Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pixnet : designing interference-free wireless links using LCD-camera pairs

Given the abundance of cameras and LCDs in today's environment, there exists an untapped opportunity for using these devices for communication. Specifically, cameras can tune to nearby LCDs and use them for network access. The key feature of these LCD-camera links is that they are highly directional and hence enable a form of interference-free wireless communication. This makes them an attractive technology for dense, high contention scenarios. The main challenge however, to enable such LCD-camera links is to maximize coverage, that is to deliver multiple Mb/s over multi-meter distances, independent of the view angle. To do so, these links need to address unique types of channel distortions such as perspective distortion and blur. This thesis explores this novel communication medium and presents PixNet, a system for transmitting information over LCD-camera links. PixNet generalizes the popular OFDM transmission algorithms to address the unique characteristics of the LCD-Camera links which include perspective distortion, blur and sensitivity to ambient light. We built a prototype of PixNet using off-the-shelf LCDs and cameras. An extensive evaluation shows that a single PixNet link delivers data rates of up to 12 Mb/s at a distance of 10 meters, and works with view angles as wide as 1200. Thesis Supervisor: Dina Katabi Title: Associate Professor of Computer Science Acknowledgments I give thanks to the Lord, my God, for granting me wisdom, spirit of understanding, strength, faith and perseverance to shepherd me through this journey of life. I thank my parents for their exemplary lives, deep love, prayers and support. My father, especially for his encouragement and counsel. My mother, for her loving care and uplifting spirit. I thank my advisor, prof. Dina Katabi, for her insights and guidance. It has been a wonderful experience working along with her. I am grateful to my labmate Nabeel for the tremendous help and support he has been to me. It was fun working and playing along with him. I thank my small group, for their heartfelt fellowship, prayers and awesome potlucks. I am indebted to my undergrad mentor, Prof. David Koilpillai, for the indelible impression he left on me. Finally, I thank my brother, my sister and all my friends near and far, who constantly remember me in their prayers.
Tailoring wine yeast for the new millennium: novel approaches to the ancient art of winemaking

Yeasts are predominant in the ancient and complex process of winemaking. In spontaneous fermentations, there is a progressive growth pattern of indigenous yeasts, with the final stages invariably being dominated by the alcohol‐tolerant strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This species is universally known as the ‘wine yeast’ and is widely preferred for initiating wine fermentations. The primary role of wine yeast is to catalyze the rapid, complete and efficient conversion of grape sugars to ethanol, carbon dioxide and other minor, but important, metabolites without the development of off‐flavours. However, due to the demanding nature of modern winemaking practices and sophisticated wine markets, there is an ever‐growing quest for specialized wine yeast strains possessing a wide range of optimized, improved or novel oenological properties. This review highlights the wealth of untapped indigenous yeasts with oenological potential, the complexity of wine yeasts' genetic features and the genetic techniques often used in strain development. The current status of genetically improved wine yeasts and potential targets for further strain development are outlined. In light of the limited knowledge of industrial wine yeasts' complex genomes and the daunting challenges to comply with strict statutory regulations and consumer demands regarding the future use of genetically modified strains, this review cautions against unrealistic expectations over the short term. However, the staggering potential advantages of improved wine yeasts to both the winemaker and consumer in the third millennium are pointed out. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Insider Threats against Trust Mechanism with Watchdog and Defending Approaches in Wireless Sensor Networks

Trust based approaches have been widely used to counter insider attacks in wireless sensor networks because traditional cryptography-based security mechanisms such as authentication and authorization are not effective against such attacks. A trust model, which is the core component of a trust mechanism, provides a quantitative way to evaluate the trustworthiness of sensor nodes. The trust evaluation is normally conducted by watchdog nodes, which monitor and collect other sensors' behavior information. Most existing works mainly focus on the design of the trust models and how these models can be used to defend against certain insider attacks. However, these studies are empirical with the implicit assumption that the trust models are secure and reliable. In this paper, we discuss several security vulnerabilities that watchdog and trust mechanisms have, examine how inside attackers can exploit these security holes, and finally propose defending approaches that can mitigate the weaknesses of trust mechanism and watchdog.
Analysis of path planning method based on Monte-Carlo

As the key technique of path planning system, path planning method can directly influence the performance of path planning system. According to the characteristics of different unmanned aerial vehicle, the path planning method evaluation model based on Monte-Carlo was established, and the corresponding valuation indexes were presented. By simulation and analyzing of improved A* algorithm and Genetic Algorithm with selecting different evolution strategy in different evolution period, the validity and effectiveness of evaluation model are proved. Such model can provide reference for selecting path planning method.
& ^ewey Working Paper Alfred P. Sloan School of Management Holding Costs and Equilrerium Arbitrage Holding Costs and Equilrerium Arbitrage Holding Costs and Equilibrium Arbitrage

This paper constructs a dynamic model of the equilibrium determination of relative prices when risk averse arbitragers face holding costs. The major fmdings are as follows: 1) Arbitragers reduce but do not eliminate mispricings. 2) Because arbitragers optimally take positions when mispricings are within the riskless arbitrage bounds, models based on riskless arbitrage arguments alone may not provide usefully tight bounds on observed prices. 3) Arbitragers are least effective in eliminating the mispricings of long-term assets. 4) Arbitrage activity is most effective when exogenous shocks are transient and conditionally volatile. 5) Arbitrage activity reduces the conditional volatility of the mispricing process but may increase or decrease its mean reversion. Furthermore, in the presence of arbitragers, both conditional volatility and mean reversion are non-linear functions of the level of mispricing.
Cell proliferation and invasion ability of human choriocarcinoma cells lessened due to inhibition of Sox2 expression by microRNA-145

To date, the mechanism underlying the development of human choriocarcinomas has not been elucidated. It is hypothesized that the Sox2 protein plays a pivotal role in the proliferation and invasion capacity of tumor cells. A microRNA (miR-145) was cloned and used to study the expression of Sox2 and its regulatory effect on the proliferation and invasion capacity of the human choriocarcinoma cell line JAR. In the present study, Sox2 mRNA and protein expression decreased in JAR and JEG-3 cells following transfection with the miR-145 expression virus. Cell proliferation assays indicated that miR-145 expression affected cell cycle regulation and suppressed the proliferation of choriocarcinoma cells in vitro. In addition, xenograft experiments confirmed the suppression of tumor growth in vivo due to cell cycle arrest. Therefore, endogenous mature miR-145 expression may have an important role in the pathogenesis of human choriocarcinomas via interference with the Sox2 target gene by epigenetic modification. This information is of potential significance for the identification of therapeutic targets in human choriocarcinoma.
Degradation of 3-Phenoxybenzoic Acid by a Bacillus sp

3-Phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA) is of great environmental concern with regards to endocrine disrupting activity and widespread occurrence in water and soil, yet little is known about microbial degradation in contaminated regions. We report here that a new bacterial strain isolated from soil, designated DG-02, was shown to degrade 95.6% of 50 mg·L−1 3-PBA within 72 h in mineral salt medium (MSM). Strain DG-02 was identified as Bacillus sp. based on the morphology, physio-biochemical tests and 16S rRNA sequence. The optimum conditions for 3-PBA degradation were determined to be 30.9°C and pH 7.7 using response surface methodology (RSM). The isolate converted 3-PBA to produce 3-(2-methoxyphenoxy) benzoic acid, protocatechuate, phenol, and 3,4-dihydroxy phenol, and subsequently transformed these compounds with a q max, K s and K i of 0.8615 h−1, 626.7842 mg·L−1 and 6.7586 mg·L−1, respectively. A novel microbial metabolic pathway for 3-PBA was proposed on the basis of these metabolites. Inoculation of strain DG-02 resulted in a higher degradation rate on 3-PBA than that observed in the non-inoculated soil. Moreover, the degradation process followed the first-order kinetics, and the half-life (t 1/2) for 3-PBA was greatly reduced as compared to the non-inoculated control. This study highlights an important potential application of strain DG-02 for the in situ bioremediation of 3-PBA contaminated environments.
Aspect-Oriented MDA Development Method for Non-Functional Properties of Cyber Physical Systems

Cyber physical systems are envisioned to integrate computation, control and communication with the physical environment. Therefore, CPS requires strong interactions between the cyber and physical worlds in time. The design of cyber physical systems (CPS) poses many challenges because of their complexity, high safety requirements, distribution, and real time nature. We propose a novel paradigm, based on the idea of using simplicity of the aspect-oriented MDA design method to control complexity, to achieve highly correct CPS designs. The model-based development, aspect-oriented approach and formal methods are integrated effectively for the development of the non-functional properties of distributed cyber physical systems. A case study illustrates the aspect oriented MDA development of cyber physical systems.
Experiment on video watermark detection system using degraded original images

Watermarks often have to be detected from videos that have experienced such severe image processing as combinations of re-encoding and resizing in real applications. To improve watermark detection performance, this paper proposes a new method consisting of the following four steps: (a) estimate the image processing the watermarked images experienced, (b) apply the estimated image processing to the original images, (c) subtract the degraded original images from the watermarked images, and (d) detect watermarks from the difference images. Under the redistributing threat model, experimental evaluations show that the proposed method yields a detection ratio 34.4-percentage points higher than that yielded by the conventional method M1, which does not use original images.
An Innovative Two-Stage WSD Unsupervised Method

Se propone un metodo no supervisado para la desambiguacion de sentidos de palabra. El sentido de un vocablo ambiguo depende de los sentidos de otras palabras que aparecen en contextos similares en un corpus. El entrenamiento consiste en obtener una lista ponderada de sinonimos o palabras relacionadas (quasi-sinonimos) para cada vocablo del corpus tomando en cuenta la similitud de sus contextos. Adaptamos el algoritmo de McCarthy et al. 2004 para encontrar el mejor sentido de cada ocurrencia, en lugar de encontrar el sentido predominante de cada palabra en todo el corpus. Su algoritmo de maximizacion permite entonces que cada quasi-sinonimo acumule puntaje para cada sentido del vocablo ambiguo. El sentido con puntaje mas alto es el seleccionado. Se obtuvo una precision maxima de 69.86% usando el mismo corpus para entrenamiento y desambiguacion.
Acid-Sensing Ion Channels in Postoperative Pain

Iatrogenic pain consecutive to a large number of surgical procedures has become a growing health concern. The etiology and pathophysiology of postoperative pain are still poorly understood, but hydrogen ions appear to be important in this process. We have investigated the role of peripheral acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs), which form depolarizing channels activated by extracellular protons, in a rat model of postoperative pain (i.e., hindpaw skin/muscle incision). We report high levels of ASIC-type currents (∼77%) in sensory neurons innervating the hindpaw muscles, with a prevalence of ASIC3-like currents. The ASIC3 protein is largely expressed in lumbar DRG neurons innervating the plantar muscle, and its mRNA and protein levels are increased by plantar incision 24 h after surgery. Pharmacological inhibition of ASIC3 channels with the specific toxin APETx2 or in vivo knockdown of ASIC3 subunit by small interfering RNA led to a significant reduction of postoperative spontaneous, thermal, and postural pain behaviors (spontaneous flinching, heat hyperalgesia, and weight bearing). ASIC3 appears to have an important role in deep tissue but also affects prolonged pain evoked by skin incision alone. The specific homomeric ASIC1a blocker PcTx1 has no effect on spontaneous flinching, when applied peripherally. Together, these data demonstrate a significant role for peripheral ASIC3-containing channels in postoperative pain.
Development of corporate social performance for family business in Chinese rural environment A perspective of community value

A new dimension of corporate social performance is explored for family business with community value of commitment, support, leadership and attachment in the rural environment. With the survey in Zhejiang province, the established model is tested and it concludes the community value of corporate social performance varies in accordance with the selected demographics of age, education, resident years and business years. It also suggests the corporate performance of business success, community image and community relation differs in accordance with the community value of corporate social performance.
Mass transfer from a giant star to a main-sequence companion and its contribution to long-orbital-period blue stragglers

Binary population synthesis shows that mass transfer from a giant star to a main-sequence ( MS) companion may account for some observed long-orbital-period blue stragglers. However, little attention is paid to this blue straggler formation scenario as dynamical instability often happens when the mass donor is a giant star. In this paper, we have studied the critical mass ratio, q(c), for dynamically stable mass transfer from a giant star to a MS companion using detailed evolution calculations. The results show that a more evolved star is generally less stable for Roche lobe overflow. Meanwhile, q(c) almost linearly increases with the amount of the mass and angular momentum lost during mass transfer, but has little dependance on stellar wind. To conveniently use the result, we give a fit of q(c) as a function of the stellar radius at the onset of Roche lobe overflow and of the mass-transfer efficiency during the Roche lobe overflow. To examine the formation of blue stragglers from mass transfer between giants and MS stars, we have performed Monte Carlo simulations with various q(c). The simulations show that some binaries with the mass donor on the first giant branch may contribute to blue stragglers with q(c) obtained in this paper but will not from previous q(c). Meanwhile, from our q(c), blue stragglers from the mass transfer between an asymptotic giant branch star and a MS companion may be more numerous and have a wider range of orbital periods than those from the other q(c).
A 540 µW RF wireless receiver assisted by RF blocker energy harvesting for IoT applications with +18 dBm OB-IIP3

This paper introduces a wireless receiver system that harvests energy from the out-of-band RF blockers which enables sustainable operation and extends battery life for IoT applications. Operating at 900 MHz band and fabricated in CMOS 180 nm, the proposed RF receiver system architecture can operate at the presence of unavoidable high out-of-band blockers (≈0 dBm) yet consumes 534 μW. Moreover, 46% of this dc power is extracted from existing blockers via RF energy harvesting techniques.
Segmentation and Catheter Detection in Angiographic Images

: Segmentation of coronary arteries in angiography images is a fundamental tool to evaluate arterial diseases and choose proper coronary treatment. The accurate segmentation of coronary arteries has become an important topic for the registration of different modalities, which allows physicians rapid access to different medical imaging information from Computed Tomography (CT) scans or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). An accurate fully automatic algorithm based on Graph-cuts for vessel centerline extraction, caliber estimation, and catheter detection is proposed. Vesselness, geodesic paths, and a new multiscale edgeness map are combined to customize the Graph-cuts approach to the segmentation of tubular structures, by means of a global optimization of the Graph-cuts energy function. A novel supervised learning methodology that integrates local and contextual information is proposed for automatic catheter detection.
PRIVATE-SECTOR INVOLVEMENT IN VIRGINIA'S NINETEENTH-CENTURY TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM

This paper is a discussion of the financing of roads, and to a lesser extent other modes of transportation, in Virginia between 1816 and 1860, a period of major expansion during which a mixed system of private- and public-sector financing was used. The intent was to maximize the benefits and minimize the disadvantages of both systems. The perceived and real costs and benefits of this system are described, and parallels with the present situation are pointed out.
An Unusual Presentation of a Massive Pulmonary Embolism with Misleading Investigation Results Treated with Tenecteplase

Background. There is no foolproof strategy to identify a pulmonary embolism (PE) in the emergency department, and atypical presentations are common. Negative test results may mislead physicians away from the diagnosis of PE. Objectives. The current report aims to raise awareness of an unusual presentation of massive PE and its diagnosis and management, in the face of limited evidence in the scientific literature. Case Reports. We report the case of a patient with a negative D-Dimer and a negative Computed Tomography contrast angiography of the chest who was diagnosed twenty-seven hours later with a massive PE, as suggested by a bedside echocardiography. The patient was successfully treated with tenecteplase (TNK). Conclusions/Summary. Pulmonary embolism frequently presents atypically and is often a diagnostic challenge. There is limited literature about the treatment of massive PE. Further research on bedside echocardiography for diagnosing PE in unstable patients is warranted. In addition, further study into new thrombolytic agents like tenecteplase in the context of massive and submassive PE is warranted.
Simulating the Effects of Intergalactic Gray Dust

Using a high-resolution cosmological hydrodynamic simulation, we present a method to constrain extinction due to intergalactic gray dust based on the observed magnitudes of distant Type Ia supernovae. We apply several simple prescriptions to relate the intergalactic dust density to the gas density in the simulation, thereby obtaining dust extinctions that may be directly compared with the observed distribution of supernova magnitudes. Our analysis is sensitive to the spatial distribution of gray dust but is not dependent on its intrinsic properties, such as its opacity or grain size. We present an application of our technique to the supernova data of Perlmutter et al., who find that their high-redshift sample is ~0.2 mag fainter than the expectation for a nonaccelerating, low-density universe. We find that for gray dust to be responsible, it must be distributed quite smoothly (e.g., tracing intergalactic gas). More realistic dust distributions, such as dust tracing the metal density, are inconsistent with observations at the 1.5-2 σ level. Upcoming observations and improved modeling of the dust distribution should lead to stronger constraints on intergalactic gray dust extinction.
Dissociation of Increases in PGC-1α and Its Regulators from Exercise Intensity and Muscle Activation Following Acute Exercise

Muscle activation as well as changes in peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 alpha (PGC-1α) following high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) were examined in young healthy men (n = 8; age, 21.9±2.2 yrs; VO2peak, 53.1±6.4 ml/min/kg; peak work rate, 317±23.5 watts). On each of 3 visits HIIE was performed on a cycle ergometer at a target intensity of 73, 100, or 133% of peak work rate. Muscle biopsies were taken at rest and three hours after each exercise condition. Total work was not different between conditions (∼730 kJ) while average power output (73%, 237±21; 100%, 323±26; 133%, 384±35 watts) and EMG derived muscle activation (73%, 1262±605; 100%, 2089±737; 133%, 3029±1206 total integrated EMG per interval) increased in an intensity dependent fashion. PGC-1α mRNA was elevated after all three conditions (p<0.05), with a greater increase observed following the 100% condition (∼9 fold, p<0.05) compared to both the 73 and 133% conditions (∼4 fold). When expressed relative to muscle activation, the increase in PGC-1α mRNA for the 133% condition was less than that for the 73 and 100% conditions (p<0.05). SIRT1 mRNA was also elevated after all three conditions (∼1.4 fold, p<0.05), with no difference between conditions. These findings suggest that intensity-dependent increases in PGC-1α mRNA following submaximal exercise are largely due to increases in muscle recruitment. As well, the blunted response of PGC-1α mRNA expression following supramaximal exercise may indicate that signalling mediated activation of PGC-1α may also be blunted. We also indentify that increases in PDK4, SIRT1, and RIP140 mRNA following acute exercise are dissociated from exercise intensity and muscle activation, while increases in EGR1 are augmented with supramaximal HIIE (p<0.05).