Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Flows of Information and Informational Trajectories in Chemical Processes

What is the importance of the concept of information measure in quantum mechanics? To answer, it is necessary to try to establish the importance of the concept of information, which is a general concept and perfectly applicable to any case. For example: What do they have in common codes used to send messages from a communications satellite and the bases of a DNA molecule? How does the second law of Thermodynamics and Communication, to the extent that is possible to speak of the entropy of a musical score? Why the intricate problems of probability is related to the way we express ourselves orally or in writing? The answer to all is information and the fact that one concept can link different ideas so reveals its great generality and power. Until the forties, had not been defined information as a scientific term, and this definition was quite new, different from all the common meanings, and precisely because they were described with sufficient accuracy for mathematicians and engineers in telecommunications, the concept became more and more fascinating to the scientific community. The word began to regain some of its meanings that had fallen into disuse. The idea of information as an active agent, i.e. something that informs the material world in a manner similar to the messages of the genes that instruct the cellular machinery to build an organism. This information emerged as a universal principle operating in the world that shapes, which specifies the special character of living forms, and even help determine, by means of special codes, forms of human thought. Thus, the information covers the disparate fields of computers, Communications Technologies, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, among others. The information became a scientific concept when it began the era of electronic communication. Scientists were largely what their nineteenth-century predecessors did with the concept of energy. They turned it in theory, gave laws, festooned as usual equations and stripped it of vagueness and mystery. In its pure form, the information theory was discovered by engineer Claude E. Shannon. His most notable achievements were in the transmission of color television, the design of radar systems for warning and recovery of intact messages coming from a communications satellite. Shannon, of Bell Telephone Laboratories, presented the world in two papers published in Bell System Technical Journal in July and October 1948. 10
Parametric joint detection-estimation of the number of sources in array processing

Detection of the number of signals and estimation of their directions of arrival (DOAs) are fundamental problems in array processing. We present three main contributions to these problems, under the conditional model, where signal amplitudes are assumed deterministic unknown. First, we show that there is an explicit relation between model selection and the breakdown phenomena of the Maximum Likelihood estimator (MLE). Second, for the case of a single source, we provide a simple approximate formula for the location of the breakdown of the MLE, using tools from the maxima of stochastic processes. This gives an explicit formula for the source strength required for reliable detection. Third, we apply these results and propose a new joint detection-estimation algorithm with state-of-the-art performance. We demonstrate via simulations the improved detection performance of our algorithm, compared to other popular source enumeration methods.
Detecting and Measuring Similarity in Code Clones

Most previous work on code-clone detection has focused on finding identical clones, or clones that are identical up to identifiers and literal values. However, it is often important to find similar clones, too. One challenge is that the definition of similarity depends on the context in which clones are being found. Therefore, we propose new techniques for finding similar code blocks and for quantifying their similarity. Our techniques can be used to find clone clusters, sets of code blocks all within a user-supplied similarity threshold of each other. Also, given one code block, we can find all similar blocks and present them rank-ordered by similarity. Our techniques have been used in a clonedetection tool for C programs. The ideas could also be incorporated in many existing clone-detection tools to provide more flexibility in their definitions of similar
Bias of Mean Value and Mean Square Value Measurements Based on Quantized Data

AbstructThis paper investigates the imperfect fulfillment of the validity conditions of the noise model quantization. The general expressions of the deviations of the moments from Sheppard's. corrections are derived. Approximate upper and lower bounds'of the bias are given for the measurement of firstand second-order moments of sinusoidal, uniformly distributed, and Gaussian signals. It is shown that because of the uncontrollable mean value at the input of the ADC (offset, drift), the worst-case values have to be investigated; it is illustrated how a simpleform envelope function of the errors can be used as an upper bound. Since the worst-case relative positions of the signal and the quantization characteristics are taken into account, the results are valid for both midtread and midrise quantizers, while in the literature results are given for a selected quantizer type only.
Interleukin-1beta induces cyclo-oxygenase-2 expression in gastric cancer cells by the p38 and p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) is the inducible enzyme in the gastric mucosa responsible for prostaglandin production during inflammation and ulcer healing. The regulation of COX-2 gene expression in gastric epithelial cells is not well understood. In this study, we investigated the effect of interleukin (IL)-1beta on COX-2 expression in the human gastric cancer cell, and explored the signaling pathways involved. METHODS Gastric cancer cell line AGS was treated with IL-1beta or the inhibitors of mitogen-activated protein-Erk kinase (MEK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase prior to the addition of IL-1beta. The COX-2 mRNA or protein levels were measured by using RT-PCR or western blot analysis, respectively. Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production/secretion was determined by using the prostaglandin E2 EIA assay. The phosphorylation/activation of p44/42 and p38 MAP kinases were determined by using western blot analysis and using phospho-specific antibodies. RESULTS Interleukin-1beta treatment dose- and time-dependently increased COX-2 mRNA and protein expression levels, and enhanced PGE2 production/secretion in AGS cells. In contrast, IL-1beta had no effect on the level of the constitutively expressed COX-1. In parallel to the increase of COX-2, we showed that p44/42 and p38 MAP kinase activities were also upregulated by IL-1beta treatment. To demonstrate the cause-effect relationship, we showed that inhibition of MEK and p38 MAP kinase with specific inhibitors suppressed IL-1beta-mediated increases in COX-2 mRNA and protein levels, and the PGE2 production. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrated that in human gastric cancer cells, IL-1beta upregulates the COX-2 gene expression through the activation of MEK/p44/42 and p38 MAP kinases pathway.
Rapidly increasing rates of hip fracture in Beijing, China

The age‐specific rates of hip fractures have been declining in most countries in the West but a few studies suggest that the rates might be increasing in areas of Asia that are undergoing urbanization. We previously conducted a population‐based study of hip fracture rates in Beijing, China, in 1990 to 1992 that included validation of hip fracture cases. Using a similar approach to validate cases, we estimated the age‐specific hip fracture rates in Beijing, China, for 2002 to 2006. Specifically, we obtained hospital discharge data for hip fractures that were reported to the Beijing Bureau of Public Health. To confirm the diagnoses, Beijing residence, and find cases missed by the public records we checked individual cases in the public health records against medical records in a random sample of Beijing hospitals. The rates from public health data were adjusted for these under‐ and overestimations. We found that between 1990 and 1992 and 2002 and 2006, the adjusted age‐specific rates of hip fracture over age 50 years increased 2.76‐fold (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.68–2.84) in women and 1.61‐fold (95% CI, 1.56–1.66) in men. Over age 70 years, the age‐specific rates increased 3.37‐fold (95% CI, 3.28–3.47) in women and 2.01‐fold (95% CI, 1.95–2.07) in men. From 2002 to 2006, the rates over age 50 years increased 58% in women and 49% in men. We conclude that the rate of hip fracture has been rising very rapidly in Beijing, China. Therefore, the burden of hip fractures may be shifting rapidly from the West to urbanizing areas of the East. © 2012 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
Adaptive multi-image matching algorithm for the airborne digital sensor ADS40

In the recent years, the development of digital aerial sensors signifies a revolutionary change in aerial image acquisition, and the possibility of fully digital processing from image acquisition to the generation of value-added products for various applications. LH Systems developed the ADS40, a pushbroom sensor system, which offers on a single camera system the possibility to acquire 3 panchromatic and 4 multispectral images, broadening thus the possible application areas of the sensor. The radiometric characteristics of ADS40 imagery at raw and rectified level are investigated for various data sets. New algorithms of pre-processing of images that sharpen edge definition, enhance contrast and optimally reduce image data to 8 bit are applied prior to matching. The development of an adaptive multi-image matching algorithm for ADS40 data, is the main subject of the work presented in this paper. In the current investigations, only the 3 panchromatic channels have been used and matching is based on cross-correlation or similar measures to provide pixelaccurate positions, which are to be subsequently refined, using sub-pixel matching techniques. The geometry of the sensor is used to apply constraints for matching and the concept of epipolar lines is modified for the ADS40, since each line has its own position and attitude, and the geometry is perspective only on the CCD line direction. Edge pixels are selected for matching, since they can better model discontinuities and have sufficient texture. A modified image pyramid approach, using doublets, is used for derivation of approximations. Quality criteria that are computed during runtime are combined to eliminate errors. Test results are presented, using for the time being only visual control.
Removal of oesophageal foreign bodies: comparison between oesophagoscopy and oesophagotomy in 39 dogs.

OBJECTIVES To compare complication rates and outcomes after removal of oesophageal foreign bodies by endoscopy or by oesophagotomy. METHODS Retrospective evaluation of medical records of dogs with oesophageal foreign bodies treated by endoscopy and/or oesophagotomy. Postoperative clinical signs, management, length of hospitalisation, type and rate of complications, and time interval to return to eating conventional diet were compared. RESULTS Thirty-nine dogs diagnosed with oesophageal foreign bodies between 1999 and 2011 were included in the study. Most common breeds included West Highland white terrier, Jack Russell terrier and shih-tzu. Successful endoscopic removal was possible in 24 out of 32 cases (Group 1), while surgical removal was successful in 15 out of 15 cases (7 of which had unsuccessful attempts at endoscopic removal) (Group 2). Length of hospitalisation, time to removal of gastrostomy tube and time to eat conventional diet did not differ between the groups. After foreign body removal, the incidence of oesophagitis, oesophageal stricture and perforation observed during repeated endoscopy were similar between the groups. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE In this retrospective study, removal of oesophageal foreign bodies either by oesophagoscopy or oesophagotomy had a similar outcome.
Interactive weathering of depth-inferred videos

Aging or weathering is an important technique for generating natural images in computer graphics. In this paper, we propose a novel video weathering method which can synthesize the weathering effects for the real captured videos. We first recover the depth maps of the input video, and employ a depth-based interactive video object cutout method to efficiently extract the target objects. Then, we sample the 3D point cloud from the recovered depth maps within the specified object mask, and reconstruct the 3D geometry model. In order to make the obtained 3D point cloud accurate with small redundancy, we select the pixels with the priority of depth accuracy and project each sample to other frames to avoid reselection. In the weathering stage, with the reconstructed 3D mesh, we employ γ-ton tracing to create the weathering map, and then compute the correspondence point for each object pixel on the weathering map by intersecting with the 3D mesh, which is used to resemble the weathering value to blend the texture with the original pixel color. We also introduce two interactive tools which allow the user to guide the process of weathering. A number of weathering effects are shown in the experimental results to demonstrate the robustness and efficiency of the proposed method.
Context Mediates Antimicrobial Efficacy of Kinocidin Congener Peptide RP-1

Structure-mechanism relationships are key determinants of host defense peptide efficacy. These relationships are influenced by anatomic, physiologic and microbiologic contexts. Structure-mechanism correlates were assessed for the synthetic peptide RP-1, modeled on microbicidal domains of platelet kinocidins. Antimicrobial efficacies and mechanisms of action against susceptible (S) or resistant (R) Salmonella typhimurium (ST), Staphylococcus aureus (SA), and Candida albicans (CA) strain pairs were studied at pH 7.5 and 5.5. Although RP-1 was active against all study organisms, it exhibited greater efficacy against bacteria at pH 7.5, but greater efficacy against CA at pH 5.5. RP-1 de-energized SA and CA, but caused hyperpolarization of ST in both pH conditions. However, RP-1 permeabilized STS and CA strains at both pH, whereas permeabilization was modest for STR or SA strain at either pH. Biochemical analysis, molecular modeling, and FTIR spectroscopy data revealed that RP-1 has indistinguishable net charge and backbone trajectories at pH 5.5 and 7.5. Yet, concordant with organism-specific efficacy, surface plasmon resonance, and FTIR, molecular dynamics revealed modest helical order increases but greater RP-1 avidity and penetration of bacterial than eukaryotic lipid systems, particularly at pH 7.5. The present findings suggest that pH– and target–cell lipid contexts influence selective antimicrobial efficacy and mechanisms of RP-1 action. These findings offer new insights into selective antimicrobial efficacy and context–specificity of antimicrobial peptides in host defense, and support design strategies for potent anti-infective peptides with minimal concomitant cytotoxicity.
CAPRI: Efficient Inference of Cancer Progression Models from Cross-sectional Data

We devise a novel inference algorithm to effectively solve the cancer progression model reconstruction problem. Our empirical analysis of the accuracy and convergence rate of our algorithm, CAncer PRogression Inference (CAPRI), shows that it outperforms the state-of-the-art algorithms addressing similar problems. Motivation Several cancer-related genomic data have become available (e.g., The Cancer Genome Atlas, TCGA) typically involving hundreds of patients. At present, most of these data are aggregated in a cross-sectional fashion providing all measurements at the time of diagnosis. Our goal is to infer cancer “progression” models from such data. These models are represented as directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) of collections of “selectivity” relations, where a mutation in a gene A “selects” for a later mutation in a gene B. Gaining insight into the structure of such progressions has the potential to improve both the stratification of patients and personalized therapy choices. Results The CAPRI algorithm relies on a scoring method based on a probabilistic theory developed by Suppes, coupled with bootstrap and maximum likelihood inference. The resulting algorithm is efficient, achieves high accuracy, and has good complexity, also, in terms of convergence properties. CAPRI performs especially well in the presence of noise in the data, and with limited sample sizes. Moreover CAPRI, in contrast to other approaches, robustly reconstructs different types of confluent trajectories despite irregularities in the data. We also report on an ongoing investigation using CAPRI to study atypical Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, in which we uncovered non trivial selectivity relations and exclusivity patterns among key genomic events. Availability CAPRI is part of the TRanslational ONCOlogy R package and is freely available on the web at: http://bimib.disco.unimib.it/index.php/Tronco Contact daniele.ramazzotti@disco.unimib.it
Function Representation of Solids Reconstructed from Scattered Surface Points and Contours

This paper presents a novel approach to the reconstruction of geometric models and surfaces from given sets of points using volume splines. It results in the representation of a solid by the inequality f(x,y,z) ≥ 0. The volume spline is based on use of the Green's function for interpolation of scalar function values of a chosen “carrier” solid. Our algorithm is capable of generating highly concave and branching objects automatically. The particular case where the surface is reconstructed from cross‐sections is discussed too. Potential applications of this algorithm are in tomography, image processing, animation and CAD for bodies with complex surfaces.
Design of dictionary based on Discrete Tchebichef Transform

In this paper, design of overcomplete dictionaries based on Discrete Cosine Transform and Discrete Tchebichef Transform using optimization techniques is presented. Further, we optimized our proposed dictionaries based on KSVD algorithm and measured the performance of dictionaries using orthogonal matching pursuit (OMP) and basis pursuit (BP). The result showed that the Dictionary based on Discrete Tchebichef Transform (DTT) performed better as compared to the dictionary based on Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT). The proposed transform is first time introduced to made comparison with the DCT based dictionary generation. The proposed dictionaries are predetermined and optimize using KSVD algorithm. The accuracy will be increase with the slight increase of the computation complexity using Discrete Tchebichef Transform as compared to the Discrete Cosine Transform. The root mean square values are used to measure the accuracy.
Evolutionary Dynamics of Biological Games

Darwinian dynamics based on mutation and selection form the core of mathematical models for adaptation and coevolution of biological populations. The evolutionary outcome is often not a fitness-maximizing equilibrium but can include oscillations and chaos. For studying frequency-dependent selection, game-theoretic arguments are more appropriate than optimization algorithms. Replicator and adaptive dynamics describe short- and long-term evolution in phenotype space and have found applications ranging from animal behavior and ecology to speciation, macroevolution, and human language. Evolutionary game theory is an essential component of a mathematical and computational approach to biology.
Implementation of Law ’ s 19 Species Methane Reduced Mechanism in FLUENT

A 19 species global Methane mechanism previously derived from the GRIMechanism 3.0 using the method of directed relation graph (DRG) and quasi steady state assumption (QSSA) was successfully implemented into the CFD solver FLUENT. The precompiled mechanism was linked to the solver by the means of a User Defined Function (UDF). The UDF communicates the chemical source terms to the solver through the subroutine “Define Net Reaction Rates”. The subroutine then returns the molar production rates of the species given the pressure, temperature, and mass fractions. The global reduced mechanisms are known to be far more accurate than the skeletal mechanisms; however the inner iterations of the elementary reactions demand more computational time than the standard Arrhenius mechanisms. To overcome the massive computational demands of detailed chemistry simulation in 2D and 3D domains, FLUENT incorporates ISAT (In-Situ Adaptive Tabulation1), which can accelerate chemistry calculations up to a thousandfold. The reduced mechanism was tested with two challenging cases; the Berkeley lifted CH4/Air jet flame in a vitiated co-flow and the two-D backward facing step expansion flow. Different turbulence-chemistry models were tested ∗ PH.D. Student and Research Assistant, Mechanical, Materials & Aerospace Engineering, P.O. Box 162450, Orlando, FL 32816-2450, UTSR Fellow.
Conditions of Contact, Common In-Group Identity, and In-Group Bias Toward Contingent Workers

In a survey-based field study of 111 permanent Finnish restaurant employees, the authors investigated intergroup relations between permanent and contingent workers. On the basis of the common in-group identity model, the authors hypothesized that the conditions of contact (supportive norms and perceived intergroup competition) would be related to common in-group identity, which in turn would be negatively related to intergroup bias. The present results indicated that perceived competition and institutional support were related to in-group bias only through their influence on the common in-group identity, as the model predicted.
High Performance Computation Based on Semantic P2P Network

High performance computations are widely used in scientific research and industries. As supercomputers are expensive, how to use cheap computers such as clusters and personal computers is important issue. In this paper we describe a novel distributed computation based on semantic P2P network, in which the peers can be grouped virtually into hierarchical classified domains and the problems are partitioned into subproblems and scheduled to those peers. This strategy is scalable to millions of computers effectively in theory. We have implemented α version distributed knapsack problem solution in our semantic P2P network platform.
Text-Independent Writer Identification and Verification on Offline Arabic Handwriting

In this paper, we evaluate the performance on Arabic handwriting of the text-independent writer identification methods that we developed and tested on Western script in recent years. We use the IFN/ENIT data in the experiments reported here and our tests involve 350 writers. The results show that our methods are very effective and the conclusions drawn in previous studies remain valid also on Arabic script. High performance is achieved by combining textural features (joint directional probability distributions) with allographic features (grapheme-emission distributions).