Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fast GPU perspective grid construction and triangle tracing for exhaustive ray tracing of highly coherent rays

In this article, we address the problem of computing, storing and sorting, at an interactive rate, all of the intersections between millions of triangles (a 3D scene) and millions of rays starting from the same point. In this paper we focus on the fast GPU construction of a grid in projective space referencing the triangles of a 3D scene. We introduce a fast GPU algorithm used to build a grid of the rays constituting the scene, in the same projective space. This ray-based grid is computed during the initialization of the scene, which allows us to achieve higher performance, and to construct the triangle-based grid in distinct passes for very large scenes, without having to manage memory transfers between CPU and GPU. This algorithm works the same way for both static and dynamic scenes, allowing us to achieve interactive processing of complex and dynamic scenes. These optimizations are used to speed up the geometrical computations used in the nuclear field to evaluate the impact of radiative sources on an operator. These geometrical computations are similar to those of traditional ray tracing, except that only highly coherent rays are thrown in our application, and that we are looking for all intersections along each ray.
Innovative performance in African technical projects: A multi-level theory

This study clearly supports the notion that societal level characteristics impact on organisational characteristics. Evidence of all societal forces considered here was found in all organisations studied. However, the extent to which the organisation adopts these societal forces was found to be determined largely by the strategic orientation of management towards people in the organisation. This is identified as a key factor determining how societal influences are passed through to teams as sub-systems of the organisation.
A Novel Pruning Technique for Mining Maximal Frequent Itemsets

Maximal frequent itemsets (MFIs) mining is important for many applications. To improve the performance of the MFI algorithms, the key is to use appropriate pruning techniques which can maximally reduce the searching space of the algorithm. In this paper, we present a novel pruning technique, subset equivalence pruning. To mining MFIs in data streams, we reconstruct the FPmax* algorithm to a single-pass algorithm, named FPmax*-DS. Subset equivalence pruning technique is added in FPmax*-DS. The experiments show that the pruning technique can efficiently reduce the searching space. Especially for some dense datasets, the size of searching space can be trimmed off by about 40%.
Draft Genome Sequences and Annotation of Enterococcus faecium Strain LCT-EF20

ABSTRACT The space environment is reported to cause biological alterations in microorganisms, such as growth, drug resistance, and virulence. Here, we present the model of Enterococcus faecium to investigate the effects of space conditions on the microbe and on the whole-genome sequences of the strain LCT-EF20 after being exposed to space flight.
A critical look at prospective surveillance using a scan statistic

The scan statistic is a very popular surveillance technique for purely spatial, purely temporal, and spatial‐temporal disease data. It was extended to the prospective surveillance case, and it has been applied quite extensively in this situation. When the usual signal rules, as those implemented in SaTScanTM(Boston, MA, USA) software, are used, we show that the scan statistic method is not appropriate for the prospective case. The reason is that it does not adjust properly for the sequential and repeated tests carried out during the surveillance. We demonstrate that the nominal significance level α is not meaningful and there is no relationship between α and the recurrence interval or the average run length (ARL). In some cases, the ARL may be equal to ∞, which makes the method ineffective. This lack of control of the type‐I error probability and of the ARL leads us to strongly oppose the use of the scan statistic with the usual signal rules in the prospective context. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Social interaction and social cognition in aging. A contextual analysis.

The focus of the present study was on the relationship between levels of social interaction and social cognitive abilities of elderly people. Measures of social interaction consisted of a series of quantitative descriptors regarding the magnitude and diversity of social role involvement. Measures of social cognition consisted of (1) person perception; (2) conceptualization of alternative solutions to interpersonal problems, and (3) ability to coordinate multiple points of view. Subjects were 122 non-institutionalized males and females ranging in age from 65 to 89 years. A positive and significant relationship between levels of social interaction and social cognition was found. Levels of social interaction were a more significant predictor of cognitive decline than age, and age by itself did not predict levels of cognitive functioning in the elderly. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for advancing a more positive model of aging in which an individual’s social context rather than age is treated as a parameter of development.
The Experiences of Parents Readjusting to the Workplace Following the Death of a Child by Suicide

Suicide among young people has become a growing concern in life in the 21st century and is a tragedy faced by an increasing number of families and in particular parents. This study set out to focus on the experiences of parents reentering the workplace following the death of a child by suicide. Although the immediate aftermath of experiencing traumatic death has been studied, we know less about the longer term effects on life tasks such as returning to work. A sample of bereaved parents was interviewed and their responses thematically analyzed. The three major areas of experience related by parents were social and emotional aspects of readjusting to the workplace, followed by changes in cognitive, emotional, and physical functioning and their changed attitudes toward work and life. Limitations of the study include the transferability of findings to other populations and to less close-knit cultures. The implications for employee adjustment and employers and co-workers' responses are considered. A fuller picture of adjustment might emerge from future studies that seek to document all parties' experiences during this period of transition.
Neural stem cells: isolation and differentiation into cholinergic neurons

This investigation aimed to isolate neural stem cells from neonatal hippocampus and induce them to differentiate into cholinergic neurons. The isolated neural stem cells were incubated in serum-free Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium/F12 medium added with 20 ng/ml basic fibroblast growth factor and B27. The cell line isolated from the hippocampal formation of neonatal rats expressed nestin and had the potency to form clones and differentiate into neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. Embryonic chick skeletal muscle extract was used to induce the differentiation of the neural stem cells into cholinergic neurons. Immunocytochemistry was used to detect the choline acetyltransferase antigen of cholinergic neurons for confirmation. The results showed that embryonic chick skeletal muscle extract could induce isolated neural stem cell to differentiate into a significantly larger number of cholinergic neurons than controls.
Model design of non-volatile SRAM based on Magnetic Tunnel Junction

Recently there has been considerable interest in MTJ based MRAM because of its promising characteristics exhibiting high non-volatility combined with high density and radiation hardness as well as nondestructive readout (NDRO), very high radiation tolerance higher write/erase endurance compared to the FRAMs, and virtually unlimited power-off storage capability. This paper presents the design of Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) cell followed by MTJ that makes SRAM cell non-volatile, in which the output of SRAM cell having logic state 0 and 1 changes the direction of the moment of the free magnetic layer which is used for the information storage in MTJ device.
Activity Theory: A framework for qualitative analysis

This paper aims to provide readers with a useful introduction to Activity Theory, regardless of their field of study. Examples are given which include areas of research such as: information systems development, information systems in organizations, health care, and education. Activity Theory is a theoretical framework for the analysis and understanding of human interaction through their use of tools and artefacts. Activity Theory offers a holistic and contextual method of discovery that can be used to support qualitative and interpretative research. Activity Theory is particularly relevant in situations that have a significant historical and cultural context and where the participants, their purposes and their tools are in a process of rapid and constant change. The paper begins with an overview and background to the theory. Then, after explicating the practical value of its use, the paper concludes with a summary of some recent research which has used the method for analysis and discovery. The key concept of Activity Theory arises through an understanding of human consciousness as it has been shaped by experience and the subjectivity of human awareness.
Application of non-negative matrix factorization to signal curve recognition in a real-time control software

This paper aims at upgrading the current pattern of electronic tubes real-time control software (ETRCS) application. It presents a new method based on non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) to recognize several types of curves in ETRCS. Theoretically, NMF method can extract the part features of objects that resemble intuitive notions in an unsupervised way, which is similar to human visual perception. The test results based on real data indicate that this method can effectively recognize different curves, and will contribute to improving the tube's quality
Further Characterization of Storage-Related Alterations in Immunoreactivity of Archival Tissue Sections and its Implications for Collaborative Multicenter Immunohistochemical Studies

Storage of unstained paraffin slides may lead to the deterioration of specimens and failure to detect cellular proteins immunohistochemically. Although the implication of age-induced alterations on multicenter immunohistochemical studies would be considerable, they have not been investigated previously. The current study was undertaken to examine the effect of this factor further and to explore new ways of overcoming the resultant shortcomings. The authors now report on the immunodetection of a host of antigens in similarly preserved unstained serial paraffin slides obtained from three centers using a panel of eight antibodies. Staining of recently prepared sections from the authors' centers resulted in similar strong patterns in seven of eight antibodies, with one antibody demonstrating variable immunoreactivity. However, storage of unstained paraffin sections at room temperature resulted in a variable but progressive decrease in expression of several tissue antigens. Although the loss in antigenicity was proportional to the length of storage, the effect was reversible if super antibody concentrations were used. The authors conclude that recently prepared paraffin sections from centers with similar fixation protocols have similar immunoreactivity and are suitable for use in comparative multicenter studies. However, in view of the delays that may attend tissue transportation during these projects, the authors suggest that test systems should be checked for age-induced antigen degradation by incubating sections with higher antibody concentrations.
Surface treatment with 5-fluorouracil after flexor tendon repair in a canine in vivo model.

BACKGROUND Topical 5-fluorouracil has been reported to reduce adhesions in animal models of tenolysis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of topical 5-fluorouracil on adhesion formation after tendon repairs were subjected to immediate postoperative rehabilitation in a canine model in vivo. METHODS Sixty dogs were randomly assigned to either a 5-fluorouracil treatment (thirty dogs) or a control group (thirty dogs). Each treatment group was then divided into three survival time points: ten days, twenty-one days, and forty-two days. The second and fifth flexor digitorum profundus tendons from each dog were fully lacerated at the zone-II area and then were repaired. Passive motion therapy started at day 5 postoperatively and continued until the dogs were killed. The repaired tendons were evaluated for normalized work of flexion, gliding resistance, repair strength, gene expression for type-I and type-III collagen and transforming growth factor-beta1, and histological appearance. RESULTS The normalized work of flexion of the repaired tendons treated with 5-fluorouracil was significantly lower than that of the repaired tendons without 5-fluorouracil treatment at ten days. However, there was no significant difference between treated and untreated tendons at twenty-one and forty-two days. There was also no significant difference in gliding resistance, repair failure strength, or stiffness between treated and untreated tendons at any time point, or in the gross or histological appearance of adhesions at the time of killing. The expression of types-I and III collagen and transforming growth factor-beta1 of the repaired tendon with 5-fluorouracil treatment was significantly lower than that of the tendons without treatment at ten days postoperatively, but not at twenty-one or forty-two days. CONCLUSIONS Although 5-fluorouracil treatment can reduce adhesions in in vivo models of tenolysis, this treatment had only a transient effect in an in vivo model of tendon repair that included passive motion.
CLASSIFICATION OF MEDICAL X-RAY IMAGES USING PNN CLASSIFIER , DECISION TREE ALGORITHM AND SVM CLASSIFIER

In this era of electronic advancements in the field of medical image processing, the quantum of medical X-ray images so produced exorbitantly can be effectively addressed by means of automated indexing, comparing, analysing and annotating that will really be pivotal to the radiologists in interpreting and diagnosing the diseases. In order to envisage such an objective, it has been humbly endeavoured in this paper by proposing an efficient methodology that takes care of the view classification of the X-ray images for the automated annotation from their vast database, with which the decision making for the physicians and radiologists becomes simpler despite an immeasurable and ever-growing trends of the X-ray images. In this paper, X-ray images of six different classes namely chest, head, foot, palm, spine and neck have been collected. The framework proposed in this paper involves the following: The images are pre-processed using M3 filter and segmentation by Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm, followed by feature extraction through Discrete Wavelet Transform. The orientation of X-ray images has been performed in this work by comparing among the Probabilistic Neural Network (PNN), Decision Tree algorithm and Support Vector Machine (SVM), while the PNN yields an accuracy of 75%, the Decision Tree with 92.77% and the SVM of 93.33%.
Optimism, well-being, and perceived stigma in individuals living with HIV

Given the significant psychological challenges posed by HIV-related stigma for individuals living with HIV, investigating psychological resource factors for coping with HIV-related stigma is important. Optimism, which refers to generalized expectations regarding favorable outcomes, has been associated with enhanced psychological adaptation to health conditions, including HIV. Therefore, this cross-sectional study investigated associations among optimism, psychological well-being, and HIV stigma in a sample of 116 adults living with HIV and seeking mental health services. Consistent with study hypotheses, optimism was positively associated with psychological well-being, and psychological well-being was negatively associated with HIV-related stigma. Moreover, results of a full structural equation model suggested a mediation pattern such that as optimism increases, psychological well-being increases, and perceived HIV-related stigma decreases. The implications of these findings for clinical interventions and future research are discussed.
Bringing causal models into the mainstream.

Principled, sensible, and durable inference from complex observational data in epidemiology requires the careful formulation, implementation, and interpretation of models that are parameterized explicitly in terms of causal effects. The paper by Bembom et al in this issue of EPIDEMIOLOGY is an outstanding example; aside from being a thorough and rigorous application of causal modeling, it addresses directly the shortcomings of standard regression approaches to answer causal questions. The data analyzed by Bembom et al have characteristics that are frequently encountered in longitudinal epidemiologic studies: the primary exposure cannot be easily studied using a randomized trial; confounders are time-varying; and standard regression models cannot be used to estimate the causal parameter of interest. The paper is remarkable not only for its careful description of the effects of interest and the use of cutting-edge models, but for its in-depth examination of key assumptions and side-by-side comparison with more familiar models. Statistical models that purport to draw causal inferences are rightly viewed with skepticism. For many epidemiologists (and not a few statisticians), causal models remain blurry visions, their structure obscured by a blizzard of notation and unfamiliar language. I offer 5 suggestions for bringing these models into sharper focus and promoting their more widespread use.
Genetics of type 2 diabetes mellitus: status and perspectives

Throughout the last decade, molecular genetic studies of non‐autoimmune diabetes mellitus have contributed significantly to our present understanding of this disease's complex aetiopathogenesis. Monogenic forms of diabetes (maturity‐onset diabetes of the young, MODY) have been identified and classified into MODY1–6 according to the mutated genes that by being expressed in the pancreatic β‐cells confirm at the molecular level the clinical presentation of MODY as a predominantly insulin secretory deficient form of diabetes mellitus. Genomewide linkage studies of presumed polygenic type 2 diabetic populations indicate that loci on chromosomes 1q, 5q, 8p, 10q, 12q and 20q contain susceptibility genes. Yet, so far, the only susceptibility gene, calpain‐10 (CAPN10), which has been identified using genomewide linkage studies, is located on chromosome 2q37. Mutation analyses of selected ‘candidate’ susceptibility genes in various populations have also identified the widespread Pro12Ala variant of the peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor‐γ and the common Glu23Lys variant of the ATP‐sensitive potassium channel, Kir6.2 (KCNJ11). These variants may contribute significantly to the risk type 2 diabetes conferring insulin resistance of liver, muscle and fat (Pro12Ala) and a relative insulin secretory deficiency (Glu23Lys). It is likely that, in the near future, the recent more detailed knowledge of the human genome and insights into its haploblocks together with the developments of high‐throughput and cheap genotyping will facilitate the discovery of many more type 2 diabetes gene variants in study materials, which are statistically powered and phenotypically well characterized. The results of these efforts are likely to be the platform for major progress in the development of personalized antidiabetic drugs with higher efficacy and few side effects.
Embodied Intelligent Agents with Cognitive Conscious and Unconscious Reasoning

The CIVS (Civilization-Inspired Vying Societies) system is a novel evolutionary learning multi-agent system that uses artificial life methods to produce highly-capable artificial intelligence agents proficient in one or more complex tasks as well as more general adaptability, reasoning, and survivability in dynamic, unpredictable environments. A new cognitive architecture called CHARISMA is being developed as the brain of social agents within the CIVS system. This paper mainly focuses on the development of conscious reasoning and unconscious reasoning mechanisms as well as the interactions between them for the CHARISMA cognitive architecture. Our conscious reasoning design depends on recent advances in Markov logic network algorithms, in particular the online structure learning algorithm. Our unconscious reasoning design is based on Cartesian genetic programming, which we have adapted to work with the semantic hyper network data structure (used for knowledge representation). A novelty-based evolutionary strategy is employed so that the unconscious reasoning is focused on discovering what Markov logic network based conscious reasoning may likely miss. This approach allows interactions between conscious and unconscious reasoning that would not have been possible in the past, and which we believe are vital to achieving more adaptable and creative problemsolving. Keywords-cognitive architecture; conscious reasoning; Markov logic networks; unconscious reasoning
Population genetic structure of the Neotropical termite Nasutitermes nigriceps (Isoptera: Termitidae)

Monogamy and inbreeding are often thought to characterize the breeding system of termite societies. However, few studies have employed genetic markers to ascertain either the genetic structure of single colonies or the extent of local inbreeding. This study employs allozyme analysis to investigate the breeding system of Nasutitermes nigriceps with respect to the number of reproductives contributing to single colonies, and the level of inbreeding within and among local colonies. The majority of the 136 nests examined from three study sites showed patterns of protein polymorphism consistent with their origin from a single mated pair, establishing that monogamy is indeed the predominant mode of reproduction. A small proportion of colonies (N=7) had genotypic frequencies suggesting that offspring were not all full-siblings. The genetic composition of all colonies appeared stable through a one-year interval, suggesting that the observed genetic attributes represent relatively persistent reproductive associations. Wright's (1978) F-statistics showed moderate differentiation among study sites, indicative of restricted gene flow and the occurrence of inbreeding at a regional scale. However, mating appeared to be random at single sites as the inferred genotypic frequencies of colony progenitors did not deviate from Hardy–Weinberg expectations, indicating little inbreeding in the study populations.
A functional language for describing reversible logic

Reversible logic is a computational model where all gates are logically reversible and combined in circuits such that no values are lost or duplicated. This paper presents a novel functional language that is designed to describe only reversible logic circuits. The language includes high-level constructs such as conditionals and a let-in statement that can be used to locally change wires that are otherwise considered to be constant. Termination of recursion is restricted by size-change termination; it must be guaranteed that all recursive calls will be to a strictly smaller circuit size. Reversibility of descriptions is guaranteed with a type system based on linear types. The language is applied to three examples of reversible computations (ALU, linear cosine transformation, and binary adder). The paper also outlines a design flow that ensures garbage-free translation to reversible logic circuits. The flow relies on a reversible combinator language as an intermediate language.