Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Simultaneous landmark classification, localization and map building for an advanced sonar ring

SUMMARY An autonomous mobile robot operating in an unknown indoor environment often needs to map the environment while localizing within the map. Feature-based world models including line and point features are widely used by researchers. This paper presents a novel delayed-classi-fication algorithm to categorize these features using a recently developed high-performance sonar ring within a simultaneous localization and map-building (SLAM) process. The sonar ring sensor accurately measures range and bearing to multiple targets at near real-time repetition rates of 11.5 Hz to 6 m range, and uses 24 simultaneously fired transmitters, 48 receivers and multiple echoes per receiver. The proposed algorithm is based on hypothesis generation and verification using the advanced sonar ring data and an extended Kalman filter (EKF) approach. It is capable of initiating new geometric features and classifying them within a short distance of travel of about 10 cm. For each new sonar reading not matching an existing feature, we initiate a pair of probational line and point features resulting from accurate range and bearing measurements. Later measurements are used to confirm or remove the probational features using EKF validation gates. The odometry error model of the filter allows for variations in effective wheel separation required by pneumatic robot tyres. The implementation of the novel classification and SLAM algorithm is discussed in this paper and experimental results using real sonar data are presented.
Distribution of Phosphorylated TrkB Receptor in the Mouse Hippocampal Formation Depends on Sex and Estrous Cycle Stage

Tropomyosin-related kinase B receptor (TrkB) is a neurotrophin receptor important for the synaptic plasticity underlying hippocampal-dependent learning and memory. Because this receptor is widely expressed in hippocampal neurons, the precise location of TrkB activation is likely important for its specific actions. The goal of this study was to identify the precise sites of TrkB activation in the mouse hippocampal formation and to determine any changes in the distribution of activated TrkB under conditions of enhanced brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression and hippocampal excitability. Using electron microscopy, we localized TrkB phosphorylated at tyrosine 816 (pTrkB) in the hippocampal formation of male and female mice under conditions of naturally low circulating estradiol and naturally high circulating estradiol, when BDNF expression, TrkB signaling, and synaptic plasticity are enhanced. To compare relative amounts of pTrkB in each group, we counted profiles containing pTrkB-immunoreactivity (pTrkB-ir) in all hippocampal subregions. pTrkB-ir was in axons, axon terminals, dendrites, and dendritic spines of neurons in the hippocampal formation, but the majority of pTrkB-ir localized to presynaptic profiles. pTrkB-ir also was abundant in glial profiles, which were further identified as microglia using immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy. Axonal and glial pTrkB-ir and pTrkB-ir in the CA1 stratum radiatum were more abundant in high-estradiol states (proestrus females) than low-estradiol states (estrus and diestrus females and males). These findings suggest that presynaptic TrkB is positioned to modulate estradiol-mediated and BDNF-dependent synaptic plasticity. Furthermore, they suggest a novel role for TrkB in microglial function in the neuroimmune system.
The Hazards of Time-Varying Covariates

I examine the circumstances and consequences of endogenous time-varying covariates in duration models. I explore the e¤ect of endogeneity (or reverse causation) on di¤erent hazard models using Monte Carlo simulations. Like simultaneity bias, endogenous time-varying covariates cause bias (and inconsistency) in coe¢ cient estimates. I discuss di¤erent solutions to this problem, and then apply the results to estimate the e¤ect of war chests on challenger entry. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 2003 meetings of the American Political Science Association. I would like to thank Greg Creer, Jerry Fors, Jay Shafer, and Anton Valencic for research assistance; and Neal Beck for encouragement. I am grateful for funding from the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences at Brigham Young University and the American Political Science Association Small Research Grant. The Hazards of Time-Varying Covariates Duration analysis, also known as survival analysis, risk analysis, or event history analysis, has had a brief history in political science. Box-Ste¤ensmeier and Jones (1997) present an introduction to duration models for political scientists, and elaborate on this in BoxSte¤ensmeier and Jones (2003). Bennett (1999) extends Box-Ste¤ensmeier and Jonesoverview to discuss time-varying covariates and duration dependence. Duration models are now being used more frequently in political science, especially as the software exists to implement those models relatively easily. As in any new econometric method, implementation of models often proceeds more quickly than an understanding of when the models are valid. This may be the case for time-varying covariates in duration analysis. Durations models analyze how long the dependent variable will last until failure. For example, it may look at how long until a light bulb burns out, how long until a person contracts a disease, how long a cabinet government lasts, or how long a war (or alliance or peace) lasts. Naturally, di¤erent covariates (independent variables) are thought to a¤ect these durations, and these are included in the analysis. For example, whether the governments are democratic may a¤ect how long their alliance may last. But some of these covariates may change before the dependent variable fails. For example, ination (or the unemployment rate, or public approval) may a¤ect how long a cabinet government lasts, and ination changes over time. If one is to incorporate the e¤ects of a change in independent variable, then one must use time-varying covariates (also called time-dependent covariates). The potential problem
Temporal XML Data Warehouses: Challenges and Solutions

Increasing amounts of data is stored in XML. In order to facilitate more efficient querying on this data, and in particular on data from several sources (for example Web sites), data can be loaded into an XML data warehouse. Often, we want to query historical document versions, or query changes between document versions. This can be facilitated by a temporal XML data warehouse (XML-DW). In this paper, we study some of the challenges we meet in an XMLDW, in particular those related to consistency, and propose how these challenges can be met. We also identify some problems that are difficult to solve automatically in a temporal XML-DW. Many of the issues described in this paper are also applicable in a broader context, for example for general Web warehouses storing on HTML web pages.
Sucrose-Specific Induction of the Anthocyanin Biosynthetic Pathway in Arabidopsis[W]

Sugars act as signaling molecules, whose signal transduction pathways may lead to the activation or inactivation of gene expression. Whole-genome transcript profiling reveals that the flavonoid and anthocyanin biosynthetic pathways are strongly up-regulated following sucrose (Suc) treatment. Besides mRNA accumulation, Suc affects both flavonoid and anthocyanin contents. We investigated the effects of sugars (Suc, glucose, and fructose) on genes coding for flavonoid and anthocyanin biosynthetic enzymes in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). The results indicate that the sugar-dependent up-regulation of the anthocyanin synthesis pathway is Suc specific. An altered induction of several anthocyanin biosynthetic genes, consistent with in vivo sugar modulation of mRNA accumulation, is observed in the phosphoglucomutase Arabidopsis mutant accumulating high levels of soluble sugars.
Box-set consistency for interval-based constraint problems

As opposed to finite domain CSPs, arc consistency cannot be enforced, in general, on CSPs over the reals, including very simple instances. In contrast, a stronger property, the so-called box-set consistency, that requires a no-split condition in addition to arc consistency, can be obtained on a much larger number of problems.To obtain this property, we devise a lazy algorithm that combines hull consistency filtering, interval union projection, and intelligent domain splitting. It can be applied to any numerical CSP, and achieves box-set consistency if constraints are redundancy-free in terms of variables. This holds even if the problem is not intervalconvex. The main contribution of our approach lies in the way we bypass the non-convexity issue, which so far was a synonym for either a loss of accuracy or an unbounded growth of label size.We prove the correctness of our algorithm and through experimental results, we show that, as compared to a strategy based on a standard bisection, it may lead to gains while never producing an overhead.
Non-Mendelian Phenomena in Allopolyploid Genome Evolution

Perhaps all flowering plants have experienced one or more episodes of polyploidization at some time in their evolutionary history. Recent evidence indicates that this genome doubling may be accompanied by a variety of non- Mendelian phenomena, some of which operate during hybridization and polyploid formation while others manifest more gradually on an evolutionary timescale. Here we review these phenomena, drawing attention to recent paradigm shifts necessitated by new insights from model plant systems. Allopolyploid formation in some plant groups is associated with an unexplained and in some cases directed process of genomic alteration leading to non-additivity with respect to parental genomes. Novel intergenomic interactions become possible as a consequence of the merger of two previously isolated diploid genomes, variously leading to intergenomic colonization and/or homogenization of formerly diverged sequences. Several epigenetic processes may accompany nascent allopolyploidy, such as nucleolar dominance, gene silencing and mobile element activation, the latter also resulting in genetic change. These myriad phenomena do not characterize all polyploid systems, and some nascent allopolyploids appear to be genomically quiescent. Although a direct connection to adaptation remains to be established, the diversity of genetic responses to allopolyploid formation and their apparent high frequency suggest that non-Mendelian phenomena contribute directly to polyploid stabilization and diversification.
Novel Weapons: Invasive Success and the Evolution of Increased Competitive Ability

When introduced to new habitats by humans, some plant species become much more dominant. This is primarily attributed to escape from specialist consumers. Release from these specialist enemies is also thought by some to lead to the evolution of increased competitive ability, driven by a decrease in the plant's resource allocation to consumer defense and an increase in allocation to size or fecundity. Here, we discuss a new theory for invasive success – the “novel weapons hypothesis”. We propose that some invaders transform because they possess novel biochemical weapons that function as unusually powerful allelopathic agents, or as mediators of new plant–soil microbial interactions. Root exudates that are relatively ineffective against their natural neighbors because of adaptation, may be highly inhibitory to newly encountered plants in invaded communities. In other words, the novel weapons of some plant invaders provide them with an advantage that may arise from differences in the regional coevolutionary .
A Novel Hybrid Current-Limiting Circuit Breaker for Medium Voltage: Principle and Test Results

Although many attempts have been made to design a fault current-limiting circuit breaker (FCLCB) for medium voltage electric power systems, no economically attractive solution has been achieved so far. A novel concept for an F CLCB is introduced based on a hybrid arrangement of semiconductors, temperature-dependent resistors, and a newly developed fast-opening mechanical switch. The latter utilizes one part of an electrodynamic repulsion drive, which is concurrent with the moving double contact system. Laboratory tests as well as computer simulations of the complete FCLCB verify as an example the feasibility for the goal ratings 12 kV and 2/20 kA (single phase). A cost analysis shows the FCLCB to be more expensive than a conventional generator circuit breaker but to be in the price range of the Is-limiter and below the costs of superconducting FCL principles. It is concluded that the method provides the basis for further commercial product development.
Reactivation of Pulmonary Tuberculosis following Treatment of Myelofibrosis with Ruxolitinib

Ruxolitinib is widely in use for treatment of myeloproliferative disorders. It causes inhibition of the Janus kinase (JAK) signal transducer and activation of transcription (STAT) pathway, which plays a key role in the underlying pathophysiology of myeloproliferative diseases. We describe a case of reactivation pulmonary tuberculosis in a retired physician while on treatment with ruxolitinib. We also review the literature on opportunistic infections following use of ruxolitinib. Our case highlights the importance of screening for latent tuberculosis in patients from highly endemic areas prior to start of therapy with ruxolitinib.
The Political Economy of Conflict and Appropriation

This collection of essays departs from the conventional economic paradigm wherein individuals or groups choose among various productive activities for mutually beneficial trade. Each essay recognizes that where property rights are not well defined or easily enforced, individuals may forgo productive opportunities and engage in appropriative activities to compete for property, income, rights or privileges. Though the essays differ in their focus, each illustrates the importance of the institutional setting in determining economic activity. The first of the two sets of essays examines the allocation of resources among productive and appropriative activities in an anarchical political environment, without legal or constitutional tradition. Their objective is to understand different facets of the emergence of order and restraint on individual behaviour out of conditions with few or no assumed constraints. The second set focuses on different types of political institutions, illustrating how they shape conflict and economic activity, and how they themselves can be shaped by conflict.
Resting Heart Rate and Aortic Stiffness in Normotensive Adults

Background and Objectives Large-artery stiffness is an independent predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD), and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) is considered the gold standard measure of arterial stiffness. A resting heart rate is an easily measured vital sign that is also associated with CVD morbidity and mortality. Previous studies have reported the significant relationship of a resting heart rate with arterial stiffness as measured by cfPWV only in hypertensive subjects; their relationship in nonhypertensive subjects remains unknown. The present study, therefore, examined their relationship in normotensive subjects. Subjects and Methods In 102 healthy Korean Americans between ages 20 and 60 years, their resting heart rate was measured by an automated blood pressure measuring device after a 10 minute rest in the supine position. Arterial stiffness was measured by cfPWV using the SphygmoCor device. Results The mean resting heart rate of participants (mean age, 39.64 years; 59% women) was 61.91 bpm (standard deviation [SD], 9.62 bpm) and mean the cfPWV was 6.99 (SD, 1.14) m/s. A multiple regression analysis showed that a resting heart rate is a significant predictor of cfPWV after controlling for age, body mass index, and mean arterial pressure. For one bpm increase of resting heart rate, cfPWV increased approximately 0.02 m/s. Conclusion Our results suggest that a higher resting heart rate is independently associated with increased arterial stiffness as measured by cfPWV in normotensive adults. Arterial stiffness may explain the prognostic role of an individual's heart rate in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.
Analytical Results of V-BLAST MIMO Systems with Two Transmit Antennas over Correlated Rayleigh Channels

In this paper, the performance of vertical Bell Labs Space-Time (V-BLAST) algorithms for the MIMO systems with two transmit antennas is analyzed over correlated-Rayleigh channel. We derive the analytical bit error rates (BERs) of the first and second detection steps for both optimal and fixed detection ordering schemes. We also investigate the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) degradation of the detection steps for correlated-Rayleigh channels over an independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) Rayleigh channel. Afterwards, the effect of optimal ordering on the SNR improvement over fixed detection ordering has been discussed. Results have shown that the correlation reduces the SNR improvement of optimal ordering in the first step, whereas the correlation has no effect on the performance of the second step.
A Study of the Language Attitudes and Practices in the Context of Two Elite English-Medium Schools in Pakistan

i DEDICATION ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF TABLES ix LIST OF FIGURES x GLOSSARY xi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Purpose of the Study 3 1.2 Rationale for the study 3 1.3 Research Questions 6 1.4 Theoretical Background 6 1.5 The research site and participants 9 1.6 Design of the study 9 1.7 Organization of the thesis 10 1.8 Conclusion 11 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 13 2.1 Language planning and policy (LPP) 14 2.1.1 Developments and orientations 14 2.1.2 Language planning and policy: Definitions 17 2.1.3 Language planning and policy frameworks 19 2.1.4 Types of language planning 23 2.2 Language-in-education planning 26 2.2.1 Critical perspectives on language-in-education planning 27 2.2.2 Macro/micro, top-down/bottom-up and explicit/implicit perspectives on L-i-E 28 2.2.3 Language-in-education in schools 30 2.2.3.1 The medium of instruction policy 30 2.2.3.2 Language(s) as additional subject 32 2.2.3.3 The English-only monolingual policy: Linguistic and academic implications 32 2.3 Language attitudes and LPP 33 2.3.1 Language attitudes: Definitions 34 2.3.2 Language attitudes: Types and orientations 35 2.3.3 Language attitudes and ideologies 37 2.3. 4 Procedures for language attitudes research 38 2.3. 5 The role of attitudes in language learning and language maintenance and shift 39 2.3. 6 The relevance of attitudes to the present study 40 2.4 Language maintenance and shift and LPP 41 2.4. 1 Language maintenance and shift: Definitions 41 2.4. 2 Language maintenance and shift and language policy 43 2.4. 3 Role of schools in language maintenance and shift 45 2.4. 4 Language maintenance and shift in Pakistan 46 2.5 Conclusion 47
Fast algorithm of LTE RACH detection based on sparse fourier transform

In this paper, we present a fast algorithm of time synchronization between User Equipment (UE) and Base Station (BS) which is suitable for Long Term Evolution (LTE) Random Access Channel (RACH). The algorithm reduces the complexity more than 1.5 times. Further, if the SNR is above a threshold, the algorithm allows to extremely reduce the complexity of synchronization more than 3 times. The presented method uses the sparse nature of a time synchronization problem, where the spike of a cross-correlation between received signal and local RACH preamble indicates correct time delay.
Globalization, Education, Work, and the Ideology of the “Self-Evident Natural Laws” of Capitalist Production

With the implementation of structural adjustment programs, economic restructuring, regional and bilateral trade agreements, including the North America Free Trade Association (NAFTA) and the Free Trade Agreement of the Americans (FTAA), rapid and profound changes have restructured Canada into a market-driven economy (Panich, 1994; Teeple, 1995). Since the mid-1980’s, federal and provincial governments have promoted a neo-liberal development strategy that emphasized an unrestricted market, rather than the state as regulatory of the economy and society. The integration of the Canadian state into an international market encouraged unfettered economic growth, decreased spending on social programs and deregulated state responsibilities, weakened national economic borders and an increase in foreign investment and the production of goods and services for export. By reducing the regulatory foundation and the funding framework (crucial components of a “social safety net” for health, social services and education), both levels of government actively pursued the privatization of public services such as postsecondary education and effectively gave transnational corporations access to potentially valuable economic activity.
IPO Initial Returns and Volatility: A Study in an Emerging Market

This study examines the impact of firm characteristics, signaling variables and financial variables on IPO initial returns and the volatility of initial returns. Hierarchical regression is first performed on all the three blocks of variables, after which a stepwise regression is executed to further test on the significance of the relationship amongst the respective individual variables. The results designate differences in the relationship between firm characteristics, signaling variables and financial variables on IPO initial returns and the volatility of initial returns. It is conjectured that oversubscription of IPOs have a positive impact on the initial returns, whilst prospective dividend yield has a negative impact on the volatility of IPOsâ€™ initial returns
Collagen type III induced ex vivo thrombogenesis in humans. Role of platelets and leukocytes in deposition of fibrin.

Exposure of type III collagen coats on plastic cover slips in parallel-plate perfusion chambers to flowing nonanticoagulated human blood resulted in deposition of platelets and fibrin. Blood was drawn directly from an antecubital vein by an occlusive roller pump over the collagen coats in chambers having flow slits of different dimensions, so that wall shear rates of 100, 650, and 2600 s-1 were obtained at 10 ml/min. Coagulation was minimally activated during the passage of blood from the vein to the chamber as shown by fibrinopeptide A levels of 3.7 ng/ml after 5-minute perfusions. The surface coverage with platelets increased from 18% at 100 s-1 to 59% at 2600 s-1, and the corresponding thrombus volumes increased from 2 to 22 microns 3/microns 2, respectively. This contrasted with the coverage with fibrin on collagen, which decreased from 28% at 100 s-1 to 9% at 2600 s-1. Fibrin deposits on the thrombi covered 6% of the surface irrespective of the shear rate, indicating that some of the deposited platelets accelerated the deposition of fibrin. The type III collagen preparation did not activate factor XII and did not possess tissue factor activity, indicating that the surface itself was not procoagulant. However, a correlation between deposited leukocytes and surface coverage with fibrin was observed (r = 0.78, p less than 0.01), suggesting a role for these cells in the deposition of fibrin. The data demonstrate that thrombogenesis is triggered by pure type III collagen, although the deposition of fibrin is not initiated by the collagen itself but presumably by deposited leukocytes. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)