Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A method of human short hair modeling and real time animation

This paper describes a method of human short hair modeling and real time animation. A method is proposed to model short hair. First, a hair style model is derived from a scalp model interactively. The hair model is then derived automatically from the hair style and scalp models. Texture mapping is applied to the hair model for a better visual effect. For animation, a method is proposed based on an approximation of the accurate physically-based hair model, from which 3D morphing key shapes are derived. Intermediate shapes are then computed by applying 3D morphing. We have implemented it and compared the results with real hair. The visual quality and frame rate are satisfactory for real time applications.
Diversifying Search Results Using Time

Getting an overview of a historic entity or event can be difficult in search results, especially if important dates concerning the entity or event are not known beforehand. For such information needs, users would benefit if returned results covered diverse dates, thus giving an overview of what has happened throughout history. Diversifying search results based on important dates can be a building block for applications, for instance, in digital humanities. Historians would thus be able to quickly explore longitudinal document collections by querying for entities or events without knowing associated important dates apriori. In this work, we describe an approach to diversify search results using temporal expressions (e.g., in the 1990s) from their contents. Our approach first identifies time intervals of interest to the given keyword query based on pseudo-relevant documents. It then re-ranks query results so as to maximize the coverage of identified time intervals. We present a novel and objective evaluation for our proposed approach. We test the effectiveness of our methods on the New York Times Annotated corpus and the Living Knowledge corpus, collectively consisting of around 6 million documents. Using history-oriented queries and encyclopedic resources we show that our method indeed is able to present search results diversified along time.
Amyloid fibril protein nomenclature: 2012 recommendations from the Nomenclature Committee of the International Society of Amyloidosis

The Nomenclature Committee of the International Society of Amyloidosis (ISA) met during the XIIIth International Symposium, May 6–10, 2012, Groningen, The Netherlands, to formulate recommendations on amyloid fibril protein nomenclature and to consider newly identified candidate amyloid fibril proteins for inclusion in the ISA Amyloid Fibril Protein Nomenclature List. The need to promote utilization of consistent and up to date terminology for both fibril chemistry and clinical classification of the resultant disease syndrome was emphasized. Amyloid fibril nomenclature is based on the chemical identity of the amyloid fibril forming protein; clinical classification of the amyloidosis should be as well. Although the importance of fibril chemistry to the disease process has been recognized for more than 40 years, to this day the literature contains clinical and histochemical designations that were used when the chemical diversity of amyloid diseases was poorly understood. Thus, the continued use of disease classifications such as familial amyloid neuropathy and familial amyloid cardiomyopathy generates confusion. An amyloid fibril protein is defined as follows: the protein must occur in body tissue deposits and exhibit both affinity for Congo red and green birefringence when Congo red stained deposits are viewed by polarization microscopy. Furthermore, the chemical identity of the protein must have been unambiguously characterized by protein sequence analysis when so is practically possible. Thus, in nearly all cases, it is insufficient to demonstrate mutation in the gene of a candidate amyloid protein; the protein itself must be identified as an amyloid fibril protein. Current ISA Amyloid Fibril Protein Nomenclature Lists of 30 human and 10 animal fibril proteins are provided together with a list of inclusion bodies that, although intracellular, exhibit some or all of the properties of the mainly extracellular amyloid fibrils.
Visual servoing using a parallel robot: Preliminary results

This paper describes the visual control of a parallel robot called "RoboTenis". The system has been designed and built in order to carry out tasks in three dimensions and dynamical environments; the system is capable to interact with objects which move up to lm/s. The control strategy is composed by two intertwined control loops: The internal loop is faster and considers the information from the joints, its sample time is 0.5 ms. Second loop represents the visual servoing system, is external to the first mentioned and represents our study purpose, it is based on predicting the object velocity which is obtained form visual information, its sample time is 8.3 ms. The trajectory planner lets that the system achieves the target without exceeding the maximum acceleration and speed. Lyapunov stability analysis, system delays and saturation components has been taken into account.
Attribution and Aggregation of Network Flows for Security Analysis

This paper describes a network flow analyzer that is capable of attribution and aggregation of different flows into single activity events for the purposes of identifying suspicious and illegitimate behaviors. Flows are correlated with security events using the Process Query System (PQS) infrastructure. We show results from initial experiments and describe plans for extending the effort. The correlation of networks flows with security events appears to have high potential for aggregating disparate network and host activity and for classifying network activity as either benign or suspicious.
Adaptive Modulation and Network Coding with Optimized Precoding in Two-Way Relaying

We propose a precoding strategy which controls amplitude and phase of receiving signals to improve throughput for two-stage bidirectional relaying. We consider the case when the nodes know channel state information (CSI) and can adopt adaptive modulation techniques. We introduce a novel scheme termed adaptive modulation and network coding (AMNC), which jointly optimizes modulations and network coding based on the CSI. For dynamic bit loading and power allocation, we propose a practical time-sharing method called the segmented precoding, in which a packet is split into several sub-packets, and a set of modulation and network coding is optimized in conjunction with amplitude and phase controls for each sub-packet. It is demonstrated that our proposed scheme can offer a significant improvement of achievable throughput for two-way relaying.
Jet: An Embedded DSL for High Performance Big Data Processing

Cluster computing systems today impose a trade-off between generality, performance and productivity. Hadoop and Dryad force programmers to write low level programs that are tedious to compose but easy to optimize. Systems like Dryad/LINQ and Spark allow concise modeling of user programs but do not apply relational optimizations. Pig and Hive restrict the language to achieve relational optimizations, making complex programs hard to express without user extensions. However, these extensions are cumbersome to write and disallow program optimizations. We present a distributed batch data processing framework called Jet. Jet uses deep language embedding in Scala, multi-stage programming and explicit side effect tracking to analyze the structure of user programs. The analysis is used to apply projection insertion, which eliminates unused data, as well as code motion and operation fusion to highly optimize the performance critical path of the program. The language embedding and a high-level interface allow Jet programs to be both expressive, resembling regular Scala code, and optimized. Its modular design allows users to extend Jet with modules that produce good performing code. Through a modular code generation scheme, Jet can generate programs for both Spark and Hadoop. Compared with naive implementations we achieve 143% speedups on Spark and 126% on Hadoop.
CULLIDE: interactive collision detection between complex models in large environments using graphics hardware

We present a novel approach for fast collision detection between multiple deformable and breakable objects in a large environment using graphics hardware. Our algorithm takes into account low bandwidth to and from the graphics cards and computes a potentially colliding set (PCS) using visibility queries. It involves no precomputation and proceeds in multiple stages: PCS computation at an object level and PCS computation at sub-object level, followed by exact collision detection. We use a linear time two-pass rendering algorithm to compute each PCS efficiently. The overall approach makes no assumption about the input primitives or the object's motion and is directly applicable to all triangulated models. It has been implemented on a PC with NVIDIA GeForce FX 5800 Ultra graphics card and applied to different environments composed of a high number of moving objects with tens of thousands of triangles. It is able to compute all the overlapping primitives between different objects up to image-space resolution in a few milliseconds.
Somal positioning and dendritic growth of horizontal cells are regulated by interactions with homotypic neighbors

Retinal neurons extend their dendritic fields to achieve a degree of dendritic overlap with homotypic neighbors that is cell‐type specific. How these neurons regulate their dendritic growth is unclear. The dendritic field of a retinal horizontal cell varies inversely with horizontal cell density across different strains of mice, suggesting that proximity to neighboring cells regulates dendritic growth. To test this directly, we have employed the Cre‐loxP conditional gene targeting strategy to achieve inactivation of Lim1 function in developing horizontal cells. Through this approach, Lim1 function was prevented within a subset of horizontal cells that in turn fail to migrate to the horizontal cell layer and differentiate normally. For those remaining horizontal cells with Lim1 intact (about half of the normal population in these mice), we show that they spread themselves out tangentially and differentiate a dendritic morphology that is essentially normal but for the fact that it has nearly doubled in area. Such larger horizontal cells, sampling from an area of retina containing twice their normal afferent number, differentiate a dendritic field with nearly double the number of higher order branches and terminal clusters. These results demonstrate directly that positioning and dendritic growth are regulated by interactions with homotypic neighbors, whereas afferents instruct the differentiation of dendritic patterning.
Impact of Chronic Kidney Disease on Myocardial Blood Flow Regulation in Dogs

Background/Aims: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) increases cardiovascular risk possibly due to coronary microvessel dysfunction and impaired myocardial flow reserve. This study investigated the effects of CKD on the regulation and transmural distribution of myocardial blood flow along with oxygen demand during intravenous dobutamine-induced increases in cardiac work. Methods: CKD was produced in dogs by a two-stage subtotal nephrectomy (kidney ablation-infarction model). Serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen were evaluated during the development of CKD along with systemic blood pressure (tail-cuff plethysmography). After 5 weeks, the CKD dogs were staged according to the International Renal Interest Society staging system; all dogs were anesthetized and surgically prepared for blood flow studies. Data analyses were performed between sham control (CTR) and stage 1 and 2 CKD dogs. Results: At baseline, myocardial blood flow and diastolic aortic pressure were similar for all groups. During intravenous dobutamine, myocardial blood flow was markedly higher than CTR even though hematocrit levels declined with the severity of CKD. In the CTR dogs, myocardial blood flow increased in direct relation to cardiac work. However, in the CKD dogs (stage 1 and 2), maximum blood flow was achieved with low-dose dobutamine, indicating that coronary autoregulation is more readily exhausted with minimal increases in cardiac work during CKD. Conclusion: We report that CKD markedly impairs coronary vascular reserve and myocardial blood flow regulation which could contribute to greater cardiovascular risk and poor clinical outcomes in CKD patients.
A fast iterative thresholding algorithm for wavelet-regularized deconvolution

We present an iterative deconvolution algorithm that minimizes a functional with a non-quadratic wavelet-domain regularization term. Our approach is to introduce subband-dependent parameters into the bound optimization framework of Daubechies et al.; it is sufficiently general to cover arbitrary choices of wavelet bases (non-orthonormal or redundant). The resulting procedure alternates between the following two steps: 1. a wavelet-domain Landweber iteration with subband-dependent step-sizes; 2. a denoising operation with subband-dependent thresholding functions. The subband-dependent parameters allow for a substantial convergence acceleration compared to the existing optimization method. Numerical experiments demonstrate a potential speed increase of more than one order of magnitude. This makes our "fast thresholded Landweber algorithm" a viable alternative for the deconvolution of large data sets. In particular, we present one of the first applications of wavelet-regularized deconvolution to 3D fluorescence microscopy.
Evidences of a New Psychobiotic Formulation on Body Composition and Anxiety

Background Gut microbiota is implied in obesity, because of its ability to harvest energy from diet, and in the regulation of behavior. Given the link between gut microbiota, body composition, obesity, and anxiety, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a new psychobiotic formulation. Methods Eligible patients were randomly divided into three groups: psychobiotics oral suspension group (POSG); dietary treatment group (DTG); combined treatment group (CTG). All subjects underwent body composition and psychological profile evaluation. Results Significant changes in body composition parameters in each group were relieved after all treatments. Hamilton anxiety rating scale (HAM-A) highlighted a significant reduction of the total score for all study population after treatments in POSG (p = 0.01) and CTG (p = 0.04). A reduction of HAM-A total score in anxious subjects in POSG or CTG and a significant reduction of positive subjects for HAM-A in POSG (p = 0.03) and in CDG (p = 0.01) were shown. Discussion Three-week intake of selected POS represents a good approach to solve problems related to obesity and behavior disorders. However, new clinical trials need to be performed on a larger population and for a longer period of treatment before definitive conclusions can be made. This trial is registered with NCT01890070.
Iterative joint detection, decoding, and channel estimation for dual antenna arrays in frequency selective fading

Iterative receiver algorithms for multi-user detection and decoding are a solution for mitigating multiple-access interference (MAI) in multiple access communication systems. After several iterations they outperform noniterative schemes, while maintaining modest complexity. In this paper, we present an iterative receiver for multiple-antenna systems in frequency selective fading. Channel knowledge is not assumed to be available at the receiver. We propose a comprehensive algorithm that performs channel estimation, multi-user detection and decoding in an iterative manner. The multipath channel is estimated using several pilot symbols and soft estimates of data symbols. The performance of the receiver is evaluated by simulations.
Paraffin-based immunohistochemistry in the evaluation of glomerular diseases in renal biopsies.

OBJECTIVE To determine sensitivity and specificity of paraffin-based immunohistochemistry in the evaluation of glomerular diseases in renal biopsies using immunofluorescence as gold standard. STUDY DESIGN Cross-sectional analytical study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY Department of Histopathology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Rawalpindi, from August 2008 to August 2009. METHODOLOGY Seventy renal biopsy specimens fulfilling the inclusion criteria for light microscopy and immunofluorescence during the study period were evaluated. Antibodies to immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, and IgM) and components of complement system (C3) were applied on 70 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded renal biopsy specimens previously classified by means of light microscopy and immunofluorescence (IF). Staining for these antibodies was recorded as positive and negative for immunohistochemistry (IHC) and IF in paired proportions presuming IF as gold standard test. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predicitive value and negative predicitive value of individual antibody were calculated. RESULTS Of 70 patients, mean age was 33 ± 18 years ranging from 2 to 80 years. Forty five (64%) were males and 25 (36%) were females. The sensitivity, specificity and predictive values of individual antibodies to IgG, IgA, IgM and C3 were very low and generally in the range of 40 - 60%. CONCLUSION The sensitivity, specificity and predictive values of immunohistochemistry on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded renal biopsy specimens were very low and therefore, not suitable for evaluation of renal biopsies in current circumstances.
An indoor localization of UHF RFID using a hybrid approach

To estimate the localization of RFID tag in an open room, we use AOA method instead of RSSI. In this paper, we take an advantage of the certain angle coverage of UHF RFID, and design a set to make UHF RFID reader whirl around an axis to scan each tag that can be found with the constant angular rate, so that the locations of tags are obtained by the two sets according to their time-of-difference and angle.
Biomonitoring Data for 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid in the United States and Canada: Interpretation in a Public Health Risk Assessment Context Using Biomonitoring Equivalents

Background Several extensive studies of exposure to 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) using urinary concentrations in samples from the general population, farm applicators, and farm family members are now available. Reference doses (RfDs) exist for 2,4-D, and Biomonitoring Equivalents (BEs; concentrations in urine or plasma that are consistent with those RfDs) for 2,4-D have recently been derived and published. Objective We reviewed the available biomonitoring data for 2,4-D from the United States and Canada and compared them with BE values to draw conclusions regarding the margin of safety for 2,4-D exposures within each population group. Data sources Data on urinary 2,4-D excretion in general and target populations from recent published studies are tabulated and the derivation of BE values for 2,4-D summarized. Data synthesis The biomonitoring data indicate margins of safety (ratio of BE value to biomarker concentration) of approximately 200 at the central tendency and 50 at the extremes in the general population. Median exposures for applicators and their family members during periods of use appear to be well within acute exposure guidance values. Conclusions Biomonitoring data from these studies indicate that current exposures to 2,4-D are below applicable exposure guidance values. This review demonstrates the value of biomonitoring data in assessing population exposures in the context of existing risk assessments using the BE approach. Risk managers can use this approach to integrate the available biomonitoring data into an overall assessment of current risk management practices for 2,4-D.
Purification, renaturation, and reconstituted protein kinase activity of the Sendai virus large (L) protein: L protein phosphorylates the NP and P proteins in vitro

Sodium dodecyl sulfate-solubilized Sendai virus large (L) protein was highly purified by a one-step procedure, using hydroxylapatite column chromatography. Monoclonal antibodies addressed to the carboxyl-terminal amino acid sequence of the L protein were used for monitoring L protein during purification. By removing sodium dodecyl sulfate from purified L protein, a protein kinase activity was successfully renatured. P and NP proteins served as its substrates. After immunoprecipitation with anti-L antibodies, the immunocomplex already showed protein kinase activity. In the presence of P protein, the NP protein was more highly phosphorylated. The results show that Sendai virus L protein possesses a protein kinase activity phosphorylating the other proteins of the viral nucleocapsid in vitro.
Scaling Up Optimal Heuristic Search in Dec-POMDPs via Incremental Expansion

Planning under uncertainty for multiagent systems can be formalized as a decentralized partially observable Markov decision process. We advance the state of the art for optimal solution of this model, building on the Multiagent A* heuristic search method. A key insight is that we can avoid the full expansion of a search node that generates a number of children that is doubly exponential in the node's depth. Instead, we incrementally expand the children only when a next child might have the highest heuristic value. We target a subsequent bottleneck by introducing a more memory-efficient representation for our heuristic functions. Proof is given that the resulting algorithm is correct and experiments demonstrate a significant speedup over the state of the art, allowing for optimal solutions over longer horizons for many benchmark problems.
LncRNA FENDRR sensitizes doxorubicin-resistance of osteosarcoma cells through down-regulating ABCB1 and ABCC1

Long noncoding RNAs (LncRNAs) act as crucial regulators in various cancers including osteosarcoma (OS), yet their potential roles and molecular mechanisms in OS chemoresistance remain unclear. In the present study, we investigated the role and potential regulatory mechanism of the most down-regulated expressed lncRNA, FENDRR screened by our previous lncRNA microarray analysis between the paired doxorubicin-resistant and sensitive human osteosarcoma cell lines (MG63/DXR vs MG63). FENDRR expression was down-regulated in the doxorubicin-resistant OS cell lines and tissues and negatively correlated to the poor prognosis of OS patients. Overexpression of FENDRR suppressed doxorubicin-resistance, G2/M phase of cell cycle, and promoted cell apoptosis of osteosarcoma cells in vitro and tumor growth in vivo whereas FENDRR knockdown had the opposite effects. In addition, we found that FENDRR was mainly located in the cytoplasm and could regulate the drug resistance of osteosarcoma cells by negatively affecting posttranscriptional expression of ABCB1 and ABCC1. Together, our study demonstrated that lncRNA FENDRR may act as an inhibitory molecule of doxorubicin-resistance through down-regulating the expression of ABCB1 and ABCC1 genes in osteosarcoma cells. These findings may extend the function of FENDRR in tumor progression and provide a novel target for reversing OS chemoresistance.
Inspiring and Modeling Multi-Robot Search with Particle Swarm Optimization

Within the field of multi-robot systems, multi-robot search is one area which is currently receiving a lot of research attention. One major challenge within this area is to design effective algorithms that allow a team of robots to work together to find their targets. Techniques have been adopted for multi-robot search from the particle swarm optimization algorithm, which uses a virtual multi-agent search to find optima in a multi-dimensional function space. We present here a multi-search algorithm inspired by particle swarm optimization. Additionally, we exploit this inspiration by modifying the particle swarm optimization algorithm to mimic the multi-robot search process, thereby allowing us to model at an abstracted level the effects of changing aspects and parameters of the system such as number of robots and communication range