Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improved seam carving using a modified energy function based on wavelet decomposition

In this paper, a novel content-aware image resizing technique, perceptually improved seam carving with modified energy function, is proposed. The conventional seam carving method using a gradient-based energy function may cause distortion of deformed object shape depending on the layout and amount of contents. However, the proposed method preserves content shape with high fidelity by exploiting a wavelet-based energy function which represents image features effectively within the scale-space framework. To prevent excessively distorting the images, a switching scheme between seam carving and resampling is proposed based on the energy distribution. Experimental results show that the proposed method can achieve higher subjective image quality than the existing methods including scaling and conventional seam carving.
Real Time Propagator in the First Quantised Formalism

We argue that a basic modification must be made to the first quantised formalism of string theory if the physics of `particle creation' is to be correctly described. The analogous quantisation of the relativistic particle is performed, and it is shown that the proper time along the world line must go both forwards and backwards (in the usual quantisation it only goes forwards). The matrix propagator of the real time formalism is obtained from the two directions of proper time. (Talk given at the Thermal Fields Workshop held at Banff, Canada (August 1993). )
Novel study on Cooperative Spectrum Sensing for Cognitive Radio

In cognitive networks, cooperative spectrum sensing is employed to detect the presence of primary user quickly. In this paper, we study the improvement in sensing performance of a cognitive user U1 by allowing another cognitive user U2 to act as its relay. We derive the expression of SNR, and exploit the improvement in SNR to explain why the sensing performance may be improved by using cooperation. For the situation where there is power constraint for U2 when acting as a relay, we pay more attention to studying which parameter affects the sensing performance significantly. We first develop a new numerical model for sensing performance analysis, then we address that, the product of transmission power of cognitive radio and channel gain (between cognitive users) is tightly related to the value of SNR. Further, we propose an important parameter beta that can be predetermined in a practical cognitive network, and show that beta impact the sensing performance greatly.
Voltage clamp analysis of membrane currents in larval muscle fibers of Drosophila: alteration of potassium currents in Shaker mutants

The body wall muscles in Drosophila larvae are suitable for voltage clamp analysis of changes in membrane excitability caused by mutations. Both inward and outward ionic currents are present in these muscle fibers. The inward current is mediated by voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels. In Ca2+-free saline, the inward current is eliminated. The remaining outward K+ currents consist of two distinct components, an early transient IA and a delayed steady IK, which are separable by differences in the rate and voltage dependence of activation and inactivation. The steady-state and kinetic properties of the activation and inactivation processes of these two currents are analyzed. The results provide a basis for quantitative analysis of altered membrane currents in behavioral mutants of Drosophila. Previous studies indicate that mutations in the Shaker (Sh) locus alter excitability in both nerve and muscle in Drosophila. Our results support the idea that the channels mediating IA are molecularly distinct from those mediating IK. All Sh mutations studied specifically affect IA without changing the properties of the calcium current and IK. In certain alleles (ShKS133, Sh102, and ShM) IA is eliminated, permitting detailed studies of IK in isolation of IA. Studies of the alleles that do not eliminate IA provide additional information of the channels. In one such allele, Sh5, voltage dependence of IA activation is shifted to more positive potentials. This is accompanied by a less pronounced shift in the voltage dependence of inactivation. These results suggest that Sh5 mutation affects the voltage-sensitive mechanism of both activation and inactivation processes and that these two processes are not controlled by independent parts of the channel. Furthermore, the differential effects of these alleles on different excitable membranes imply that other genes take part in the control of IA. The effects of Sh5 on muscle depend on developmental stage. In larval muscle, Sh5 reduces the amplitude of IA because of the shift in the current-voltage (I-V) relation. In contrast, in adult Sh5 muscles, IA is reported to be normal in amplitude but shows abnormally rapid inactivation (Salkoff, L., and R. Wyman (1981) Nature 293: 228–230). A different allele, ShrK0120, causes a clear defect in nerve excitability, but analysis of IA in ShrK0120 larval muscle reveals I-V relations, inactivation, and recovery from inactivation similar to those seen in normal fibers. We suggest a possible mechanism of combinations of multiple interacting genes participating in the control of potassium channels to account for the presence of a variety of potassium channels in different excitable membranes.
The temporal organization of stride duration variability for assessing gait stability : clinical application to Parkinson’s disease

Human movement is intrinsically dynamic and complex. Continuous integration of multiple sensory inputs and coordination of motor outputs are needed to achieve efficient, stable and adaptable locomotion. Both externally (e.g. environment) and/or internally (e.g. pathology) generated perturbations and the neuromechanical responses to them contribute to the fluctuating dynamics of human gait (assessed by long-range autocorrelations; LRA). Although the origin of this property is largely debated, LRA may provide important information about neuromechanical control of gait and potentially constitute a powerful marker of dysfunction. Influence of external and internal factors on human locomotion was investigated, which allowed further investigation on both possible neuromechanical origin of LRA and their potential clinical utility. The recent consideration of LRA gives rise to new way of thinking about variability, adaptability, health and motor rehabilitation.
Identification of a novel cyclosporin-sensitive element in the human tumor necrosis factor alpha gene promoter

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), a cytokine with pleiotropic biological effects, is produced by a variety of cell types in response to induction by diverse stimuli. In this paper, TNF-alpha mRNA is shown to be highly induced in a murine T cell clone by stimulation with T cell receptor (TCR) ligands or by calcium ionophores alone. Induction is rapid, does not require de novo protein synthesis, and is completely blocked by the immunosuppressant cyclosporin A (CsA). We have identified a human TNF-alpha promoter element, kappa 3, which plays a key role in the calcium-mediated inducibility and CsA sensitivity of the gene. In electrophoretic mobility shift assays, an oligonucleotide containing kappa 3 forms two DNA protein complexes with proteins that are present in extracts from unstimulated T cells. These complexes appear in nuclear extracts only after T cell stimulation. Induction of the inducible nuclear complexes is rapid, independent of protein synthesis, and blocked by CsA, and thus, exactly parallels the induction of TNF-alpha mRNA by TCR ligands or by calcium ionophore. Our studies indicate that the kappa 3 binding factor resembles the preexisting component of nuclear factor of activated T cells. Thus, the TNF-alpha gene is an immediate early gene in activated T cells and provides a new model system in which to study CsA-sensitive gene induction in activated T cells.
Age-related effects of genetic variation on lipid levels: The Columbia University BioMarkers Study.

OBJECTIVES To examine the genotype:phenotype association in children compared with their parents. METHODS Variations at 4 key gene loci, namely lipoprotein lipase (LPL S447X), hepatic lipase (HL -480C>T), cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP TaqIB), and apolipoprotein CIII (APOC3 -455T>C and -482C>T), were examined in children (n = 495) and their parents (n = 353) in the Columbia University BioMarkers Study, 1994 to 1998. RESULTS The frequencies of the rare alleles of the HL -480C>T and APOC3 -455T>C and -482C>T (but not LPL S447X or CETP TaqIB) were significantly lower in non-Hispanic white participants compared with Hispanics. Overall, genotype effects seen in the adults were weaker in the children, although similar trends were seen. In an examination of the effect of body fat on the genotypic effects in the children, there was significant HL -480C>T:sum of skinfold interaction. CONCLUSIONS All genotypes were associated with clear relationships to plasma lipid levels in adults, but the effects were weaker in their children, unless stressed by body fat. atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, child, lipids, genetics.
Optimization of Robot Arm Motion in Human Environment

In this paper we propose an optimal arm motion generation satisfying multiple criteria via evolved neural controllers. Three different criteria are chosen to be optimized simultaneously, similar to human arm motion in performing daily activities. These criteria are minimum execution time, minimum distance and minimum acceleration. Selected neural controllers from the Pareto solutions are implemented and their performance is evaluated in simulation and on the real mobile robot. Results show a good performance with some differences between simulation and real robot experiments.
Execution Monitoring to Improve Plans with Information Gathering

There has been much recent interest in planning problems with deterministic actions but stochastic observations. Examples include Mars rover planning, robot monitoring tasks and the Rocksample domain from the planning competition. However, theoretical results show that in general these problems are as hard as solving partially observable Markov decision problems (POMDPs). We propose an approach where we build plans assuming the observations are reliable, then monitor the execution of the plan and use a value of information calculation to add information gathering actions on-line. We describe two variants: one using a classical contingency planner to generate the initial plan, and the other using a Markov decision problem planner. We show how in both cases the addition of execution monitoring can considerably improve overall performance with lower computational cost than solving the original POMDP.
Topological grammars for data approximation

A method of topological grammars is proposed for multidimensional data appr oximation. For data with complex topology we define aprincipal cubic complex of low dimension and given complexity that gives the best approximation for the dataset. This complex is a generalization of linear and non-linear principal manifolds and includes them as particular cases. The problem of optimal principal complex construction is transformed into a series of minimization problems for quadratic functionals. These quadratic functionals have a physically transparent interpretation in terms of elastic energy. For the energy computation, the whole complex is represented as a system of nodes and springs. Topologically, the principal complex is a product of onedimensional continuums (represented by graphs), and the gramma rs describe how these continuums transform during the process of optimal complex construction. This factorization of the whole process onto one-dimensional transformations using minimization of quadratic energy functionals allows us to construct efficient algorithms. c © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Functional Differentiation of a Population of Electrically Coupled Heterogeneous Elements in a Microcircuit

Although electrical coupling is present in many microcircuits, the extent to which it will determine neuronal firing patterns and network activity remains poorly understood. This is particularly true when the coupling is present in a population of heterogeneous, or intrinsically distinct, circuit elements. We examine this question in the Aplysia californica feeding motor network in five electrically coupled identified cells, B64, B4/5, B70, B51, and a newly identified interneuron B71. These neurons exhibit distinct activity patterns during the radula retraction phase of motor programs. In a subset of motor programs, retraction can be flexibly extended by adding a phase of network activity (hyper-retraction). This is manifested most prominently as an additional burst in the radula closure motoneuron B8. Two neurons that excite B8 (B51 and B71) and one that inhibits it (B70) are active during hyper-retraction. Consistent with their near synchronous firing, B51 and B71 showed one of the strongest coupling ratios in this group of neurons. Nonetheless, by manipulating their activity, we found that B51 preferentially acted as a driver of B64/B71 activity, whereas B71 played a larger role in driving B8 activity. In contrast, B70 was weakly coupled to other neurons and its inhibition of B8 counteracted the excitatory drive to B8. Finally, the distinct firing patterns of the electrically coupled neurons were fine-tuned by their intrinsic properties and the largely chemical cross-inhibition between some of them. Thus, the small microcircuit of the Aplysia feeding network is advantageous in understanding how a population of electrically coupled heterogeneous neurons may fulfill specific network functions.
Awareness of cervix cancer risk factors in educated youth: a cross-sectional, questionnaire based survey in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.

OBJECTIVE The main aim of this study was to evaluate the awareness of cervix cancer risk factors among Educated Youth with respect to socio demographic factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was carried out among 1268 female undergraduate students in Delhi, Mangalore (India), Pokhara (Nepal) and Kandy (Srilanka) between 25 April 2010 and 20 August 2010 using structured questionnaire containing details of awareness of cervix cancer risk factors and socio demographic details. Descriptive statistics and testing of hypothesis were used for the analysis. Data analyzed using EPI INFO and SPSS 16 software. RESULTS In the 1,268 subjects, the mean age of Indian (528, 41.6%), Nepalese (480, 37.9%) and Srilankan (260, 20.5%) were 18.3 ± SD 0.7, 18.6 ± SD 0.8 and 18.0 ± SD 1.5 years, respectively. Distribution of students according to religion varied across the countries. Majority of the students were Hindus in India (61.4%) and Nepal (89.6%) while in Srilanka the majority (53.8%) were Buddhist. Relationships could be established between nationality and risk factors viz. awareness regarding cervix cancer (p= 0.024), sexual activity at an early age (before 16) can cause cervix cancer (p=0.0001), multiple sex partners can cause cervix cancer (p=0.001), condom/other birth control measures cant prevent HPV infection (p=0.0001), smoking as a risk factor(p=0.0001), hereditary risk factor (p=0.015), and first degree relative (p=0.0001). CONCLUSION These results indicate that there is an urgent need for a reinvigorated and tailored approach to cervix cancer prevention among the educated youth in India, Nepal and Srilanka. Prevention efforts should be focused on improving social awareness, enforcing education strategies to reduce risk factors and improving the strength and quality of counselling.
Simple Estimators for Invertible Index Models

ABSTRACT This article considers estimation of the unknown linear index coefficients of a model in which a number of nonparametrically identified reduced form parameters are assumed to be smooth and invertible function of one or more linear indices. The results extend the previous literature by allowing the number of reduced form parameters to exceed the number of indices (i.e., the indices are “overdetermined” by the reduced form parameters. The estimator of the unknown index coefficients (up to scale) is the eigenvector of a matrix (defined in terms of a first-step nonparametric estimator of the reduced form parameters) corresponding to its smallest (in magnitude) eigenvalue. Under suitable conditions, the proposed estimator is shown to be root-n-consistent and asymptotically normal, and under additional restrictions an efficient choice of a “weight matrix” is derived in the overdetermined case.
Extracting product features and opinions from product reviews using dependency analysis

In web pages, the reviews are written in natural language and are unstructured-free-texts scheme. Online product reviews is considered as a significant informative resource which is useful for both potential customers and product manufacturers. The task of manually scanning through large amounts of review one by one is computational burden and is not practically implemented with respect to businesses and customer perspectives. Therefore it is more efficient to automatically process the various reviews and provide the necessary information in a suitable form. The task of product feature and opinion is to find product features that customers refer to their topic reviews. It would be useful to characterize the opinions about product. In this paper, we propose an approach to extract product features and to identify the opinions associated with these features from reviews through syntactic information based on dependency analysis.
Qualitative and quantitative adaptations of muscle fibers and muscle protein pattern to 35-days bed rest

Ten healthy sedentary subjects underwent 35-days be d rest (BR) and needle biopsy samples of the vastus lateralis muscle were collected pre-B R and post-BR. One portion of the biopsy was glycerinated and used to dissect individ ual muscle fibers, which were studied for measuring fiber size, myosin content and myosin actin ratio by quantitative electrophoresis. Another portion of the biopsy was immediately frozen and used to determine myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoform distribu t on and to perform proteomic analysis by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. As expected on the basis of previous findings, muscle fibers were found to go through a significant degree of atrophy. Myosin concentration was found to be lower post-BR than pr e-BR in individual muscle fibers, whereas in the same fibers myosin actin ratio was u nchanged. The latter findings indicate a disproportionate loss of myosin with respect to fib er CSA and a proportional loss of myosin and actin, suggesting a decrease in myofibrillar de nsity within the fibers. MHC isoform distribution showed a shift in the direction MHC-1 MHC-2A MHC-2X as expected mainly on the basis of previous findings in rat mod els of disuse. The proteomic analysis identified several differentially expressed protein s post-BR, which mainly belonged to antioxidant defense systems and energy metabolism. The antioxidant defense systems were down-regulated suggesting that oxidative stress cou ld ccur in disused human muscle as previously showed in rat models. Both an oxidative and four glycolytic enzymes were down-regulated post-BR suggesting a general downsiz ing of energy metabolism.
Peer-to-Peer Coordination of Autonomous Sensors in High-Latency Networks using Distributed Scheduling and Data Fusion∗

This report details an approach to the real-time coordination of large networks of short-range sensors that communicate over short-range, low-bandwidth, high-latency radio channels. Each sensor is limited in the distance over which it can scan and in the type of data that it can acquire, so nearby sensors must collaborate to acquire complementary data for accomplishing such tasks as multipletarget detection and tracking. Operational limitations on sensors and real-time requirements on tasks restrict the number of tasks in which a given sensor can collaborate. The quality with which a given task is accomplished and the cost incurred are affected by which particular sensors collaborate in achieving the task. Consequently, a coordination mechanism is required to optimize collaboration. The coordination mechanism reported is fully distributed — each sensor decides for itself which measurements it should take to achieve optimal collaboration with nearby sensors, based what it knows about their intended measurements, and informs those sensors of its own intentions so that they can likewise optimize their own measurements. In order to determine which measurements are optimal, a sensor must have knowledge about the targets that are the intended subjects of the measurements. To this end, each sensor exchanges measurement data with nearby sensors, and operates a data fusion process to maintain local target estimates. The reported coordination mechanism is claimed to be scalable, low-cost, adaptive and robust.
Toeplitz-based iterative image fusion scheme for MRI

The MRI image reconstruction supported by Toeplitz-based iterative super-resolution algorithm is presented in the paper. It is shown that the approach improves MRI spatial resolution in cases when multi-blade sequences are used. The PROPELLER MRI method collects data from rectangular regions (blades) rotated around the origin of the k-space. Inter-blade patient motion is the premise for the use of super-resolution technique. Images obtained from sets of irregularly located frequency domain samples are combined into the high resolution MRI image. The super-resolution reconstruction replaces usually applied direct averaging of low-resolution images. Furthermore high order affine motion model has been applied.
Extracting essential local object characteristics for 3D object categorization

Most object classes share a considerable amount of local appearance and often only a small number of features are discriminative. The traditional approach to represent an object is based on a summarization of the local characteristics by counting the number of feature occurrences. In this paper we propose the use of a recently developed technique for summarizations that, rather than looking into the quantity of features, encodes their quality to learn a description of an object. Our approach is based on extracting and aggregating only the essential characteristics of an object class for a task. We show how the proposed method significantly improves on previous work in 3D object categorization. We discuss the benefits of the method in other scenarios such as robot grasping. We provide extensive quantitative and qualitative experiments comparing our approach to the state of the art to justify the described approach.
Relevance Propagation for Topic Distillation UIUC TREC 2003 Web Track Experiments

In this paper, we report our experiments on the Web Track TREC-2003. We submitted ﬁve runs for the topic distillation task. Our goal was to evaluate the standard language modeling algorithms for topic distillation, as well as to explore the impact of combining link and content information. Weproposed a new general relevance propagation model for combining link and content information, and explored a number of speciﬁc methods derived from the model. The experiment results show that combining link and content information generally performs better than using only content information, though the amount of improvement is sensitive to the document collection and tuning of parameters.