Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
View-dependent multi-resolutional flow texture advection

Existing texture advection techniques will produce unsatisfactory rendering results when there is a discrepancy between the resolution of the flow field and that of the output image. This is because many existing texture advection techniques such as Line Integral Convolution (LIC) are inherently none view-dependent, that is, the resolution of the output textures depends only on the resolution of the input field, but not the resolution of the output image. When the resolution of the flow field after projection is much higher than the screen resolution, aliasing will happen unless the flow textures are appropriately filtered through some expensive post processing. On the other hand, when the resolution of the flow field is much lower than the screen resolution, a blocky or blurred appearance will be present in the rendering because the flow texture does not have enough samples. In this paper we present a view-dependent multiresolutional flow texture advection method for structured recti- and curvi-linear meshes. Our algorithm is based on a novel intermediate representation of the flow field, called trace slice, which allows us to compute the flow texture at a desired resolution interactively based on the run-time viewing parameters. As the user zooms in and out of the field, the resolution of the resulting flow texture will adapt automatically so that enough flow details will be presented while aliasing is avoided. Our implementation utilizes mipmapping and programmable GPUs available on modern programmable graphics hardware.
Shrinking thermokarst ponds and groundwater dynamics in discontinuous permafrost near council, Alaska

The purpose of this study was to characterize the geomorphological processes controlling the dynamics of ponds and to identify and characterize groundwater infiltration and surface water dynamics for a tundra terrain located in discontinuous permafrost near Council, Alaska. Thermokarst processes and permafrost degradation were studied, focusing upon the interaction between surface and groundwater systems via an open talik. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data were used for classification of terrain units and surface water properties, while historical aerial photographs and satellite images (IKONOS) were used for assessment of pond shrinking and recent thermokarst progression. Geophysical surveys (ground penetrating radar and DC resistivity) were conducted to detect permafrost thickness and talik formations. Temperature boreholes and hydrological observation wells were monitored throughout the year and provided ground truth for validation of remotely‐sensed data and geophysical surveys. Field and laboratory analyses enabled quantitative determination of subsurface hydrologic and thermal properties. We found many areas where alluvium deposits and ice‐wedge polygonal terrain had developed thermokarst features within the last 20 years. Thermokarst ponds located over ice‐wedge terrain have decreased in surface area since at least the early 20th Century. Small thermokarst features initially developed into tundra ponds perched over permafrost in response to some local disturbance to the surface. These thermokarst ponds grew larger and initiated large taliks that completely penetrated the permafrost. These taliks allowed internal drainage throughout the year causing the ponds to shrink under recent climatic conditions. Shrinking pond surface areas may become a common feature in the discontinuous permafrost regions as a consequence of warming climate and thawing permafrost. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Detecting Ontology Mappings via Descriptive Statistical Methods

Instance-based ontology mapping comprises a collection of theoretical approaches and applications for identifying the implicit semantic similarities between two ontologies on the basis of the instances that populate their concepts. The current paper situates this general problem in the realm of finding mappings between the nodes of two different web directories populated with text documents (the web pages that they intend to organize). We propose a novel approach to detect potential concept mappings based on Principle Component Analysis and Discriminant Analysis and introduce a resulting concept similarity measure. The procedure can be used as an independent concept mapping technique, or as a support to a concept similarity measure of other nature.
Tree structural watershed for stereo matching

We present a new method for dense stereo matching based on a tree structural cost volume watershed (TSCVW) and a region combination (RC) process. Given a cost volume as the data cost and an initial segmentation result, the proposed TSCVW method reliably estimates the disparities in a segment by using energy optimization to control plane segmentation and plane fitting. Then the disparities in the incorrectly fitted and occluded regions are refined using our RC process. Experimental results show that our method is very robust to different initial segmentation results and the shape of a segment. The comparison between our algorithm and the current state-of-the-art algorithms on the Middlebury website shows that our algorithm is very competitive.
A class of generalised stochastic petri nets for the performance evaluation of multiprocessor systems

Graph models have been proposed by many authors as a useful tool for the analysis of peculiar features of computer systems such as concurrency, synchronization, communication, and cooperation among subsystems. Much of the work in this field is related to the original ideas developed by C. A. Petri. These graph models are today generally known as Petri Nets (PNs).
Assembly and trafficking of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (Review)

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are members of an extensive super-family of neurotransmitter-gated ion channels. In humans, nAChRs are expressed within the nervous system and at the neuromuscular junction and are important targets for pharmaceutical drug discovery. They are also the site of action for neuroactive pesticides in insects and other invertebrates. Nicotinic receptors are complex pentameric transmembrane proteins which are assembled from a large family of subunits; seventeen nAChR subunits (α1-α10, β1-β4, γ, δ and ε) have been identified in vertebrate species. This review will discuss nAChR subunit diversity and factors influencing receptor assembly and trafficking.
Thermal Aware Floor planning Technique for Nano Circuits

The strongest challenge that a VLSI designer has to face today is the extremely high heat generation within a chip which not only degrades the performance but also the yield and reliability are greatly affected. The situation even became worse with the more number of wires in a single chip and due to path to path temperature variations within the chip. Nowadays VLSI circuits have immense variations in temperature and their linear relationship between metal resistance and temperature causes distinct delay through wires of the same length. The aim of this study is to analyze floor planning algorithms and wire plan methods to reduce the temperature dependent delay in global wires. We propose a temperature dependent wire delay estimation method for thermal aware floor planning algorithms, which takes into account the thermal effect on wire delay. The experiment results show that a shorter delay can be achieved, the congestion and reliability issues as they are closely related to routing and temperature using the proposed method.
Robotic Gait Trainer Reliability and Stroke Patient Case Study

With over 600,000 people each year surviving a stroke, it has become the leading cause of serious long-term disability in the United States [1, 2, 3]. Studies have proven that through repetitive task training, neural circuits can be re-mapped thus increasing the mobility of the patient [4, 5, 6, 7, 8]. This fuels the emerging field of rehabilitation robotics. As technology advances new therapy robots are developed that are increasingly compliant and captivating to use. This paper examines the robotic gait trainer (RGT) developed in the human machine integration laboratory at Arizona State University. The RGT is a tripod mechanism, where the patient's leg is the fixed link, controlled on a Mat-lab and Simulink platform. An eight week case study was conducted with a 22 year old female stroke survivor. Subjective feedback, robot performance and the patient's key performance indicators examined throughout the study are analyzed.
Algorithmic aspects of natural language processing

Examples of natural languages are Chinese, English and Italian. They are called natural as they evolved in a more or less natural way, without too many deliberate considerations. This sets them apart from formal languages, amongst which are programming languages, which are designed to allow easy processing by computer algorithms. Typically, programs in programming languages such as C or Java can be processed (compiled) in close to linear time in their length. One particular feature that most programming languages have in common, and that allows for their fast processing, is absence of ambiguity. That is, only one structure, called a parse or parse tree, can be assigned to any program, and this parse can have only one meaning. Furthermore, the design of many programming languages is such that the single parse can be found deterministically, which means that every parsing step contributes a fragment of the resulting parse. As parses have a size linear in the length of the input, this explains why parsing is possible in linear time. Subsequent processing of the parse, for example in order to compile to machine code, is also commonly possible in close to linear time. Natural languages are quite different in this respect. Like programs in a programming language, sentences in a natural language can be assigned parses, but often the sentences are ambiguous and allow more than one parse. Even for a single parse, there may be ambiguity in the meanings of words or expressions. The existence of ambiguity in natural language is witnessed by frequent misunderstandings in daily life, but it is also an essential feature of poetry and puns.
Two Forms of Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Type 2 in Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Two aryl hydrocarbon receptors (AhRs), rtAhR2α and rtAhR2β, were cloned from rainbow trout (rt) cDNA libraries. The distribution of sequence differences, genomic Southern blot analysis, and the presence of both transcripts in all individual rainbow trout examined suggest that the two forms of rtAhR2 are derived from separate genes. The two rtAhR2s have significant sequence similarity with AhRs cloned from mammalian species, especially in the basic helix-loop-helix and PAS functional domains located in the amino-terminal 400 amino acids of the protein. In contrast, the Gln-rich transactivation domain found in the carboxyl-terminal half of mammalian AhRs is absent from both rtAhR2s. Both clones were expressed by in vitro transcription/translation and proteins of approximately 125 kDa were produced. These proteins bind 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and are able to bind dioxin response elements in gel shift assays. rtAhR2α and rtAhR2β are expressed in a tissue-specific manner with the highest expression of rtAhR2β in the heart. Expression of rtAhR2α and rtAhR2β mRNAs is positively regulated by TCDD. Both rtAhR2α and rtAhR2β produced TCDD-dependent activation of a reporter gene driven by dioxin response elements. Surprisingly, the two receptors showed distinct preferences for different enhancer sequences. These results suggest that the two receptor forms may regulate different sets of genes, and may play different roles in the toxic responses produced by AhR agonists such as TCDD.
Epistemic Vigilance

Humans massively depend on communication with others, but this leaves them open to the risk of being accidentally or intentionally misinformed. To ensure that, despite this risk, communication remains advantageous, humans have, we claim, a suite of cognitive mechanisms for epistemic vigilance. Here we outline this claim and consider some of the ways in which epistemic vigilance works in mental and social life by surveying issues, research and theories in different domains of philosophy, linguistics, cognitive psychology and the social sciences.
Be our guest:

In 1996, Paul KOCHER disclosed the first side-channel attack, highlighting the importance of secure implementation. Çetin Koç reminds us in this issue that new attacks will inevitably continue to shake the world of security. The AACS hack highlights that writing secure software requires a high level of expertise. Writing secure software is far more complex than just writing good software. It requires an extensive, up to date knowledge of the techniques used by attackers.
The role of lateral orbitofrontal cortex in the inhibitory control of emotion

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) governs the executive control of information processing and behavioral expression, including the ability to selectively attend and maintain information, inhibit irrelevant stimuli and impulses, and evaluate and select the appropriate response (Knight et al. 1995, Miller and Cohen 2001). This cognitive and behavioral control facilitates successful achievement of complex goal-directed behaviors. Some evidence suggests that all regions of the PFC (dorsal, ventral, lateral, medial) have the capacity to perform the same type of executive control functions (i.e. evaluate, maintain, inhibit, or select) [(Duncan and Owen 2000)]. However, other evidence indicates that particular regions of the PFC are biased toward specific functions and information domains (Shimamura 2000, Muller et al. 2002). In particular, evidence indicates that the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) participates in the executive control of information processing and behavioral expression by inhibiting neural activity associated with irrelevant, unwanted, or uncomfortable (e.g. painful) information, sensations, or actions (Shimamura 2000). The role of the OFC in inhibition has gained increasing prominence in the literature due to the dramatic rise in research investigating the neural correlates of social and emotional processing. Most investigations of social or emotional processing reveal that the OFC is involved; however, the exact role that it plays is still debated. Here, we review evidence that the lateral OFC, extending to the ventrolateral PFC, facilitates successful goal-oriented behavior by inhibiting the influence of emotional information in the context of physical sensation, selective attention, emotion regulation, judgement and decision-making and social relationships.
The Application of Magnetic Sensors in Self-Contained Local Positioning

Nowadays, GPS (Global Positioning System) has been widely used to position airplanes, ships, automobiles, migrating animals, and human beings, etc. However, GPS has its own limitations. Other than the user groups for whom GPS is operated, there is no service level agreement with anyone else. As more and more people become dependant on GPS in more and more countries, the political control of GPS raised doubt about its value. Moreover, in the event of system failure, equipment depending on GPS, such as airplanes or ocean-going vessels, needs alternative positioning systems. Furthermore, GPS relies on complicated infrastructure and cannot provide sufficient accuracy, stability and coverage for environments such as indoors and highly urbanized areas (known as “urban canyon”) due to the lack of lineof-sight (LOS) to the satellites of GPS. As a result, most commercial and social activities taking place in such environment can not benefit from positioning services offered by GPS.
Iterative Relaxations for Iterative Flattening in Cumulative Scheduling

Cumulative scheduling is a generalization of jobshop scheduling, where machines have discrete capacities and activities may require several capacity units. This paper considers iterative flattening, a heuristic procedure aiming at producing high-quality solutions to large cumulative problems in reasonable time. On standard benchmarks (with as much as 900 activities), iterative flattening quickly delivers solutions that are within 10% of the best upper bounds in average. This paper analyzes iterative flattening and identifies a pathological behaviour which explains why it may result in solutions where resources are under-utilized in early parts of the schedules. It proposes a simple extension of the algorithm which has dramatic effect on the quality of the solutions, while preserving its computational efficiency. The new algorithm found 21 new best upper bounds to the same benchmarks and quickly delivers solutions that are within 1% of the best available upper bounds in the average.
The Cytochrome P450 2B6 (CYP2B6) Is the Main Catalyst of Efavirenz Primary and Secondary Metabolism: Implication for HIV/AIDS Therapy and Utility of Efavirenz as a Substrate Marker of CYP2B6 Catalytic Activity

We used human liver microsomes (HLMs) and recombinant cytochromes P450 (P450s) to identify the routes of efavirenz metabolism and the P450s involved. In HLMs, efavirenz undergoes primary oxidative hydroxylation to 8-hydroxyefavirenz (major) and 7-hydroxyefavirenz (minor) and secondary metabolism to 8,14-dihydroxyefavirenz. The formation of 8-hydroxyefavirenz in two HLMs showed sigmoidal kinetics (average apparent Km, 20.2 μM; Vmax, 140 pmol/min/mg protein; and Hill coefficient, 1.5), whereas that of 7-hydroxyefavirenz formation was characterized by hyperbolic kinetics (Km, 40.1 μM and Vmax, 20.5 pmol/min/mg protein). In a panel of 10 P450s, CYP2B6 formed 8-hydroxyefavirenz and 8,14-dihydroxyefavirenz from efavirenz (10 μM) at the highest rate. The Km value for the formation of 8-hydroxyefavirenz in CYP2B6 derived from hyperbolic Eq. 12.4 μM) was close to that obtained in HLMs (Km, 20.2 μM). None of the P450s tested showed activity toward 7-hydroxylation of efavirenz. When 8-hydroxyefavirenz (2.5 μM) was used as a substrate, 8,14-dihydroxyefavirenz was formed by CYP2B6 at the highest rate, and its kinetics showed substrate inhibition (Ksi, ∼94 μM in HLMs and ∼234 μM in CYP2B6). In a panel of 11 HLMs, 8-hydroxyefavirenz and 8,14-dihydroxyefavirenz formation rates from efavirenz (10 μM) correlated significantly with the activity of CYP2B6 and CYP3A. N,N',N”-Triethylenethiophosphoramide (thioTEPA; 50 μM) inhibited the formation rates of 8-hydroxyefavirenz and 8,14-dihydroxyefavirenz from efavirenz (10 μM) by ≥60% in HLMs) and CYP2B6, with Ki values < 4 μM. In conclusion, CYP2B6 is the principal catalyst of efavirenz sequential hydroxylation. Efavirenz systemic exposure is likely to be subject to interindividual variability in CYP2B6 activity and to drug interactions involving this isoform. Efavirenz may be a valuable phenotyping tool to study the role of CYP2B6 in human drug metabolism.
An analysis of a shared services centre in e-government

Information systems engineering projects in e-government are confronted with high costs, lack of expertise and developing similar functionality over and over. A shared services centre might provide common services to local government organizations without affecting the autonomy of organizations and providing the flexibility to enhance and include additional functionality. As such a SSC promises tremendous economies of scale and scope. A promise is however not sufficient, research yields ambiguous results. A sound analysis of motives to use a shared services center and management issues determining success and failure is necessary. The goal of the research presented in this paper is to explore the concept of a shared services center by investigating the motives and management issues determining its successful implementation. We explore the concept by investigating a SSC at the Dutch judicial organization.
GPU implementation of target and anomaly detection algorithms for remotely sensed hyperspectral image analysis

Automatic target and anomaly detection are considered very important tasks for hyperspectral data exploitation. These techniques are now routinely applied in many application domains, including defence and intelligence, public safety, precision agriculture, geology, or forestry. Many of these applications require timely responses for swift decisions which depend upon high computing performance of algorithm analysis. However, with the recent explosion in the amount and dimensionality of hyperspectral imagery, this problem calls for the incorporation of parallel computing techniques. In the past, clusters of computers have offered an attractive solution for fast anomaly and target detection in hyperspectral data sets already transmitted to Earth. However, these systems are expensive and difficult to adapt to on-board data processing scenarios, in which low-weight and low-power integrated components are essential to reduce mission payload and obtain analysis results in (near) real-time, i.e., at the same time as the data is collected by the sensor. An exciting new development in the field of commodity computing is the emergence of commodity graphics processing units (GPUs), which can now bridge the gap towards on-board processing of remotely sensed hyperspectral data. In this paper, we describe several new GPU-based implementations of target and anomaly detection algorithms for hyperspectral data exploitation. The parallel algorithms are implemented on latest-generation Tesla C1060 GPU architectures, and quantitatively evaluated using hyperspectral data collected by NASA's AVIRIS system over the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York, five days after the terrorist attacks that collapsed the two main towers in the WTC complex.
A Novel Approach to Discover User Search Goals Using Clickthrough Data

Nowadays Internet is widely used by users to satisfy various information needs. However, ambiguous query/topic submitted to search engine doesn’t satisfy user information needs, because different users may have different information needs on diverse aspects upon submission of same query/topic to search engine. So discovering different user search goals becomes complicated. The evaluation and depiction of user search goals can be very useful in improving search engine relevance and user knowledge. This paper proposes a novel approach for inferring user search goals by analyzing user query logs from various search engines. The proposed approach is used to discover different user search goals for a query by clustering the user feedback sessions. Feedback sessions are constructed from clickthrough logs of various search engines. The method first generates pseudo-documents to better represent feedback sessions for clustering. Finally, clustering pseudo-documents to discover different user search goals and depict them with some keywords. Then these user search goals are used to restructure the web search results. Keywords— User search goals, implicit feedback sessions, pseudo-documents, restructuring search results, k-means clustering.