Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improved viewing resolution of integral videography by use of rotated prism sheets.

We demonstrated that placing a pair of prism sheets in front of a display and rotating them overcomes the upper resolution limit of Integral Photograpy (IP) / Integral Videography (IV) imposed by the Nyquist sampling theorem. A pair of prism sheet with the same pitch placed in front of an IP or IV display parallel-shifts the light rays in the 3D space. Rotating the pair shifts the light rays, causing them to appear to rotate around their original positions. Changing the gap between the sheets changes the diameter of the apparent rotation. Changing the speed at which the sheets are rotated changes the speed of the image movement. Experimental results showed that the quality of the IP and IV images is improved by using this technique. It is a simple and effective way to improve the viewing resolution of IP and IV images without reducing their 3D aspects, such as image depth. It also eliminates the need to move the lenslet array.
Research on Services Selection Based on Credible Alliance in Web Services Combination

In the Internet, there are a mass of malicious, fraudulent services in addition to the dynamics change and differences in service of quality. As a result, it is difficult for a client to fastly get high- quality services. In this paper, a service-composition framework based on the trust evolution and alliance has been proposed. It is different from traditional service workflow model. The trust relationship will be built after the trust evolution between services requester and provider. The trust services requester and provider are going to form an alliance through the relationship, so the malicious, fraudulent services will be excluded from the system and the service-composition will be carried out in a trust environment. On this basis, a strategy measuring the trust relationship among the services based on information entropy has been proposed, which can avoid the deficiencies of multi-dimensional trust indicators simply weighted in the previous studies. Theoretical analysis and experimental result show that the method proposed in this paper is more superior in credibility and security, comparing to the traditional services selection methods.
Performance Of Very High Frequencies Networks

Very high frequencies technology is already well established for LAN’ and W A P . This paper deals with the use of very high frequencies for message passing communications in massively parallel computers. We present some experimental results which validate the possible use of simultaneous communications between computers through a single waveguide. Furthermore, an original proposition of waveguides interconnections which is well suited to a large interconnection network and providing both a high connectivity degree and a very shod diameter is discussed. The performance analysis using analytical queuing models of the network is shown; we present the network bandwidth and latency as a function of system load and architectural parameters of the machine. keywords: interconnection networks, very high frequencies, bandwidth, performance analysis.
Miniaturized Circularly Polarized Square Slot Antenna With Enhanced Axial-Ratio Bandwidth Using an Antipodal Y-strip

A novel single-fed, wideband, circularly polarized slot antenna is proposed and fabricated. Wideband circular polarization is obtained by introducing an antipodal Y-strip to a square slot antenna. The feedline is a U-shaped microstrip line that provides a wide impedance bandwidth. The overall size of the antenna is only <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\text{28}\, \times \text{28}\, \text{mm}^{2}\, (\text{0.3}\; \lambda _{o} \times \text{0.3}\; \lambda _{o})$</tex-math></inline-formula>. A prototype of the antenna is fabricated and tested. The measured bandwidths for the axial ratio <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$(\text{AR} < \text{3}\, \text{dB})$</tex-math></inline-formula> and relative impedance <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$(| {S_{11}} | < - \text{10}\, \text{dB})$</tex-math></inline-formula> are 41.3% (from 4.4 to 6.67 GHz) and 84% (from 3.25 to 8 GHz), respectively, and the antenna has a stable radiation pattern and a gain of greater than 3 dBi over the entire circular polarization frequency band.
Digitally programmable resonator by PZT-SOI process

This work presents a PZT-MEMS oscillator array with more than 30 resonance modes that could be selectively excited by choosing an appropriate set of drive and pick-up electrodes distributed on the array network. PZT films of large piezoelectric constant have been developed on a SOI (Silicon-on-Insulator) wafer by using the ADRIP (Arc Discharged Reactive Ion-Plating).
Significance of Phase-based Features for Person Recognition Using Humming

This paper presents use of hum of a person as a biometric cue for person recognition task. Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCC) is found to be state-of-the-art in the voice biometrics. However, it is magnitude-based features and ignores the phase information. This paper shows the effectiveness of phase-based information extracted via Modified Group Delay Function (MODGDF). The features developed by Mel filtering of MODGDF spectrum are called Modified Group Delay Cepstral Coefficients (MGDCC). The paper demonstrates two types of fusion strategies, viz., score-level and feature-level. The experimental results show that overall performance is improved by 3 % if a score-level fusion is employed between MFCC and MGDCC and 19.78 % by feature-level fusion in terms of % Equal Error Rate (EER). These experimental results clearly indicate that incorporating phase information along with magnitude-based features can effectively captures person-specific characteristics in humming.
The SHI-3 Iron Transport Island of Shigella boydii0-1392 Carries the Genes for Aerobactin Synthesis and Transport

ABSTRACT In Shigella boydii 0-1392, genes encoding the synthesis and transport of the hydroxamate siderophore aerobactin are located within a 21-kb iron transport island betweenlysU and the pheU tRNA gene. DNA sequence analysis of the S. boydii 0-1392 island, designated SHI-3 for Shigella island 3, revealed a conserved aerobactin operon associated with a P4 prophage-like integrase gene and numerous insertion sequences (IS). SHI-3 is present at thepheU tRNA locus in some S. boydiiisolates but not in others. The map locations of the aerobactin genes vary among closely related species. The association of the aerobactin operon with phage genes and mobile elements and its presence at different locations within the genomes of enteric pathogens suggest that these virulence-enhancing genes may have been acquired by bacteriophage integration or IS element-mediated transposition. AnS. boydii aerobactin synthesis mutant, 0-1392iucB, was constructed and was similar to the wild type in tissue culture assays of invasion and intercellular spread.
Expression of colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor during prostate development and prostate cancer progression

Colony-stimulating factor-1 receptor (CSF-1R) is the major regulator of macrophage development and is associated with epithelial cancers of the breast and ovary. Immunohistochemistry analysis of murine prostate development demonstrated epithelial expression of CSF-1R during the protrusion of prostatic buds from the urogenital sinus, during the prepubertal and androgen-driven proliferative expansion and branching of the gland, with a decline in older animals. Models of murine prostate cancer showed CSF-1R expression in areas of carcinoma- and tumor-associated macrophages. Several human prostate cancer cell lines and primary cultures of human prostate epithelial cells had low but detectable levels of CSF-1R. Human prostatectomy samples showed low or undetectable levels of receptor in normal glands or benign prostatic hypertrophy specimens. Staining was strongest in areas of prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia or carcinoma of Gleason histological grade 3 or 4. The activated form of the receptor reactive with antibodies specific for phosphotyrosine modified peptide sequences was observed in samples of metastatic prostate cancer. Immunohistochemistry showed strong expression of CSF-1R by macrophage lineage cells, including villous macrophages and the syncytiotrophoblast layer of placenta, Kupper cells in the liver, and histiocytes infiltrating near prostate cancers. These observations correlate CSF-1R expression with changes in the growth and development of the normal and neoplastic prostate.
An introduction to the main principles of emulation: motor control, imagery, and perception

Abstract: A framework for understanding representational capacities of nervous systems is developed and explored. The framework is based upon constructs from control theory and signal processing, most prominently forward models (aka emulators) and Kalman filters. The basic idea is that the brain constructs models or emulators for entities with which it interacts, such as the body and environment. During normal sensorimotor behavior these models are run in parallel with the modeled system in order to enhance, supplement and process information from the sensors. These models can also be taken off-line in order to produce imagery, select among possible actions, and solve problems. After introducing the central concepts, the framework is developed in the contexts of motor control, imagery, and perception. Other potential applications, including cognition and language, are briefly explored.
GVIS: An Integrating Infrastructure for Adaptively Mashing up User Data from Different Sources

In this article we present an infrastructure for creating mash up visual representations of the user profile that combines data from different sources. We explored this approach in the context of Life Long Learning, where different platforms or services are often used to support the learning process. The system is highly configurable and adaptive: data sources, data aggregations, and visualizations can be configured on the fly by the administrative user without changing any part of the software, and have an adaptive behavior based on linear combination of conditions about user or system characteristics. The visual profiles produced can assume different graphical formats and can be bound to different data, automatically adapting to personal preferences, knowledge, and contexts. We applied our infrastructure to a set of federated Learning Management Systems, retrieving information from different sources and creating some indicators of the learning activity. The software we developed provides learners with adaptive indicators of the learning state, and allows instructors to monitor the progress of their learners.
Evolution of cooperation on scale-free networks subject to error and attack

We study the evolution of cooperation in the prisoner's dilemma and the snowdrift game on scale-free networks that are subjected to intentional and random removal of vertices. We show that, irrespective of the game type, cooperation on scale-free networks is extremely robust against random deletion of vertices, but declines quickly if vertices with the maximal degree are targeted. In particular, attack tolerance is lowest if the temptation to defect is largest, whereby a small fraction of removed vertices suffices to decimate cooperators. The decline of cooperation can be directly linked to the decrease of heterogeneity of scale-free networks that sets in due to the removal of high degree vertices. We conclude that the evolution of cooperation is characterized by similar attack and error tolerance as was previously reported for information readiness and spread of viruses on scale-free networks.
Second World War History: Memory Conflict and Dialogue

We liv e in the present, but the past, history and memory accompany us both visibly and invisibly. As stated by Paul Ricoeur, our past 'I' (as opposed to our present 'I', which, due to its experience, is different from our past 'I') is different from but still the same 'I' (the one that has retained its identity over time). Our identity is created not only by the experience of ourselves, our family and our relatives: we are also influenced by the big historical narratives. More and less recent history - even the big, over-arching events of history - influences each one of us, whether directly or indirectly. The paper focuses on two memory groups that "meet" in the Latvian capital, Riga, every year on March 16th and May 9th. These groups represent two collective memories, each of which reflects different views of history and politics, and each corresponds to specific social needs. After the restoration of Latvian independence, and especially in the past decade, the political significance of these two dates has increased. Both dates commemorate events associated with the Second World War - on March 16th Latvians commemorate the soldiers who fought in the Latvian Legion, while the Ru ssian community celebrates Victory Day on May 9th according to the Russian tradition. Every year, these two events remind us that "the war has ended, but the memory war still continues", that the past is not really past and its influence on the present still sometimes creates unexpected "obstructions". The paper analyses such elements of group memory as territory, language and traditions in an attempt to find answers regarding different symbolic values by analysing the life stories of two participants in the Second World War and trying to create a hypothetical dialogue between them.
Simultaneous blur map estimation and deblurring of a single space-variantly defocused image

In this work we address the problem of blind deblurring using a single space-variantly defocused image containing text. We estimate both the all-in-focus image and the blur map corresponding to the space-variant point spread function of the finite aperture camera. Since this problem is highly ill-posed we exploit a recently proposed technique [1] to obtain an initial estimate of the space-variant blur map which is used in an MAP-MRF alternating minimization framework. We obtain analytically the gradients with respect to the unknowns and show that the proposed objective function can be successfully optimized with the steepest descent technique. Initially, we show results using the Gauss-Markov random field (GMRF) prior and then contrast its performance with the discontinuity adaptive Markov random field (DAMRF) prior. We show that details such as edges and fine details are preserved by the DAMRF regularizer. We compare the results of our algorithm with state-of-the-art techniques and provide both qualitative and quantitative evaluation.
Introduction to nematode evolution and ecology.

Copyright: © 2005 David H.A. Fitch. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: david.fitch@nyu.edu Introduction to nematode evolution and ecology* David H.A. Fitch, Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10003 USA
Enhancing apoptotic cell clearance mitigates bacterial translocation and promotes tissue repair after gut ischemia-reperfusion injury

A key aspect of intestinal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is the increased occurrence of apoptotic cell death in the gut. Insufficient clearance of apoptotic cells leads to increased inflammation and impaired tissue repair. Our recent studies have shown that administration of milk fat globule-epidermal growth factor-factor 8 (MFG-E8), a crucial molecule for apoptotic cell clearance, reduces apoptosis and inflammation under various disease conditions. The purpose of this study was to determine whether MFG-E8 reduces bacterial translocation and promotes tissue repair in a mouse model of gut I/R. Gut ischemia was induced by placing a microvascular clip across the superior mesenteric artery for 90 min in male adult mice. After removing the clip, recombinant murine MFG-E8 (rmMFG-E8) (0.4 μg/20 g BW) or normal saline (Vehicle) was intraperitoneally injected. At 4 h after reperfusion, apoptosis in the gut was measured by TUNEL staining. The mesenteric lymph node (MLN) complex was homogenized and plated on chocolate agar plates for bacterial culture. Neutrophil infiltration was assessed by examining myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in the gut. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels in the gut, an indicator of tissue repair, were measured by western blotting. Out results showed that TUNEL-positive staining in the gut increased significantly in gut I/R vehicle-treated mice. Treatment with rmMFG-E8 markedly suppressed the number of apoptotic cells. Bacterial translocation to the MLN was minimal in sham mice, but was extensive in gut I/R vehicle-treated mice. rmMFG-E8 treatment significantly reduced bacterial translocation to the MLN. Similarly, gut I/R induced a significant increase in intestinal MPO activities in vehicle-treated mice. rmMFG-E8 treatment markedly reduced the increase in intestinal MPO activities after gut I/R. Intestinal levels of VEGF decreased significantly at 4 h after gut I/R. rmMFG-E8 treatment significantly increased intestinal VEGF levels. Thus, enhancing apoptotic cell clearance by rmMFG-E8 mitigates bacterial translocation, inhibits neutrophil infiltration and promotes tissue repair after gut I/R. Enhancing apoptotic cell clearance can be a novel concept in the treatment of gut I/R injury.
Nodular pulmonary amyloidosis and Sjõgren’s syndrome in a patient treated with intermittent haemodialysis (IHD)

unequivocally localize EpoR, it can be used in association with WB to demonstrate whether the tissue expresses the EpoR, even in small quantities. Our data, therefore, appear to be in agreement with those of Elliott et al. [1] and should prompt greater caution in the interpretation of results obtained in immunohistochemistry using currently available antibodies. Far from being a simple speculative exercise, the careful definition of the receptor for Epo, whose functional activities go well beyond erythropoiesis [4] is of fundamental importance, especially in the field of neoplastic diseases [5–8].
Prognostic value of karyometric and clinical characteristics in renal cell carcinoma quantitative assessment of tumor heterogeneity

Background. The variation in tumor cell differentiation within one renal cell carcinoma, also termed tumor heterogeneity, renders visual tumor grading of these carcinomas difficult. Karyometric analysis enables description of nuclear characteristics of multiple tumor areas. Hence, karyometric analysis can be used to quantify tumor heterogeneity and thus may aid in a more objective grading of renal cell carcinoma.
A comprehensive compiler-assisted thread abstraction for resource-constrained systems

While size and complexity of sensor networks software has increased significantly in recent years, the hardware capabilities of sensor nodes have been remaining very constrained. The predominant event-based programming paradigm addresses these hardware constraints, but does not scale well with the growing software complexity, often leading to software that is hard-to-manage and error-prone. Thread abstractions could remedy this situation, but existing solutions in sensor networks either provide incomplete thread semantics or introduce a significant resource overhead. This reflects the common understanding that one has to trade expressiveness for efficiency and vice versa. Our work, however, shows that this trade-off is not inherent to resource-constrained systems. We propose a comprehensive compiler-assisted cooperative threading abstraction, where full-fledged thread-based C code is translated to efficient event-based C code that runs atop an event-based operating system such as Contiki or TinyOS. Our evaluation shows that our approach outperforms thread libraries and generates code that is almost as efficient as hand-written event-based code with overheads of 1 % RAM, 2 % CPU, and 3 % ROM.
Sir-viving cardiac stress: cardioprotection mediated by a longevity gene.

Over the last decade, a number of genetic modifiers of yeast and animal lifespan have been discovered and studied in some detail. Many of these genes lie on or impinge on the evolutionarily conserved insulin signaling pathway.1 In fact, one of the first genes discovered that was linked to lifespan regulation in Caenorhabditis elegans was DAF2, the product of which is highly related to mammalian insulin/insulin-like growth factor (IGF) receptors.2 Many of the intermediates activated by insulin intracellular signaling, such as phosphatidylinositol 3′ kinase (PI3K) and AKT/PKB, mediate cytoprotection associated not only with the insulin receptor but other receptor-mediated signaling pathways as well.3 Preventing the cell death that occurs in response to stress would seem to be a reasonable component of an overall cellular strategy for extending lifespan because the cumulative effects of cell loss have been implicated in various age-related disorders, including cardiovascular disease. Increased activity of prosurvival molecules through increased growth factor/insulin signaling would seem to be one way to achieve extension. Yet the lifespan extending-mutation in the C elegans DAF2 gene caused decreased, rather than increased, signaling. Although it seems counterintuitive that decreased prosurvival signaling is capable of extending lifespan, the notion is supported by the remarkable success that caloric restriction has had in increasing lifespan across the phylogenic spectrum.4 Here too lifespan extension is associated with reduced glucose, insulin, and IGF1 plasma levels, as well as reduced insulin signaling.5 Clearly, either the role of cytoprotection in lifespan extension has been overstated or the complexities of insulin signaling and its downstream effectors underestimated. In this issue of Circulation Research , Alcendor et al6 report on the expression of the longevity factor encoded by SIRT1 (Sir2α) and its potential role as an endogenous inhibitor of stress-mediated cell death in isolated neonatal cardiomyocytes. …
UvA-DARE ( Digital Academic Repository ) Classification , diagnosis and potential mechanisms in pontocerebellar hypoplasia

Pontocerebellar Hypoplasia (PCH) is group of very rare, inherited progressive neurodegenerative disorders with prenatal onset. Up to now seven different subtypes have been reported (PCH1-7). The incidence of each subtype is unknown. All subtypes share common characteristics, including hypoplasia/atrophy of cerebellum and pons, progressive microcephaly, and variable cerebral involvement. Patients have severe cognitive and motor handicaps and seizures are often reported. Treatment is only symptomatic and prognosis is poor, as most patients die during infancy or childhood. The genetic basis of different subtypes has been elucidated, which makes prenatal testing possible in families with mutations. Mutations in three tRNA splicing endonuclease subunit genes were found to be responsible for PCH2, PCH4 and PCH5. Mutations in the nuclear encoded mitochondrial arginyltRNA synthetase gene underlie PCH6. The tRNA splicing endonuclease, the mitochondrial arginyltRNA synthetase and the vaccinia related kinase1 are mutated in the minority of PCH1 cases. These genes are involved in essential processes in protein synthesis in general and tRNA processing in particular. In this review we describe the neuroradiological, neuropathological, clinical and genetic features of the different PCH subtypes and we report on in vitro and in vivo studies on the tRNA splicing endonuclease and mitochondrial arginyl-tRNA synthetase and discuss their relation to pontocerebellar hypoplasia.