Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Where the Really Hard Problems Are

It is well known that for many NP-complete problems, such as K-Sat, etc., typical cases are easy to solve; so that computationally hard cases must be rare (assuming P = NP). This paper shows that NP-complete problems can be summarized by at least one "order parameter", and that the hard problems occur at a critical value of such a parameter. This critical value separates two regions of characteristically different properties. For example, for K-colorability, the critical value separates overconstrained from underconstrained random graphs, and it marks the value at which the probability of a solution changes abruptly from near 0 to near 1. It is the high density of well-separated almost solutions (local minima) at this boundary that cause search algorithms to "thrash". This boundary is a type of phase transition and we show that it is preserved under mappings between problems. We show that for some P problems either there is no phase transition or it occurs for bounded N (and so bounds the cost). These results suggest a way of deciding if a problem is in P or NP and why they are different.
Relationship between macular thickness measurement and signal strength using Stratus optical coherence tomography

Purpose To examine the relationship between signal strength and macular thickness as measured by Stratus optical coherence tomography (OCT)’s fast macular thickness protocol in healthy subjects. Methods In this prospective cross-sectional study 79 eyes of 42 healthy subjects were enrolled. The age, gender, and eye (right vs left) of each subject were recorded. The Stratus OCT fast macular thickness scan protocol was used and the macular thickness was measured with retinal thickness map analysis. Each eye was imaged at least six times to acquire images with signal strengths of 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 out of 10 via adjustment of the focusing knob. The OCT parameters included in the analysis were thickness in the central 1 mm and in the different quadrants in the 3-mm area. Results Overall 79 eyes of 42 patients with a mean age of 38.4±12.4 were included. There was no significant difference between the signal strength measurements obtained with different signal strengths in the central thickness (P=0.20). In the superior, nasal, inferior, and temporal quadrants, a signal strength of 8 demonstrated up to 3 µm thicker measurements than a signal strength of 5 (P<0.05). In general linear regression analysis, after accounting for age and gender, signal strength did not remain a significant predictor of thickness in any quadrant. Conclusions When using fast map macular measurements, a signal strength of 5 is clinically as efficient as a signal strength of 8 in measuring macular thickness in all quadrants. Insisting on higher signal strength may not be necessary.
Mobility-based predictive call admission control and bandwidth reservation in wireless cellular networks

This paper presents call admission control and bandwidth reservation schemes in wireless cellular networks that have been developed based on assumptions more realistic than existing proposals. In order to guarantee the handoff dropping probability, we propose to statistically predict user mobility based on the mobility history of users. Our mobility prediction scheme is motivated by computational learning theory, which has shown that prediction is synonymous with data compression. We derive our mobility prediction scheme from data compression techniques that are both theoretically optimal and good in practice. In order to utilize resource more efficiently, we predict not only the cell to which the mobile will handoff but also when the handoff will occur. Based on the mobility prediction, bandwidth is reserved to guarantee some target handoff dropping probability. We also adaptively control the admission threshold to achieve a better balance between guaranteeing handoff dropping probability and maximizing resource utilization. Simulation results show that the proposed schemes meet our design goals and outperforms the static-reservation scheme and cell-reservation scheme.
Transfer of thyroxine from the mother to the rat fetus near term: effects on brain 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine deficiency.

It has recently been shown that thyroid hormones are transferred from the mother to the developing rat embryo early in gestation, before the onset of fetal thyroid function. We have now studied whether there is transfer of T4 from the mother to the fetus late in gestation when the fetal thyroid is impaired. Normal and thyroidectomized females were mated, given a goitrogen [methimazole (MMI)], starting before the onset of fetal thyroid function and until term, alone or together with a constant infusion of T4 (1.8 micrograms/100 g BW.day). T4 and T3 were determined by RIA in several maternal samples and in tissues from 21-day-old fetuses. The administration of MMI blocked the fetal thyroid, as assessed from the decreased thyroid concentrations of T4 and T3. The concentrations of both iodothyronines also decreased in placenta, thyroid, plasma, brain, liver, lung, and carcass of fetuses from MMI-treated dams. Infusion of T4 into such MMI-treated mothers partly avoided this decrease, and T4 levels increased in all fetal tissues to 41-57% of those in normal fetuses. In contrast to this, T4 infusion affected the concentration of T3 to varying degrees in different tissues. The T3 concentration in plasma and lung increased very little when the MMI-treated mother was infused with T4, but in the brain T3 reached concentrations comparable to those in normal fetuses. Results not only show transfer of T4 from the mother to the fetus near term, at least when the fetal thyroid is impaired, but also suggest that it might mitigate, or avoid, the adverse effects of such failure on the developing brain.
Comparison of Chosen Physical Fitness Characteristics of Turkish Professional Basketball Players by Division and Playing Position

Comparison of Chosen Physical Fitness Characteristics of Turkish Professional Basketball Players by Division and Playing Position The purpose of the present study was to compare chosen physical fitness characteristics of Turkish professional basketball players in different divisions (first and second division) and playing positions. Forty-five professional male basketball players (14 guards, 15 forwards, 16 centers) participated in this study voluntarily. For each player, anthropometric measurements were performed, as well as a multi-stage 20 m shuttle run, isokinetic leg strength, squat jump (SJ), countermovement jump (CMJ), 10-30 meter single-sprint and T-drill agility tests. The differences in terms of division were evaluated by independent t-test and the differences by playing position were evaluated by one-way ANOVA with Post Hoc Tukey test. First division players' CMJ measurements were significantly higher than those of second division players' (p≤0.05), whereas second division players' 10 m sprint times were significantly better than those of first division players' (p≤0.05). In addition, forwards and centers were significantly taller than guards. Centers were significantly heavier and their T-drill test performances were inferior to those of forwards and guards (p≤0.05). Moreover, guards had a significantly higher maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) than centers. Guards and forwards showed significantly better performance in the 10 and 30 m sprint tests than centers (p≤0.05). Forwards and centers had significantly better left leg flexor strength at 180°. s-1(p≤0.05). In conclusion, the findings of the present study indicated that physical performance of professional basketball players differed among guards, forwards and centers, whereas there were not significant differences between first and second division players. According to the present study, court positions have different demands and physical attributes which are specific to each playing position in professional basketball players. Therefore, these results suggest that coaches should tailor fitness programs according to specific positions on the court.
A New Algorithm for Adding Color to Video or Animation Clips

Colorizing grayscale video is a useful technique in scientific computing visualization and entertainment. In this paper, we introduce a method to transfer color from a reference image to the whole video. Although the general problem of adding chromatic values to a grayscale image has no exact, objective solution, the current approach attempts to free user from laborious work, except that the user may contribute their skill to reference image. Rather than choosing RGB colors from a palette to color individual components, we resort to anther color space, called lαβ, which minimizes correlation between channels for many natural scenes. Taking advantage of the correlation between two conjoint frames of video, we track the object and assign the color of it in the preceding frame to that of the posterior one. Experimental results show the algorithm works quite well.
A singularity-free model of the local velocity gradient and acceleration gradient structure of turbulent flow

Research on the fine scale structure of turbulence has led to a greatly improved understanding of the basic geometry of the local flow patterns associated with kinetic energy dissipation. One model of the local flow that has been considered previously is based on a simplification of the transport equation for the velocity gradient tensor called the Restricted Euler Equation. This equation is exactly solvable and, although the solution reproduces many of the geometrical features observed in direct numerical simulations of turbulence, the solution also exhibits a finite time singularity. It is well known that the velocity and acceleration gradients in free turbulent flows actually decrease continuously with time when measured by a Lagrangian observer. The power law in time associated with this decay can generally be estimated using dimensional analysis together with classical balances relating turbulent kinetic energy production and dissipation. This paper will describe a procedure for removing the singularity in the Restricted Euler model while maintaining the convenience of an exact solution. The resulting system is useful for generating large ensembles for statistical modeling. The new model is matched to decay rates derived from dimensional analysis and accurately predicts many of the geometrical features of both the velocity and acceleration gradient tensors. Probability density functions for both gradient fields generated by the model are compared with results from direct numerical simulation.
Apo-bacteriophytochromes modulate bacterial photosynthesis in response to low light

Significance Bacteriophytochromes (BphPs) are regulatory proteins that bind a light-absorbing chromophore called biliverdin. Recombinant BphPs show promise for use in regulating neuron function in mammals with light. We explored the possibility that BphPs may sense cues in addition to light. Our motivation was that biliverdin requires oxygen for its synthesis, and some bacteria use BphPs to control photosynthesis in the absence of oxygen. We found that the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris requires two BphP proteins to sense low light when grown in the absence of oxygen; however, the BphPs do not need to have their chromophore to sense low light intensities. BphPs may respond to intracellular signals, such as reducing conditions, in addition to light to regulate downstream functions. Bacteriophytochromes (BphPs) are light-sensing regulatory proteins encoded by photosynthetic and nonphotosynthetic bacteria. This protein class has been characterized structurally, but its biological activities remain relatively unexplored. Two BphPs in the anoxygenic photosynthetic bacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris, designated regulatory proteins RpBphP2 and RpBphP3, are configured as light-regulated histidine kinases, which initiate a signal transduction system that controls expression of genes for the low light harvesting 4 (LH4) antenna complex. In vitro, RpBphP2 and RpBphP3 respond to light quality by reversible photoconversion, a property that requires the light-absorbing chromophore biliverdin. In vivo, RpBphP2 and RpBphP3 are both required for the expression of the LH4 antenna complex under anaerobic conditions, but biliverdin requires oxygen for its synthesis by heme oxygenase. On further investigation, we found that the apo-bacteriophytochrome forms of RpBphP2 and RpBphP3 are necessary and sufficient to control LH4 expression in response to light intensity in conjunction with other signal transduction proteins. One possibility is that the system senses a reduced quinone pool generated when light energy is absorbed by bacteriochlorophyll. The biliverdin-bound forms of the BphPs have the additional property of being able to fine-tune LH4 expression in response to light quality. These observations support the concept that some bacteriophytochromes can function with or without a chromophore and may be involved in regulating physiological processes not directly related to light sensing.
GENERATION BY A MOBILE ROBOT EQUIPPED WITH A LASER RANGE FINDER

Therefore, we also propose a method for estimating a present location of a mobile robot on a generated map. When an autonomous mobile robot acts in constructed environments, a map that has the information about obstacles is necessary for the robot. If a map is given, however, the mobile robot cannot start its action without the information of its present location on the map. Therefore, techniques of map generation and self-localization are important for mobile robots. In this paper, we propose map generation and self-localization methods by a mobile robot equipped with a laser range finder. The robot measures the distance between obstacles around it with a laser range finder at multiple positions, and generates a map by integrating these range information. The integration is realized by using a dead-reckoning (odometry) method and ICP (Iterative Closest Point) algorithm together. We also propose a method for estimating the present location of the robot on the generated map. Experimental results have shown the validity of the proposed method. 2. SENSING METHOD The mobile robot is equipped with a laser range finder (LRF) (Fig.1). A LRF can acquire the information of distance to surrounding obstacles. The robot is equipped with two LRFs in order to acquire the 3-D information of obstacle positions (Fig.2). The first LRF (LRF1) is installed in parallel with a floor. The robot measures the distance to the surrounding environment that has the same height with LRF1 by using LRF1. As a result, the information of distance to obstacles can be acquired in the horizontal cross section in the same height of laser light (Fig.3). The second LRF (LRF2) is leaned to a floor. The robot acquires the information about obstacle positions in various heights by using LRF2. The robot can acquire 3-D information about surrounding environment while it moves. We assume that the mobile robot moves only on plane floors. Moving objects do not exist in environments at the time of measurement. In our method, 2-D plane maps are generated by using the sensing result of LRF1. 3-D maps are constructed by using the 2-D information in environment acquired with the LRF1 and the 3-D information acquired with the LRF2.
Robot Behavior Learning with a Dynamically Adaptive RBF Network : Experiments in Offline and Online Learning

In this paper a dynamically adaptive neural network architecture is investigated for robot behavior learning. Specifically, a so-called “Grow When Required” network (GWR) is used to dynamically cluster the sensor-motor training data for determining the centers of a radial basis function network (RBF), and then the RBF network is trained for acquiring and performing the required behaviors. We illustrated our learning system by making experiments from simple behaviors, such as wall following and obstacle avoiding, to some complicated behaviors, such as moving object following and path learning, which were conducted on a real robot. We also tested the learning system in online training mode. Experimental results showed that our learning system is able to learn a wide range of robot behaviors due to its dynamically adaptive learning structure.
A Speed limit Sign Recognition System Using Artificial Neural Network

This paper presents a real-time system to detect speed limit signs and remind drivers about the allowable speed limit in a specific road. The developed system consists of two main tasks, namely detection and recognition. In our work, speed limit sign is detected and extracted from real world scenes on the basis of their color and shape features. The detection task is based on a combination of color segmentation and shape detection techniques. It significantly speeds up the shape detection process by calculating the cross-correlation in frequency domain. Next, classification is then performed on extracted candidate region using multi-layer perceptron neural networks. Experiment results proved the feasibility of this system.
Lessons Learned about Pneumonic Plague Diagnosis from 2 Outbreaks, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Pneumonic plague is a highly transmissible infectious disease for which fatality rates can be high if untreated; it is considered extremely lethal. Without prompt diagnosis and treatment, disease management can be problematic. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2 outbreaks of pneumonic plague occurred during 2005 and 2006. In 2005, because of limitations in laboratory capabilities, etiology was confirmed only through retrospective serologic studies. This prompted modifications in diagnostic strategies, resulting in isolation of Yersinia pestis during the second outbreak. Results from these outbreaks demonstrate the utility of a rapid diagnostic test detecting F1 antigen for initial diagnosis and public health management, as well as the need for specialized sampling kits and trained personnel for quality specimen collection and appropriate specimen handling and preservation for plague confirmation and Y. pestis isolation. Efficient frontline management and a streamlined diagnostic strategy are essential for confirming plague, especially in remote areas.
Clinical Usefulness of Bronchoalveolar Lavage Cellular Analysis and Lymphocyte Subsets in Diffuse Interstitial Lung Diseases

Background Diffuse interstitial lung diseases (DILDs) form a part of a heterogeneous group of respiratory diseases. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) analysis has been used for differential diagnosis of DILDs, but their clinical usefulness is controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical usefulness of BAL cellular analysis with lymphocyte subsets for the differential diagnosis of DILDs. Methods A total of 69 patients diagnosed with DILDs were enrolled. Basic demographic data, BAL cellular analysis with lymphocyte subsets, histology, and high resolution computed tomogram (HRCT) findings were analyzed and compared as per disease subgroup. Results Significant differences were found between groups in the proportion of neutrophils (P=0.0178), eosinophils (P=0.0003), T cells (P=0.0305), CD4 cells (P=0.0002), CD8 cells (P<0.0001), and CD4/CD8 ratio (P<0.0001). These findings were characteristic features of eosinophilic pneumonia and sarcoidosis. Other parameters were not significantly different between groups. At the cut-off value of 2.16 for sarcoidosis, CD4/CD8 ratio showed sensitivity of 91.7% (95% CI, 61.5-98.6%) and specificity of 84.2% (95% CI, 72.1-92.5%). Conclusions Routine analysis of BAL lymphocyte subset may not provide any additional benefit for differential diagnosis of DILDs, except for conditions where BAL is specifically indicated, such as eosinophilic pneumonia or sarcoidosis.
An Uncommon Cause of Soft Tissue Mass of the Extremities, Report of 2Cases and Review of Literature of Cystic Echinococcosis

Cystic echinococcosis or hydatid disease is a rare zoonosis caused by Echinococcus granulosus. The most frequently affected organs are the lung and liver, whereas solitary involvement of muscles and skin (2,2%) or bone (0,6%) is very uncommon. We report two cases of solitary hydatid disease of the extremities mimicking soft tissue sarcoma of the gluteal region in case 1 and infection of the lateral thigh involving the greater trochanter in case 2. Both patients were treated successfully by surgical intervention and perioperative anthelmintic drugs. Solitary hydatid disease adds to the broad spectrum of differential diagnoses in examining soft tissue masses
Extracellular Visfatin-Promoted Malignant Behavior in Breast Cancer Is Mediated Through c-Abl and STAT3 Activation

Purpose: Visfatin is an adipocytokine involved in cellular metabolism, inflammation, and cancer. This study investigated the roles of extracellular visfatin in breast cancer, and explored underlying mechanisms in clinical and experimental settings. Experimental Design: Associations of serum visfatin with clinicopathologic characteristics and patient survival were assessed with Cox regression models and Kaplan–Meier analyses. Effects of extracellular visfatin on cultured breast cancer cells were examined, followed by in vivo investigation of tumor growth and metastasis in xenograft animal models. Imatinib and Stattic were used to inhibit c-Abl and STAT3 activation, respectively. Results: Breast cancer patients with high serum visfatin levels were associated with advanced tumor stage, increased tumor size and lymph node metastasis, and poor survival. Elevated phosphorylation of c-Abl and STAT3 in breast tumor tissues were correlated with high serum visfatin levels in patients. Visfatin-promoted in vitro cell viability and metastatic capability were suppressed by imatinib (c-Abl inhibitor) and Stattic (STAT3 inhibitor). Increased in vivo cell invasiveness was observed in zebrafish xenografted with visfatin-pretreated breast cancer cells. Tumor growth and lung metastasis occurred in visfatin-administered mice xenografted with breast cancer cells. Tail vein–injected mice with visfatin-pretreated breast cancer cells showed increased lung metastasis, which was suppressed by imatinib. Conclusions: Serum visfatin levels in breast cancer patients reveal potential prognostic values, and our findings that visfatin promoted breast cancer through activation of c-Abl and STAT3 may provide an important molecular basis for future design of targeted therapies that take into account different serum visfatin levels in breast cancer. Clin Cancer Res; 22(17); 4478–90. ©2016 AACR.