Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Signal and membrane anchor functions overlap in the type II membrane protein I gamma CAT

I gamma CAT is a hybrid protein that inserts into the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum as a type II membrane protein. These proteins span the membrane once and expose the NH2-terminal end on the cytoplasmic side and the COOH terminus on the exoplasmic side. I gamma CAT has a single hydrophobic segment of 30 amino acid residues that functions as a signal for membrane insertion and anchoring. The signal- anchor region in I gamma CAT was analyzed by deletion mutagenesis from its COOH-terminal end (delta C mutants). The results show that the 13 amino acid residues on the amino-terminal side of the hydrophobic segment are not sufficient for membrane insertion and translocation. Mutant proteins with at least 16 of the hydrophobic residues are inserted into the membrane, glycosylated, and partially proteolytically processed by a microsomal protease (signal peptidase). The degree of processing varies between different delta C mutants. Mutant proteins retaining 20 or more of the hydrophobic amino acid residues can span the membrane like the parent I gamma CAT protein and are not proteolytically processed. Our data suggest that in the type II membrane protein I gamma CAT, the signals for membrane insertion and anchoring are overlapping and that hydrophilic amino acid residues at the COOH-terminal end of the hydrophobic segment can influence cleavage by signal peptidase. From this and previous work, we conclude that the function of the signal-anchor sequence in I gamma CAT is determined by three segments: a positively charged NH2 terminus, a hydrophobic core of at least 16 amino acid residues, and the COOH-terminal flanking hydrophilic segment.
Object tracking by bidirectional learning with feature selection

This paper proposes a new tracking algorithm which combines object and background information, via building object and background appearance models simultaneously by non-parametric kernel density estimation. The major contribution is a novel bidirectional learning framework for discrimination between the object and background. It has the following advantages: 1) it embeds background information, unlike most other methods that focus on the object only, 2) it provides a mechanism to detect occlusion and distraction, which are two main causes of tracking failure, 3) it performs feature selection, making the tracker more robust to outliers. By this learning framework, we are able to embed discriminative information into the generative appearance model. Experimental results demonstrate that the tracker is able to model drastic appearance changes and robust to occlusion and distraction.
Practical implementation and analysis of spatial soundfield capture by higher order microphones

Spatial soundfield recording is important for capturing immersive audio environments, providing real spatial soundfields for soundfield reproduction and to test the quality of soundfield reproduction by loudspeakers. Recently, higher order microphones were introduced for spatial sound capture over large areas and proven by theoretical simulations. Higher order microphones have the advantage of requiring a lower number of units than ordinary microphones for capturing spatial soundfields over a region but are more complex. In this work, we implement a 2D higher order microphone system using ordinary microphones, amplifiers and audio interfaces. A soundfield is created with loudspeakers placed in the farfield of the microphones in a reverberant room. To capture the soundfield over a region, we recorded the soundfield on the boundary of this region using our higher order microphone system. These recording were processed to provide the soundfield pressure at all positions within this region and compared with actual recordings of the pressure at these position. Our results showed that the captured soundfield using the higher order microphone system had less than 10% error, proving its effectiveness for recording real soundfields and its implementation using available audio equipment.
A 16kB tile-able SRAM macro prototype for an operating window of 4.8GHz at 1.12V VDD to 10 MHz at 0.5V in a 28-nm HKMG CMOS

This paper describes a tile-able 16-kByte 6-T SRAM macro in a High-K Metal-Gate (HKMG) 28-nm bulk technology with an operating window from 4.8 GHz at 1.12 V VDD down to 10 MHz at 0.5V, meeting almost all of the Dynamic Voltage Frequency Scaling (DVFS) requirements of Level-1 (L1) caches of a digital microprocessor SOC. It uses an unmodified technology-supported 0.156um2 high-current (HC) SRAM cell. Innovative and carefully optimized circuit solutions provide the wide operating range measured in hardware. We also discuss two circuit improvements, a cross-coupled PMOS-pair for each bitline-pair with mux readout and an independently-controlled precharge-and-write driver (ICPW), which gives a wider DVFS operating window with reduced sensitivities to Process-Voltage-Temperature (PVT) variations. Improved SRAM macros with new circuits have been designed and laid out and their performance and area verified in simulation.
Code Graph for Malware Detection

When an application program is executed for the first time, the results of its execution are not always predictable. Since the host will be damaged by a malware as soon as it is executed, detecting and blocking the malware before its execution is the most effective means of protection. In contrast to current research into the detection of malwares based on their behavior while being executed, we propose a new mechanism which can preview the effect of a program on a system. The mechanism we developed is to represent the distinctions between portable executable binaries. The proposed mechanism analyzes the instructions related to the system-call call sequence in a binary executable and demonstrates the result in the form of a topological graph. This topological graph is called the code graph and the preview system is called the code graph system. We have tested various real application programs with the code graph system and identified their distinctive characteristics which can be used for distinguishing normal softwares from malwares such as worm codes and botnet programs. Our system detected all known malwares used in the experiment, and distinguished 67% of unknown malwares from normal programs. In this paper, we show how to analyze the effects of executable binaries before their execution and normal softwares can be effectively distinguished from malwares by applying the code graph.
Visualizing Urban Anaylsis in Mixed Reality

This paper focuses on the computational creation of animated data visualization used to communicate urban analysis and design in a video. The goal is to combine abstract analysis information with concrete qualitative impressions of a location in the case study area of Zurich. Different urban analysis methods are used to procedurally create an animation with the open source software Blender that facilitates also the compositing process of animation with video. The resulting videos are created during an elective course at ETH Zurich. Anticipating the advent of augmented and mixed reality applications for daily life, we elaborate on their usability for urban design, education and collaborative planning with relatively easy to learn video effect methods. Not only different levels of abstraction are visualized but also -- inherent to the medium of video -- the relation to time.
Arms Swing Effects on a Walking Planar Biped

A walking gait is designed for a planar biped with two identical three-link legs, a trunk and two one-link arms. This nine-link biped is controlled via eight torques to obtain one step of a cyclic gait. The scope of this paper is to investigate the effects of arms swing on the energy consumption during walking of a fully actuated planar biped robot. Kinematics and dynamics of a biped, HYDROID, are used for this study. Desired gaits are considered to be cyclic having single support phases separated by flat foot impacts. Different evolutions of the arms: arms held, arms bound and arms swing are compared. For each case, we use a parametric optimization method with constraints to produce reference cyclic trajectories according to an energy criterion. The numerical results show that this criterion is lower in the case where the arms swing. © 2012 ASME
End-of-life decisions among cancer patients compared with noncancer patients in Flanders, Belgium.

PURPOSE Incidence studies reported more end-of-life decisions with possible/certain life-shortening effect (ELDs) among cancer patients than among noncancer patients. These studies did not correct for the different proportions of sudden/unexpected deaths of cancer versus noncancer patients, which could have biased the results. We investigated incidences and characteristics of ELDs among nonsudden cancer and noncancer deaths. METHODS We sampled 5,005 certificates of all deaths in 2001 (Flanders, Belgium) stratified for ELD likelihood. Questionnaires were mailed to the certifying physicians. Data were corrected for stratification and nonresponse. RESULTS The response rate was 59%. Among 2,128 nonsudden deaths included, ELDs occurred in 74% of cancer versus 50% of noncancer patients (P < .001). Symptom alleviation with possible life-shortening effect occurred more frequently among cancer patients (P < .001); nontreatment decisions occurred less frequently (P < .001). The higher incidence of lethal drug use among cancer patients did not hold after correcting for patient age. Half of the cancer patients who died after an ELD were incompetent to make decisions compared with 76% of noncancer patients (P < .001). Discussion with patients and relatives was similar in both groups. In one fifth of all patients the ELD was not discussed. CONCLUSION ELDs are common in nonsudden deaths. The different incidences for symptom alleviation with possible life-shortening effect and nontreatment decisions among cancer versus noncancer patients may be related to differences in dying trajectories and in timely recognition of patient needs. The end-of-life decision-making process is similar for both groups: consultation of patients and relatives can be improved in a significant minority of patients.
Corruptive Artifacts Suppression for Example-Based Color Transfer

Example-based color transfer is a critical operation in image editing but easily suffers from some corruptive artifacts in the mapping process. In this paper, we propose a novel unified color transfer framework with corruptive artifacts suppression, which performs iterative probabilistic color mapping with self-learning filtering scheme and multiscale detail manipulation scheme in minimizing the normalized Kullback-Leibler distance. First, an iterative probabilistic color mapping is applied to construct the mapping relationship between the reference and target images. Then, a self-learning filtering scheme is applied into the transfer process to prevent from artifacts and extract details. The transferred output and the extracted multi-levels details are integrated by the measurement minimization to yield the final result. Our framework achieves a sound grain suppression, color fidelity and detail appearance seamlessly. For demonstration, a series of objective and subjective measurements are used to evaluate the quality in color transfer. Finally, a few extended applications are implemented to show the applicability of this framework.
POPULATION PARAMETERS OF INTERMEDIATE-AGE STAR CLUSTERS IN THE LARGE MAGELLANIC CLOUD. I. NGC 1846 AND ITS WIDE MAIN-SEQUENCE TURNOFF

The Advanced Camera for Surveys onboard the Hubble Space Telescope has been used to obtain deep, high-resolution images of the intermediate-age star cluster NGC 1846 in the Large Magellanic Cloud. We present new color–magnitude diagrams (CMDs) based on F435W, F555W, and F814W imaging. We test the previously observed broad main-sequence turnoff (MSTO) region for “contamination” by field stars and (evolved) binary star systems. We find that while these impact the number of objects in this region, none can fully account for the large color spread. Our results therefore solidify the recent finding that stars in the MSTO region of this cluster have a large spread in color which is unrelated to measurement errors or contamination by field stars, and likely due to a ∼ 300 Myr range in the ages of cluster stars. An unbiased estimate of the stellar density distribution across the MSTO region shows that the spread is fairly continuous rather than strongly bimodal, as suggested previously. We fit the CMDs with several different sets of theoretical isochrones, and determine systematic uncertainties for population parameters when derived using any one set of isochrones. We note a degeneracy between age and [α/Fe], which can be lifted by matching the shape (curvature) of the full red giant branch (RGB) in the CMD. We find that stars in the upper part of the MSTO region are more centrally concentrated than those in any other region, including more massive RGB and asymptotic giant branch stars. We consider several possible formation scenarios which account for the unusual features observed in the CMD of NGC 1846.
BD+44°493: A NINTH MAGNITUDE MESSENGER FROM THE EARLY UNIVERSE; CARBON ENHANCED AND BERYLLIUM POOR

We present a one-dimensional LTE chemical abundance analysis of the very bright (V = 9.1) carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) star BD+44°493, based on high-resolution, high signal-to-noise spectra obtained with Subaru/HDS. The star is shown to be a subgiant with an extremely low iron abundance ([Fe/H] = −3.7), while it is rich in C ([C/Fe] = +1.3) and O ([O/Fe] = +1.6). Although astronomers have been searching for extremely metal-poor stars for decades, this is the first star found with [Fe/H] <−3.5 and an apparent magnitude V < 12. Based on its low abundances of neutron-capture elements (e.g., [Ba/Fe] =−0.59), BD+44°493 is classified as a “CEMP-no” star. Its abundance pattern implies that a first-generation faint supernova is the most likely origin of its carbon excess, while scenarios related to mass loss from rapidly rotating massive stars or mass transfer from an asymptotic giant branch companion star are not favored. From a high-quality spectrum in the near-UV region, we set an very low upper limit on this star's beryllium abundance (A(Be) = log(Be/H) + 12 < −2.0), which indicates that the decreasing trend of Be abundances with lower [Fe/H] still holds at [Fe/H] <−3.5. This is the first attempt to measure a Be abundance for a CEMP star, and demonstrates that high C and O abundances do not necessarily imply high Be abundances.
DETECTING THE COMPANIONS AND ELLIPSOIDAL VARIATIONS OF RS CVn PRIMARIES. I. σ GEMINORUM

To measure the properties of both components of the RS Canum Venaticorum binary σ Geminorum (σ Gem), we directly detect the faint companion, measure the orbit, obtain model-independent masses and evolutionary histories, detect ellipsoidal variations of the primary caused by the gravity of the companion, and measure gravity darkening. We detect the companion with interferometric observations obtained with the Michigan InfraRed Combiner at Georgia State University’s Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy Array with a primary-to-secondary H-band flux ratio of 270 ± 70. A radial velocity curve of the companion was obtained with spectra from the Tillinghast Reflector Echelle Spectrograph on the 1.5 m Tillinghast Reflector at Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory. We additionally use new observations from the Tennessee State University Automated Spectroscopic and Photometric Telescopes (AST and APT, respectively). From our orbit, we determine model-independent masses of the components ( M 1 = 1.28 ± 0.07 ? > M ⊙ ? > , M 2 = 0.73 ± 0.03 ? > M ⊙ ? > ), and estimate a system age of 5 ∓ 1 ? > Gyr. An average of the 27 year APT light curve of σ Gem folded over the orbital period ( P = 19.6027 ± 0.0005 ? > days) reveals a quasi-sinusoidal signature, which has previously been attributed to active longitudes 180° apart on the surface of σ Gem. With the component masses, diameters, and orbit, we find that the predicted light curve for ellipsoidal variations due to the primary star partially filling its Roche lobe potential matches well with the observed average light curve, offering a compelling alternative explanation to the active longitudes hypothesis. Measuring gravity darkening from the light curve gives β < 0.1 ? > , a value slightly lower than that expected from recent theory.
Outage probability for maximal ratio combining of arbitrarily correlated faded signals corrupted by multiple Rayleigh interferers

Due to the functional complexity of its signal-to-interference (SIR) ratio, the outage probability of maximal ratio combining is available only for certain independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) fading environments. In this paper, we partially relax this restriction by allowing the signal channel-gain vector to follow a general fading distribution with arbitrary spatial correlation. The problem is tackled in a novel framework. The key step is to represent the probability density of the reciprocal of the SIR, conditioned on the signal vector, as the higher order derivative of a simple exponential function in signal power, whereby a generic formula for outage probability can be determined. The application of the generic formula to Rayleigh, Rician, and Nakagami faded signals is elaborated. Numerical results are also presented for illustration.
Price Competition Between Mobile Commerce Retailers and Web Site Retailers

With game theory as research tool, this paper investigates deeply on price competition behavior between mobile commerce retailers (MCR) and web site retailers (WSR) in m-commerce era, elicits 2 kinds of market structures. Furthermore, it gives out perfect equilibrium prices as well as market scale under each condition of market structure. On this basis, two related propositions and two related conclusions are pointed out. First, it gets MCR's and WSR's critical prices. Secondly, as the penetrate rate of m-commerce increasing, two hinds retailers' perfect prices will decrease, and there exists a stable relationship between the ratios of speed declining.
Carcinoembryonic antigen gene family: Molecular biology and clinical perspectives

The carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) gene family belongs to the immunoglobulin supergene family and can be divided into two main subgroups based on sequence comparisons. In humans it is clustered on the long arm of chromosome 19 and consists of approximately 20 genes. The CEA subgroup genes code for CEA and its classical crossreacting antigens, which are mainly membrane‐bound, whereas the other subgroup genes encode the pregnancy‐specific glycoproteins (PSG), which are secreted. Splice variants of individual genes and differential post‐translational modifications of the resulting proteins, e.g., by glycosylation, indicate a high complexity in the number of putative CEA‐related molecules. So far, only a limited number of CEA‐related antigens in humans have been unequivocally assigned to a specific gene. Rodent CEA‐related genes reveal a high sequence divergence and, in part, a completely different domain organization than the human CEA gene family, making it difficult to determine individual gene counterparts. However, rodent CEA‐related genes can be assigned to human subgroups based on similarity of expression patterns, which is characteristic for the subgroups. Various functions have been determined for members of the CEA subgroup in vitro, including cell adhesion, bacterial binding, an accessory role for collagen binding or ecto‐ATPases activity. Based on all that is known so far on its biology, the clinical outlook for the CEA family has been reassessed.
Power allocation for MIMO two-way relay network

MIMO two-way relay is a well known method for realizing highly efficient multi-hop relay networks. Previous works in MIMO two-way relay network have focused on an equidistant topology of the relay nodes. However such a topology rarely exists in a practical situation. In a non-equidistant topology, the end-to-end network capacity degrades severely due to the bottleneck link caused by uneven SNR. Furthermore, the end-to-end network capacity also degrades at high SNR due to overreach interference from far nodes existing in multi-hop relay networks. In this paper, we focus on the non-equidistant topology of the MIMO two-way relay network, and apply three transmit power allocation schemes for balancing and maximizing the SINR of each link, i.e. Eigen-value based Power Allocation (EPA), Optimal Power Allocation (OPA) and Distributed Power Allocation (DPA) schemes. The efficiency of proposed schemes is validated using numerical simulations.
A new method to improve the particle swarm optimization using cellular learning automata (CLAPSO)

Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is a population based statistical optimization technique which inspired by social behavior of bird flocking or fish schooling. PSO algorithm has been developing rapidly and has been applied widely since it was introduced, as it is easily understood and realized. The main weakness of PSO especially in multi modal problems is trapping in local optimums. This paper presents an improved particle swarm optimization algorithm (CLAPSO) to improve the performance of standard PSO, which uses the dynamic inertia weight. Experimental results indicate that the CLAPSO improves the search performance on the benchmark functions significantly.
Oral Health Knowledge and Behaviors among Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes

Early onset and more advanced periodontal disease has been reported for children with diabetes. We surveyed oral health knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors among adolescents with diabetes in order to inform potential intervention strategies. Study subjects were youth (ages 12–19 years) with type 1 diabetes (N = 90) participating in a cohort study investigating determinants of periodontal disease at a regional pediatric diabetes specialty clinic. Over 90% of the youth had been instructed on how to brush and floss and had preventive dental care in the past year. However, 44% knew that periodontal disease is associated with diabetes and 32% knew that it can start in childhood with bleeding gums. Despite being at high risk for developing periodontal disease, the mean toothbrushing frequency was once per day and 42% did not floss. Significant opportunity exists for improving periodontal disease knowledge and adoption of preventive oral hygiene behaviors in adolescents with diabetes.
Assessing the Contribution of Venture Capital to Innovation

We examine the influence of venture capital on patented inventions in the United States across twenty industries over three decades. We address concerns about causality in several ways, including exploiting a 1979 policy shift that spurred venture capital fundraising. We find that increases in venture capital activity in an industry are associated with significantly higher patenting rates. While the ratio of venture capital to R&D averaged less than 3% from 1983-1992, our estimates suggest that venture capital may have accounted for 8% of industrial innovations in that period.