Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Voronoi diagrams of semi-algebraic sets

Most of the curves and surfaces encountered in geometric modelling are defined as the set of solutions of a system of algebraic equations and inequalities (semi-algebraic sets). Many problems from different fields involve proximity queries like finding the (nearest) neighbours or quantifying the neighbourliness of two objects. The Voronoi diagram of a set of sites is a decomposition of space into proximal regions. The proximal region of a site is the locus of points closer to that site than to any other one. Voronoi diagrams allow one to answer proximity queries after locating a query point in the Voronoi zone it belongs to. The dual graph of the Voronoi diagram is called the Delaunay graph. Only approximations by conics can guarantee a proper order of continuity at contact points, which is necessary for guaranteeing the exactness of the Delaunay graph. The theoretical purpose of this thesis is to elucidate the basic algebraic and geometric properties of the offset to an algebraic curve and to reduce the semi-algebraic computation of the Delaunay graph to eigenvalues computations. The practical objective of this thesis is the certified computation of the Delaunay graph for low degree semi-algebraic sets embedded in the Euclidean plane. The methodology combines interval analysis and computational algebraic geometry. The central idea of this thesis is that a (one time) symbolic preprocessing may accelerate the certified numerical evaluation of the Delaunay graph conflict locator. The symbolic preprocessing is the computation of the implicit equation of the generalised offset to conics. The reduction of the Delaunay graph conflict locator for conics from a semi-algebraic problem to a linear algebra problem has been possible through the use of the generalised Voronoi vertex (a concept introduced in this thesis). The certified numerical computation of the Delaunay graph has been possible by using an interval analysis based library for solving zero-dimensional systems of equations and inequalities (ALIAS). The certified computation of the Delaunay graph relies on theorems on the uniqueness of a root in given intervals (Kantorovitch, Moore-Krawczyk). For conics, the computations get much faster by considering only the implicit equations of the generalised offsets.
Mechanical determinants of maximum isotonic lengthening rate in rat left ventricular myocardium.

The effects of changing loading conditions and inotropic state on maximum isotonic lengthening rate (+dL/dt, muscle lengths/sec) were examined in isolated rat myocardium. Physiologically sequenced contractions were studied in 18 left ventricular papillary muscle preparations (stimulation rate, 12/min). To study the effects of changing loading conditions, only one loading variable (preload, total load, or late load) was changed during each contraction, while the others were held constant. To study the effects of isoproterenol (10(-6) M) and temperature (28 vs. 33 degrees C) on maximum isotonic lengthening rate, preload and late load were held constant and +dL/dt was examined at a common total load. When preload was increased from 0.7 +/- 0.1 to 1.4 +/- 0.1 g/mm2, muscle length increased from 0.98 +/- 0.003 to 1.01 +/- 0.002 muscle lengths, the extent of shortening increased from 0.05 +/- 0.003 to 0.08 +/- 0.003 muscle lengths, but minimum length (0.93 +/- 0.01 muscle lengths) and +dL/dt (1.1 +/- 0.1 muscle lengths/sec) were unchanged. When total load was increased from 1.5 to 4.5 g/mm2, minimum length increased from 0.91 +/- 0.05 to 0.97 +/- 0.05 muscle lengths and +dL/dt fell from 1.4 +/- 0.1 to 0.5 +/- 0.1 muscle lengths/sec. Late load (the load borne by or applied to the muscle during isotonic lengthening) was altered by changing its magnitude (g/mm2) or time (milliseconds after stimulation) of application. As late load was increased from 1.4 +/- 0.02 to 2.1 +/- 0.3 g/mm2, +dL/dt increased from 1.3 +/- 0.2 to 2.1 +/- 0.3 muscle lengths/sec. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Characterization and Treatment Proposals of Shipboard Slop Wastewater Contaminated by Hydrocarbons

Shipboard slop wastewaters are produced by the activity of washing of oil tankers with seawater, and are characterized by high salinity and hydrocarbons. In this context, harbor authorities are forced to respect the international regulation IMO-MARPOL 73/78 and they must treat slop wastewater before discharging to the sea. This study compared data from three stand-alone treatments working with the same real slop wastewater: (1) a chemical treatment of coagulation-flocculation with aluminum sulphate as coagulant and an anionic flocculant (A57), (2) a physical treatment of adsorption on granular activated carbon (GAC), (3) two biological treatments represented by a membrane bioreactor (MBR) and a moving bed biofilm reactor (MB-MBR). GAC treatment registered the highest removal efficiency of total petroleum hydrocarbons (ηTPH) next to 85%, since the activated carbon had excellent adsorption properties towards organic substances. The coagulation-flocculation treatment reported the lowest ηTPH ≈ 57% due to the presence of emulsified hydrocarbons that were not affected by the coagulant and flocculant action, so remaining in liquid phase. ηTPH ≈ 70% obtained with MB-MBR fed with 100% volume of slop, suggested biomass acclimation to salinity and hydrocarbons. Based on the results of each process, three main treatment chains are proposed depending on the hydrocarbons load of the real slop wastewater.
ContikiRPL and TinyRPL: Happy Together

IP-based sensor networks provide interoperability, but experience shows that interoperability between different protocol implementations is not a binary property. Instead, subtle differences in implementation choices may affect the performance of the resulting system. We present our experiences with the Contiki and TinyOS implementations of the IPv6 stack for low-power and lossy (LLN) networks including the IETF 6LoWPAN adaptation layer and the IETF RPL protocol. Our results show two independent implementations, that have good performance on their own, can have a substandard performance in a mixed network configuration and that small implementation differences can lead to large-scale differences in behavior. This suggests that IPv6 stack implementations for LLNs need to be tested not just for correctness but also for performance.
The scent of wolves: pyrazine analogs induce avoidance and vigilance behaviors in prey

The common gray wolf (Canis lupus) is an apex predator located at the top of the food chain in the Northern Hemisphere. It preys on rodents, rabbits, ungulates, and many other kinds of mammal. However, the behavioral evidence for, and the chemical basis of, the fear-inducing impact of wolf urine on prey are unclear. Recently, the pyrazine analogs 2, 6-dimethylpyrazine, 2, 3, 5-trimethylpyrazine and 3-ethyl-2, 5-dimethyl pyrazine were identified as kairomones in the urine of wolves. When mice were confronted with a mixture of purified pyrazine analogs, vigilance behaviors, including freezing and excitation of neurons at the accessory olfactory bulb, were markedly increased. Additionally, the odor of the pyrazine cocktail effectively suppressed the approach of deer to a feeding area, and for those close to the feeding area elicited fear-related behaviors such as the “tail-flag,” “flight,” and “jump” actions. In this review, we discuss the transfer of chemical information from wolf to prey through the novel kairomones identified in wolf urine and also compare the characteristics of wolf kairomones with other predator-produced kairomones that affect rodents.
Robot-Animal Interaction: Perception and Behavior of Insbot

This paper describes hardware and behavior implementation of a miniature robot in size of a match box that simulates the behavior of cockroaches in order to establish a social interaction with them. The robot is equipped with two micro-processors dedicated to hardware processing and behavior generation. The robot can discriminate cockroaches, other robots, environment boundaries and shelters. It has also three means of communication to monitor, log, supervise the biological experiment, and detect the other robots in short range. The behavioral model of the robot is a mixture of fusion in low-level and arbitration in high-level. In arbitration level a stochastic state machine selects the proper subtask. Then in fusion level, that subtask is decomposed to a hierarchy of sub-tasks. Each sub-task generates a potential field. The resultant force is then mapped to an action.
Tradeoff between diversity gain and interference suppression in a MIMO MC-CDMA system

In this paper, the uplink of an asynchronous multi-carrier direct-sequence code-division multiple-access (MC-DS-CDMA) system with multiple antennas at both the transmitter and the receiver is considered. We analyze the system performance over a spatially correlated Rayleigh fading channel with multiple-access interference (MAI), and evaluate the antenna array performance with joint fading reduction and MAI suppression. Assuming perfect channel knowledge available at the transmitter, maximal ratio transmission is employed to weight the transmitted signal optimally in terms of combating signal fading. At the receiver, adaptive beamforming reception is adopted to both suppress MAI and combat the fading. Note that while correlations among the fades of the antennas in the receive array reduce the diversity gain against fading, the array still has the capability for interference suppression. We examine the effect of varying the number of transmit and receive antennas on both the diversity gain and the interference suppression.
Viruses, genes and cells.

The intimate relationships of viruses and genes have been proper subjects of speculation for many years. More recently, genetic studies, especially on bacteriophages and bacteria have given concrete substance to some of these speculations. For this occasion a brief didactic review of some relevant experimental findings may be appropriate. The support that they can give to concept and methodology in the field of cancer research will be self-evident. More extensive and coherent syntheses of several aspects of virus biology may be found elsewhere (Luria, 1953; Burnet, 1955; Lm-off, 1953; Jacob, 1954; Symposium, 1953; Bertani, 1957; Stent, 1957). The examples arbitrarily selected here will simply reflect my own experience and interests
Finite-state channel models for signal transduction in neural systems

Information theory provides powerful tools for understanding communication systems. This analysis can be applied to intercellular signal transduction, which is a means of chemical communication among cells and microbes. We discuss how to apply information-theoretic analysis to ligand-receptor systems, which form the signal carrier and receiver in intercellular signal transduction channels. We also discuss the applications of these results to neuroscience.
Automatic Video Editing for Video-Based Interactive Storytelling

The development of interactive narratives with the quality of feature films is the central challenge of what we can name Video-Based Interactive Storytelling. A promising approach to this question is the use of prerecorded videos with real actors. Amongst several technical challenges, this approach firstly requires automatic video editing methods for interactive narratives. However, this is a critical issue not fully covered in the literature. In this paper, we present a real-time editing method for interactive storytelling systems, which automatically generates the most adequate shot transitions, swaps video segments to avoid jump cuts, and creates adequate looping scenes. Moreover, these features consider the characteristics of the ongoing story.
NEW MEMBRANE FORMATION DURING CYTOKINESIS IN NORMAL AND CYTOCHALASIN B-TREATED EGGS OF XENOPUS LAEVIS

The electrical membrane potential (Em) and electrical membrane resistance (Rm) were measured continuously during the first cleavage of Xenopus eggs, using intracellular microelectrodes. A sharp hyperpolarization of Em and decrease in Rm can be observed from 6 to 8 min after the onset of cleavage. This moment coincides with the onset of the insertion of new membrane (Bluemink and de Laat, 1973) leading to the formation of the interblastomeric membrane during normal cleavage. Removal of the vitelline membrane or exposure to cytochalasin B (CCB) leads to exposure of the entire surface area of the membrane newly formed during cleavage. These conditions allow for a direct measurement of the permeability properties of the new membrane. It was found that under these conditions Em reaches values about 3 times more negative and Rm reaches values about 1.5–3 times smaller than during normal cleavage. The extent of reduction of Rm can be correlated with the surface area of the newly formed membrane. We conclude that the new membrane has different ionic permeability properties than the pre-existing membrane (most probably a relatively high permeability for K+ ions). Its mean specific resistance is 1–2 kΩ·cm2, as against 74 kΩ·cm2 for the pre-existing membrane. No influence of CCB on the permeability properties of the pre-existing or new membrane could be detected.
Petri Net-Based Model of Helicobacter pylori Mediated Disruption of Tight Junction Proteins in Stomach Lining during Gastric Carcinoma

Tight junctions help prevent the passage of digestive enzymes and microorganisms through the space between adjacent epithelial cells lining. However, Helicobacter pylori encoded virulence factors negatively regulate these tight junctions and contribute to dysfunction of gastric mucosa. Here, we have predicted the regulation of important tight junction proteins, such as Zonula occludens-1, Claudin-2 and Connexin32 in the presence of pathogenic proteins. Molecular events such as post translational modifications and crosstalk between phosphorylation, O-glycosylation, palmitoylation and methylation are explored which may compromise the integrity of these tight junction proteins. Furthermore, the signaling pathways disrupted by dysregulated kinases, proteins and post-translational modifications are reviewed to design an abstracted computational model showing the situation-dependent dynamic behaviors of these biological processes and entities. A qualitative hybrid Petri Net model is therefore constructed showing the altered host pathways in the presence of virulence factor cytotoxin-associated gene A, leading to the disruption of tight junction proteins. The model is qualitative logic-based, which does not depend on any kinetic parameter and quantitative data and depends on knowledge derived from experiments. The designed model provides insights into the tight junction disruption and disease progression. Model is then verified by the available experimental data, nevertheless formal in vitro experimentation is a promising way to ensure its validation. The major findings propose that H. pylori activated kinases are responsible to trigger specific post translational modifications within tight junction proteins, at specific sites. These modifications may favor alterations in gastric barrier and provide a route to bacterial invasion into host cells.
Behaviour and survival of Common Guillemot Uria aalge chicks at departure from a nest site in the Baltic Sea

Common Guillemots Uria aalge often breed high up in cliffs, forcing the juveniles to jump down to the beach or sea sea when leaving their nests. We studied survival of Common Guillemot chicks at time of nest departure on the island Lilla Karlso in the Baltic Sea. All jumps were conducted either together with one of the parents, or, more commonly, the parent few down shortly before the chick jumped. At this point, the parent was always found waiting for the chick directly underneath the nest, either on the beach or in the water, and never farther out than fve meters if there was no beach below the cliff. If separated, all observed parents and juveniles reunited within one minute and then swam close together out to sea. Juvenile mortality was very low, only 0.5% in 2011, with 2 of 426 chicks dying. In both cases hitting a lower cliff ledge caused the mortality. No case of predation was observed. The high survival rates are most likely due to the chicks’ close proximity to their male parent at all times.
The Effect of Silymarin on Mesenteric Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury

Objective: To examine the effect of silymarin (SM), a mixture of flavonoids and polyphenols extracted from Silybum marianum, on mesenteric ischemia-reperfusion (I-R) injury in a rat model. Materials and Methods: Fifty rats were randomly divided into 5 groups (n = 10). Group 1 was sham operated, while groups 2-5 were subjected to mesenteric I-R lasting 1 h. Group 2 received isotonic sodium chloride, group 3 received SM (100 mg/kg/day) for 7 days before I-R, group 4 received SM for 7 days after I-R, and group 5 received SM for 7 days both before and after I-R. The rats were sacrificed by exsanguination in groups 1-3 at the 24th hour and groups 4 and 5 were sacrificed on the 7th day of reperfusion. Blood and intestinal specimens were taken for biochemical and pathological evaluations. Results: Serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) and heat shock protein 70 levels were significantly higher in group 2 (5.24 ± 1.76 U/l and 261.4 ± 16.8 ng/ml) compared to the sham group (2.08 ± 1.76 U/l and 189.9 ± 28.7 ng/ml) (p < 0.001 and p < 0.0001, respectively). However, SOD activity and the extent and severity of the histopathological lesions were significantly less in groups 3 [3.11 ± 1.18 U/l, 1.0 (range 0.0-2.0)], 4 [2.15 ± 0.87 U/l, 1.0 (range 1.0-3.0)], and 5 [1.80 ± 0.61 U/l, 0.5 (range 0.0-2.0)], treated with SM, than in group 2 [5.24 ± 1.76 U/l, 2.0 (range 2.0-3.0)] (p = 0.002, p < 0.001, and p = 0.0001; p < 0.001, p = 0.007, and p = 0.0001, respectively). Also, TNF-α levels were lower in the SM-supplemented groups compared to group 2. Serum thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance concentrations were low in the pre-/posttreatment groups treated with SM compared to group 2. No statistical difference was observed for protein carbonyls between the groups. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that SM therapy may attenuate the oxidative and intestinal damage induced by I-R injuries.
Bi-directional bridge modular switched-capacitor-based DC-DC converter with phase-shift control

This paper presents a bi-directional bridge modular switched-capacitor-based resonant DC-DC converter, and the corresponding phase-shift control strategy is proposed for it. Under this control method, bi-directional flow of energy can be realized between the high and low voltage sides. Meanwhile, the output voltage regulation can be achieved 0.15–0.44 times voltage conversion ratio at the step-down mode and above 2.5 times at the step-up mode. In additional, zero-voltage switching (ZVS) operation can be obtained for switches, which improves the system efficiency further. Meanwhile, the working principle of the converter is discussed and the operation parameters are calculated in detail in the converter's optimal working condition. At last, the prototype of proposed converter was built and the experimental results has verified the feasibility and the high efficiency of the proposed converter.
Public Understanding of Climate Change in the United States Scientific Understanding of Climate Change These Assess- Ments Support the following Conclusions with High Or

This article considers scientific and public understand-ings of climate change and addresses the following question: Why is it that while scientific evidence has accumulated to document global climate change and scientific opinion has solidified about its existence and causes, U.S. public opinion has not and has instead become more polarized? Our review supports a con-structivist account of human judgment. Public understanding is affected by the inherent difficulty of understanding climate change, the mismatch between people's usual modes of understanding and the task, and, particularly in the United States, a continuing societal struggle to shape the frames and mental models people use to understand the phenomena. We conclude by discussing ways in which psychology can help to improve public understanding of climate change and link a better understanding to action. C limate change " is the name given to a set of physical phenomena and of a public policy issue, sometimes also referred to as " global warming, " even though climate change involves much more than warming. This article describes the development of scientific and public understanding 1 of climate change in the United States, focusing especially on the riddle of noncor-respondence: Why, as scientific understanding of climate change has solidified, has U.S. public understanding not, and instead become more polarized? It also considers the implications of this situation for the future of public understanding and action. " Climate change " emerged as a public policy issue with improved scientific understanding of the phenomena involved, resulting in concerns. In 1959 an observatory on Mauna Loa, Hawaii, recorded a mean level of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2) of 315 parts per million , well above the highest concentration—no more than 300 parts per million—revealed in the 420,000-year-old ice-core record. By the end of the 1970s, CO 2 levels had reached 335 parts per million (Hecht & Tir-pak, 1995). The National Research Council, asked to investigate the subject, suggested, " If carbon dioxide continues to increase, the study group finds no reason to doubt that climate changes will result and no reason to believe that these changes will be negligible " (Climate Research Board, 1979, p. vii). In 1987, Congress passed the Global Climate Protection Act and directed the Environmental Protection Agency to propose to Congress a coordinated national policy on global climate change and the Secretary of State to coordinate diplomatic efforts to combat global warming. The Global Change Research Act …
Rollback Orogeny Model for the Evolution of the Swiss Alps

The construction of the European Alps and the Himalayas has been related to the convergence and subsequent collision of two continental plates. Nearly all models of orogeny build on this concept, and all of them relate the stacking of nappes and the buildup of topography to compressional forces at work in response to the collision between two continental plates. For the central European Alps, however, these models fail to explain the first‐order observations of a mountain belt, which particularly includes the striking isostatic imbalance between the low surface topography and the thick crust beneath the Alps. Here we review and synthesize data on the geologic architecture of the central Alps, the chronology and pattern of crustal deformation, and information about the deep crustal structure derived from seismic tomography. Furthermore, we discuss the intrinsic and explicit assumptions in the kinematic models of Alpine evolution in the context of plate tectonic considerations. We combine these views with progress in understanding that has been gained through subduction and collision, isostatic mass and force balancing and with information that has been collected on the modern seismic regime. We conclude that a rollback orogeny model for the European plate offers the most suitable concept to explain the ensemble of surface and deep lithosphere observations. In this model gravity forces drive the evolution of the orogen and the construction of surface topography is accomplished without the requirement of a hard collision between two continents.