Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efficient Smoke Simulation on Curvilinear Grids

We present an efficient approach for performing smoke simulation on curvilinear grids. Our technique is based on a fast unconditionally-stable advection algorithm and on a new and efficient solution to enforce mass conservation. It uses a staggered-grid variable arrangement, and has linear cost on the number of grid cells. Our method naturally integrates itself with overlapping-grid techniques, lending to an efficient way of producing highly-realistic animations of dynamic scenes. Compared to approaches based on regular grids traditionally used in computer graphics, our method allows for better representation of boundary conditions, with just a small increment in computational cost. Thus, it can be used to evaluate aerodynamic properties, possibly enabling unexplored applications in computer graphics, such as interactive computation of lifting forces on complex objects. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach, both in 2-D and 3-D, through a variety of high-quality smoke animations.
A Large Web-Based Observer Reliability Study of Early Ischaemic Signs on Computed Tomography. The Acute Cerebral CT Evaluation of Stroke Study (ACCESS)

Background Early signs of ischaemic stroke on computerised tomography (CT) scanning are subtle but CT is the most widely available diagnostic test for stroke. Scoring methods that code for the extent of brain ischaemia may improve stroke diagnosis and quantification of the impact of ischaemia. Methodology and Principal Findings We showed CT scans from patients with acute ischaemic stroke (n = 32, with different patient characteristics and ischaemia signs) to doctors in stroke-related specialties world-wide over the web. CT scans were shown twice, randomly and blindly. Observers entered their scan readings, including early ischaemic signs by three scoring methods, into the web database. We compared observers' scorings to a reference standard neuroradiologist using area under receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC) analysis, Cronbach's alpha and logistic regression to determine the effect of scales, patient, scan and observer variables on detection of early ischaemic changes. Amongst 258 readers representing 33 nationalities and six specialties, the AUCs comparing readers with the reference standard detection of ischaemic signs were similar for all scales and both occasions. Being a neuroradiologist, slower scan reading, more pronounced ischaemic signs and later time to CT all improved detection of early ischaemic signs and agreement on the rating scales. Scan quality, stroke severity and number of years of training did not affect agreement. Conclusions Large-scale observer reliability studies are possible using web-based tools and inform routine practice. Slower scan reading and use of CT infarct rating scales improve detection of acute ischaemic signs and should be encouraged to improve stroke diagnosis.
Interleaved Evaluation for Retrospective Summarization and Prospective Notification on Document Streams

We propose and validate a novel interleaved evaluation methodology for two complementary information seeking tasks on document streams: retrospective summarization and prospective notification. In the first, the user desires relevant and non-redundant documents that capture important aspects of an information need. In the second, the user wishes to receive timely, relevant, and non-redundant update notifications for a standing information need. Despite superficial similarities, interleaved evaluation methods for web ranking cannot be directly applied to these tasks; for example, existing techniques do not account for temporality or redundancy. Our proposed evaluation methodology consists of two components: a temporal interleaving strategy and a heuristic for credit assignment to handle redundancy. By simulating user interactions with interleaved results on submitted runs to the TREC 2014 tweet timeline generation (TTG) task and the TREC 2015 real-time filtering task, we demonstrate that our methodology yields system comparisons that accurately match the result of batch evaluations. Analysis further reveals weaknesses in current batch evaluation methodologies to suggest future directions for research.
The structure and function of the glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor and its ligands

Glucagon‐like peptide‐1(7‐36)amide (GLP‐1) is a 30‐residue peptide hormone released from intestinal L cells following nutrient consumption. It potentiates the glucose‐induced secretion of insulin from pancreatic beta cells, increases insulin expression, inhibits beta‐cell apoptosis, promotes beta‐cell neogenesis, reduces glucagon secretion, delays gastric emptying, promotes satiety and increases peripheral glucose disposal. These multiple effects have generated a great deal of interest in the discovery of long‐lasting agonists of the GLP‐1 receptor (GLP‐1R) in order to treat type 2 diabetes. This review article summarizes the literature regarding the discovery of GLP‐1 and its physiological functions. The structure, function and sequence–activity relationships of the hormone and its natural analogue exendin‐4 (Ex4) are reviewed in detail. The current knowledge of the structure of GLP‐1R, a Family B GPCR, is summarized and discussed, before its known interactions with the principle peptide ligands are described and summarized. Finally, progress in discovering non‐peptide ligands of GLP‐1R is reviewed. GLP‐1 is clearly an important hormone linking nutrient consumption with blood sugar control, and therefore knowledge of its structure, function and mechanism of action is of great importance.
Comparison of Different Approaches To QuantifyStaphylococcus aureus Cells by Real-Time Quantitative PCR and Application of This Technique for Examination of Cheese

ABSTRACT Two different real-time quantitative PCR (RTQ-PCR) approaches were applied for PCR-based quantification of Staphylococcus aureus cells by targeting the thermonuclease (nuc) gene. Purified DNA extracts from pure cultures ofS. aureus were quantified in a LightCycler system using SYBR Green I. Quantification proved to be less sensitive (60nuc gene copies/μl) than using a fluorigenic TaqMan probe (6 nuc gene copies/μl). Comparison of the LightCycler system and the well-established ABI Prism 7700 SDS with TaqMan probes revealed no statistically significant differences with respect to sensitivity and reproducibility. Application of the RTQ-PCR assay to quantify S. aureus cells in artificially contaminated cheeses of different types achieved sensitivities from 1.5 × 102 to 6.4 × 102 copies of the nuc gene/2 g, depending on the cheese matrix. The coefficients of correlation between log CFU and nuc gene copy numbers ranged from 0.979 to 0.998, thus enabling calculation of the number of CFU of S. aureus in cheese by performing RTQ-PCR.
Getting well by getting together : how organizational culture influence auditors’ well-being

During the past years the absence from work due to work-related stress has increased in Sweden, which is assumed to have something to do with the increased stress in society. Previous research has shown that work-related stress often affects individuals who have some kind of contact with other people and also have a responsibility towards them. This might be a reason for why previous research has focused mainly on doctors, when it comes to studies on well-being. Since auditors, just like doctors, are believed to be a profession, it would also be interesting to study auditors’ well-being. Previous research has shown that the organizational culture can have an impact on the individual’s well-being. This is why we have chosen to study how different organizational cultures within audit firms affect auditors’ well-being.We started our research by conducting pilot interviews with assistant auditors, to give us a good overview of their work situation. This led to the construction of a survey, which has been distributed to all approved and authorized auditors in Sweden. We have sent 2 738 questionnaires and received 262 responses, which is a response rate of 9,6 %. By the help of the theoretical framework, we constructed six hypotheses, which have been tested by statistical analyses.One conclusion is that we have found indications that a collectivistic organizational culture, hierarchy culture and adhocracy culture have a positive effect on the auditors’ subjective wellbeing. We can also conclude that there are indications that market culture has a negative effect on the auditors’ subjective well-being.A limitation with this study is that it only includes approved and authorized auditors in Sweden. The limitation, however, enabled us to contribute with new knowledge within a previously somewhat unstudied context.
The design of a Network-On-Chip architecture based on an avionic protocol

When the Network-On-Chip (NoC) paradigm was introduced, many researchers have proposed many novelistic NoC architectures, tools and design strategies. In this paper we introduce a new approach in the field of designing Network-On-Chip (NoC). Our inspiration came from an avionic protocol which is the AFDX protocol. The proposed NoC architecture is a switch centric architecture, with exclusive shortcuts between hosts and utilizes the flexibility, the reliability and the performances offered by AFDX.
Large-Area Soil Moisture Estimation Using Multi-Incidence-Angle RADARSAT-1 SAR Data

The sensitivity of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) backscatter to soil moisture has been adequately established. However, monitoring of soil moisture over large agricultural areas is still difficult because SAR backscatter is also sensitive to other target properties like surface roughness, crop cover, and soil texture (soil type), along with its strong sensitivity to soil moisture. Hence, to develop a methodology for large-area soil moisture estimation using SAR, it is necessary to incorporate the effects of surface roughness, crop cover, and soil texture in the soil moisture retrieval model. In this paper, a methodology for soil moisture estimation over a large area is developed using a pair of low- and high-incidence-angle RADARSAT-1 SAR data over parts of Agra, Mathura, and Bharatpur districts, India, during March 1999. The methodology requires acquisition of synthetic aperture radar data at low and high incidence angles, such that the soil moisture changes are negligible between the two acquisitions. In order to demonstrate the applicability of the developed methodology, the same was validated over a different area (parts of Saharanpur and Haridwar districts, India) during March 2005. Both test sites provided the variety of agricultural heterogeneity required for development and validation of the methodology for large-area soil moisture estimation. The proposed methodology offers an approach to incorporate the effects of surface roughness, crop cover, and soil texture in the soil moisture retrieval model from the space platform, without making any assumptions on the distributions of these parameters or without knowing the actual values of these parameters on ground.
Grasp quality metrics for robot hands benchmarking

This paper addresses the problem of evaluating the grasping capabilities of a robot hand. The purpose of such evaluation is to provide numerical results that enable the comparison of different aspects of robot hand designs which can lead to improve their performance. The methodology proposed in this paper consists of computing an exhaustive amount of grasp configurations for each robot hand over a wide variety of objects on a simulation environment. These grasps are evaluated through a set of six selected grasp metrics. Three hand models are compared to test the suitability of the methodology.
A humanoid walking pattern generator for sole design optimization

We devised a new walking pattern generator based on a minimization of the energy consumption that offers the necessary parameters to be used in flexible sole design problems. This pattern generator is implemented in two sets of experiments implying the HRP-2 humanoid robot: walking with different weighting between (i) the center of mass forces, and (ii) torques applied at the ankle joint. We also considered two types of feet: the HRP-2 built-in flexible ankle, and our proposed solution that keeps the ankle-to-foot without flexibility and add instead a flexible sole. The latter shows several benefits that are discussed.
An Evaluation of the Relationship Between the Implementation of a Newly Designed Prescription Drug Label at Target Pharmacies and Health Outcomes

Background:Medication errors represent a major public health concern, and inadequate prescription drug labels have been identified as a root cause of errors. A new prescription medication labeling system was implemented by Target pharmacies in May 2005 and aimed to improve health outcomes. Objectives:To evaluate whether the new Target label influenced patient health services utilization. Subjects:Derived from 2 large health plans. Research Design and Measures:Using administrative claims, we identified patients with 1 of 9 chronic diseases who filled prescriptions at Target pharmacies and a matched sample who filled prescriptions at other community pharmacies. We stratified our cohort into new and prevalent medication users and evaluated the impact of the Target label on outpatient, emergency department and inpatient health services use. We used linear regression and segmented linear regression to evaluate the new-user and prevalent-user analyses, respectively. Results:Our sample included 23,745 Target pharmacy users and 162,369 matched non-Target pharmacy users. In the new-user analysis, we found no significant change in rates of both outpatient (event rate ratio: 0.53; 95% CI: 0.15–1.86) and inpatient and emergency department (Event rate ratio: 0.88; 95% CI: 0.62–1.24) health services utilization in Target users after implementation when compared with non-Target users. Similarly, in the prevalent user analysis, we found no change in the level or slope of outpatient or emergency/inpatient services in Target users after implementation of the new label when compared with non-Target users. Conclusions:We found no statistically significant change in health services use attributable to the implementation of the new prescription drug label at Target pharmacies. These findings highlight the challenge of influencing health outcomes with interventions to improve health literacy.
Team competencies (Компетентность команды)

Suggests there is misplaced overemphasis on individual competence levels and not enough attention paid to team competency. Feels that individual competencies need to be seen in the context of what a team requires to perform well. Presents nine major team competency factors and a resulting team model, from which a team can assess its objectives, priorities, time management allocations and performance assessment.
ERK MAP Kinase Activation in Superficial Spinal Cord Neurons Induces Prodynorphin and NK-1 Upregulation and Contributes to Persistent Inflammatory Pain Hypersensitivity

Activation of ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase) MAP (mitogen-activated protein) kinase in dorsal horn neurons of the spinal cord by peripheral noxious stimulation contributes to short-term pain hypersensitivity. We investigated ERK activation by peripheral inflammation and its involvement in regulating gene expression in the spinal cord and in contributing to inflammatory pain hypersensitivity. Injection of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) into a hindpaw produced a persistent inflammation and a sustained ERK activation in neurons in the superficial layers (laminae I–IIo) of the dorsal horn. CFA also induced an upregulation of prodynorphin and neurokinin-1 (NK-1) in dorsal horn neurons, which was suppressed by intrathecal delivery of the MEK (MAP kinase kinase) inhibitor U0126. CFA-induced phospho-ERK primarily colocalized with prodynorphin and NK-1 in superficial dorsal horn neurons. Although intrathecal injection of U0126 did not affect basal pain sensitivity, it did attenuate both the establishment and maintenance of persistent inflammatory heat and mechanical hypersensitivity. Activation of the ERK pathway in a subset of nociceptive spinal neurons contributes, therefore, to persistent pain hypersensitivity, possibly via transcriptional regulation of genes, such as prodynorphin and NK-1.
Dysfunction of spatacsin leads to axonal pathology in SPG11-linked hereditary spastic paraplegia

Hereditary spastic paraplegias are a group of inherited motor neuron diseases characterized by progressive paraparesis and spasticity. Mutations in the spastic paraplegia gene SPG11, encoding spatacsin, cause an autosomal-recessive disease trait; however, the precise knowledge about the role of spatacsin in neurons is very limited. We for the first time analyzed the expression and function of spatacsin in human forebrain neurons derived from human pluripotent stem cells including lines from two SPG11 patients and two controls. SPG11 patients'-derived neurons exhibited downregulation of specific axonal-related genes, decreased neurite complexity and accumulation of membranous bodies within axonal processes. Altogether, these data point towards axonal pathologies in human neurons with SPG11 mutations. To further corroborate spatacsin function, we investigated human pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons and mouse cortical neurons. In these cells, spatacsin was located in axons and dendrites. It colocalized with cytoskeletal and synaptic vesicle (SV) markers and was present in synaptosomes. Knockdown of spatacsin in mouse cortical neurons evidenced that the loss of function of spatacsin leads to axonal instability by downregulation of acetylated tubulin. Finally, time-lapse assays performed in SPG11 patients'-derived neurons and spatacsin-silenced mouse neurons highlighted a reduction in the anterograde vesicle trafficking indicative of impaired axonal transport. By employing SPG11 patient-derived forebrain neurons and mouse cortical neurons, this study provides the first evidence that SPG11 is implicated in axonal maintenance and cargo trafficking. Understanding the cellular functions of spatacsin will allow deciphering mechanisms of motor cortex dysfunction in autosomal-recessive hereditary spastic paraplegia.
A new design topology for low-voltage CMOS current feedback amplifiers

A new topology for designing low-voltage current feedback amplifiers (CFAs) is presented. By employing a second-generation positive current conveyor followed by an operational amplifier in an unconventional manner, the design circumvents the problem of trying to achieve large transimpedance in a low-voltage environment. It is shown that this CFA configuration also results in near gain independent closed-loop bandwidth defined by a single feedback resistor. The proposed amplifier was verified experimentally by a chip designed using Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's 0.18-mum digital CMOS process of a single-ended power supply of 1.8 V
Tropical trials and tribulations.

Field trials are the cornerstone in the evaluation of new public health interventions in the developing world. There is a tendency to base the introduction of new public health measures on very few trials. This is understandable given the expense in terms of money and time in mounting these trials and the enthusiasm to do something about the persistently high mortality in many parts of the world. However in the conduct of vaccine trials in West Africa a number of problems of design and analysis have presented themselves. These problems do not seem to be widely recognized but they affect the design of new trials and the interpretation of those already published. Some of these points are relevant to other forms of intervention study, such as vitamin A supplementation, and to trials in any part of the world. They fall into three broad areas; randomization, speculative versus practical trials and outcome measurement.
Creating Efficient Fail-Stop Cryptographic Protocols

Abstract : Fail-stop cryptographic protocols are characterized by the property that they terminate when an active attack is detected, rather than releasing information valuable to the attacker. Since such a construction forces attacks (other than denial-of-service)to be passive, the protocol designer's concerns can be restricted to passive attacks and malicious insiders. A significant advantage of such protocols is that by stopping and not attempting to recover, proofs about protocol behavior and security properties are greatly simplified. This paper presents a generic method of converting any existing (cryptographic) protocol into a fail-stop one, or designing new protocols to be fail-stop. Our technique uses cryptographic hashes to validate sequences of messages by reflecting message dependencies in the hash values. An informal proof of correctness is given. We apply it to an early version of Netscape's Secure Socket Layer (SSL) cryptographic protocol. We also suggest a possible application to TCP streams as a high-performance alternative to the per-packet authentication of IPSEC. The modified protocols require small increases in message size and the number of cryptographic operations relative to the initial non-fail-stop protocols.
Unified diversity in top‐level teams: Enhancing collaboration and quality in strategic decision‐making

Purpose – This study attempts to move beyond the “congruence assumption” surrounding top management team (TMT) demography by exploring the intervening processes that link TMT diversity and organizational performance.Design/methodology/approach – Using Fiol's concept of unified diversity and employing an information processing perspective of strategic decision‐making, this article proposes a model that incorporates both moderating and mediating influences; and then tests the hypotheses using data from specific strategic decisions faced by 85 top‐level decision‐making teams within the health care industry.Findings – Evidence was found to support the expectation that goal consensus moderates the relationship between informational diversity and decision quality within the management teams. In addition, team member collaboration was found to partially mediate this effect. Research limitations/implications – The retrospective nature of the data collection captured the essence of the decision‐making process over.
Adenovirus triggers macropinocytosis and endosomal leakage together with its clathrin-mediated uptake

Adenovirus type 2 (Ad2) binds the coxsackie B virus Ad receptor and is endocytosed upon activation of the αv integrin coreceptors. Here, we demonstrate that expression of dominant negative clathrin hub, eps15, or K44A-dynamin (dyn) inhibited Ad2 uptake into epithelial cells, indicating clathrin-dependent viral endocytosis. Surprisingly, Ad strongly stimulated the endocytic uptake of fluid phase tracers, coincident with virus internalization but without affecting receptor-mediated transferrin uptake. A large amount of the stimulated endocytic activity was macropinocytosis. Macropinocytosis depended on αv integrins, PKC, F-actin, and the amiloride-sensitive Na+/H+ exchanger, which are all required for Ad escape from endosomes and infection. Macropinocytosis stimulation was not a consequence of viral escape, since it occurred in K44A-dyn–expressing cells. Surprisingly, 30–50% of the endosomal contents were released into the cytosol of control and also K44A-dyn–expressing cells, and the number of fluid phase–positive endosomes dropped below the levels of noninfected cells, indicating macropinosomal lysis. The release of macropinosomal contents was Ad dose dependent, but the presence of Ad particles on macropinosomal membranes was not sufficient for contents release. We conclude that Ad signaling from the cell surface controls the induction of macropinosome formation and leakage, and this correlates with viral exit to the cytosol and infection.