Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hierarchical Artificial Bee Colony Optimizer for Multilevel Threshold Image Segmentation

This paper presents a novel optimization algorithm, namely hierarchical artificial bee colony optimization (HABC) for multilevel threshold image segmentation, which employs a pool of optimal foraging strategies to extends the classical artificial bee colony framework to a cooperative and hierarchical fashion. In the proposed hierarchical model, the higher-level species incorporates the enhanced information change mechanism based on crossover operator to enhance the global search ability between species. In the bottom level, with the divideand-conquer approach, each subpopulation runs the original ABC method in parallel for part-dimensional optimum, which can be aggregated into a complete solution for the upper level. The experimental results on a set of benchmarks demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. Furthermore, we applied the HABC algorithm to the multilevel image segmentation problem. Experimental results of the new algorithm on a variety of images demonstrated the performance superiority of the proposed algorithm.
Characteristics and Incidence of Traumatic Brain Injury in Older Adults Using Home Care in Ontario from 2003–2013

Objectives Describe the characteristics and determine the annual cumulative incidence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in older adults receiving home care in Ontario from 2003 to 2013. Methods A retrospective cohort study of longitudinal data from the Ontario Association of Community Care Access Centers (N = 554,313). TBI, demographic variables, depression, neurological conditions, and recent falls were measured from the Resident Assessment Instrument–Home Care. Comparisons were made between service users with and without TBI using odds ratios. Standardized incidence rates were calculated and the 10-year trend of annual cumulative incidence rates was examined. Results Characteristics associated with TBI: male sex (OR: 1.54), aboriginal origin (OR: 1.98), increasing age (low of OR: 1.22, in 70–74 years; high of OR: 2.31, in 90 years and older; comparison 65–69 years), being widowed (OR: 1.59), having one or more falls (OR: 2.31), the use of antidepressants (OR: 1.49) and the presence of depression (OR: 1.57), dementia (OR: 1.65), hemiplegia (OR: 4.34), multiple sclerosis (OR: 3.19) or parkinsonism (OR: 1.22). TBI incidence was significantly higher than rates previously reported in the literature. There was no change in the overall annual cumulative incidence over the 10-year period (p = .13). Conclusions Certain demographic characteristics, neurological diseases, antidepressant use, and a recent fall are associated with TBI. Incidence of TBI is higher than previous estimates and the overall incidence is not changing over time. These results can be used to improve care of the elderly and to generate hypotheses for future research regarding TBI in the home care setting.
An approach to improve predictability in communication services in distributed real-time embedded systems

The development of Distributed Real-Time Embedded Systems requires solutions able to address constraints imposed on design, such as low energy consumption, reduced area, and timing requirements, also keeping a flexible and reusable approach to cope with the growing complexity of these systems. This paper shows how the RTSJ event service can improve a multiprocessor communication service, opening room for time and energy optimization. Furthermore, the unpredictability inherent to communication is reduced, improving real-time properties. An illustrative example of message passing is used to demonstrate the concept.
Synaptic plasticity in the thalamo-cortical pathway as one of the neurobiological correlates of forelimb flexion conditioning: electrophysiological investigation in the cat.

1. In a previous study, using a chronic cat preparation subjected to an associative conditioning procedure, we described the plasticity of the thalamo-cortical pathway by qualitatively and quantitatively analyzing the motor responses induced by stimulating each of the relays on the cerebello-thalamo-cortical pathway. In the present study, it was proposed to analyze the effects on the synapses located between thalamic endings and cortical neurones, using a twofold behavioral and electrophysiological approach, with a view to correlating the patterns of synaptic plasticity with the changes in the motor responses recorded. 2. For this purpose, a reduced, functionally organized sensorimotor circuit, which can be taken to be a neuronal analog of associative conditioning, was studied in an awake chronic animal preparation. This circuit was defined on the basis of the sites at which conditioned (CS) and unconditioned stimuli (UCS) were applied: the CS was applied at a site on the cerebellar interpositus nucleus which activated the forepaw musculature so as to induce flexion movements and the UCS was applied to the skin of the distal part of that paw so as to induce reflex flexion movements. By repetitively activating the central nervous pathways by the associated CS and UCS according to a predefined temporal pattern, the efficiency of the thalamo-cortical pathway's contribution to the movement production was enhanced, and its capacity to convey the cerebellar inputs to neurons in the motor cortex increased. 3. The associative nature of the conditioning was tested using previously established criteria. The setting up of motor and central changes in response to the repetitive presentation of paired CS and UCS, the fact that these changes were reversible because they could be abolished by applying extinction procedures, and the consistency of their occurrence whenever the CS was applied repeatedly alone for several days to naive animals, all showed that the stimuli of both kinds (CS and UCS) had to be applied together for the plasticity of the thalamo-cortical pathway to be expressed. 4. By determining whether the waves constituting the cerebello-cortical responses were excitatory or inhibitory, the nature of the changes in the transmission of the cerebellar impulses to neurons in the motor cortex was established. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Accuracy of the mammographic report category according to BIRADS.

OBJECTIVE To determine the accuracy and predictive value of the mammographic report according to the BIRADS categories in Songklanagarind University Hospital. MATERIAL AND METHOD Mammograms of 1000 women who came to Songklanagarind University Hospital from June 1998 to September 1999 were reported and placed in category 1 for negative results, category 2 for benign lesions, category 3 for probably benign lesions, category 4 for suspicious lesions and category 5 for highly suspicious lesions. Accuracy was determined by either histology or by unchanged follow-up mammography within 24 months. RESULTS The total accuracy was 97.8%, sensitivity 62.5% and specificity 98.1%.
Ion Beam Focusing in Solenoid Magnetic Field

The present study investigates the main parameters effect on the solenoid design as converging lens of charged particle beam passing through it. These parameters are solenoid magnetic field (B), solenoid radius (Ro) and the solenoid total length (L). The result indicates that the solenoid system is very sensitive to the change of these parameters. The solenoid acts as converge lens but may convert to diverging lens at some conditions. The best design obtained at (L=1100 mm, B=5000 gauss and Ro=150 mm).
Serum brain‐derived neurotrophic factor and interleukin‐6 response to high‐volume mechanically demanding exercise

Introduction: The aim of this study was to follow circulating brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) levels in response to severe muscle‐damaging exercise. Methods: Young healthy men (N = 10) performed a bout of mechanically demanding stretch–shortening cycle exercise consisting of 200 drop jumps. Voluntary and electrically induced knee extension torque, serum BDNF levels, and IL‐6 levels were measured before and for up to 7 days after exercise. Results: Muscle force decreased by up to 40% and did not recover by 24 hours after exercise. Serum BDNF was decreased 1 hour and 24 hours after exercise, whereas IL‐6 increased immediately and 1 hour after but recovered to baseline by 24 hours after exercise. IL‐6 and 100‐Hz stimulation torque were correlated (r = −0.64, P < 0.05) 24 hours after exercise. Discussion: In response to acute, severe muscle‐damaging exercise, serum BDNF levels decrease, whereas IL‐6 levels increase and are associated with peripheral fatigue. Muscle Nerve 57: E46–E51, 2018
Genome‐scale metabolic modeling and in silico analysis of lipid accumulating yeast Candida tropicalis for dicarboxylic acid production

Recently, the bio‐production of α,ω‐dicarboxylic acids (DCAs) has gained significant attention, which potentially leads to the replacement of the conventional petroleum‐based products. In this regard, the lipid accumulating yeast Candida tropicalis, has been recognized as a promising microbial host for DCA biosynthesis: it possess the unique ω‐oxidation pathway where the terminal carbon of α‐fatty acids is oxidized to form DCAs with varying chain lengths. However, despite such industrial importance, its cellular physiology and lipid accumulation capability remain largely uncharacterized. Thus, it is imperative to better understand the metabolic behavior of this lipogenic yeast, which could be achieved by a systems biological approach. To this end, herein, we reconstructed the genome‐scale metabolic model of C. tropicalis, iCT646, accounting for 646 unique genes, 945 metabolic reactions, and 712 metabolites. Initially, the comparative network analysis of iCT646 with other yeasts revealed several distinctive metabolic reactions, mainly within the amino acid and lipid metabolism including the ω‐oxidation pathway. Constraints‐based flux analysis was, then, employed to predict the in silico growth rates of C. tropicalis which are highly consistent with the cellular phenotype observed in glucose and xylose minimal media chemostat cultures. Subsequently, the lipid accumulation capability of C. tropicalis was explored in comparison with Saccharomyces cerevisiae, indicating that the formation of “citrate pyruvate cycle” is essential to the lipid accumulation in oleaginous yeasts. The in silico flux analysis also highlighted the enhanced ability of pentose phosphate pathway as NADPH source rather than malic enzyme during lipogenesis. Finally, iCT646 was successfully utilized to highlight the key directions of C. tropicalis strain design for the whole cell biotransformation application to produce long‐chain DCAs from alkanes. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2016;113: 1993–2004. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Belief propagation with local edge detection-based cost aggregation for stereo matching

In this paper, the importance of cost aggregation for belief propagation (BP) and the interaction of them are discussed. A global stereo matching algorithm based on BP with local edge detection-based cost aggregation is proposed. Firstly, a virtual closed edge is formed surrounding each pixel via second derivative operator in order to construct the adaptive window. Then, for centered pixel, local cost aggregation is calculated on support pixels in adaptive window. Finally, BP optimization algorithm is used to obtain the disparity. The experiments based on Middlebury benchmark indicate that local edge detection-based cost aggregation can do well with BP and also show encouraging results of proposed stereo matching algorithm.
The nucleotide‐dependent interaction of FlaH and FlaI is essential for assembly and function of the archaellum motor

The motor of the membrane‐anchored archaeal motility structure, the archaellum, contains FlaX, FlaI and FlaH. FlaX forms a 30 nm ring structure that acts as a scaffold protein and was shown to interact with the bifunctional ATPase FlaI and FlaH. However, the structure and function of FlaH has been enigmatic. Here we present structural and functional analyses of isolated FlaH and archaellum motor subcomplexes. The FlaH crystal structure reveals a RecA/Rad51 family fold with an ATP bound on a conserved and exposed surface, which presumably forms an oligomerization interface. FlaH does not hydrolyze ATP in vitro, but ATP binding to FlaH is essential for its interaction with FlaI and for archaellum assembly. FlaH interacts with the C‐terminus of FlaX, which was earlier shown to be essential for FlaX ring formation and to mediate interaction with FlaI. Electron microscopy reveals that FlaH assembles as a second ring inside the FlaX ring in vitro. Collectively these data reveal central structural mechanisms for FlaH interactions in mediating archaellar assembly: FlaH binding within the FlaX ring and nucleotide‐regulated FlaH binding to FlaI form the archaellar basal body core.
Analytical and numerical simulation of artificial magnetic media realized by LTCC technology

Artificial magnetic medium (AM) was realized by using periodic media with split ring resonators (SRR) as basic element of elementary unit cell of a lattice. This paper deals with SRR placed on the top of each other. Commercial electromagnetic simulator Agilent HFSS 5.6 based on finite element method (FEM) was used for simulation of AM slab. The SRR was designed with the following conditions: the resonant frequency of a pair of SRRs must be near to 10 GHZ. Distance between SRR in the z direction is 2t. Designed SRR has w=0.2mm, g=0.2mm, a=1.2mm, b=c=2.4mm. The box was filled by the dielectric media and the ports were loaded on impedance for matching the structure. Results of analytical and numerical simulation are presented. Simple analytical model of AM media based on ABCD matrix approach was demonstrated. Equivalent circuit model can be used for optimisation of AM media.
Novel Real-Time Temperature Diagnosis of Conventional Hot-Embossing Process Using an Ultrasonic Transducer

This paper presents an integrated high temperature ultrasonic transducer (HTUT) on a sensor insert and its application for real-time diagnostics of the conventional hot embossing process to fabricate V-cut patterns. The sensor was directly deposited onto the sensor insert of the hot embossing mold by using a sol-gel spray technique. It could operate at temperatures higher than 400 °C and uses an ultrasonic pulse-echo technique. The ultrasonic velocity could indicate the three statuses of the hot embossing process and also evaluate the replication of V-cut patterns on a plastic plate under various processing conditions. The progression of the process, including mold closure, plastic plate softening, cooling and plate detachment inside the mold, was clearly observed using ultrasound. For an ultrasonic velocity range from 2197.4 to 2435.9 m/s, the height of the V-cut pattern decreased from 23.0 to 3.2 μm linearly, with a ratio of −0.078 μm/(m/s). The incompleteness of the replication of the V-cut patterns could be indirectly observed by the ultrasonic signals. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of the ultrasonic sensors and technology for diagnosing the replicating condition of microstructures during the conventional hot embossing process.
BRCA1/2 mutations perturb telomere biology: characterization of structural and functional abnormalities in vitro and in vivo

BRCA1 mutation is associated with carcinogenesis, especially of breast tissue. Telomere maintenance is crucial for malignant transformation. Being a part of the DNA repair machinery, BRCA1 may be implicated in telomere biology. We explored the role of BRCA1 in telomere maintenance in lymphocytes of BRCA1/2 mutation carriers and in in vitro system by knocking down its expression in non-malignant breast epithelial cells. The results in both systems were similar. BRCA1/2 mutation caused perturbation of telomere homeostasis, shortening of the single stranded telomere overhang and increased the intercellular telomere length variability as well as the number of telomere free chromosomal ends and telomeric circles. These changes resulted in an increased DNA damage status. Telomerase activity, inducibility and expression remained unchanged. BRCA1 mutation resulted also in changes in the binding of shelterin proteins to telomeres. DNMT-1 levels were markedly reduced both in the carriers and in in vitro system. The methylation pattern of the sub-telomeric regions in carriers suggested hypomethylation in chromosome 10. The expression of a distinct set of genes was also changed, some of which may relate to pre-disposition to malignancy. These results show that BRCA gene products have a role in telomere length homeostasis. It is plausible that these perturbations contribute to malignant transformation in BRCA mutants.
Robustness of Distributed RTLS for Dense Large-Scale Environments

RTLS (Real Time Locating Systems) are used to track the location of an object or person in real time. However, if there are many tags and readers, the conventional centralized RTLS server with a single location engine may fail to estimate the location of the tags. Furthermore, if the server does not receive a tag’s signal due to pass loss or none line-of-sight (NLOS) from more than three readers, the server fails to estimate the location of the tag. In this paper, we propose a special reader that incorporates an RTLS location engine for distributed RTLS. Furthermore, we use a multidirectional antenna array, alleviating the multipath effect and allowing estimation of a tag’s location using only two readers. To assess the performance of the system, we implement an entire RTLS system based on IEEE 802.15. 4a. The experiment results show that the distributed RTLS enhances the location response time and reduces network confusion. Moreover, we can obtain the tag’s location with only two readers using directional information.
RH and O3 concentration as two prerequisites for sulfate formation

Abstract. Sulfate formation mechanisms have been discussed extensively but are still disputed. In this work, a year-long particulate matter (PM2.5) sampling campaign was conducted together with measurements of gaseous pollutant concentrations and meteorological parameters in Beijing, China, from March 2012 to February 2013. The sulfur oxidation ratio (SOR), an indicator of secondary sulfate formation, displayed a clear summer peak and winter valley, even though no obvious seasonal variations in sulfate mass concentration were observed. A rapid rise in the SOR was found at a RH threshold of ~ 45 % or an O3 concentration threshold of ~ 35 ppb, suggesting that RH and O3 concentrations were two prerequisites for rapid sulfate formation, which likely occurred via multiphase reactions. H2O2 oxidation was proposed to be the major route of sulfate formation, since the O3 oxidation route has previously been shown to be unimportant. The seasonal variations in sulfate formation could be accounted for by variations in the RH and O3 prerequisites. For example, over the year-long study, the fastest SO2-to-sulfate conversion occurred in summer, which was associated with the highest values of both O3 concentration and RH. The SOR also displayed variations with pollution levels, i.e., the SOR increased as pollution evolved in all seasons. Such variations were primarily associated with a transition from the slow gas phase formation of sulfate to rapid multiphase reactions, since RH increased as pollution evolved. In addition, the self-catalytic nature of sulfate formation (i.e., increasing aerosol water content with simultaneous increases in sulfate mass concentrations and RH) also contributed to variations among the pollution scenarios. Overall, our observations validated the two prerequisites for fast sulfate formation and revealed the seasonal and pollution level variations in sulfate formation in Beijing. H2O2 oxidation was the major route of sulfate formation, although reactions involving transition metal ions (TMIs) and NO2 might have also competed.
Distribution of the mineralocorticoid and the glucocorticoid receptor mRNAs in the rat hippocampus

The cellular localization of mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) gene expression in the rat hippocampus was studied by in situ hybridization using 35S‐labeled RNA‐probes, complementary to either 513 bases of the rat brain mineralocorticoid receptor (MR)‐mRNA or 500 bases of the rat liver glucocorticoid receptor (GR)‐mRNA.
Specification and Complexity of Collaborative Text Editing

Collaborative text editing systems allow users to concurrently edit a shared document, inserting and deleting elements (e.g., characters or lines). There are a number of protocols for collaborative text editing, but so far there has been no precise specification of their desired behavior, and several of these protocols have been shown not to satisfy even basic expectations. This paper provides a precise specification of a replicated list object, which models the core functionality of replicated systems for collaborative text editing. We define a strong list specification, which we prove is implemented by an existing protocol, as well as a weak list specification, which admits additional protocol behaviors. A major factor determining the efficiency and practical feasibility of a collaborative text editing protocol is the space overhead of the metadata that the protocol must maintain to ensure correctness. We show that for a large class of list protocols, implementing either the strong or the weak list specification requires a metadata overhead that is at least linear in the number of elements deleted from the list. The class of protocols to which this lower bound applies includes all list protocols that we are aware of, and we show that one of these protocols almost matches the bound.
Overlapping speech, utterance duration and affective content in HHI and HCI - An comparison

In human conversation, turn-taking is a critical issue. Especially if only the speech channel is available (e.g. telephone), correct timing as well as affective and verbal signals are required. In cases of failure, overlapping speech may occur which is in the focus of this paper. We investigate the davero corpus a large naturalistic spoken corpus of real call center telephone conversations and compare our findings to results on the well-known SmartKom corpus consisting of human-computer interaction. We first show that overlapping speech occurs in different types of situational settings - extending the well-known categories cooperative and competitive overlaps -, all of which are frequent enough to be analyzed. Furthermore, we present connections between the occurrence of overlapping speech and the length of the previous utterance, and show that overlapping speech occurs at dialog instances where certain affective states are changing. Our results allow the prediction of forthcoming threat of overlapping speech, and hence preventive measures, especially in professional environments like call-centers with human or automatic agents.
Concept Space Comparisons: Explorations with Five Health Domains

This paper explores methods to compare concept spaces derived from different discourses in a common health domain. The concept spaces are generated from the research literature and from message board discussions on the Internet. We explore a number of methods for comparing and contrasting concept space pairs. We experiment with five select health domains in this exploratory research: Autism, AIDS, Fibromyalgia, Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Multiple Sclerosis. The paper concludes with a discussion about the potential of our methods. Future work on refinements to our techniques is also outlined.