Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Connectivity on Complete Lattices: New Results

The notion of connectivity is very important in image processing and analysis, and particularly in problems related to image segmentation. It is well understood, however, that classical notions of connectivity, including topological and graph-theoretic notions, are not compatible with each other. This motivated G. Matheron and J. Serra to develop a general framework of connectivity, which unifies most classical notions, circumvents incompatibility issues, and allows the construction of new types of connectivity for binary and grayscale images. In this paper, we enrich this theory of connectivity by providing several new theoretical results and examples that are useful in image processing and analysis. In particular, we provide new results on the semi-continuity behavior of connectivity openings, we study the reconstruction operator in a complete lattice framework, and we extend some known binary results regarding reconstruction to this framework. Moreover, we study connectivities constructed by expanding given connectivities by means of clustering operators and connectivities constructed by restricting given connectivities by means of contraction operators.
Assessing cognitive function in bipolar disorder: challenges and recommendations for clinical trial design.

OBJECTIVE Neurocognitive impairment in schizophrenia has been recognized for more than a century. In contrast, only recently have significant neurocognitive deficits been recognized in bipolar disorder. Converging data suggest the importance of cognitive problems in relation to quality of life in bipolar disorder, highlighting the need for treatment and prevention efforts targeting cognition in bipolar patients. Future treatment trials targeting cognitive deficits will be met with methodological challenges due to the inherent complexity and heterogeneity of the disorder, including significant diagnostic comorbidities, the episodic nature of the illness, frequent use of polypharmacy, cognitive heterogeneity, and a lack of consensus regarding measurement of cognition and outcome in bipolar patients. Guidelines for use in designing future trials are needed. PARTICIPANTS The members of the consensus panel (each of the bylined authors) were selected based upon their expertise in bipolar disorder. Dr Burdick is a neuropsychologist who has studied cognition in this illness for 15 years; Drs Ketter, Calabrese, and Goldberg each bring considerable expertise in the treatment of bipolar disorder, both within and outside of controlled clinical trials. This consensus statement was derived from work together at scientific meetings (eg, symposium presentation at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology, among others) and ongoing discussions by conference call. With the exception of the public presentations on this topic, these meetings were closed to outside participants. EVIDENCE A literature review was undertaken by the authors to identify illness-specific challenges relevant to the design and conduct of treatment trials targeting neurocognition in bipolar disorder. Expert opinion from each of the authors guided the consensus recommendations. CONSENSUS PROCESS Consensus recommendations, reached by unanimous opinion of the authors, are provided here as a preliminary guide for future trial design. Recommendations comprise exclusion of certain syndromal-level comorbid diagnoses and current affective instability, restrictions on numbers and types of medications, and use of prescreening assessment to ensure enrollment of subjects with adequate objective evidence of baseline cognitive impairment. CONCLUSIONS Clinical trials to address cognitive deficits in bipolar disorder face distinctive design challenges. As such trials move from proof-of-concept to confirmation of clinical efficacy, it will be important to incorporate distinctive design modifications to adequately address these challenges and increase the likelihood of demonstrating cognitive remediation effects. The field is now primed to address these challenges, and a comprehensive effort to formalize best practice guidelines will be a critically important next step.
A Novel Wideband Space-Time Channel Measurement Method at 60 GHz

In this paper, we propose a novel channel sounding method at 60 GHz which employs a narrow band multi-channel digital array processor to achieve the wideband measurement by successive shifting of sounding signal blocks in the frequency domain. The measured sub-bands of narrow bandwidth are correctly composed to the wideband propagation channel (1 GHz measurement bandwidth) by deploying the developed channel synthesis strategy. The concept is extended to the space domain by utilizing the 1times4 patch array antenna (G. Grosskopf et al., 2003). Through proper hardware design combined with software approaches, we can achieve complex-valued space-time channel measurement accurately replacing the costly rubidium reference and network analyzer. In this way, the proposed technique can be realized compactly in a cost-effective way. Furthermore, this method provides potential to be extended to a real-time dynamic channel measurement when a moderate digital signal processor would be used. We discuss some fundamental implementation aspects and the designed channel sounder is successfully examined by means of verification measurements
Hepatitis C Virus Infection and Kidney Transplantation: Predictors of Patient and Graft Survival

Background. The effect of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection on patients undergoing kidney transplantation (KTx) is uncertain. This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of our HCV+/end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patient population based on the therapeutic option including KTx or continuation in dialysis. Methods. KTx performed at Virginia Commonwealth University Hospital between January 2000 and December 2004 were tracked prospectively. Forty-three out of a total of 394 KTx patients included in the analysis were HCV+. A group of 52 contemporaneous HCV+/ESRD patients listed, but never transplanted, was also analyzed. HCV-negative transplanted patients were used as the control group. Results. Patient survival posttransplantation was 81.4% and 68.5% at 1 and 3 years in the HCV+ group, and 97.1% and 92.9% at 1 and 3 years in the HCV- group, respectively (P=0.001). Graft survival was 81.2% and 64.1% at 1 and 3 years in the HCV+ group, and 93.2% and 84.1% at 1 and 3 years posttransplantation in the HCV- group (P=0.01). Univariate analysis identified Knodell score as a predictor of mortality in HCV+ patients (P=0.04). Cox proportional hazards multivariate analysis identified deceased donor (P=0.02), previous kidney transplant (P=0.007), pretransplant diabetes (P=0.05), and Knodell Score (P=0.012) as predictors of patient mortality. Patient survival was superior in HCV+ patients undergoing KTx versus remaining on dialysis. Conclusions. Patients with ESRD/HCV+ benefit from KTx without achieving the excellent survival of HCV-/ESRD patients. Liver biopsy is a useful tool to identify advanced liver disease at pretransplantation time.
AND METHODS Ploidy determination by flow cytometry

Ploidy determination by flow cytometry Flow cytometry was used to verify the haploid DNA content of each strain for which an image is shown in the manuscript. Protocols for ploidy determination by DNA content using flow cytometry were adapted from published methods (1, 2). To rule out the possibility of self-diploidization, the DNA content of known haploid (BY4741) and diploid (BY4743) strains were compared to F45 background strains. All F45 background strains used in morphology assays showed peaks corresponding to haploid DNA content. The relatively small 1N peak and peak near 750 in our F45 background strains are very likely due to cell clumping, with this effect being stronger in the more flocculent F45 fluffy strain (Fig. S2). This effect is similar to published observations in other nonlaboratory strains (3). The histograms shown are representative of gated cell populations, and the scatter plots show the gates applied.
Upper Bounds on Two-Dimensional Constraint Capacities via Corner Transfer Matrices

We study the capacities of a family of two-dimensional constraints, containing the hard squares, non-attacking kings and read-write isolated memory models. Using an assortment of techniques from combinatorics, statistical mechanics and linear algebra, we prove upper bounds on the capacities of these models. Our starting point is Calkin and Wilf’s transfer matrix eigenvalue upper bound. We then use the Collatz-Wielandt formula from linear algebra, together with an approximate eigenvector, to compute an upper bound on the Calkin-Wilf bound. To obtain that approximate eigenvector, we use an ansatz from Baxter’s corner transfer matrix formalism, optimised with Nishino and Okunishi’s corner transfer matrix renormalisation group method. The combination of these methods results in an algorithm for computing upper bounds on the capacities which requires very little memory. Indeed, it is the first approach to this problem whose memory requirements do not grow exponentially. Furthermore, it is very fast and extremely parallelisable, and so allows us to make dramatic improvements to the previous best known upper bounds. In all cases we reduce the gap between the best upper and lower bounds by 4–6 orders of magnitude.
Evaluation and comparison of the CEM rapid extraction method with official standard methods for the determination of lipid content in fillets of ž / farmed Atlantic salmon Salmo

The CEM rapid extraction method for lipid content determination was compared with official standard methods and was found to give accurate results for individual samples, taking approximately 8 min per sample. The study involved the lipid analysis of 47 white muscle samples from six fillets of farmed Atlantic salmon, using both the CEM and the Soxhlet method, in order to evaluate the performance of the former. Nine samples from each fillet with variable lipid content, ranging from 2.0% to 25.4%, were analysed. The comparison of the CEM with the Soxhlet Ž 2 method showed that the CEM lipid values were significantly linearly correlated r s0.993, . P-0.001 , but were consistently lower than those of the standard by a factor of 0.37%. This difference was found to be more distinct in samples with lipid content below 10%. It is concluded that the CEM method is an effective rapid analysis method for the determination of lipid content in salmon fillets under commercial conditions for the routine monitoring of muscle lipid. For Ž research purposes, it may be necessary to add a correction factor 0.59% for levels below 10% ) Corresponding author. Tel. : q44-1179289312; fax: q44-1179289324. Ž . E-mail address: david.robb@bristol.ac. uk D.H. F. Robb . 1 Present address: Department of Technology of Animal Origin Products, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University, 540 06 Thessaloniki, Greece. 0044-8486r01r$ see front matter q2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. Ž . PII: S0044-8486 00 00500-7 ( ) P. Katikou, D.H. F. RobbrAquaculture 194 2001 99–105 100 . lipid and 0.27% above 10% if direct comparisons with Soxhlet results are required. q 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
A new microsporidian parasite, Heterosporis saurida n. sp. (Microsporidia) infecting the lizardfish, Saurida undosquamis from the Arabian Gulf, Saudi Arabia: ultrastructure and phylogeny

SUMMARY A new microsporidian that infects the lizardfish Saurida undosquamis (Richardson, 1848) that are caught in the Arabian Gulf in Saudi Arabia is described here. This parasite invades the skeletal muscle of the abdominal cavity forming white, cyst-like structures containing numerous spores. The prevalence of the infection was 32·1% (135/420). The spores were oval to pyriform in shape and measured approximately 3·3 μm×2·0 μm. The developing spores were found within parasitophorous vacuoles. In mature spores, the polar filament was arranged into 5 coils in a row. Molecular analysis of the rRNA genes, including the ITS region, and phylogenetic analyses using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian inference were performed. The ultrastructural characteristics and phylogenetic analyses support the recognition of a new species, herein named Heterosporis saurida n. sp.
An O-Phosphotransferase Catalyzes Phosphorylation of Hygromycin A in the Antibiotic-Producing Organism Streptomyces hygroscopicus

ABSTRACT The antibiotic hygromycin A (HA) binds to the 50S ribosomal subunit and inhibits protein synthesis in gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. The HA biosynthetic gene cluster in Streptomyces hygroscopicus NRRL 2388 contains 29 open reading frames, which have been assigned putative roles in biosynthesis, pathway regulation, and self-resistance. The hyg21 gene encodes an O-phosphotransferase with a proposed role in self-resistance. We observed that insertional inactivation of hyg21 in S. hygroscopicus leads to a greater than 90% decrease in HA production. The wild type and the hyg21 mutant were comparably resistant to HA. Using Escherichia coli as a heterologous host, we expressed and purified Hyg21. Kinetic analyses revealed that the recombinant protein catalyzes phosphorylation of HA (Km = 30 ± 4 μM) at the C-2‴ position of the fucofuranose ring in the presence of ATP (Km = 200 ± 20 μM) or GTP (Km = 350 ± 60 μM) with a kcat of 2.2 ± 0.1 min−1. The phosphorylated HA is inactive against HA-sensitive ΔtolC E. coli and Streptomyces lividans. Hyg21 also phosphorylates methoxyhygromycin A and desmethylenehygromycin A with kcat and Km values similar to those observed with HA. Phosphorylation of the naturally occurring isomers of 5‴-dihydrohygromycin A and 5‴-dihydromethoxyhygromycin A was about 12 times slower than for the corresponding non-natural isomers. These studies demonstrate that Hyg21 is an O-phosphotransferase with broad substrate specificity, tolerating changes in the aminocyclitol moiety more than in the fucofuranose moiety, and that phosphorylation by Hyg21 is one of several possible mechanisms of self-resistance in S. hygroscopicus NRRL 2388.
Galanin immunoreactivity in the primate central nervous system

Galanin‐immunoreactive profiles were localized within the monkey and human central nervous system. In the monkey telencephalon, galanin‐immunoreactive perikarya were seen within the anterior olfactory nucleus, basal forebrain, endopiriform nucleus, hippocampus, and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. The caudate nucleus and putamen contained galanin‐immunoreactive perikarya whereas the nucleus accumbens displayed only galanin‐immunoreactive fibers. In the diencephalon, galanin‐immunoreactive profiles were seen within the medial preoptic area, periventricular, suprachiasmatic, paraventricular, and arcuate nuclei as well as the lateral hypothalamic area. Within the thalamus, only galanin‐immunoreactive fibers were seen within the midline paraventricular, reuniens, and rhomboid nuclei. In the mesencephalon, scattered galanin‐immunoreactive fibers were seen in the periaquaductal gray, ventral tegmental area, and midbrain reticular formation. In the metencephalon, galanin‐immunoreactive neurons were observed in the medial vestibular nucleus and nucleus prepositus. In the myelencephalon, galanin‐immunoreactive perikarya were seen within the nucleus of the tractus solitarius and hypoglossal nucleus. Dense collections of galanin‐immunoreactive fibers were found in the spinal descending tract of V, nucleus of the tractus solitarius, and dorsal motor nucleus of X. Galanin immunoreactivity was also observed within all circumventricular organs. Spinal anterior horn neurons expressed galanin immunoreactivity, and immunopositive fibers were seen within the tract of Lissauer and the substantia gelatinosa. Although the distribution of galanin immunoreactivity was generally similar between monkeys and humans, there were a few striking exceptions. The human supraoptic nucleus contained galanin‐immunoreactive neurons, whereas the monkey supraoptic nucleus displayed only immunopositive fibers. Similarly, galanin‐immunoreactive perikarya and fibers were seen in the human locus coeruleus and subcoeruleus, whereas in monkeys these regions contained only fibers. These data demonstrate a widespread distribution of galanin‐containing profiles in primates, suggesting that galanin may modulate cognitive, sensory, motor, and autonomic processes. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
О формализме объектных отношений, или критика анализа социальных сетей

Критический анализ статьи А. Н. Чуракова (СОЦИС, 2001, №1) о перспективах методики анализа социальных сетей. Автор текста полагает, что теория сетей, представленная оппонентом как интерпретация некоторых произвольно взятых разделов теории математических множеств, носит крайне формальный характер и, следовательно, недостаточно объясняет сущность социальных явлений. Ни сама эта теория, ни надстроенная над ней комбинаторика не способны дать ответ на важный вопрос об условиях возникновения связей между двумя произвольными социальными субъектами.
Myelomonoblastic leukaemia cells carrying the PEBP2β/MYH11 fusion gene are CD34+, c‐KIT+ immature cells

To clarify the aspects affected by the PEBP2β/MYH11 fusion gene involved in the inv(16), we analysed immunophenotypes in myelomonoblastic leukaemias. We found high expressions of CD34 and c‐KIT antigens in myelomonoblastic cells from all patients carrying this fusion gene, including two with M4 and one CML blastic phase, in contrast to those with M4 without the fusion gene. These findings indicate that immunophenotyping is useful for detecting a leukaemia with the fusion gene in myelomonoblastic leukaemias and that the PEBP2β/MYH11 gene is involved in immature cells expressing CD34 and c‐KIT antigens.
Extending Students' Problem Solving via Problem Posing

This paper presents some results of a study aimed to incorporate a wide range of problem-posing situations as an integral part of students problem-solving in a project classroom with mathematically able students in the first two years of secondary school. As a result of the study, a wide range of problem-posing categories were developed, many of which are described briefly in this paper. It is hoped that this range will be suggestive and of value to teachers of secondary mathematics.
Système d'animation d'objets virtuels : De la modélisation à la normalisation MPEG-4

Dans le cadre de la nouvelle societe de l'information multimedia et communicante, cette these propose des contributions methodologiques et techniques relatives a la representation, l'animation et la transmission des objets virtuels. Les methodes existantes sont analysees de facon comparee et les performances des standards multimedias actuels evaluees en termes de realisme d'animation et de debit de transmission. Pour surmonter les limitations mises en evidence, un nouveau cadre de modelisation et d'animation de personnages virtuels est propose. Le modele SMS (Skeleton, Muscle and Skin), fonde sur le concept de controleur de deformation d'un maillage, est introduit et sa formulation mathematique developpee. Le graphe de scene 3D et le flux de compression associes a SMS sont decrits. L'approche SMS est evaluee dans le cadre d'un nouveau service de transmission televisuelle d'un signeur virtuel destines aux deficients auditifs. Le modele SMS a ete promu dans le standard MPEG-4 version 5.
A High-order Finite Element Method for Electical Impedance Tomography

Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is a non-invasive imaging technique where a conductivity distribution in a domain is reconstructed from boundary voltage measurements. The voltage data are generated by injecting currents into the domain. This is an ill-conditioned non-linear inverse problem. Small measurement or forward modeling errors can lead to unbounded fluctuations in the reconstructions. A forward model describes the dependence of the noiseless voltage data on the conductivity distribution. The present work focuses on applying the high-order finite element method (p-FEM) for forward modeling. In the traditional version of the finite element method (h-FEM), the polynomial degree of the element shape functions is relatively low and the discretization error is reduced by increasing the number of elements. In the p-version, in contrast, the polynomial degree is increased and the mesh size is kept constant. In many applications of the finite element method the performance of the p-version is better than that of the h-version. In this work, it is proposed that the p-version provides more efficient tool for EIT forward modeling. Numerical results are presented.
Breast Phantoms for Microwave Imaging

Herein, we study the dielectric properties of various mixtures susceptible to be used in manufacturing of reference inhomogeneous breast phantoms dedicated to the experimental validation of microwave breast imaging systems in the 0.5-6-GHz frequency range. Particularly, we investigate the stability over time and temperature of these properties and their reproducibility for a given mixture, as well as the ability of some mixtures to mimic the various breast tissues, i.e., to show dielectric properties close to that given by one-pole Debye models that describe the mean relative dielectric permittivity of various tissue types.
Exploring Errors in Target Language* Learning and Use: Practice Meets Theory

The paper tries to answer the question--to what extent the English Language Teaching theory informs the ELT practice in a reflective case study. It argues that even if it is challenging considering what is beyond the theory in practical use of theory, yet if teacher educators in the field of ELT have a solid academic foundation, they will have the responsibility and capacity to challenge the theory, rethink it critically and even revise it.
Numerical analysis of a composite left-handed slab using the finite element method

Left-handed metamaterials (LHMs) have recently drawn a great deal of attention due to their unique electromagnetic features not commonly found in nature. Unlike right-handed media, where either permittivity (/spl epsiv/) or permeability (/spl mu/) may have negative values, LHMs possess both /spl epsiv/-negative (ENG) and /spl mu/-negative (MNG) characteristics within a frequency band, yielding a negative index of refraction (n). We present numerical analysis results for a LH slab composed of thin wires and split-ring resonators (SRRs). An array of wires and an array of SRRs alone show ENG and MNG features, respectively. By placing these two structures together, a LHM with ENG/MNG characteristics can be obtained within a frequency range. Numerical results demonstrate such a behavior of the LH slab and in turn the expected passband performance. Also, several parametric studies show the effects of unit cell parameters on transmission characteristics.
Coupled inductor based boost DC/DC converter

The boost dc-dc converters are used to increase the magnitude of dc voltage. The renewable energy sources such as photovoltaic and fuel cell generate low magnitudes of voltage. To solve this problem, it is necessary to use a boost dc/dc converter. In this paper, a new boost dc-dc converter by using coupled inductor is proposed. In the proposed converter, by choosing the suitable value of the coupled inductor coefficient, it is possible to obtain minimum output ripple. In the proposed converter as same as the conventional boost dc-dc converters by changing the value of duty cycle, the output voltage could be controlled. Finally, the accuracy performance of the proposed converter is reconfirmed through the simulation results in PSCAD/EMTDC software.