Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Approximating polygonal curves in two and three dimensions

Given a polygonal curve P equals [p1, p2, . , pn], the polygonal approximation problem considered in this paper calls for determining a new curve P' equals [p'1, p'2, . , p'm] such that (i) m is significantly smaller than n, (ii) the vertices of P' are a subset of the vertices of P and (iii) any line segment [p'A,p'A+1] of P' that substitutes a chain [pB, . , pC] in P is such that for all i where B <= i <= C, the approximation error of Pi with respect to [p'A,p'A+1], according to some specified criterion and metric, is less than a predetermined error tolerance. Using the parallel- strip error criterion, we study the following problems for a curve P in Rd, where d >= 2: (1) minimize m for a given error tolerance and (ii) given m, find the curve P' that has the minimum approximation error over all curves that have at most m vertices. These problems are called the min-# and min-(epsilon) problems, respectively. For R2 and with any one of the L1, L2 or L(infinity) distance metrics, we give algorithms to solve the min-# problem in O(n2) time and the min-(epsilon) problem in O(n2 log n) time, improving the best known algorithms to date by a factor of log n. When P is a polygonal curve in R3 that is strictly monotone with respect to one of the three axes, we show that if the L1 and LINF metrics are used then the min-# problem can be solved in O(n2) time and the min-(epsilon) problem can be solved in O(n3) time. All our algorithms exhibit O(n2) space complexity.
Learning Ancestral Atom via Sparse Coding

Sparse signal models have been the focus of recent research. In sparse coding, signals are represented with a linear combination of a small number of elementary signals called atoms, and the collection of atoms is called a dictionary. Design of the dictionary has strong influence on the signal approximation performance. Recently, to put prior information into dictionary learning, several methods imposing a certain kind of structure on the dictionary are proposed. In this paper, like wavelet analysis, a dictionary for sparse signal representation is assumed to be generated from an ancestral atom, and a method for learning the ancestral atom is proposed. The proposed algorithm updates the ancestral atom by iterating dictionary update in unstructured dictionary space and projection of the updated dictionary onto the structured dictionary space. The algorithm allows a simple differential geometric interpretation. Numerical experiments are performed to show the characteristics and advantages of the proposed algorithm.
Adaptive Finite Element Method for a Phase Field Bending Elasticity Model of Vesicle Membrane Deformations

In this paper, a three-dimensional adaptive finite element method is developed for a variational phase field bending elasticity model of vesicle membrane deformations. Using a mixed finite element formulation, residual type a posteriori error estimates are derived for the associated nonlinear system of equations and, they are used to introduce the mesh refinement and coarsening. The resulting mesh adaptivity significantly improves the efficiency of the phase field simulation of vesicle membranes and enhances its capability in handling complex shape and topological changes. The effectiveness of the adaptive method is further demonstrated through numerical examples.
Network-based Localized IP mobility Management: Proxy Mobile IPv6 and Current Trends in Standardization

IP mobility support has been a hot topic over the last years, recently fostered by the role of IP in the evolution of the 3G mobile communication networks. Standardization bodies, namely IETF, IEEE and 3GPP are working on different aspects of the mobility aiming at improving the mobility experience perceived by users. Traditional IP mobility support mechanisms, Mobile IPv4 or Mobile IPv6, are based on the operation of the terminal to keep ongoing sessions despite the movement. The current trend is towards network-based solutions where mobility support is based on network operation. Proxy Mobile IPv6 is a promising speciﬁcation that allows network operators to provide localized mobility support without relying on mobility functionality or conﬁguration present in the mobile nodes, which greatly eases the deployment of the solution. This paper presents Proxy Mobile IPv6 and the different extensions that are been considered by the standardization bodies to enhance the basic protocol with interesting features needed to offer a richer mobility experience, namely, ﬂow mobility, multicast and network mobility support.
Interference-Aware Joint Routing and TDMA Link Scheduling for Static Wireless Networks

We study efficient interference-aware joint routing and TDMA link scheduling for a multihop wireless network to maximize its throughput. Efficient link scheduling can greatly reduce the interference effect of close-by transmissions. Unlike the previous studies that often assume a unit disk graph model, we assume that different terminals could have different transmission ranges and interference ranges. In our model, a communication link may not exist due to barriers or is not used by a predetermined routing protocol. Using a mathematical formulation, we develop interference aware joint routing and TDMA link schedulings that optimize the networking throughput subject to various constraints. Our linear programming formulation will find a flow routing whose achieved throughput (or fairness) is at least a constant fraction of the optimum. Then, by assuming known link capacities and link traffic loads, we study link scheduling under the RTS/CTS interference model and the protocol interference model with fixed transmission power. For both models, we present both efficient centralized and distributed algorithms that use time slots within a constant factor of the optimum. We also present efficient distributed algorithms whose performances are still comparable with optimum, but with much less communications. Our theoretical results are corroborated by extensive simulation studies.
Modeling of high-speed, large-signal transistor switching transients from s-parameter measurements

A new technique has been developed to derive the large-signal transient response of semiconductor devices from small-signal frequency response data. The large-signal switching response can be calculated for an arbitrary input signal voltage and rise time. This new technique utilizes the Fourier transformation to combine arrays of small-signal data to compute the response waveform. The input waveform is decomposed into a superposition of small pulses. The response to each pulse is obtained by Fourier transformation techniques, using s-parameter data at appropriate bias points. The sum of these responses approximates the overall transient response. Simulations were performed for a GaAs MESFET for step inputs with the rise times of 8 ns and 150 ps. Good agreement was obtained between simulated waveforms and measured output waveforms in rise time, magnitude, and waveform shape. This algorithm is general and will work for other measured small-signal transfer parameters as functions of frequency and bias.
When Knowledge Is a Curse

The ability to reason about mental states is critical for predicting and interpreting people's behavior and for communicating effectively. Yet both children and adults exhibit some remarkable limitations in reasoning about mental states. In this article, I outline some of the parallels between children's and adults' fallacies in reasoning about the mind and suggest that a fundamental bias in social cognition contributes to these limitations. This bias is the curse of knowledge—being biased by one's own knowledge when trying to appreciate a more naive perspective. I offer the curse of knowledge as a possible alternative to the popular claim that a qualitative conceptual change occurs in the development of mental-state reasoning and discuss the implications of this bias for social cognition.
Expression and mutational analyses of the human MAD2L1 gene in breast cancer cells

Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disorder in which most tumors display some degree of aneuploidy, especially those at later stages of the disease. Aneuploidy and associated chromosome instability may be important in the progression of mammary tumorigenesis. Aneuploidy is prevented during normal cell division in part through regulation of a mitotic spindle checkpoint where mitotic arrest prevents segregation of misaligned chromosomes into daughter cells at anaphase. Mitotic arrest genes, including the MAD family, which was originally characterized in yeast, help regulate normal function of the mitotic spindle checkpoint. Decreased expression of the human gene MAD2L1 was previously reported in a breast cancer cell line exhibiting chromosome instability and aneuploidy. To explore further the potential role of MAD2L1 in breast cancer, we analyzed MAD2L1 gene expression in 13 minimally to grossly aneuploid human breast cancer cell lines and found significant differences of expression in three lines. Sequence analysis of MAD2L1 cDNA in these as well as nine additional aneuploid breast cancer and five immortalized normal human mammary epithelial cell lines revealed one heterozygous frameshift (572 del A) mutation in a cancer cell line that demonstrated a high level of transcript expression. In addition, two 3′UTR sequence variants were noted in breast cancer cell lines. The 572 del A mutation creates a truncated MAD2 protein product. Further functional studies in primary breast tumors are therefore warranted to determine the potential role MAD2L1 may play in breast cancer. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Variant Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2*2) Is a Risk Factor for Coronary Spasm and ST‐Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Background Mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) plays a key role in removing toxic aldehydes. Deficient variant ALDH2*2 genotype is prevalent in up to 40% of the East Asians and reported to be associated with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). To elucidate the mechanisms underlying the association of ALDH2*2 with AMI, we compared the clinical features of AMI patients with ALDH2*2 to those with wild‐type ALDH2*1/*1. Methods and Results The study subjects consisted of 202 Japanese patients with acute ST‐segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) (156 men and 46 women; mean age, 67.3±12.0) who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). In 85 patients, provocation test for coronary spasm was also done 6 month post‐PCI. ALDH2 genotyping was performed by direct application of the TaqMan polymerase chain system. Of the 202 patients, 103 (51.0%) were carriers of ALDH2*2 and 99 (49.0%) those of ALDH2*1/*1. There were no differences in clinical features between ALDH2*2 and ALDH2*1/*1 carrier groups except higher frequencies of coronary spasm and alcohol flush syndrome (AFS) (88.6% vs 56.1%; P=0.001 and 94.3% vs 17.6%; P<0.001), less‐frequent alcohol habit (14.6% vs 51.5%; P<0.001), and higher peak plasma creatine phophokinase levels (2224 vs 1617 mg/dL; P=0.002) in the ALDH2*2 than the ALDH2*1/*1 carrier group. Conclusions ALDH2*2 is prevalent (51.0%) among Japanese STEMI patients, and those with ALDH2*2 had higher frequencies of coronary spasm and AFS and more‐severe myocardial injury compared to those with ALDH2*1/*1.
Product case rePort Product case rePort Electroceutical therapy to manage complex leg ulcers : a case series of three patients

Venous leg ulcers (VLUs) are estimated to affect around one in 500 people in the UK. They become much more common with age and it is estimated that around two per 100 people over the age of 80 have a VLU (NHS Choices, 2014). The average time taken for a VLU to heal is 6–9 months (Briggs and Clos, 2003), with 60% present for longer than 6 months, 33% present over a 1 year (Harrison et al, 2001) and 20% present for more than 5 years (Price and Harding, 1996). Guest et al (2013) suggested that 90% of VLUs remained unhealed at 6 months and that accepted best practice (compression bandaging) is not always successful at healing VLUs. Factors that contribute to a VLU being a complex poorly healing wound include: Comorbidities such as diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis, which affects small vessels Lifestyle, such as drug/alcohol abuse and smoking (Milic et al, 2009; Wigstone et al, 2013) Multiple medications (Wigstone et al, 2013) Age and non-concordance (Moffatt et al, 2009) Infection (Hurlow and Bowler, 2012) Pain (Cole-King and Harding, 2001, Broadhurst et al, 2003 ). Depression and/or social isolation and seasonal changes also contribute to VLUs not healing (Simka, 2010). Opportunities are therefore open to innovative treatments and advanced modalities such as electroceuticals to improve healing outcomes. One of such electroceuticals is Accel-Heal, a class IIA medical device. It is a 12day treatment course, consisting of six 48-hour single-use units delivering a sequence of electric current through electrode pads placed on healthy skin either side of the VLU, which has been demonstrated to be effective in wound healing (Tadej et al, 2010; Taylor et al, 2011). The treatment is an adjunct treatment applied alongside the patient’s standard wound therapy regimen and can be used under compression bandage.
Fast and slow voltage sensor rearrangements during activation gating in Kv1.2 channels detected using tetramethylrhodamine fluorescence

The Kv1.2 channel, with its high resolution crystal structure, provides an ideal model for investigating conformational changes associated with channel gating, and fluorescent probes attached at the extracellular end of S4 are a powerful way to gain a more complete understanding of the voltage-dependent activity of these dynamic proteins. Tetramethylrhodamine-5-maleimide (TMRM) attached at A291C reports two distinct rearrangements of the voltage sensor domains, and a comparative fluorescence scan of the S4 and S3–S4 linker residues in Shaker and Kv1.2 shows important differences in their emission at other homologous residues. Kv1.2 shows a rapid decrease in A291C emission with a time constant of 1.5 ± 0.1 ms at 60 mV (n = 11) that correlates with gating currents and reports on translocation of the S4 and S3–S4 linker. However, unlike any Kv channel studied to date, this fast component is dwarfed by a larger, slower quenching of TMRM emission during depolarizations between −120 and −50 mV (τ = 21.4 ± 2.1 ms at 60 mV, V1/2 of −73.9 ± 1.4 mV) that is not seen in either Shaker or Kv1.5 and that comprises >60% of the total signal at all activating potentials. The slow fluorescence relaxes after repolarization in a voltage-dependent manner that matches the time course of Kv1.2 ionic current deactivation. Fluorophores placed directly in S1 and S2 at I187 and T219 recapitulate the time course and voltage dependence of slow quenching. The slow component is lost when the extracellular S1–S2 linker of Kv1.2 is replaced with that of Kv1.5 or Shaker, suggesting that it arises from a continuous internal rearrangement within the voltage sensor, initiated at negative potentials but prevalent throughout the activation process, and which must be reversed for the channel to close.
Insulin Resistance and Cancer Risk: An Overview of the Pathogenetic Mechanisms

Insulin resistance is common in individuals with obesity or type 2 diabetes (T2D), in which circulating insulin levels are frequently increased. Recent epidemiological and clinical evidence points to a link between insulin resistance and cancer. The mechanisms for this association are unknown, but hyperinsulinaemia (a hallmark of insulin resistance) and the increase in bioavailable insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) appear to have a role in tumor initiation and progression in insulin-resistant patients. Insulin and IGF-I inhibit the hepatic synthesis of sex-hormone binding globulin (SHBG), whereas both hormones stimulate the ovarian synthesis of sex steroids, whose effects, in breast epithelium and endometrium, can promote cellular proliferation and inhibit apoptosis. Furthermore, an increased risk of cancer among insulin-resistant patients can be due to overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that can damage DNA contributing to mutagenesis and carcinogenesis. On the other hand, it is possible that the abundance of inflammatory cells in adipose tissue of obese and diabetic patients may promote systemic inflammation which can result in a protumorigenic environment. Here, we summarize recent progress on insulin resistance and cancer, focusing on various implicated mechanisms that have been described recently, and discuss how these mechanisms may contribute to cancer initiation and progression.
Differences in the evolutionary pattern of feline panleukopenia virus and canine parvovirus.

Canine parvovirus (CPV) suddenly appeared in the late 1970s after which it showed continuous antigenic changes. Virological and molecular genetic analyses mainly focused on feline panleukopenia virus (FPLV) were conducted in this study because FPLV is the suspected ancestor of CPV; the way in which FPLV evolves may help to explain the emergence of CPV. Analysis of escape mutants against FPLV-specific monoclonal antibody showed that viruses possessing CPV-like properties were not easily detected in FPLV virus stocks. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) and capsid protein 2 (VP2) genes of FPLV changed with time. A similar tendency, however, was not observed in the FPLV VP2 proteins. In contrast, the topology of the phylogenetic tree of VP2 proteins of CPV basically concurred with that of the VP2 genes. Analysis of the ratio of nonsynonymous and synonymous substitutions revealed that synonymous substitutions exceeded nonsynonymous substitutions in both the NS1 and VP2 genes of FPLV, even when the analysis focused on specific regions in the VP2 gene that are known to be located on the capsid surface. Comparison of the CPV VP2 genes revealed that nonsynonymous substitution was found to dominate over synonymous substitution in one specific region in the VP2 gene. These results suggested that FPLV has changed mainly by random genetic drift. In contrast, after the appearance of CPV, changes in the CPV VP2 gene appear to be partly selected by certain positive selection forces. CPV and FPLV are known to be closely related viruses genetically and biologically, but the evolutionary mechanisms of the two viruses appeared to be different.
A simulation study of application-layer traffic optimization protocol for P2P applications

Since peer-to-peer (P2P) applications like BitTorrent are prevalent on the Internet, the amount of Internet traffic is explosively growing. The traffic caused by P2P applications to share large files have a considerable impact on the network operation, because P2P applications significantly consume network resources and often saturate the capacity of broadband access, inter-domain, or international links. Currently, in order to optimize traffic, IETF Application-Layer Traffic Optimization (ALTO) WG standardizes a traffic localization protocol that provides location and ranking information to peers, that will be useful for reducing overall traffic load by connecting nearest peers instead of random ones. In this work, we verify the effectiveness of ALTO protocols from intensive simulations on a scaled-down commercial network topology. From simulation results, we could observe that the total amount of traffic, the load of inter-domain and international links, and the user download time could be remarkably diminished.
UNDO: A system for neutralizing nuisance attacks

UNDO: A SYSTEM FOR NEUTRALIZING NUISANCE ATTACKS by Eilbroun W. Benjamin In recent years, our society has seen a shift towards a reliance on digital means of data storage. This thesis considers the problem of digital data integrity protection, which is defined as preventing unauthorized writing of data. Numerous examples of successful attacks against seemingly secure targets are examined to support the assertion of the author that, at least in some circumstances, the integrity of digital data is difficult to preserve. An approach to securing data is proposed in which a security administrator first assumes that a system will be compromised. This approach limits its focus to a nuisance-type attack, which is defined as an attempt to obscure shared non-sensitive data by limited-experience attackers. A trusted third party, the Universal Nuisance Defense Object (UNDO), is employed to monitor the system and automatically detect and abate unauthorized writing of data. This approach is further expanded upon by utilizing a tool set of metrics that allows one to measure the performance of UNDO and appropriately configure it. This allows an administrator to optimize its efficiency, ideally to the point where this category of attack on the data integrity will be nullified.
Cure Cycle Effect on Composite Structures Manufactured by Resin Transfer Molding

An experimental investigation was conducted of the effect of curing cycle on the development of material properties, residual strains and stresses in composite parts during the resin transfer molding (RTM) process. The material investigated consisted of AS4 carbon fibers as the preform anda three-part epoxy system. Unidirectional and crossply carbon/epoxy laminates were prepared by the RTM process in aluminum molds. Several different curing cycles were designed by changing the peak cure temperature andheat up rate basedon a cure kinetic model. Strains were measured in the composite laminates during curing using embedded fiber optic strain sensors andelectrical resistance strain gages. It was foundthat significant strain was developed by interference between composite and mold during cure, resulting in constraint-induced strain. The magnitude of residual stresses was also assessedby measuring the warpage curvature of asymmetric cross ply laminates. The data showed that the residual stress was significantly dependent on the cure cycle andthe interference.
Saliency based on cortex-like mechanisms

A visual attention system should preferentially locate the most informative spots in complex environments. Feature-integration theory of attention plays an important role in bottom-up computational model for visual attention. This point extremely decreases the detection accuracy and also impacts the performance of the automatic visual attention model. To improve the accuracy of saliency detection in human visual attention, we propose a model based on cortex-like mechanisms. Saliency Criteria are obtained from two pathways: Shannon's entropy and sparse representation. And our model not only substantiates the bottom-up model proposed by Itti and HMAX model by Paggio, but also enriches the theory of saliency detection. We demonstrate that the proposed model achieves superior accuracy in comparison to the classical approach in static saliency map generation on real data of natural scenes and psychology stimuli patterns.
Vaccination of Macaques with Adjuvanted Formalin-Inactivated Influenza A Virus (H5N1) Vaccines: Protection against H5N1 Challenge without Disease Enhancement

ABSTRACT We investigated the ability of adjuvanted, inactivated split-virion influenza A virus (H5N1) vaccines to protect against infection and demonstrated that the disease exacerbation phenomenon seen with adjuvanted formaldehyde-inactivated respiratory syncytial virus and measles virus investigational vaccines did not occur with these H5N1 vaccines. Macaques were vaccinated twice with or without an aluminum hydroxide or oil-in-water emulsion adjuvanted vaccine. Three months later, animals were challenged with homologous wild-type H5N1. No signs of vaccine-induced disease exacerbation were seen. With either adjuvant, vaccination induced functional and cross-reactive antibodies and protected the lungs and upper respiratory tract. Without an adjuvant, the vaccine provided partial protection. Best results were obtained with the emulsion adjuvant.