Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A linear-time randomized algorithm for the bounded Voronoi diagram of a simple polygon

For a polygon <italic>P</italic>, the bounded Voronoi diagram of <italic>P</italic> is a partition of <italic>P</italic> into regions assigned to the vertices of <italic>P</italic>. A point <italic>p</italic> inside <italic>P</italic> belongs to the region of a vertex <italic>v</italic> if and only if <italic>v</italic> is the closest vertex of <italic>P</italic> visible from <italic>p</italic>. We present a randomized algorithm that builds the bounded Voronoi diagram of a simple polygon in linear expected time. Among other applications, we can construct within the same time bound the generalized Delaunay triangulation of <italic>P</italic> and the minimal spanning tree on <italic>P's</italic> vertices that is contained in <italic>P</italic>.
Bigradient learning algorithm for dimension reduction of text document space

This paper shows text document dimension reduction and clustering technique which is called the bigradient learning algorithm. This algorithm is based on the two learning parameters. The results show, that bigradient learning algorithm, used with proper selected values, does almost the same clustering as the other arbitrary PCA learning method by neural network. At the end, the three linear PCA methods for document clustering are compared. They are: linear Hebbian neural network with Oja learning rule, and neural network with bigradient learning algorithm. The results are concluded.
PolymiRTS Database: linking polymorphisms in microRNA target sites with complex traits

Polymorphism in microRNA Target Site (PolymiRTS) database is a collection of naturally occurring DNA variations in putative microRNA target sites. PolymiRTSs may affect gene expression and cause variations in complex phenotypes. The database integrates sequence polymorphism, phenotype and expression microarray data, and characterizes PolymiRTSs as potential candidates responsible for the quantitative trait locus (QTL) effects. It is a resource for studying PolymiRTSs and their implications in phenotypic variations. PolymiRTS database can be accessed at .
Miniaturised sharp rejection bandpass filter with reconfigurable bandwidth for UWB applications

A novel, compact and highly selective microstrip bandpass filter with bandwidth reconfigurability for ultra-wideband (UWB) applications is presented. The proposed design uses stepped impedance resonator (SIR) for realization of bandpass filter (BPF) and employs a single varactor diode (BB135-NXP) for the purpose of reconfiguring bandwidth. Additionally, to improve the selectivity between passband edges, a cross-coupling between I/O feed lines is introduced which generated pairs of attenuation poles at each side of the passband. Measurements on a fabricated reconfigurable filter confirm the accuracy of the design procedure. Measured responses show good agreement with simulation. The proposed filter is able to achieve significant size reduction (8.5 mm × 7.1 mm excluding the feeding ports) as compared to the conventional bandpass filters with reconfigurable bandwidth.
Transcriptional regulation of the human CAD gene during myeloid differentiation

CAD codes for a trifunctional protein involved in the catalysis of the first three enzymatic activities in the de novo pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway, namely, carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase II (EC 6.3.5.5), aspartate transcarbamylase (EC 2.1.3.2), and dihydroorotase (EC 3.5.2.3). CAD regulation was studied in the human promyelocyte leukemic line HL-60 as it differentiated into monocytic or granulocytic lineages after induction by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate or trans-retinoic acid and dibutyryl cyclic AMP, respectively. Within 12 h of induction of HL-60 cells with either inducer, total cellular levels of CAD RNA essentially disappeared. On the other hand, no apparent decreases in beta-actin RNA levels were seen even 48 h after HL-60 cells were induced, as compared with untreated cells. With nuclear runoff assays, it was clearly shown that the inactivation of CAD gene expression during the induction of HL-60 cells with either inducer was at the transcriptional level. The nuclear runoff experiments also demonstrated that the CAD gene expression was shut down in less than 4 h after induction, well before morphological changes were observed in these cells. At the enzymatic level, the activity of aspartate transcarbamylase, one of the three enzymes encoded by the CAD gene, decreased by about half within 24 h of induction, suggesting a CAD protein half-life of 24 h in differentiating HL-60 cells. Nevertheless, this means that significant levels of aspartate transcarbamylase activity remained even after the cells have stopped proliferating. From the RNA data, it is clear that CAD gene expression is rapidly turned off as promyelocytes begin to terminally differentiate into macrophages and granulocytes. We suspect that the inactivation of the CAD gene in induced HL-60 cells is a consequence of the differentiating cells leaving the cell cycle and becoming nonproliferating.
Communication protocol for group of distributed objects

In distributed applications, a group of multiple objects are cooperated. On receipt of request messages, the objects send back the responses. The kinds of group communication protocols discussed so far, support the reliable and ordered delivery of messages at the network level. Only messages to be ordered at the application level, not necessarily all messages, are required to be causally delivered in the required order. The state of the object depends on in what order the requests are computed and the responses and requests are transmitted. In this paper, we would like to define the significant precedence order of messages based on the conflicting relation among the requests. We would like to discuss a protocol which supports the significantly ordered delivery of request and response messages.
Carbon ion irradiation withstands cancer stem cells' migration/invasion process in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC)

Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) have extremely aggressive profile (high migratory and invasive potential). These characteristics can explain their resistance to conventional treatment. Efficacy of photon and carbon ion irradiation with addition of cetuximab (5 nM) is studied on clonogenic death, migration and invasion of two HNSCC populations: SQ20B and SQ20B/CSCs. SQ20B express E-cadherin and overexpress EGFR while SQ20B/CSCs express N-cadherin and low EGFR. Cetuximab strongly inhibits SQ20B proliferation but has no effect on SQ20B/CSCs. 2 Gy photon irradiation enhances migration and invasiveness in both populations (p < 0.05), while cetuximab only stops SQ20B migration (p < 0.005). Carbon irradiation significantly inhibits invasion in both populations (p < 0.05), and the association with cetuximab significantly inhibits invasion in both populations (p < 0.005). These results highlight CSCs characteristics: EGFRLow, cetuximab-resistant, and highly migratory. Carbon ion irradiation appears to be a very promising therapeutic modality counteracting migration/invasion process in both parental cells and CSCs in contrast to photon irradiation.
Incremental and effective data summarization for dynamic hierarchical clustering

Mining informative patterns from very large, dynamically changing databases poses numerous interesting challenges. Data summarizations (e.g., data bubbles) have been proposed to compress very large static databases into representative points suitable for subsequent effective hierarchical cluster analysis. In many real world applications, however, the databases dynamically change due to frequent insertions and deletions, possibly changing the data distribution and clustering structure over time. Completely reapplying both the data summarization and the clustering algorithm to detect the changes in the clustering structure and update the uncovered data patterns following such deletions and insertions is prohibitively expensive for large fast changing databases. In this paper, we propose a new scheme to maintain data bubbles incrementally. By using incremental data bubbles, a high-quality hierarchical clustering is quickly available at any point in time. In our scheme, a quality measure for incremental data bubbles is used to identify data bubbles that do not compress well their underlying data points after certain insertions and deletions. Only these data bubbles are re-built using efficient split and merge operations. An extensive experimental evaluation shows that the incremental data bubbles provide significantly faster data summarization than completely re-building the data bubbles after a certain number of insertions and deletions, and are effective in preserving (and in some cases even improving) the quality of the data summarization.
On averaging for active queue management congestion avoidance

This paper investigates the effect of queue averaging on RED's ability to avoid a bias against bursty traffic, to minimize queue size oscillation, and to optimize the distribution of packet drops over time in order to avoid global synchronization. We find that a small degree of averaging is best to optimize the performance metrics mentioned above and adapt an existing model how to set RED's queue weight parameter.
Empirical analysis of the probability distributions of the ECGs

We perform an empirical analysis of the statistic properties of the probability density functions (PDFs) of the ECGs. We show that the statistical analysis of the ECGs can reveal useful information on the noise in the recordings, and on the true ECG. The paper complements another paper by the second author, with theoretical character.
Rheumatic Heart Disease: Molecules Involved in Valve Tissue Inflammation Leading to the Autoimmune Process and Anti-S. pyogenes Vaccine

The major events leading to both rheumatic fever (RF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) are reviewed. Several genes are involved in the development of RF and RHD. The inflammatory process that results from S. pyogenes infection involves the activation of several molecules such as VCAM and ICAM, which play a role in the migration of leukocytes to the heart, particularly to the valves. Specific chemokines, such as CXCL3/MIP1α as well as CCL1/I-309 and CXCL9/Mig, attract T cells to the myocardium and valves, respectively. The autoimmune reactions are mediated by both the B- and T-cell responses that begin at the periphery, followed by the migration of T cell clones to the heart and the infiltration of heart lesions in RHD patients. These cells recognize streptococcal antigens and human-tissue proteins. Molecular mimicry between streptococcal M protein and human proteins has been proposed as the triggering factor leading to autoimmunity in RF and RHD. The production of cytokines from peripheral and heart-infiltrating mononuclear cells suggests that T helper 1 and Th17 cytokines are the mediators of RHD heart lesions. The low numbers of IL-4 producing cells in the valvular tissue might contribute to the maintenance and progression of the valve lesions. The identification of a vaccine epitope opens a perspective of development of an effective and safe vaccine to prevent S. pyogenes infections, consequently RF and RHD.
Modelling semantic grid knowledge embedded in documents

The growing success of grid technologies inside scientific communities has produced an increasing need for the development of tools and methodologies able to support knowledge sharing and handling among people, built upon the grid. This "semantic" infrastructure is becoming to be referred as semantic grid. In this paper we propose an original approach to the development of a system for the creation of the knowledge layer of the semantic grid, that is, the layer which carries the informative content that the community shares. Using well-assessed natural language processing and machine learning methodologies and techniques, our goal is to acquire and organize the information stored in the grid, where this information is supposed to be represented in unstructured documents. Our intent is to extract and shape knowledge in syntactic patterns and organize them into a hierarchy of relational concepts, whose goal is to improve the process of knowledge retrieval and maintenance.
Metaphor Corpus Annotated for Source - Target Domain Mappings

Besides making our thoughts more vivid and filling our communication with richer imagery, metaphor also plays an important structural role in our cognition. Although there is a consensus in the linguistics and NLP research communities that the phenomenon of metaphor is not restricted to similarity-based extensions of meanings of isolated words, but rather involves reconceptualization of a whole area of experience (target domain) in terms of another (source domain), there still has been no proposal for a comprehensive procedure for annotation of cross-domain mappings. However, a corpus annotated for conceptual mappings could provide a new starting point for both linguistic and cognitive experiments. The annotation scheme we present in this paper is a step towards filling this gap. We test our procedure in an experimental setting involving multiple annotators and estimate their agreement on the task. The associated corpus annotated for source ― target domain mappings will be publicly available.
Biomechanical Effects on Maxillary Protraction of the Craniofacial Skeleton With Cleft Lip and Palate After Alveolar Bone Graft

ObjectiveTo explore the biomechanical effects of maxillary protraction on the craniofacial skeleton in patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) after alveolar bone graft (ABG) and resorption of ABG, thus to provide theoretical basis for the clinical application of maxillary protraction, which can improve the facial deformity of the UCLP patients. MethodsA finite element model of a UCLP patient’s skull was generated using data from spiral computed tomographic (CT) scans. Based on this finite element model, another 6 ABG finite element models were constructed to simulate ABG and resorption of ABG, respectively (nonresorption model, upper one-third resorption of the grafted bone model, upper two-thirds resorption of the grafted bone model, lower one-third resorption of the grafted bone model, lower two-thirds resorption of the grafted bone model, upper one-third and lower one-third resorption of the grafted bone model). Two additional models were developed to simulate maxillary protraction with expansion and maxillary protraction alone. All models were loaded with orthopedic force (30 degrees downward and forward to the occlusal plane, 500 g per side) on the region of alveolar of maxillary canine. ResultsBefore ABG, the cleft side showed larger displacement than the noncleft side, when it came to the stress distribution in the craniofacial suture, it showed an asymmetric pattern as well. After ABG, the displacement difference between the cleft side and the noncleft side decreased, and the stress distribution in the craniofacial suture showed more symmetric than that before ABG. The pterygopalatine suture obtained the largest value, followed by zygomaticotemporal, zygomaticomaxillary, and zygomaticofrontal sutures among the observed sutures. Higher stresses and pronounced forward displacement were generated in the craniofacial sutures after maxillary protraction with expansion. ConclusionsMaxillary protraction after ABG performed a more favorable outcome. Among the ABG models, nonresorption model showed the best effect after loading maxillary protraction force, and resorption in the lower region of the grafted bone showed a better effect than resorption in the upper region of the grafted bone. Maxillary expansion could effectively facilitate the orthopedic of the maxillary protraction presumably.
Provably good global buffering by multi-terminal multicommodity flow approximation

To implement high-performance global interconnect without impacting the placement and performance of existing blocks, the use of buffer blocks is becoming increasingly popular in structured-custom and block-based ASIC methodologies. Recent works by Cong, Kong and Pan [5] and Tang and Wong [18] give algorithms to solve the buffer block planning problem. In this paper, we address the problem of how to perform buffering of global multiterminal nets given an existing buffer block plan. We give a provably good algorithm based on a recent approach of Garg and K nemann [8] and Fleischer [7] (see also Albrecht [1] and Dragan et al. [6]). Our method routes connections using available buffer blocks, such that required upper and lower bounds on buffer intervals - as well as wirelength upper bounds per connection - are satisfied. In addition, our algorithm allows more than one buffer to be inserted into any given connection and observes buffer parity constraints. Most importantly, and unlike previous works on the problem [5, 18, 6], we take into account multiterminal nets. Our algorithm outperforms existing algorithms for the problem [5, 6], which are based on 2-pin decompositions of the nets. The algorithm has been validated on top-level layouts extracted from a recent high-end microprocessor design.
Using multi-granular fuzzy linguistic modelling methods for supervised classification learning purposes

Classification learning is a very complex process whose success and failure ratio depends on a high amount of elements. One of them is the representation mean used for the data that is employed in the process. Granularity of the data used for classification learning purposes can affect dramatically the success and failure ratio of the obtained classification. In this paper, multi-granular fuzzy linguistic modelling methods are applied over the classification learning data in order to modify their granularity and increase the classification success ratio. Thanks to multi-granular fuzzy linguistic modelling methods, it is possible to automatically modify the data granularity in order to determine which data representation is the one that provides the better classification results in the learning process.
Tertiary Nasal Syphilis: Rare But Still a Reality

An 81 years old male presented with complaints of nasal discharge and crusting for 3 years, anosmia for 1 year and nasal deformity since 6 months. Nasal discharge was mucoid but viscid, associated with crusting, nasal obstruction and occasional epistaxis. Nasal deformity, in the form of depression of nose, gradually worsened and developed into a saddle, associated with redness over nose and surrounding area. He also recounted 4 episodes of shedding of fleshy bits from nose in last 6 months. The patient, however, denied any complaint of trauma to nose, cough, chest pain, dyspnoea, hematuria, sexual promiscuity (last sexual contact with wife 15-20 years back), anaesthetic skin patches, raised lesions on skin, joint pains, redness or swelling of pinna, mouth or genital ulcers, redness of eyes, diabetes, hypertension or weight loss.
Cardiomyocyte-specific Loss of Diacylglycerol Acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1) Reproduces the Abnormalities in Lipids Found in Severe Heart Failure*

Background: Total body DGAT1 mice have no cardiac phenotype. Results: Cardiomyocyte DGAT1 knock-out mice have increased mortality and accumulation of potentially toxic lipids, which were corrected by intestinal DGAT1 deletion and GLP-1 receptor agonists. Conclusion: Cardiomyocyte DGAT1 deletion produces heart dysfunction and lipid abnormalities. Significance: Lipotoxicity in the heart can be alleviated by changes in intestinal metabolism. Diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1) catalyzes the final step in triglyceride synthesis, the conversion of diacylglycerol (DAG) to triglyceride. Dgat1−/− mice exhibit a number of beneficial metabolic effects including reduced obesity and improved insulin sensitivity and no known cardiac dysfunction. In contrast, failing human hearts have severely reduced DGAT1 expression associated with accumulation of DAGs and ceramides. To test whether DGAT1 loss alone affects heart function, we created cardiomyocyte-specific DGAT1 knock-out (hDgat1−/−) mice. hDgat1−/− mouse hearts had 95% increased DAG and 85% increased ceramides compared with floxed controls. 50% of these mice died by 9 months of age. The heart failure marker brain natriuretic peptide increased 5-fold in hDgat1−/− hearts, and fractional shortening (FS) was reduced. This was associated with increased expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α and cluster of differentiation 36. We crossed hDgat1−/− mice with previously described enterocyte-specific Dgat1 knock-out mice (hiDgat1−/−). This corrected the early mortality, improved FS, and reduced cardiac ceramide and DAG content. Treatment of hDgat1−/− mice with the glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist exenatide also improved FS and reduced heart DAG and ceramide content. Increased fatty acid uptake into hDgat1−/− hearts was normalized by exenatide. Reduced activation of protein kinase Cα (PKCα), which is increased by DAG and ceramides, paralleled the reductions in these lipids. Our mouse studies show that loss of DGAT1 reproduces the lipid abnormalities seen in severe human heart failure.
Spatial Distribution of Dominant Arboreal Ants in a Malagasy Coastal Rainforest: Gaps and Presence of an Invasive Species

We conducted a survey along three belt transects located at increasing distances from the coast to determine whether a non-random arboreal ant assemblage, such as an ant mosaic, exists in the rainforest on the Masoala Peninsula, Madagascar. In most tropical rainforests, very populous colonies of territorially dominant arboreal ant species defend absolute territories distributed in a mosaic pattern. Among the 29 ant species recorded, only nine had colonies large enough to be considered potentially territorially dominant; the remaining species had smaller colonies and were considered non-dominant. Nevertheless, the null-model analyses used to examine the spatial structure of their assemblages did not reveal the existence of an ant mosaic. Inland, up to 44% of the trees were devoid of dominant arboreal ants, something not reported in other studies. While two Crematogaster species were not associated with one another, Brachymyrmex cordemoyi was positively associated with Technomyrmex albipes, which is considered an invasive species—a non-indigenous species that has an adverse ecological effect on the habitats it invades. The latter two species and Crematogaster ranavalonae were mutually exclusive. On the other hand, all of the trees in the coastal transect and at least 4 km of coast were occupied by T. albipes, and were interconnected by columns of workers. Technomyrmex albipes workers collected from different trees did not attack each other during confrontation tests, indicating that this species has formed a supercolony along the coast. Yet interspecific aggressiveness did occur between T. albipes and Crematogaster ranavalonae, a native species which is likely territorially dominant based on our intraspecific confrontation tests. These results suggest that the Masoala rainforest is threatened by a potential invasion by T. albipes, and that the penetration of this species further inland might be facilitated by the low density of native, territorially dominant arboreal ants normally able to limit its progression.