Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Material Interface Reconstruction

The paper presents an algorithm for material interface reconstruction for data sets where fractional material information is given as a percentage for each element of the underlying grid. The reconstruction problem is transformed to a problem that analyzes a dual grid, where each vertex in the dual grid has an associated barycentric coordinate tuple that represents the fraction of each material present. Material boundaries are constructed by analyzing the barycentric coordinate tuples of a tetrahedron in material space and calculating intersections with Voronoi cells that represent the regions where one material dominates. These intersections are used to calculate intersections in the Euclidean coordinates of the tetrahedron. By triangulating these intersection points, one creates the material boundary. The algorithm can treat data sets containing any number of materials. The algorithm can also create nonmanifold boundary surfaces if necessary. By clipping the generated material boundaries against the original cells, one can examine the error in the algorithm. Error analysis shows that the algorithm preserves volume fractions within an error range of 0.5 percent per material.
On single-channel noise reduction in the time domain

In this paper, we revisit the noise-reduction problem in the time domain and present a way to decompose the filtered speech into two uncorrelated (orthogonal) components: the desired speech and the interference. Based on this new decomposition, we discuss how to form different optimization cost functions and address the issue of how to design different noise-reduction filters by optimizing these new cost functions. Particularly, we cover the design of the maximum signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR), the Wiener, the minimum variance distortionless response (MVDR), and the tradeoff filters. It is interesting that with this new decomposition, we can now design the MVDR filter that can achieve noise reduction without adding speech distortion in the single-channel case, which has never been seen before. We also demonstrate that the maximum SNR, Wiener, and tradeoff filters are identical to the MVDR filter up to a scaling factor. From a theoretical point of view, this scaling factor is not significant and should not affect the output SNR at any processing time. But from a practical viewpoint, the scaling factor can be time-varying due to the nonstationarity of the speech and possibly the noise and can cause discontinuity in the residual noise level, which is unpleasant to listen to. As a result, it is essential to have the scaling factor right from one processing sample (or frame) to another in order to avoid large distortions and for this reason, it is recommended to use the MVDR filter in speech enhancement applications.
An analytical model for service differentiation in IEEE 802.11

With the rapid deployment of wireless LAN technology, provisioning of QoS differentiation to different traffic classes in wireless LANs (WLANs) has become a prominent research issue. In this paper, we analyze throughput performance of a p-persistent version of 802.11 MAC protocol with multiple QoS traffic classes. (It has been validated in [F. Cali, et al., March 1998], [F. Cali, et al., December 2000], [F. Cali, et al., September 2000] that the transmission probability used in the p-persistent version of 802.11 can be "converted" to the retransmission backoff timer value in 802.11.) In particular, we derive the closed-form solution of throughput with respect to different traffic classes. With the derived analytical results, each station can fine tune its transmission probabilities for different traffic classes to achieve the targeted throughput ratio, while at the same time maximizing the total system capacity. The correctness of the analytical results is corroborated by simulation.
Beginnings & Beyond: Foundations in Early Childhood Education

Chapter 1: History of Early Childhood Education. Chapter 2: Types of Programs. Chapter 3: Defining the Young Child. Chapter 4: Developmental and Learning Theories. Chapter 5: The Teachers Role. Chapter 6: Observation and Assessment. Chapter 7: Understanding and Guiding Behavior. Chapter 8: Parents and Teachers: Partners in Education. Chapter 9: Creating Environments. Chapter 10: Evaluating for Effectiveness. Chapter 11: Planning for Play: Curriculum Basics. Chapter 12: Planning for the Mind: Cognitive Development. Chapter 13: Planning for the Mind: Language Development. Chapter 14: Planning for the Heart and Soul: Emotional, Social, Creative, and Spiritual Growth. Chapter 15: Issues and Trends in Early Childhood Education.
La acción afirmativa en la Universidad de los Andes: el caso del programa

espanolEl articulo introduce y explica la nocion de Accion Afirmativa, entendida como toda medida de caracter temporal con la que se busca asegurar la igualdad de oportunidades, a traves de un trato preferencial, a los miembros de un grupo que ha experimentado situacion de discriminacion y marginalidad. El texto retoma el tema en el escenario de la educacion superior y resena los inicios, deficiencias y resultados del Programa Oportunidades, implementado por la Universidad de los Andes, entre los anos 1996 y 1998, con el objetivo de generar los medios y procedimientos necesarios para que los bachilleres de los zonas mas deprimidas del pais, destacados academicamente y con capacidades de liderazgo, pudiesen acceder a la Universidad. EnglishThe article introduces and explains the notion of Affirmative Action, understood as a temporal measure aiming at offering equal access to opportunities by offering preferential treatment to members of groups that have experienced discrimination and marginality. The text approaches the topic in relation to higher education, reviewing the beginnings, deficiencies and results of Programa Oportunidades, implemented by Universidad de los Andes, between 1996 and 1998. The program's objective was to generate the necessary means and procedures for high school graduates from the most depressed areas of the country who had obtained the best academic results and showed leadership abilities to have access to college education at Los Andes.
Developmental differences in locomotor responsiveness to amphetamine in rats

Enhanced risk for drug abuse in adolescence has been associated with developmental changes in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), which is associated with addictive and locomotor activating effects of psycho stimulants, but studies of targeted drug injection 51 into the developing NAc are lacking. Rats were given injections of amphetamine (0, 3, or 6 J-lglside) directly into the NAc in early (postnatal day 30; P30) or late (P45) adolescence, or in adulthood (P75) and locomotor activity was recorded during two 1 h sessions, 48 h apart. Amphetamine increased locomotor activity at all ages. P30 rats were more active than adults only at the 6 J-lglside dose, whereas P45 were more active than adults only at the 3 J-lglside dose, indicating that locomotor response magnitude is highest on P30 and sensitivity to low amphetamine doses is highest on P45. Heightened sensitivity of the NAc to amphetamine is consistent with increased risk for addiction during adolescence.
The FMRP regulon: from targets to disease convergence

The fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) is an RNA-binding protein that regulates mRNA metabolism. FMRP has been largely studied in the brain, where the absence of this protein leads to fragile X syndrome, the most frequent form of inherited intellectual disability. Since the identification of the FMRP gene in 1991, many studies have primarily focused on understanding the function/s of this protein. Hundreds of potential FMRP mRNA targets and several interacting proteins have been identified. Here, we report the identification of FMRP mRNA targets in the mammalian brain that support the key role of this protein during brain development and in regulating synaptic plasticity. We compared the genes from databases and genome-wide association studies with the brain FMRP transcriptome, and identified several FMRP mRNA targets associated with autism spectrum disorders, mood disorders and schizophrenia, showing a potential common pathway/s for these apparently different disorders.
Study of the phase transitions of Nickel Platinum Silicide obtained by sputtering and rapid thermal processing

Nickel-Platinum Silicide (NiPtSi) layers were formed using a Rapid Thermal Process (RTP) furnace. The metal thin films were deposited by RF Magnetron Sputtering using a Ni(Pt) target (97% Ni and 3% Pt) onto a Si (100) substrate. The silicidation of the samples were performed at temperature ranged from 450°C to 900°C. Energy Dispersion Scanning (EDS) and Grazing Incidence X-Ray Diffraction (GIXRD) were used to confirm the composition and phase of the NiPtSi for each rapid thermal process (RTP) temperature. The Scanning Electron Microscopy was also used to evaluate the surface and difference for each temperature. The lower resistivity monosilicide phase is predominant at temperatures lower than 850°C.
On Inferring the Time-Varying Traffic Connectivity Structures of an Urban Environment

Road networks shape traffic mobility in a city. These dynamics are often represented as traffic flows in and out of defined urban travel zones. The functional dynamics of traffic zones can be represented by time-dependant correlations between time series of traffic flows in and out of these zones. In this paper we address the question: given the dense timevarying functional correlations of traffic flow in a city, how can we derive a sparse representation that explains the timevarying structural connectivity of traffic zones in a city? We call this sparse representation the time-varying effective traffic connectivity of the city. We formulate an optimization problem to infer the sparse effective traffic network from dense functional correlations of traffic flow for arbitrary levels of temporal granularity, and demonstrate the results for the city of Doha, Qatar on data collected from several hundred bluetooth sensors deployed across the city to record vehicular activity through the city’s traffic zones. Preliminary experiments suggest that our framework can be used by urban transportation experts and policy specialists to take a real time data-driven approach towards urban planning and real time traffic planning in the city, especially at the level of administrative zones of a city.
The Psychologizing of Modernity: Art, Architecture and History

List of Illustrations Acknowledgements A prolegomenon to critical historiography Introduction: art psychology, the elusive discipline 1. The psychologizing of modernity: initial soundings 2. The body ethos 3. The vitalist ethos 4. The social ethos 5. The literary ethos 6. Theory activism Conclusion: the disciplinary dialectics of art and architecture's intellectual history Notes Bibliography Index.
LIF at TAC MultiLing: Towards a Truly Language Independent Summarizer

This paper presents the LIF system for the TAC’2011 Multilingual pilot track. We followed a language-independent approach to summarization for this task. In particular, we tried to remove the following dependences to language: sentence segmentation, word segmentation, stop-word lists, and word-level relevance assessment. We applied these modifications to an MMR-based system and observed little degradation on English data. The submitted system had a bug that impeded all official results, therefore we propose in this paper an updated set of results with relevant analysis.
Vortioxetine for the Treatment of Depression

Objective: To evaluate the clinical literature and potential clinical role of vortioxetine (Brintellix) for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). Data Sources: A MEDLINE search (1966-February 2014) was conducted using the search terms vortioxetine, Lu AA21004, and depression. Bibliographies of all articles retrieved were also reviewed. All references included were published between 1999 and 2014. Study Selection/Data Extraction: All studies that included humans and were published in English, with data describing vortioxetine for the treatment of MDD, were reviewed. Data Synthesis: Vortioxetine is a novel multimodal antidepressant agent, which inhibits the 5-HT transporter protein, acts as a 5-HT3 antagonist, 5-HT1A receptor agonist, 5-HT7 receptor antagonist, and a partial agonist of the 5-HT1B receptor. It has been studied in 10 short-term (6-8 weeks), 1 relapse-prevention, and 3 long-term extension trials. Vortioxetine demonstrated efficacy in reducing Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale or Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression scores in 6 of the short-term trials. The proportion of individuals who responded to treatment and achieved remission increased over time in all 3 long-term trials. The most common adverse effects, consistently reported by >10% of individuals in the clinical trials include nausea and headache. Conclusions: Vortioxetine is an effective agent for the treatment of MDD, but it does not have any clear advantages over other available treatment options.
Measurement of Adolescent Psychopathy: Construct and Predictive Validity in Two Samples of Juvenile Offenders

The construct of psychopathy holds promise as a discriminating variable in the classification and explanation of childhood antisocial behavior. The new generation of psychopathy measures, designed to measure this construct in adolescent populations, must meet acceptable standards of reliability and validity prior to the clinical application of the construct with adolescent offenders. The purpose of this study is to examine the construct and predictive validity of adolescent psychopathy as measured by the PCL:YV, PSD, SALE, and SRP-II. Data from two samples of detained adolescent offenders (short-term and long-term detention) are utilized to investigate construct validity via MTMM. In addition, external validity indices including institutional violations (fighting, seclusions, and treatment refusals) and community supervision (probation contacts, drug testing, and re-arrests) are operationalized and measured in order to examine the predictive validity of adolescent psychopathy. Results of construct validity offer modest support for the two-factor model of psychopathy. For external validity, Factor 2 accounted for greater variance in the prediction of institutional infractions and subsequent placements in a secure facility; however, its overall predictive validity was low. The results suggest that the current measures assess psychopathic traits and behaviors which may be stable in adults but are likely to be normative and transient in many adolescents.
Vitamin D and Prostate Cancer

Abstract Classically, the actions of vitamin D have been associated with bone and mineral metabolism. More recent studies have shown that vitamin D metabolites induce differentiation and/or inhibit cell proliferation of a number of malignant and nonmalignant cell types including prostate cancer cells. Epidemiological studies show correlations between the risk factors for prostate cancer and conditions that can result in decreased vitamin D levels. The active metabolite of vitamin D, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (calcitriol), inhibits growth of both primary cultures of human prostate cancer cells and cancer cell lines, but the mechanism by which the cells are growth-inhibited has not been clearly defined. Initial studies suggest that calcitriol alters cell cycle progression and may also initiate apoptosis. One of the disadvantages of using vitamin D in vivo is side-effects such as hypercalcemia at doses above physiological levels. Analogs of calcitriol have been developed that have comparable or more potent antiproliferative effects but are less calcemic. Further research into the mechanisms of vitamin D action in prostate and identification of suitable analogs for use in vivo may lead to its use in the treatment or prevention of prostate cancer.
Interactive Analysis and Exploration of Experimental Evaluation Results

This paper proposes a methodology based on discounted cumulated gain measures and visual analytics techniques in order to improve the analysis and understanding of IR experimental evaluation results. The proposed methodology is geared to favour a natural and effective interaction of the researchers and developers with the experimental data and it is demonstrated by developing an innovative application based on Apple iPad.
RNAi of met1 Reduces DNA Methylation and Induces Genome-Specific Changes in Gene Expression and Centromeric Small RNA Accumulation in Arabidopsis Allopolyploids

Changes in genome structure and gene expression have been documented in both resynthesized and natural allopolyploids that contain two or more divergent genomes. The underlying mechanisms for rapid and stochastic changes in gene expression are unknown. Arabidopsis suecica is a natural allotetraploid derived from the extant A. thaliana and A. arenosa genomes that are homeologous in the allotetraploid. Here we report that RNAi of met1 reduced DNA methylation and altered the expression of ∼200 genes, many of which encode transposons, predicted proteins, and centromeric and heterochromatic RNAs. Reduced DNA methylation occurred frequently in promoter regions of the upregulated genes, and an En/Spm-like transposon was reactivated in met1-RNAi A. suecica lines. Derepression of transposons, heterochromatic repeats, and centromeric small RNAs was primarily derived from the A. thaliana genome, and A. arenosa homeologous loci were less affected by methylation defects. A high level of A. thaliana centromeric small RNA accumulation was correlated with hypermethylation of A. thaliana centromeres. The greater effects of reduced DNA methylation on transposons and centromeric repeats in A. thaliana than in A. arenosa are consistent with the repression of many genes that are expressed at higher levels in A. thaliana than in A. arenosa in the resynthesized allotetraploids. Moreover, non-CG (CC) methylation in the promoter region of A. thaliana At2g23810 remained in the resynthesized allotetraploids, and the methylation spread within the promoter region in natural A. suecica, leading to silencing of At2g23810. At2g23810 was demethylated and reactivated in met1-RNAi A. suecica lines. We suggest that many A. thaliana genes are transcriptionally repressed in resynthesized allotetraploids, and a subset of A. thaliana loci including transposons and centromeric repeats are heavily methylated and subjected to homeologous genome-specific RNA-mediated DNA methylation in natural allopolyploids.
Efficacy of Single and Multiple Injections of Human Umbilical Tissue-Derived Cells following Experimental Stroke in Rats

Introduction Human umbilical tissue-derived cells (hUTC) are a promising source of cells for regenerative treatment of stroke. In this study, we tested the efficacy of hUTC in experimental stroke and whether multiple injections of hUTC provide additional therapeutic benefits as compared to a single injection. Methods Adult male Wistar rats were subjected to 2 hours of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo), and randomly selected animals were injected (i.v) with 3×106 hUTC or with vehicle control (at day: 1, 1&3 or 1&7 after MCAo, n = 8–9/group). A battery of functional outcome tests was performed at days 1, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, 56 and 63 after MCAo. Rats were sacrificed at 63 days after MCAo and lesion volumes were measured. To investigate the underlying mechanism of hUTC treatment of stroke, Von Willebrand Factor (vWF), and Synaptophysin immunostaining were performed. Results All hUTC treated groups, single or multiple injections, had better functional recovery compared to control (p<0.01). There was no statistically significant difference between a single and multiple injections of hUTC (p = 0.23) or between different multiple injections groups (p>0.07) in functional outcome. All hUTC treatment groups showed significant increases in Synaptophysin, vascular density and perimeter compared to the control group (p<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between a single and multiple injections of hUTC or between the two groups of multiple injections in all immunohistochemical measurements (p>0.1). Conclusion hUTC treatment significantly improves long term functional outcome after stroke and promotes vascular density and synaptic plasticity. At the proscribed doses, multiple injections of hUTC were not superior to single injection therapy in both functional outcome and histological assessments.
Sequence polymorphisms of Plasmodium vivax ookinete surface proteins (Pvs25 and Pvs28) from clinical isolates in Korea

The Ookinete surface proteins of Plasmodium vivax (P. vivax), Pvs25 and Pvs28, were candidates for the transmission blocking vaccine (TBV), which exhibited great antigenic diversities among various isolates. Polymorphisms of these genes in the isolates from Republic of Korea (ROK) were analysed, which provided valuable baseline data for the field trials of TBV‐based vaccines. A total of 98 isolates were collected over 11 years from 1996 to 2007. pvs25 and pvs28 genes from the above isolates were amplified, sequenced and compared against Sal‐1 strain. Sequencing analysis of PCR products from P. vivax pvs25 revealed two allelic types, Q97T130 and E97/T130 alleles with the frequencies of 54.5% and 45.5%, respectively, in comparison with Sal I type sequence (E97/I130). From pvs28 gene, polymorphisms at M52L and T140S in the first and third EGF‐like domains in comparison to Sal‐1 strain were detected, respectively. Six GSGGE tandem repeats followed by GSGGDT or SSGGDT were identified at the end of the fourth EGF‐like domain in all Korean isolates. Interestingly, different tandem repeats of amino acid substitutions were observed from isolates collected after 2006 in comparison with preceding years. The ROK isolates revealed limited sequence polymorphisms in pvs25 and tandem repeats in pvs28 in comparison with reported isolates from other nations. Current observations suggested the rapid progresses of genetic changes among Korean isolates.
Sex- and Age-Related Differences in Morbidity Rates of 2009 Pandemic Influenza A H1N1 Virus of Swine Origin in Japan

Background The objective of the present study was to determine whether the morbidity rates of the 2009 pandemic influenza A H1N1 virus (pdmH1N1) varied by age and/or sex. Methods and Findings Retrospective analysis of 2,024,367 cases of pdmH1N1 was performed using the national surveillance data from influenza sentinel points in Japan. The male-to-female morbidity ratios (M/F ratios) in nineteen age groups were estimated as the primary outcome. The M/F ratios for pdmH1N1 influenza were: >1 in age groups <20 years and ≥80 years (p<0.001); <1 in age groups 20–79 years (p<0.001). This data suggests that males <20 years of age may be more likely to suffer from pdmH1N1 influenza than females in the same age categories. When the infection pattern for pdmH1N1was compared with that of seasonal influenza outbreaks between 2000 and 2008, the M/F ratio for pdmH1N1 influenza was higher in ages 3–29 years and lower in ages 40–79 years. Because the present study was based on the national surveillance, it was impossible to estimate the morbidity rate for the Japanese population. It is also likely that the data did not capture asymptomatic or mild infections. Conclusions Although exposure to the pdmH1N1 virus is assumed to be similar in both boys and girls, M/F ratios were >1 in those younger than 20 years. The subsequent reversal of the M/F ratio in the adult generation could be due to several possibilities, including: greater immunity among adult males, more asymptomatic infections among males, less reporting of illness by males, or differences in exposure to the virus and probability of visiting a clinic. These results suggest that the infection and virulence patterns of pdmH1N1 are more complex than previously considered.