Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Deterministic parameter control in Harmony Search

Harmony search is a recently developed meta heuristic capable of solving discrete and continuous valued optimisation problems. However, the nature of pre-defined constant parameters limits the exploitation of the algorithm. This paper proposes a number of deterministic parameter control rules to fine-tune these parameters individually and dynamically, making Harmony Search a more dynamic algorithm which is able to achieve better results. A combined approach that implements all the proposed rules is then applied to various benchmarks and engineering problems. Experimental results reveal that the combined approach can find better solutions when compared to the original harmony search and several other heuristics, making harmony search a strong mechanism to perform optimisation tasks.
Genetic Architecture of Skin and Eye Color in an African-European Admixed Population

Variation in human skin and eye color is substantial and especially apparent in admixed populations, yet the underlying genetic architecture is poorly understood because most genome-wide studies are based on individuals of European ancestry. We study pigmentary variation in 699 individuals from Cape Verde, where extensive West African/European admixture has given rise to a broad range in trait values and genomic ancestry proportions. We develop and apply a new approach for measuring eye color, and identify two major loci (HERC2[OCA2] P = 2.3×10−62, SLC24A5 P = 9.6×10−9) that account for both blue versus brown eye color and varying intensities of brown eye color. We identify four major loci (SLC24A5 P = 5.4×10−27, TYR P = 1.1×10−9, APBA2[OCA2] P = 1.5×10−8, SLC45A2 P = 6×10−9) for skin color that together account for 35% of the total variance, but the genetic component with the largest effect (∼44%) is average genomic ancestry. Our results suggest that adjacent cis-acting regulatory loci for OCA2 explain the relationship between skin and eye color, and point to an underlying genetic architecture in which several genes of moderate effect act together with many genes of small effect to explain ∼70% of the estimated heritability.
Blind communications sytem structures for SIMO channels

Frame based single input multi output (SIMO) communications systems are considered. In these systems frame length, offset, channel order and channel coefficients are all unknowns and there is no training session. Different system structures are considered for the estimation these unknowns blindly and best system structure is found. In addition a new method for channel order estimation is proposed.
Hybrid Computational Intelligence for Handling Diagnosis of Aphasia

This paper presents two models based on hybrid computational intelligence, for the classification between different types of aphasia. Aphasia is a human syndrome, often due to brain damage. Its effects usually are the patient's disability in the usage or comprehension of words, as well as difficulties in reading, or writing, or articulation. The proposed methodology is mainly related to genetic programming, an extension to the well-known genetic algorithms approach. As a search methodology, genetic programming is used in various domains, where symbolic regression is needed. The hybrid methodology consists of the genetic programming approach and a heuristic rule-based scheme. The data used are nominal and ordinal, corresponding to patient scorings valued in free interviews by physicians. In most cases, the results are competitive to the average human diagnosis. Moreover, they are comprehensive by human experts, enabling them to draw conclusions on the significance of the patient scorings. The subjective nature of the application domain, focuses the interest of the paper into the acquired results, their interpretation and their practical importance for the medical experts.
The Disturbance of Gaze in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy: Implications for Pathogenesis

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a disease of later life that is currently regarded as a form of neurodegenerative tauopathy. Disturbance of gaze is a cardinal clinical feature of PSP that often helps clinicians to establish the diagnosis. Since the neurobiology of gaze control is now well understood, it is possible to use eye movements as investigational tools to understand aspects of the pathogenesis of PSP. In this review, we summarize each disorder of gaze control that occurs in PSP, drawing on our studies of 50 patients, and on reports from other laboratories that have measured the disturbances of eye movements. When these gaze disorders are approached by considering each functional class of eye movements and its neurobiological basis, a distinct pattern of eye movement deficits emerges that provides insight into the pathogenesis of PSP. Although some aspects of all forms of eye movements are affected in PSP, the predominant defects concern vertical saccades (slow and hypometric, both up and down), impaired vergence, and inability to modulate the linear vestibulo-ocular reflex appropriately for viewing distance. These vertical and vergence eye movements habitually work in concert to enable visuomotor skills that are important during locomotion with the hands free. Taken with the prominent early feature of falls, these findings suggest that PSP tauopathy impairs a recently evolved neural system concerned with bipedal locomotion in an erect posture and frequent gaze shifts between the distant environment and proximate hands. This approach provides a conceptual framework that can be used to address the nosological challenge posed by overlapping clinical and neuropathological features of neurodegenerative tauopathies.
Falling Off the Cliff: When Systems Go Nonlinear

As the systems we build become more complex, understanding and managing their behavior becomes more challenging. If the system's inputs are within an acceptable range, it will behave predictably. However, the system may "fall off the cliff" if input values are outside this range. This nonlinear behavior is undesirable, because the system no longer behaves predictably: it may not be possible to use, control or even recover the system. In this paper, we describe what it means for a system to fall off the cliff. We outline methods for detecting and predicting these modes of nonlinear behavior, and propose several approaches for designing systems to cope with these instabilities, or to avoid them altogether. We conclude by outlining open research questions for investigation by the systems community.
A heuristic method for forecasting chaotic time series based on economic variables

Time series is one of the most attractive and mysterious mathematical subjects. Weather temperature, rainfall, water flow volume of a river and other similar cases in meteorology are known and predictable time series; amount of load peak, electricity price and other similar cases in electrical engineering are considerable time series. Time series forecasting is highly taken into account in economy. Stocks price in stock exchange market, currency equivalent rate in such market as Forex, world price of petroleum, sugar, gas, gold and other key stuffs are best known time series. The discovery of chaos in economics time such as stock exchange is highly regarded by scholars of economics. In recent years, chaos has proven in many economic time series such as stock changes. Also, it has been proven that discovery of chaos will help to forecast time series by intelligent algorithms better than before. In this paper, by propose a new heuristic method inspired from chaotic characteristic of economic time series, forecasts this time series by means of artificial neural networks. In proposed method, output of chaotic function is used to help time series prediction well.
Prone Position for Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

The use of the prone position (PP) during ARDS was studied in 8 randomized controlled trials, 5 of which were larger and 3 smaller. The most recent meta-analysis concluded that there is no statistically significant difference in mortality between the PP group and the supine group. This meta-analysis included 3 sensitivity analyzes on the role of protective ventilation, duration of PP, and the severity of hypoxaemia during inclusion.
Spike-timing-dependent BDNF secretion and synaptic plasticity

In acute hippocampal slices, we found that the presence of extracellular brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is essential for the induction of spike-timing-dependent long-term potentiation (tLTP). To determine whether BDNF could be secreted from postsynaptic dendrites in a spike-timing-dependent manner, we used a reduced system of dissociated hippocampal neurons in culture. Repetitive pairing of iontophoretically applied glutamate pulses at the dendrite with neuronal spikes could induce persistent alterations of glutamate-induced responses at the same dendritic site in a manner that mimics spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP)—the glutamate-induced responses were potentiated and depressed when the glutamate pulses were applied 20 ms before and after neuronal spiking, respectively. By monitoring changes in the green fluorescent protein (GFP) fluorescence at the dendrite of hippocampal neurons expressing GFP-tagged BDNF, we found that pairing of iontophoretic glutamate pulses with neuronal spiking resulted in BDNF secretion from the dendrite at the iontophoretic site only when the glutamate pulses were applied within a time window of approximately 40 ms prior to neuronal spiking, consistent with the timing requirement of synaptic potentiation via STDP. Thus, BDNF is required for tLTP and BDNF secretion could be triggered in a spike-timing-dependent manner from the postsynaptic dendrite.
Performance, plasma hormones, histochemical and biochemical muscle traits, and meat quality of pigs administered exogenous somatotropin between 30 or 60 kilograms and 100 kilograms body weight.

Forty-five Large White barrows were injected daily i.m. with either excipient from 30 to 100 kg BW (CTRL), excipient from 30 to 60 and porcine somatotropin (pST; 100 micrograms/kg BW) from 60 to 100 kg BW (pST-60), or pST (100 micrograms/kg BW) from 30 to 100 kg BW (pST-30). Somatotropin accelerated overall growth rate (+4 and +9% for pST-60 and pST-30, respectively), increased longissimus (+10.3 and +14.7%) and semitendinosus (+17 and +13%) muscle weights, and decreased backfat (-49 and -58%) and leaf fat (-49 and -53%) weights. The administration of pST resulted in a similar increase in muscle fiber size for all fiber types in both longissimus (LM) and semispinalis (SS) muscles (+21%). Somatotropin had otherwise little effect on muscle fiber types and biochemical traits of LM, whereas dramatic changes were observed in SS. The relative area occupied by Type IIB fibers was increased (+22 and +29%) and that of Type I fibers was decreased (-10 and -15%). In pST-30 animals, myosin ATPase activity (+15%) and native myosin fast isoform proportion (+10%) were augmented, and energy metabolism was more glycolytic (lactate dehydrogenase: +25%) and less oxidative (citrate synthase: -13%; beta-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase: -21%). Compared to CTRL animals, administration of pST increased muscle water concentration (LM: +.8 and +1.1%: SS: +3.3 and +3.3%) and decreased intramuscular fat (LM: -29 and -27%; SS: -39 and -50%). The pH measured 45 min and 24 h postmortem, glycogen content, reflectance, and index of light diffusion were mostly not affected by pST treatment. In conclusion, pST had a very favorable effect on growth performance without any important effect on meat quality traits except for the reduction in intramuscular lipid content. The results indicated that the effects of pST on muscular histochemical and biochemical characteristics were different in LM and SS muscles.
Physical human robot interaction in imitation learning

This video presents our recent research on the integration of physical human-robot interaction (pHRI) into imitation learning. First, a marker control approach for real-time human motion imitation is shown. Secondly, physical coaching in addition to observational learning is applied for the incremental learning of motion primitives. Last, we extend imitation learning to learning pHRI which includes the establishment of intended physical contacts. The proposed methods were implemented and tested using the IRT humanoid robot and DLR's humanoid upper-body robot Justin.
Moving environmental justice indoors: understanding structural influences on residential exposure patterns in low-income communities.

OBJECTIVES The indoor environment has not been fully incorporated into the environmental justice dialogue. To inform strategies to reduce disparities, we developed a framework to identify the individual and place-based drivers of indoor environment quality. METHODS We reviewed empirical evidence of socioeconomic disparities in indoor exposures and key determinants of these exposures for air pollutants, lead, allergens, and semivolatile organic compounds. We also used an indoor air quality model applied to multifamily housing to illustrate how nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)) and fine particulate matter (PM(2.5)) vary as a function of factors known to be influenced by socioeconomic status. RESULTS Indoor concentrations of multiple pollutants are elevated in low-socioeconomic status households. Differences in these exposures are driven by the combined influences of indoor sources, outdoor sources, physical structures, and residential activity patterns. Simulation models confirmed indoor sources' importance in determining indoor NO(2) and PM(2.5) exposures and showed the influence of household-specific determinants. CONCLUSIONS Both theoretical models and empirical evidence emphasized that disparities in indoor environmental exposure can be significant. Understanding key determinants of multiple indoor exposures can aid in developing policies to reduce these disparities.
Tissue engineering of blood vessel

• Introduction • Components of blood vessel • Principle of vessel engineering • Seeding cells sources ‐ Autologous ECs and SMCs ‐ Embryonic stem cells ‐ Adult stem cells ‐ Other cell types • Biodegradable scaffolds ‐ Nature protein scaffolds ‐ Biodegradable polymer scaffolds ‐ Decellularized vessels ‐ Other materials • Vessel engineering in vitro ‐ Vessel‐reactors ‐ Culture additives • Clinical applications • Future perspectives
Small amounts of superantigen, when presented on dendritic cells, are sufficient to initiate T cell responses

Dendritic cells are potent antigen-presenting cells for several primary immune responses and therefore provide an opportunity for evaluating the amounts of cell-associated antigens that are required for inducing T cell-mediated immunity. Because dendritic cells express very high levels of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II products, it has been assumed that high levels of ligands bound to MHC products ("signal one") are needed to stimulate quiescent T cells. Here we describe quantitative aspects underlying the stimulation of human blood T cells by a bacterial superantigen, staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA). The advantages of superantigens for quantitative studies of signal one are that these ligands: (a) engage MHC class II and the T cell receptor but do not require processing; (b) are efficiently presented to large numbers of quiescent T cells; and (c) can be pulsed onto dendritic cells before their application to T cells. Thus one can relate amounts of dendritic cell-associated SEA to subsequent lymphocyte stimulation. Using radioiodinated SEA, we noted that dendritic cells can bind 30-200 times more superantigen than B cells and monocytes. Nevertheless, this high SEA binding does not underlie the strong potency of dendritic cells to present antigen to T cells. Dendritic cells can sensitize quiescent T cells, isolated using monoclonals to appropriate CD45R epitopes, after a pulse of SEA that occupies a maximum of 0.1% of surface MHC class II molecules. This corresponds to an average of 2,000 molecules per dendritic cell. At these low doses of bound SEA, monoclonal antibodies to CD3, CD4, and CD28 almost completely block T cell proliferation. In addition to suggesting new roles for MHC class II on dendritic cells, especially the capture and retention of ligands at low external concentrations, the data reveal that primary T cells can generate a response to exceptionally low levels of signal one as long as these are delivered on dendritic cells.
Precision medicine: In need of guidance and surveillance

Precision medicine, currently a hotspot in mainstream medicine, has been strongly promoted in recent years. With rapid technological development, such as next-generation sequencing, and fierce competition in molecular targeted drug exploitation, precision medicine represents an advance in science and technology; it also fulfills needs in public health care. The clinical translation and application of precision medicine - especially in the prevention and treatment of tumors - is far from satisfactory; however, the aims of precision medicine deserve approval. Thus, this medical approach is currently in its infancy; it has promising prospects, but it needs to overcome numbers of problems and deficiencies. It is expected that in addition to conventional symptoms and signs, precision medicine will define disease in terms of the underlying molecular characteristics and other environmental susceptibility factors. Those expectations should be realized by constructing a novel data network, integrating clinical data from individual patients and personal genomic background with existing research on the molecular makeup of diseases. In addition, multi-omics analysis and multi-discipline collaboration will become crucial elements in precision medicine. Precision medicine deserves strong support, and its development demands directed momentum. We propose three kinds of impetus (research, application and collaboration impetus) for such directed momentum toward promoting precision medicine and accelerating its clinical translation and application.
Eurographics/ Acm Siggraph Symposium on Computer Animation (2007) Solving General Shallow Wave Equations on Surfaces

Permission to make digital or hard copies of part or all of this wor k for per sonal or classr oom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for commer cial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this wor k owned by other s than ACM must be honored. Abstracting with cr edit is permitted. To copy other wise, to republish, to post on ser ver s, or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from Permissions Dept, ACM Abstract We propose a new framework for solving General Shallow Wave Equations (GSWE) in order to efficiently simulate water flows on solid surfaces under shallow wave assumptions. Within this framework, we develop implicit schemes for solving the external forces applied to water, including gravity and surface tension. We also present a two-way coupling method to model interactions between fluid and floating rigid objects. Water flows in this system can be simulated not only on planar surfaces by using regular grids, but also on curved surfaces directly without surface parametrization. The experiments show that our system is fast, stable, physically sound, and straightforward to implement on both CPUs and GPUs. It is capable of simulating a variety of water effects including: shallow waves, water drops, rivulets, capillary events and fluid/floating rigid body coupling. Because the system is fast, we can also achieve real-time water drop control and shape design.
Iterative Krylov Methods for Acoustic Problems on Graphics Processing Unit

This paper deals with linear algebra operations on Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) with complex number arithmetic using double precision. An analysis of their uses within iterative Krylov methods is presented to solve acoustic problems. Numerical experiments performed on a set of acoustic matrices arising from the modelisation of acoustic phenomena inside a car compartment are collected, and outline the performance, robustness and effectiveness of our algorithms, with a speed-up up to 28x for dot product, 9.8x for sparse matrix-vector product and solvers.
Engineering Laccases: In Search for Novel Catalysts

Laccases (p-diphenol oxidase, EC 1.10.3.2) are blue multicopper oxidases that catalyze the reduction of dioxygen to water, with a concomitant oxidation of small organic substrates. Since the description at the end of the nineteenth century of a factor catalyzing the rapid hardening of the latex of the Japanese lacquer trees (Rhus sp.) exposed to air laccases from different origins (plants, fungi bacteria) have been continuously discovered and extensively studied. Nowadays, molecular evolution and other powerful protein modification techniques offer possibilities to develop tailored laccases for a wide array of applications including drug synthesis, biosensors or biofuel cells. Here, we give an overview on strategies and results of our laboratory in the design of new biocatalysts based on laccases.
Equine pulmonary and systemic haemodynamic responses to endothelin-1 and a selective ET(A) receptor antagonist.

Based on previous in vitro studies, we hypothesised that endothelin (ET) would induce vasoconstriction in the pulmonary circululation of the horse and that this action would be mediated via ET(A) receptors. Pulmonary and systemic haemodynamic responses to endothelin-1 (ET-1), a potent vasoactive endogenous peptide, were investigated in 6 conscious, nonsedated horses at rest. Bolus i.v. injections of exogenous ET-1 (0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 microg/kg bwt) caused significant increases in pulmonary (PAP) and carotid (CAP) artery pressures, with peak increases of 79% and 51% for mean PAP and CAP, respectively. The effect of ET-1 on PAP and CAP was rapid and transient for PAP (-10 min) but prolonged for CAP (up to 60 min). ET-1 significantly decreased cardiac output by up to 35% and significantly increased systemic vascular resistance (SVR) by up to 104%. Pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) showed a trend (P>0.05) to increase with 0.2 and 0.4 microg/kg bwt ET-1. Infusion of a selective ET(A) receptor antagonist (TBC11251) completely inhibited the responses to a subsequent bolus of 0.2 microg/kg bwt ET-1. We conclude that exogenous ET-1 exerts a potent vasoconstrictive action on the pulmonary and systemic circulations of the horse. These effects appear to be mediated largely through ET(A) receptors in both circulations. Endothelin may play a role in hypertensive conditions in the horse.
Segmenting reliefs on triangle meshes

Sculptural reliefs are widely used in various industries for purposes such as applying brands to packaging and decorating porcelain. In order to easily apply reliefs to CAD models, it is often desirable to reverse-engineer previously designed and manufactured reliefs. 3D scanners can generate triangle meshes from objects with reliefs; however, previous mesh segmentation work has not considered the particular problem of separation of reliefs from background. We consider here the specific case of segmenting a simple relief delimited by a single outer contour, which lies on a smooth, slowly varying background. Generally, such reliefs meet the surrounding surface in a small step, enabling us to devise a specific method for such relief segmentation.We find the boundary between the background and the relief using an adaptive snake. It starts at a simple user-drawn contour, and is driven inwards by a collapsing force until it matches the relief's boundary. Our method is insensitive to the choice of the initial contour. The snake's limiting position is controlled by a feature energy term designed to find a step. A refinement strategy is then used to drive the snake into concavities of the relief contour.We demonstrate operation of our algorithm using real scanned models with different relief contour shapes and triangle meshes with different resolutions.