Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Underwater segmented sparse decomposition ranging method

Sparse decomposition method can be used to reduce the noise and reconstruct the underwater echo submerged in strong background noise. But if the distance between sonar and underwater target is larger than the maximum detection range of a given dictionary, this target will not be detected. Besides, if the target is near the boundary of a given dictionary but in an off-grid situation, this target will be detected with some errors. Aiming to solve the two special situations mentioned above, this paper proposes a segmented sparse decomposition ranging method based on Chinese Remainder Theorem (CRT). Firstly, two dictionaries with the same range resolution but different detection ranges are built up by time shift of continuous waveform (CW) functions. Then, the echo signal is divided into two channels and segmented with two different time windows. Based on the two predefined dictionaries, the segmented echo signals are decomposed and the background noise is reduced. The relative distance of the underwater target is obtained by let the reconstructed signals through matching filter and find the peaks of the output. Finally, CRT is used to estimate the real distance of the target. Simulation results verify the validity of the proposed method. Its performance is superior to the traditional sparse decomposition method when the target is located beyond the detection range of a given dictionary or near the dictionary boundary but in an off-grid situation. Moreover, method in this paper requires less storage space for the dictionaries than the classical sparse method with the same range resolution.
Face expression recognition using Scaled-conjugate gradient Back-Propagation algorithm

Since decades, face recognition has become an active area of research in computer vision and psychology. The rapid developments of face recognition are being fueled by numerous advances in computer vision. An ongoing challenge in this field is to design an effective human-computer interaction (HCII). In this paper we will study the latest work done that has been done in the field of facial expression recognition and analysis. In our work we have recognized six different expressions using Cohn-kanade database and system is trained using scaled conjugate gradient back-propagation algorithm. In proposed methodology we have used MATLAB's computer vision toolbox for face detection & cropping the images and neural network toolbox. In our work we have achieved 100% training accuracy and 87.2% overall testing accuracy of six different expressions.
Enhancement of normal lymphocyte cytotoxicity by sera with high antibody titers against H-2 or virus-associated antigens.

The experiments reported in this paper were designed to investigate the in vitro interaction of immune sera with different antibody titers as determined by indirect membrane immunofluorescence (MF) with normal or immune lymphoid cells in mediating target cell destruction. Target cells in these experiments were two Moloney sarcoma virus (MSV)-induced tumor cell lines derived from BALB/c and C57BL mice. The sera were collected from male BALB/c × DBA F1 mice hyperimmunized with MSV-induced tumor cells of C57BL origin (allogeneic serum), from BALB/c mice following the complete regression of MSV-induced tumors (regressor serum), and from BALB/c mice with progressively growing MSV-induced tumors (progressor serum). The in vitro investigations were performed utilizing a 51Cr microcytotoxicity assay for demonstrating cell-mediated cytotoxicity against monolayer target cells which is described in this paper. The results demonstrated that sera with high MF antibody titers (allogeneic, regressor) directed against H-2 and/or MSV-induced antigens enhanced the cytotoxic activity of normal lymphoid cells for target cells carrying these antigens and this enhancing effect was directly related to the MF titer of the serum. Sera from mice with progressively growing MSV-induced tumors were generally ineffective in mediating this activity. The progressor sera contained low antimembrane antibody titers. The enhancing factor in high-titered serum was removable by absorption with appropriate cells. The antibody-mediated lymphocyte cytotoxicity was not as apparent with immune cells as with normal lymphoid elements. The relationship of these findings to those previously reported on the in vivo effects mediated by these same sera on tumor growth is discussed.
New insights into PTEN

The functions ascribed to PTEN have become more diverse since its discovery as a putative phosphatase mutated in many human tumors. Although it can dephosphorylate lipids and proteins, it also has functions independent of phosphatase activity in normal and pathological states. In addition, control of PTEN function is very complex. It is positively and negatively regulated at the transcriptional level, as well as post-translationally by phosphorylation, ubiquitylation, oxidation and acetylation. Although most of its tumor suppressor activity is likely to be caused by lipid dephosphorylation at the plasma membrane, PTEN also resides in the cytoplasm and nucleus, and its subcellular distribution is under strict control. Deregulation of PTEN function is implicated in other human diseases in addition to cancer, including diabetes and autism.
Macular pigment and lutein supplementation in choroideremia.

Choroideremia is an incurable X-linked retinal degeneration caused by mutations in the gene encoding Rab escort protein-1. A group of clinically defined and genotyped patients were studied to determine: (1) the degree of rod and cone dysfunction and structural abnormality in the central retina and the level of macular pigment; and (2) the response of macular pigment and foveal vision to a 6 month trial of supplementation with oral lutein (at 20 mg per day). Rod and cone-mediated function was measured with dark-adapted static perimetry; in vivo retinal structure was determined with optical coherence tomography; and macular pigment optical density was measured with heterochromatic flicker photometry. In this cohort of patients (ages 15-65 years), both rod- and cone-mediated central function declined with age as did central retinal thickness. Macular pigment levels did not differ between patients and male control subjects. Supplementation of oral lutein in a subset of patients led to an increase in serum lutein and macular pigment levels; absolute foveal sensitivity did not change. It is concluded that macular pigment density can be augmented by oral intake of lutein in patients with choroideremia. There was no short-term change in the central vision of the patients on the supplement, but long-term influences of lutein supplementation on disease natural history warrant further study.
Quasi-contiguous approximation for line-shape modeling in plasmas

We present an analytical method for the calculation of shapes of Stark-broadened spectral lines in plasmas, applicable to hydrogen and hydrogen-like transitions (including Rydberg ones). The method is based on the recently suggested quasi-contiguous approximation of the static Stark line shapes [E. Stambulchik, and Y. Maron, J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 41, 095703 (2008)], while the dynamical effects are accounted for using the frequency-fluctuation-model approach. Comparisons with accurate computer simulations show excellent agreement.
Shifts in Nitrification Kinetics and Microbial Community during Bioaugmentation of Activated Sludge with Nitrifiers Enriched on Sludge Reject Water

This study used two laboratory-scale sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) to evaluate the shifts in nitrification kinetics and microbial communities of an activated sludge sewage treatment system (main stream) during bioaugmentation with nitrifiers cultivated on real sludge reject water (side stream). Although bioaugmentation exerted a strong influence on the microbial community and the nitrification kinetics in the main stream, there was 58% of maximum ammonia uptake rate (AUR) and 80% of maximum nitrite uptake rate (NUR) loss of the seed source after bioaugmentation. In addition, nitrite accumulation occurred during bioaugmentation due to the unequal and asynchronous increase of the AUR (from 2.88 to 13.36 mg N/L·h) and NUR (from 0.76 to 4.34 mg N/L·h). FISH results showed that ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) was inclined to be washed out with effluent in contrast to nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB), and Nitrosococcus mobilis lineage was the dominant AOB, while the dominant NOB in the main stream gradually transferred from Nitrospira to Nitrobacter. Nitrospina and Nitrococcus which existed in the seed source could not be detected in the main stream. It can be inferred that nitrite accumulation occurred due to the mismatch of NOB structure but washed out with effluent.
The rice GERMINATION DEFECTIVE 1, encoding a B3 domain transcriptional repressor, regulates seed germination and seedling development by integrating GA and carbohydrate metabolism

It has been shown that seed development is regulated by a network of transcription factors in Arabidopsis including LEC1 (LEAFY COTYLEDON1), L1L (LEC1-like) and the B3 domain factors LEC2, FUS3 (FUSCA3) and ABI3 (ABA-INSENSITIVE3); however, molecular and genetic regulation of seed development in cereals is poorly understood. To understand seed development and seed germination in cereals, a large-scale screen was performed using our T–DNA mutant population, and a mutant germination-defective1 (gd1) was identified. In addition to the severe germination defect, the gd1 mutant also shows a dwarf phenotype and abnormal flower development. Molecular and biochemical analyses revealed that GD1 encodes a B3 domain-containing transcription factor with repression activity. Consistent with the dwarf phenotype of gd1, expression of the gibberelic acid (GA) inactivation gene OsGA2ox3 is increased dramatically, accompanied by reduced expression of GA biosynthetic genes including OsGA20ox1, OsGA20ox2 and OsGA3ox2 in gd1, resulting in a decreased endogenous GA4 level. Exogenous application of GA not only induced GD1 expression, but also partially rescued the dwarf phenotype of gd1. Furthermore, GD1 binds to the promoter of OsLFL1, a LEC2/FUS3-like gene of rice, via an RY element, leading to significant up-regulation of OsLFL1 and a large subset of seed maturation genes in the gd1 mutant. Plants over-expressing OsLFL1 partly mimic the gd1 mutant. In addition, expression of GD1 was induced under sugar treatment, and the contents of starch and soluble sugar are altered in the gd1 mutant. These data indicate that GD1 participates directly or indirectly in regulating GA and carbohydrate homeostasis, and further regulates rice seed germination and seedling development.
DNA double-strand–break complexity levels and their possible contributions to the probability for error-prone processing and repair pathway choice

Although the DNA double-strand break (DSB) is defined as a rupture in the double-stranded DNA molecule that can occur without chemical modification in any of the constituent building blocks, it is recognized that this form is restricted to enzyme-induced DSBs. DSBs generated by physical or chemical agents can include at the break site a spectrum of base alterations (lesions). The nature and number of such chemical alterations define the complexity of the DSB and are considered putative determinants for repair pathway choice and the probability that errors will occur during this processing. As the pathways engaged in DSB processing show distinct and frequently inherent propensities for errors, pathway choice also defines the error-levels cells opt to accept. Here, we present a classification of DSBs on the basis of increasing complexity and discuss how complexity may affect processing, as well as how it may cause lethal or carcinogenic processing errors. By critically analyzing the characteristics of DSB repair pathways, we suggest that all repair pathways can in principle remove lesions clustering at the DSB but are likely to fail when they encounter clusters of DSBs that cause a local form of chromothripsis. In the same framework, we also analyze the rational of DSB repair pathway choice.
ROSAT PSPC observations of nearby spiral galaxies – II. Statistical properties

We present a statistical analysis of the largest X-ray survey of nearby spiral galaxies in which diffuse emission has been separated from discrete source contributions. Regression and rank-order correlation analyses are used to compare X-ray properties such as total, source and diffuse luminosities, and diffuse emission temperature, with a variety of physical and multi-wavelength properties, such as galaxy mass, type and activity, and optical and infrared luminosity. The results are discussed in terms of the way in which hot gas and discrete X-ray sources scale with the mass and activity of galaxies, and with the star formation rate. We find that the X-ray properties of starburst galaxies are dependent primarily on their star-forming activity, whilst for more quiescent galaxies, galaxy mass is the more important parameter. One of the most intriguing results is the tight linear scaling between far-infrared and diffuse X-ray luminosity across the sample, even though the hot gas changes from a hydrostatic corona to a free wind across the activity range sampled here.
Aerodynamic Analysis and Monitoring of the Vortec 7 Diffuser-augmented Wind Turbine

The Vortec 7 is the first full scale diffuser augmented wind turbine (DAWT) to be built. A DAWT has a duct which surrounds the wind turbine blades and increases in cross-sectional area farther downstream. The aerodynamics of a diffuser are such that more air flows through the blade plane, and more power can be generated compared to a 'bare turbine' of the same rotor blade diameter. The idea of using a diffuser to augment the power of a wind turbine had been considered earlier, but received a big boost from research directed by K.M. Foreman at Grumman Aerospace Corporation into innovative wind energy conversion systems. The design of the Vortec 7 is based on the best model as determined by wind tunnel tests on a host of various DAWT options performed by Grumman in the 1970's and early I980's. This paper reports on the work performed at the Grumman Aerospace Corporation and presents a simplified theoretical analysis of the design, and results from a computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis. Preliminary field results from monitoring the Vortec 7 are presented. It is found that the simplified theoretical analysis and the CFD results show significant differences, but that the CFD agrees quite well with the field measurements. Many of the field results also agree with the Grumman measurements, including wind speed up at inlet near the blade tips. Preliminary measurements show that the speed up across the blade plane is not uniform as assumed by Foreman, decreasing towards the hub, and hence the power output of a DAWT would be less than predicted by Foreman. Improvements to the inlet velocity profile are anticipated after retrofitting a bullnose to the primary diffuser slot and a parabolic nose cone ahead of the rotor hub. This performance optimisation work has been guided by the CFD, blade & diffuser performance codes presented in this paper.
Why it is important to build robots capable of doing science

Science, like any other cognitive activity, is grounded in the sensorimotor interaction of our bodies with the environment. Human embodiment thus constrains the class of scientific concepts and theories which are accessible to us. The paper explores the possibility of doing science with artificial cognitive agents, in the framework of an interactivist-constructivist cognitive model of science. Intelligent robots, by virtue of having different sensorimotor capabilities, may overcome the fundamental limitations of human science and provide important technological innovations. Mathematics and nanophysics are prime candidates for being studied by artificial scientists.
Scalable, Robust and Real Time Communication Architecture For Wireless Sensor Networks

In this paper we propose wireless sensor network architecture with layered protocols, targeting different aspects of the awareness requirements in wireless sensor networks. Under such a unified framework, we pay special attention to the most important awareness issues in wireless sensor networks: namely dynamic awareness, energy awareness and spatiotemporal awareness. First, we propose the spatiotemporal aware routing protocol for wireless sensor networks, which maintains a constant delivery speed for soft real-time communication. Second, we introduce the time-energy aware aggregation scheme, which increases the degree of aggregation and reduces energy consumption without jeopardizing the end-to-end delay. It is the data aggregation scheme to take the timely delivery of messages as well as protocol overhead into account to adjust aggregation strategies adaptively in accordance with assessed traffic conditions and expected wireless sensor network requirements. Third, we also deal with dynamic awareness by proposing a new communication category based on a lazy-binding concept. The evaluation of this integrated architecture demonstrates its performance composability and its capability to be tailored for applications with different awareness requirements. We believe that the integrated architecture, supporting various kinds of awareness requirements, lays a foundation for overall wireless sensor network.
Netrin-1 Acts as a Repulsive Guidance Cue for Sensory Axonal Projections toward the Spinal Cord

During early development, the ventral spinal cord expresses chemorepulsive signals that act on dorsal root ganglion (DRG) axons to help orient them toward the dorsolateral part of the spinal cord. However, the molecular nature of this chemorepulsion is mostly unknown. We report here that netrin-1 acts as an early ventral spinal cord-derived chemorepellent for DRG axons. In the developing mouse spinal cord, netrin-1 is expressed in the floor plate of the spinal cord, and the netrin receptor Unc5c is expressed in DRG neurons. We show that human embryonic kidney cell aggregates secreting netrin-1 repel DRG axons and that netrin-1-deficient ventral spinal cord explants lose their repulsive influence on DRG axons. In embryonic day 10 netrin-1 mutant mice, we find that DRG axons exhibit transient misorientation. Furthermore, by means of gain-of-function analyses, we show that ectopic netrin-1 in the dorsal and intermediate spinal cord prevents DRG axons from being directed toward the dorsal spinal cord. Together, these findings suggest that netrin-1 contributes to the formation of the initial trajectories of developing DRG axons as a repulsive guidance cue.
Symbol Error Rate Analysis for Cooperative Diversity Networks in Raighlay Channels

In this paper, the Symbol Error Rate (SER) performance formulation which suited to multi-node amplify-and-forward cooperative communication M-PSK constellation systems with the mean channel gains is derived. Firstly, the closed-form theory symbol error rate formulation with M-PSK modulation is derived. Then, a Low Bound (LB) is established to show the asymptotic performance of the cooperation protocol which tightens the theory SER under the both low and high Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) conditions. Thirdly, the optimal power allocation algorithm for multi-node cooperative communication systems which minimizes the SER performance based on the Low Bound (LB) is formulated. SER comparison between the proposed approximate optimal power allocation method and the traditional Equal Power Allocation (EPA) method, the SER performance for the approximate optimal power allocation is better than the EPA's, especially under the channel conditions which the relay nodes are near the middle locations between the source and destination node or near the destination node.
Construction and Characterization of a Live, Attenuated aroA Deletion Mutant of Pseudomonas aeruginosa as a Candidate Intranasal Vaccine

ABSTRACT Antibodies to the lipopolysaccharide O antigen of Pseudomonas aeruginosa mediate high-level immunity, but protective epitopes have proven to be poorly immunogenic, while nonprotective or minimally protective O-antigen epitopes often elicit the best immune responses. With the goal of developing a broadly protective P. aeruginosa vaccine, we used a gene replacement system based on the Flp recombinase to construct an unmarked aroA deletion mutant of the P. aeruginosa serogroup O2/O5 strain PAO1. The resultant aroA deletion mutant of PAO1 is designated PAO1ΔaroA. The aroA deletion was confirmed by both PCR and failure of the mutant to grow on minimal media lacking aromatic amino acids. When evaluated for safety and immunogenicity in mice, PAO1ΔaroA could be applied either intranasally or intraperitoneally at doses up to 5 × 109 CFU per mouse without adverse effects. No dissemination of PAO1ΔaroA to blood, liver, or spleen was detected after intranasal application, and histological evidence of pneumonia was minimal. Intranasal immunization of mice and rabbits elicited high titers of immunoglobulin G to whole bacterial cells and to heat-stable bacterial antigens of all seven prototypic P. aeruginosa serogroup O2/O5 strains. The mouse antisera mediated potent phagocytic killing of most of the prototypic serogroup O2/O5 strains, while the rabbit antisera mediated phagocytic killing of several serogroup-heterologous strains in addition to killing all O2/O5 strains. This live, attenuated P. aeruginosa strain PAO1ΔaroA appears to be safe for potential use as an intranasal vaccine and elicits high titers of opsonic antibodies against multiple strains of the P. aeruginosa O2/O5 serogroup.
Network Modeling for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) Signals during Ultra-Fast Speech Comprehension in Late-Blind Listeners

In many functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies blind humans were found to show cross-modal reorganization engaging the visual system in non-visual tasks. For example, blind people can manage to understand (synthetic) spoken language at very high speaking rates up to ca. 20 syllables/s (syl/s). FMRI data showed that hemodynamic activation within right-hemispheric primary visual cortex (V1), bilateral pulvinar (Pv), and left-hemispheric supplementary motor area (pre-SMA) covaried with their capability of ultra-fast speech (16 syllables/s) comprehension. It has been suggested that right V1 plays an important role with respect to the perception of ultra-fast speech features, particularly the detection of syllable onsets. Furthermore, left pre-SMA seems to be an interface between these syllabic representations and the frontal speech processing and working memory network. So far, little is known about the networks linking V1 to Pv, auditory cortex (A1), and (mesio-) frontal areas. Dynamic causal modeling (DCM) was applied to investigate (i) the input structure from A1 and Pv toward right V1 and (ii) output from right V1 and A1 to left pre-SMA. As concerns the input Pv was significantly connected to V1, in addition to A1, in blind participants, but not in sighted controls. Regarding the output V1 was significantly connected to pre-SMA in blind individuals, and the strength of V1-SMA connectivity correlated with the performance of ultra-fast speech comprehension. By contrast, in sighted controls, not understanding ultra-fast speech, pre-SMA did neither receive input from A1 nor V1. Taken together, right V1 might facilitate the “parsing” of the ultra-fast speech stream in blind subjects by receiving subcortical auditory input via the Pv (= secondary visual pathway) and transmitting this information toward contralateral pre-SMA.