Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The large scale observing system component of ADRICOSM: the satellite system

In the framework of the ADRICOSM project, the Satellite Oceanography Group (GOS) of Rome developed a Fast Delivery System (FDS) for providing the partner modeling centres with remotelysensed ocean colour and sea surface temperature (SST) data. Data are processed, mapped and binned on the Adriatic Sea area in order to be assimilated into both ecosystem models and circulation models for ocean forecasting. Further technological improvements permitted the building and optimization of a system suitable for meeting the increasing demand for near-real-time ocean colour and SST products for applications in operational oceanography. Real-Time Images of SeaWiFS chlorophyll concentration, clouds/case I/case II water flags and true colour images are obtained by processing the satellite passes using climatological ancillary data. These images are provided daily through an ad hoc automatic system that processes the raw satellite data and makes it available on the web within an hour of satellite overpass acquisition. All of the images are stored in a gallery web archive organized in a calendar chart. Accurate chlorophyll maps for assimilation are produced in near real time (typically after 4 days) as soon as daily meteorological ancillary data are made available on the NASA website. Each chlorophyll map is flagged for clouds or other contamination factors using the corresponding 24 quality flag maps. This implies that case-2 waters and spurious atmospheric effects have been removed from the pigment data set. This final product is binned on the Adriatic model grid and made available for the ADRICOSM project on the GOS web site. NOAA/AVHRR data are also acquired by the GOS ground station in Rome and managed by the FDS from their reception up to their distribution. Daily SST maps of the Adriatic Sea binned over the AREG model grid at 1/16° resolution are distributed weekly in Near-Real-Time along with the daily SST maps of the eastern Mediterranean Sea delivered at 1/8° resolution to the MFSTEP project. Real-Time SST maps of the Adriatic Sea at 1km resolution are posted daily in GIF format on the GOS website.
Apigenin Induces Apoptosis through Proteasomal Degradation of HER2/neu in HER2/neu-overexpressing Breast Cancer Cells via the Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase/Akt-dependent Pathway*

Apigenin is a low toxicity and non-mutagenic phytopolyphenol and protein kinase inhibitor. It exhibits anti-proliferating effects on human breast cancer cells. Here we examined several human breast cancer cell lines having different levels of HER2/neu expression and found that apigenin exhibited potent growth-inhibitory activity in HER2/neu-overexpressing breast cancer cells but was much less effective for those cells expressing basal levels of HER2/neu. Induction of apoptosis was also observed in HER2/neu-overexpressing breast cancer cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. However, the one or more molecular mechanisms of apigenin-induced apoptosis in HER2/neu-overexpressing breast cancer cells remained to be elucidated. A cell survival pathway involving phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), and Akt is known to play an important role in inhibiting apoptosis in response to HER2/neu-overexpressing breast cancer cells, which prompted us to investigate whether this pathway plays a role in apigenin-induced apoptosis in HER2/neu-overexpressing breast cancer cells. Our results showed that apigenin inhibits Akt function in tumor cells in a complex manner. First, apigenin directly inhibited the PI3K activity while indirectly inhibiting the Akt kinase activity. Second, inhibition of HER2/neu autophosphorylation and transphosphorylation resulting from depleting HER2/neu protein in vivo was also observed. In addition, apigenin inhibited Akt kinase activity by preventing the docking of PI3K to HER2/HER3 heterodimers. Therefore, we proposed that apigenin-induced cellular effects result from loss of HER2/neu and HER3 expression with subsequent inactivation of PI3K and AKT in cells that are dependent on this pathway for cell proliferation and inhibition of apoptosis. This implies that the inhibition of the HER2/HER3 heterodimer function provided an especially effective strategy for blocking the HER2/neu-mediated transformation of breast cancer cells. Our results also demonstrated that apigenin dissociated the complex of HER2/neu and GRP94 that preceded the depletion of HER2/neu. Apigenin-induced degradation of mature HER2/neu involves polyubiquitination of HER2/neu and subsequent hydrolysis by the proteasome.
Relative Fisher Information and Natural Gradient for Learning Large Modular Models

Fisher information and natural gradient provided deep insights and powerful tools to artificial neural networks. However related analysis becomes more and more difficult as the learner's structure turns large and complex. This paper makes a preliminary step towards anew direction. We extract a local component from a large neural system, and define its relative Fisher information metric that describes accurately this small component, and is invariant to the other parts of the system. This concept is important because the geometry structure is much simplified and it can be easily applied to guide the learning of neural networks. We provide an analysis on a list of commonly used components, and demonstrate how to use this concept to further improve optimization.
A Serious Game for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder as a tool for play therapy

We propose a Serious Game (SG) for children on the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) composed of a Tangible User Interface (TUI) and a Graphical User Interface (GUI). The TUI is built from physical Lego-like building blocks augmented with electronic modules. The proposed SG is envisaged as a play therapy tool aimed at improving autistic children's social and cognitive skills. We investigate the effects of using our SG in a play therapy exercise, by running an empirical study that compares conventional clinical non-computer block-games with the proposed SG. In our preliminary experimental study, the proposed system showed an improvement in social interaction, collaborative play and exercise performance, and a decrease in solitary play. Our results suggest that the proposed system can be a useful tool for play therapy aimed for young children with ASD.
Absorption characteristics of the lipophilic prodrug of mitomycin C from injected liposomes or an emulsion

Mitomycin C (MMC) is amphiphilic and so cannot be incorporated into lipoidal delivery systems. To develop a lipoidal delivery system, its prodrug, nonyloxycarbonyl MMC, was formulated in liposomes and in o/w emulsions and the usefulness of these formulations was evaluated. After injection into the rat thigh muscle, MMC was rapidly absorbed regardless of the dosage form. However, the prodrug was retained at the injection site for considerably longer when formulated in a lipid dispersion system. The accumulation of MMC at regional lymph nodes was also investigated and whereas free MMC arrived at and disappeared from the lymph nodes almost immediately after injection, the prodrug arrived at an early stage and its concentration decreased only gradually, remaining fairly high 2 h after injection. Liposomal lipids appeared to accumulate at the lymph nodes to a greater degree than o/w emulsions. It is suggested that the combination of lipidic carrier devices with lipophilic prodrugs may be a useful adjunct to cancer chemotherapy.
PKFCM - Proximity based kernel fuzzy c-means for semi-supervised data clustering

Proximity-based fuzzy c-means algorithm (P-FCM), a classical semi-supervised clustering algorithm, concerns with the number of proximity “hints” or constraints that specify an extent to which some pairs of instances are considered similar or. By replacing the fuzzy c-means in P-FCM with a kernel fuzzy c-means, this paper proposes a new semi-supervised clustering algorithm named proximity-based kernel fuzzy c-means (PKFCM), which not only can cluster non-linearly separable data but also can utilize the user inputs about proximity among data to guide the clustering. In addition, PKFCM is able to apply the user inputs to select decent parameters for kernel functions. Simulations on some synthetic data demonstrate the feasibility and advantages of proposed PKFCM.
Data Transmission over Rain-Faded Broadband Fixed Wireless Access Channels

The performance evaluation of communication protocols in broadband fixed wireless access (BFWA) networks needs the accurate description of the statistical properties of the packet error process. In BFWA networks mainly operating above 20 GHz, a clear line-of-sight (LOS) path is necessary between the base stations (BS) and the subscribers (S). Rain attenuation is the dominant fading mechanism at these frequencies. In this paper, a Markov- based method to estimate the packet loss rate (PLR) performance over a dynamically, due to propagation, varying LOS BFWA channel is presented and tested against simulation results. The proposed method is based on the first- order Markovian modeling of the rain attenuation process. The proposed method can serve as a performance evaluation tool of various modulation and coding schemes (MCS) and is also applicable even when adaptive fade mitigation techniques are employed in the BFWA network.
A Novel Partitioning Method for Accelerating the Block Cimmino Algorithm

We propose a novel block-row partitioning method in order to improve the convergence rate of the block Cimmino algorithm for solving general sparse linear systems of equations. The convergence rate of the block Cimmino algorithm depends on the orthogonality among the block rows obtained by the partitioning method. The proposed method takes numerical orthogonality among block rows into account by proposing a row inner-product graph model of the coefficient matrix. In the graph partitioning formulation defined on this graph model, the partitioning objective of minimizing the cutsize directly corresponds to minimizing the sum of inter-block inner products between block rows thus leading to an improvement in the eigenvalue spectrum of the iteration matrix. This in turn leads to a significant reduction in the number of iterations required for convergence. Extensive experiments conducted on a large set of matrices confirm the validity of the proposed method against a state-of-the-art method.
Distributed control of a class of second-order nonlinear multi-agent systems with switching topologies

This paper proposes a distributed control result for strong output-agreement of a class of second-order nonlinear multi-agent systems. The nonlinear dynamics of the agents are handled by a class of nonlinear control laws. It is first proved that each controlled agent admits a positively invariant set if the outputs of the neighboring agents are bounded. Then, by showing the existence of a positively invariant set for the multi-agent system, the state boundedness of the multi-agent system is guaranteed, and strong output-agreement is proved by showing that the size of the positively invariant set is reducing. An example with simulation is employed to show the effectiveness of the main result.
Low S(+) ketamine doses: a review.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Low doses of ketamine or isomers are promising possibilities for anesthesia and postoperative analgesia. This study aimed at reviewing major properties of low ketamine doses, which may justify their use in anesthesia and postoperative analgesia. CONTENTS Literature suggests that ketamine induces preemptive and preventive postoperative pain relief, decreasing opioid consumption and improving patients' satisfaction. Opioid-induced tolerance and hyperalgesia may be minimized with low ketamine doses. Ketamine decreases inhalational anesthetic consumption and may protect ischemic nervous cells. Promising effects, such as neuroprotection and improvement of long-term outcomes, require further studies. CONCLUSIONS Most studies with low S(+) ketamine doses have shown preventive effects, decreasing central nervous system sensitization, opioid-induced tolerance and hyperalgesia, anesthetic and analgesic consumption, and the incidence of postoperative adverse effects.
Author ' s personal copy HIV prevention interventions to reduce sexual risk for African Americans : The in fl uence of community-level stigma and psychological processes

Interventions to improve public health may benefit from consideration of how environmental contexts can facilitate or hinder their success. We examined the extent to which efficacy of interventions to improve African Americans’ condom use practices was moderated by two indicators of structural stigmadWhites’ attitudes toward African Americans and residential segregation in the communities where interventions occurred. A previously published meta-analytic database was re-analyzed to examine the interplay of community-level stigma with the psychological processes implied by intervention content in influencing intervention efficacy. All studies were conducted in the United States and included samples that were at least 50% African American. Whites’ attitudes were drawn from the American National Election Studies, which collects data from nationally representative samples. Residential segregation was drawn from published reports. Results showed independent effects of Whites’ attitudes and residential segregation on condom use effect sizes. Interventions were most successful when Whites’ attitudes were more positive or when residential segregation was low. These two structural factors interacted: Interventions improved condom use only when communities had both relatively positive attitudes toward African Americans and lower levels of segregation. The effect of Whites’ attitudes was more pronounced at longer follow-up intervals and for younger samples and those samples with more African Americans. Tailoring content to participants’ values and needs, which may reduce African Americans’ mistrust of intervention providers, buffered against the negative influence of Whites’ attitudes on condom use. The structural factors uniquely accounted for variance in condom use effect sizes over and above intervention-level features and community-level education and poverty. Results highlight the interplay of social identity and environment in perpetuating intergroup disparities. Potential mechanisms for these effects are discussed along with public health implications. 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A camera self-calibration technique for mobile wheelchairs

The Robotic systems for disabled people, aims at bringing a piloting assistance to powered wheelchairs in answer to the needs of mobility aid using dynamic vision techniques from mobile robotics. People start to design the robot with the fastest computers to process the information, together with high quality camera to serve as its eye, and precise mechanical motion control. The main working mode for this purpose is a contribution to dynamic vision, in the aim to improve a visio-space behavior of handicapped children. A self-calibration technique of a visual sensor is described: self-calibration implying the adoption of methods allowing to calibrate automatically a camera without using of special calibration set-ups. This paper examines what can be done within a Euclidean calibration, when the internal parameters must remain constant any more. So, we look at a Euclidean basis being a projective and one where some constraints must be observed. This work shows theoretically along with real experiments, how it is possible to completely calibrate a camera in line, that is to determine the intrinsic parameters and the relative displacement between two or three images, without any a priori knowledge of the scenes. The infinite homography computing method is used to estimate intrinsic and extrinsic parameters. This procedure consists of a closed-form solution, followed by a nonlinear refinement based on a bundle adjustment criterion.
Microbiological assessment of four probiotic feed supplements used by the dairy industry in New Zealand

Since Metchnikoff’s publication ‘‘The Prolongation of Life’’ (Metchnikoff 1908) proposed the use of live bacteria to improve health, a precise definition of probiotics has yet to be formulated, however a widely held definition is ‘‘live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host’’ (FAO/WHO 2002). However, an on-going challenge with using probiotics is maintaining their viability while they are stored and sold. This challenge is compounded when probiotics are used in agriculture as feed supplements, since it may not be economical to use freeze drying or refrigeration to maintain the viability of microbes in a product. We analysed four agricultural probiotic feed supplements used by the New Zealand dairy industry, to estimate the number of live probiotic microbes in each product using a combination of culture techniques, particle size analysis and live/dead staining.
Ovarian preservation by GnRH agonists during chemotherapy: a meta-analysis.

PURPOSE Treatment with cyclophosphamide (CYC) confers up to a 40% risk of ovarian failure in women of reproductive age. The use of GnRH agonists (GnRHa) to preserve ovarian function has been investigated in several small studies. We performed a systematic review of studies examining whether a GnRHa administered during chemotherapy is protective of ovarian function and fertility. METHODS We searched the English-language literature (1966-April 2007) using MEDLINE and meeting abstracts and included studies that reported an association between GnRHa and ovarian preservation in women receiving chemotherapy. Studies without a control group were excluded. Ovarian preservation was defined as the resumption of menstrual cycles and a premenopausal follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) after chemotherapy. Fertility was determined by a woman's ability to become pregnant. We estimated the summary relative risk (RR) and associated 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) using a random-effects model. RESULTS Nine studies included 366 women. Three studies included women with autoimmune disease receiving CYC; six included women with hematologic malignancy receiving combination chemotherapy. In total, 178 women were treated with GnRHa during chemotherapy, 93% of whom maintained ovarian function. Of the 188 women not treated with GnRHa, 48% maintained ovarian function. The use of a GnRHa during chemotherapy was associated with a 68% increase in the rate of preserved ovarian function compared with women not receiving a GnRHa (summary RR = 1.68, 95% CI 1.34-2.1). Among the GnRHa-treated women, 22% achieved pregnancy following treatment compared with 14% of women without GnRHa therapy (summary RR = 1.65, CI 1.03-2.6). CONCLUSIONS Based on the available studies, GnRHa appear to improve ovarian function and the ability to achieve pregnancy following chemotherapy. Several randomized trials are underway to define the role and mechanism of GnRHa in ovarian function preservation. In the meantime, premenopausal women facing chemotherapy should be counseled about ovarian preservation options, including the use of GnRHa therapy.
The Role of Agenda Control in the Creation of a Single Market for Pension Funds

Given the ideological and institutional differences between Bismarckian and Beveridgean pension systems, European efforts to develop a common pension market have proved a formidable problem for the European Commission. Why did pension market integration fail in the early 1990s but made a successful return onto the EU Commission's agenda more than a decade later? This paper argues that the creation of a pension fund directive in 2003, a crucial step along the way towards a single pension market, is not the result of neoliberal ascendency, but the product of structural change and effective agenda-setting by the European Commission. The shift from an industrial to a service economy, as well as a range of pension reforms in Bismarckian nations, provided a window of opportunity for the Commission to invite member states to negotiate a single pension market. Secondly, learning from past negotiation failure induced EU administrators to use their agenda-setting tools more effectively, including limiting the range of policy issues under consideration, reducing uncertainty about member states' true reform types, and building coalitions with key member states.
Phenotype-genotype studies in kuru: implications for new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

The PRNP polymorphic (methionine/valine) codon 129 genotype influences the phenotypic features of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy. All tested cases of new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (nvCJD) have been homozygous for methionine, and it is conjectural whether different genotypes, if they appear, might have distinctive phenotypes and implications for the future "epidemic curve" of nvCJD. Genotype-phenotype studies of kuru, the only other orally transmitted transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, might be instructive in predicting the answers to these questions. We therefore extracted DNA from blood clots or sera from 92 kuru patients, and analyzed their codon 129 PRNP genotypes with respect to the age at onset and duration of illness and, in nine cases, to detailed clinical and neuropathology data. Homozygosity at codon 129 (particularly for methionine) was associated with an earlier age at onset and a shorter duration of illness than was heterozygosity, but other clinical characteristics were similar for all genotypes. In the nine neuropathologically examined cases, the presence of histologically recognizable plaques was limited to cases carrying at least one methionine allele (three homozygotes and one heterozygote). If nvCJD behaves like kuru, future cases (with longer incubation periods) may begin to occur in older individuals with heterozygous codon 129 genotypes and signal a maturing evolution of the nvCJD "epidemic. " The clinical phenotype of such cases should be similar to that of homozygous cases, but may have less (or at least less readily identified) amyloid plaque formation.
CPA-security for Padded RSA Tingxiang Zou

Ron Rivest(left), Adi Shamir(middle) and Leonard Adleman(right) Clifford Cocks The security of RSA is basically based on one assumption, known as the RSA assumption (Definition 7.46 in [1]): given N, e and a randomly chosen y ∈ Z∗ N , where N is the product of two large primes p and q, e is coprime with φ(N) := (p− 1)(q− 1), no probabilistic polynomial-time Turing machine can find with non-negligible probability the x ∈ Z∗ N , such that y = [xe mod N ]. The basic RSA scheme (often called plain or textbook RSA) is the following: (Construction 10.15 in [1]) • Key-generation: on security parameter n, generate public key (N, e) and secret key (N, d), such that N = p ·q, p, q primes with length n, e coprime with φ(N) = (p−1)(q−1) and d = [e−1 mod φ(N)]; • Encryption: given message m ∈ Z∗ N , Enc(N,e)(m) := [me mod N ] • Decryption: given ciphertext c ∈ Z∗ N , Dec(N,d)(c) := [cd mod N ]. However, plain RSA is vulnerable to all kinds of attacks. In particular, it is a deterministic encryption scheme, hence can never be chosen-plaintext secure (CPA-secure). One simple way to modify is to randomly pad the message before encrypting. We call this kind of schemes
Fast Model-based 3D Human Face Reconstruction from Silhouettes of Multiple Views

Recovering the 3D face model of a human head from photographs has been a topic of research in computer graphics for years. In this paper we present a novel model-based approach which solely depends on silhouettes of the input object. A PCA face model derived from USF HumanID dataset is used to model the 3D face. Instead of considering the entire silhouette of the head image, we only fit the model to the face outline of the silhouette which can eliminate the fitting error caused by the presence of hair. Parameters of the PCA model are adjusted according to the distances between the projected boundary vertices of the model and the silhouette. Our algorithm produce satisfactory model and is computational simple and efficient. Working on a high resolution model requires less than a minute to converge