Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stylized line drawings for shape depiction

As a simple yet effective means of visual communication, stylized line drawings generates images that are closer to human-drawn than are created by traditional computer graphics techniques with more expressing meaningful visual information. Due to increased demands of improving shape depiction with line drawings approach, a wide spectrum of stylized line drawings techniques have been developed to deal with this problem. This paper provides an overview of the current stylized line drawings techniques which developed over the past decade, structured according to the design characteristics and behavior of each technique. In addition, this paper discusses the advantages and shortcomings of each technique. The review then concludes with a discussion of the main issues and technical challenges for stylized line drawings techniques.
Verifying the Consistency of UML Models

The Unified Modelling Language (UML) is the most used Object Management Group specification and is the de-facto standard modeling language for object-oriented design and documentation. When UML diagrams convey contradicting or conflicting semantics, the diagrams are said to be inconsistent. Such inconsistencies may be a source of faults in software systems. It is therefore paramount that they get detected (through a sort of verification activity), analyzed and fixed. This paper presents the steps to verify, with OCL constraints, the consistency of UML models. To carry out the verification of UML consistency models, the following steps were identified: 1) transformation of UML consistency rules into OCL constraints, 2) generation of a plugin in Papyrus that include the OCL constraints, 3) importation into Papyrus (by using EMF) of UML models found in ReMoDD and UML Repository, 4) execution of the plugin with the OCL constraints against the imported UML models.
Genotyping and preemptive isolation to control an outbreak of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium.

BACKGROUND Control of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE) in European hospitals is hampered because of widespread asymptomatic carriage of VRE by healthy Europeans. In 2000, our hospital (The University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands) was confronted with a large outbreak of VRE. INTERVENTION On the basis of genotyping (by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis), epidemic and nonepidemic VRE strains were distinguished, and infection-control measures were exclusively targeted toward epidemic VRE. The outbreak was retrospectively divided into 3 periods of different infection-control measures. Compliance with use of alcohol-based hand rubs was enforced during all periods. Period I involved active surveillance, isolation of carriers, and cohorting (duration, 4 months); preemptive isolation of high-risk patients for VRE colonization was added in period II (7 months); and cohorting and preemptive isolation were abandoned in period III (18 months). METHODS When the outbreak was identified, 27 patients in 6 wards were colonized; 93% were colonized with an epidemic VRE strain. Detection rates of nonepidemic VRE were 3.5%, 3.0%, and 2.9% among 683, 810, and 977 screened patients in periods I, II, and III, respectively, comparable to a prevalence of 2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 1%-3.5%) among 600 nonhospitalized persons. The relative risks of detecting epidemic VRE in periods II and III, compared with period I, were 0.67 (95% CI, 0.41-1.10) for period II and 0.02 (95% CI, 0.002-0.6) for period III. Infection-control measures were withheld for patients colonized with nonepidemic VRE (76 [54%] of 140 patients with a test result positive for VRE). Use of alcohol-based hand rubs increased by 31%-275% in outbreak wards. CONCLUSION Genotyping-targeted infection control, isolation of VRE carriers, enhancement of hand-hygiene compliance, and preemptive isolation successfully controlled nosocomial spread of epidemic VRE infection.
On the integration of IR and Databases

Integration of information retrieval (IR) in database management systems (DBMSs) has proven difficult. Previous attempts to integration suffered from inherent performance problems, or lacked desirable separation between logical and physical data models. To overcome these problems, we discuss a database approach based on structural object-orientation. We implement of IR techniques using extensions in an object algebra called MOA. MOA has been implemented on top of the database backend Monet, a state-ofthe-art high-performance database kernel with a binary relational interface. Our prototype implementation of the inference network retrieval model using MOA and Monet demonstrates the feasibility of this approach. We evaluate the benefits of the resulting system. We conclude with a discussion of the topic of query optimization in the context of extending an object algebra.
Using Transactions in Delaunay Mesh Generation

Mesh generation is a key step in graphics rendering and in using the finite-element method to solve partial differential equations. The goal of mesh generation is to discretize the domain of interest using polygonal elements such as triangles (in 2-D) or tetrahedra (in 3-D). One popular mesh generation algorithm is Delaunay mesh generation, which produces meshes with certain quality guarantees that are important for problems in which the geometry of the problem changes with time. Delaunay mesh generation works by iterative refinement of a coarse initial mesh. The sequential algorithm repeatedly looks for a “bad” mesh element that does not satisfy the quality constraints, computes a neighborhood of that element called its cavity, and replaces the elements in that cavity with new elements, some of which may not satisfy the quality guarantees themselves. It can be shown that the algorithm always terminates and produces a guaranteed quality mesh, regardless of the order in which bad elements are processed. Delaunay mesh generation can be parallelized in a natural way because elements that are far away in the mesh do not interfere with each other as they are being processed. We present experimental results showing that in practice, there is indeed a lot of parallelism that is exposed in this way. However, exploiting this parallelism in practice can be complicated. Compile-time analysis and parallelization are infeasible because of the inputdependent nature of the algorithm. One alternative is optimistic parallelization. We show how logical transactions can be identified in a natural way in this code, argue that current transactional memory implementations are inadequate for this application, and suggest an alternative conception of transactional memory that addresses these problems.
Parallel Genetic Algorithm Solving 0/1 Knapsack Problem Running on the GPU

In this work, we show that consumer-level $100 GPU can be used to significantly speed-up optimization of 0/1 Knapsack problem. We identify strong and weak points of GPU architecture and propose our parallel genetic algorithm model implemented in CUDA running entirely on the GPU. We show that GPU must be utilized for sufficiently long time in order to obtain reasonable program speedup. Then we compare results quality and speed of our model with single-threaded CPU code implemented using Galib. Peak speedup of GPU GA execution performance is 1340x resp. 134x for 4-bit resp. 40-bit problem instances while maintaining reasonable results quality.
Evidence-Based Psychosocial Treatments for Children and Adolescents Exposed to Traumatic Events

The article reviews the current status (1993–2007) of psychosocial treatments for children and adolescents who have been exposed to traumatic events. Twenty-one treatment studies are evaluated using criteria from Nathan and Gorman (2002) along a continuum of methodological rigor ranging from Type 1 to Type 6. All studies were, at a minimum, robust or fairly rigorous. The treatments in each of these 21 studies also are classified using criteria from Chambless et al. (1996), and Chambless and Hollon (1998). Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy met the well-established criteria; School-Based Group Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment met the criteria for probably efficacious. All the other treatments were classified as either possibly efficacious or experimental. Meta-analytic results for four outcomes (i.e., posttraumatic stress, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and externalizing behavior problems) across all treatments compared to waitlist control and active control conditions combined reveal that, on average, treatments had positive, though modest, effects for all four outcomes. We also cover investigative work on predictors, moderators, and mediators of treatment outcome, as well as the clinical representativeness and generalizability of the studies. The article concludes with a discussion of practice guidelines and future research directions.
A Model of Causal Quantile Treatment Effects

This paper develops a model of causal quantile treatment e ects in the presence of endogeneity. The causal e ects of interest are de ned in the potential outcomes framework. The quantile treatment e ect is the di erence between the quantiles of potential outcomes under the di erent treatment plans. This di erence need not be the quantile of the di erence of outcomes. Such formulation incorporates the treatment model of Doksum-Lehmann as a special case. Since the realized treatment is typically self-selected, the conventional quantile regression methods of estimating these causal e ects are inconsistent. Thus, the model links treatment selection to (1) instrumental variables that do not a ect the potential outcomes and to (2) the unobserved components that depend on the potential outcomes. The model requires neither monotonicity assumptions nor independence between the instrumental variables and the potential treatment status, both of which are at the heart of the prevalent IV models. Instead it requires an assumption called here similarity, a generalized notion of rank invariance. This assumption is reasonable in many applications. The model is developed and illustrated with two economic problems { returns to education and demand analysis. In the rst case, the quantile treatment e ects help determine the e ects of education on the quantiles of potential earnings. In the second case, the quantile treatment e ect is an elasticity of the demand function that depends on the level of the demand, generalizing conventional models where the demand elasticity is independent of the demand level. Identi cation of the model does not require functional form assumptions. Identication of non-parametric and semi-parametric forms is discussed. The identi cation conditions as well as estimation procedures derived from it, whether parametric or non-parametric, are di erent from, yet related to, the conventional quantile regression. In fact, we characterize all consistent estimation procedures as inverse quantile regressions. The proposed model and the inverse quantile regression estimators are useful in a wide variety of economic applications. 1 c 2001, Victor Chernozhukov and Christian Hansen. This is an incomplete and provisional version. Updates can be obtained at vchern@mit.edu. Please do not circulate this paper. We thank the seminar participants at U. Penn for comments, especially Y. Kitamura, P. Todd, and F. Diebold.
Plant immune and growth receptors share common signalling components but localise to distinct plasma membrane nanodomains

Cell surface receptors govern a multitude of signalling pathways in multicellular organisms. In plants, prominent examples are the receptor kinases FLS2 and BRI1, which activate immunity and steroid-mediated growth, respectively. Intriguingly, despite inducing distinct signalling outputs, both receptors employ common downstream signalling components, which exist in plasma membrane (PM)-localised protein complexes. An important question is thus how these receptor complexes maintain signalling specificity. Live-cell imaging revealed that FLS2 and BRI1 form PM nanoclusters. Using single-particle tracking we could discriminate both cluster populations and we observed spatiotemporal separation between immune and growth signalling platforms. This finding was confirmed by visualising FLS2 and BRI1 within distinct PM nanodomains marked by specific remorin proteins and differential co-localisation with the cytoskeleton. Our results thus suggest that signalling specificity between these pathways may be explained by the spatial separation of FLS2 and BRI1 with their associated signalling components within dedicated PM nanodomains. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.25114. 001
Interleukin (IL) 5 levels and eosinophilia in patients with intestinal parasitic diseases.

AIM Intestinal parasitic diseases are commonly accompanied with diarrhoeal symptoms and allergic reactions. Eosinophilia occurs as a result of IL-5 synthesized from Th2 cells during allergic reactions. IL-5 acts as a factor activating eosinophils. The aim of this study was to compare the IL-5 cytokine measurements in serum samples and cell cultures. And also to compare eosinophilia observed in helminth infections and protozoon infections accompanied with allergy. METHODS Twenty-three patients who presented with diarrhoeal symptoms and allergic complaints were tested positive for intestinal parasites, as well as 21 controls with allergic complaints who did not have any intestinal parasites were included in this study. IL-5 production in in vitro cell cultures prepared by using phytohemaglutinin (PHA) to stimulate peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) obtained from the blood samples taken from these patients were compared with the IL-5 level in serum. Furthermore, the IL-5 production in protozoon and helminth infections was also compared. Absolute eosinophil values in 1 mm(3) of blood were calculated by means of peripheral smear in both groups within the scope of the study. RESULTS Parasites such as helminth detected in 15 (65.2%) and protozoon in 8 (34.8%) of the patients were included in this study. As regards the values of the sera in both patients with parasite infection and controls, the IL-5 production was found to be higher in the cell culture supernatant (P<0.001 and P<0.05). When the IL-5 level of the patients with helminth parasites was compared with that of those with protozoon, it was determined that the IL-5 level in serum was more significant in the patients with protozoon than in those with helminth (P<0.05). In the study group, the patients were found to have parasites, the percentage of eosinophil was 7.0% compared to 6.5% in the control group. Thus, there was no significant difference between the eosinophil values (P>0.05). CONCLUSION It was found that IL-5 cytokine levels in serum samples from the patients with helminth and protozoon displayed more measurable values as compared to the IL-5 levels after stimulation with mitogen. It is concluded that IL-5 acts as a triggering factor in the toxiallergic complaints commonly seen in helminth and protozoon infections.
Thimerosal induces TH2 responses via influencing cytokine secretion by human dendritic cells

Thimerosal is an organic mercury compound that is used as a preservative in vaccines and pharmaceutical products. Recent studies have shown a TH2‐skewing effect of mercury, although the underlying mechanisms have not been identified. In this study, we investigated whether thimerosal can exercise a TH2‐promoting effect through modulation of functions of dendritic cells (DC). Thimerosal, in a concentration‐dependent manner, inhibited the secretion of LPS‐induced proinflammatory cytokines TNF‐α, IL‐6, and IL‐12p70 from human monocyte‐derived DC. However, the secretion of IL‐10 from DC was not affected. These thimerosal‐exposed DC induced increased TH2 (IL‐5 and IL‐13) and decreased TH1 (IFN‐γ) cytokine secretion from the T cells in the absence of additional thimerosal added to the coculture. Thimerosal exposure of DC led to the depletion of intracellular glutathione (GSH), and addition of exogenous GSH to DC abolished the TH2‐promoting effect of thimerosal‐treated DC, restoring secretion of TNF‐α, IL‐6, and IL‐12p70 by DC and IFN‐γ secretion by T cells. These data suggest that modulation of TH2 responses by mercury and thimerosal, in particular, is through depletion of GSH in DC.
Compensation for Uneven Temperature in Flatness Control Systems for Steel Strips

Uneven temperature across the width of steel strips during rolling generates flatness defects due to differences in the contraction of the longitudinal fibers that make up a strip. In this work, a compensation process to modify the objective flatness using information about the temperature differences is designed. Compensation for uneven temperature is accomplished in two successive phases: a real time calculation of the temperature profile which best describes the temperature differences, and the modification of the objective flatness to take the temperature profile into account. To calculate the temperature profile, an adaptive moving-average filter is proposed. This information is used to modify the objective flatness carrying out the temperature compensation
Convective Entrainment into a Shear-Free, Linearly Stratified Atmosphere: Bulk Models Reevaluated through Large Eddy Simulations

Relationships between parameters of convective entrainment into a shear-free, linearly stratified atmosphere predicted by the zero-order jump and general-structure bulk models of entrainment are reexamined using data from large eddy simulations (LESs). Relevant data from other numerical simulations, water tank experiments, and atmospheric measurements are also incorporated in the analysis. Simulations have been performed for 10 values of the buoyancy gradient in the free atmosphere covering a typical atmospheric stability range. The entrainment parameters derived from LES and relationships between them are found to be sensitive to the model framework employed for their interpretation. Methods of determining bulk model entrainment parameters from the LES output are proposed and discussed. Within the range of investigated free-atmosphere stratifications, the LES predictions of the inversion height and buoyancy increment across the inversion are found to be close to the analytical solutions for the equilibrium entrainment regime, which is realized when the rate of time change of the CBL-mean turbulence kinetic energy and the energy drain from the CBL top are both negligibly small. The zero-order model entrainment ratio of about 0.2 for this regime is generally supported by the LES data. However, the zero-order parameterization of the entrainment layer thickness is found insufficient. A set of relationships between the general-structure entrainment parameters for typical atmospheric stability conditions is retrieved from the LES. Dimensionless constants in these relationships are estimated from the LES and laboratory data. Power-law approximations for relationships between the entrainment parameters in the zero-order jump and general-structure bulk models are evaluated based on the conducted LES. In the regime of equilibrium entrainment, the stratification parameter of the entrainment layer, which is the ratio of the buoyancy gradient in the free atmosphere to the overall buoyancy gradient across the entrainment layer, appears to be a constant of about 1.2.
Periodontal Treatment for Preventing Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes: A Meta- and Trial Sequential Analysis

Objectives Periodontal treatment might reduce adverse pregnancy outcomes. The efficacy of periodontal treatment to prevent preterm birth, low birth weight, and perinatal mortality was evaluated using meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis. Methods An existing systematic review was updated and meta-analyses performed. Risk of bias, heterogeneity, and publication bias were evaluated, and meta-regression performed. Subgroup analysis was used to compare different studies with low and high risk of bias and different populations, i.e., risk groups. Trial sequential analysis was used to assess risk of random errors. Results Thirteen randomized clinical trials evaluating 6283 pregnant women were meta-analyzed. Four and nine trials had low and high risk of bias, respectively. Overall, periodontal treatment had no significant effect on preterm birth (odds ratio [95% confidence interval] 0.79 [0.57-1.10]) or low birth weight (0.69 [0.43-1.13]). Trial sequential analysis demonstrated that futility was not reached for any of the outcomes. For populations with moderate occurrence (<20%) of preterm birth or low birth weight, periodontal treatment was not efficacious for any of the outcomes, and trial sequential analyses indicated that further trials might be futile. For populations with high occurrence (≥20%) of preterm birth and low birth weight, periodontal treatment seemed to reduce the risk of preterm birth (0.42 [0.24-0.73]) and low birth weight (0.32 [0.15-0.67]), but trial sequential analyses showed that firm evidence was not reached. Periodontal treatment did not significantly affect perinatal mortality, and firm evidence was not reached. Risk of bias, but not publication bias or patients’ age modified the effect estimates. Conclusions Providing periodontal treatment to pregnant women could potentially reduce the risks of perinatal outcomes, especially in mothers with high risks. Conclusive evidence could not be reached due to risks of bias, risks of random errors, and unclear effects of confounding. Further randomized clinical trials are required.
Deep Convective Injection of Boundary Layer Air into the Lowermost Stratosphere at Midlatitudes

Abstract. On 22 August 2001 a measurement flight was performed with the German research aircraft FALCON from Sardinia to Crete as part of the Mediterranean Oxidant Study (MINOS). Cruising at 8.2 km, the aircraft was forced to climb to 11.2 km over the southern tip of Italy to stay clear of the anvil of a large cumulonimbus tower. During ascent into the lowermost stratosphere in-situ measurements onboard the FALCON indicated several sharp increases in the concentrations of tropospheric trace gases, e.g. CO, acetone, methanol, benzene and acetonitrile, above the anvil. During one particular event deep in the stratosphere, at O3 concentrations exceeding 200 ppv, CO increased from about 60 to 90 ppv, while the concentration of acetone and methanol increased by more than a factor of 2 (0.7 to 1.8 ppv for acetone; 0.4 to 1.4 ppv for methanol). Enhancements for the short lived species benzene are even higher, increasing from 20 pptv in the stratosphere to approx. 130 pptv. The concentrations during the event were higher than background concentrations in the upper troposphere, indicating that polluted boundary layer air was directly mixed into the lowermost stratosphere.
Contact planning for acyclic motion with tasks constraints

This paper extends our previous work on contact points planning in two ways. First, by taking advantage of the possibilities offered by our initial posture generator, we include additional tasks that are not related to locomotion within the planning. The output motion will be generated so as to cope with these tasks. Second, we refine the potential function that guides the planner by introducing potential fields acting each on a single body. This helps escaping local minima of the original potential field and thus to deal with more challenging scenarios. We then test these novelties on difficult problems with success, and experiment the output of one of the planned scenario on a HRP-2 humanoid robot.