Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Visibility-polygon search and euclidean shortest paths

Consider a collection of disjoint polygons in the plane containing a total of n edges. We show how to build, in O(n2) time and space, a data structure from which in O(n) time we can compute the visibility polygon of a given point with respect to the polygon collection. As an application of this structure, the visibility graph of the given polygons can be constructed in O(n2) time and space. This implies that the shortest path that connects two points in the plane and avoids the polygons in our collection can be computed in O(n2) time, improving earlier O(n2 log n) results.
Anomaly Detection at “supersonic” Speed

Abstract Anomaly-based methods of intrusion detection are gaining increasing interest among IT-security practitioners. Unlike the traditional intrusion detection systems (IDS) based on pattern matching they are capable of detecting previously unknown attacks without any knowledge about attack signatures. For practical deployment, not only accuracy but also the computational performance is crucial. A deployed IDS must be able to process traffic volumes of several Gbps, which is typical for network infrastructure nodes. Most of the previously proposed anomaly-based IDS have not specifically addressed performance issues. Moreover, it has been widely believed that no anomaly-based system with full analysis of packet payload can reach a “sound barrier” of 1 Gbps. In this contribution, we show that using a careful selection of algorithms and common parallelization techniques, the performance of well over 1 Gbps is possible for a wide range of methods based on a metric embedding of packet/connection payloads. After a brief introduction to the embedding techniques, we describe the specific algorithms and data structures for a high-performance implementation of such methods. We present experiments on large-scale traces of real network traffic that demonstrate that processing rates of over 4 Gbps can be attained by our methods on commodity multi-core processors. Zusammenfassung Anomalie-basierte Techniken von Angriffserkennung gewinnen zunehmend an Aufmerksamkeit unter IT-Sicherheitsexperten. Im Gegensatz zu den herkömmlichen, auf der Mustererkennung basierten Intrusion-Detection-Systemen (IDS), sind Anomalie-basierte Systeme in der Lage, neuartige Angriffe zu erkennen, ohne dass vorher spezifische Muster definiert werden müssen. Allerdings ist für den praktischen Einsatz solcher Systeme nicht nur die Erkennungsgenauigkeit sondern auch die rechnerische Leistungsfähigkeit von zentraler Bedeutung. Das IDS muss das Netzverkehrsvolumen von mehreren Gbps verarbeiten können, um in der Netzinfrastruktur eingesetzt werden zu können. Bei den meisten von früheren Anomalie-basierten IDS wurde die Leistungsfähigkeit nicht explizit berücksichtigt. Es galt als unwahrscheinlich, dass ein Anomalie-basiertes System mit der Verarbeitung kompletter Paketinhalte eine “Schallmauer” von 1 Gbps übertreffen kann. In diesem Beitrag wird gezeigt, dass für die auf einer metrischen Einbettung der Paketinhalte basierten Anomalieerkennungsmethoden eine Performanz von deutlich mehr als 1 Gbps durch eine sorgfältige Wahl der Algorithmen sowie die Anwendung von gängigen Parallelisierungstechniken durchaus möglich ist. Nach einer kurzen Einführung in die Technik von metrischer Einbettung, werden im Folgenden die für eine hochperformante Implementierung benötigten Algorithmen und Datenstrukturen dargestellt. Bei der experimentellen Auswertung der entwickelten Algorithmen auf einem über mehrere Tage aufgezeichneten Netzverkehr-Trace konnte die Leistungsfähigkeit von über 4 Gbps auf handelsüblichen Mehrkernprozessoren erreicht werden.
Development of immunoassays for the detection of kanamycin in veterinary fields

Monoclonal antibody against kanamycin was prepared, and competitive direct ELISA and immunochromatographic assay were developed using the antibody to detect kanamycin in animal plasma and milk. The monoclonal antibody produced was identified to be IgG1, which has a kappa light chain. No cross-reactivity of the antibody was detected with other aminoglycosides, indicating that the monoclonal antibody was highly specific for kanamycin. Based on competitive direct ELISA, the detection limits of kanamycin were determined to be 1.1 ng/ml in PBS, 1.4 ng/ml in plasma, and 1.0 ng/ml in milk. The concentration of intramuscularly injected kanamycin was successfully monitored in rabbit plasma with competitive direct ELISA. Based on the colloidal gold-based immunochromatographic assay, the detection limits of kanamycin were estimated to be about 6-8 ng/ml in PBS, plasma, and milk. The immunochromatographic assay would be suitable for rapid and simple screening of kanamycin residues in veterinary medicine. Screened positives can be confirmed using a more sensitive laboratory method such as competitive direct ELISA. Therefore, the assays developed in this study could be used to complement each other as well as other laboratory findings. Moreover, instead of slaughtering the animals to obtain test samples, these methods could be applied to determine kanamycin concentration in the plasma of live animals.
A Fast Collision Detection Algorithm Based on Distance Calculations between NURBS Surfaces

Collision detection is one of the major issues of virtual reality, including calculating the distance between two objects in space. In this paper, the proposed method based upon the technique of splitting the NURBS surfaces. Firstly, through the interpreting factor to adaptive subdivision surface, and then gradually subdivision surface for the control points with increment algorithm surrounded by constructing a convex hull, based on the distance between the convex hull the GJK algorithm instead of the bounding box algorithm, improve the speed of the algorithm. Through the experiments indicate that the algorithm efficiency has improved a lot, more content to complex interactive virtual system in real-time.
Use of gadobutrol in coronary angiography

Gadobutrol was used in coronary angiography in three patients. All three patients had a substantially increased risk of developing renal complications with iodinated contrast agents. Gadobutrol was well tolerated in all three patients without any complications. The quality of the coronary angiograms was good. Catheter Cardiovasc Interv 2004;63:319–322. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Investigating Convergence of Restricted Boltzmann Machine Learning

Restricted Boltzmann Machines are increasingly popular tools for unsupervised learning. They are very general, can cope with missing data and are used to pretrain deep learning machines. RBMs learn a generative model of the data distribution. As exact gradient ascent on the data likelihood is infeasible, typically Markov Chain Monte Carlo approximations to the gradient such as Contrastive Divergence (CD) are used. Even though there are some theoretical insights into this algorithm, it is not guaranteed to converge. Recently it has been observed that after an initial increase in likelihood, the training degrades, if no additional regularization is used. The parameters for regularization however cannot be determined even for medium-sized RBMs. In this work, we investigate the learning behavior of training algorithms by varying minimal set of parameters and show that with relatively simple variants of CD, it is possible to obtain good results even without further regularization. Furthermore, we show that it is not necessary to tune many hyperparameters to obtain a good model { nding
Coupled Climate Model appraisal: A benchmark for future studies

Studies of future climate scenarios, such as those conducted in support of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, http://www.ipcc.ch/), rely heavily on numerical experiments performed with coupled ocean-atmosphere general circulation models (OAGCMs). In order to assess the results of such climate change experiments, a benchmark for evaluating model performance is required.To provide this benchmark, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's Program for Climate Model Diagnosis and Intercomparison (PCMDI) conducted an extensive appraisal of multidecadal climate simulations by 11 coupled OAGCMs that were developed during the period of 1995–2002 [Bader etal. , 2004]. While diverse representations of atmosphere, ocean, sea ice, land, and of their respective couplings were employed (see Table 1), all of these climate models were run with current values of solar and greenhouse gas radiative forcings. Thus, by comparing details of the OAGCM simulations with analogous facets of climate observations, the needed model-performance benchmark can be obtained. If, for instance, a model simulation closely replicates the salient features of the present climate, a necessary (though not sufficient) condition is met for placing some confidence in the model's projections of the climate of the next several decades.
Measurement of current‐voltage relations in the membrane of the giant axon of Loligo

The importance of ionic movements in excitable tissues has been emphasized by a number of recent experiments. On the one hand, there is the finding that the nervous impulse is associated with an inflow of sodium and an outflow of potassiuim (e.g. Rothenberg, 1950; Keynes & Lewis, 1951). On the other, there are experiments which show that the rate of rise and amplitude of the action potential are determined by the concentration of sodium in the external medium (e.g. Hodgkin & Katz, 1949 a; Huxley & Stiimpffi, 1951). Both groups of experiments are consistent with the theory that nervous conduction depends on a specific increase in permeability which allows sodium ions to move from the more concentrated solution outside a nerve fibre to the more dilute solution inside it. This movement of charge makes the inside of the fibre positive and provides a satisfactory explanation for the rising phase of the spike. Repolarization during the falling phase probably depends on an outflow of potassium ions and may be accelerated by a process which increases the potassium permeability after the action potential has reached its crest (Hodgkin, Huxley & Katz, 1949).
Novel Transcriptional Potentiation of BETA2/NeuroD on the Secretin Gene Promoter by the DNA-Binding Protein Finb/RREB-1

ABSTRACT The basic helix-loop-helix protein BETA2/NeuroD activates transcription of the secretin gene and is essential for terminal differentiation of secretin-producing enteroendocrine cells. However, in heterodimeric complexes with its partner basic helix-loop-helix proteins, BETA2 does not appear to be a strong activator of transcription by itself. Mutational analysis of a proximal enhancer in the secretin gene identified several cis-acting elements in addition to the E-box binding site for BETA2. We identified by expression cloning the zinc finger protein RREB-1, also known to exist as a longer form, Finb, as the protein binding to one of the mutationally sensitive elements. Finb/RREB-1 lacks an intrinsic activation domain and by itself did not activate secretin gene transcription. Here we show that Finb/RREB-1 can associate with BETA2 to enhance its transcription-activating function. Both DNA binding and physical interaction of Finb/RREB-1 with BETA2 are required to potentiate transcription. Thus, Finb/RREB-1 does not function as a classical activator of transcription that recruits an activation domain to a DNA-protein complex. Finb/RREB-1 may be distinguished from coactivators, which increase transcription without sequence-specific DNA binding. We suggest that Finb/RREB-1 should be considered a potentiator of transcription, representing a distinct category of transcription-regulating proteins.
High resolution millimeter-wave inverse synthetic aperture radar demonstrator for security applications

In this paper the authors present the design and implementation of a high resolution millimeter-wave radar operating at 290 GHz with bandwidth up to 66.6 GHz. The high resolution capability is presented. The applications of high resolution ISAR imaging capabilities combined with properties of low terahertz radiation in security are discussed and presented.
Hydrologic, geomorphic and climatic processes controlling willow establishment in a montane ecosystem

Willow communities dominate mid‐elevation riparian areas throughout the Rocky Mountains of North America. However, many willow stands are rapidly declining in aerial cover and individual plants in stature. A poor understanding of the processes that control willow establishment hinders identifying the causes of this decline. We analysed the processes that have facilitated or limited willow establishment over the last half of the 20th century on two large floodplains in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado by addressing two questions: (1) How does hydrologic regime control willow establishment on different fluvial landforms? (2) How might climate‐driven variations in hydrologic regime affect future willow establishment? We precisely aged willows on the three most common fluvial landforms, stream point bars, drained beaver ponds, and abandoned channels, and statistically related establishment dates to patterns of annual stream peak flow. The role of peak flow on willow establishment varied significantly by landform. Willow recruitment had occurred nearly every year on point bars. In former beaver complexes, most willows had established following dam breaches, whereas willows had established on abandoned channels for several years following channel avulsion. Establishment on point bars and abandoned channels was driven by peak flows of 2‐ to 5‐year return intervals, whereas in abandoned beaver ponds most establishment was associated with flow events of >5‐year return interval. Models of climate change suggest that temperatures will increase and precipitation seasonality will shift over the coming decades in the Rocky Mountains, leading to earlier spring runoff, lower summer and fall flows, decreased snowpack and decreased soil moisture. Such changes are likely to diminish opportunities for willow establishment. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Occlusion Culling with Statistically Optimized Occlusion Queries

This paper presents an effective algorithm for occlusion culling using hardware occlusion queries. The number of queries is optimized according to the results of the queries from several preceeding frames. Parts of the scene which are found to be unoccluded in the recent frames, are tested less often thus reducing the number of queries performed per frame. The algorithm is applicable to any kind of scene, including scenes with moving objects. The algorithm utilizes a tree structure containing objects in the scene.
Diffusion Kernels

Graphs are some one of the simplest type of objects in Mathematics. In Chapter Chapter ? we saw how to construct kernels between graphs, that is, when the individual examples x ∈ X are graphs. In this chapter we consider the case when the input space X is itself a graph and the examples are vertices in this graph. Such a case may arise naturally in diverse contexts. We may be faced with a network, trying to extrapolate known values of some quantity at specific nodes to other nodes. An illustrative example might be the graph of interactions between the proteins of an organism, which can be built from recent high-throughput technologies. Let's say we are trying to learn the localization of proteins in the cell, or their functions. In the absence of other knowledge, a reasonable starting point is to assume that proteins that can interact are likely to have similar localization or functions. Other examples of naturally occuring networks include metabolic or signalling pathways, and also social networks, the World Wide Web, or citation networks. In other cases we might be faced with something much more intricate that is not itself a network, but can conveniently be modelled as one. Assume we are interested in prediciting the physical properties of organic molecules. Clearly, the set of all known organic molecules is very large and it is next to impossible to impose a global metric on it or sensibly fit it into a vector space. On the other hand, it is not so
Computed tomography scanning can monitor the effects of soil medium on root system development: an example of salt stress in corn

Seeds and young seedlings often encounter high soluble salt levels in the upmost soil layers, impeding vigorous growth by affecting root establishment. Computed tomography (CT) scanning used at low X-ray doses can help study root development in such conditions non-destructively, because plants are allowed to grow throughout the experiment. Using a high-resolution Toshiba XVision CT scanner, we studied corn (Zea mays L.) root growth under optimal and salt-stressed conditions in 3D and on a weekly basis over 3 weeks. Two groups of three corn plants were grown in the controlled environment of a growth chamber, in mid-sized plastic pots filled with sieved and autoclaved sand. Seedlings were subjected to first CT scanning 1 week after seed planting. Our main research objectives concerning root systems were: (i) to quantify structural complexity from fractal dimensions estimated on skeletal 3-D images built from CT scanning data; (ii) to measure growth from volumes and lengths and the derived relative rates and increments, after isolating primary and secondary roots from the soil medium in CT scanning data; and (iii) to assess differences in complexity and growth per week and over Weeks 1–3 for groups of corn plants. Differences between groups were present from Week 1; starting in Week 2 secondary roots were present and could be isolated, which refined the complexity and growth analyses of root systems. Besides expected Week main effects (P < 0.01 or 0.05), Week × Group interaction (P < 0.05 or 0.10), and Group main effects were observed. Graphical, quantitative, and statistical analyses of CT scanning data were thus completed at an unprecedented level, and provided new and important insights regarding root system development. Repeated CT scanning is the key to a better understanding of the establishment in the soil medium of crop plants such as corn and the assessment of salt stress effects on developing root systems, in complexity, volume, and length.
A parallel priority data structure with applications

Presents a parallel priority data structure that improves the running time of certain algorithms for problems that lack a fast and work-efficient parallel solution. As a main application, we give a parallel implementation of Dijkstra's (1959) algorithm which runs in O(n) time while performing O(m log n) work on a CREW PRAM. This is a logarithmic factor improvement for the running time compared with previous approaches. The main feature of our data structure is that the operations needed in each iteration of Dijkstra's algorithm can be supported in O(1) time.
Value Range Analysis of Conditionally Updated Variables and Pointers

Pointer-based array traversals are often used by C programmers to optimize sequential memory access. However, the use of pointer arithmetic prevents compilers from effectively applying dependence testing and loop analysis for optimization and parallelization. Because pointer variables can be viewed as reference-type induction variables, conventional induction variable recognition and substitution methods can be used to translate pointer-based code to array-based code, thereby enabling the application of traditional loop restructuring compiler optimizations for parallelization. However, conditionally updated induction variables and pointers are prohibiting the application of these optimizations, due to the inability to determine closed-form function equivalents. This paper presents a method for value range analysis on conditionally updated induction variables and pointers which have no closed-form functions. The value range method determines the memory access patterns of pointers and arrays indexed with conditionally updated induction variables. Important applications of this method are in array bounds analysis and data dependence testing.
ON SOME MEANS DERIVED FROM THE SCHWAB-BORCHARDT MEAN II

Bivariate means defined as the Schwab-Borchardt mean of two bivariate means are investigated. Explicit formulas for those means are obtained. It is demonstrated that they inter- polate inequalities connecting the well known bivariate means. Optimal bounds for the means under discussion are also obtained. The bounding quantities are convex combinations of the generating means.
Deep Velocity Measurements in the Western Equatorial Indian Ocean

Abstract Vertical profiles of horizontal current collected in April and June 1979 in the western Indian Ocean revealed the presence of short vertical scale (150–300 m) deep zonal jets, trapped to within 1° of the equator. Meridional velocity records displayed in general higher temporal and spatial variability and significantly less energy at the larger vertical scales as compared with zonal records. Vertical wavenumber spectra of velocity showed no statistically significant peaks. The conspicuous alternating zonal jets were identified with the slightly more energetic (as compared to background levels) 500–429 stretched meter (sm) wavelengths. For, most vertical wavenumbers, zonal currents were not significantly coherent at distances greater than 400 km downstream. At shorter zonal separations, phase lags were indistinguishable from zero. On the equator, there is an indication of upward shift of approximately 100 sm over the 500–429 sm band. Also on the equator, zonal current (u) and vertical displacement .
Percutaneous pedicle screw fixation of the lumbar spine.

OBJECT Standard techniques for lumbar pedicle screw fixation involve open exposures and extensive muscle dissection. The purpose of this study was to report the initial clinical experience with a novel device for percutaneous posterior fixation of the lumbar spine. METHODS An existing multiaxial lumbar pedicle screw system was modified so that screws could be placed percutaneously by using an extension sleeve that would allow for remote manipulation of the polyaxial screw heads and remote engagement of the screw locking mechanism. A unique rod insertion device was developed that linked to the screw extension sleeves, allowing for a precut, precontoured rod to be placed through a small stab wound. Because the insertion device relies on geometrical constraint of the rod pathway through the screw heads, rods can be placed in a standard submuscular position with minimal manipulation, essentially no muscle dissection, and without the need for direct visual feedback. Twelve patients (six men and six women who ranged in age from 23-68 years) underwent pedicle screw fixation in which the rod insertion device was used. Spondylolisthesis was present in 10 patients and nonunion of a prior interbody fusion was present in two. All patients underwent successful percutaneous fixation. Ten patients underwent single-level fusions (six at L5-S1, three at L4-5, and one at L2-3), and two underwent two-level fusions (one from L-3 to L-5 and the other from L-4 to S-1). The follow-up period ranged from 3 to 12 months (mean 6.8 months). CONCLUSIONS Although percutaneous lumbar pedicle screw placement has been described previously, longitudinal connector (rod or plate) insertion has been more problematic. The device used in this study allows for straightforward placement of lumbar pedicle screws and rods through percutaneous stab wounds. Paraspinous tissue trauma is minimized without compromising the quality of spinal fixation. Preliminary experience with this device has been promising.