Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A filter family designed for use in quadrature mirror filter banks

This paper discusses a family of filters that have been designed for Quadrature Mirror Filter (QMF) Banks. These filters provide a significant improvement over conventional optimal equiripple and window designs when used in QMF banks. The performance criterion for these filters differ from those usually used for filter design in a way which makes the usual filter design techniques difficult to apply. Two filters are actually designed simultaneously, with constraints on the stop band rejection, transition band width, and pass and transition band performance of the QMF filter structure made from those filters. Unlike most filter design problems, the behavior of the transition band is constrained, which places unusual requirements on the design algorithm. The requirement that the overall passband behavior of the QMF bank be constrained (which is a function of the passband and stop band behavior of the filter) also places very unusual requirements on the filter design. The filters were designed using a Hooke and Jeaves optimization routine with a Hanning window prototype. Theoretical results suggest that exactly flat frequency designs cannot be created for filter lengths greater than 2, however, using the discussed procedure, one can obtain QMF banks with as little as ±. 0015dB ripple in their frequency response. Due to the nature of QMF filter applications, a small set of filters can be derived which will fit most applications.
A Hybrid Approach to Recommending Semantic Software Services

The current proliferation of software services means users should be supported when selecting one service out of the many which meet consumer's needs. Recommender Systems provide such support for selecting products, yet their direct application to software services is not straightforward. In this paper, we derive three requirements for software service recommender systems and then propose a hybrid recommendation approach to address these requirements and provide effective recommendations in conditions of scarce user feedback. The approach combines semantic Content-based reasoning and context-dependent Collaborative Filtering. The paper ends with the experiments based on a realistic set of semantic services against existing approaches, demonstrating how our approach can produce effective recommendation using semantic reasoning over service specifications.
Cold-induced modulation and functional analyses of the DRE-binding transcription factor gene, GmDREB3, in soybean (Glycine max L.)

DREB (dehydration-responsive element-binding protein) transcription factors have important roles in the stress-related regulation network in plants. A DREB orthologue, GmDREB3, belonging to the A-5 subgroup of the DREB subfamily, was isolated from soybean using the RACE (rapid amplification of cDNA ends) method. Northern blot analysis showed that expression of GmDREB3 in soybean seedlings was induced following cold stress treatment for 0.5 h and was not detected after 3 h. However, it was not induced by drought and high salt stresses or by abscisic acid (ABA) treatment. This response was similar to those of members in the A-1 subgroup and different from those of other members in the A-5 subgroup, suggesting that the GmDREB3 gene was involved in an ABA-independent cold stress-responsive signal pathway. Furthermore, analysis of the GmDREB3 promoter elucidated its cold-induced modulation. A promoter fragment containing bases −1058 to −664 was involved in response to cold stress, and its effect was detected for 1 h after treatment, but a transcriptional repressor appeared to impair this response by binding to a cis-element in the region −1403 to −1058 at 24 h after the beginning of cold stress. Moreover, the GmDREB3 protein could specifically bind to the DRE element in vitro, and activated expression of downstream reporter genes in yeast cells. In addition, overexpression of GmDREB3 enhanced tolerance to cold, drought, and high salt stresses in transgenic Arabidopsis. Physiological analyses indicated that the fresh weight and osmolality of GmDREB3 transgenic Arabidopsis under cold stress were higher than those of wild-type controls. GmDREB3 transgenic tobacco accumulated higher levels of free proline under drought stress and retained higher leaf chlorophyll levels under high salt stress than wild-type tobacco. In addition, constitutive expression of GmDREB3 in transgenic Arabidopsis caused growth retardation, whereas its expression under control of the stress-inducible Rd29A promoter minimized negative effects on plant growth under normal growth conditions, indicating that a combination of the Rd29A promoter and GmDREB3 might be useful for improving tolerance to environmental stresses in crop plants.
All Common Subsequences

Time series data abounds in real world problems. Measuring the similarity of time series is a key to solving these problems. One state of the art measure is the longest common subsequence. This measure advocates using the length of the longest common subsequence as an indication of similarity between sequences, but ignores information contained in the second, third. , longest subsequences. In order to capture the common information in sequences maximally we propose a novel measure of sequence similarity - the number of all common subsequences. We show that this measure satisfies the common properties of similarity functions. Calculating this measure is not trivial as a brute force approach is exponential in time. We present a novel dynamic programming algorithm to calculate this number in polynomial time. We also suggest a different way of extending a class of such measures to multidimensional, real-valued time series, in the spirit of probabilistic metric spaces. We conducted an experimental study on the new similarity measure and the extension method for classification. It was found that both the new similarity and the extension method are consistently competitive.
GNet: A cost-effective architecture reusing generic network service dies

Cost is often the dominant factor for decision making on adoption of a new technology. Moreover, reusing is always a powerful method for cost reduction. GNet - a 3D architecture reusing generic network service dies (GNSDs) - is herein proposed to construct NoCs. GNSDs are known good dies (KGDs) that integrate several networks and can be directly used to bond with other dies in a 3D stack. Flexible and configurable design of GNet makes it suitable to requirements for different systems. A comprehensive cost model, which integrates design cost model, reuse model and fabrication model, is introduced to evaluate different architectures from the design phase to the fabrication phase. Experiments show that the GNet is more cost-effective than general 3D implementations.
Phagocytic killing of Neisseria gonorrhoeae by human monocytes

The ability of human monocytes to phagocytize and kill nonpiliated opaque (T3) and transparent (T4) gonococci was investigated in a tumbling tube suspension assay. A serum-sensitive strain, F62, and a serum-resistant strain, FA19, were studied. CFU remaining after incubation with monocytes were used to assess the extent of killing. The data show that 50% of T3 and T4 gonococci of both strains were killed by monocytes over a 2-h period. Serum was necessary for the killing of transparent gonococci of both strains as well as for FA19 T3. Concentrations of serum ranging from 0.5 to 10% were equally effective, and heat-labile components were required. Killing of F62 T3, however, occurred in the absence of serum. An increased ratio of bacteria to monocytes decreased the rate of killing. A 30-min preopsonization of gonococci in 10% serum resulted in an enhanced rate of killing. Monocytes were able to kill plate-grown, but not log-phase, organisms. Disruption of the monocytes by sonication to release internalized bacteria did not increase the number of viable organisms. The addition of 10 micrograms of cytochalasin B per ml completely inhibited the reduction in colony numbers over time. These data indicate that freshly isolated human monocytes are capable of phagocytizing and killing nonpiliated gonococci.
A history of ideas in science education : implications for practice

By allowing key scientists, researchers, professors, and classroom teachers of science to speak for themselves through their published writings about what is best and needed for the field, Dr DeBoer presents a fascinating account of the history of science education in the United States from the middle of the 19th century to the present. The book relates how science first struggled to find a place in the school curriculum and recounts the many debates over the years about what that curriculum should be. In fact, many of what we consider modern ideas in science education are not new at all but can be traced to writings on education of one hundred years ago. The book is aimed at all those interested in science education: classroom teachers and science education leaders concerned about the historical justification of the goals and strategies proposed for the field. The book should be enjoyed not only by the researcher but also by anyone curious about just how curriculum is decided upon and implemented on a national scale.
Ground Water Modelling for the Restoration of Carex Communities on a Sandy River Terrace

Management for sustainable river valleys requires balancing their natural values against the need for agricultural and recreational development on surrounding lands. The Southern Calowanie Peatland near the city of Warsaw sits on a sandy terrace and has well preserved Carex and Molinia stands existing in part of the area, especially where water tables are less than 1.5 m below the surface. The existing drainage network in this southern part has been poorly maintained and could be reestablished to help raise water levels for restoration of the peatland. Modflow was used to look at influence of drainage channel water levels on the overall water table height in the area. By raising water levels in the drainage system by 0.5 m it was found that 29% of the area would become suitable for increasing Carex and Molinia communities.
Design and Analysis of Hybrid NEMS-CMOS Circuits for Ultra Low-Power Applications

Integration of nano-electro-mechanical switches (NEMS) with CMOS technology has been proposed to exploit both near zero-leakage characteristics of NEMS devices along with high ON current of CMOS transistors. The feasibility of integration of NEMS switches into a CMOS process is illustrated by a practical process flow. Moreover, co- design of hybrid NEMS-CMOS as low power dynamic OR gates, SRAM cells, and sleep transistors is explored. Simulation results indicate that such hybrid dynamic OR gates can achieve 60-80% lower switching power and almost zero leakage power consumption with minor delay penalty. However, the hybrid gate outperforms its CMOS counterpart both in terms of delay and switching power consumption with increase in fan-in beyond 12. Additionally, it is shown that the proposed hybrid SRAM cell can achieve almost 8times lower standby leakage power consumption with only minor noise margin and latency cost. Finally, application of NEMS devices as sleep transistors results in upto three orders of magnitude lower OFF current with negligible performance degradation as compared to CMOS sleep switches.
The impact of Tai Chi exercise on coronary heart disease: A systematic review

Purpose: (a) To explore current studies on Tai Chi and its impact on coronary heart disease (CHD), (b) provide critique of existing studies, and (c) provide recommendations for clinical practice and future research. Data sources: Comprehensive review of literature. Conclusions: Tai Chi is a safe alternative exercise for patients who are at risk of CHD or with existing CHD. Implementing Tai Chi exercise may improve serum lipids, blood pressure, and heart rate. Implications for practice: Nurse practitioners (NPs) are in an ideal position to facilitate health promotion and disease prevention. NPs may prescribe Tai Chi as an alternative exercise therapy for their patients who are at risk for developing CHD and even for those with existing CHD. Tai Chi exercise may help prevent and even reverse the progression of cardiac disease.
An Indoor Guidance System for the Blind using Fluorescent Lights - Relationship between Receiving Signal and Walking Speed

The aim of this study is to demonstrate the relationship between the user's walking speed and the data transmission speed in an indoor guidance system using fluorescent lights and a wireless LAN. A simulation formula is used to give out the direct relationship between the parameters. We simulated four angles (30deg-90deg) between the sensor and the horizontal direction. Three different walking speeds and four different data transmission speeds (1200 bps-9600 bps) were applied at all angles. Also we designed a series of experiments to validate the formula
Tumor necrosis factor-alpha and angiostatin are mediators of endothelial cytotoxicity in bronchoalveolar lavages of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is characterized by an extensive alveolar capillary leak, permitting contact between intra-alveolar factors and the endothelium. To investigate whether factors contained in the alveolar milieu induce cell death in human lung microvascular endothelial cells, we exposed these cells in vitro to bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) supernatants from control patients, patients at risk of developing ARDS, and patients with early- and late-phase ARDS. In contrast to BALF from control patients, a significant cytotoxicity was found in BALF from patients at risk of developing ARDS, with late-phase ARDS, and especially from patients with early-phase ARDS. Subsequently, we determined the levels of factors known to exert cytotoxicity in endothelial cells, i.e., tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1, and angiostatin. BALF from patients at risk of developing ARDS, with early-phase ARDS, and with late-phase ARDS, contained increased levels of TNF-alpha and angiostatin, but not of TGF-beta1, as compared with BALF from control patients. Whereas inhibition of TGF-beta1 had no effect in this setting, neutralization of TNF-alpha or angiostatin inhibited the cytotoxic activity on endothelial cells of part of the early-phase ARDS BALF. These results indicate that TNF-alpha and angiostatin may contribute to ARDS-related endothelial injury.
Non-clairvoyant Assignment of Bag-of-Tasks Applications Across Multiple Clouds

Bag-of-Tasks applications are often composed of a large number of independent tasks, hence, they can easily scale out. With public clouds, the (dynamic) expansion of resource capacity in private clouds is much facilitated. Clearly, cost efficiently running BoT applications in a multi-cloud environment is of great practical importance. In this paper, we investigate how efficiently multiple clouds can be exploited for running BoT applications and present a fully polynomial time randomized approximation scheme (FPRAS) as a novel task assignment algorithm for BoT applications. The resulting task assignment can be optimized in terms of cost, make span or the tradeoff between them. The objective function incorporated into our algorithm is devised in the way the optimization objective is tunable based on user preference. Our task assignment decisions are made without any prior knowledge of the processing time of tasks, i.e., non-clairvoyant task assignment. We adopt a Monte Carlo sampling method to estimate unknown task running time. The experimental results shows our algorithm approximates the optimal solution with little overhead.
Historical versus contemporary migration in fragmented populations

Separating historical effects from recent anthropogenic pressures on population structure is paramount for understanding how species have persisted over time and how conservation efforts should best proceed. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Chiucchi & Gibbs (2010) have separated the impacts of ancient and modern habitat fragmentation on genetic structure and migration rates in an endangered species of rattlesnake, the eastern massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus). Previous studies have ignored ancient processes, estimated genetic isolation and migration using collections from different timescales, used markers with different rates of evolution or compared contemporary populations in both continuous and fragmented habitats (Keyghobadi 2007). Here, Chiucchi & Gibbs (2010) estimate migration parameters from microsatellites at two timescales using coalescent methods. Results strongly suggest that massasaugas are characterized by the low levels of migration with strong regional and range‐wide differences, typical of many organisms residing in the patches of habitat surrounded by seas of agriculture, but that these patterns have existed since the Pleistocene. The novel methodology and hypotheses addressed in Chiucchi & Gibbs (2010) highlight future avenues for examining the impacts of fragmentation through time.
Developing a Specialized Vocabulary Word List in a Composition Culinary Course through Lecture Notes

Learning to write in a composition culinary course is very challenging for L2 learners. The main barrier in writing proficiency within this discipline is the lack of vocabulary, specifically the lack of exposure towards specialized vocabulary. This study aims to provide a corpus of specialized vocabulary within a food writing course. By providing students with a word list of specialized vocabulary in the course, students may benefit by familiarizing with the language discourse which will aid in better comprehension of the course, and subsequently facilitate in their writing development. A compilation of all PowerPoint slides from one writing course was assembled and analyzed using the range and frequency program to identify the specialized vocabularies in a food writing course. The corpus was categorized using a four step rating scale, which identified 113 specialized vocabularies in food writing. The learning of specialized vocabulary specialized vocabulary is an important issue at the tertiary level in Malaysia, with educators’ realization of the importance of discourse proficiency in ESP programs, thus many more research is yielded on the many new issues on the teaching and learning of specialized vocabulary particularly within the academic and professional context.
Activation patterns of hindlimb motor units in the awake rat and their relation to motoneuron intrinsic properties.

The activity of hindlimb motor units from the lateral gastrocnemius and tibialis anterior muscles in the awake rat was compared during locomotion and during slow, sinusoidal muscle stretch. The majority of units were activated with high initial frequencies and often commenced firing with an initial doublet or triplet, even when activated by slow muscle stretch. The high firing rates at recruitment occurred without jumps in the firing rates of other concurrently activated units, the firing rate profiles of which were used as a measure of the net synaptic drive onto the motoneuronal pool. This suggested that the sharp recruitment jumps were not due to an abrupt increase in synaptic drive but rather due to intrinsic properties of the motoneuron. In addition, motor units that were activated phasically by the muscle stretch fired more action potentials during muscle shortening than during muscle lengthening, resulting in rightwardly skewed, asymmetrical firing profiles. In contrast, when the same units fired tonically during the imposed muscle stretch, the frequency profiles were modulated symmetrically and no nonlinearities were observed. Tonically firing units were modulated symmetrically throughout a wide range of firing frequencies, and discrete jumps in rate (i.e., bistable firing) were not observed. The sharp recruitment jumps during locomotion and muscle stretch are proposed to have resulted from the additional depolarization produced by the activation of plateau potentials at recruitment. Likewise, the sustained activation of plateaus subsequent to recruitment may have produced the prolonged firing of the motor units during sinusoidal muscle stretch.
Evaluation of social support: analysis of the literature in the database ebsco, Academic Search between 2001 to 2011

Este estudio analiz? la literatura existente sobre soporte social en la base de datos ebsco, Academic Search de 2001 a 2011. Para alcanzar ese objetivo se hizo una b? squeda por los art? culos que presentaran las palabras social support y scale en el resumen. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 107 registros. Se verific? que existieran oscilaciones en la cantidad de estudios a lo largo de los a? os. Las revistas que m? s publicaron fueron Aging & Mental Health y Quality of Life Research. En cuanto al pa? s de actuaci? n profesional del primer autor, predominaron Estados Unidos e Inglaterra. Fueron utilizados 34 instrumentos diferentes para la evaluaci? n del soporte social. Tambi? n se observ? una escasez de informaci? n referente a las cualidades psicom? tricas en las descripciones de los instrumentos.
The Robot Head "Flobi": A Research Platform for Cognitive Interaction Technology

Founded on a vision of a human-friendly technology that adapts to users’ needs and is easy und intuitive for ordinary people to use, CITEC has established an exciting new field: Cognitive Interaction Technology. It aims to elucidate the principles and mechanisms of cognition in order to find ways of replicating them in technology and thus enable a new deep level of service and assistance. In order to proceed in this highly interdisciplinary field, appropriate research platforms and infrastructure are needed. The anthropomorphic robot head “Flobi” combines state-of-the-art sensing functionality with an exterior that elicits a sympathetic emotion response. In order to support several lines of research and at the same time ensure the maintainability of the software and hardware components, a virtual realization of the Flobi head has been proposed that allows an efficient prototyping, systematic testing, and software development in a continuous integration framework.
Lack of prognostic significance of neuroendocrine differentiation and stem cell antigen co-expression in resected early-stage non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND Neuroendocrine (NE) carcinomas of the lung exhibit expression of various stem cell antigens, and except for carcinoid tumours, carry a poor prognosis. Despite the fact that 10%-30% of all non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC) which are not classified as NE carcinomas also show expression of NE markers, data on their prognostic significance are conflicting and analyses of the expression and relevance of stem cell antigens in this subgroup are lacking. MATERIALS AND METHODS Tissue specimens of 100 resected early-stage NSCLC were analyzed by immunohistochemistry for the expression and prognostic significance of NE markers. Moreover, the subgroup of NSCLC with NE differentiation (ND) were assessed for the expression and prognostic significance of the stem cell antigens CD117, CD133 and breast cancer resistance protein-1 (ABCG2). RESULTS ND correlated significantly with adenocarcinoma histology (p=0.035), but not with prognosis. In the subgroup of ND-NSCLC (n=80), the stem cell antigens CD117, CD133 and ABCG2 were expressed in 51%, 14% and 33% of the cases, but likewise, showed no association with prognosis or clinicopathological characteristics. CONCLUSION This study indicates that neither ND, nor co-expression of the stem cell antigens CD117, CD133 or ABCG2, have a prognostic significance in resected early-stage NSCLC.