Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stretch-based tetrahedral mesh manipulation

We present a novel least scaling distortion metric to measure the deformation distortion for tetrahedral meshes. The stretch-like metric is a combination of Jacobian matrix norm and tetrahedron volume and has the properties of good shape preservation and rotation invariance. Based on our metric, we propose a uniform non-linear optimization solution to a variety of tetrahedral mesh manipulation applications including shape deformation, interpolation, deformation transfer, and deformation learning. Our approach can produce volume preserving and flip free tetrahedral mesh results, which performs much better than the previous tetrahedral manipulation approaches. We also demonstrate an efficient and practical application using free-form deformation technique. The object is embedded in a rough control tetrahedral mesh and deformed by editing the tetrahedral mesh with various constraints. Each vertex of the object can be obtained by its barycentric coordinates according to its embedding tetrahedron of the control tetrahedral mesh.
An energy‐aware engineered control plane for wavelength‐routed networks

Despite the significant degree of technological maturity reached by large‐scale optical transmission infrastructures, new critical issues are emerging as side effects associated to their energy consumption, environmental impact and related costs, now accounting for an important part of the networks’ operational expenditures. To face this problem, we propose a single‐stage routing and wavelength assignment scheme, based on several network engineering extensions to the Generalised Multi‐Protocol Label Switching (GMPLS) control plane protocols, mainly Open Shortest Path First, with new composed metrics and information transport facilities. It is structured according to a simple multi‐objective optimisation approach aiming at containing the network's energy consumption and ecological impact while balancing the overall load and maintaining an acceptable connection demand satisfaction rate. The proposed solution is able to operate effectively in wide area wavelength routing scenarios, where multiple heterogeneous equipment, ranging from pure photonic to opaque routing/switching, amplification and regeneration devices are deployed in a GMPLS‐empowered network. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
In vivo multiphoton microscopy of NADH and FAD redox states, fluorescence lifetimes, and cellular morphology in precancerous epithelia

Metabolic imaging of the relative amounts of reduced NADH and FAD and the microenvironment of these metabolic electron carriers can be used to noninvasively monitor changes in metabolism, which is one of the hallmarks of carcinogenesis. This study combines cellular redox ratio, NADH and FAD lifetime, and subcellular morphology imaging in three dimensions to identify intrinsic sources of metabolic and structural contrast in vivo at the earliest stages of cancer development. There was a significant (P < 0.05) increase in the nuclear to cytoplasmic ratio (NCR) with depth within the epithelium in normal tissues; however, there was no significant change in NCR with depth in precancerous tissues. The redox ratio significantly decreased in the less differentiated basal epithelial cells compared with the more mature cells in the superficial layer of the normal stratified squamous epithelium, indicating an increase in metabolic activity in cells with increased NCR. However, the redox ratio was not significantly different between the superficial and basal cells in precancerous tissues. A significant decrease was observed in the contribution and lifetime of protein-bound NADH (averaged over the entire epithelium) in both low- and high-grade epithelial precancers compared with normal epithelial tissues. In addition, a significant increase in the protein-bound FAD lifetime and a decrease in the contribution of protein-bound FAD are observed in high-grade precancers only. Increased intracellular variability in the redox ratio, NADH, and FAD fluorescence lifetimes were observed in precancerous cells compared with normal cells.
Automated coronary calcium scoring using predictive active contour segmentation

Agatston scoring has become the primary clinical method of calcified lesion quantification for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease. Such a method compares a patients coronary plaque burden against a series of preset disease severity ratings. This burden allows a cardiologist to make a risk assessment of future cardiac events and prescribe suitable treatment. The main factor affecting plaque quantity lies with a major aspect of user interaction, the manual selection of potential calcified lesion ROI's. Being a manual process, the issue of subjective ROI selection and reproduction by different experts can lead to varying results for a single patient. Thus an automation of the scoring process has been proposed. In order to test this, an automated method of plaque lesion detection and scoring has been presented, validated against corresponding clinical calcium scores. This approach has shown as good results as obtained clinically with the exception of certain outliers caused by either over or under inclusion of lesions.
Satisfiability-based algorithms for pseudo-Boolean optimization using Gomory cuts and search restarts

Cutting planes are a well-known, widely used, and very effective technique for integer linear programming (ILP). In contrast, the utilization of cutting planes in pseudo-Boolean Optimization (PBO) is recent and results still preliminary. This paper addresses the utilization of cutting planes, namely Gomory mixed-integer cuts, in satisfiability-based algorithms for PBO, and shows how these cuts can be used for computing lower bounds and for learning new constraints. A side result of learning new constraints is that the utilization of cutting planes enables non-chronological backtracking. Besides cutting planes, the paper also proposes the utilization of search restarts in PBO. We show that search restarts can be effective in practice, allowing the computation of more aggressive lower bounds each time the search restarts. Experimental results show that the integration of cutting planes and search restarts in a SAT-based algorithm for PBO yields a very efficient and robust new solution for PBO
Scan matching in a probabilistic framework

We describe an interpretation of scan matching as a probability distribution approximation problem and we propose an algorithm that, employing a particle approximation to the target distribution, can take advantage of the knowledge of the evolution model and provide an estimate of the matching uncertainty. Experiments show it can work in unstructured environments, it is reliable to severe sensor occlusions and it handles under constrained situations gracefully
Transposon Excision from an Atypical Site: A Mechanism of Evolution of Novel Transposable Elements

The role of transposable elements in sculpting the genome is well appreciated but remains poorly understood. Some organisms, such as humans, do not have active transposons; however, transposable elements were presumably active in their ancestral genomes. Of specific interest is whether the DNA surrounding the sites of transposon excision become recombinogenic, thus bringing about homologous recombination. Previous studies in maize and Drosophila have provided conflicting evidence on whether transposon excision is correlated with homologous recombination. Here we take advantage of an atypical Dissociation (Ds) element, a maize transposon that can be mobilized by the Ac transposase gene in Arabidopsis thaliana, to address questions on the mechanism of Ds excision. This atypical Ds element contains an adjacent 598 base pairs (bp) inverted repeat; the element was allowed to excise by the introduction of an unlinked Ac transposase source through mating. Footprints at the excision site suggest a micro-homology mediated non-homologous end joining reminiscent of V(D)J recombination involving the formation of intra-helix 3′ to 5′ trans-esterification as an intermediate, a mechanism consistent with previous observations in maize, Antirrhinum and in certain insects. The proposed mechanism suggests that the broken chromosome at the excision site should not allow recombinational interaction with the homologous chromosome, and that the linked inverted repeat should also be mobilizable. To test the first prediction, we measured recombination of flanking chromosomal arms selected for the excision of Ds. In congruence with the model, Ds excision did not influence crossover recombination. Furthermore, evidence for correlated movement of the adjacent inverted repeat sequence is presented; its origin and movement suggest a novel mechanism for the evolution of repeated elements. Taken together these results suggest that the movement of transposable elements themselves may not directly influence linkage. Possibility remains, however, for novel repeated DNA sequences produced as a consequence of transposon movement to influence crossover in subsequent generations.
Interference detection performance using asynchronous MU-MIMO and self-interference cancellation technique

This paper proposes a collision detection scheme in asynchronous multiuser-multiple input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) transmission and self-interference cancellation. We assume that asynchronous MU-MIMO which realizes the efficient transmission and other antennas can receive preamble signals while the transmission is employed with antennas which are used in asynchronous MU-MIMO. The self-interference can be cancelled by subtracting the short preamble signal which is multiplied by the estimated channel response using the received signal after FFT processing. The effectiveness of proposed method is shown by computer simulation. In addition, interfering power from the interfering user terminal (IT) at the access point (AP) and desired user terminal (DT) is verified in an actual indoor environment.
Jute felt composite from lignin modified phenolic resin

Raw and dewaxed jute felt composites were prepared with resol and lignin modified phenol formaldehyde resin. Four different types of lignin modified resins were used by replacing phenol with lignin. The lignin modified resins were prepared from purified lignin obtained from paper industry waste black liquor. To investigate bonding between jute and resin, IR spectroscopy of jute felts and composites was carried out. The thermal stability of the composites was assessed by DSC and TGA. It was found that the lignin resin jute composite is thermally more stable than resol composite. XRD of jute felt and composite shows that the crystallinity of the jute fiber increases after composite preparation. The lignin resin composites were tested for water absorption and thickness swelling, and it was found that the results are comparable with those of resol jute composite. Composites prepared from lignin phenol formaldehyde resin with 50% phenol replacement has shown 75% tensile strength retention to that of pure resol jute composite.
Preserved executive function in high‐performing elderly is driven by large‐scale recruitment of prefrontal cortical mechanisms

High‐density electrical mapping of event‐related potentials was used to investigate the neural processes that permit some elderly subjects to preserve high levels of executive functioning. Two possibilities pertain: (1) high‐performance in elderly subjects is underpinned by similar processing mechanisms to those seen in young adults; that is, these individuals display minimal functional decay across the lifespan, or (2) preserved function relies on successfully recruiting and amplifying control processes to compensate for normal sensory‐perceptual decline with age. Fifteen young and nineteen elderly participants, the latter split into groups of high and low performers, regularly alternated between a letter and a number categorization task, switching between tasks every third trial (AAA‐BBB‐AAA…). This allowed for interrogation of performance during switch, repeat, and preparatory pre‐switch trials. Robust effects of age were observed in both frontal and parietal components of the task‐switching network. Greatest differences originated over prefrontal regions, with elderly subjects generating amplified, earlier, and more differentiated patterns of activity. This prefrontal amplification was evident only in high‐performing (HP) elderly, and was strongest on pre‐switch trials when participants prepared for an upcoming task‐switch. Analysis of the early transient and late sustained activity using topographic analyses and source localization collectively supported a unique and elaborated pattern of activity across frontal and parietal scalp in HP‐elderly, wholly different to that seen in both young and low‐performing elderly. On this basis, we propose that preserved executive function in HP‐elderly is driven by large‐scale recruitment and enhancement of prefrontal cortical mechanisms. Hum Brain Mapp, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Informed Choices in the Web

Individuals lack proper means to supervise the services they contact and the information they exchange when surﬁng the web. This security task has become challenging due to the complexity of the modern web, of the data delivering technology, and even to the adoption of encryption, which, while improving privacy, makes in-network services ineffective. The implications are serious, from a person contacting undesired services or unwillingly exposing private information, to a company being unable to control the ﬂow of its information to the outside world. To empower transparency and the capability of taking informed choices in the web, we propose C ROWD S URF , a system for comprehensive and collaborative auditing of data exchanged with Internet services. Similarly to crowdsourced efforts, we enable users to contribute in building awareness, supported by the semi-automatic analysis of data offered by a cloud-based system. The result is the creation of “suggestions” that individuals can transform in enforce-able “rules” to customize their web browsing policy. C ROWD S URF provides the core infrastructure to let individuals and enterprises regain visibility and control on their web activity. Preliminary results obtained executing a prototype implementation demonstrate the feasibility and potential of C ROWD S URF .
University of Birmingham Mutational and topological analysis of the Escherichia coli BamA protein

The multi-protein b -barrel assembly machine (BAM) of Escherichia coli is responsible for the folding and insertion of b -barrel containing integral outer membrane proteins (OMPs) into the bacterial outer membrane. An essential component of this complex is the BamA protein, which binds unfolded b -barrel precursors via the five polypeptide transport-associated (POTRA) domains in its N-terminus. The C-terminus of BamA contains a b -barrel domain, which tethers BamA to the outer membrane and is also thought to be involved in OMP insertion. Here we mutagenize BamA using linker scanning mutagenesis and demonstrate that all five POTRA domains are essential for BamA protein function in our experimental system. Furthermore, we generate a homology based model of the BamA b -barrel and test our model using insertion mutagenesis, deletion analysis and immunofluorescence to identify b -strands, periplasmic turns and extracellular loops. We show that the surface-exposed loops of the BamA b -barrel are essential
Convergence of a neural network classifier

It is shown that the LVQ (learning vector quantization) learning algorithm converges to locally asymptotic stable equilibria of an ordinary differential equation. It is demonstrated that the learning algorithm performs stochastic approximation. Convergence of the Voronoi vectors is guaranteed under the appropriate conditions on the underlying statistics of the classification problem. The authors also present a modification to the learning algorithm which, it is argued, results in convergence of the LVQ for a larger set of initial conditions. Finally, it is shown that the LVQ is a general histogram classifier and that its risk converges to the Bayesian optimal risk as the appropriate parameters go to infinity with the number of past observations. <<ETX>>
Optimization of a Stationary Tomographic MBI System Including Non-Local Means Filtering

A novel stationary tomographic Molecular Breast Imaging (MBI) system is currently under development, with the aim of obtaining high image-quality with low dose and short scanning time. The system is based on dual opposing CZT detector arrays and multi-pinhole collimators. We have recently modified the iterative image reconstruction procedure by incorporating a novel relaxation scheme, in order to make the image contrast and noise properties more uniform throughout the field-of-view. In addition, we have introduced a post-reconstruction image denoising step based on the non-local means (NLM) filter. In view of the significant effect that these steps had on the image quality, we performed a new system parameter optimization. The parameters investigated were pinhole size, opening angle and separation, as well as the number of reconstruction iterations and the degree-of-smoothing parameter of the NLM filter. The optimization was performed based on simulated data, by maximizing the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) in the images. We found that the optimal system parameters were not so different with the new data processing steps as compared to previous results, while the CNR was improved by a factor > 3.
Self-Training with Products of Latent Variable Grammars

We study self-training with products of latent variable grammars in this paper. We show that increasing the quality of the automatically parsed data used for self-training gives higher accuracy self-trained grammars. Our generative self-trained grammars reach F scores of 91.6 on the WSJ test set and surpass even discriminative reranking systems without self-training. Additionally, we show that multiple self-trained grammars can be combined in a product model to achieve even higher accuracy. The product model is most effective when the individual underlying grammars are most diverse. Combining multiple grammars that were self-trained on disjoint sets of unlabeled data results in a final test accuracy of 92.5% on the WSJ test set and 89.6% on our Broadcast News test set.
Study of the release of a microencapsulated acid dye in polyamide dyeing using mixed cationic liposomes

The main objective of this work was to increase the retarding effect of the acid dye Telon® Blue RR (C.I. Acid Blue 62; DyStar, Frankfurt, Germany) release on polyamide fibres dyeing by encapsulation of the dye in liposomes as an alternative to synthetic auxiliaries, in order to reduce effluent pollution. The retarding effect achieved with the use of mixed cationic liposomes of dioctadecyldimethylammonium bromide (DODAB)/soybean lecithin (containing a 10% molar fraction of DODAB) was better in comparison with either pure soybean lecithin liposomes or synthetic auxiliaries. The retarding effect of liposomes on the dye release was analysed through changes in the absorption and fluorescence spectra of the acid dye at different conditions. The effect of temperature (in the range of 25 °C - 70 °C) on the spectroscopic behaviour of the dye in the absence and in presence of polyamide was also studied, in order to simulate the dyeing conditions. Exhaustion curves obtained in dyeing experiments showed that, below 45 °C, the retarding effect of the mixed liposomes (lecithin/DODAB (9:1)) was similar to that of the auxiliaries, but better than the one of pure lecithin liposomes. At higher temperatures (above 45 °C), the system lecithin/DODAB presents a better performance, achieving a higher final exhaustion level when compared with the commercial leveling agent without losing the smoothing effect of lecithin.
Scalable Internet video streaming with differential JPEG-2000 video codec and content-aware rate control

A scalable video streaming system that includes video preprocessing, differential JPEG-2000 (DJ2K) video codec, and content-aware rate control is proposed. The proposed streaming solution tackles the problem of maintaining smooth video quality even when there is a significant change in the source content or the transmission bandwidth. The wavelet-based JPEG- 2000 video codec provides temporal, spatial and SNR scalabilities. A rate controller, which is separated from the encoder, can deal with diverse demands of a wide variety of users and various traffic conditions in a heterogeneous network by leveraging offered scalabilities and content- awareness. Simulations are conducted to demonstrate various advantages of the proposed solution.
Thermal Expansion of Fused Silica from 80 to 1000 K - Standard Reference Material 739

Fused silica is the second of a series of materials to be certified as thermal expansion standards by the National Bureau of Standards. The results of tests on five samples indicate the stock to be consistent quality suitable for certification as Standard Reference Material 739. The same interferometer apparatus was used as in the certification of copper SRM 736. Expansivity values from each of the five samples were fitted using a least squares third order spline polynomial with three separate temperature intervals. The data from all the samples were then pooled and fit with the same type spline polynomial. Values calculated from these equations and their integrals are presented and also compared to literature data on fused silica.
New Type of Magnetic Actuator System for Inspection in a Complex Pipe

This paper proposes a magnetic actuator using multiple vibrating components to perform inspection in a complex pipe with a T-junction. The actuator is capable of reversible movement due to the opening and closing of a compound material by the elongation and contraction of shape-memory-alloy coils. The magnetic actuator undergoes linear and rotational movement based on the difference in frictional force between the forward and backward movement of the compound material. Measurement of the average speed was carried out in a complex pipe with a T-junction section. The experimental results show that the maximum rotational speed of the prototype magnetic actuator was 16 degree/s in a pipe with an inner diameter of 50 mm, and the system was able to inspect the wall in the complex pipe at an average speed of 10 mm/s.
Perspective Splatting

Splatting is a popular direct volume rendering algorithm that was originally conceived and implemented to render orthographic projections. This paper describes an anti-aliasing extension to the basic splatting algorithm, as well as an error analysis, that make it practical to use for perspective projections. To date, splatting has not correctly rendered cases where the volume sampling rate is higher than the image sampling rate (e.g. more than one voxel maps into a pixel). This situation arises with perspective projections of volumes, as well as with orthographic projections of high-resolution volumes. The result is potentially severe spatial and temporal aliasing artifacts. Some volume ray-casting algorithms avoid these artifacts by employing reconstruction kernels which vary in width as the rays diverge. Unlike ray-casting algorithms, existing splatting algorithms do not have an equivalent mechanism for avoiding these artifacts. In this paper we propose such a mechanism, which delivers high-quality splatted images and has the potential for a very efficient hardware implementation. In addition, we analyze two numerical errors that arise with splatted perspective projections of volumes, and describe the rendering-time versus image-quality tradeoffs of addressing these errors.