Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Automatic Segmentation of Liver and Tumor for CAD of Liver

Computer aided diagnosis of liver tumors from abdominal Computer Tomography (CT) images requires segmentation and analysis of tumor. Automatic segmentation of tumor from CT images is difficult, due to the size, shape, position and presence of other objects with the same intensity present in the image. Therefore, it is necessary to segment the liver first so that tumor can then be segmented accurately from it. Liver and tumor segmentation can be performed on the CT image manually or semi automatically. In this paper, an approach for automatic segmentation of liver and tumor from CT images mainly used for computer-aided diagnosis of liver is proposed. The method uses region-growing, facilitated by pre and post processing functions for automatic segmentation of liver and Alternative Fuzzy C-Means (AFCM) algorithm for tumor segmentation. The effectiveness of the algorithm is evaluated by comparing automatic segmentation results to the manual segmentation results. Quantitative comparison shows a close correlation between the automatic and manual as well as high spatial overlap between the regions-of-interest (ROIs) generated by the two methods
The Role of Activity in Synaptic Degeneration in a Protein Misfolding Disease, Prion Disease

In chronic neurodegenerative diseases associated with aggregates of misfolded proteins (such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and prion disease), there is an early degeneration of presynaptic terminals prior to the loss of the neuronal somata. Identifying the mechanisms that govern synapse degeneration is of paramount importance, as cognitive decline is strongly correlated with loss of presynaptic terminals in these disorders. However, very little is known about the processes that link the presence of a misfolded protein to the degeneration of synapses. It has been suggested that the process follows a simple linear sequence in which terminals that become dysfunctional are targeted for death, but there is also evidence that high levels of activity can speed up degeneration. To dissect the role of activity in synapse degeneration, we infused the synaptic blocker botulinum neurotoxin A (BoNT/A) into the hippocampus of mice with prion disease and assessed synapse loss at the electron microscopy level. We found that injection of BoNT/A in naïve mice caused a significant enlargement of excitatory presynaptic terminals in the hippocampus, indicating transmission impairment. Long-lasting blockade of activity by BoNT/A caused only minimal synaptic pathology and no significant activation of microglia. In mice with prion disease infused with BoNT/A, rates of synaptic degeneration were indistinguishable from those observed in control diseased mice. We conclude that silencing synaptic activity neither prevents nor enhances the degree of synapse degeneration in prion disease. These results challenge the idea that dysfunction of synaptic terminals dictates their elimination during prion-induced neurodegeneration.
Adaptive BP-RRC mixture model for background subtraction

In the real-time segmentation of the moving objects in a image sequence, methods based on background subtraction are used widely. Bi-polar Radial Reach Correlation (BP-RRC) has realized robust background subtraction by evaluating a local texture per pixel, suppressing the influence of brightness change. However, this method has a fault that is affected by the local illumination change of a background. This paper proposes a robust and stabilized background subtraction algorithm which can cope with texture change of various illumination changes by improving this texture background model. We verified the proposed method using the image sequence including a loose lighting change and a rapid lighting change, and adaptability higher than the conventional method on the sudden illumination changes was attained as a result of verification.
Discourse Grammar and Verb Phrase Anaphora ∗ Hub

We argue that an adequate treatment of verb phrase anaphora (VPA) must depart in two major respects from the standard approaches. First of all, VP anaphors cannot be resolved by simply identifying the anaphoric VP with an antecedent VP. The resolution process must establish a syntactic/semantic parallelism between larger units (clauses or discourse constituent units) that the VPs occur in. Secondly, discourse structure has a significant influence on the reference possibilities of VPA. This influence must be accounted for. We propose a treatment which meets these requirements. It builds on a discourse grammar which characterizes discourse cohesion by means of a syntactic/semantic matching procedure which recognizes parallel structures in discourse. It turns out that this independently motivated procedure yields the resolution of VPA as a side effect.
Printable Optical Logic Gates with CIELAB Color Coding System for Boolean Operation-Mediated Handling of Colors

Studies handling the lights and the colors as key components of computation attracted the scientists and engineers since these studies are potentially applicable to the signal processing through optical interconnections between electronic devices. Here, a novel optical computing model is proposed by modifying the known optical parallel logic gates, after employing the printed colors as the input/output data, instead of shadow gram images projected on a screen. the proposed approach allows spontaneous and parallel Boolean operations by simply overlaying the colors printed on films or duplicating the prints on papers. by setting a limited number of color prototypes with known CIELAB color coordinates, prediction of color changes due to duplicated color printing and/or film-on-paper overlaying of the printed colors was performed through Boolean "AND" operation and their experimental confirmation after actual color reading was also performed. Furthermore, possible applications of this CIELAB-coded printable logic gate system in natural computing and development of novel color barcodes were discussed.
SATB1 plays an oncogenic role in esophageal cancer by up-regulation of FN1 and PDGFRB

Esophageal cancer is a highly aggressive malignancy with very poor overall prognosis. Given the strong clinical relevance of SATB1 in esophagus cancer and other cancers suggested by previous studies, the exact function of SATB1 in esophagus cancer development is still unknown. Here we showed that the knockdown of SATB1 in esophageal cancer cell lines diminished the cell proliferation, survival and invasion. Whole genome transcriptome analysis of SATB1 knockdown cells revealed the different gene expression profiles between TE-1 cells and MDA-MB-231 cells. Network analysis and functional experiments further identified FN1 and PDGFRB to be key downstream genes regulated by SATB1 in esophageal cancer cells. Importantly, FN1 and PDGFRB were found to be highly expressed in human esophageal cancer. In summary, we provided the first molecular evidence that SATB1 played an oncogenic role in esophageal cancer by up-regulation of FN1 and PDGFRB.
Varp is a Rab21 guanine nucleotide exchange factor and regulates endosome dynamics

The small GTPases Rab5 and Rab21 are closely related, and play essential roles in endocytic trafficking. Rab5 is regulated by VPS9-domain-containing guanine nucleotide exchange factors. Here, we describe a new VPS9-domain protein with ankyrin repeats, the VPS9-ankyrin-repeat protein (Varp). Varp interacts preferentially with GDP-bound Rab21 and has a much stronger guanine nucleotide exchange activity towards Rab21 than Rab5. Furthermore, RNAi-mediated depletion of endogenous Varp significantly disrupts the activity of Rab21 in HeLa cells. Ectopically expressed Varp mainly localizes to early endosomes and causes enlargement of early endosomes and giant late endosomes. Both the VPS9 domain and ankyrin-repeats are required for the endosomal localization and the activity of Varp in vivo. These results suggest that Varp is a potential Rab21 guanine nucleotide exchange factor and might regulate endosome dynamics in vivo.
PKTown: A Peer-to-Peer Middleware to Support Multiplayer Online Games

Peer-to-peer (P2P) system can support service for lots of end users with little hardware investment, which suits for the efforts to lower down the service cost for multiplayer online games (MOG). In this paper, we introduce PKTown, a P2P middleware inserted into Star Craft and the network layer. PKTown captures all packets generated by Star Craft. We apply application layer multicast (ALM) to transmit the broadcast packets through overlay network. PKTown extends the LAN game experiences to players belong to different LAN. We design a k-regular random overlay network based on game specific requirements analysis. No change is made on binary code of Star Craft. Preliminary test results show that PKTown works well and supports other MOG in the same way. Our contribution is to provide a new game experience method with little hardware investment.
BER analysis of space-time diversity in CDMA systems over frequency-selective fading channels

The performance of direct-sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) using space-time spreading system, over frequency-selective fading channels, is investigated. The underlying transmit diversity scheme, previously introduced in the literature, is based on two transmit and one receive antenna. It was shown that when employed in flat fast-fading channels, the received signal quality can be improved by utilising the spatial and temporal diversities at the receiver side. We study the problem of multiuser interference in asynchronous CDMA systems that employ transmit/receive diversity using space-time spreading. To overcome the effects of interference, a decorrelator detector is used at the base station. Considering binary phase-shift keying transmission, we analyse the system performance in terms of its probability of bit error. In particular, we derive the probability of error over frequency-selective Rayleigh fading channels for both fast and slow-fading channels. For the fast-fading channel, both simulations and analytical results show that the full system diversity is achieved. On the other hand, when considering a slow-fading channel, we show that the scheme reduces to conventional space-time spreading schemes where the diversity order is half of that of fast-fading.
Exploring Text Virality in Social Networks

This paper aims to shed some light on the concept of virality - especially in social networks - and to provide new insights on its structure. We argue that: (a) virality is a phenomenon strictly connected to the nature of the content being spread, rather than to the influencers who spread it (b) virality is a phenomenon with many facets, i.e. under this generic term several different effects of persuasive communication are comprised and they only partially overlap. To give ground to our claims, we provide initial experiments in a machine learning framework to show how various aspects of virality can be independently predicted according to content features.
A New Sparse Matrix Vector Multiplication GPU Algorithm Designed for Finite Element Problems

Recently, graphics processors (GPUs) have been increasingly leveraged in a variety of scientific computing applications. However, architectural differences between CPUs and GPUs necessitate the development of algorithms that take advantage of GPU hardware. As sparse matrix vector multiplication (SPMV) operations are commonly used in finite element analysis, a new SPMV algorithm and several variations are developed for unstructured finite element meshes on GPUs. The effective bandwidth of current GPU algorithms and the newly proposed algorithms are measured and analyzed for 15 sparse matrices of varying sizes and varying sparsity structures. The effects of optimization and differences between the new GPU algorithm and its variants are then subsequently studied. Lastly, both new and current SPMV GPU algorithms are utilized in the GPU CG Solver in GPU finite element simulations of the heart. These results are then compared against parallel PETSc finite element implementation results. The effective bandwidth tests indicate that the new algorithms compare very favorably with current algorithms for a wide variety of sparse matrices and can yield very notable benefits. GPU finite element simulation results demonstrate the benefit of using GPUs for finite element analysis, and also show that the proposed algorithms can yield speedup factors up to 12-fold for real finite element applications.
INTEGRATING AXIOMATIC DESIGN INTO A DESIGN FOR SIX SIGMA DEPLOYMENT

Design For Six Sigma (DFSS) is a systematic process for design conception intended to yield robust products that meet customer expectations. Robustness is defined here as product performance that is insensitive to variation, both in manufacturing and in the application environment. It is widely accepted that no amount of robust optimization at the detailed design level can succeed if the design concept itself is flawed (does not satisfy all functional requirements). The author has specifically focused on DFSS deployment in his company in the area of concept generation. Integration of Axiomatic Design has been the most critical element of this improvement. This paper describes how Axiomatic Design has been integrated smoothly into a pre-existing DFSS deployment. It demonstrates how Axiomatic Design links with other wellaccepted DFSS tools. The author emphasizes the importance of educating leadership and utilizing experienced trainers of axiomatic design to ensure deployment success.
Analysis design and modeling of crescent antenna for UWB applications

A crescent-shaped planar monopole antenna for UWB applications is proposed. The design parameters were investigated using CST software package. Modeling of the UWB monopole antennas is investigated using two methods. The input impedance is represented by the first Foster canonical form, where the equivalent circuit components at resonance are derived from either the reflection coefficient or the input impedance responses of the investigated antenna. In the second method, a SPICE-compatible equivalent circuit is used to model the input admittance of the antenna utilizing the vector fitting technique. The CST Microwave Studio is used to obtain the reflection coefficient and input impedance of the investigated antenna, and these results are used to extract values of the components of the equivalent circuit. The performances of the investigated methods are compared, and validity of the modeling methods is verified using MATLAB and ADS softwares.
Labour Market Flexibility and Employment Protection Regulation in the Baltic States

There is increasing pressure for the flexibility of labour markets both in current EU member states and candidate countries. The paper aims to estimate the strictness of employment protection regulation, one of the most relevant aspects of labour market flexibility, and the degree of its actual enforcement, for the Baltic States. For the studies on CEE labour markets the novelty in our approach is that we use information from the applicable legislation as well as on the coverage of labour legislation and the practice of law enforcement. The analysis shows that, though overall EPL strictness is close to the average of EU countries, individual and collective dismissals are relatively heavily and temporary forms of employment relatively weakly regulated. Still, the effective flexibility is increased by larger share of less protected workers and problems with law enforcement, which may be the reason why employers’ estimates on the flexibility differ somewhat from the flexibility of formal legislation. The employment protection legislation seems not to have influenced the level of unemployment in the sample of CEE countries. However, it is possible that labour markets of Baltic States will become more rigid if the law enforcement improves, with possible adverse effects on labour market performance.
Exact BER Analysis of Physical Layer Network Coding for Two-Way Relay Channels

Physical layer network coding (PNC) was first introduced by Zhang et al. for two-way relay channels (TWRCs). By utilizing the PNC, we can complete two-way communications within two time slots, instead of three time slots required in non- PNC systems. Recently, the upper and lower bounds for a bit error rate (BER) of PNC have been analyzed for fading channels. In this paper, we derive an exact BER of the PNC for the TWRC over fading channels. We determine decision regions based on the nearest neighbor rule and partition them into several wedge areas to apply the Craig's polar coordinate form for computing the BER. We confirm that our derived analysis accurately matches with the simulation results.
PSP: An Advanced Surface-Potential-Based MOSFET Model for Circuit Simulation

This paper describes the latest and most advanced surface-potential-based model jointly developed by The Pennsylvania State University and Philips. Specific topics include model structure, mobility and velocity saturation description, further development and verification of symmetric linearization method, recent advances in the computational techniques for the surface potential, modeling of gate tunneling current, inclusion of the retrograde impurity profile, and noise sources. The emphasis of this paper is on incorporating the recent advances in MOS device physics and modeling within the compact modeling context
Human Breast Cancer following Estrogen Ablation Programmed Cell Death during Regression of the MCF-7 Updated Version

To study the mechanism of regression of human mammary cancer following estrogen ablation, estrogen-responsive MCF-7 human mam mary adenocarcinoma cells were inoculated into ovariectomized female nude mice supplemented with exogenous 17/8-estradiol (1 .â€¢) via an I-'. implant. Implants were then removed when MCF-7 tumors were 400 nun' in size. Removal of the \-'. : implants resulted in a 50% tumor regression by 2 weeks following ! â€¢'. ablation. Associated with this regres sion is a rapid (i.e., within 1 day following E2ablation) enhanced expres sion of the transforming growth factor 0, and TRPM-2 genes, two genes the expression of which has been previously demonstrated to be enhanced in a variety of cell types induced to undergo programmed cell death (i.e., apoptosis). The enhanced expression of transforming growth factor ,. -/, and TRPM-2 is not a nonspecific response since the expression of other genes, like c-fos, c-ll-ras, and pS2, decrease following I.ablation. Fragmentation of tumor DIVAinto nucleosomal oligomers and histological appearance of apoptotic bodies are characteristic early events that precede the dramatic reduction in tumor volume following I-'. ablation. These results demonstrate that the regression of MCF-7 human mam mary cancers in nude mice following estrogen ablation is due to a sequence of biochemical and morphological changes that result in both the cessa tion of cell proliferation and activation of programmed death or apoptosis of these MCF-7 cancer cells. Clarification of the biochemical pathway involved in the activation of this programmed cell death should identify new targets of therapy for even estrogen-independent human mammary
Semi-automatic acquisition of domain-specific semantic structures

This paper describes a methodology for semi-automatic grammar induction from unannotated corpora belonging to a restricted domain. The grammar contains both semantic and syntactic structures, which are conducive towards language understanding. Our work aims to ameliorate the reliance of grammar development on expert handcrafting or the availability of annotated corpora. To strive for a reasonable model for real data, as well as portability across domain and languages, we adopt a statistical approach. Our approach is also amenable to the optional injection of prior knowledge to aid grammar induction, and subsequent hand editing for grammar refinement. This constitutes the semi-automatic nature of the approach. Experiments with the ATIS corpus showed positive results in semantic parsing, when compared to an entirely handcrafted grammar.
Transcending Patchiness in the Comparative Analysis of Paleocommunities: A Test Case from the Upper Cretaceous of New Jersey

Abstract Estimates of species abundance used to quantitatively describe paleocommunities are more precise and more reliable when sampling effort is distributed among many small replicate samples, rather than concentrated in the collecting of one or a few large samples. This is because sampling error is introduced by the patchy distribution of individuals within a fossil deposit. This study applies a dispersed sampling protocol to compare the fossil assemblages preserved within a marine shell bed at two different localities of the Upper Cretaceous Navesink Formation in east-central New Jersey. A spatial hierarchy of small bulk samples (replicate samples collected along an outcrop, samples from different outcrops within a locality, and samples collected from two different localities) reveals the magnitude and scale of patchiness in the distribution of macrofauna in the Navesink shell bed. Species abundance is highly variable between replicate samples and moderately variable between outcrops due to small scale patchiness. Nevertheless, estimates of species abundance generated by collecting across the patches at each locality reveal that the overall species abundance distribution for the Navesink shell bed is nearly identical between the two localities. When collecting effort is dispersed among many widely distributed samples, different patches of fossil remains are sampled and contribute to the overall estimate of average composition obtained for a locality. Comparisons of fossil assemblages between localities or horizons are rendered more reliable by decreasing the probability that compositionally different patches have been sampled within otherwise identical paleocommunities. The significance of differences detected between local paleocommunities can be assessed more confidently when replicate samples provide a measure of local variability arising from patchiness. Paleontologists sampling to describe the species abundance composition of a discrete region of a stratigraphic horizon (e.g., outcrop, locality) should define the spatial scale of the region they are describing and disperse their sampling effort within that region.
GPGPU Acceleration Algorithm for Medical Image Reconstruction

Medical imaging techniques such as X-ray, Ultrasound, CT and MRI scan are widely used for diagnosis. The 2D medical images from these scans are difficult to interpret because they can only show cross section views of a human body. Interpreting these images requires experts or trained professionals. Reconstructing 2D images into 3D models can help with the interpretation process. However, such model reconstruction is normally time-consuming and costly. It requires high performance computation, such as grid or parallel computing. This research, thus, proposes a high performance 3D reconstruction method using the General-Purpose computation on Graphics Processing Units (GPGPU). The GPGPU has a high computational performance. Parallel computing method on GPU can thus regenerate a model for real time 3D visualization. In other words, the GPU computational speed sufficiently improves the visualization effectiveness of both images and models to the point where a real-time navigation of the data set is possible. In our work, the 3D reconstruction process reconstructs a set of 2D cross-section images and stacks them to generate a volume data, and then transform them into a 3D model. The generated models are then displayed on the user interface developed with OpenGL. Finally, the performance of the GPU acceleration is presented in this paper.