Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Triple-Frequency Method for High-Order Ionospheric Refractive Error Modelling in GPS Modernization

New opportunities for the refinement of ionospheric modelling and reduction of the ionospheric error in GPS measurements arise since a third-frequency will be introduced for the modernised GPS system. This paper investigates theoretical models of the ionospheric refractive error. A triple-frequency method of correcting the 1st and 2nd order ionospheric refraction is presented and a triple-frequency ionosphere-free combination method is proposed for GPS modernization. These new methods can be equally applied to the European GALILEO system. In addition, typical effects of the 2nd and 3rd order ionospheric effects are also investigated, and a correct formula for the 3rd order ionospheric error is derived in a simple way for easy implementation. It is anticipated that the proposed refraction correction methods will play an important role in both the modernized GPS and GALILEO systems. Results show that the proposed triple-frequency methods can correct the ionospheric refraction effects to a millimetre level. Since the models are given in simple forms, these corrections can be easily implemented in many real-time applications and the triple-frequency methods for correcting high-order ionospheric can significantly eliminate the error remained in the current ionospheric models. The method developed will potentially contribute to a better long-range baseline ambiguity resolution and an accuracy improvement in precise point positioning.
University of Birmingham Towards Categorization and Pose Estimation of Sets of Occluded Objects in Cluttered Scenes from Depth Data and Generic Object Models Using Joint Parsing

This work addresses the task of categorizing and estimating the six-dimensional poses of all visible and partly occluded objects present in a scene from depth image information, in the absence of ground truth training examples and exact geometrical models of objects. A novel multi-stage algorithm is proposed to perform this task by ﬁrst estimating object category probabilities for each depth pixel using local depth features computed from multiple viewpoints. It then generates a large set of object category and pose pairs, and reduces this set via joint parsing to best match the observed scene depth and per-pixel object category probabilities, while minimizing the physical overlap between objects within the subset. A decision forest is trained on synthetic data and used to estimate pixel category probabilities which are then used to generate a set of pose estimates for all categories. Finally a combinatorial optimization algorithm is used to perform joint parsing to ﬁnd a best subset of poses. The algorithm is applied to the challenging Heavily Occluded Object Challenge data set which contains depth data of sets of objects placed on a table and generic object models for each category, but does not include registered RGB data or human annotations for training. It is tested on difﬁcult scenes containing 10 or 20 objects and successfully categorizes and localizes 29% of objects. The joint parsing algorithm successfully catego-rizes and localizes 56% of objects when ground truth poses are added to the set of pose estimates.
Mutations That Activate the Silent bgl Operon of Escherichia coli Confer a Growth Advantage in Stationary Phase

ABSTRACT Wild-type strains of Escherichia coli are unable to utilize aromatic β-glucosides such as arbutin and salicin because the major genetic system that encodes the functions for their catabolism, the bgl operon, is silent and uninducible. We show that strains that carry an activated bgl operon exhibit a growth advantage over the wild type in stationary phase in the presence of the rpoS819 allele that causes attenuated rpoS regulon expression. Our results indicate a possible evolutionary advantage in retaining the silent bgl operon by wild-type bacteria.
Community Composition of a Hypersaline Endoevaporitic Microbial Mat

ABSTRACT A hypersaline, endoevaporitic microbial community in Eilat, Israel, was studied by microscopy and by PCR amplification of genes for 16S rRNA from different layers. In terms of biomass, the oxygenic layers of the community were dominated by Cyanobacteria of the Halothece, Spirulina, and Phormidium types, but cell counts (based on 4′,6′-diamidino-2-phenylindole staining) and molecular surveys (clone libraries of PCR-amplified genes for 16S rRNA) showed that oxygenic phototrophs were outnumbered by the other constituents of the community, including chemotrophs and anoxygenic phototrophs. Bacterial clone libraries were dominated by phylotypes affiliated with the Bacteroidetes group and both photo- and chemotrophic groups of α-proteobacteria. Green filaments related to the Chloroflexi were less abundant than reported from hypersaline microbial mats growing at lower salinities and were only detected in the deepest part of the anoxygenic phototrophic zone. Also detected were nonphototrophic γ- and δ-proteobacteria, Planctomycetes, the TM6 group, Firmicutes, and Spirochetes. Several of the phylotypes showed a distinct vertical distribution in the crust, suggesting specific adaptations to the presence or absence of oxygen and light. Archaea were less abundant than Bacteria, their diversity was lower, and the community was less stratified. Detected archaeal groups included organisms affiliated with the Methanosarcinales, the Halobacteriales, and uncultured groups of Euryarchaeota.
The formation of brown dwarfs in discs: Physics, numerics, and observations

Abstract A large fraction of brown dwarfs and low-mass stars may form by gravitational fragmentation of relatively massive (a few 0.1 M⊙) and extended (a few hundred AU) discs around Sun-like stars. We present an ensemble of radiative hydrodynamic simulations that examine the conditions for disc fragmentation. We demonstrate that this model can explain the low-mass IMF, the brown dwarf desert, and the binary properties of low-mass stars and brown dwarfs. Observing discs that are undergoing fragmentation is possible but very improbable, as the process of disc fragmentation is short lived (discs fragment within a few thousand years).
Separation of Herpes Simplex Virus-Induced Antigens by Concanavalin A Affinity Chromatography

Biologically active herpes simplex virus (HSV)-induced antigens were selectively removed from extracts of infected BHK cells by affinity chromatography by utilizing an insoluble form of concanavalin A (Con A). Soluble extracts of 3H-glucosamine-labeled, HSV-infected cells were absorbed to a Con A column. Bound material was eluted with α-methyl-d-mannoside (αMM) and NaCl. The specific activity of the eluted glycoproteins increased by 10-fold. Two broad groups of viral-induced antigens were isolated from Con A. Group I includes two antigens which bind to Con A by a specific mechanism because the antigens are dissociated by αMM. Group II contains three antigens which bind to Con A but apparently by a nonspecific or electrolytic mechanism. One antigen in group I was identified as the glycoprotein antigen, CP-1, described previously.
Persistence of stimulants in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

OBJECTIVE To examine the persistence of three newly initiated stimulant preparations among Medicaid children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis. METHODS A retrospective longitudinal claims analysis was conducted by using Medicaid analytical eXtract data of four states. The study focused on patients between 6 and 19 years of age with ADHD diagnosis and a stimulant prescription from January 2003 to December 2005. Stimulants were grouped into short-acting stimulants (SAS), intermediate-acting stimulants (IAS), and long-acting stimulants (LAS). Persistence was measured by totaling the number of days the patient remained on the index stimulant therapy from the index prescription date provided the refill gap between two consecutive stimulant claims was no more than 30 days. All the stimulant recipients were uniformly followed for 1 year (365 days). Survival time ratios (STR) were calculated by using accelerated failure time models to examine variation in index stimulant persistence for each stimulant class. RESULTS Among the 46,135 patients with ADHD continuously followed for 1 year, 8,260 were SAS users, 4,314 were IAS users, and 33,561 were LAS users. Children who received IAS medications had 4% shorter persistence (STR, 0.96 [95% confidence interval [CI], 0.93-0.98]) when compared with those who received SAS medications, whereas those who received index LAS medications had 29% longer persistence (STR, 1.29 [95% CI, 1.27-1.32]). Multivariate accelerated failure time models revealed that Blacks and Hispanics had consistently lower persistence than their counterparts. Foster care was positively associated with index stimulant persistence in the three stimulant types. Further, addition of another stimulant and other psychotropic medications significantly improved persistence of index stimulant in all three stimulant classes. CONCLUSIONS LAS had comparatively longer persistence than other stimulants. An understanding of demographic and clinical characteristics that influence treatment continuation can help improve stimulant persistence rates in ADHD.
Cryopreservation of Cultured Plant Cells

Undifferentiated cell cultures of higher plants are important genetic resources used extensively in cytological, physiological, and molecular biological studies. The development of a reliable and cost-effective method for the maintenance of cultured cells is required to minimize the risk of losing cell lines to disease, contamination, and technical errors, as well as the risk of changes in morphological, biochemical, and physiological properties of cultured cells by somaclonal variations. Cryopreservation in liquid nitrogen at –197°C is appropriate for this purpose. Recently, several research groups have established simple cryopreservation protocols that are suitable for routine laboratory use. The use of these protocols not only helps to secure against loss of cell lines, but also enables long-term maintenance of a large number of transgenic cell lines. However, the optimization of cryostorage conditions for each cell line is necessary for efficient cryopreservation. In this review, we describe recent advances in cryogenic techniques for the preservation of undifferentiated cell cultures and discuss the optimal conditions for the cryopreservation of different cell lines. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Human CYP2C8 Is Transcriptionally Regulated by the Nuclear Receptors Constitutive Androstane Receptor, Pregnane X Receptor, Glucocorticoid Receptor, and Hepatic Nuclear Factor 4α

Cytochrome P450 (P450) enzymes play important roles in the metabolism of endogenous and xenobiotic substrates in humans. CYP2C8 is an important member of the CYP2C subfamily, which metabolizes both endogenous compounds (i.e., arachidonic acids and retinoic acid) and xenobiotics (e.g., paclitaxel). Induction of P450 enzymes by drugs can result in tolerance as well as drug-drug interactions. CYP2C8 is the most strongly inducible member of the CYP2C subfamily in human hepatocytes, but the mechanism of induction by xenobiotics has not been delineated. To determine the mechanisms controlling the regulation of this important P450, we cloned the 5′-flanking region of CYP2C8 and investigated its transcriptional regulation by nuclear factors such as the pregnane X receptor (PXR), constitutive androstane receptor (CAR), glucocorticoid receptor (GR), and hepatic nuclear factor 4 (HNF4α) that are known to be involved in the induction of other P450 enzymes using both cell lines and primary hepatocyte models. We initially identified a distal PXR/CAR-binding site in the CYP2C8 promoter that confers inducibility of CYP2C8 via the PXR agonist/ligand rifampicin and the CAR agonist/ligand CITCO [6-(4-chlorophenyl)imidazo[2,1-b][1,3]thiazole-5-carbaldehyde O-(3,4-dichlorobenzyl)oxime]. A glucocorticoid-responsive element was identified that mediates dexamethasone induction via the GR. We finally identified an HNF4α-binding site within the CYP2C8 basal promoter region that is cis-activated by cotransfected HNF4α. In summary, the present studies show that CAR, PXR, GR, and HNF4α can regulate CYP2C8 expression and identify specific cis-elements within the promoter that control these regulatory pathways.
Field evaluation of the CATT/Trypanosoma brucei gambiense on blood‐impregnated filter papers for diagnosis of human African trypanosomiasis in southern Sudan

Most Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) control programmes in areas endemic for Trypanosoma brucei gambiense rely on a strategy of active mass screening with the Card Agglutination Test for Trypanosomiasis (CATT)/T. b. gambiense. We evaluated the performance, stability and reproducibility of the CATT/T. b. gambiense on blood‐impregnated filter papers (CATT‐FP) in Kajo‐Keji County, South‐Sudan, where some areas are inaccessible to mobile teams. The CATT‐FP was performed with a group of 100 people with a positive CATT on whole blood including 17 confirmed HAT patients and the results were compared with the CATT on plasma (CATT‐P). The CATT‐FP was repeated on impregnated filter papers stored at ambient and refrigerated temperature for 1, 3, 7 and 14 days. Another 82 patients with HAT, including 78 with a positive parasitology, were tested with the CATT‐FP and duplicate filter paper samples were sent to a reference laboratory to assess reproducibility. The CATT‐FP was positive in 90 of 99 patients with HAT (sensitivity: 91%). It was less sensitive than the CATT‐P (mean dilution difference: −2.5). There was no significant loss of sensitivity after storage for up to 14 days both at ambient and cool temperature. Reproducibility of the CATT‐FP was found to be excellent (kappa: 0.84). The CATT‐FP can therefore be recommended as a screening test for HAT in areas where the use of CATT‐P is not possible. Further studies on larger population samples in different endemic foci are still needed before the CATT‐FP can be recommended for universal use.
Near-Infrared Ge-on-Si Power Monitors Monolithically Integrated on SOI Chips

We realize and test power monitors monolithically integrated on silicon-on-insulator optical chips. The devices consist of near-infrared waveguide photodetectors in evaporated germanium with front-end transimpedance amplifiers. The power monitors operate with signals as small as 10 nW, with errors below 0.2% and 2% at 1 and 0.1 ¿W , respectively.
A combined Convolutional Neural Network and Dynamic Programming approach for text line normalization

This work proposes a new normalization algorithm for handwritten text lines based on the use of Convolutional Neural Networks trained to classify pixels of the scanned text line as belonging to the main body area. The reference lines of the text line are obtained from these local estimates by means of Dynamic Programming. The obtained reference lines are used to normalize the text line images. Experimental results on the IAM offline database demonstrates the feasibility of this approach.
Mediated priming in younger and older adults.

This paper reports the result of a lexical decision experiment in which the primes were either directly related to their targets, mediated, or unrelated. Mediated primes are indirectly related to their targets through a single connecting link (e.g., PASTURE-COW-MILK). Older and younger adult subjects responded to each letter string in a continuous lexical decision task, deciding whether each string was a word or a nonword. The results indicated that both younger and older subjects benefited from the mediated primes, as well as from the directly related primes. The results are discussed in relation to issues of age changes in processing speed.
Improved reconstruction of DPCM-coded pictures

A new scheme for the reconstruction of DPCM-coded signals is presented. In this scheme, instead of assigning one representative level to the prediction error whenever it is in a range determined by the decision levels of a DPCM quantizer, surrounding local picture structure is used to improve the reconstruction. No extra transmission is required. Mean-absolute-reconstruction error is decreased by over 20 percent, and the picture quality is significantly improved in flat, as well as high, detailed areas of still pictures and sequences of pictures containing motion.
Berry Phenolics of Grapevine under Challenging Environments

Plant phenolics have been for many years a theme of major scientific and applied interest. Grape berry phenolics contribute to organoleptic properties, color and protection against environmental challenges. Climate change has already caused significant warming in most grape-growing areas of the world, and the climatic conditions determine, to a large degree, the grape varieties that can be cultivated as well as wine quality. In particular, heat, drought and light/UV intensity severely affect phenolic metabolism and, thus, grape composition and development. In the variety Chardonnay, water stress increases the content of flavonols and decreases the expression of genes involved in biosynthesis of stilbene precursors. Also, polyphenolic profile is greatly dependent on genotype and environmental interactions. This review deals with the diversity and biosynthesis of phenolic compounds in the grape berry, from a general overview to a more detailed level, where the influence of environmental challenges on key phenolic metabolism pathways is approached. The full understanding of how and when specific phenolic compounds accumulate in the berry, and how the varietal grape berry metabolism responds to the environment is of utmost importance to adjust agricultural practices and thus, modify wine profile.
Different measurements of the sagittal abdominal diameter and waist perimeter in the prediction of HOMA-IR.

BACKGROUND The correlation between the increase in visceral fat and insulin resistance makes the sagittal abdominal diameter and the waist perimeter as potential tools for the prediction of insulin resistance. OBJECTIVE To assess the reproducibility of different measurements of the sagittal abdominal diameter and the waist perimeter and analyze the discriminating power of the measurements when predicting insulin resistance. METHODS A total of 190 adult males were studied. The sagittal abdominal diameter (smallest girth, larger abdominal diameter, umbilical level and midpoint between the iliac crests) and the waist perimeter (umbilical level, smallest girth, immediately above the iliac crest and midpoint between the iliac crest and the last rib) were measured at four different sites. Insulin resistance was assessed by the homeostasis model of assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index. RESULTS All measurements presented an intraclass correlation of 0.986-0.999. The sagittal abdominal diameter measured at the smallest girth (r=0.482 and AUC=0.739+/-0.049) and the waist perimeter measured at the midpoint between the last rib and the iliac crest (r=0.464 and AUC=0.746+/-0.05) presented the highest correlations with the HOMA-IR and the best discriminating power for HOMA-IR according to the ROC analysis (p<0.001). CONCLUSION The sagittal abdominal diameter and waist perimeter showed to be highly reproducible and the sagittal abdominal diameter (smallest girth) and waist perimeter (midpoint between the iliac crest and the last rib) presented the best performance when predicting HOMA-IR. Further studies in other groups of the Brazilian population must be carried out to allow the use of these indicators of insulin resistance in the population as a whole, following standardized procedures.
Residue codes for error correction in a combined decimal/binary redundant floating point adder

As fault rates increase when technology advances from one node to another, fault tolerance becomes vital for the reliability of arithmetic circuits. This work represents an attempt to achieve fault tolerance for a combined IEEE decimal-64/binary-64 floating point redundant adder by using residue codes. To our knowledge, this is the first implementation of a residue error correction scheme in decimal and binary arithmetic circuits. The proposed circuit has the ability of all-digit error correction assuming that errors occur only in the main adder.
Design of Wide-Band Metamaterials Based on the Split Ring Resonator Model

It is shown that the highly resonant characteristic of split ring resonator (SRR) can be significantly improved by introducing new pole pairs to Lorentz atomic model, and by adjusting their resonant frequencies and damping terms. A new SRR cell of metamaterials containing all these required poles is then designed for the desired bandwidth.
Overview of object oriented data analysis

Object oriented data analysis is the statistical analysis of populations of complex objects. In the special case of functional data analysis, these data objects are curves, where a variety of Euclidean approaches, such as principal components analysis, have been very successful. Challenges in modern medical image analysis motivate the statistical analysis of populations of more complex data objects that are elements of mildly non‐Euclidean spaces, such as lie groups and symmetric spaces, or of strongly non‐Euclidean spaces, such as spaces of tree‐structured data objects. These new contexts for object oriented data analysis create several potentially large new interfaces between mathematics and statistics. The notion of object oriented data analysis also impacts data analysis, through providing a framework for discussion of the many choices needed in many modern complex data analyses, especially in interdisciplinary contexts.
Easy, fast, and flexible algorithm animation generation

A common reason for not using algorithm animation in class or exercises is the amount of time needed to locate, adapt, or generate content. We present several components that try to improve this situation by providing easy, fast and flexible content generation. The different scope of the approaches makes it likely that they offer "something for almost everyone".