Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Continuous time assessment and mapping of user-level QOS in audio-video transmission over IP networks

This paper proposes a novel scheme of continuous time assessment of user-level QoS and its continuous time mapping in audio–video transmission over IP networks. In the user–level QoS assessment, we time–continuously utilize the method of successive categories, which is one of the psychometric methods. We also adopt multiple regression analysis as the continuos time QoS mapping. By experiment, we confirmed the effectiveness of our proposed schemes. In our experiment, we simulated audio–video transmission and treated three types of contents. As a result of our experiment, we confirmed the reliability of the obtained continuous time user–level QoS parameter by Mosteller’s test. Moreover, the experimental results show that we can estimate user–level QoS continuously in time by our proposed method.
Cassava: The Drought, War and Famine Crop in a Changing World

Cassava is the sixth most important crop, in terms of global annual production. Cassava is grown primarily for its starchy tuberous roots, which are an important staple for more than 800 million people, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa, but also in other parts of Africa, Asia, the Pacific and South America. Cassava is important for both small-scale farmers and larger-scale plantations due to its low requirement for nutrients, ability to tolerate dry conditions and easy low-cost propagation. It is sometimes referred to as the “drought, war and famine crop of the developing world” and reliance upon this crop is expected to increase in the coming years as the global climate changes. As with all crops, cassava presents some challenges which need to be addressed, especially if its production is to continue to expand. We highlight here a number of key issues around the continued and increased reliance upon cassava as a staple food crop. Cassava contains cyanogenic glycosides that release hydrogen cyanide and many cultivars are toxic if not processed before consumption. The degree of toxicity is altered by plant breeding, agricultural practice, environmental conditions and methods of food preparation. We conclude that use of cassava has the potential to help many countries achieve food security in a sustainable manner, in the face of significant environmental change, but that its introduction should be accompanied by appropriate education about its toxicity.
TMAPP – Typical Mobile Applications Benchmark

Analyzing the performance and power of Mobile Internet Devices (MID) is important for academia and industry as well as for consumers. It is important to assess the performance associated with a typical workload on MIDs so that applications and hardware can be optimized to reduce performance bottlenecks. In this paper, we present TMAPP, a benchmark developed to analyze the performance of MIDs under a typical workload. We specifically target SoC (System-on-Chip) Intel® AtomTM and ARM® CORTEXTM-A8 based platforms, using different operating systems, such as MeeGo, Ubuntu and Angstrom Linux. Keywords; performance analysis, mobile internet devices, media player performance, multimedia performance, ARM® CORTEXTM-A8, INTEL® ATOMTM, 3D game performance, 2D game performance, navigation performance, internet browser performance, OpenOffice performance
Robustness of Correspondence-based Structure from Motion 1

This paper examines the robustness of correspondence{based approaches to structure from motion. Unlike earlier studies it is proven in an algorithm{independent way, that small absolute errors in image displacements cause absolute errors in rotational motion parameters signi cant enough to lead to large relative errors in the determination of environmental depth. Even if the motion parameters are known exactly, through sophisticated navigation systems, small errors in image displacements still lead to large errors in depth for environmental points whose distance from the camera is greater than a few multiples of the total translation in depth of the camera.
Multi-gigabit communication with hybrid pulse shaping and fractional oversampling

One of the major challenges in the design of new-generation Multi-Gigabit wireless transmission systems without receive equalization is suppression of Inter-Symbol-Interference (ISI). For an optimal receiver performance, transmitted pulses must satisfy the first and second Nyquist criteria. By using a hybrid, digital-analog pulse shaping filter we gain full control over the form of generated pulses. However, an additional design issue is introduced by oversampling technique. Commonly utilized, integer-valued oversampling methods lead to extreme system clock frequencies in multi-gigabit systems. Thus, we present a highly optimized architecture for pulse-shaping with fractional oversampling factors to reduce the system processing speed and power budget.
Influence of Freezing and Storage Procedure on Human Urine Samples in NMR-Based Metabolomics

It is consensus in the metabolomics community that standardized protocols should be followed for sample handling, storage and analysis, as it is of utmost importance to maintain constant measurement conditions to identify subtle biological differences. The aim of this work, therefore, was to systematically investigate the influence of freezing procedures and storage temperatures and their effect on NMR spectra as a potentially disturbing aspect for NMR-based metabolomics studies. Urine samples were collected from two healthy volunteers, centrifuged and divided into aliquots. Urine aliquots were frozen either at −20 °C, on dry ice, at −80 °C or in liquid nitrogen and then stored at −20 °C, −80 °C or in liquid nitrogen vapor phase for 1–5 weeks before NMR analysis. Results show spectral changes depending on the freezing procedure, with samples frozen on dry ice showing the largest deviations. The effect was found to be based on pH differences, which were caused by variations in CO2 concentrations introduced by the freezing procedure. Thus, we recommend that urine samples should be frozen at −20 °C and transferred to lower storage temperatures within one week and that freezing procedures should be part of the publication protocol.
Adaptive feedback cancellation for audio signals using a warped all-pole near-end signal model

Sound amplification systems having a closed signal loop often suffer from acoustic feedback, which limits the achievable amount of amplification and severely affects sound quality. A promising solution to the feedback problem consists in predicting the feedback signal using an adaptive filter, however, a bias is then introduced due to signal correlation. In speech applications, a prediction-error-method- based approach to adaptive feedback cancellation has proven to be capable of providing sufficient decorrelation without sacrificing speech quality. This approach, which is based on estimating an all-pole near-end signal model, appears to be unappropriate for musical audio signals because of their large degree of tonality. We propose a novel prediction-error-method-based adaptive feedback cancellation algorithm that features a frequency-warped all-pole near-end signal model, which is better suited for tonal audio signals. Simulation results show a doubling of the convergence speed, with only a relatively small increase in computational complexity.
New Ventures and Economic Evolution

This paper provides an alternate view of how new firms contribute to the evolution of the economy. Entrepreneurs, buoyed by over-optimistic expectations of financial rewards and over confidence of success, start new firms at a rate far higher than any economy can sustain. Inevitably, failure rates are high, as new firms must be capable of driving a more established rival out of business in order to establish a position for themselves. New firms, if they are to overcome the inherent disadvantages of newness, are better equipped to survive if they innovate rather than imitating existing firms. The sheer volume of new firms is such that business founders’ enthusiastic attempts at finding new ways to fill consumer needs provide a wide variety of formulas for success, whose success can only be determined by doing battle with existing firms in the market place. This process of survival of the fittest results in a process of continual economic change where new firms play a far larger role than has generally been recognized.
En route to data mining in legal text corpora: clustering, neural computation, and international treaties

The huge amount of data in legal information systems requires a new generation of techniques and tools to assist lawyers in analyzing data and finding critical nuggets of useful knowledge. A promising approach for data mining in legal text corpora is classification. What we are looking for are powerful methods for the exploration of such libraries whereby the detection of similarities between documents is the overall goal. These methods may be used to gain insight in the inherent structure of the various items contained in a text archive. In this paper, we present the results from a case study in legal document classification based on an experimental document archive comprising important treaties in public international law. The essentials of our approach are the usage of a vector space document representation and the utilization of an unsupervised artificial neural network for document classification.
Mechanism of cholera toxin action on a polarized human intestinal epithelial cell line: role of vesicular traffic

The massive secretion of salt and water in cholera-induced diarrhea involves binding of cholera toxin (CT) to ganglioside GM1 in the apical membrane of intestinal epithelial cells, translocation of the enzymatically active A1-peptide across the membrane, and subsequent activation of adenylate cyclase located on the cytoplasmic surface of the basolateral membrane. Studies on nonpolarized cells show that CT is internalized by receptor-mediated endocytosis, and that the A1-subunit may remain membrane associated. To test the hypothesis that toxin action in polarized cells may involve intracellular movement of toxin- containing membranes, monolayers of the polarized intestinal epithelial cell line T84 were mounted in modified Ussing chambers and the response to CT was examined. Apical CT at 37 degrees C elicited a short circuit current (Isc: 48 +/- 2.1 microA/cm2; half-maximal effective dose, ED50 integral of 0.5 nM) after a lag of 33 +/- 2 min which bidirectional 22Na+ and 36Cl- flux studies showed to be due to electrogenic Cl- secretion. The time course of the CT-induced Isc response paralleled the time course of cAMP generation. The dose response to basolateral toxin at 37 degrees C was identical to that of apical CT but lag times (24 +/- 2 min) and initial rates were significantly less. At 20 degrees C, the Isc response to apical CT was more strongly inhibited (30-50%) than the response to basolateral CT, even though translocation occurred in both cases as evidenced by the formation of A1-peptide. A functional rhodamine-labeled CT-analogue applied apically or basolaterally at 20 degrees C was visualized only within endocytic vesicles close to apical or basolateral membranes, whereas movement into deeper apical structures was detected at 37 degrees C. At 15 degrees C, in contrast, reduction to the A1-peptide was completely inhibited and both apical and basolateral CT failed to stimulate Isc although Isc responses to 1 nM vasoactive intestinal peptide, 10 microM forskolin, and 3 mM 8Br- cAMP were intact. Re-warming above 32 degrees C restored CT-induced Isc. Preincubating monolayers for 30 min at 37 degrees C before cooling to 15 degrees C overcame the temperature block of basolateral CT but the response to apical toxin remained completely inhibited. These results identify a temperature-sensitive step essential to apical toxin action on polarized epithelial cells. We suggest that this event involves vesicular transport of toxin-containing membranes beyond the apical endosomal compartment.
Cytosolic 5′-Triphosphate Ended Viral Leader Transcript of Measles Virus as Activator of the RIG I-Mediated Interferon Response

Background Double stranded RNA (dsRNA) is widely accepted as an RNA motif recognized as a danger signal by the cellular sentries. However, the biology of non-segmented negative strand RNA viruses, or Mononegavirales, is hardly compatible with the production of such dsRNA. Methodology and Principal Findings During measles virus infection, the IFN-β gene transcription was found to be paralleled by the virus transcription, but not by the virus replication. Since the expression of every individual viral mRNA failed to activate the IFN-β gene, we postulated the involvement of the leader RNA, which is a small not capped and not polyadenylated RNA firstly transcribed by Mononegavirales. The measles virus leader RNA, synthesized both in vitro and in vivo, was efficient in inducing the IFN-β expression, provided that it was delivered into the cytosol as a 5′-trisphosphate ended RNA. The use of a human cell line expressing a debilitated RIG-I molecule, together with overexpression studies of wild type RIG-I, showed that the IFN-β induction by virus infection or by leader RNA required RIG-I to be functional. RIG-I binds to leader RNA independently from being 5-trisphosphate ended; while a point mutant, Q299A, predicted to establish contacts with the RNA, fails to bind to leader RNA. Since the 5′-triphosphate is required for optimal RIG-I activation but not for leader RNA binding, our data support that RIG-I is activated upon recognition of the 5′-triphosphate RNA end. Conclusions/Significance RIG-I is proposed to recognize Mononegavirales transcription, which occurs in the cytosol, while scanning cytosolic RNAs, and to trigger an IFN response when encountering a free 5′-triphosphate RNA resulting from a mislocated transcription activity, which is therefore considered as the hallmark of a foreign invader.
On limiting characterizations of memoryless multiuser capacity regions

The restriction to Gaussian inputs in the limiting expression for the capacity regions of memoryless Gaussian interference and multiple-access channels is shown to fall short of achieving capacity even if the inputs are allowed to be dependent and nonstationary. In addition, the equality between the limiting and the single-letter characterizations of memoryless multiple-access channel capacity is established directly, without recourse to independent coding theorems. >
View & Share: A Collaborative Media Viewing and Sharing Framework using a Projector Phone

The limited screen size and resolution of mobile phone screens makes it difficult to view media in a group setting. Co-present media sharing is currently not easily supported by mobile phones. Typically, media sharing is orientated around the media owner who has to perform several tasks to send a single photo per recipient. Moreover, group formation and collaboration to support media sharing is also not supported by mobile phones. Projector phones, mobile phones with integrated projectors, provide a new way to collaboratively view and share mobile media. We present View & Share, a collaborative mobile media viewing and sharing framework using such phones. Within the framework two roles are supported, the presenter of the media and the viewers of the media. The framework utilizes a viewer initiated interaction technique whereby the focus of sharing media is shifted from the media owner and performed by the media viewer(s). A presenter initiated interaction technique facilitates sharing to the entire group using an intuitive gesture. Using this technique the issue of viewing inappropriate or private content in public is solved by utilizing the personal mobile screen of each member within the group. The framework also supports the temporary sharing of the projected display.
Multi-Objective Design of Parallel Manipulator Using Global Indices

The paper addresses the optimal design of parallel manipulators based on multi-objective optimization. The objective functions used are: Global Conditioning Index (GCI), Global Payload Index (GPI), and Global Gradient Index (GGI). These indices are evaluated over a required workspace which is contained in the complete workspace of the parallel manipulator. The objective functions are optimized simultaneously to improve dexterity over a required workspace, since single optimization of an objective function may not ensure an acceptable design. A Multi-Objective Evolution Algorithm (MOEA) based on the Control Elitist Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (CENSGA) is used to find the Pareto front.
A 22.4 dBm Two-Way Wilkinson Power-Combined Q-Band SiGe Class-E Power Amplifier with 23% Peak PAE

A Q-band two-stage Class-E power amplifier is designed and fabricated in a 0.13 μm SiGe HBT BiCMOS process. A low-loss wide-band two-way Wilkinson power combiner is used for on-chip power dividing and combining at the input and output of the design. A mm-wave layout-aware class-E design procedure has been followed to enable efficient switching mode operation of the power amplifier in the Q-band. Stabilization networks and subharmonic terminations have been included to prevent the occurrence of unwanted impact ionization-induced negative base current and even/odd mode oscillation in the power-combined design. The fabricated chip shows a measured performance of 22.4 dBm output power at 23% peak power added efficiency (PAE), and 9 dB power gain across 4 GHz centered around 45 GHz for a supply voltage of 2.5 V. The total chip area including the pads is 1.1 mm × 2.2 mm.
Chapter 5 Long-Range Coordinated Oscillations Leave Traces in the Sleeping Human Brain

Cognition involves coordinated activity across distributed neuronal networks. Neuronal activity during learning triggers cortical plasticity that allows for reorganization of the neuronal network and integration of new information. Animal studies have shown post-learning reactivation of learningelicited neuronal network activity during subsequent sleep, supporting consolidation of the reorganization. However, no previous studies have demonstrated reactivation of specific learning-elicited distributed network activity during sleep in humans. We here show reactivation of learning-induced long-range synchronization of magnetoencephalography (MEG) power fluctuations in human sleep. Visuomotor learning elicited a specific profile of long-range cortico-cortical synchronization of slow (0.1 Hz) fluctuations in beta band (12–30 Hz) power. The parieto-occipital part of this synchronization profile reappeared in delta band (1–3.5 Hz) power fluctuations during subsequent sleep, but not during the intervening wakefulness period. Individual differences in the reactivated synchronization predicted post-sleep performance improvement. The pre-sleep resting-state synchronization profile was not reactivated during sleep. The findings are, to our knowledge, the first demonstration of (I) reactivation of specific long-range coordinated neuronal activity in humans and (II) reactivation of coupling of infra-slow fluctuations in oscillatory power. The spatiotemporal profile of delta power fluctuations during sleep may subserve memory consolidation by echoing coordinated activation elicited by prior learning.
A critical appraisal of the concept of ecological modernisation: a case study from New Zealand’s dairy industry

The New Zealand dairy industry faces political and commercial pressure to improve its environmental performance while maintaining commercial competitiveness in a global marketplace. In response to such pressures, the industry has taken some steps to improve the environmental management practices of dairy farmers. Despite significant effort, however, the dairy sector remains highly influenced by global competition, and continues to subordinate environmental sustainability to economic productivity. Furthermore, government institutions have had limited control over farm management practices, or the extent to which public policies militate against the relentless rise in land use intensification.
XZH-5 Inhibits STAT3 Phosphorylation and Enhances the Cytotoxicity of Chemotherapeutic Drugs in Human Breast and Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Constitutive activation of Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling is frequently detected in breast and pancreatic cancer. Inhibiting constitutive STAT3 signaling represents a promising molecular target for therapeutic approach. Using structure-based design, we developed a non-peptide cell-permeable, small molecule, termed as XZH-5, which targeted STAT3 phosphorylation. XZH-5 was found to inhibit STAT3 phosphorylation (Tyr705) and induce apoptosis in human breast and pancreatic cancer cell lines expressing elevated levels of phosphorylated STAT3. XZH-5 could also inhibit interleukin-6-induced STAT3 phosphorylation in cancer cell lines expressing low phosphorylated STAT3. Inhibition of STAT3 signaling by XZH-5 was confirmed by the down-regulation of downstream targets of STAT3, such as Cyclin D1, Bcl-2, and Survivin at mRNA level. In addition, XZH-5 inhibited colony formation, cell migration, and enhanced the cytotoxicity of chemotherapeutic drugs when combined with Doxorubicin or Gemcitabine. Our results indicate that XZH-5 may be a potential therapeutic agent for breast and pancreatic cancers with constitutive STAT3 signaling.
Race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and ALS mortality in the United States

Objective: To determine whether race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status are associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) mortality in the United States. Methods: The National Longitudinal Mortality Study (NLMS), a United States–representative, multistage sample, collected race/ethnicity and socioeconomic data prospectively. Mortality information was obtained by matching NLMS records to the National Death Index (1979–2011). More than 2 million persons (n = 1,145,368 women, n = 1,011,172 men) were included, with 33,024,881 person-years of follow-up (1,299 ALS deaths , response rate 96%). Race/ethnicity was by self-report in 4 categories. Hazard ratios (HRs) for ALS mortality were calculated for race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status separately and in mutually adjusted models. Results: Minority vs white race/ethnicity predicted lower ALS mortality in models adjusted for socioeconomic status, type of health insurance, and birthplace (non-Hispanic black, HR 0.61, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.48–0.78; Hispanic, HR 0.64, 95% CI 0.46–0.88; other races, non-Hispanic, HR 0.52, 95% CI 0.31–0.86). Higher educational attainment compared with < high school was in general associated with higher rate of ALS (high school, HR 1.23, 95% CI 1.07–1.42; some college, HR 1.24, 95% CI 1.04–1.48; college, HR 1.10, 95% CI 0.90–1.36; postgraduate, HR 1.31, 95% CI 1.06–1.62). Income, household poverty, and home ownership were not associated with ALS after adjustment for race/ethnicity. Rates did not differ by sex. Conclusion: Higher rate of ALS among whites vs non-Hispanic blacks, Hispanics, and non-Hispanic other races was not accounted for by multiple measures of socioeconomic status, birthplace, or type of health insurance. Higher rate of ALS among whites likely reflects actual higher risk of ALS rather than ascertainment bias or effects of socioeconomic status on ALS risk.