Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multichannel azimuth reconstruction of high resolution wide swath SAR via vandermonde matrix

To overcome the contradiction between wide unambiguous swath and high azimuth resolution in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system, a multi-channel reconstruction method is investigated to unambiguously recover the azimuth signal even for nonuniform spatial samplings. This reconstruction method is derived from matrix inversion method under least square principle. By taking the system additive noise into consideration, the ill-condition problem of the conventional matrix inversion method is overcome. By decomposing the system matrix into a Vandermonde matrix and a diagonal matrix the reconstruction filters can be easily achieved by calculating the inversion of the Vandermonde matrix which is independent of the Doppler frequency.
Performance analysis and experiments of sorts on a parallel computer with parallel computation models

This paper investigates the execution behaviors of parallel sorting algorithms on an experimental multiprocessor (KuPP) and compares with predicted performance under LogP and BSP (Bulk Synchronous Parallel) models. Since the communication overhead is considered a primary candidate for improvement, a few schemes are devised and experimented on KuPP to reduce the time spent in communication, thus to enhance the overall performance. The authors believe the ideas can be adopted in other high-performance parallel computers.
Workload Characterization of Autonomic DBMSs Using Statistical and Data Mining Techniques

In this paper a model where an autonomic DBMS can identify and characterize the type of workload acting upon it is developed and the most important database status variables which are highly affected by changing workloads are identified. Two algorithms are selected for database workload classification: hierarchical clustering and classification & regression tree for classifying database workloads after running database workloads from TPC (Transaction Processing Performance Council) benchmark queries and transactions. The costs of these workloads are measured in terms of status variables of MySQL. A set of extensive experiments and analyses have been conducted and the results are presented in this paper.
Lmo7 is an emerin-binding protein that regulates the transcription of emerin and many other muscle-relevant genes.

X-linked Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (X-EDMD) is inherited through mutations in emerin, a nuclear membrane protein. Emerin has proposed roles in nuclear architecture and gene regulation, but direct molecular links to disease were unknown. We report that Lim-domain only 7 (Lmo7) binds emerin directly with 125 nM affinity; the C-terminal half of human Lmo7 (hLmo7C) was sufficient to bind emerin in vitro. Lmo7 appeared relevant to EDMD because a deletion that removes Lmo7 (plus eight exons of a neighboring gene) in mice causes dystrophic muscles [Semenova, E. , Wang, X. , Jablonski, M.M. , Levorse, J. and Tilghman, S.M. (2003) An engineered 800 kilobase deletion of Uchl3 and Lmo7 on mouse chromosome 14 causes defects in viability, postnatal growth and degeneration of muscle and retina. Hum. Mol. Genet. , 12, 1301-1312]. Lmo7 localizes in the nucleus, cytoplasm and cell surface, particularly adhesion junctions [Ooshio, T. , Irie, K. , Morimoto, K. , Fukuhara, A. , Imai, T. and Takai, Y. (2004) Involvement of LMO7 in the association of two cell-cell adhesion molecules, nectin and E-cadherin, through afadin and alpha-actinin in epithelial cells. J. Biol. Chem., 279, 31365-31373]. Our data suggest endogenous Lmo7 is a nucleocytoplasmic shuttling protein, and might also localize at focal adhesions in HeLa cells. Two key results show that Lmo7 regulates emerin gene expression: rat Lmo7 isoforms directly activated a luciferase reporter gene in vivo, and emerin mRNA expression decreased 93% in Lmo7-downregulated HeLa cells. Thus, Lmo7 not only binds emerin protein but is also required for emerin gene transcription. Microarray analysis of Lmo7-downregulated HeLa cells identified over 4200 misregulated genes, including 46 genes important for muscle or heart. Misregulation of 11 genes, including four (CREBBP, NAP1L1, LAP2, RBL2) known to be misregulated in X-EDMD patients and emerin-null mice [Bakay, M. , Wang, Z. , Melcon, G. , Schiltz, L. , Xuan, J., Zhao, P., Sartorelli, V. , Seo, J., Pegoraro, E. , Angelini, C. et al. (2006) Nuclear envelope dystrophies show a transcriptional fingerprint suggesting disruption of Rb-MyoD pathways in muscle regeneration. Brain, 129, 996-1013; Melcon, G. , Kozlov, S. , Cutler, D.A. , Sullivan, T. , Hernandez, L. , Zhao, P., Mitchell, S. , Nader, G. , Bakay, M. , Rottman, J.N. et al. (2006) Loss of emerin at the nuclear envelope disrupts the Rb1/E2F and MyoD pathways during muscle regeneration. Hum. Mol. Genet. , 15, 637-651] was confirmed by real-time PCR. Overexpression of wild-type emerin, but not emerin mutant P183H (which causes EDMD and selectively disrupts binding to Lmo7), decreased the expression of CREBBP, NAP1L1 and LAP2, suggesting Lmo7 activity is both EDMD-relevant and inhibited by direct binding to emerin. We conclude that Lmo7 positively regulates many EDMD-relevant genes (including emerin), and is feedback-regulated by binding to emerin.
Genetic Diversity and Differentiation at Structurally Varying MHC Haplotypes and Microsatellites in Bottlenecked Populations of Endangered Crested Ibis

Investigating adaptive potential and understanding the relative roles of selection and genetic drift in populations of endangered species are essential in conservation. Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes characterized by spectacular polymorphism and fitness association have become valuable adaptive markers. Herein we investigate the variation of all MHC class I and II genes across seven populations of an endangered bird, the crested ibis, of which all current individuals are offspring of only two pairs. We inferred seven multilocus haplotypes from linked alleles in the Core Region and revealed structural variation of the class II region that probably evolved through unequal crossing over. Based on the low polymorphism, structural variation, strong linkage, and extensive shared alleles, we applied the MHC haplotypes in population analysis. The genetic variation and population structure at MHC haplotypes are generally concordant with those expected from microsatellites, underlining the predominant role of genetic drift in shaping MHC variation in the bottlenecked populations. Nonetheless, some populations showed elevated differentiation at MHC, probably due to limited gene flow. The seven populations were significantly differentiated into three groups and some groups exhibited genetic monomorphism, which can be attributed to founder effects. We therefore propose various strategies for future conservation and management.
Binding Ligand Prediction for Proteins Using Partial Matching of Local Surface Patches

Functional elucidation of uncharacterized protein structures is an important task in bioinformatics. We report our new approach for structure-based function prediction which captures local surface features of ligand binding pockets. Function of proteins, specifically, binding ligands of proteins, can be predicted by finding similar local surface regions of known proteins. To enable partial comparison of binding sites in proteins, a weighted bipartite matching algorithm is used to match pairs of surface patches. The surface patches are encoded with the 3D Zernike descriptors. Unlike the existing methods which compare global characteristics of the protein fold or the global pocket shape, the local surface patch method can find functional similarity between non-homologous proteins and binding pockets for flexible ligand molecules. The proposed method improves prediction results over global pocket shape-based method which was previously developed by our group.
Deep Convolutional Features for Image Based Retrieval and Scene Categorization

Several recent approaches showed how the representations learned by Convolutional Neural Networks can be repurposed for novel tasks. Most commonly it has been shown that the activation features of the last fully connected layers (fc7 or fc6) of the network, followed by a linear classifier outperform the state-of-the-art on several recognition challenge datasets. Instead of recognition, this paper focuses on the image retrieval problem and proposes a examines alternative pooling strategies derived for CNN features. The presented scheme uses the features maps from an earlier layer 5 of the CNN architecture, which has been shown to preserve coarse spatial information and is semantically meaningful. We examine several pooling strategies and demonstrate superior performance on the image retrieval task (INRIA Holidays) at the fraction of the computational cost, while using a relatively small memory requirements. In addition to retrieval, we see similar efficiency gains on the SUN397 scene categorization dataset, demonstrating wide applicability of this simple strategy. We also introduce and evaluate a novel GeoPlaces5K dataset from different geographical locations in the world for image retrieval that stresses more dramatic changes in appearance and viewpoint.
Acute myocardial infarction and influenza: a meta-analysis of case–control studies

Objective Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is the leading cause of death and disability globally. There is increasing evidence from observational studies that influenza infection is associated with AMI. In patients with known coronary disease, influenza vaccination is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular events. However, the effect of influenza vaccination on incident AMI across the entire population is less well established. Method The purpose of our systematic review of case–control studies is twofold: (1) to estimate the association between influenza infection and AMI and (2) to estimate the association between influenza vaccination and AMI. Cases included those conducted with first-time AMI or any AMI cases. Studies were appraised for quality and meta-analyses using random effects models for the influenza exposures of infection, and vaccination were conducted. Results 16 studies (8 on influenza vaccination, 10 on influenza infection and AMI) met the eligibility criteria, and were included in the review and meta-analysis. Recent influenza infection, influenza-like illness or respiratory tract infection was significantly more likely in AMI cases, with a pooled OR 2.01 (95% CI 1.47 to 2.76). Influenza vaccination was significantly associated with AMI, with a pooled OR of 0.71 (95% CI 0.56 to 0.91), equating to an estimated vaccine effectiveness of 29% (95% CI 9% to 44%) against AMI. Conclusions Our meta-analysis of case–control studies found a significant association between recent respiratory infection and AMI. The estimated vaccine effectiveness against AMI was comparable with the efficacy of currently accepted therapies for secondary prevention of AMI from clinical trial data. A large-scale randomised controlled trial is needed to provide robust evidence of the protective effect of influenza vaccination on AMI, including as primary prevention.
Viewpoint mHealth 2 . 0 : Experiences , Possibilities , and Perspectives

With more than 1 billion users having access to mobile broadband Internet and a rapidly growing mobile app market, all stakeholders involved have high hopes that this technology may improve health care. Expectations range from overcoming structural barriers to access in low-income countries to more effective, interactive treatment of chronic conditions. Before medical health practice supported by mobile devices ("mHealth") can scale up, a number of challenges need to be adequately addressed. From a psychological perspective, high attrition rates, digital divide of society, and intellectual capabilities of the users are key issues when implementing such technologies. Furthermore, apps addressing behavior change often lack a comprehensive concept, which is essential for an ongoing impact. From a clinical point of view, there is insufficient evidence to allow scaling up of mHealth interventions. In addition, new concepts are required to assess the efficacy and efficiency of interventions. Regarding technology interoperability, open standards and low-energy wireless protocols appear to be vital for successful implementation. There is an ongoing discussion in how far health care-related apps require a conformity assessment and how to best communicate quality standards to consumers. "Apps Peer-Review" and standard reporting via an "App synopsis" appear to be promising approaches to increase transparency for end users. With respect to development, more emphasis must be placed on context analysis to identify what generic functions of mobile information technology best meet the needs of stakeholders involved. Hence, interdisciplinary alliances and collaborative strategies are vital to achieve sustainable growth for "mHealth 2.0," the next generation mobile technology to support patient care. (JMIR mHealth uHealth 2014;2(2):e24) doi:10.2196/mhealth.3328
Traffic-adaptive duty cycle adaptation in TR-MAC protocol for wireless sensor networks

The Medium Access Control (MAC) layer can influence the energy consumption of a wireless sensor network (WSN) to a significant level. TR-MAC is an energy-efficient preamble sampling based MAC protocol for low power WSNs suitable for low data rate and low duty cycle scenario. However, low data rate is not always maintained in wireless sensor networks which often have to deal with event-driven scenarios where a sudden event rapidly increases traffic load within the network. In this paper we propose a traffic-adaptive duty cycle adaptation mechanism in order to provide responsiveness to traffic rate variations for TR-MAC protocol. This mechanism increases throughput and decreases packet delay while maintaining energy-efficiency without any extra information exchange among the sensor nodes in the network.
Experiencing-in-the-world: using pragmatist philosophy to design for aesthetic experience

With the growing use of personal and ubiquitous computing technology, an increase is seen in utilizing aesthetic aspects for designing interactive systems. The use of aesthetic interpretations, however, has differed in different applications, often lacking a coherent and holistic meaning of aesthetics. In this paper we provide an account on aesthetics, utilizing the pragmatist perspective, which can be used as a framework to design for aesthetic experience in interactive systems. We discuss seven major themes of aesthetic experience. Using our framework we discuss two design examples. In the first example - Panorama, the framework is used to inform the design process and making design decisions for supporting aesthetic social awareness in an academic work environment. In the second example - Virtual Dancer, the framework is used to analyze the aesthetics of an entertainment experience and to elicit further improvements. In the end we discuss the role of aesthetics in the design of interactive systems.
Should Animal Welfare Regulations Be More Restrictive? A Case Study in Eight European Union Countries

Simple Summary Intensive animal production systems are compromising current animal welfare standards. European societies’ growing concerns regarding how animals are raised have resulted in continuous European Union (EU) policy reforms that have banned certain intensive farming methods. We investigated whether EU respondents, differentiated by their roles as citizens and consumers, believe that the current regulations on animal welfare should be more restrictive. Data were collected using a survey approach implemented in eight European countries (Spain, the United Kingdom, Poland, Greece, Lithuania, Romania, Italy, and Sweden) with a sample of 3860 respondents. The results show that women citizens are more concerned with animal welfare and are prone to accept more restrictive regulations. Respondents from northern European countries (Poland and Sweden) are willing to accept regulations that are more restrictive than the current minimum standards than respondents from southern countries (Spain and Italy). Our results suggest that increasing knowledge of animal welfare is related to effective information campaigns that use the Internet to endorse the current animal welfare legislation. Abstract Increasingly, intensive livestock production systems have increased societal concern regarding the current animal welfare standards. We investigated whether individuals in their roles as consumers and citizens believe that the current European regulations regarding animal welfare should be more restrictive. Factors affecting this decision were assessed by analyzing respondents’ understanding of animal welfare-related issues, their subjective and objective knowledge levels, the credibility they assign to different information sources, their perceptions toward the current restrictiveness of animal welfare standards, and their socioeconomic characteristics. Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire distributed in eight European Union (EU) countries (Spain, the United Kingdom, Poland, Greece, Lithuania, Romania, Italy, and Sweden) with 3860 total responses. The results showed that consumers are more reluctant to adopt more restrictive regulations than respondents in the role of citizens. Respondents from northern European countries (Poland and Sweden) are more likely to support regulations that are more restrictive than the current minimum requirements than respondents from southern countries (Spain and Italy). Women were found to be more concerned with the welfare of pigs and laying hens—lending credibility to the Internet as an information source—and were more likely to support more restrictive animal welfare legislation.
Single-Bond Formation and Characterization with a Scanning Tunneling Microscope

oxygen plasma converts the P(PMDSS) to SiO2 but the directionality of the plasma etch is problematic for the 3D double gyroid structure. A plasma asher that does not contain a forward bias or the use of higher gas pressures in the oxygen reactive ion etcher are ways to reduce the directionality of the plasma process. 15. P(PMDSS) homopolymer was spincast from a 5 wt% solution in toluene onto Si(100) wafers. The solution was directly filtered onto the wafers by using a syringe equipped with a 0.2-mm filter. The samples were then annealed in a vacuum oven at 60°C to drive off excess toluene. The resulting thickness of these samples was 200 nm as measured by profilometry. The samples were then exposed to the same ozone 1 UV process (see above). 16. J. H. Greiner, J. Appl. Phys. 42, 5151 (1971). 17. The uneven surface prevented the measurement of refractive index or thickness because measured values varied greatly depending on where the measurement was taken. 18. In the current production of high-temperature coatings, silicon-containing homopolymers are pyrolyzed at high temperatures (T . 600°C) in order to produce silicon oxycarbide [V. Belot, R. J. P. Corriu, D. Leclercq, P. H. Mutin, A. Vioux, J. NonCryst. Solids 176, 33 (1994)]. The oxidized P(PMDSS) homopolymer itself could have utility as high-temperature coatings for materials such as fibers. 19. T. Hashimoto, K. Tsutsumi, Y. Funaki, Langmuir 13, 6869 (1997). 20. J. S. Lee, A. Hirao, S. Nakahama, Macromolecules 22, 2602 (1989). 21. V. Z. -H Chan et al., U.S. and PCT patent PCT/US99/ 15068. 22. D. J. Kinning, E. L. Thomas, J. M. Ottino, Macromolecules 20, 1129 (1987). 23. www.itrs. net/ntrs/publntrs.nsf 24. J. Joannopoulos, Photonic Crystals: Molding the Flow of Light (Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton, NJ, 1995); A. Urbas, Y. Fink, E. L. Thomas, Macromolecules 32, 4748 (1999). 25. We thank R. J. Composto and H. Wang for help with RBS experiments and P. Derege for helpful discussions. The NSF MRSEC shared experimental facilities at MIT were used. Funding was provided by Air Force Office of Scientific Research–ASSERT No. F49 620-94-1-0357, by the NSF Center for Polymer Interfaces and Macromolecular Assemblies (CPIMA) at IBM, and by NSF and IBM through graduate research fellowships for V.Z. -H.C. , who also thanks S. Adams for inspiration.
The framework of selective interleaving functions and the modular assembly kit

The Framework of Selective Interleaving Functions and the Modular Assembly Kit for Security Properties both provide a basis for the uniform representation and formal analysis of noninterference-like properties. In this article, we clarify the relationship between these two frameworks. Our main result is that each property that can be represented in the Framework of Selective Interleaving Functions can also be represented in the assembly kit. In fact, the latter framework is strictly more expressive, which we demonstrate by several example properties.
Spectrally based bathymetric mapping of a dynamic, sand‐bedded channel: Niobrara River, Nebraska, USA

Methods for spectrally based mapping of river bathymetry have been developed and tested in clear‐flowing, gravel‐bed channels, with limited application to turbid, sand‐bed rivers. This study used hyperspectral images and field surveys from the dynamic, sandy Niobrara River to evaluate three depth retrieval methods. The first regression‐based approach, optimal band ratio analysis (OBRA), paired in situ depth measurements with image pixel values to estimate depth. The second approach used ground‐based field spectra to calibrate an OBRA relationship. The third technique, image‐to‐depth quantile transformation (IDQT), estimated depth by linking the cumulative distribution function (CDF) of depth to the CDF of an image‐derived variable. OBRA yielded the lowest depth retrieval mean error (0.005 m) and highest observed versus predicted R2 (0.817). Although misalignment between field and image data did not compromise the performance of OBRA in this study, poor georeferencing could limit regression‐based approaches such as OBRA in dynamic, sand‐bedded rivers. Field spectroscopy‐based depth maps exhibited a mean error with a slight shallow bias (0.068 m) but provided reliable estimates for most of the study reach. IDQT had a strong deep bias but provided informative relative depth maps. Overprediction of depth by IDQT highlights the need for an unbiased sampling strategy to define the depth CDF. Although each of the techniques we tested demonstrated potential to provide accurate depth estimates in sand‐bed rivers, each method also was subject to certain constraints and limitations.
Two dimensional sensing for cognitive radio applications using antenna array

Fast, accurate and efficient sensing is of important aspects in cognitive radio technology. We propose a simple, practical design for two-dimensional sensing in spectral and spatial domain. In fact detection and localization of signal are done in a wide band elliptical array. Two sets of phase differences help to fast calculation of frequency and angle of arrival. We study the constraints, advantages and accuracy of the method.