Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interpolation of 3-D binary images based on morphological skeletonization

The morphological skeleton interpolation (MSI) algorithm is presented. It is an efficient, shape-based interpolation method used for interpolating slices in a three-dimensional (3-D) binary object. It is based on morphological skeletonization, which is used for two-dimensional (2-D) slice representation. The proposed morphological skeleton matching process provides translation, rotation, and scaling information at the same time. The interpolated slices preserve the shape of the original object slices, when the slices have similar shapes. It can also modify the shape of an object when the successive slices do not have similar shapes. Applications on artificial and real data are also presented.
In vitro evaluation of biocompatibility of Ti–Mo–Sn–Zr superelastic alloy

Shape memory alloys (SMAs) including superelastic alloys have unique properties such as shape memory and superelasticity, thus they are recognized as very useful biomaterials. These properties are very advantageous for medical use, and actually the SMA wires have been widely used in medical field. However, biocompatibility of nickel-titanium (Ni–Ti) alloy, which is the only practical SMA at present, has been questioned because of its high nickel content. The aim of this study was to evaluate the biocompatibility of a newly developed Ni-free Ti-based SMA for medical use. The newly developed SMA made of Ti–Mo–Sn–Zr system was processed into a disk of 15.1 mm in diameter. Pure titanium of the same shape was prepared as control. All the disk surfaces were polished using emery papers, #120, #400, and #600. Scanning electron microscopy and a 3D optics profiler were used to evaluate the surface of the materials. In vitro evaluations included colony examination for evaluation of the cell cytotoxicity, DNA quantification for the cell proliferation, Alamar blue assay for metabolic activity, FDA staining for the live cell imaging, and cell cycle analysis, using Chinese hamster fibroblastic V-79 cells and mouse osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells. In colony examination and DNA quantification, there was no significant difference between the Ti–Mo–Sn–Zr and the pure titanium. In FDA staining, cultured cells on the Ti–Mo–Sn–Zr alloy showed the same biocompatibility as those on the pure titanium. The present results suggest that the newly developed Ti–Mo–Sn–Zr alloy showed the high biocompatibility comparable to pure titanium and can be used as efficient biomaterial for medical use.
Aligning Script Events with Narrative Texts

Script knowledge plays a central role in text understanding and is relevant for a variety of downstream tasks. In this paper, we consider two recent datasets which provide a rich and general representation of script events in terms of paraphrase sets. We introduce the task of mapping event mentions in narrative texts to such script event types, and present a model for this task that exploits rich linguistic representations as well as information on temporal ordering. The results of our experiments demonstrate that this complex task is indeed feasible.
Perspectives on biochemical and neurosensory mechanisms for exercise-induced pain inhibition

Purpose: To outline the potential mechanisms and experimental limitations for exercise-induced pain inhibition. Methods: Investigations that applied physical exertion to evoke changes in experimental pain response were reviewed and evaluated for inclusion. Previous research studies were appraised in a historical context to explicate pain measurement and to expound the prospective underlying mechanisms for exercise-induced pain inhibition. Results: The function of pain-modulatory systems during exercise may have evolved to extend performance and survival. Previous studies have implicated the modulation of pain through activation of descending inhibitory pathways and attenuation of ascending pain-related signaling during and after physical exercise. Central and peripheral release of compounds, such as endorphins and endocannabinoids, as well as baroreceptor inhibitory effects on pain have been postulated in exercise-induced pain inhibition. Inhibition of pain with exercise appears to show adaptation, as revealed by enhanced tolerance to pain with exercise training. Conclusion: The diminution of pain with physical exercise has been associated with mediation of pain-related signaling at central and peripheral sites. Application of this finding could extend into human performance and the therapeutic treatment of pain.
A European survey on attitudes towards pain and end-of-life issues in locked-in syndrome

Abstract Objectives: Patients with locked-in syndrome often self-report a higher quality of life than generally expected. This study reports third-person attitudes towards several salient issues on locked-in syndrome. Methods: Close-ended survey among conference attendees from 33 European countries. Analysis included chi-square tests and logistic regressions. Results: From the 3332 respondents (33% physicians, 18% other clinicians, 49% other professions; 47% religious), 90% agreed that patients with locked-in syndrome can feel pain. The majority (75%) disagreed with treatment withdrawal, but 56% did not wish to be kept alive if they imagined themselves in this condition (p < 0.001). Religious and southern Europeans opposed to treatment withdrawal more often than non-religious (p < 0.001) and participants from the North (p = 0.001). When the locked-in syndrome was compared to disorders of consciousness, more respondents endorsed that being in a chronic locked-in syndrome was worse than being in a vegetative state or minimally conscious state for patients (59%) than they thought for families (40%, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Personal characteristics mediate opinions about locked-in syndrome. The dissociation between personal preferences and general opinions underlie the difference in perspective in disability. Ethical responses to dilemmas involving patients with locked-in syndrome should consider the diverging ethical attitudes of stakeholders.
Situated Semantic Alignment

Ontology matching is currently a key technology to achieve the semantic alignment of ontological entities used by knowledge-based applications, and therefore to enable their interoperability in distributed environments such as multi-agent systems. Most ontology matching mechanisms, however, assume matching prior integration and rely on semantics that has been coded a priori in concept hierarchies or external sources. We present a formal model for a semantic alignment procedure that incrementally aligns differing conceptualisations of two or more agents relative to their respective perception of the environment or domain they are acting in. It hence makes the situation in which the alignment occurs explicit in the model. We resort to Channel Theory to carry out the formalisation.
Randomized Controlled Trial of a Structured Training Program in Breast Cancer Patients with Tumor-Related Chronic Fatigue

Cancer-related fatigue is the most disabling symptom experienced by breast cancer patients following the cancer treatment. The positive effects of physical activity in the rehabilitation of breast cancer patients are documented in several studies. In a randomized controlled study the effects of a structured physical training program on fatigue and health-related quality of life were evaluated. Patients and Methods: 63 breast cancer patients with cancer-related chronic fatigue were randomized at the beginning of the inpatient rehabilitation. The control group received the standard complex rehabilitation program, the intervention group a structured physical training program and additional muscle strength and aerobic exercises. The effects of the treatment were evaluated by questionnaires at the start of rehabilitation (t1), end of rehabilitation (t2), and 3 months after t2 (t3). Isometric muscle strength and aerobic capacity were evaluated at t1 and t2. Results: There was an improvement of muscle strength at the end of rehabilitation for both groups. The increase from t1 to t2 was significantly higher for the training group. The scores for global quality of life, physical well-being, and functionality increased from t1 to t2, but further improvement in the follow-up (t3) was only observed in the training group. The cancer-related fatigue was significantly reduced in the training group from t1 to t3, however, not in the control group. Conclusions: Structured physical training programs initiated during inpatient rehabilitation and continuously practiced in the time thereafter can improve symptoms of chronic fatigue and quality of life in breast cancer patients.
Equilibrium Cartel Pricing in the Presence of an Antitrust Authority

Price-fixing is characterized when firms are concerned about creating suspicions about collusion and bringing forth antitrust penalties. Antitrust laws have a complex effect on pricing as they influence the conditions determining the internal stability of the cartel. Dynamics are driven by two forces the sensitivity of detection to price movements causes a cartel to gradually raise price while the sensitivity of penalties to the price level induces the cartel to lower price over time in order to maintain the stability of the cartel. While antitrust laws can lower collusive prices, they can also raise them by making it easier for firms to collude. ∗I appreciate the comments of seminar participants at Cal Tech, UC-Berkeley, Stanford, and the Duke/UNC Theory Workshop. This research is supported by the National Science Foundation under grant SES-0209486.
Tribes Is Hard in the Message Passing Model

We consider the point-to-point message passing model of communication in which there are $k$ processors with individual private inputs, each $n$-bit long. Each processor is located at the node of an underlying undirected graph and has access to private random coins. An edge of the graph is a private channel of communication between its endpoints. The processors have to compute a given function of all their inputs by communicating along these channels. While this model has been widely used in distributed computing, strong lower bounds on the amount of communication needed to compute simple functions have just begun to appear. In this work, we prove a tight lower bound of $\Omega(kn)$ on the communication needed for computing the Tribes function, when the underlying graph is a star of $k+1$ nodes that has $k$ leaves with inputs and a center with no input. Lower bound on this topology easily implies comparable bounds for others. Our lower bounds are obtained by building upon the recent information theoretic techniques of Braverman et.al (FOCS'13) and combining it with the earlier work of Jayram, Kumar and Sivakumar (STOC'03). This approach yields information complexity bounds that is of independent interest.
Individual Differences in the Spontaneous Construal of Behavior: Idiocentrism and the Automatization of the Trait Inference Process

Previous research indicated that idiocentrism (an individual difference corresponding to the culture-level variable of individualism) is positively correlated with spontaneous trait inference (STI). This finding is consistent with the hypothesis that a belief in the utility of trait interpretations should lead one to practice and automatize the trait inference process. In Study 1, idiocentrism correlated negatively with spontaneous inferences about situational causes of behavior. The positive relationship between idiocentrism and spontaneous inference is thus specific to trait inferences. In Study 2, a priming manipulation was used to examine the accessibility of trait concepts as a possible mediator of the relationship between idiocentrism and STI. However, trait priming boosted trait-cued recall only for idiocentric participants, suggesting instead that the key distinction between nonidiocentric and idiocentric people is that the former lack an automatized trait inference procedure. This research demons.
The consent process in medical research involving DNA databanks: some ethical implications and challenges

Organized into three main parts, this paper examines some challenges for the informed-consent process in medical research where DNA databanks are employed. In Part 1, we briefly describe the principle of informed consent and show why it is ethically important. Part 2 focuses on some specific challenges that that arise for the traditional informed-consent process in population-wide genetics/genomics research, especially where data-mining techniques are used. In the third and final section, we defend a model of consent based on the notion of a "charitable trust," which we believe can help to preserve the integrity of the consent process in the context of medical and genetic research involving DNA databanks.
Exploring the relationship between response time, sensitivity and bias in categorical and coordinate visuospatial processes: Evidence for hemispheric specialisation

Right visual field-left hemisphere (RVF-LH) and left visual field-right hemisphere (LVF-RH) specialisations found for categorical and coordinate visuospatial judgements, respectively, are thought to demonstrate two different perceptual processes. In the current experiment, we used signal detection theory to investigate categorical and coordinate processes, and to explore the relationship between response time (RT), sensitivity and bias measures. We found a LVF-RH advantage for the processing of categorical spatial relations when this effect was indexed by sensitivity. We also found that task influenced response bias in RVF-LH trials, but not in LVF-RH trials. Increased sensitivity was correlated with faster responses in the coordinate task but slower responses in the categorical task, and faster RTs when responding liberally in RVF-LH but not LVF-RH categorical trials. By analysing signal detection measures alongside RT, the findings suggest that differences in sensitivity and response bias may contribute to typical task by hemisphere effects in RT.
AMERICAN SOCIOLOGISTS AND ITALIAN PEASANT SOCIETY: WITH REFERENCE TO THE BOOK OF BANFIELD

Summary AMERICAN SOCIOLOGISTS AND ITALIAN PEASANT SOCIETY: WITH REFERENCE TO THE BOOK OF BANFIELD After stressing the valuable contribution that a number of USA scholars (Friedmann, Moss, Thomson, Lopreato, Redfield, Pitkin) have made to the development of rural sociology in Italy, the author subjects to ample criticism the recent work of E. C. Banfield, The Moral Basis of a Backward Society, high-lighting a number of contradictions. In particular he denies that the ethics of the southern community studied by Banfield can be reduced to so-called ‘amoral familism’. Some examples of community development effected in recent years in some of the most depressed zones of the country, allow one to arrive at far less pessimistic conclusions. Zusammenfassung AMERIKANISCHE SOZIOLOGEN UND DIE ITALIENISCHE BAUERLICHE GESELLSCHAFT: MIT BEZUG AUF DAS BUCH VON BAN FIELD Der Autor betont zunachst den wertvollen Beitrag, den eine Anzahl von Gelehrten aus den USA (Friedmann, Moss, Thomson, Lopreato, Redfield, Pitkin) fur die Entwicklung der landlichen Soziologie in Italien geleistet haben. Er unterwirft jedoch sodann die neue Arbeit von E. C. Banfield, “The Moral Basis of a Backward Society” einer ausgedehnten Kritik, indem er eine Reihe von Widerspruchen hervor-hebt. Besonders bestreitet er, dass man die Ethik dieser sudlichen Gemeinde, die Banfield untersucht hat, auf einen sogenannten ‘amo-ralischen Familismus' reduzieren konne. Einige Beispiele der Gemeindeentwicklung, die in den letzten Jahren in einigen der ruckstandigsten Gebiete des Landes durchgefuhrt wurden, erlauben es, zu Schlussfolgerungen zu kommen, die bei weitem weniger pessimistisch sind.
Elevated levels of CRP in ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome: an unrecognised potential hazard?

Objective Elevated levels of C‐reactive protein (CRP) were found recently to be a crucial marker for cardiovascular disease. This protein might have a role in endothelial cell activation, vascular damage and a thrombotic tendency. We sought to determine whether concentrations of CRP are altered in women with controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) or hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS).
A new episodic ataxia syndrome with linkage to chromosome 19q13.

BACKGROUND Multiple episodic ataxia phenotypes and genotypes have been described. OBJECTIVE To describe a new episodic ataxia syndrome. DESIGN Genomewide linkage analysis with dense single nucleotide polymorphism arrays. SETTING University clinic. Patients Family with lifelong episodes of ataxia and normal interictal examination results. RESULTS Suggestive linkage (logarithm of odds score, 3.27) to a 10-centimorgan region on chromosome 19q13. CONCLUSION A new dominantly inherited episodic ataxia syndrome is linked to chromosome 19q.
A Pilot Study of Quetiapine in Patients With Bipolar Disorder and Cocaine Dependence

Bipolar disorder is associated with high rates of substance use disorders. However, few treatment trials are reported in this population. The goal of this pilot study was to obtain randomized, placebo-controlled data on quetiapine in bipolar disorder and cocaine dependence. Twelve outpatients with bipolar disorder and cocaine dependence were randomized to 12 weeks of quetiapine or placebo as add-on therapy. Participants were titrated within one week to 400 mg/day with flexible titration to a maximum of 800 mg/day. Cocaine and other substance use, craving, mood symptoms, and safety/tolerability were assessed. No significant between-group differences were observed in cocaine use or craving. The quetiapine group had significantly fewer heavy drinking days than the placebo group and showed a trend toward longer treatment retention. Significant between-group differences in mood measures were not observed, although differences in depression scores, favoring quetiapine, showed a large effect size. Other than constipation, which was more common with quetiapine, side effects did not show significant between-group differences. Quetiapine was not associated with reduction in cocaine use, but was associated with reduction in alcohol use and longer time in treatment and was generally well-tolerated. Larger trials of quetiapine in dual diagnosis patients seem warranted.
Complete mitochondrial genome of Blue-winged Macaw (Primolius maracana)

abtract The presence of bare facial area distinguishes Macaws from other members of the Arini tribe. Genera and species of the Macaw group differ in pattern of this bare skin as well as in body size. Individuals of the genera: Diopsittaca, Orthopsittaca, and Primolius are significantly smaller than the members of the genera: Anodorhynchus, Cyanopsitta, and the most species of the genus Ara. The genus Primolius contains three species: P. auricollis, P. couloni, and P. maracana, which are classified as medium-sized Macaws. So far, mitochondrial genome representative for the genus was sequenced only for Primolius couloni species. Primolius maracana mitogenome, which was sequenced in this study, will be indispensable to refine the phylogenetic relationships between Primolius species, as results of molecular researches seems to be inconsistent with Primolius species morphology.
Hydrodynamic Radii of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins Determined from Experimental Polyproline II Propensities

The properties of disordered proteins are thought to depend on intrinsic conformational propensities for polyproline II (PP II) structure. While intrinsic PP II propensities have been measured for the common biological amino acids in short peptides, the ability of these experimentally determined propensities to quantitatively reproduce structural behavior in intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) has not been established. Presented here are results from molecular simulations of disordered proteins showing that the hydrodynamic radius (R h) can be predicted from experimental PP II propensities with good agreement, even when charge-based considerations are omitted. The simulations demonstrate that R h and chain propensity for PP II structure are linked via a simple power-law scaling relationship, which was tested using the experimental R h of 22 IDPs covering a wide range of peptide lengths, net charge, and sequence composition. Charge effects on R h were found to be generally weak when compared to PP II effects on R h. Results from this study indicate that the hydrodynamic dimensions of IDPs are evidence of considerable sequence-dependent backbone propensities for PP II structure that qualitatively, if not quantitatively, match conformational propensities measured in peptides.
Counting and detecting small subgraphs via equations and matrix multiplication

We present a general technique for detecting and counting small subgraphs. It consists in forming special linear combinations of the numbers of occurrences of different induced subgraphs of fixed size in a graph. The combinations can be efficiently computed by rectangular matrix multiplication. Our two main results utilizing the technique are as follows. Let <i>H</i> be a fixed graph with <i>k</i> vertices and an independent set of size <i>s</i>. 1. Detecting if an <i>n</i>-vertex graph contains a (non-necessarily induced) subgraph isomorphic to <i>H</i> can be done in time <i>O</i>(<i>n</i><sup><i>k−s</i></sup> + <i>n</i><sup><i>w</i>(⌈(<i>k−s</i>)/2⌉,1,⌊(<i>k−s</i>)/2⌋)</sup>), where <i>w</i>(<i>p, q, r</i>) is the exponent of fast arithmetic matrix multiplication of an <i>n</i><sup><i>p</i></sup> x <i>n</i><sup><i>q</i></sup> matrix by an <i>n</i><sup><i>q</i></sup> x <i>n</i><sup><i>r</i></sup> matrix. 2. When <i>s</i> = 2, counting the number of (non-necessarily induced) subgraphs isomorphic to <i>H</i> can be done in the same time, i.e., in time <i>O</i>(<i>n</i><sup><i>k</i>-2</sup> + <i>n</i><sup><i>w</i>(⌈(<i>k</i>-2)/2⌉,1,⌊(<i>k</i>-2)/2⌋)</sup>). (This improves for <i>s</i> = 2 on a counting algorithm of Vassilevska and Williams, running in time <i>O</i>(<i>n</i><sup><i>k-s</i>+3</sup>). ) It follows in particular that we can count the number of subgraphs isomorphic to any <i>H</i> on four vertices that is not <i>K</i><sub>4</sub> in time <i>O</i>(<i>n</i><sup><i>w</i></sup>), where <i>w</i> = <i>w</i>(1, 1, 1) is known to be smaller than 2.376. Similarly, we can count the number of subgraphs isomorphic to any <i>H</i> on five vertices that is not <i>K</i><sub>5</sub> in time <i>O</i>(<i>n</i><sup><i>w</i>(2,1,1)</sup>), where <i>w</i> (2, 1, 1) is known to be smaller than 3.334.
Strategic Compartmentalization of Toll-Like Receptor 4 in the Mouse Gut1

Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), which include the Toll-like receptors (TLRs), are involved in the innate immune response to infection. TLR4 is a model for the TLR family and is the main LPS receptor. We wanted to determine the expression of TLR4 and compare it with that of TLR2 and CD14 along the gastrointestinal mucosa of normal and colitic BALB/c mice. Colitis was induced with 2.5% dextran sodium sulfate (DSS). Mucosa from seven segments of the digestive tract (stomach, small intestine in three parts, and colon in three parts) was isolated by two different methods. Mucosal TLR4, CD14, TLR2, MyD88, and IL-1β mRNA were semiquantified by Northern blotting. TLR4 protein was determined by Western blotting. TLR4/MD-2 complex and CD14 were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. PRR genes were constitutively expressed and were especially stronger in colon. TLR4 and CD14 mRNA were increased in the distal colon, but TLR2 mRNA was expressed more strongly in the proximal colon, and MyD88 had a uniform expression throughout the gut. Accordingly, TLR4 and CD14 protein levels were higher in the distal colon. TLR4/MD-2 and CD14 were localized at crypt bottom epithelial cells. TLR4/MD2, but not CD14, was found in mucosal mononuclear cells. Finally, DSS-induced inflammation was localized in the distal colon. All genes studied were up-regulated during DSS-induced inflammation, but the normal colon-stressed gut distribution was preserved. Our findings demonstrate that TLR4, CD14, and TLR2 are expressed in a compartmentalized manner in the mouse gut and provide novel information about the in vivo localization of PRRs.