Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Probabilistic Analysis of Trie-Based Sorting of Large Collections of Line Segments in Spatial Databases

The size of five trie-based methods of sorting large collections of line segments in a spatial database is investigated analytically using a random lines image model and geometric probability techniques. The methods are based on sorting the line segments with respect to the space that they occupy. Since the space is two-dimensional, the trie is formed by interleaving the bits corresponding to the binary representation of the x and y coordinates of the underlying space and then testing two bits at each iteration. The result of this formulation yields a class of representations that are referred to as quadtrie variants, although they have been traditionally referred to as quadtree variants. The analysis differs from prior work in that it uses a detailed explicit model of the image instead of relying on modeling the branching process represented by the tree and leaving the underlying image unspecified. The analysis provides analytic expressions and bounds on the expected size of these quadtree variants. This enables the prediction of storage required by the representations and of the associated performance of algorithms that rely on them. The results are useful in the following two ways: They reveal the properties of the various representations and permit their comparison using analytic, nonexperimental criteria. Some of the results confirm previous analyses (e.g., that the storage requirement of the MX quadtree is proportional to the total lengths of the line segments). An important new result is that for a PMR and Bucket PMR quadtree with sufficiently high values of the splitting threshold (i.e., $\geq 4$) the number of nodes is proportional to the number of line segments and is independent of the maximum depth of the tree. This provides a theoretical justification for the good behavior and use of the PMR quadtree, which so far has been only of an empirical nature. The random lines model was found to be general enough to approximate real data in the sense that the properties of the trie representations, when used to store real data (e.g., maps), are similar to their properties when storing random lines data. Therefore, by specifying an equivalent random lines model for a real map, the proposed analytical expressions can be applied to predict the storage required for real data. Specifying the equivalent random lines model requires only an estimate of the effective number of random lines in it. Several such estimates are derived for real images, and the accuracy of the implied predictions is demonstrated on a real collection of maps. The agreement between the predictions and real data suggests that they could serve as the basis of a cost model that can be used by a query optimizer to generate an appropriate query evaluation plan.
A Murine Model for Metastatic Conjunctival Melanoma.

PURPOSE Conjunctival melanoma (CM) is an ocular malignancy with a high rate of local recurrences after treatment, and can give rise to deadly metastases. The establishment of a murine model will further our understanding of this disease and allow in vivo testing of new therapies. We therefore analyzed the ability of three CM cell lines to grow orthotopically and spread to distant sites. Furthermore, we determined the characteristics of the xenografts and their metastases. METHODS Orthotopic xenografts of human CM were established by subconjunctival injection of three different CM cell lines into NOD/SCID IL2 rγnull mice. Single-cell suspensions were generated from the primary tumors and placed subconjunctivally in another set of mice, which were then screened for metastases. The presence of melanoma markers was determined on the cell lines and during tumor development. RESULTS Subconjunctival injection of cultured CM cells into immunodeficient mice led to excellent subconjunctival tumor growth in all inoculated mice (n = 101) within 2 weeks; however, no metastases were found at the time of autopsy. Serial in vivo passage of primary tumor cells resulted in metastatic tumors in the draining lymph nodes (n = 21). The CM cell lines, as well as the tumor xenografts and their metastases, were positive for the melanoma markers HMB-45, S100B, and MART-1. Two cell lines and their corresponding xenografts carried a BRAF mutation, the third showed an NRAS mutation. CONCLUSIONS We established a murine model for CM that shows excellent formation of metastases in a pattern that accurately resembles metastatic human CM following in vivo passaging.
Moderators of wellbeing interventions: Why do some people respond more positively than others?

Interventions rarely have a universal effect on all individuals. Reasons ranging from participant characteristics, context and fidelity of intervention completion could cause some people to respond more positively than others. Understanding these individual differences in intervention response may provide clues to the mechanisms behind the intervention, as well as inform future designs to make interventions maximally beneficial for all. Here we focus on an intervention designed to improve adolescent wellbeing, and explore potential moderators using a representative and well-powered sample. 16-year old participants (N = 932) in the Twins Wellbeing Intervention Study logged online once a week to complete control and wellbeing-enhancing activities consecutively. Throughout the study participants also provided information about a range of potential moderators of intervention response including demographics, seasonality, personality, baseline characteristics, activity fit, and effort. As expected, some individuals gained more from the intervention than others; we used multi-level modelling to test for moderation effects that could explain these individual differences. Of the 15 moderators tested, none significantly explained individual differences in intervention response in the intervention and follow-up phases. Self-reported effort and baseline positive affect had a notable effect in moderating response in the control phase, during which there was no overall improvement in wellbeing and mental health. Our results did not replicate the moderation effects that have been suggested by previous literature and future work needs to reconcile these differences. They also show that factors that have previously been shown to influence baseline wellbeing do not also influence an individual’s ability to benefit from a wellbeing intervention. Although future research should continue to explore potential moderators of intervention efficacy, our results suggest that the beneficial effect of positive activities in adolescents were universal across such factors as sex and socioeconomic status, bolstering claims of the scalability of positive activities to increase adolescent wellbeing.
Age does not increase rate of forgetting over weeks—Neuroanatomical volumes and visual memory across the adult life-span

The aim of the study was to investigate whether age affects visual memory retention across extended time intervals. In addition, we wanted to study how memory capabilities across different time intervals are related to the volume of different neuroanatomical structures (right hippocampus, right cortex, right white matter). One test of recognition (CVMT) and one test of recall (Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test) were administered, giving measures of immediate recognition/recall, 20–30 min recognition/recall, and recognition/recall at a mean of 75 days. Volumetric measures of right hemisphere hippocampus, cortex, and white matter were obtained through an automated labelling procedure of MRI recordings. Results did not demonstrate a steeper rate of forgetting for older participants when the retention intervals were increased, indicating that older people have spared ability to retain information in the long-term store. Differences in neuroanatomical volumes could explain up to 36% of the variance in memory performance, but were not significantly related to rates of forgetting. Cortical volume and hippocampal volume were in some cases independent as predictors of memory function. Generally, cortical volume was a better predictor of recognition memory than hippocampal volume, while the 2 structures did not differ in their predictive power of recall abilities. While neuroanatomical volumetric differences can explain some of the differences in memory functioning between younger and older persons, the hippocampus does not seem to be unique in this respect. (JINS, 2005, 11, 2–15.)
Comparison of two different depigmentation techniques for treatment of hyperpigmented gingiva

Introduction: Demand for cosmetic therapy of gingival melanin pigmentation is common. Re-pigmentation after gingival depigmentation is an important point. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of surgical scraping and electrosurgery on postoperative pain, healing and recurrence of pigmentation. Materials and Methods: Fifteen patients with esthetic concern related to black gums were selected and treated by surgical scraping with respect to right quadrant and electrosurgery with respect to left quadrant. Patients were recalled post-operatively to evaluate healing and recurrence of pigmentation. Each patient was asked to complete the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) index cards 2 and 24 hours postoperatively. Results: In the initial post-operative period, VAS index cards showed that the discomfort and pain level associated with electrosurgery was significantly higher than conventional scalpel surgery (P < 0.05). Clinically delayed healing was observed in the electrosurgically treated site. Electrosurgery showed better results as compared to epithelial excision for recurrence of pigments. At the end of 15 months, 7 sites in the scalpel excision group showed recurrence, whereas only 4 site showed recurrence in the electrosurgically treated group. Conclusion: The methods used here produced desired results and above all, the patients were satisfied with the outcome. Increased pain level and clinically delayed healing was associated with electrosurgery as compared to scalpel surgery, whereas repigmentation occurred more frequently in scalpel-treated sites.
Type Ia Supernova Discoveries at z > 1 from the Hubble Space Telescope: Evidence for Past Deceleration and Constraints on Dark Energy Evolution

We have discovered 16 Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and have used them to provide the first conclusive evidence for cosmic deceleration that preceded the current epoch of cosmic acceleration. These objects, discovered during the course of the GOODS ACS Treasury program, include 6 of the 7 highest redshift SNe Ia known, all at z > 1.25, and populate the Hubble diagram in unexplored territory. The luminosity distances to these objects and to 170 previously reported SNe Ia have been determined using empirical relations between light-curve shape and luminosity. A purely kinematic interpretation of the SN Ia sample provides evidence at the greater than 99% confidence level for a transition from deceleration to acceleration or, similarly, strong evidence for a cosmic jerk. Using a simple model of the expansion history, the transition between the two epochs is constrained to be at z = 0.46 ± 0.13. The data are consistent with the cosmic concordance model of ΩM ≈ 0.3, ΩΛ ≈ 0.7 (χ = 1.06) and are inconsistent with a simple model of evolution or dust as an alternative to dark energy. For a flat universe with a cosmological constant, we measure ΩM = 0.29 ± (equivalently, ΩΛ = 0.71). When combined with external flat-universe constraints, including the cosmic microwave background and large-scale structure, we find w = -1.02 ± (and w < -0.76 at the 95% confidence level) for an assumed static equation of state of dark energy, P = wρc2. Joint constraints on both the recent equation of state of dark energy, w0, and its time evolution, dw/dz, are a factor of ~8 more precise than the first estimates and twice as precise as those without the SNe Ia discovered with HST. Our constraints are consistent with the static nature of and value of w expected for a cosmological constant (i.e., w0 = -1.0, dw/dz = 0) and are inconsistent with very rapid evolution of dark energy. We address consequences of evolving dark energy for the fate of the universe.
Association of Dialysis with the Risks of Cancers

Background To increase the survival span after dialysis in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), identifying specific cancer risks is crucial in the cancer screening of these patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the risks of various cancers in an incident dialysis group in comparison with a non-dialysis group. Method We conducted a nationwide cohort study by using data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Patients who initially received long-term dialysis between January 1997 and December 2004, were selected and defined as the dialysis group and were matched with the non-dialysis patients (control group) according to age, sex, and index year. Competing risk analysis was used to estimate cumulative incidence and subdistribution hazard ratios (SHRs) of the first cancer occurrence. Results After consideration for the competing risk of mortality, the dialysis group showed a significantly higher 7-year cancer incidence rate than did the control group (6.4%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 6.0%-6.7% vs 1.7%; 95% CI, 1.4%-2.1%; P <0.001). The modified Cox proportional hazard model revealed that the dialysis group had significantly association with increased risks for all cancers (SHR, 3.43; 95% CI, 3.02-3.88). The risk of cancers was dominated in younger and female patients. Specific cancer risks were significantly higher in the dialysis group particularly in the development of oral, colorectal, liver, blood, breast, renal, upper urinary tract, and bladder cancer than in the control group. Multivariable stratified analyses confirmed the association between long-term dialysis and cancer in all subgroups of patients. Conclusions Dialysis is associated with a higher risk of cancer in patients with ESRD. However, cancer screening in ESRD population should be a selective approach, based on individual patient health condition and life expectancy.
Vital exhaustion as a risk factor for ischaemic heart disease and all-cause mortality in a community sample. A prospective study of 4084 men and 5479 women in the Copenhagen City Heart Study.

BACKGROUND Vital exhaustion, a psychological measure characterized by fatigue and depressive symptoms, has been suggested to be an independent risk factor for ischaemic heart disease (IHD) but the generality of the phenomenon remains in question. The aim of this study is to describe prevalence of these symptoms in a community sample and determine whether they prospectively predict increased risk of IHD and all-cause mortality in men and women. METHODS The study base was 4084 men and 5479 women aged 20-98 free of IHD examined in 1991-1993 in the Copenhagen City Heart Study. Events were ascertained through record linkage until 1998 for IHD and September 2000 for all-cause mortality. There were 483 first hospital admissions and deaths caused by IHD and 1559 deaths from all causes during follow-up. RESULTS The 17 items on the vital exhaustion questionnaire were frequently endorsed with prevalence ranging from 6 to 47 per cent, higher in women. All but 4 of the 17 items were significantly associated with IHD with significant relative risks (RR) ranging between 1.36 (95% CI: 1.08, 1.72) and 2.10 (95% CI: 1.63, 2.71). Associations with all-cause mortality were also observed, but were weaker. RR of both IHD and all-cause mortality increased with increasing item sum score and were similar in men and women. For IHD, RR reached a maximum of 2.57 (95% CI: 1.65, 4.00) for subjects endorsing >9 items. The similar RR for all-cause mortality was 2.50 (95% CI: 2.09, 2.99). Multivariate adjustment for biological, behavioural, and socioeconomic risk factors did not substantially affect the association for IHD but attenuated the association with all-cause mortality. CONCLUSIONS Measures of fatigue and depression were common symptoms in this population sample and convey increased risk of IHD and of all-cause mortality. We propose this knowledge begin to be implemented in risk assessment in clinical practice.
Subcortical atrophy and cognition

Objectives: Gray matter (GM) atrophy is common in multiple sclerosis (MS), as is cognitive dysfunction. Understanding the exact relationship between atrophy and cognition requires further investigation. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between subcortical GM atrophy and cognition in early relapsing onset MS. Methods: Structural MRI and neuropsychological evaluations were performed in 120 patients (80 women) and 50 controls (30 women), part of an early inception cohort, 6 years postdiagnosis. Deep GM volumes were segmented automatically. Cognition was assessed in 7 domains. Stepwise linear regression was used to predict average cognition in the patient group. Results: Most deep GM volumes were reduced in patients, with larger effects on average in men (−11%) than in women (−6.3%). Only the bilateral hippocampus, amygdala, and right nucleus accumbens in men, and right hippocampus and nucleus accumbens, bilateral amygdala, and putamen in women, showed no atrophy compared to controls. All cognitive domains except visuospatial memory were affected in men; none were significantly affected in women. In the MS group, average cognition was best predicted by thalamic volume, sex, and education (adjusted R2 = 0.31), while lesion volume was not a significant predictor in the model. Conclusions: Six years postdiagnosis, almost all subcortical structures were affected by MS, especially in men. Cognition was most severely affected in male patients. Thalamic volume, sex, and education best predicted average cognition. These results underline the relevance of specific subcortical structures to cognition, as well as the relevance of (sex-specific) atrophy in MS.
Adult Height and Epigenotype in Children with Silver-Russell Syndrome Treated with GH

Aims: To compare adult heights of GH-treated and GH-untreated patients with Silver-Russell syndrome (SRS) who were epigenotyped. Methods: This was a nonrandomized retrospective study with matched controls at a single center. Molecular analysis of 32 out of 37 GH-treated patients (16 females) revealed IGF2-H19 epimutations in 12 and maternal uniparental disomy of chromosome 7 (matUPD7) in 5 patients; 15 were negative. At start of GH, mean age was 7.2 years and mean height -3.34 standard deviation score (SDS). Mean GH dose used was 51 µg/kg·day, mean duration of therapy was 5.6 years. Puberty was blocked by GnRH analogs in 16 patients. The untreated group comprised 13 individuals (5 females, mean age 6.8 years and mean height -3.34 SDS). End points were adult height and overall height gain. Results: GH-treated patients reached an adult height of -2.12 ± 0.98 SDS gaining 1.22 SDS in comparison to baseline. Adult height SDS of the untreated was -3.13 ± 1.37 SDS. The matched treated patients were significantly taller than their untreated counterparts. Outcome was dependent on height at start of GH and duration of therapy. Height gain was highest in the shortest patients. Conclusions: GH improved adult height in SRS to a comparable degree as reported in nonsyndromic SGA children. A trend toward a better outcome in matUPD7 needs confirmation in larger cohorts.
The increase of binding energy and enhanced binding in nonrelativistic QED

We consider a Pauli–Fierz Hamiltonian for a particle coupled to a photon field. We discuss the effects of the increase of the binding energy and enhanced binding through coupling to a photon field, and prove that both effects are the results of the existence of the ground state of the self-energy operator with total momentum P=0.
An Iterative Approach to Optimal Non-uniform Sampling and Instantaneous Bandwidth Estimation

A new approach to the representation and reconstruction of non-bandlimited signals using nonuniform sampling schemes is introduced. The proposed method is based on estimation of a time-distortion transformation, under which the original signal becomes bandlimited and can thus be reconstructed. This method is optimal in the sense that it requires the minimal sampling rate for exact reconstruction of the signal. The estimation is iterative, and can be used with most available techniques of localized bandwidth approximation. An application suitable for Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is given as an example. The resultant mapping can also be considered as a new means for the definition of local bandwidth. Parts of the this work were presented in the IEEE International Symposium on TFTS 1998, and in the IEEE International Conferences DSPA’98 and ICECS’98. This research was supported in part by the Fund for the Promotion of Research at the Technion (050-995) and by the Ollendorff Research Center. Corresponding author: Moshe Porat Dept. of Electrical Engineering Technion Israel Institute of Technology Haifa 32000, Israel. Email: mp@ee.technion. ac.il Fax: +972-4-832-3041 Tel. : +972-4-829-4684
Cooperative space-time coding using distributed turbo codes

Cooperative communication is an effective way of achieving spatial diversity when it is impossible to employ multiple antennas, e.g., due to space limitations in mobile devices. We propose two approaches of distributed turbo coding for a coded cooperative scenario in which we aim to maintain the same band-width efficiency and transmit power as in the non-cooperative case, yet exploiting spatial diversity. Somewhat unexpected, we find that the less complex of the two algorithms we propose outperforms the other one.
Myelodysplastic syndromes

Myelodysplasia is one of the Cinderella subjects of paediatric haematology and oncology. Although cases are rare and probably do not account for more than 3% of haematological malignancies, patients presenting with these disorders pose a very serious challenge to successful diagnosis and management with which we are only just coming to grips. In fact, such is the previous state of confusion that we have no idea of the prevalence of the component disorders and there is little doubt that under diagnosis was itself prevalent. The first tentative steps have now been taken out of the darkness and probable cures are being achieved in previously almost uniformly fatal conditions. The first moves in the right direction were achieved by abandoning the paediatricians inherent love of syndromes and concentrating, with our adult haematology colleagues, on getting some sense and science into classification of the disorders. tric literature, juvenile chronic myeloid leukaemia (JCML) and infantile monosomy 7 syndrome. Both of these disorders will presumably take their place under more appropriate headings when more systematic studies are completed, for example, JCML shows some features akin to a well described adult counterpart, chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia (CMML). Table 2 shows a recommended list of investigations required for the diagnosis and classification of myelodysplasia. I would like to expend a little space on the specific features of the disorders listed in table 1. However, there is insufficient space to deal adequately with chronic myeloid leukaemia, which has been extensively reviewed elsewhere.5-10 Essential thrombocythaemia and polycythaemia are excessively rare in childhood and the few authenticated cases have also been reviewed elsewhere. 113 Malignant myelofibrosis as seen in adults'4 1l is not seen in children and modern techniques have shown