Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
nitary ESPRIT-Based Phase Estimation for Polarimetric SAR Interferometry

At present, polarimetric SAR interferometry has been a new technology of measuring terrain parameters. Among the known methods of extracting interferometric phase, some methods developed from spatial spectrum estimation, such as MUSIC or TLS-ESPRIT algorithm, are being perfected. But using these methods we can not get higher phase precision due to few observation data with the SAR signals. An interferometric phase estimation method based on unitary ESPRIT can improve estimation precision by using the plural observation data and its conjugated data. In this paper, the algorithm is proposed and described in detail. Using SIR-C/X-SAR L band data, its effectiveness is tested
Seasonal variations in the 14C Content of Tree Rings: Influences on Radiocarbon Calibration and Single-Year Curve Construction

Abstract To examine the implications of seasonality for the construction of a single-year calibration curve we obtained separate dates on earlywood and latewood fractions of tree rings originating from England and dendrochronologically dated between AD 1352 and AD 1442. These demonstrated that an average difference of 26±15 yr exists between earlywood and latewood and that this difference can be as high as 33±19 yr during periods of high radiocarbon (14C) production. It is argued that this difference is due to both changes in atmospheric 14C and the incorporation of stored carbohydrates into earlywood. Based on this, it was possible to separate an atmospheric and physiological contribution to this difference. Our modeling indicates that storage can produce a difference of up to 10 years between earlywood and latewood. This suggests that full-year tree rings from deciduous trees may be less appropriate for the construction of a single-year calibration curve and that specific atmospheric events can be more easily detected by measuring only latewood.
Autonome Navigation mobiler Systeme in natürlichen Umgebungen durch die Integration von 3D-Laserdaten (Autonomous Navigation of Mobile Systems in Natural Environments by Integration of 3D Laser Range Data)

Abstract In diesem Artikel wird ein Navigationssystem vorgestellt, das den Einsatz von mobilen Servicerobotern in natürlichen Umgebungen außerhalb von Gebäuden ermöglicht. Erreicht wurde dieses Ziel durch die erfolgreiche Kombination von Umgebungsdaten eines 3D-Laserscanners mit 2D-Navigationsalgorithmen zur Kartengenerierung, Lokalisation und Wegeplanung. Speziell mit dem hier vorgestellten PixelSLAM-Algorithmus ist der Roboter in der Lage, so genannte farbige 2D-Karten zu generieren, in denen Messpunkte mit verschiedenen Attributen versehen werden können. Auf diese Weise kann die selbst generierte Karte gleichzeitig für unterschiedliche Navigationsaufgaben wie die Lokalisation oder die kollisionsfreie Wegeplanung genutzt werden. Die Funktionalität dieses Ansatzes wird anhand verschiedener experimenteller Ergebnisse demonstriert.
Visualizing Cortical Activation during Mental Calculation with Functional MRI

Cortical activation during arithmetic calculation (silent subtraction by sevens) was compared to that observed during a control condition for which subjects were required to count forward by ones. Nine normal subjects underwent 1.5-T functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing these tasks. All subjects showed bilateral premotor, posterior parietal, and prefrontal cortex activation during serial calculation. There was a large degree of individual variation in activation outside of these areas. These results confirm the role of posterior parietal cortex in arithmetic calculation and implicate other regions, including prefrontal cortex.
Research on Algorithm of Position Based on TDOA/DR Integrated Navigation System

GPS/DR integrated navigation in outdoor GPS signal better circumstances, can provide high-precision positioning and navigation, but the range of human activities is not just outside, they can also travel and stay in the various buildings. At this point, GPS signal is almost impossible to obtain, and DR will diverge due to no amendments for long time, therefore, GPS/DR system can not provide long time and high-precision navigation information indoors. For these reasons, this paper studies based on time difference of arrival (TDOA) positioning method, using ultrasonic sensors to achieve indoor TDOA positioning, and combined with the DR system to correct and improve the DR system error divergence problem, so as to enhance the navigation system positioning capacity.
Influence of Usability on Customer Satisfaction: A Case Study on Mobile Phone Services

Designing for better user experiences (e.g., interactions more satisfying, enjoyable) is usually more difficult than aiming for clearer usability goals (e.g., improve systems’ efficiency, easy of use). In this paper, we present a conceptual model validated with data from 603 mobile phone users that clarifies the relationship between usability of basic mobile services and the users’ satisfaction with them. Our findings indicate that satisfaction is mostly influenced by how users perceive the usability of these services, more specifically their efficiency. We discuss the model and propose three implications that shall increase satisfaction with basic mobile services: a few solutions to minimize routine disruption, personality-based service personalization, and persuasive strategies to raise awareness of one’s technology consumption saturation point. Author
Depressive Symptoms and Its Associated Factors in 13-Year-Old Urban Adolescents

The available estimates reveal that 20–50% of adolescents report depressive symptoms, being one of the most prevalent health problems in adolescence. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of depressive symptoms in a community sample of 13-year-old adolescents and identify associated features. Thirteen year-old adolescents attending private and public schools in Porto (n = 1,988, 52.2% females) were evaluated from October 2003 to June 2004 and completed a questionnaire including health behaviors and the Beck Depression Inventory II. A questionnaire on parents’ socio-demographics and clinical characteristics was sent home. Data were analyzed separately by sex. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using logistic regression. The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 18.8% in girls and 7.6% in boys (p < 0.001). Boys with a family history of depression and girls with smoking habits had a significantly increased risk of depressive symptoms (OR = 2.18, 95%CI 1.00–4.71; OR = 2.34, 95%CI 1.46–3.76). Menarche at an early age significantly increased the risk of depressive symptoms. The characteristics most strongly associated with depressive symptoms were family history of depression among boys, tobacco consumption and an early age at menarche among girls. The high prevalence of depressive symptoms early in adolescence calls for the awareness of public health professionals.
Cognitive control for language switching in bilinguals: A quantitative meta-analysis of functional neuroimaging studies

In a quantitative meta-analysis, using the activation likelihood estimation method, we examined the neural regions involved in bilingual cognitive control, particularly when engaging in switching between languages. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the bilingual cognitive control model originally proposed as a qualitative analysis of functional neuroimaging studies. After reviewing 128 peer-reviewed articles, 10 neuroimaging studies met our inclusion criteria and in each study, bilinguals switched between languages in response to cues. We isolated regions involved in voluntary language switching, by including reported contrasts between the switching conditions and high-level baseline conditions involving similar tasks but requiring the use of only one language. Eight brain regions showed significant and reliable activation: left inferior frontal gyrus, left middle temporal gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus, right precentral gyrus, right superior temporal gyrus, midline pre-supplementary motor area, and bilateral caudate nuclei. This quantitative result is consistent with bilingual aphasia studies that report switching deficits associated with lesions to the caudate nuclei or prefrontal cortex. It also extends the previously reported qualitative model. We discuss the implications of the findings for accounts of bilingual cognitive control.
Effects of medicinal plant extracts on growth of Leishmania ( L . ) amazonensis and Trypanosoma cruzi

This study describes the screening of extracts obtained from 19 species of plants used in Brazilian traditional medicine for treatment of a variety of diseases. The extracts were tested against axenic amastigote and promastigote forms of Leishmania (L.) amazonensis, and epimastigote forms of Trypanosoma cruzi in vitro at a concentration of 100 μg/ml. Baccharis trimera, Cymbopogon citratus, Matricaria chamomilla, Mikania glomerata, Ocimum gratissimum, Piper regnellii, Prunus domestica, Psidium guajava, Sambucus canadensis, Stryphnodendron adstringens, Tanacetum parthenium, and Tanacetum vulgare showed significant effects against one or both parasites, with a percentage of growth inhibition between 49.5 and 99%. The extracts showed no cytotoxic effect on sheep erythrocytes. These medicinal plants may be sources of new compounds that are clinically active against L. amazonensis and T. cruzi. *Correspondence:
Metabolic Gene Expression in Fetal and Failing Human Heart

Background—Previous studies suggest that the failing heart reactivates fetal genes and reverts to a fetal pattern of energy substrate metabolism. We tested this hypothesis by examining metabolic gene expression profiles in the fetal, nonfailing, and failing human heart. Methods and Results—Human left ventricular tissue (apex) was obtained from 9 fetal, 10 nonfailing, and 10 failing adult hearts. Using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, we measured transcript levels of atrial natriuretic factor, myosin heavy chain-&agr; and -&bgr;, and 13 key regulators of energy substrate metabolism, of which 3 are considered “adult” isoforms (GLUT4, mGS, mCPT-I) and 3 are considered “fetal” isoforms (GLUT1, lGS, and lCPT-I), primarily through previous studies in rodent models. Compared with the nonfailing adult heart, steady-state mRNA levels of atrial natriuretic factor were increased in both the fetal and the failing heart. The 2 myosin heavy chain isoforms showed the highest expression level in the nonfailing heart. Transcript levels of most of the metabolic genes were higher in the nonfailing heart than the fetal heart. Adult isogenes predominated in all groups and always showed a greater induction than the fetal isogenes in the nonfailing heart compared with the fetal heart. In the failing heart, the expression of metabolic genes decreased to the same levels as in the fetal heart. Conclusions—In the human heart, metabolic genes exist as constitutive and inducible forms. The failing adult heart reverts to a fetal metabolic gene profile by downregulating adult gene transcripts rather than by upregulating fetal genes.
Improving the Convergence Rate in Affine Registration of PET and SPECT Brain Images Using Histogram Equalization

A procedure to improve the convergence rate for affine registration methods of medical brain images when the images differ greatly from the template is presented. The methodology is based on a histogram matching of the source images with respect to the reference brain template before proceeding with the affine registration. The preprocessed source brain images are spatially normalized to a template using a general affine model with 12 parameters. A sum of squared differences between the source images and the template is considered as objective function, and a Gauss-Newton optimization algorithm is used to find the minimum of the cost function. Using histogram equalization as a preprocessing step improves the convergence rate in the affine registration algorithm of brain images as we show in this work using SPECT and PET brain images.
A binaural model as a front-end for isolated word recognition

Small vocabulary isolated word speech recognition can be implemented on relatively small hardware. Although the recognition problem is more or less solved in noise free situations, the general application is hindered because of the dramatic decrease of performance in noisy environments, especially for hands free applications. A binaural front end for speech recognition is presented. This binaural model, which was originally developed at Ruhr University of Bochum in Germany, allows for an effective reduction of interfering noises of any kind. Besides stationary noises, concurrent speech signals can also be suppressed. The original model was designed as a precise computer model of the human binaural auditory system and can explain a variety of psycho acoustical phenomena. Besides those abilities the model offers sharp directional selectivity which is superior to those obtained with directional microphones. We simplified this sophisticated model by adapting it to the specific task and use the peak position and the peak level of the binaural activity pattern for each frequency band as a parameter for pattern matching. The performance was evaluated in the form of recognition rates for a variety of different noisy environments. The results show that the binaural front end leads to a significant improvement in recognition rates, corresponding to an enhancement of over 20dB in SNR in most cases.
Herpes Simplex Virus 1 ICP22 Inhibits the Transcription of Viral Gene Promoters by Binding to and Blocking the Recruitment of P-TEFb

ICP22 is a multifunctional herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) immediate early protein that functions as a general repressor of a subset of cellular and viral promoters in transient expression systems. Although the exact mechanism of repression remains unclear, this protein induces a decrease in RNA polymerase II Serine 2 (RNAPII Ser-2) phosphorylation, which is critical for transcription elongation. To characterize the mechanism of transcriptional repression by ICP22, we established an in vivo transient expression reporter system. We found that ICP22 inhibits transcription of the HSV-1 α, β and γ gene promoters. The viral tegument protein VP16, which plays vital roles in initiation of viral gene expression and viral proliferation, can overcome the inhibitory effect of ICP22 on α-gene transcription. Further immunoprecipitation studies indicated that both ICP22 and VP16 bind to positive transcription elongation factor b (P-TEFb) and form a complex with it in vivo. We extended this to show that P-TEFb regulates transcription of the viral α-gene promoters and affects transcriptional regulation of ICP22 and VP16 on the α-genes. Additionally, ChIP assays demonstrated that ICP22 blocks the recruitment of P-TEFb to the viral promoters, while VP16 reverses this blocking effect by recruiting P-TEFb to the viral α-gene promoters through recognition of the TAATGARAT motif. Taken together, our results suggest that ICP22 interacts with and blocks the recruitment of P-TEFb to viral promoter regions, which inhibits transcription of the viral gene promoters. The transactivator VP16 binds to and induces the recruitment of P-TEFb to viral α-gene promoters, which counteracts the transcriptional repression of ICP22 on α-genes by recruiting p-TEFb to the promoter region.
Comparative quantitation of human cytomegalovirus DNA in blood leukocytes and plasma of transplant and AIDS patients

A new method for the quantitation of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) DNA was used to determine the levels of viral DNA in parallel in 120 blood leukocyte (leukoDNAemia) and plasma (plasmaDNAemia) samples from 8 heart or heart-lung transplant patients and 17 AIDS patients with disseminated HCMV infection. PlasmaDNAemia was consistently associated with leukoDNAemia in both groups of patients. However, at least in the transplant patients, plasmaDNAemia was not necessarily associated with clinical symptoms, appearing later and disappearing earlier than leukoDNAemia during the course of infection. Quantitative mean levels of leukoDNAemia were mostly higher than those of plasmaDNAemia in both transplant and AIDS patients. However, in the absence of antiviral treatment, plasmaDNAemia levels were significantly higher in AIDS patients than in transplant recipients, whereas leukoDNAemia levels were not significantly different between the two groups of patients. A significant correlation was found between leukoDNAemia and plasmaDNAemia in AIDS patients, as well as in transplant recipients, although to a lesser degree. However, from a diagnostic standpoint, quantitative determination of plasmaDNAemia appears to represent a much less sensitive parameter than that of leukoDNAemia (or antigenemia) for monitoring HCMV infections and antiviral treatment.
Robustness of Input Features from Noisy Silhouettes in Human Pose Estimation

Silhouettes are frequently extracted and described to compose inputs for learning methods in solving human pose estimation problem. Although silhouettes extracted from background subtraction methods are usually noisy, the effect of noisy inputs to pose estimation accuracies is seldom studied. In this paper, we explore this problem. First, We compare performances of several image features widely used for human pose estimation and explore their performances against each other and select one with best performance. Second, iterative closest point algorithm is introduced for a new quantitative measurement of noisy inputs. The proposed measurement is able to automatically discard noise, like camouflage from the background or shadows. With the proposed measurement, we split inputs into different noise levels and assess their pose estimation accuracies. Furthermore, we explore performances of silhouette samples of different noise levels and compare with the selected feature on a public dataset: Human Eva dataset.
Introduction to the Special Issue on Cross-Language Algorithms and Applications

With the increasingly global nature of our everyday interactions, the need for multilingual technologies to support efficient and effective information access and communication cannot be overemphasized. Computational modeling of language has been the focus of Natural Language Processing, a subdiscipline of Artificial Intelligence. One of the current challenges for this discipline is to design methodologies and algorithms that are cross-language in order to create multilingual technologies rapidly. The goal of this JAIR special issue on Cross-Language Algorithms and Applications (CLAA) is to present leading research in this area, with emphasis on developing unifying themes that could lead to the development of the science of multi- and cross-lingualism. In this introduction, we provide the reader with the motivation for this special issue and summarize the contributions of the papers that have been included. The selected papers cover a broad range of cross-lingual technologies including machine translation, domain and language adaptation for sentiment analysis, cross-language lexical resources, dependency parsing, information retrieval and knowledge representation. We anticipate that this special issue will serve as an invaluable resource for researchers interested in topics of cross-lingual natural language processing.
Animal ice-binding (antifreeze) proteins and glycolipids: an overview with emphasis on physiological function

ABSTRACT Ice-binding proteins (IBPs) assist in subzero tolerance of multiple cold-tolerant organisms: animals, plants, fungi, bacteria etc. IBPs include: (1) antifreeze proteins (AFPs) with high thermal hysteresis antifreeze activity; (2) low thermal hysteresis IBPs; and (3) ice-nucleating proteins (INPs). Several structurally different IBPs have evolved, even within related taxa. Proteins that produce thermal hysteresis inhibit freezing by a non-colligative mechanism, whereby they adsorb onto ice crystals or ice-nucleating surfaces and prevent further growth. This lowers the so-called hysteretic freezing point below the normal equilibrium freezing/melting point, producing a difference between the two, termed thermal hysteresis. True AFPs with high thermal hysteresis are found in freeze-avoiding animals (those that must prevent freezing, as they die if frozen) especially marine fish, insects and other terrestrial arthropods where they function to prevent freezing at temperatures below those commonly experienced by the organism. Low thermal hysteresis IBPs are found in freeze-tolerant organisms (those able to survive extracellular freezing), and function to inhibit recrystallization – a potentially damaging process whereby larger ice crystals grow at the expense of smaller ones – and in some cases, prevent lethal propagation of extracellular ice into the cytoplasm. Ice-nucleator proteins inhibit supercooling and induce freezing in the extracellular fluid at high subzero temperatures in many freeze-tolerant species, thereby allowing them to control the location and temperature of ice nucleation, and the rate of ice growth. Numerous nuances to these functions have evolved. Antifreeze glycolipids with significant thermal hysteresis activity were recently identified in insects, frogs and plants. Summary: Ice-binding proteins and glycolipids evolved independently multiple times to assist subzero temperature survival in diverse organisms, both freeze-tolerant and freeze-avoiding. Their physiological functions in animals are reviewed.
Adaptive Scale Selection for Robust Mode Seeking

Mean shift based mode seeking is a robust and therefore important method that estimates a local maximum in a density function. It is robust because it converges always to the mode where the mean shift is pointing at. This iterative procedure determines a step in each iteration, which depends on a scale parameter. This paper compares five scale selection strategies and the method that estimates a mode as accurate as possible within a fixed amount of computation time is identified as the best strategy.
An optimized region-based color transfer method for night vision application

Modern night-vision systems like image intensifiers and thermal cameras enable operations at night and in adverse weather conditions. Modern night vision camera provides false-colored fused image as an output which is unnatural in appearance and it is therefore hard to interpret. In this paper, a region-based natural color mapping method for night vision imagery is presented. The proposed method colorizes the night vision imagery by using a combined framework consisting of hill-climbing algorithm for color-based segmentation, non-linear diffusion, region recognition and fuzzy based image fusion techniques. The proposed method is an optimized region-based approach and allows selective color transfer from the natural target color image. The simulation results show that the color fused image obtained by proposed method resembles the natural color appearance and will help the observer by making it more recognizable appearance for better scene interpretation.