Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sequential Articulated Motion Reconstruction from a Monocular Image Sequence

In this article, we present a sequential approach for articulated motion estimation from a 2D skeleton sequence. This is a challenging task due to the complexity of human movements and the inherent depth ambiguities. The proposed approach models the human movement on a kinematic manifold with the tangent bundle, which is a natural geometrical representation of articulated motion. Combined with a second-order stochastic dynamic model based on the Markov hypothesis, we generalize the Extended Rauch Tung Striebel smoother to a Riemannian manifold to simulate the process of human movement. The human motor system might violate the Markov hypothesis when the human body is subject to external forces, and therefore a refinement stage is introduced to correct the estimation error. Specifically, the current estimation is refined in a feasible solution region consisting of a set of local estimations. This region is called a simplex, in which each element can be represented by a convex hull of all ingredients. We have proved that the refinement problem can be converted into a convex optimization problem with the simplicial constraint. Since the proposed formulation conforms to the principles of kinematic and spatio-temporal continuity of articulated motion, the reconstruction ambiguity can be alleviated essentially. The performance of the proposed algorithm is conducted on multiple synthetic sequences from the CMU and the HDM05 MoCap databases. The results show that, without requiring any training data, the proposed approach achieves greater accuracy over state-of-the-art baselines. Furthermore, the proposed approach outperforms two baselines on real sequences from the Human3.6m MoCap database.
Performance Analysis of Multi-Antenna HetNets

We propose an analytical stochastic geometry-based model for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) heterogeneous cellular networks (HetNets) with zero-forcing (ZF) precoding at transmitting base stations (BSs) and partial zero-forcing (PZF) beamforming at receiving user equipments (UEs). The user and area spectral efficiencies are characterized using a non-direct moment- generating-function (MGF) methodology with closed- form expressions of the intended signal power and aggregate network interference statistics accordingly developed. The impact of different cellular network deployments, antenna configurations, and transmission schemes on achievable performance are examined through theoretical and simulation studies. The results confirm the promising potential of multi-antenna communications and small-cell solution in emerging wireless environments.
Analytic study on the poles and zeros for mechanical plants

It is well known that controller design is often unavoidable for extreme and zero stability, and that unstable poles (zero) limit the performance of the controller. In this paper, we study the limit zeros and poles of the discrete-time model where the sampling period tends to zero in the case of zero-order hold (ZOH) or generalized sampling-data hold function (GSHF). We first introduce GSHF and give its transfer function. Then we discuss the distribution of zero polarity with discrete time systems using ZOH or GSHF, and give their stability behavior. When the GSHF is used for signal reconstruction, the stability of the limit zero of the discrete-time system can be significantly improved and a discrete-time design with a stable zero in the case of GSHF is given.
REEWA: Runtime energy estimation for web activities on smartphones

Smartphone users spend more than 80% of their phone time accessing web information, which could cause undesirably large energy drain. To provide web information, a web activity may invoke asynchronous execution in different hardware devices. Thus, traditional energy estimation methods based on system statistics are usually insufficient to capture the secluded energy cost. In this paper, we propose REEWA, a runtime energy estimation framework for web activities on smartphones. In sharp contrast to the traditional modeling methods, REEWA features a design to provide highly accurate and low-overhead energy estimation based on hardware performance counters that can accurately record hardware-level events. Specifically, REEWA features (1) a set of energy models for smartphone hardware components involved in web activities, which are built based on their respective performance counters; (2) a correlation study on the counter selection process that provides the best tradeoff between the estimation accuracy and overhead; (3) a performance counter management mechanism for activity deployment. We prototyped and evaluated REEWA in two real android smart-phones. The results show that, compared to traditional estimation methods, REEWA achieves an average 33% higher estimation accuracy with a negligible overhead (less than 1%, worst-case). We applied REEWA to support heterogeneous core scheduling for web activities, which can help reduce 40% energy consumption.
Weighted DAG Automata for Semantic Graphs

Graphs have a variety of uses in natural language processing, particularly as representations of linguistic meaning. A deficit in this area of research is a formal framework for creating, combining, and using models involving graphs that parallels the frameworks of finite automata for strings and finite tree automata for trees. A possible starting point for such a framework is the formalism of directed acyclic graph (DAG) automata, defined by Kamimura and Slutzki and extended by Quernheim and Knight. In this article, we study the latter in depth, demonstrating several new results, including a practical recognition algorithm that can be used for inference and learning with models defined on DAG automata. We also propose an extension to graphs with unbounded node degree and show that our results carry over to the extended formalism.
What are the outcomes of declining a public health service increased risk liver donor for patients on the liver transplant waiting list?

The tragedy of the national opioid epidemic has resulted in a significant increase in the number of opioid‐related deaths and accordingly an increase in the number of potential donors designated Public Health Service (PHS) increased risk. Previous studies have demonstrated reluctance to use these PHS organs, and as a result, higher discard rates for these organs have been observed. All patients listed for liver transplantation in the United States from January 2005 to December 2016 were investigated. Patients on the waiting list were divided into 2 groups: those in which a PHS liver was used for transplantation (accepted PHS group) and those in which a PHS liver was declined and transplanted into a recipient lower on the match run (declined PHS group). Intention‐to‐treat patient survival from the time of PHS offer was significantly higher in the accepted PHS compared with the declined PHS group (P < 0.001). On Cox multivariate regression, declining a PHS donor liver was associated with a hazard ratio of 2.36 (95% confidence interval, 2.23‐2.49; P < 0.001). For patients in which a PHS organ offer was declined, 11.6% died or were delisted for being too sick within the subsequent year. Donor liver allografts implanted in the accepted PHS group were of a lower donor risk index (1.28 versus 1.44) compared with the non‐PHS organs that patients in the declined PHS group ultimately received if they underwent transplantation. In conclusion, there is a significantly higher survival for patients in which a PHS liver is accepted and used compared with those patients in which a PHS organ is declined. These data will help inform decisions about whether or not to accept a PHS donor liver for both patients and transplant professionals. Liver Transplantation 24 497–504 2018 AASLD.
Toxicity of fermented soybean product (cheonggukjang) manufactured by mixed culture of Bacillus subtilis MC31 and Lactobacillus sakei 383 on liver and kidney of ICR mice

To investigate the toxic effects of cheonggukjang (CKJ) manufactured using mixed cultures of Bacillus subtilis MC31 and Lactobacillus sakei 383 on the liver and kidney of ICR mice, an alteration on the related markers including body weight, organ weight, urine composition, liver pathology and kidney pathology were analyzed after oral administration at dosage of 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg body weight/day of CKJ for 14 days. Any significant toxicity was not observed on the body and organ weight, clinical phenotypes, urine parameters and mortality in the CKJ-treated group compared with the vehicle-treated group. Also, liver toxicity analysis revealed no significant increase in alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) or lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in response to CKJ. Additionally, the specific pathological features induced by most toxic compounds were not observed upon liver histological analysis. Furthermore, kidney toxicological analysis revealed that blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and the serum creatinine (Cr) levels and pathological features on histological sections did not differ significantly between the vehicle- and CKJ-treated groups. Overall, these results suggest that CKJ does not induce any specific toxicity in liver and kidney organs of ICR at dose of 100 mg/kg body weight/day as no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL).
A parametric study of microstrip-fed Vivaldi antenna

This paper summarizes the effects of antenna design parameters on its performance. 3D electromagnetic simulation software CST was used to simulate various sizes of three major design parameters. By analyzing several antenna basic parametric results including return loss (S-parameter), voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR), reference impedance and far field gain, a parametric study is presented. It is found that substrate parameters play an important role in antenna performance. In particular, both the resonant frequency and the radiation efficiency can be regulated by flare length and slot width. Then the microstrip-fed Vivaldi antenna was fabricated using FR4 epoxy board with dielectric constant of 4.34 and thickness of 1.6mm. The antenna meets 50Ohm impedance matching and radiation coverage frequency bandwidth is from 800MHz to 1.8GHz.
Online Monitoring System Design for Roll Eccentricity in Rolling Mills

This paper deals with the parameter estimation and online monitoring of roll eccentricity in rolling mills. Roll-eccentricity-induced disturbances can result in strip thickness deviation and product quality degradation, and a conventional control strategy cannot regulate this kind of periodic disturbances due to its complex characteristics. For the purpose of product quality assessment and monitoring, a performance indicator based on product expectations or the empirical value of quality-related process variables, which can be quantitatively visualized with four zones, is proposed in the high level. In the low level, the key parameters of roll eccentricity are estimated in real time using an adaptive observer for frequency estimation and an adaptive algorithm for amplitude and phase estimation. The performance and effectiveness of the proposed eccentricity monitoring system are demonstrated through a case study of a cold rolling mill from industrial fields.
Distribution of a matrix component of the midbody during the cell cycle in Chinese hamster ovary cells

Monoclonal antibodies were raised against isolated spindles of CHO (Chinese hamster ovary) cells to probe for molecular components specific to the mitotic apparatus. One of the antibodies, CHO1, recognized an antigen localized to the midbody during mitosis. Immunofluorescence staining of metaphase cells showed that although the total spindle area was labeled faintly, the antigen corresponding to CHO1 was preferentially localized in the equatorial region of the spindle. With the progression of mitosis, the antigen was further organized into discrete short lines along the spindle axis, and eventually condensed into a bright fluorescent dot at the midzone of the intercellular bridge between two daughter cells. Parallel immunostaining of tubulin showed that the CHO1-stained area corresponded to the dark region where microtubules are entrapped by the amorphous dense matrix components and possibly blocked from binding to tubulin antibody. Immunoblot analysis indicated that CHO1 recognized two polypeptides of mol wt 95,000 and 105,000. The immunoreaction was always stronger in preparations of isolated midbodies than in mitotic spindle fractions. The protein doublet was retained in the particulate matrix fraction after Sarkosyl extraction (Mullins, J. M., and J. R. McIntosh. 1982. J. Cell Biol. 94:654-661), suggesting that CHO1 antigen is indeed a component of the dense matrix. In addition to the equatorial region of spindles and midbodies, CHO1 also stained interphase centrosomes, and nuclei in a speckled pattern that was cell cycle-dependent. Thus, the midbody appears to share either common molecular component(s) or a similar epitope with interphase centrosomes and nuclei.
A Longitudinal Study of the Relation Between Family Functioning and Preschool ADHD Symptoms

The present study examined the bidirectional relation between family functioning and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms across the preschool years. Participants included 197 (110 boys) 3-year-old children (M = 44.14 months, SD = 3.43; 60% White) with and without behavior problems and their parents who took part in a 3-year longitudinal study. Parenting, parent psychopathology, life stress, and child symptoms were assessed annually from ages 3 to 6. Cross-lagged models provided evidence for both parent and child effects for mothers. In particular, greater maternal overreactive parenting and life stress were predictive of more child ADHD symptoms, and greater child ADHD symptoms significantly predicted greater maternal life stress and depressive symptoms and lower warmth, controlling for child oppositional defiant disorder and parent ADHD symtoms. Child effects were evident for fathers’ depression and life stress, but these did not remain controlling for paternal ADHD symptoms. Findings suggest that targeting child ADHD symptoms, maternal overreactive parenting, and maternal stress each hold promise for attenuating the negative mutual influence of child ADHD symptoms and family functioning over time.
Effects of farm yard manure on cadmium and lead accumulation in Amaranth (Amaranthus oleracea L.)

Two pot experiments were carried out to study the effect of farm yard manure (FYM) on Cd and Pb accumulation by Amaranth. Six levels of FYM (0, 2.5, 5, 10, 15 and 20 t ha-1) were applied to Cd and Pb treated soil separately in the pot experiments. The weight of the shoot and root of Amaranth significantly increased following the application of FYM to both Cd and Pb treated soil. The application of FYM in soil significantly decreased Cd and Pb content in Amaranth. Cadmium content in the shoot and root gradually decreased with the increase in level of FYM up to 20 t ha-1. On the other hand, FYM at 10 t ha-1 and above drastically reduced the Pb content in both parts of Amaranth. The contents of both Cd and Pb in the shoot and root of Amaranth showed a significantly negative correlation (r = -0.84 to -0.87) with the rates of FYM applied to the soil. Key words: Farm yard manure (FYM), heavy metal, phytoremediation, cadmium (Cd) uptake, lead (Pb) uptake.
Compromised regulation of the collecting duct ENaC activity in mice lacking AT1a receptor

ENaC‐mediated sodium reabsorption in the collecting duct (CD) is a critical determinant of urinary sodium excretion. Existing evidence suggest direct stimulatory actions of Angiotensin II (Ang II) on ENaC in the CD, independently of the aldosterone‐mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) signaling. Deletion of the major renal AT1 receptor isoform, AT1aR, decreases blood pressure and reduces ENaC abundance despite elevated aldosterone levels. The mechanism of this insufficient compensation is not known. Here, we used patch clamp electrophysiology in freshly isolated split‐opened CDs to investigate how AT1aR dysfunction compromises functional ENaC activity and its regulation by dietary salt intake. Ang II had no effect on ENaC activity in CDs from AT1aR −/− mice suggesting no complementary contribution of AT2 receptors. We next found that AT1aR deficient mice had lower ENaC activity when fed with low (<0.01% Na+) and regular (0.32% Na+) but not with high (∼2% Na+) salt diet, when compared to the respective values obtained in Wild type (WT) animals. Inhibition of AT1R with losartan in wild‐type animals reproduces the effects of genetic ablation of AT1aR on ENaC activity arguing against contribution of developmental factors. Interestingly, manipulation with aldosterone‐MR signaling via deoxycosterone acetate (DOCA) and spironolactone had much reduced influence on ENaC activity upon AT1aR deletion. Consistently, AT1aR −/− mice have a markedly diminished MR abundance in cytosol. Overall, we conclude that AT1aR deficiency elicits a complex inhibitory effect on ENaC activity by attenuating ENaC Po and precluding adequate compensation via aldosterone cascade due to decreased MR availability.
The Diversity of Eukaryotes

The discipline of evolutionary protistology has emerged in the past 30 yr. There is as yet no agreed view of how protists are interrelated or how they should be classified. The foundations of a stable taxonomic superstructure for the protists and other eukaryotes lie in cataloging the diversity of the major monophyletic lineages of these organisms. The use of common patterns of cell organization (ultrastructural identity) seems to provide us with the most robust hypotheses of such lineages. These lineages are placed in 71 groups without identifiable sister taxa. These groups are here referred to as “major building blocks. ” For the first time, the compositions, ultrastructural identities, synapomorphies (where available), and subgroups of the major building blocks are summarized. More than 200 further lineages without clear identities are listed. This catalog includes all known major elements of the comprehensive evolutionary tree of protists and eukaryotes. Different approaches among protistologists to issues of nomenclature, ranking, and definitions of these groups are discussed, with particular reference to two groups—the stramenopiles and the Archezoa. The concept of “extended in‐group” is introduced to refer to in‐groups and the most proximate sister group and to assist in identifying the hierarchical location of taxa.
Investigating the Apoptotic Response of Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cells to Styrene, a Potential Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase (PARP) Inhibitor

Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) is a rare basal-like subtype of breast cancer characterized by the absence of the estrogen (ER), progesterone (PR), and human epidermal receptor 2 (HER2) receptors which are normally targeted in other breast cancer subtypes, thereby making TNBC difficult to combat. In this study, four different styrene compounds (1.001, 1.006, 1.007, and 1.009) were used to treat TNBC cell lines HCC1806 and HCC70. Each of the compounds were composed of a 3-nitro group on the A ring and varying aryl groups on the B ring of the styrene. The breast cancer cells were exposed over a 24-hour period to a 10, 100 and 1000 μM styrene concentration. Styrene compounds have a similar structural composition to Resveratrol and some known Poly (adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-ribose) Polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. Previous studies have demonstrated that PARP-1 has a high affinity for breast cancer susceptibility gene-deficient (BRCA) breast carcinomas such as TNBC. Similarities in structure suggest that these compounds may have the same apoptotic effect found in PARP inhibitors used in treating cancer. A cell viability assay revealed that all of the styrene compounds were effective and showed apoptosis at varying concentrations in-vitro. Apoptosis was also verified with phase-contrast microscopy and Methylthiazol Tetrazolium (MTT) Assay. PARP inhibition by styrenyl compounds was verified with the HT Fluorescent Homogenous PARP Inhibition Assay. Preliminary data show that these compounds have the ability to induce apoptosis in triple negative cells and lead us to believe these compounds represent a novel potential chemotherapeutic treatment for TNBC.
EHU at the SIGMORPHON 2016 Shared Task. A Simple Proposal: Grapheme-to-Phoneme for Inflection

This paper presents a proposal for learning morphological inflections by a graphemeto-phoneme learning model. No special processing is used for specific languages. The starting point has been our previous research on induction of phonology and morphology for normalization of historical texts. The results show that a very simple method can indeed improve upon some baselines, but does not reach the accuracies of the best systems in the task.
Phase-Field Model for Microstructure Evolution at the Mesoscopic Scale

This review presents a phase-field model that is generally applicable to homogeneous and heterogeneous systems at the mesoscopic scale. Reviewed first are general aspects about first- and second-order phase transitions that need to be considered to understand the theoretical background of a phase field. The mesoscopic model equations are defined by a coarse-graining procedure from a microscopic model in the continuum limit on the atomic scale. Special emphasis is given to the question of how to separate the interface and bulk contributions to the generalized thermodynamic functional, which forms the basis of all phase-field models. Numerical aspects of the discretization are discussed at the lower scale of applicability. The model is applied to spinodal decomposition and ripening in Ag-Cu with realistic thermodynamic and kinetic data from a database.
Umbilical Venous Catheter Malposition Is Associated with Necrotizing Enterocolitis in Premature Infants

Objective: The etiology of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) remains elusive despite known associations with several factors, including intestinal ischemia related to the effects of umbilical arterial catheterization on the mesenteric circulation. However, the role of the mesenteric venous circulation has yet to be studied as a potential cause of NEC. We examined the association between umbilical venous catheter (UVC) position and the development of NEC in premature infants. Design: A prospective cohort study was performed to examine the effect of UVC on portosystemic shunting via the ductus venosus (DV) and its potential role in NEC. Results: We recruited 132 premature infants, 62 of which had a birth weight ≤1,500 g. NEC was noted in 12 (19%) patients. All infants weighing ≤1,500 g underwent an attempt at UVC insertion. The UVC status was classified as appropriate (n = 39), unsuccessful (n = 9), or malpositioned (n = 14). Among the NEC patients, 7 (58%) had a UVC malposition and 3 (25%) had an unsuccessful attempt. These rates were significantly higher than in patients without NEC (14 and 12%, respectively). Multivariable logistic regression analysis confirmed birth weight (OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.2-4.7, p = 0.001) and UVC malpositioning (OR 6.9, 95% CI 1.6-35.4, p = 0.007) as independent risk factors associated with NEC. Conclusions: Unrecognized withdrawal of a UVC into the portal vein or DV is associated with an increased incidence of NEC in infants weighing ≤1,500 g. The data support the need for additional studies to examine this effect. Confirmation of a causal relationship will raise the need to reassess UVC insertion criteria and strategies for more closely monitoring the catheter tip position.