Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An extension of manifold boundary representations to the r-sets

In this paper we study the relationship between manifold solids (r-sets whose boundaries are two-dimensional closed manifolds) and r-sets. We begin by showing that an r-set may be viewed as the limit of a certain sequence of manifold solids, where distance is measured using the Hausdorff metric. This permits us to introduce a minimal set of generalized Euler operators, sufficient for the construction and manipulation of r-sets. The completeness result for ordinary Euler operators carries over immediately to the generalized Euler operators on the r-sets and the modification of the usual boundary data structures, corresponding to our extension to nonmanifold r-sets, is straightforward. We in fact describe a modification of a well-known boundary data structure in order to illustrate how the extension can be used in typical solid modeling algorithms, and describe an implementation. The results described above largely eliminate what has been called an inherent mismatch between the modeling spaces defined by manifold solids and by r-sets. We view the r-sets as a more appropriate choice for a modeling space: in particular, the r-sets provide closure with respect to regularized set operations and a complete set of generalized Euler operators for the manipulation of boundary representations, for graphics and other purposes. It remains to formulate and prove a theorem on the soundness of the generalized Euler operators.
A method to defense against cooperative SSDF attacks in Cognitive Radio Networks

In Cognitive Radio Networks, malicious users collaborate to make the decision about the presence of the primary transmitter and use this information for the attacks. This type of attack is more intelligent to manipulate fusion center to make the wrong decision. We propose a reputation based adaptive clustering algorithm to defense against cooperative SSDF attacks. It is verified that our algorithm can improve the cognitive performance of the system and defense against cooperative SSDF attacks effectively by comparing to current methods.
Octopamine Receptors from the Barnacle Balanus improvisus Are Activated by the α2-Adrenoceptor Agonist Medetomidine

G protein-coupled octopamine receptors of insects and other invertebrates represent counterparts of adrenoceptors in vertebrate animals. The α2-adrenoceptor agonist medetomidine, which is in clinical use as a veterinary sedative agent, was discovered to inhibit the settling process of barnacles, an important step in the ontogeny of this crustacean species. Settling of barnacles onto ship hulls leads to biofouling that has many harmful practical consequences, and medetomidine is currently under development as a novel type of antifouling agent. We now report that medetomidine induces hyperactivity in the barnacle larvae to disrupt the settling process. To identify the molecular targets of medetomidine, we cloned five octopamine receptors from the barnacle Balanus improvisus. We show by phylogenetic analyses that one receptor (BiOctα) belongs to the α-adrenoceptor-like subfamily, and the other four (BiOctβ-R1, BiOctβ-R2, BiOctβ-R3, and BiOctβ-R4) belong to the β-adrenoceptor-like octopamine receptor subfamily. Phylogenetic analyses also indicated that B. improvisus has a different repertoire of β-adrenoceptor-like octopamine receptors than insects. When expressed in CHO cells, the cloned receptors were activated by both octopamine and medetomidine, resulting in increased intracellular cAMP or calcium levels. Tyramine activated the receptors but with much lesser potency than octopamine. A hypothesis for receptor discrimination between tyramine and octopamine was generated from a homology three-dimensional model. The characterization of B. improvisus octopamine receptors is important for a better functional understanding of these receptors in crustaceans as well as for practical applications in development of environmentally sustainable antifouling agents.
Neural generalized predictive controller stability analysis

This paper emphasizes on the stability analysis of the Neural Generalized Predictive Controller (NGPC) algorithm using Lyapunov methods. NGPC is a hybrid combination between the well known GPC algorithm and a Feed Forward Multi Layer Perceptron (FF MLP) neural network model identifier. This combination leads to a better stability characteristics in the closed loop systems in the presence of high nonlinearities in the process. In this paper, we prove the stability characteristics of NGPC and then present simulation results showing the efficiency of using NGPC over ordinary GPC.
Tangible User Interface Testing on the LambdaTable : A High Resolution Tiled LCD Tabletop

This paper presents the LambdaTable, a tabletop display that employs tiled LCD monitors to significantly improve resolution over single display or projector systems. It supports multi-modal interaction with applications and copresent users by combining extremely high visual resolution with uniquely identified, special purpose camera tracked physical interface devices, all within a large multiuser tabletop environment. In this paper we investigate the Fitts’ Law properties of this system, with particular emphasis on target acquisition across large distances. We also discuss the LambdaTable’s applications for solving emerging needs within the scientific visualization and emergency response domains.
Neural Differentiation of Human Umbilical Cord Blood-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Background: Cell therapy is a potential therapeutic approach for neurodegenerative disorders. Human umbilical cord bloodderived mesenchymal stem cells (hUCB-MSCs) are an appropriate source of stem cells for use in various cell-based therapies. Objectives: In this study, we examined a real-time PCR approach for neural differentiation of hUCB-MSCs in vitro. Materials and Methods: MSCs were cultured in DMEM medium supplemented with 10% FBS in a humidified incubator equilibration at 5% CO2 and 37°C. For the neural differentiation of MSCs, the DMEM was removed and replaced with pre-induction media (retinoic acid [RA], basic fibroblast growth factor [bFGF], and epidermal growth factor [EGF]) and basal medium for two days. They were then cultured in nerve growth factor (NGF), 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX), ascorbic acid (AA), and basal medium for six days. We also monitored the expression of markers for neural differentiation with real-time PCR. Results: The results of real-time PCR showed that the expression of the GFAP, MBP, and MAP-2 genes after two-step induction was significantly increased compared to the common induction protocol. In addition, our study showed that RA should play the main role in the neural differentiation and fate of MSCs compared to other neural inducers. Conclusions: Taken together, the combination of chemical and growth factors in the two-step induction protocol may improve the efficiency of MSC differentiation into neural progenitor cells, and may be a new method for the easy and fast application of MSCs in regenerative medicine in the future.
Asymptomatic bacteriuria among pregnant women with sickle cell trait in Enugu, South Eastern Nigeria.

CONTEXT Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) in pregnancy is a major risk factor for developing acute cystitis and pyelonephritis, especially, among women with sickle cell disease. This study compared the prevalence, pattern, and microbiological characteristics of ASB in pregnancy between sickle cell trait (HbAS) and normal hemoglobin AA (HbAA) genotype subjects. MATERIALS AND METHODS Culture and sensitivity of mid-stream urine samples were collected from 300 HbAS women and 300 matched HbAA control at the antenatal clinic of University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Enugu, Nigeria from August 2010 to December 2011. Analysis was both descriptive and inferential at 95% confidence levels. RESULTS Prevalence of ASB in HbAS and HbAA women were 32.7% (98/300) and 32% (96/300) respectively (odd ratio (OR) =1.03 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.73, 1.45]). Escherichia coli was the most common organism isolated in both the HbAS group (56.1%, 55/98) and control group (61.4%, 59/96), (OR = 0.80 [95% CI 0.45, 1.42]). The antibiotics with the highest microbial sensitivity were ciprofloxacin 90.8% (89/98) and gentamicin 100% (98/98) for HbAS and HbAA women respectively. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of ASB in pregnant women with HbAS in Enugu, Nigeria was high and did not vary significantly from that of woman with HbAA. Therefore, pregnant women irrespective of their sickle cell status would benefit from routine screening for ASB.
A smart stochastic approach for manifolds smoothing

In this paper, we present a probabilistic approach for 3D object's smoothing. The core idea behind the proposed method is to relate the problem of smoothing objects to that of tracking the transition probability density functions of an underlying random process. We show that such an approach allows for additional insight and sufficient flexibility compared with existing standard smoothing techniques. In particular, we are able to propose a newer, faster, and simpler smoothing approach that retains and enhances important manifold features. Furthermore, it is demonstrated to improve performance over existing smoothing techniques.
Initial development of the Health Literacy and Resiliency Scale: Youth version

Background: Health literacy and resiliency are empirically linked to better adaptation and the ability to thrive in the face of living with a chronic disease. To date, there are limited tools to assess these constructs among youth. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the Health Literacy and Resiliency Scale: Youth Version (HLRS-Y), a questionnaire designed to tap the current health knowledge and resiliency factors for youth and young adults with chronic health conditions. Method: A multi-step process was used to create and validate the scale. A thorough review of the literature along with findings from focus groups guided initial item development. Items were refined through an expert review process and a pilot study (n = 25). All remaining items were administered to a national sample (n = 204) and responses were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Results: The EFA revealed a three-factor structure: Knowledge, Self-Advocacy/Support, and Resiliency. The finalized scale contained 37 items; 10 items loaded on Knowledge (α = 0.88), 14 items on Self Advocacy/Support (α = 0.94), and 13 items on Resiliency (α = 0.93). Conclusions: The HLRS-Y is the first general measure of health literacy and resiliency for youth and young adults with chronic health conditions. The information gleaned from the scale can be used to empower these individuals to develop health literacy skills, promote social connectedness and optimism, and adapt to living with their condition.
Hybridization promotes color polymorphism in the aposematic harlequin poison frog, Oophaga histrionica

Whether hybridization can be a mechanism that drives phenotypic diversity is a widely debated topic in evolutionary biology. In poison frogs (Dendrobatidae), assortative mating has been invoked to explain how new color morphs persist despite the expected homogenizing effects of natural selection. Here, we tested the complementary hypothesis that new morphs arise through hybridization between different color morphs. Specifically, we (1) reconstructed the phylogenetic relationships among the studied populations of a dart-poison frog to provide an evolutionary framework, (2) tested whether microsatellite allele frequencies of one putative hybrid population of the polymorphic frog O. histrionica are intermediate between O. histrionica and O. lehmanni, and (3) conducted mate-choice experiments to test whether putatively intermediate females prefer homotypic males over males from the other two populations. Our findings are compatible with a hybrid origin for the new morph and emphasize the possibility of hybridization as a mechanism generating variation in polymorphic species. Moreover, because coloration in poison frogs is aposematic and should be heavily constrained, our findings suggest that hybridization can produce phenotypic novelty even in systems where phenotypes are subject to strong stabilizing selection.
Creating Musical Expression using Kinect

Recently, Microsoft introduced a game interface called Kinect for the Xbox 360 video game platform. This interface enables users to control and interact with the game console without the need to touch a controller. It largely increases the users’ degree of freedom to express their emotion. In this paper, we first describe the system we developed to use this interface for sound generation and controlling musical expression. The skeleton data are extracted from users’ motions and the data are translated to pre-defined MIDI data. We then use the MIDI data to control several applications. To allow the translation between the data, we implemented a simple Kinect-to-MIDI data convertor, which is introduced in this paper. We describe two applications to make music with Kinect: we first generate sound with Max/MSP, and then control the adlib with our own adlib generating system by the body movements of the users.
Semantic Context for Object Exchange

Enterprise wide interoperability means distributed computing on heterogeneous hardware using heterogeneous implementation languages. Successful information exchange between interoperating systems today depends on data standardization. There are several problems, however, with this approach. This paper looks at some ingredients for a more complete notion of semantic interoperability. Semantic interoperability is defined as the enablement of software systems and in particular object-based systems to interoperate at a level in which the exchange of information is at the enterprise level. This means each system (or object of a system) can map from its own conceptual model to the conceptual model of other systems, thereby ensuring that the meaning of its information is transmitted, accepted, understood, and used across the enterprise. We argue that the primary way by which semantic interoperability can be realized is by defining a notion of context which includes the object to be exchanged and its internal state, its interpretation with respect to both the source and the target system object models, and the particular use of and intent for the object in both the source and target systems.
Nested OpenMP for Efficient Computation of 3D Critical Points in Multi-Block CFD Datasets

Extraction of complex data structures like vector field topologies in large-scale, unsteady flow field datasets for the interactive exploration in virtual environments cannot be carried out without parallelization strategies. We present an approach based on Nested OpenMP to find critical points, which are the essential parts of velocity field topologies. We evaluate our parallelization scheme on several multi-block datasets, and present the results for various thread counts and loop schedules on all parallelization levels. Our experience suggests that upcoming massively multi-threaded processor architectures can be very advantageously for large-scale feature extractions
Design and Analysis of Broadband Amplify-and-Forward Cooperative Systems: A Fractionally-Spaced Sampling Approach

In this paper, we propose novel fractionally-spaced frequency-domain equalizers for the amplify-and-forward cooperative systems. In the proposed equalization schemes, the sampling rate of the received signal remains at least as high as the Nyquist rate within the digital processing chain of the relay node(s), upon which a true fractionally-spaced equalization becomes feasible at the destination. Based on minimum-mean-square-error (MMSE) criterion, different equalization structures (linear and non-linear) are designed, and approximations for their bit error rate (BER) performance are presented. The BER performance of the proposed schemes are further lower bounded through a matched-filter bound (MFB) analysis which provides insight into system design such as optimum power allocation and relay selection strategy. Our results show that, under certain channel realizations and sampling phase errors (that may occur in the relay and destination terminals), the performance of the conventional symbol-spaced cooperative systems reduces to that of no relay scenario. However, the performance of cooperative systems with the proposed fractionally-spaced equalizers is independent of the samplers' phases, and as a result, full benefit of cooperation is retained.
The isothiocyanate erucin abrogates telomerase in hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vitro and in an orthotopic xenograft tumour model of HCC

In contrast to cancer cells, most normal human cells have no or low telomerase levels which makes it an attractive target for anti‐cancer drugs. The small molecule sulforaphane from broccoli is known for its cancer therapeutic potential in vitro and in vivo. In animals and humans it was found to be quickly metabolized into 4‐methylthiobutyl isothiocyanate (MTBITC, erucin) which we recently identified as strong selective apoptosis inducer in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. Here, we investigated the relevance of telomerase abrogation for cytotoxic efficacy of MTBITC against HCC. The drug was effective against telomerase, independent from TP53 and MTBITC also blocked telomerase in chemoresistant subpopulations. By using an orthotopic human liver cancer xenograft model, we give first evidence that MTBITC at 50 mg/KG b.w. /d significantly decreased telomerase activity in vivo without affecting enzyme activity of adjacent normal tissue. Upon drug exposure, telomerase decrease was consistent with a dose‐dependent switch to anti‐survival, cell arrest and apoptosis in our in vitro HCC models. Blocking telomerase by the specific inhibitor TMPyP4 further sensitized cancer cells to MTBITC‐mediated cytotoxicity. Overexpression of hTERT, but not enzyme activity deficient DNhTERT, protected against apoptosis; neither DNA damage nor cytostasis induction by MTBITC was prevented by hTERT overexpression. These findings imply that telomerase enzyme activity does not protect against MTBITC‐induced DNA damage but impacts signalling processes upstream of apoptosis execution level.
Dopaminergic Terminals in the Nucleus Accumbens But Not the Dorsal Striatum Corelease Glutamate

Coincident signaling by dopamine and glutamate is thought to be crucial for a variety of motivated behaviors. Previous work has suggested that some midbrain dopamine neurons are themselves capable of glutamate corelease, but this phenomenon remains poorly understood. Here, we expressed the light-activated cation channel Channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) in genetically defined midbrain dopamine neurons to stimulate exocytosis specifically from dopaminergic terminals in both the nucleus accumbens (NAc) shell and dorsal striatum of brain slices from adult mice. Optical activation resulted in robust glutamate-mediated EPSCs in all medium spiny neurons examined in the NAc shell. In contrast, optically evoked glutamatergic currents were nearly undetectable in the dorsal striatum. Further, we used a conditional knock-out mouse lacking vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (VGLUT2) specifically in dopamine neurons to determine whether VGLUT2 is required for the exocytotic release of glutamate from dopamine neurons. Our data show that conditional knock-out completely abolished all optically evoked glutamate release. These results provide definitive physiological evidence for VGLUT2-mediated glutamate release by mature dopamine neurons projecting to the NAc shell, but not to the dorsal striatum. Thus, the unique ability of NAc-projecting dopamine neurons to synchronously activate both dopamine and glutamate receptors may have crucial implications for the ability to respond to motivationally significant stimuli.
Comparison of the Abilities of SD-OCT and SS-OCT in Evaluating the Thickness of the Macular Inner Retinal Layer for Glaucoma Diagnosis

Purpose To compare the abilities of spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) (SD-OCT; Spectralis, Heidelberg Engineering) and swept-source OCT (SS-OCT; DRI-OCT1 Atlantis system, Topcon) for analyzing the macular inner retinal layers in diagnosing glaucoma. Methods The study included 60 patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and 60 healthy control subjects. Macular cube area was scanned using SD-OCT and SS-OCT on the same day to assess the thicknesses of the macular retinal nerve fiber layer (mRNFL), ganglion cell layer plus inner plexiform layer (GCIPL), and total retinal layer in nine subfields defined by the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS). The abilities of the parameters to discriminate between the POAG and control groups were assessed using areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs). Results Glaucoma-associated mRNFL and GCIPL thinning was more common in the outer zones than inner zones for both SD-OCT and SS-OCT. The mRNFL and GCIPL measurements showed distinct pattern differences between SD-OCT and SS-OCT in each ETDRS subfield. Although the glaucoma-diagnosis ability was comparable between SD-OCT and SS-OCT for most of the parameters, AUC was significantly larger for SD-OCT measurements of the GCIPL thickness in the outer temporal zones (p = 0.003) and of the mRNFL thickness in the outer nasal zones (p = 0.001), with the former having the largest AUC for discriminating POAG from healthy eyes (AUC = 0.894). Conclusion Spectralis SD-OCT and DRI SS-OCT have similar glaucoma-diagnosis abilities based on macular inner layer thickness analysis. However, Spectralis SD-OCT was potentially superior to DRI SS-OCT in detecting GCIPL thinning in the outer temporal zone, where the glaucomatous damage predominantly occurs.
Aminergic Modulation of the Myogenic Heart in the Branchiopod Crustacean Triops longicaudatus

Abstract Although crustaceans typically have a neurogenic heart, the primitive crustacean Triops longicaudatus has a myogenic heart with the heartbeat arising from the endogenous rhythmic activity of the myocardium. In the present investigation, the effects of six biogenic amines, epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine, octopamine, serotonin and histamine, on the myogenic heart of T. longicaudatus were examined. Epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine and octopamine accelerated the heartbeat, increasing both the frequency and amplitude of the action potential of the myocardium in a concentration dependent manner. The ability of epinephrine and norepinephrine to produce the acceleratory effects was more potent than that of dopamine and octopamine; the threshold concentrations of epinephrine and norepinephrine were approximately 10−10 M and those of dopamine and octopamine approximately 10−7 M. Serotonin weakly inhibited the heartbeat, decreasing both the frequency and amplitude of the myocardial action potential in a concentration dependent manner with a threshold concentration of approximately 10−6 M. Histamine exhibited no effect on the heartbeat. The results provide the first evidence for direct effects of amines on the crustacean myocardium and suggest neurohormonal regulation of the myogenic heart in T. longicaudatus.
Path-RO: A novel on-chip critical path delay measurement under process variations

As technology scales to 45 nm and below, process variations will present significant impact on path delay. This trend makes the deviation between simulated path delay and actual path delay in a manufactured chip more significant. In this paper, we propose a new on-chip path delay measurement structure called path-based ring oscillator (Path-RO). The proposed method creates an oscillator from a targeted path for which it is used to measure path delay on-chip under the impact of process variations. To alleviate accuracy degradation caused by the architecture itself, a high-accuracy calibration process is presented. Through experimental results on Path-ROs inserted in ITCpsila99 b19 benchmark, we obtain path delay distribution under different process variations. The accuracy and efficiency of path delay measurement using Path-RO are also verified by comparing the results obtained from post-layout Hspice simulations.