Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Color Image Segmentation Using Fuzzy C-Regression Model

Image segmentation is one important process in image analysis and computer vision and is a valuable tool that can be applied in fields of image processing, health care, remote sensing, and traffic image detection. Given the lack of prior knowledge of the ground truth, unsupervised learning techniques like clustering have been largely adopted. Fuzzy clustering has been widely studied and successfully applied in image segmentation. In situations such as limited spatial resolution, poor contrast, overlapping intensities, and noise and intensity inhomogeneities, fuzzy clustering can retain much more information than the hard clustering technique. Most fuzzy clustering algorithms have originated from fuzzy c-means (FCM) and have been successfully applied in image segmentation. However, the cluster prototype of the FCM method is hyperspherical or hyperellipsoidal. FCM may not provide the accurate partition in situations where data consists of arbitrary shapes. Therefore, a Fuzzy C-Regression Model (FCRM) using spatial information has been proposed whose prototype is hyperplaned and can be either linear or nonlinear allowing for better cluster partitioning. Thus, this paper implements FCRM and applies the algorithm to color segmentation using Berkeley’s segmentation database. The results show that FCRM obtains more accurate results compared to other fuzzy clustering algorithms.
A training programme did not increase agreement between allied health clinicians prioritizing patients for community rehabilitation

Objective: To evaluate the effect of formal training on agreement between clinicians making decisions on client priority. Setting: A centralized intake service receiving referrals for a community rehabilitation programme. Design: Agreement was measured between the priority categories allocated to consecutive referrals by one of five clinicians in the referral office compared with a second rating made by an independent occupational therapist, blinded to the initial priority rating. Data collection followed the implementation of four 1-hour workshops involving all raters, designed to increase consistency of triage decisions. Results were compared to a previous study conducted prior to the training. Participants: Two hundred and one consecutive referrals received for community rehabilitation services, triaged by experienced clinicians with allied health or nursing qualifications. Outcome measure: Agreement using weighted kappa (κw). Results: There was no change in agreement between clinicians after training, compared with a previous study in the same setting. Agreement remained moderate (κw = 0.50), with clinicians disagreeing on approximately 30% of referrals. Conclusions: Three out of 10 clients will receive a different priority rating and waiting time for rehabilitation services depending on which clinician in the referral office made the rating. This result was not improved by conducting a training programme.
An Improved Method for Experience Rating Reinsurance Treaties using Exposure Rating Techniques

This paper deals with two of the most common disadvantages of standard excess of loss experience rating methods: lack of complete individual claim history and significant changes in the underlying book of business due to shifts in limit profile during the experience period. We develop a methodology to estimate an trend factor by layer of loss based on the unlimited trend factor, the severity distribution and the limit profile. This excess trend factor can then be applied to the nominal losses in the layer, overcoming the problem of having incomplete individual claim detail to exposure rate lower more credible layers. The excess trend is split into its frequency and severity components. We also present a methodology to estimate exposure adjustment factors necessaries to bring the experience of excess layer to the projected limit profile distribution. The impact of shifts in limit profile is also analyzed in terms of its frequency and severity components.
Cross-Cultural Differences in the Self

The sharp contrasts often drawn between "Western" and "non-Western" selves have very likely been exaggerated because researchers often contrast simplified and idealized cultural conceptions of the self rather than comparing descriptive accounts of subjective experience. Using data collected through nondirective interviewing techniques, I illustrate this point by showing that one can find evidence, in some contexts, of an independent, autonomous self among the "sociocentric" Toraja of Indonesia and of an interdependent, relational self among "egocentric" Americans in the United States. I conclude with some recommendations for future research.
Safety of Repeated Injections of Sodium Hyaluronate (SUPARTZ) for Knee Osteoarthritis

Objective Though there is no consensus on its efficacy, knee osteoarthritis is symptomatically managed with intra-articular hyaluronic acid (IAHA). Recent reports suggest that IAHA may delay the need for total knee replacement, with the magnitude of delay proportional to the number of injection series. However, the safety of repeated injection series is reported to vary between commercial products. This report describes a systematic review of safety data on repeated treatment courses of SUPARTZ. Design We performed a systematic search of MEDLINE, Cochrane database, EMBASE, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and unpublished data. We included all human randomized controlled trials or observational studies with adverse event (AE) data for SUPARTZ in knee osteoarthritis. Two independent reviewers extracted data and evaluated study quality. Data were analyzed separately for the first and subsequent series of injections. Results The primary sources for repeated-injection data on SUPARTZ were a postmarket registry (N = 7404), 4 prospective studies (N = 127 total), and a retrospective study (N = 220). None of the sources reported increased frequency or severity of AEs with repeated injections. In the registry, 95% of multiple-injection-series patients who reported an AE did so during the first series. None of the AEs was serious, and most resolved spontaneously without medical intervention. The overall adverse event rate after repeat courses of SUPARTZ was 0.008 (95% confidence interval: 0.001-0.055). Conclusions Multiple courses of SUPARTZ injections appear to be at least as safe, and probably safer, than the first course. This study supports the safety of repeat courses of SUPARTZ injections for knee osteoarthritis.
Adaptive sparsity-aware parameter vector reconstruction with application to compressed sensing

Compressive Sensing is the idea of sampling a compressible signal below the Nyquist rate while still allowing the exact or near exact reconstruction of the original signal. The challenge is how the original signal could be recovered from a few linear observations. Recently, many reconstruction algorithms have been proposed which mostly rely on computationally costly batch-based estimation which lacks the ability of estimating changes in the signal to be reconstructed. In this paper, a recursive reconstruction algorithm is proposed which has the ability of sequentially utilizing the received observations and so capable of tracking the time varying underlying sparse or compressible signals, while, Due to the adaptive structure, the computational cost is spread out in time iterations. Simulation tests compare the performance of the proposed and state of the art algorithms.
Presynaptic protein interactions in vivo: evidence from botulinum A, C, D and E action at frog neuromuscular junction

The present study examines the paralytic action of botulinum neurotoxins at their natural target, the neuromuscular junction. We asked whether syntaxin, synaptosome‐associated protein of 25 kDa (SNAP‐25) and vesicle‐associated membrane protein (VAMP/synaptobrevin), the proteins proteolysed by botulinum, are susceptible to cleavage in frog nerve terminals, and whether they form complexes in vivo. In control terminals, the three SNAREs were distributed in broad bands at 1 μm intervals, at sites consistent with presynaptic Ca2+ channels. Within 3 h, botulinum A, C, D and E (BoNT/A/C/D/E) blocked nerve‐evoked muscle contractions but their effects on substrate immunoreactivity varied. The effect of BoNT/A on either C‐terminus or N‐terminus immunoreactivity of SNAP‐25 was undetectable after 3‐h incubation, although C‐terminus immunoreactivity was reduced after 24 h; N‐terminus immunoreactivity was not affected even after 36 h. BoNT/E reduced C‐terminus immunoreactivity of SNAP‐25 1.5 h after toxin application when transmitter release was blocked, but required 24 h to reduce N‐terminus immunoreactivity. BoNT/C reduced syntaxin immunoreactivity after 24‐h incubation but did not affect SNAP‐25. BoNT/D reduced VAMP immunoreactivity at 3 h while it increased SNAP‐25 C‐terminal staining fourfold. BoNT/A and BoNT/C applied together for 24 h reduced syntaxin immunoreactivity and that of both C‐ and N‐terminus of SNAP‐25, indicating that retention of SNAP‐25 N‐terminus after cleavage by BoNT/A depended on intact syntaxin. Therefore, we infer that SNAP‐25 interacts with VAMP and with syntaxin in vivo. Neurotoxin action abolished only 40–60% of SNAP‐25, VAMP or syntaxin immunoreactivity suggesting that distinct pools of these proteins, not immediately involved in triggered exocytosis, are resistant to proteolysis.
Structural basis of actin recognition and arginine ADP-ribosylation by Clostridium perfringens ι-toxin

The ADP-ribosylating toxins (ADPRTs) produced by pathogenic bacteria modify intracellular protein and affect eukaryotic cell function. Actin-specific ADPRTs (including Clostridium perfringens ι-toxin and Clostridium botulinum C2 toxin) ADP-ribosylate G-actin at Arg-177, leading to disorganization of the cytoskeleton and cell death. Although the structures of many actin-specific ADPRTs are available, the mechanisms underlying actin recognition and selective ADP-ribosylation of Arg-177 remain unknown. Here we report the crystal structure of actin-Ia in complex with the nonhydrolyzable NAD analog βTAD at 2.8 Å resolution. The structure indicates that Ia recognizes actin via five loops around NAD: loop I (Tyr-60–Tyr-62 in the N domain), loop II (active-site loop), loop III, loop IV (PN loop), and loop V (ADP-ribosylating turn–turn loop). We used site-directed mutagenesis to confirm that loop I on the N domain and loop II are essential for the ADP-ribosyltransferase activity. Furthermore, we revealed that Glu-378 on the EXE loop is in close proximity to Arg-177 in actin, and we proposed that the ADP-ribosylation of Arg-177 proceeds by an SN1 reaction via first an oxocarbenium ion intermediate and second a cationic intermediate by alleviating the strained conformation of the first oxocarbenium ion. Our results suggest a common reaction mechanism for ADPRTs. Moreover, the structure might be of use in rational drug design to block toxin-substrate recognition.
Energy Efficient Causal Packet Scheduling in Wireless Fading Channels with Hard Delay Constraints

In this paper we study the problem of energy efficient packet scheduling in wireless fading channels with hard delay constraints. Each packet has a strict delay constraint of D time slots and it has to be delivered before its delay deadline. Optimal scheduling of each packet now depends on future Channel State Information (CSI) which is not available. We develop the upper and lower bounds on the optimal output rate and develop a two step solution. In the first step we solve the relaxed optimization problem without bounds by using Lagrange Optimization theory and obtain an initial output rate. In the second step this output rate is adjusted such that the deadlines are successfully achieved. Simulation results show good performance in terms of energy efficiency.
Reusing Learned Information in SAT-based ATPG

The robustness of engines for ATPG has to be improved to cope with the growing size of circuits. Recently, SAT-based ATPG approaches have been shown to be very robust even on large industrial circuits. Here, we propose techniques to further improve the efficiency by embedding learning techniques in a SAT-based ATPG engine. We provide a heuristic to apply incremental SAT when enumerating faults and a technique to apply circuit-based learning where incremental SAT is not applicable. The correctness of circuit-based learning is proven. Experimental results on large benchmarks show the efficiency
E2F Is Required To Prevent Inappropriate S-Phase Entry of Mammalian Cells

ABSTRACT E2F is a family of transcription factors that regulates the cell cycle. It is widely accepted that E2F-mediated transactivation of a set of genes is the critical activity that governs cellular progression through G1 into S phase. In contrast to this hypothesis, we demonstrate that E2F actually suppresses the onset of S phase in two cell types when the cells are arrested by gamma irradiation. Our findings indicate that in these cells, the critical event triggering progression from G0/G1 arrest into S phase is the release of E2F-mediated transrepression of cell cycle genes, not transactivation by E2F. Furthermore, our data suggest that E2F-mediated transactivation is not necessary for the G1/S-phase transition in these cells.
Multilocus Sequence Typing of Total-Genome-Sequenced Bacteria

ABSTRACT Accurate strain identification is essential for anyone working with bacteria. For many species, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) is considered the “gold standard” of typing, but it is traditionally performed in an expensive and time-consuming manner. As the costs of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) continue to decline, it becomes increasingly available to scientists and routine diagnostic laboratories. Currently, the cost is below that of traditional MLST. The new challenges will be how to extract the relevant information from the large amount of data so as to allow for comparison over time and between laboratories. Ideally, this information should also allow for comparison to historical data. We developed a Web-based method for MLST of 66 bacterial species based on WGS data. As input, the method uses short sequence reads from four sequencing platforms or preassembled genomes. Updates from the MLST databases are downloaded monthly, and the best-matching MLST alleles of the specified MLST scheme are found using a BLAST-based ranking method. The sequence type is then determined by the combination of alleles identified. The method was tested on preassembled genomes from 336 isolates covering 56 MLST schemes, on short sequence reads from 387 isolates covering 10 schemes, and on a small test set of short sequence reads from 29 isolates for which the sequence type had been determined by traditional methods. The method presented here enables investigators to determine the sequence types of their isolates on the basis of WGS data. This method is publicly available at www.cbs. dtu.dk/services/MLST.
Hormonally active phytochemicals and vertebrate evolution

Living plants produce a diversity of chemicals that share structural and functional properties with vertebrate hormones. Wildlife species interact with these chemicals either through consumption of plant materials or aquatic exposure. Accumulating evidence shows that exposure to these hormonally active phytochemicals (HAPs) often has consequences for behavior, physiology, and fecundity. These fitness effects suggest there is potential for an evolutionary response by vertebrates to HAPs. Here, we explore the toxicological HAP–vertebrate relationship in an evolutionary framework and discuss the potential for vertebrates to adapt to or even co‐opt the effects of plant‐derived chemicals that influence fitness. We lay out several hypotheses about HAPs and provide a path forward to test whether plant‐derived chemicals influence vertebrate reproduction and evolution. Studies of phytochemicals with direct impacts on vertebrate reproduction provide an obvious and compelling system for studying evolutionary toxicology. Furthermore, an understanding of whether animal populations evolve in response to HAPs could provide insightful context for the study of rapid evolution and how animals cope with chemical agents in the environment.
Neocortex is the major target of sedative concentrations of volatile anaesthetics: strong depression of firing rates and increase of GABAA receptor‐mediated inhibition

General anaesthetics cause sedation, amnesia and hypnosis. Although these clinically desired actions are indicative of an impairment of neocortical information processing, it is widely held that they are to a large part mediated by subcortical neural networks. Anaesthetic action on brain stem, basal forebrain and thalamus, all of which are known to modulate cortical excitability, would thus ultimately converge on neocortex, perturbing and reducing action potential activity therein. However, as neocortex harbours molecular targets of anaesthetics in high densities, notably GABAA receptors, neocortex itself should be very sensitive to anaesthetics. Here, we performed experiments to reveal the extent to which neocortex proper is a relevant target of the low concentrations of volatile anaesthetics causing sedation and hypnosis. We compared the effects of isoflurane, enflurane and halothane on spontaneous action potential activity of rat neocortical neurons in vivo and in isolated cortical networks in vitro, i.e. in the presence and absence of subcortical arousal systems. We observed that the anaesthetics decreased spontaneous firing of neurons via intracortical mechanisms; concentrations inducing hypnosis in humans reduced discharge rates both in vivo and in vitro to the same extent, approximately 50%. This decrease in neuronal activity was paralleled by a significant enhancement of neocortical GABAA receptor‐mediated inhibition. These findings challenge the notion of predominantly subcortical effects of volatile anaesthetics and suggest that intracortical targets, among them neocortical GABAA receptors, mediate the sedative and hypnotic properties of volatile anaesthetics.
Measurement and 3D-Visualization of Cell-Cycle Length Using Double Labelling with Two Thymidine Analogues Applied in Early Heart Development

Organ development is a complex spatial process in which local differences in cell proliferation rate play a key role. Understanding this role requires the measurement of the length of the cell cycle at every position of the three-dimensional (3D) structure. This measurement can be accomplished by exposing the developing embryo to two different thymidine analogues for two different durations immediately followed by tissue fixation. This paper presents a method and a dedicated computer program to measure the resulting labelling indices and subsequently calculate and visualize local cell cycle lengths within the 3D morphological context of a developing organ. By applying this method to the developing heart, we show a large difference in cell cycle lengths between the early heart tube and the adjacent mesenchyme of the pericardial wall. Later in development, a local increase in cell size was found to be associated with a decrease in cell cycle length in the region where the chamber myocardium starts to develop. The combined application of halogenated-thymidine double exposure and image processing enables the automated study of local cell cycle parameters in single specimens in a full 3D context. It can be applied in a wide range of research fields ranging from embryonic development to tissue regeneration and cancer research.
Tec/Bmx non‐receptor tyrosine kinases are involved in regulation of Rho and serum response factor by Gα12/13

A transient transfection system was used to identify regulators and effectors for Tec and Bmx, members of the Tec non‐receptor tyrosine kinase family. We found that Tec and Bmx activate serum response factor (SRF), in synergy with constitutively active α subunits of the G12 family of GTP‐binding proteins, in transiently transfected NIH 3T3 cells. The SRF activation is sensitive to C3, suggesting the involvement of Rho. The kinase and Tec homology (TH) domains of the kinases are required for SRF activation. In addition, kinase‐deficient mutants of Bmx are able to inhibit Gα13‐ and Gα12‐induced SRF activation, and to suppress thrombin‐induced SRF activation in cells lacking Gαq/11, where thrombin's effect is mediated by G12/13 proteins. Moreover, expression of Gα12 and Gα13 stimulates autophosphorylation and transphosphorylation activities of Tec. Thus, the evidence indicates that Tec kinases are involved in Gα12/13‐induced, Rho‐mediated activation of SRF. Furthermore, Src, which was previously shown to activate kinase activities of Tec kinases, activates SRF predominantly in Rho‐independent pathways in 3T3 cells, as shown by the fact that C3 did not block Src‐mediated SRF activation. However, the Rho‐dependent pathway becomes significant when Tec is overexpressed.
The role of maternal axin in patterning the Xenopus embryo.

Regulation of the stability of beta catenin protein is a critical role of Wnt signaling cascades. In early Xenopus development, dorsal axis specification depends on regulation of beta catenin by both cytoplasmic and nuclear mechanisms. While the cytoplasmic protein axin is known as a key component of the cytoplasmic beta catenin degradation complex, loss-of-function studies are needed to establish whether it is required for dorso-ventral patterning in the embryo, and to test where in the embryo it carries out its function. Here, we show that embryos lacking maternal axin protein have increased levels of soluble beta catenin protein and increased nuclear localization of beta catenin in ventral nuclei at the blastula stage. These embryos gastrulate abnormally and develop with excessive notochord and head structures, and reduced tail and ventral components. They show increased expression of dorsal markers, including siamois, Xnr3, chordin, gsc, Xhex, and Otx2, decreased expression of Xwnt 8 and Xbra, and little alteration of BMP4 and Xvent1 and -2 mRNA levels. The ventral halves of axin-depleted embryos at the gastrula stage have dramatically increased levels of chordin expression, and severely decreased levels of Xwnt 8 mRNA expression, while BMP4 transcript levels are only slightly reduced. This dorso-anterior phenotype is rescued by axin mRNA injected into the vegetal pole of axin-depleted oocytes before fertilization. Interestingly, the phenotype was rescued by ventral but not dorsal injection of axin mRNA, at the 4-cell stage, although dorsal injection into wild-type embryos does cause ventralization. These results show directly that the localized ventral activity of maternal axin is critical for the correct patterning of the early Xenopus embryo.
Processor allocation for tasks that is robust against errors in computation time estimates

Heterogeneous computing systems composed of interconnected machines with varied computational capabilities often operate in environments where there may be sudden machine failures, higher than expected load, or inaccuracies in estimation of system parameters. Makespan (defined as the completion time for an entire set of tasks) is often the performance feature that is optimized in such systems. It is important that the makespan of a resource allocation (mapping) be robust against errors in task computation time estimates. The problem of optimally mapping tasks onto machines of a heterogeneous computing environment has been shown, in general, to be NP-complete. Therefore, heuristic techniques to find near optimal solutions to this mapping problem are required. The goal of this research is to find a static mapping of tasks so that the robustness of the desired system feature, makespan, is maximized against the errors in task execution time estimates. Seven heuristics to derive near-optimal solutions and an upper bound to this problem are presented and evaluated.