to the visually impaired. The advent of low cost IMU's and GPS has led to huge advancements in these areas. This paper discusses how these assistive technologies can be employed to benefit some of the less privileged section of the society.
Imaging cortical association tracts in the human brain using diffusion‐tensor‐based axonal tracking

Diffusion‐tensor fiber tracking was used to identify the cores of several long‐association fibers, including the anterior (ATR) and posterior (PTR) thalamic radiations, and the uncinate (UNC), superior longitudinal (SLF), inferior longitudinal (ILF), and inferior fronto‐occipital (IFO) fasciculi. Tracking results were compared to existing anatomical knowledge, and showed good qualitative agreement. Guidelines were developed to reproducibly track these fibers in vivo. The interindividual variability of these reconstructions was assessed in a common spatial reference frame (Talairach space) using probabilistic mapping. As a first illustration of this technical capability, a reduction in brain connectivity in a patient with a childhood neurodegenerative disease (X‐linked adrenoleukodystrophy) was demonstrated. Magn Reson Med 47:215–223, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Eliminating Channel Feedback in Next-Generation Cellular Networks

This paper focuses on a simple, yet fundamental question: ``Can a node infer the wireless channels on one frequency band by observing the channels on a different frequency band? '' This question arises in cellular networks, where the uplink and the downlink operate on different frequencies. Addressing this question is critical for the deployment of key 5G solutions such as massive MIMO, multi-user MIMO, and distributed MIMO, which require channel state information. We introduce R2-F2, a system that enables LTE base stations to infer the downlink channels to a client by observing the uplink channels from that client. By doing so, R2-F2 extends the concept of reciprocity to LTE cellular networks, where downlink and uplink transmissions occur on different frequency bands. It also removes a major hurdle for the deployment of 5G MIMO solutions. We have implemented R2-F2 in software radios and integrated it within the LTE OFDM physical layer. Our results show that the channels computed by R2-F2 deliver accurate MIMO beamforming (to within 0.7~dB of beamforming gains with ground truth channels) while eliminating channel feedback overhead.
Feature-Based Synthesis: Mapping Acoustic and Perceptual Features onto Synthesis Parameters

Substantial progress has been made recently in finding acoustic features that describe perceptually relevant aspects of sound. This paper presents a general framework for synthesizing audio manifesting arbitrary sets of quantifiable acoustic features of the sort used in music information retrieval and other sound analysis applications. The methods described have broad applications to the synthesis of novel musical timbres, processing by analysisresynthesis, efficient audio coding, generation of psychoacoustic stimuli, and music information retrieval research.
Infarct Size Following Treatment With Second‐ Versus Third‐Generation P2Y12 Antagonists in Patients With Multivessel Coronary Disease at ST‐Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction in the CvLPRIT Study

Background Third‐generation P2Y12 antagonists (prasugrel and ticagrelor) are recommended in guidelines on ST‐segment elevation myocardial infarction. Mechanisms translating their more potent antiplatelet activity into improved clinical outcomes versus the second‐generation P2Y12 antagonist clopidogrel are unclear. The aim of this post hoc analysis of the Complete Versus Lesion‐Only PRImary PCI Trial‐CMR (CvLPRIT‐CMR) substudy was to assess whether prasugrel and ticagrelor were associated with reduced infarct size compared with clopidogrel in patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention. Methods and Results CvLPRIT‐CMR was a multicenter, prospective, randomized, open‐label, blinded end point trial in 203 ST‐segment elevation myocardial infarction patients with multivessel disease undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention with either infarct‐related artery–only or complete revascularization. P2Y12 inhibitors were administered according to local guidelines. The primary end point of infarct size on cardiovascular magnetic resonance was not significantly different between the randomized groups. P2Y12 antagonist administration was not randomized. Patients receiving clopidogrel (n=70) compared with those treated with either prasugrel or ticagrelor (n=133) were older (67.8±12 versus 61.5±10 years, P<0.001), more frequently had hypertension (49% versus 29%, P=0.007), and tended to have longer symptom‐to‐revascularization time (234 versus 177 minutes, P=0.05). Infarct size (median 16.1% [quartiles 1–3, 10.5–27.7%] versus 12.1% [quartiles 1–3, 4.8–20.7%] of left ventricular mass, P=0.013) and microvascular obstruction incidence (65.7% versus 48.9%, P=0.022) were significantly greater in patients receiving clopidogrel. Infarct size remained significantly different after adjustment for important covariates using both generalized linear models (P=0.048) and propensity score matching (P=0.025). Conclusions In this analysis of CvLPRIT‐CMR, third‐generation P2Y12 antagonists were associated with smaller infarct size and lower microvascular obstruction incidence versus the second‐generation P2Y12 antagonist clopidogrel for ST‐segment elevation myocardial infarction. Clinical Trial Registration URL: http://www.isrctn. com/ISRCTN70913605.
Evaluation of Passing Distance for Social Robots

Casual encounters with mobile robots for nonexperts can be a challenge due to lack of an interaction model. The present work is based on the rules from proxemics which are used to design a passing strategy. In narrow corridors the lateral distance of passage is a key parameter to consider. An implemented system has been used in a small study to verify the basic parametric design for such a system. In total 10 subjects evaluated variations in proxemics for encounters with a robot in a corridor setting. The user feedback indicates that entering the intimate sphere of people is less comfortable, however a too significant avoidance is also considered unnecessary. Adequate signaling of avoidance is a behaviour that must be carefully tuned
Distributions associated with general runs and patterns in hidden Markov models

This paper gives a method for computing distributions associated with patterns in the state sequence of a hidden Markov model, conditional on observing all or part of the observation sequence. Probabilities are computed for very general classes of patterns (competing patterns and generalized later patterns), and thus, the theory includes as special cases results for a large class of problems that have wide application. The unobserved state sequence is assumed to be Markovian with a general order of dependence. An auxiliary Markov chain is associated with the state sequence and is used to simplify the computations. Two examples are given to illustrate the use of the methodology. Whereas the first application is more to illustrate the basic steps in applying the theory, the second is a more detailed application to DNA sequences, and shows that the methods can be adapted to include restrictions related to biological knowledge.
Automatic head pose estimation from a single camera using projective geometry

Estimation of human head position and orientation has become an increasingly important issue in human-computer interaction field. Over the last decade, many approaches have been introduced to achieve head pose estimation in both academical and industrial fields, but the low-cost and real-time application still proves to be a difficult task. Motivated by the past researches, we propose an automatic and monocular head pose estimation system. We applied a number of improvements to a direct linear transformation algorithm called Pose from Orthography and Scaling with ITerations (POSIT) and applied it for the head pose estimation. User's virtual head model is also recovered by analyzing laser scan database and corrected by the head pose. The entire process is completely automatic with no need for users to pre-register for identification or initialize their head position. Experiments on a public dataset show realtime performance with lower errors than previous head pose estimation methods.
Characteristics of patent litigation: a window on competition

We examine the patenting behavior of firms in an industry characterized by rapid technological change and cumulative innovation. Recent survey evidence suggests that semiconductor firms do not rely heavily on patents to appropriate returns to R&D. Yet the propensity of semiconductor firms to patent has risen dramatically since the mid-1980s. We explore this apparent paradox by conducting interviews with industry representatives and analyzing the patenting behavior of 95 U.S. semiconductor firms during 1979-1995. The results suggest that the 1980s strengthening of U.S. patent rights spawned "patent portfolio races" among capital-intensive firms, but it also facilitated entry by specialized design firms. Copyright 2001 by the RAND Corporation.
Efficacy of case method learning in general practice for secondary prevention in patients with coronary artery disease: randomised controlled study

Abstract Objective: To study the efficacy of case method learning, for general practitioners, on patients' lipid concentrations in the secondary prevention of coronary artery disease. Design: Prospective controlled trial. Setting: Södertälje, Stockholm County, Sweden. Participants: 255 consecutive patients with coronary artery disease. Intervention: Guidelines were mailed to all general practitioners (n=54) and presented at a common lecture. General practitioners who were randomised to the intervention group participated in recurrent case method learning dialogues at their primary healthcare centres during a two year period. A locally well known cardiologist served as a facilitator. Main outcome measure: Concentration of low density lipoprotein cholesterol at baseline and after two years. Analysis according to intention to treat (intervention and control groups (n=88)) was based on group affiliation at baseline. Results: Low density lipoprotein cholesterol was reduced by 0.5 mmol/l (95% confidence interval 0.2 to 0.8 mmol/l) (9.3% (2.9% to 15.8%)) from baseline in patients in the intervention group and by 0.5 (0.1 to 0.9) mmol/l compared with controls (P<0.05). No change occurred in the control group (0.0 (−0.2 to 0.2) mmol/l). Low density lipoprotein cholesterol decreased by 0.6 (0.4 to 0.8) mmol/l in a group of patients who received specialist care. Conclusion: Case method learning resulted in a lowering of low density lipoprotein cholesterol in the primary care patients with coronary artery disease comparable to that achieved at a specialist clinic. Conventional presentation of practice guidelines had no effect.
CAN THE CAIRO CONSENSUS CONTRIBUTE TO ACHIEVING THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS IN AFRICA?

If Africa continues on the Cairo path at the current pace, can it achieve the Millennium Development Goals and if so, what progress has been made to address population aspects that are relevant for the achievement of these goals since Cairo? The answer to the first part of the question is almost certainly no unless a majority of African countries swiftly and significantly scale up action (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank, 2004). The answer to the second part of the question is more encouraging. African countries have made very good progress in implementing the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD-PoA) and the Key Actions recommended at the ICPD+5 review.
Serotonin genes and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in a Brazilian sample: Preferential transmission of the HTR2A 452His allele to affected boys

Attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common psychiatric disorders of childhood. The role of genetic factors in its etiology is strongly supported by family, adoption, and twin studies. Low serotonin activity has been associated in both animal and human studies with measures of impulsivity, aggression, and disinhibited behaviors, which make genes from the serotonin system reasonable candidates for ADHD susceptibility. In the present study, we investigated a polymorphism in the promoter region of the serotonin transporter (SLC6A4) and two polymorphisms (−1438 A > G and His452Tyr) in the serotonin 5‐HTR2A receptor gene using family based association analyses in a sample of 243 Brazilian ADHD children and adolescents and their parents. No linkage disequilibrium between the two HTR2A polymorphisms was detected in this sample (P = 0.76). Considering several evidences from animal models for sexual dimorphism in serotonin genes expression, analyses were performed separately for the whole sample and for male probands. No evidences for biased transmissions of both HTR2A −1438 A > G and SLC6A4 polymorphisms to ADHD youths were observed. Preferential transmission of the HTR2A His452 allele was observed only in families with affected boys (P = 0.04). Our results suggest that findings from ADHD association studies for serotonin genes might be understood in the context of a gender effect, which may help to explain conflicting results in these association studies. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
GPU-NB: A Fast CUDA-Based Implementation of Naïve Bayes

The advent of the Web 2.0 has given rise to an interesting phenomenon: there is currently much more data than what can be effectively analyzed without relying on sophisticated automatic tools. Some of these tools, which target the organization and extraction of useful knowledge from this huge amount of data, rely on machine learning and data or text mining techniques, specifically automatic document classification algorithms. However, these algorithms are still a computational challenge because of the volume of data that needs to be processed. Some of the strategies available to address this challenge are based on the parallelization of ADC algorithms. In this work, we present GPU-NB, a parallel version of one of the most widely used document classification algorithms, the Naïve Bayes, that uses graphics processing units (GPUs). In our evaluation using 6 different document collections, we show that the GPU-NB can maintain the same classification effectiveness (in most cases) while increasing the efficiency by up to 34x faster than its sequential version using CPU. GPU-NB is also up to 11x faster than a CPU-based parallel implementation of Naive Bayes running with 4 threads. Moreover, assuming an optimistic behavior of the CPU parallelization, GPU-NB should outperform the CPU-based implementation with up to 32 cores, at a small fraction of the cost. We also show that the efficiency of the GPU-NB parallelization is impacted by features of the document collections, particularly the number of classes, although the density of the collection (average number of occurrences of terms per document) has a significant impact as well.
A Kind of Online Support Vector Machine for Blind Multi-user Detection

CDMA is a time-varying system. The background noise of channels and the relative position between base stations and users are continuous, the joining and leaving of users are stochastic. These factors result in that the properties of signals received by users are changing continuously. Based on this, we propose an online support vector machine for blind multi-user detection method. The main idea of this method is that the detector updates the training dataset periodically and retrains the SVM classifier with an incremental training algorithm. So we can trace the changing of the system and improve the performance of the signal detection
Secular movements in sex ratios of adults and of births in populations during the past half-century.

There is some evidence for a small overall negative correlation across populations between sex ratio (proportion male) at birth and adult sex ratio. There seems to be no systematic correlation within populations across time of sex ratio at birth with adult sex ratio during the past 50 years. So even if adult sex ratios play some part in determining the overall level of the sex ratio at birth, they apparently have played little role in the recent widespread secular changes in sex ratio at birth. It is shown here that there is a strong cohort effect in adult sex ratios: if a woman is in a marriage squeeze (i.e. in a cohort with a relative abundance of women) at age 15 years, she will remain in such a squeeze for the rest of her reproductive life. In England and Wales, the maternal age-specific sex ratios at birth moved roughly in parallel across time during the years 1950-1995. This suggests that sex ratio at birth is not a cohort phenomenon (as it would be if it were affected by adult sex ratio) but is subject to some agents which change with time and affect women (parents) of all ages roughly equally.
Design of Operational Amplifier with Low Power Consumption in 0.35 μm Technology

This article covers the topic of designing the operational amplifiers, it describes the design of a compact, low power amplifier utilizing 0.35 μm CMOS technology. The main motivation behind this work was the existing need at the Technical University of Lodz for compact device that could be easily employed in larger designs. This article describes best topology for each stage in terms of meeting the design goals. The final circuit is a unique combination of low power topologies with solutions from large gain, high power amplifiers. This was done to achieve largest possible value of amplifier's gain within total power consumption constraint. The device performance was verified positively both at the schematic and at the layout level.
Learning invariant feature toward recognition modeling biology vision

Generalizing object recognition to be invariant to geometric transformation is a traditional challenge in vision. Inspired by information processing mechanism in biology vision, we develop a invariant recognition model by exploiting temporal correlation. Maximizing spatial independence leads to emergence of simple cell properties. Subsequently minimizing the variation of simple cells outputs over time leads to emergence of invariant features typical of complex cells. Experiments on character images testify recognition is rotation and translation invariant. Our model's plausibility in neurobiology view is also discussed.