Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fast Ray Traversal of Unstructured Volume Data using Plucker Tests

The importance of high-performance rendering of unstructu red data sets has increased significantly mainly due to its use in scie ntific simulations such as computational fluid dynamics and finite e lement computations. However, the unstructured nature of the se data sets complicate their handling and lead to low performance e ven with hardware support through GPUs. In this paper, we present a new two-step interactive renderi g approach for unstructured tetrahedral grids using ray-traci ng. The first tetrahedron along a ray is found using common techniques fro m realtime ray tracing. We then continue traversing the volume u sing a fast Plücker test to select the next tetrahedra from the set of neighbors. This new traversal algorithm achieves interactive pe rformance with simple shading on medium size data sets and scales linea rly in a distributed setup. Since the volume is rendered directly, it is applicable for creating isosurfaces as well as rendering imag es based on emission-absorption models. CR Categories: I.3. 7 [Computer Graphics]: Three-Dimensional Graphics and Realism—Ray Tracing I.4. 10 [Image Processing and Computer Vision]: Image Representation—Volumetric;
Learning Reactive Robot Behaviors with a Neural-Q_Learning Approach

The purpose of this paper is to propose a NeuralQ_learning approach designed for online learning of simple and reactive robot behaviors. In this approach, the Q_function is generalized by a multi-layer neural network allowing the use of continuous states and actions. The algorithm uses a database of the most recent learning samples to accelerate and guarantee the convergence. Each Neural-Q_learning function represents an independent, reactive and adaptive behavior which maps sensorial states to robot control actions. A group of these behaviors constitutes a reactive control scheme designed to fulfill simple missions. The paper centers on the description of the Neural-Q_learning based behaviors showing their performance with an underwater robot in a target following task. Real experiments demonstrate the convergence and stability of the learning system, pointing out its suitability for online robot learning. Advantages and limitations are discussed.
Object detection using optical and LiDAR data fusion

Fusion of aerial optical and LiDAR data has been a popular problem in remote sensing as they carry complementary information for object detection. We describe a stratified method that involves separately thresholding the normalized digital surface model derived from LiDAR data and the normalized difference vegetation index derived from spectral bands to obtain candidate image parts that contain different object classes, and incorporates spectral and height data with spatial information in a graph cut framework to segment the rest of the image where such separation is not possible. Experiments using a benchmark data set show that the performance of the proposed method that uses small amount of supervision is compatible with the ones in the literature.
Suicide Inactivation of Catechol 2,3-Dioxygenase from Pseudomonas putida mt-2 by 3-Halocatechols

The inactivation of catechol 2,3-dioxygenase from Pseudomonas putida mt-2 by 3-chloro- and 3-fluorocatechol and the iron-chelating agent Tiron (catechol-3,5-disulfonate) was studied. Whereas inactivation by Tiron is an oxygen-independent and mostly reversible process, inactivation by the 3-halocatechols was only observed in the presence of oxygen and was largely irreversible. The rate constants for inactivation (K2) were 1.62 × 10−3 sec−1 for 3-chlorocatechol and 2.38 × 10−3 sec−1 for 3-fluorocatechol. The inhibitor constants (Ki) were 23 μM for 3-chlorocatechol and 17 μM for 3-fluorocatechol. The kinetic data for 3-fluorocatechol could only be obtained in the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol. Besides inactivated enzyme, some 2-hydroxyhexa-2,4-diendioic acid was formed from 3-chlorocatechol, suggesting 5-chloroformyl-2-hydroxypenta-2,4-dienoic acid as the actual suicide product of meta-cleavage. A side product of 3-fluorocatechol cleavage is a yellow compound with the spectral characteristics of a 2-hydroxy-6-oxohexa-2,4-dienoic acid indicating 1,6-cleavage. Rates of inactivation by 3-fluorocatechol were reduced in the presence of superoxide dismutase, catalase, formate, and mannitol, which implies that superoxide anion, hydrogen peroxide, and hydroxyl radical exhibit additional inactivation.
Development of Predictive Models for Long-Term Cardiovascular Risk Associated With Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure

Most existing risk prediction models have not considered the joint contribution of systolic and diastolic blood pressure to cardiovascular risk, and some suggest that there are thresholds below which further reductions of blood pressure yield no additional benefit. We developed multivariate risk prediction models that quantify the risk associated with both systolic and diastolic blood pressure and that can be used to infer the benefits of antihypertensive therapy in populations. Two large clinical trial cohorts, the Physicians’ Health Study, composed of 22 071 males (mean age, 53.2 years; median follow-up, 13.0 years), and the Women’s Health Study, composed of 39 876 females (mean age, 53.8 years; median follow-up, 6.2 years), were used to develop gender-specific predictive models via Cox regression. End points included myocardial infarction, stroke, coronary artery bypass, angioplasty, and cardiovascular death. Risk reduction estimates were derived by computing reductions associated with incremental lowering of systolic and diastolic blood pressures. In both populations, lower levels of blood pressure predicted lower event rates, with no evidence of a plateau or a J-shaped curve. In males, both systolic and diastolic blood pressures were significantly associated with events (P <0.001), whereas in females, only systolic blood pressure (P <0.001) predicted outcome after multivariate adjustment. Correction for measurement error in blood pressure increased risk estimates by ≈50%. Differences in systolic blood pressure yielded greater relative risk reductions than did differences in diastolic blood pressure in a combined population of males and females. These predictive models may be useful for risk estimation associated with hypertension in similar populations and may also be used to infer the benefits of antihypertensive therapy.
Déterminisme de la diversité bactérienne rhizosphérique des hyperaccumulateurs de nickel

La connaissance de la diversite microbienne des milieux ultramafiques est essentielle pour etablir le fonctionnement ecologique de ces milieux, qui presentent de fortes teneurs en Ni et sont caracterises par une flore particuliere, e.g. plantes hyperaccumulatrices de Ni. La rhizosphere des hyperaccumulateurs comporte une forte proportion de bacteries resistantes au Ni, qui peuvent aussi agir sur la nutrition des plantes et sur les proprietes physico-chimiques du sol. Le premier defi de cette these a ete de cerner le determinisme de la diversite bacterienne de la rhizosphere d’hyperaccumulateurs de Ni. Le second a ete de tester l'interet de souches PGPR (Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria) pour optimiser l'agromine a partir d'interactions entre les rhizobacteries et les hyperaccumulateurs de Ni. La demarche s'est appuyee sur un ensemble de prospections dans deux regions climatiques et sur des analyses de sequencage haut debit. Des tests de cultures de plantes hyperaccumulatrices inoculees ont egalement ete conduits. Les resultats montrent que le determinisme de la diversite bacterienne est variable selon l'echelle spatiale. A l'echelle mondiale, le type de vegetation est le facteur majeur structurant les communautes bacteriennes, elle-meme controlee indirectement par le climat. L’influence directe du climat (temperature et humidite) sur la diversite est significative mais moindre. A l'echelle d'une region climatique, la physico-chimie des sols ultramafiques structure et determine la diversite des communautes bacteriennes rhizospheriques. Enfin, l'inoculation de souches PGPR fortement bioaccumulatrices de Ni modifie la dynamique du Ni dans le sol, ce qui demontre qu'il existe une competition pour le Ni entre la plante et la bacterie inoculee. En conclusion, le determinisme de la diversite des communautes bacteriennes rhizospheriques est dependant de l'echelle spatiale consideree. En outre, le choix de la souche PGPR a inoculer, dans un contexte d'amelioration de l'agromine du Ni, est primordial.
A kinematic study of the irregular dwarf galaxy NGC 2366 using HI and Halpha observations

Abridged. Context. The metal content of dwarf galaxies and the metal enrichment of the intergalactic medium both suggest that mass loss from galaxies is a significant factor for the chemical evolution history of galaxies, in particular of dwarf galaxies. However, no clear evidence of a blow-away in local dwarf galaxies has been found so far. Aims. We therefore performed a detailed kinematic analysis of the neutral and ionised gas in the nearby star-forming irregular dwarf galaxy NGC 2366 in order to make predictions about the fate of the gas and to get a more complete picture of this galaxy. Methods. A deep Halpha image and Fabry-Perot interferometric data of NGC 2366 were obtained. They were complemented by HI synthesis data from the THINGS survey. We searched for line-splitting both in Halpha and HI by performing a Gaussian decomposition. To get an idea whether the expansion velocities are high enough for a gas blow-away, we used the pseudo-isothermal halo model, which gives us realistic values for the escape velocities of NGC 2366. The good data quality also allowed us to discuss some peculiarities of the morphology and the dynamics in NGC 2366. Results. A large red-shifted outflow north west of the giant extragalactic HII region with an expansion velocity of up to 50 km/s is found in Halpha, but not in HI. Additionally, a blue-shifted component north of the giant extragalactic HII region was detected both in Halpha and HI with an expansion velocity of up to 30 km/s. A comparison with the escape velocities of NGC 2366 reveals that the gas does not have enough kinetic energy to leave the gravitational potential.
On Securing MANET Routing Protocol Against Control Packet Dropping

In this manuscript we deal with securing routing protocols of mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) against packet dropping misbehavior. More specifically, we propose a solution to protect control packets of reactive source routing protocols against. Most current proposals focus on data packets. Nonetheless, dropping control packets may be beneficial for selfish nodes and malicious ones as well. For example, simply by dropping RREQ (Route Request) packets a selfish node could exclude itself from routes and thereby avoid receiving data packets to forward. Similarly, a malicious could drop RERR (Route Error) packets to keep the use of failed routes, potentially resulting in a denial of service. Our solution could be intergraded with any source routing protocol. For the implementation in this work, we have chosen one of the most secure protocols, namely ENDAIRA. We assess our solution by an extensive simulation study.
Combination Pod-Intravaginal Ring Delivers Antiretroviral Agents for HIV Prophylaxis: Pharmacokinetic Evaluation in an Ovine Model

ABSTRACT Preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) against HIV using oral regimens based on the nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) has been effective to various degrees in multiple clinical trials, and the CCR5 receptor antagonist maraviroc (MVC) holds potential for complementary efficacy. The effectiveness of HIV PrEP is highly dependent on adherence. Incorporation of the TDF-MVC combination into intravaginal rings (IVRs) for sustained mucosal delivery could increase product adherence and efficacy compared with oral and vaginal gel formulations. A novel pod-IVR technology capable of delivering multiple drugs is described. The pharmacokinetics and preliminary local safety characteristics of a novel pod-IVR delivering a combination of TDF and MVC were evaluated in the ovine model. The device exhibited sustained release at controlled rates over the 28-day study and maintained steady-state drug levels in cervicovaginal fluids (CVFs). Dilution of CVFs during lavage sample collection was measured by ion chromatography using an inert tracer, allowing corrected drug concentrations to be measured for the first time. Median, steady-state drug levels in vaginal tissue homogenate were as follows: for tenofovir (TFV; in vivo hydrolysis product of TDF), 7.3 × 102 ng g−1 (interquartile range [IQR], 3.0 × 102, 4.0 × 103); for TFV diphosphate (TFV-DP; active metabolite of TFV), 1.8 × 104 fmol g−1 (IQR, 1.5 × 104, 4.8 × 104); and for MVC, 8.2 × 102 ng g−1 (IQR, 4.7 × 102, 2.0 × 103). No adverse events were observed. These findings, together with previous pod-IVR studies, have allowed several lead candidates to advance into clinical evaluation.
Comparison between Fourier and Wavelets Transforms in Biospeckle Signals

The dynamic speckle is a non-destructive optical technique that has been used as a tool for the characterization of the biological activity and several studies are conducted to obtain for more information about the correspondence of the observed phenomena and their expressions in the interference images. Analysis in the frequency domain has been considered as powerful alternative, and although there are works using Fourier transform in the frequency analysis of the biospeckle signals, the majority presents the wavelet transform as tool for spectral analysis. In turn, there are still doubts if the Fourier transform is not enough for the analysis of the biospeckle, which would enable the reduction of processing time since an operation is computationally simpler. In this context, the present study aims to compare the constituents’ parts of the speckle signal according to Fourier and wavelet transforms for numerical analysis. The comparative analysis based on the absolute values of the differences technique (AVD) was carried out for performance evaluation of the Fourier and wavelet transforms, in which the speckle signals were decomposed spectrally and subsequently reconstructed with the elimination of specific frequency bands. Results showed that the wavelet transform allowed more information about signals constituents of the dynamic speckle, emphasizing its use instead of the Fourier transform, which in turn was restricted the situations in which the only interest is to know the spectral content of the data.
Estrogenic Regulation of Histamine Receptor Subtype H1 Expression in the Ventromedial Nucleus of the Hypothalamus in Female Rats

Female sexual behavior is controlled by central estrogenic action in the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMN). This region plays a pivotal role in facilitating sex-related behavior in response to estrogen stimulation via neural activation by several neurotransmitters, including histamine, which participates in this mechanism through its strong neural potentiating action. However, the mechanism through which estrogen signaling is linked to the histamine system in the VMN is unclear. This study was undertaken to investigate the relationship between estrogen and histamine receptor subtype H1 (H1R), which is a potent subtype among histamine receptors in the brain. We show localization of H1R exclusively in the ventrolateral subregion of the female VMN (vl VMN), and not in the dorsomedial subregion. In the vl VMN, abundantly expressed H1R were mostly colocalized with estrogen receptor α. Intriguingly, H1R mRNA levels in the vl VMN were significantly elevated in ovariectomized female rats treated with estrogen benzoate. These data suggest that estrogen can amplify histamine signaling by enhancing H1R expression in the vl VMN. This enhancement of histamine signaling might be functionally important for allowing neural excitation in response to estrogen stimulation of the neural circuit and may serve as an accelerator of female sexual arousal.
Removal of Pesticides From Water by Nanofiltration

RIUNGU N. J., Dept of Biomechanical and Environmental Engineering, J. K. U. A. T. , Kenya HESAMPOUR M. , Dept of chemical Technology, Lappeenranta University of Technology, Finland PIHLAJAMAKI A. , Dept of chemical Technology, Lappeenranta University of Technology, Finland MANTTARI M. , Dept of chemical Technology, Lappeenranta University of Technology, Finland HOME P. G. , Dept of Biomechanical and Environmental Engineering, J. K. U. A. T. , Kenya NDEGWA G. M. , Dept of Biomechanical and Environmental Engineering, J. K. U. A. T. , Kenya
Stable isotope (δD–δ18O) relationships of ice facies and glaciological structures within the mid-latitude maritime Fox Glacier, New Zealand

ABSTRACT Relationships between stable isotopes (δD–δ18O), ice facies and glacier structures have hitherto gone untested in the mid-latitude maritime glaciers of the Southern Hemisphere. Here, we present δD–δ18O values as part of a broader study of the structural glaciology of Fox Glacier, New Zealand. We analyzed 94 samples of δD–δ18O from a range of ice facies to investigate whether isotopes have potential for structural glaciological studies of a rapidly deforming glacier. The δD–δ18O measurements were aided by structural mapping and imagery from terminus time-lapse cameras. The current retreat phase was preceded by an advance of 1 km between 1984 and 2009, with the isotopic sampling and analysis undertaken at the end of that advance (2010/11). Stable isotopes from debris-bearing shear planes near the terminus, interpreted as thrust faults, are isotopically enriched compared with the surrounding ice. When plotted on co-isotopic diagrams (δD–δ18O), ice sampled from the shear planes appears to show a subtle, but distinctive isotopic signal compared with the surrounding clean ice on the lower glacier. Hence, stable isotopes (δD–δ18O) have potential within the structural glaciology field, but larger sample numbers than reported here may be required to establish isotopic contrasts between a broad range of ice facies and glacier structures.
A qualitative analysis on the impacts of assured quality internet interconnection

Internet interconnection is the glue that holds the Internet together via bilateral network interconnection agreements of best effort (i.e. non-assured) quality. This study provides qualitative analysis and assessment of the multidimensional impacts of the recent proposals of introducing Assured Service Quality (ASQ) in the Internet interconnection (IC) market. The analysis focuses on the impacts in three distinct, though strongly interrelated aspects: Business, Socioeconomic and Regulatory. Methodologically, the impacts are identified through a focus group which involved representatives from 17 European organizations. Exploring how these complementary impacts may affect the ASQ offer is fundamental for envisioning the Internet evolution and for setting appropriate governance policies. This study identifies and discusses the expected impacts, thus shedding light on the key implications of assured quality Internet interconnection.
Phytophthora cinnamomi.

Phytophthora cinnamomi is one of the most devastating plant pathogens in the world. It infects close to 5000 species of plants, including many of importance in agriculture, forestry and horticulture. The inadvertent introduction of P. cinnamomi into natural ecosystems, including a number of recognized Global Biodiversity Hotspots, has had disastrous consequences for the environment and the biodiversity of flora and fauna. The genus Phytophthora belongs to the Class Oomycetes, a group of fungus-like organisms that initiate plant disease through the production of motile zoospores. Disease control is difficult in agricultural and forestry situations and even more challenging in natural ecosystems as a result of the scale of the problem and the limited range of effective chemical inhibitors. The development of sustainable control measures for the future management of P. cinnamomi requires a comprehensive understanding of the cellular and molecular basis of pathogen development and pathogenicity. The application of next-generation sequencing technologies to generate genomic and transcriptomic data promises to underpin a new era in P. cinnamomi research and discovery. The aim of this review is to integrate bioinformatic analyses of P. cinnamomi sequence data with current knowledge of the cellular and molecular basis of P. cinnamomi growth, development and plant infection. The goal is to provide a framework for future research by highlighting potential pathogenicity genes, shedding light on their possible functions and identifying suitable targets for future control measures. TAXONOMY Phytophthora cinnamomi Rands; Kingdom Chromista; Phylum Oomycota or Pseudofungi; Class Oomycetes; Order Peronosporales; Family Peronosporaceae; genus Phytophthora. HOST RANGE Infects about 5000 species of plants, including 4000 Australian native species. Host plants important for agriculture and forestry include avocado, chestnut, macadamia, oak, peach and pineapple. DISEASE SYMPTOMS A root pathogen which causes rotting of fine and fibrous roots, but which can also cause stem cankers. Root damage may inhibit water movement from roots to shoots, leading to dieback of young shoots. USEFUL WEBSITES: http://fungidb.org/fungidb/; http://genome.jgi. doe.gov/Phyci1/Phyci1.home. html; http://www.ncbi. nlm.nih. gov/assembly/GCA_001314365. 1; http://www.ncbi. nlm.nih. gov/assembly/GCA_001314505. 1.
On Achievable Rates for Massive Mimo System with Imperfect Channel Covariance Information

An analytical lower bound on uplink channel capacity of a user in a massive multiple-input multiple-output system where the channel vector and the covariance matrices of the users in that cell are unknown is derived in this paper. This analytical bound enables us to choose appropriate sample size for covariance matrix estimation to meet the spectral efficiency requirements. The accurate agreement between the derived bound and the simulated bound based on random samples of channel vectors and covariance matrices is shown.
Parallelizing Sequential Programs with Statistical Accuracy Tests

We present QuickStep, a novel system for parallelizing sequential programs. Unlike standard parallelizing compilers (which are designed to preserve the semantics of the original sequential computation), QuickStep is instead designed to generate (potentially nondeterministic) parallel programs that produce acceptably accurate results acceptably often. The freedom to generate parallel programs whose output may differ (within statistical accuracy bounds) from the output of the sequential program enables a dramatic simplification of the compiler, a dramatic increase in the range of applications that it can parallelize, and a significant expansion in the range of parallel programs that it can legally generate. Results from our benchmark set of applications show that QuickStep can automatically generate acceptably accurate and efficient parallel programs---the automatically generated parallel versions of five of our six benchmark applications run between 5.0 and 7.8 times faster on eight cores than the original sequential versions. These applications and parallelizations contain features (such as the use of modern object-oriented programming constructs or desirable parallelizations with infrequent but acceptable data races) that place them inherently beyond the reach of standard approaches.
Model Predictive Control with Reduced Integration Step Size for Continuous Control of an IPM Motor

This paper presents an approach to continuous control set model predictive control, which uses reduced integration step size. The reduced integration step size allows to obtain a stream of finite control set, which can be filtered in order to obtain continuous control set. The Sinc-filter can be used to obtain improved accuracy of the voltage references. This approach is suitable for the motors with the high nonlinearity of the magnetization curve, which can be taken into account. The simulation results are presented in case of interior permanent magnet motor.