Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Orient-2: a realtime wireless posture tracking system using local orientation estimation

A realtime posture tracking system has been developed using a network of compact wireless sensor devices worn by the user. Each device is a complete inertial/magnetic tracking unit which performs in situ orientation estimation based on its own sensor readings, using a complementary quaternion-based filter. Compared to existing systems which transmit raw sensor data to a PC for processing, it is shown that this technique reduces bandwidth requirements by 79% for typical usage. In combination with a time division multiple access scheme, this reduction allows for full-body tracking using 15 devices at a 64Hz update rate through a single 250kbps receiver. The data is applied to a rigid body model of the subject to provide a realtime display, and can be exported for use in major animation packages.
Towards LES of High Reynolds Number External Flows on Unstructured Grids

Large eddy simulation (LES) using the dynamic Smagorinsky model (DSM) (Germano et al., 1991) and discretely kinetic energy conserving numerical methods (Mahesh et al., 2004) has successfully predicted complex flows such as gas turbine combustors and marine propulsor crashback (e.g. Vyšohlid and Mahesh (2005); Chang et al. (2008); Jang and Mahesh (2010, 2012); Verma et al. (2012)). This paper discusses two developments towards reliably using LES for inhomogeneous and attached flows: (1) a dynamic Lagrangian model where a dynamic procedure is proposed for the Lagangian timescale and (2) a wall model where in addition to the Germano-identity error, external Reynolds stress is also imposed as a constraint on the ensemble-average subgrid-scale stress. Both developments are for unstructured grids.
Developing an Acidic Residue Reactive and Sulfoxide-Containing MS-Cleavable Homobifunctional Cross-Linker for Probing Protein–Protein Interactions

Cross-linking mass spectrometry (XL-MS) has become a powerful strategy for defining protein–protein interactions and elucidating architectures of large protein complexes. However, one of the inherent challenges in MS analysis of cross-linked peptides is their unambiguous identification. To facilitate this process, we have previously developed a series of amine-reactive sulfoxide-containing MS-cleavable cross-linkers. These MS-cleavable reagents have allowed us to establish a common robust XL-MS workflow that enables fast and accurate identification of cross-linked peptides using multistage tandem mass spectrometry (MSn). Although amine-reactive reagents targeting lysine residues have been successful, it remains difficult to characterize protein interaction interfaces with little or no lysine residues. To expand the coverage of protein interaction regions, we present here the development of a new acidic residue-targeting sulfoxide-containing MS-cleavable homobifunctional cross-linker, dihydrazide sulfoxide (DHSO). We demonstrate that DHSO cross-linked peptides display the same predictable and characteristic fragmentation pattern during collision induced dissociation as amine-reactive sulfoxide-containing MS-cleavable cross-linked peptides, thus permitting their simplified analysis and unambiguous identification by MSn. Additionally, we show that DHSO can provide complementary data to amine-reactive reagents. Collectively, this work not only enlarges the range of the application of XL-MS approaches but also further demonstrates the robustness and applicability of sulfoxide-based MS-cleavability in conjunction with various cross-linking chemistries.
Serum miR-21 as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND The oncogenic microRNAs (miRNAs) miR-21 and miR-31 negatively regulate tumor-suppressor genes. Their potential as serum biomarkers has not been determined in human colorectal cancer (CRC). METHODS To determine whether miR-21 and miR-31 are secretory miRNAs, we screened expression in medium from 2 CRC cell lines, which was followed by serum analysis from 12 CRC patients and 12 control subjects. We validated expression of candidate miRNAs in serum samples from an independent cohort of 186 CRC patients, 60 postoperative patients, 43 advanced adenoma patients, and 53 control subjects. We analyzed miR-21 expression in 166 matched primary CRC tissues to determine whether serum miRNAs reflect expression in CRC. Patient survival analyses were performed by Kaplan-Meier analyses and Cox regression models. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS Although miR-21 was secreted from CRC cell lines and upregulated in serum of CRC patients, no statistically significant differences were observed in serum miR-31 expression between CRC patients and control subjects. In the validation cohort, miR-21 levels were statistically significantly elevated in preoperative serum from patients with adenomas (P < .001) and CRCs (P < .001). Importantly, miR-21 expression dropped in postoperative serum from patients who underwent curative surgery (P < .001). Serum miR-21 levels robustly distinguished adenoma (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.813; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.691 to 0.910) and CRC (AUC = 0.919; 95% CI = 0.867 to 0.958) patients from control subjects. High miR-21 expression in serum and tissue was statistically significantly associated with tumor size, distant metastasis, and poor survival. Moreover, serum miR-21 was an independent prognostic marker for CRC (hazard ratio = 4.12; 95% CI = 1.10 to 15.4; P = .03). CONCLUSIONS Serum miR-21 is a promising biomarker for the early detection and prognosis of CRC.
Vascular dysfunction in S 1 P 2 sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor knockout mice

Lorenz JN, Arend LJ, Robitz R, Pau1 RJ, MacLennan AJ. Vascular dysfunction in S1P2 sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor knockout mice. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 292: R440–R446, 2007. First published September 21, 2006; doi:10.1152/ajpregu.00085. 2006. — There is growing evidence that sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) plays an important role in regulating the development, morphology, and function of the cardiovascular system. There is little data, however, regarding the relative contribution of endogenous S1P and its cognate receptors (referred to as S1P1–5) to cardiovascular homeostasis. We used S1P2 receptor knockout mice (S1P2 / ) to evaluate the role of S1P2 in heart and vascular function. There were no significant differences in blood pressure between wild-type and S1P2 / mice, measured in awake mice. Cardiac function, evaluated in situ by using a Millar catheter, was also not different in S1P2 / mice under baseline or stimulated conditions. In vivo analysis of vascular function by flowmetry revealed decreases in mesenteric and renal resistance in S1P2 / mice, especially during vasoconstriction with phenylephrine. In intact aortic rings, the concentration-force relations for both KCl and phenylephrine were right shifted in S1P2 / mice, whereas the maximal isometric forces were not different. By contrast, in deendothelialized rings the concentration-force relations were not different but the maximal force was significantly greater in S1P2 / aorta. Histologically, there were no apparent differences in vascular morphology. These data suggest that the S1P2 receptor plays an important role in the function of the vasculature and is an important mediator of normal hemodynamics. This is mediated, at least in part, through an effect on the endothelium, but direct effects on vascular smooth muscle cannot be ruled out and require further investigation.
Performance of Multi-hop ad hoc Networks with MIMO

This paper is organised as follows. Section II discusses the factors affecting the aggregate throughput of ad hoc networks such as relaying and interference. This is followed by a description of the MAC spatial scheme with reference to the more conventional IEEE 802.11 MAC. The performance of the multi-hop schemes are described in Section IV. Abstract— This paper describes the performance of multi-hop ad hoc networks that use MIMO modulation formats when carrying CBR traffic. Performance is assessed using a realistic interference environment based on a Bellcore indoor propagation model. It is shown that in principle MIMO can enhance performance by a factor of 3 with four transmit and four receive antennas providing there is sufficient multipath to ensure no correlation between transmission paths. Multi-hop communications operate best when relaying and transmit power is kept low, and when nodes communicate with the closest access point. Results indicate that more access points should be installed within a room to improve spectrum efficiency, otherwise in the case of long multi-hop links, the gains obtained through frequency reuse do not compensate for the relaying burden imposed on the intermediate nodes. II. FACTORS AFFECTING THROUGHPUT
Alien plant invasions and native plant extinctions: a six-threshold framework

Currently there is debate around whether the outcome of alien plant invasions is the extinction of native plants. We refocus the debate around a series of thresholds along an extinction trajectory where extinction is the end point. We identify and discuss a range of factors that influence our ability to state that extinction has occurred and the role of these factors in determining breaches of the other thresholds along the trajectory. Over-emphasis on the end point of the extinction trajectory ignores strong evidence for declines and breaches of other thresholds along the trajectory which are critical for understanding and managing the threat.
A study of discrete wavelet transform based denoising to reduce the effect of artificial light interferences for indoor optical wireless communication

The optical power penalty (OPP) due to the artificial light interferences (ALIs) can be significantly high in an indoor optical wireless communication (OWC) channel making such link practically infeasible. A discrete wavelet transform (DWT) is an effective technique in reducing the ALI effects. The DWT has the advantage over the high pass filtering (HPF) to reduce ALI in terms of complexity and performance. In this paper, a comprehensive study of the DWT based denoising for the on-off keying (OOK), pulse position modulation (PPM) and digital pulse interval modulation (DPIM) is provided. The OPPs due to ALIs and DWT based denoising for these modulation techniques are presented.
Recognition of Faces in Unconstrained Environments: A Comparative Study

The aim of this work is to carry out a comparative study of face recognition methods that are suitable to work in unconstrained environments. The analyzed methods are selected by considering their performance in former comparative studies, in addition to be real-time, to require just one image per person, and to be fully online. In the study two local-matching methods, histograms of LBP features and Gabor Jet descriptors, one holistic method, generalized PCA, and two image-matching methods, SIFT-based and ERCF-based, are analyzed. The methods are compared using the FERET, LFW, UCHFaceHRI, and FRGC databases, which allows evaluating them in real-world conditions that include variations in scale, pose, lighting, focus, resolution, facial expression, accessories, makeup, occlusions, background and photographic quality. Main conclusions of this study are: there is a large dependence of the methods on the amount of face and background information that is included in the face's images, and the performance of all methods decreases largely with outdoor-illumination. The analyzed methods are robust to inaccurate alignment, face occlusions, and variations in expressions, to a large degree. LBP-based methods are an excellent election if we need real-time operation as well as high recognition rates.
Conjugate-Computation Variational Inference: Converting Variational Inference in Non-Conjugate Models to Inferences in Conjugate Models

Variational inference is computationally challenging in models that contain both conjugate and non-conjugate terms. Methods specifically designed for conjugate models, even though computationally efficient, find it difficult to deal with non-conjugate terms. On the other hand, stochastic-gradient methods can handle the non-conjugate terms but they usually ignore the conjugate structure of the model which might result in slow convergence. In this paper, we propose a new algorithm called Conjugate-computation Variational Inference (CVI) which brings the best of the two worlds together -- it uses conjugate computations for the conjugate terms and employs stochastic gradients for the rest. We derive this algorithm by using a stochastic mirror-descent method in the mean-parameter space, and then expressing each gradient step as a variational inference in a conjugate model. We demonstrate our algorithm's applicability to a large class of models and establish its convergence. Our experimental results show that our method converges much faster than the methods that ignore the conjugate structure of the model.
Energy aware multiple constraints multipath QoS routing protocol with mobility Prediction for MANET

This paper presents a source based reactive protocol called "Energy aware Multipath QoS Routing Protocol with Mobility Prediction (EMQRPMP)" for MANET. It is the enhanced version of the existing protocol called "Power aware Multiple QoS constraints Routing Protocol with Mobility Prediction (PMQRPMP)". It considers quality of service constraints namely delay, delay-jitter, bandwidth, and cost for each link on 'n' available paths and selects 'k' routing paths between a source and a destination during path discovery. EMQRPMP checks bandwidth constraint during route request to minimize control overhead. It also checks power constraint for each node for selecting paths with good battery backup. EMQRPMP uses our new mobility prediction mechanism to find the link expiry time and determines the stability of link expiry time for each link between two adjacent nodes of each path during route reply. It executes path maintenance procedure when the link between two nodes is cut off. EMQRPMP considers the reservation of a backup path during link failure thus reducing control overhead. After finding multiple paths, the source distributes routing load on all the selected paths using an intelligent load distribution algorithm as to increase throughput in MANET.
Mitochondrial DNA Variants in a Portuguese Population of Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder associated with dementia in late adulthood. Mitochondrial respiratory chain impairment has been detected in the brain, muscle, fibroblasts and platelets of AD patients, indicating a possible involvement of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in the etiology of the disease. Several reports have identified mtDNA mutations in AD patients, but there is no consensual opinion regarding the cause of the impairment. We have studied mtDNA NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 nucleotides 3337–3340, searching for mutations. Our study group included 129 AD patients and 125 healthy age-matched controls. We have found alterations in two AD patients: one had two already known mtDNA modifications (3197 T-C and 3338 T-C) and the other a novel transition (3199 T-C) which, to our knowledge, has not been described before.
An Approach for Examining Student Satisfaction in an Indian University

Student Satisfaction is a measure to know the contentment levels of the students. Universities nowadays strive to be the best in the global market. The techniques followed for computing student satisfaction vary for each University. In general, a few factors are considered for determining the satisfaction levels. These factors include technology, admin support, co-curricular activities in the University, hostel facilities, library and safety at the campus etc. Higher the satisfaction levels, higher is the retention of the students at the University. Students are treated as customers and happy customers are always beneficial. A lot of study and research has been done in this area in the foreign Universities. Analysis of the data has been done using various tools but none of the approaches used prediction models for satisfaction levels. This research work includes the analysis and prediction of student satisfaction rate using machine learning on the data gathered from the University. Various machine learning models are applied and an ensemble approach is opted for prediction. Feedback from the University students, reviews from social media are collected and analyzed. Sentiment analysis is applied on the reviews and the results conclude that a more positive response is received through the reviews on social media.
Self-perception of the learning difficulties of elementary school students Autopercepção das dificuldades de aprendizagem de estudantes do ensino fundamental

Purpose: To verify the self-perception of reading and writing difficul ties of elementary school students from region of high social risk and elevated health vulnerability index, as well as the perception of their parents about these difficulties. Methods: sixty-five students (from both genders), from the 4 th to the 7 th years of elementary school, and those responsible for them participated in the survey. Two questionnaires, one for students and another for the ones responsible for them, were used, with questions about reading and writing difficulties. It was used the School Performance Test (Teste de Desempenho Escolar - TDE, with reading and writing tests). Results: Of the students assessed, 2/3 had a positive self-perception of their performance in reading and writing and their parents appeared to realize the difficulties more sharply than their children. There was relationship between student self-perception and lower performance in reading and writing tests, which was also verified in relation to the perception of the parents. Conclusion: Less students presented negative self-perception of their performance in reading and writing when it is compared to the perception of the parents. Those children with better performance perceive themselves better and so do their parents. However, reading and writing tests revealed a higher percentage of students with lower performances than the self-perception indicated. In this sense, especially in areas of high social risk as in this study, educators and professionals involved in the teaching-learning process should be alert to signs of difficulties, even before complaints from the family and from the children.
The Pairing-Based Cryptography Mechanism to Provide Confidentiality and Authentication for Broker-Less Content-Based Publish / Subscribe System

Publish–subscribe system is a messaging system, which consists of different types agents where these agents are classified based on their roles. These agents can be the information producers or information consumers. In Publish subscribe system, publishers publish messages and these messages or the subscribers based on their subscriptions receive events. Event subscribers describe the kind of events that they want to receive with an event subscription, which acts as a filter on the message or event contents. In the content based publish/subscribe system, publishers and subscribers are loosely coupled and they do not trust each other; so providing the basic security mechanisms like authentication and confidentiality in the publish/subscribe system is a difficult task. As publisher does not need to know all subscribers that receive an event and, similarly, subscribers do not know the identity of publishers that send events to them, all the communication between them is handled by the publish/subscribe system. In the existing broker architecture of most messaging systems, they have a messaging server i.e. broker in the middle. Every application is been connected to the central broker and there is no direct communication between applications. All the communication is been done through the broker. As all the messages have to be passing through the broker, it becomes bottleneck of the whole system. In the event of broker failure, it results in the breakdown of the entire system. To address this issue there is an approach is to provide confidentiality and authentication in a broker-less content-based publish/subscribe system by using the pairing-based cryptography mechanisms.
Early real-time estimation of the basic reproduction number of emerging or reemerging infectious diseases in a community with heterogeneous contact pattern: Using data from Hong Kong 2009 H1N1 Pandemic Influenza as an illustrative example

Emerging and re-emerging infections such as SARS (2003) and pandemic H1N1 (2009) have caused concern for public health researchers and policy makers due to the increased burden of these diseases on health care systems. This concern has prompted the use of mathematical models to evaluate strategies to control disease spread, making these models invaluable tools to identify optimal intervention strategies. A particularly important quantity in infectious disease epidemiology is the basic reproduction number, R0. Estimation of this quantity is crucial for effective control responses in the early phase of an epidemic. In our previous study, an approach for estimating the basic reproduction number in real time was developed. This approach uses case notification data and the structure of potential transmission contacts to accurately estimate R0 from the limited amount of information available at the early stage of an outbreak. Based on this approach, we extend the existing methodology; the most recent method features intra- and inter-age groups contact heterogeneity. Given the number of newly reported cases at the early stage of the outbreak, with parsimony assumptions on removal distribution and infectivity profile of the diseases, experiments to estimate real time R0 under different levels of intra- and inter-group contact heterogeneity using two age groups are presented. We show that the new method converges more quickly to the actual value of R0 than the previous one, in particular when there is high-level intra-group and inter-group contact heterogeneity. With the age specific contact patterns, number of newly reported cases, removal distribution, and information about the natural history of the 2009 pandemic influenza in Hong Kong, we also use the extended model to estimate R0 and age-specific R0.
Molecular freeze-out as a tracer of the thermal and dynamical evolution of pre- and protostellar cores

Radiative transfer models of multi-transition observations are used to determine molecular abundances as functions of position in pre- and protostellar cores. The data require a “drop” abundance profile with radius, with high abundances in the outermost regions probed by low excitation 3 mm lines, and much lower abundances at intermediate zones probed by higher frequency lines. The results are illustrated by detailed analysis of CO and HCO + lines for a subset of objects. We propose a scenario in which the molecules are frozen out in a region of the envelope where the temperature is low enough ($\la$40 K) to prevent immediate desorption, but where the density is high enough (>10 4 –10 5 cm -3 ) that the freeze-out timescales are shorter than the lifetime of the core. The size of the freeze-out zone is thereby a record of the thermal and dynamical evolution of the cores. Fits to CO data for a sample of 16 objects indicate that the size of the freeze-out zone decreases significantly between class 0 and I objects, explaining the variations in, for example, CO abundances with envelope masses. However, the corresponding timescales are $10^{5\pm 0.5}$ years, with no significant difference between class 0 and I objects. These timescales suggest that the dense pre-stellar phase with heavy depletions lasts only a short time, of the order of 10 5 yr, in agreement with recent chemical-dynamical models.