Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fast k nearest neighbor search using GPU

Statistical measures coming from information theory represent interesting bases for image and video processing tasks such as image retrieval and video object tracking. For example, let us mention the entropy and the Kullback-Leibler divergence. Accurate estimation of these measures requires to adapt to the local sample density, especially if the data are high-dimensional. The k nearest neighbor (kNN) framework has been used to define efficient variable-bandwidth kernel-based estimators with such a locally adaptive property. Unfortunately, these estimators are computationally intensive since they rely on searching neighbors among large sets of d-dimensional vectors. This computational burden can be reduced by pre-structuring the data, e.g. using binary trees as proposed by the approximated nearest neighbor (ANN) library. Yet, the recent opening of graphics processing units (GPU) to general-purpose computation by means of the NVIDIA CUDA API offers the image and video processing community a powerful platform with parallel calculation capabilities. In this paper, we propose a CUDA implementation of the ldquobrute forcerdquo kNN search and we compare its performances to several CPU-based implementations including an equivalent brute force algorithm and ANN. We show a speed increase on synthetic and real data by up to one or two orders of magnitude depending on the data, with a quasi-linear behavior with respect to the data size in a given, practical range.
Isosurface extraction in time-varying fields using a Temporal Branch-on-Need Tree (T-BON)

The Temporal Branch-on-Need Tree (T-BON) extends the three dimensional branch-on-need octree for time-varying isosurface extraction. At each time step, only those portions of the tree and data necessary to construct the current isosurface are read from disk. This algorithm can thus exploit the temporal locality of the isosurface and, as a geometric technique, spatial locality between cells in order to improve performance. Experimental results demonstrate the performance gained and memory overhead saved using this technique.
Jump-Start Software-Driven Hardware Verification with a Verification Framework

- Software-driven hardware verification is growing in importance for verifying interactions between hardware and low-level software in today's complex SoC designs. Hardware verification productivity has benefits from verification frameworks such as UVM. Similar verification-focused frameworks don't exist to boost productivity in creating embedded software-driven tests. This paper describes the benefits of having such a framework and proposes key features of a verification framework for software-driven hardware verification
Resource Planning for SPARQL Query Execution on Data Sharing Platforms

To increase performance, data sharing platforms often make use of clusters of nodes where certain tasks can be executed in parallel. Resource planning and especially deciding how many processors should be chosen to exploit parallel processing is complex in such a setup as increasing the number of processors does not always improve runtime due to communication overhead. Instead, there is usually an optimum number of processors for which using more or fewer processors leads to less efficient runtimes. In this paper, we present a cost model based on widely used statistics (VoiD) and show how to compute the optimum number of processors that should be used to evaluate a particular SPARQL query over a particular configuration and RDF dataset. Our first experiments show the general applicability of our approach but also how shortcomings in the used statistics limit the potential of optimization.
Packet Routing via Min-Cost Circuit Routing

In this paper we initiate the study of competitive on-line packet routing algorithms. At any time, any network node may initiate sending a packet to another node. Our goal is to route these packets through the network, while simultaneously minimizing link bandwidth, buffer usage, and the average delay of a packet. We give efficient centralized on-line packet routing algorithms in this setting. These algorithms achieve a constant competitive ratio with respect to the average delay while increasing the link bandwidth by no more than a logarithmic factor. To obtain our packet routing results, we introduce competitive algorithms for a new problem called min-cost load circuit routing. Here, the goal is to create on-line virtual circuits in a graph, while trying to simultaneously minimize link bandwidth and (related) communication costs.
Power sensitivity-a new method to estimate power dissipation considering uncertain specifications of primary inputs

Power dissipation in CMOS circuits heavily depends on the signal properties of the primary inputs. Due to uncertainties in specification of such properties, the average power should be specified between a maximum and a minimum possible value. Due to the complex nature of the problem, it is practically impossible to use traditional power estimation techniques to determine such bounds. We present a novel approach to accurately estimate the maximum and minimum bounds for average power using a technique which calculates the sensitivities of average power dissipation to primary input signal properties. The sensitivities are calculated using a novel statistical technique and can be obtained as a by-product of average power estimation using a Monte Carlo based approach. The signal properties are specified in terms of signal probability (probability of a signal being logic ONE) and signal activity (probability of signal switching). Results show that the maximum and minimum average power dissipation can vary widely if the primary input probabilities and activities are not specified accurately.
The effect of cytochalasin D on preprophase band organization in root tip cells of Allium

The relationship between microfilaments (Mfs) and microtubules (Mts) in the organization of the pre prophase band (PPB) was investigated in Allium root tip cells subjected to treatment with cytochalasin D (CD). Mts and Mfs were visualized by indirect immunofluorescence and various parameters such as PPB width were analyzed quantitatively. In control samples, the PPB first appears as a wide Mt band that progressively narrows to an average width of 4 m in mid-prophase. Randomly oriented Mfs are present throughout the cytoplasm of most interphase control cells. Preprophase and prophase cells, however, contain cortical Mfs arranged parallel to the PPB. The Mfs initially occupy much of the cortex but in most cells they progressively become restricted to an area wider than the PPB. In the presence of CD, the PPB fails to narrow and remains at least two-fold wider than in control cells. PPB width expressed as a percentage of nuclear or cell length also increases compared to controls. Widening is concentra tion dependent, and the effect of 10 M CD is near maximal only 15 min after application of the drug. This rapid response suggests that a rebroadening of already condensed PPBs takes place. After as little as 15 min in CD, Mfs are replaced by many small specks and rods. Dual localizations of both Mts and Mfs show that prophase cells contain broad PPBs without Mfs. The rapid disorganization of Mfs, by CD, therefore coincides with the rebroadening of PPBs. CD-treated cells in metaphase, anaphase and telophase contain larger actin aggregates at the poles, as previously reported. The results indicate that Mfs play an important role in the narrowing of the PPB, which in turn is essential for determination of the exact position of the plane of divi sion. They also indicate that movement of intact Mts is important in PPB organization. Summary
The use of deuterium oxide space to determine the amount of body fat in pregnant Blackface ewes

1. The use of deuterium oxide dilution to obtain an indirect estimate of body water in pregnant ewes was examined and the value of such an estimate in predicting body fat was investigated. 2. Deuterium oxide was infused intravenously into fourteen twin-bearing Blackface ewes and blood samples were taken 6–7 h later. The animals were subsequently slaughtered. 3. Deuterium oxide concentration was estimated by infrared spectroscopy and the deuterium oxide space was calculated. Studies on dose rates and equilibration times were made with the Blackface ewes and some non-pregnant Dorset ewes. 4. The amount of body fat in each ewe was estimated from the deuterium oxide space using a prediction equation relating body fat to body water in twenty-five pregnant and non-pregnant ewes which had been slaughtered. 5. Once satisfactory measurement of deuterium oxide concentration had been achieved, body fat predicted from deuterium oxide space differed from values obtained by analysis of the slaughtered animals by -0.8 to +1.7 kg in seven ewes containing 5.2–21.4 kg fat. 6. The standard deviation from regression of percentage of body fat estimated from deuterium oxide space on percentage of body fat measured after slaughter was ±1.2 percentage units. Thus deuterium oxide space was used to provide a useful measure of body fat in pregnant ewes.
Phase Lead Reset Control Design with an Application to HDD Servo Systems

This paper investigates a time-dependent phase lead reset control (PLRC) scheme which resets the sub-set of states of the systems at a predefined time. A phase lead reset compensator that has a flat gain characteristic is proposed to be used together with the common feedback control design to enlarge the servo bandwidth by increasing the phase stability margin. We also propose to have a reset time slightly earlier than the instants of input zero-crossing in the usual reset control to solve the impulsive effect in the control signal that leads to control signal saturation. Sinusoidal describing function analysis of the proposed control scheme shows that it can relax the Bode's gain-phase constraint. The application of the proposed PLRC to the hard disk drive (HDD) servo system shows that the performance improvement. Our results also show that the large sharp peaks in the control voltage which may lead to track following controller saturation is also avoided
ON THE CONVERGENCE OF AFFECTIVE AND PERSUASIVE TECHNOLOGIES IN COMPUTER-MEDIATED HEALTH-CARE SYSTEMS

This paper offers a portrayal of how affective computing and persuasive technologies can converge into an effective tool for interfacing biomedical engineering with behavioral sciences and medicine. We describe the characteristics, features, applications, present state of the art, perspectives, and trends of both streams of research. In particular, these streams are analyzed in light of the potential contribution of their convergence for improving computer-mediated health-care systems, by facilitating the modification of patients' attitudes and behaviors, such as engagement and compliance. We propose a framework for future research in this emerging area, highlighting how key constructs and intervening variables should be considered. Some specific implications and challenges posed by the convergence of these two technologies in health care, such as paradigm change, multimodality, patients' attitude improvement, and cost reduction, are also briefly addressed and discussed.
Cytoreductive surgery in ovarian cancer

Abstract As the overall prognosis for patients with ovarian cancer is poor, the management of this condition should be restricted to expert multi-disciplinary teams in gynaecological oncology. Apparent early stage ovarian cancer requires accurate and complete staging so that potential sites for metastases are not missed. Omitting adequate staging may have significant consequences including a negative impact on survival rates in young patients. The challenge with advanced ovarian cancer is to obtain a detailed appreciation of the extent of disease. This information allows treatment with primary chemotherapy if the cancer is considered to be inoperable and/or the general condition of the patient renders her unfit for appropriate surgery. Available data would suggest that a 5-year survival rate of 50% is only possible for those patients who have had complete cytoreduction of all tumour. Therefore, the best surgical option for patients with advanced ovarian cancer is a ‘complete’ primary surgical procedure that achieves complete clearance of the abdominal cavity rather than ‘optimal’ surgery that leaves tumour nodules up to 1 cm in diameter in situ in the patient.
Voronoi Diagrams and Delaunay Triangulations: Ubiquitous Siamese Twins

Keywords: Voronoi ; Delaunay ; tesselations ; triangulations ; flip-graphs Reference EPFL-CHAPTER-181846 URL: http://www.math.uiuc.edu/documenta/vol-ismp/60_liebling-thomas.html Record created on 2012-10-19, modified on 2016-08-09
Reduction of surface temperature in ocean slicks

Airborne infrared imagery collected over the ocean reveals slicks that are 0.1° to nearly 0.4°C cooler than the surrounding water surface. These thermal contrasts are analyzed within a framework of surfactant–turbulence interaction. Slicks are shown to be a potential source of error in the remote retrieval of sea surface temperature, but a slick's thermal contrast is also a potential source of information about the ambient thermal boundary layer.
Reasons why people do not attend NHS Health Checks: a systematic review and qualitative synthesis

Background The NHS Health Check programme is a prevention initiative offering cardiovascular risk assessment and management advice to adults aged 40–74 years across England. Its effectiveness depends on uptake. When it was introduced in 2009, it was anticipated that all those eligible would be invited over a 5-year cycle and 75% of those invited would attend. So far in the current cycle from 2013 to 2018, 33.8% of those eligible have attended, which is equal to 48.5% of those invited to attend. Understanding the reasons why some people do not attend is important to maximise the impact of the programmes. Aim To review why people do not attend NHS Health Checks. Design and setting A systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative studies. Method An electronic literature search was carried out of MEDLINE, Embase, Health Management Information Consortium, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Global Health, PsycINFO, Web of Science, OpenGrey, the Cochrane Library, NHS Evidence, Google Scholar, Google, ClinicalTrials.gov, and the ISRCTN registry from 1 January 1996 to 9 November 2016, and the reference lists of all included papers were also screened manually. Inclusion criteria were primary research studies that reported the views of people who were eligible for but had not attended an NHS Health Check. Results Nine studies met the inclusion criteria. Reasons for not attending included lack of awareness or knowledge, misunderstanding the purpose of the NHS Health Check, aversion to preventive medicine, time constraints, difficulties with access to general practices, and doubts regarding pharmacies as appropriate settings. Conclusion The findings particularly highlight the need for improved communication and publicity around the purpose of the NHS Health Check programme and the personal health benefits of risk factor detection.
Stages in teaching software testing

This paper describes how a staged approach to the development of students' abilities to engineer software systems applies to the specific issue of teaching software testing. It evaluates the courses relating to software testing in the Software Engineering volume of Computing Curriculum 2001 against a theoretical model that has been developed from a well-established programme in software engineering, from the perspectives of how well the courses support the progressive development of both students' knowledge of software testing and their ability to test software systems. It is shown that this progressive development is not well supported, and that to improve this some software testing material should be taught earlier than recommended.
Determination of parameters for bimodal hydraulic functions by inverse modeling

Multistep outflow experiments are a suitable method to determine the hydraulic parameters of soils by parameter identification procedures. We analyzed two experiments in which the measured cumulative outflow is fitted using different variants of unimodal and bimodal functions in the inverse procedure. The use of simple functions for the retention curve leads to a poor fit, uniqueness problems in the inverse solution, and unreliable parameter estimates for the conductivity curve. The identification of flexible hydraulic functions yielded unique and reasonable estimates. We conclude that carefully performed multistep outflow experiments yield enough information to estimate retention and conductivity functions with high precision.
Cretaceous anoxic events: from continents to oceans

Pelagic Cretaceous sediments, deposited in a range of palaeotectonic and palaeogeographic settings, from continents to oceans, are commonly black and bituminous. 3 particular time-envelopes define the major occurrences of such facies: late Barremian-Aptian-Albian, the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary and, to a lesser extent, the Coniacian-Santonian. These intervals define the duration of so-called Oceanic Anoxic Events during which global marine waters were relatively depleted in oxygen, and deposition of organic matter, derived from both terrestrial and planktonic sources, was widespread. Cretaceous OAEs correlate closely with transgressions, and such a correlation exists throughout the stratigraphical column. Flooding of land-masses is thought to have transported much terrestrial plant material seawards; the progressive increase in shelf-sea area is thought to have stimulated production of marine plankton. Bacterial consumption of this organic matter favoured the development of poorly oxygenated mid-to late Cretaceous waters in which many of the characteristic facies of the Period, including glauconitic sandstones and phosphatic chalks, were deposited.
A PECULIAR CONFIGURATION OF AGRANULAR RETICULUM (CANALICULATE LAMELLAR BODY) IN THE RAT PINEALOCYTE

A cytoplasmic structure exhibiting a peculiar configuration of agranular reticulum has been found in the rat pinealocyte, and has been designated a canaliculate lamellar body. It consists of a number of fenestrated, flat cisternae which are closely spaced. They bear some distant resemblance to the annulate lamellae previously reported in a variety of cell types. Profiles of stacks of lamellae in a plane of section always display two distinct aspects, the surface and the cross-sectional views of flat cisternae. A surface view shows the hexagonal arrangement of pores or fenestrations. The pores in successive lamellae are aligned precisely, one behind the other, so that clear, cylindrical channels are seen running perpendicular to the lamellae as indicated by transverse sections of the lamellar stacks. Large canaliculate lamellar bodies are composed of many extended series of lamellar stacks which pursue a tortuous course and cross one another. Occasionally the canaliculate lamellar body is located deep in a nuclear invagination, which reminds one of the so-called nuclear pellets (Kernkugeln) reported by light microscopy. The functional significance of the body is unknown.
Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and its receptor, LPA1, influence embryonic schwann cell migration, myelination, and cell‐to‐axon segregation

Schwann cell (SC) migration is an important step preceding myelination and remyelination in the peripheral nervous system, and can be promoted by peptide factors like neuregulins. Here we present evidence that a lipid factor, lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), influences both SC migration and peripheral myelination through its cognate G protein‐coupled receptor (GPCR) known as LPA1. Ultrastructural analyses of peripheral nerves in mouse null‐mutants for LPA1 showed delayed SC‐to‐axon segregation, polyaxonal myelination by single SCs, and thinner myelin sheaths. In primary cultures, LPA promoted SC migration through LPA1, while analysis of conditioned media from purified dorsal root ganglia neurons using HPLC/MS supported the production of LPA by these neurons. The heterotrimeric G‐alpha protein, Gαi, and the small GTPase, Rac1, were identified as important downstream signaling components of LPA1. These results identify receptor mediated LPA signaling between neurons and SCs that promote SC migration and contribute to the normal development of peripheral nerves through effects on SC‐axon segregation and myelination. GLIA 2013;61:2009–2022
Enforcing Role-Based Access Control Policies in Web Services with UML and OCL

Role-based access control (RBAC) is a powerful means for laying out higher-level organizational policies such as separation of duty, and for simplifying the security management process. One of the important aspects of RBAC is authorization constraints that express such organizational policies. While RBAC has generated a great interest in the security community, organizations still seek a flexible and effective approach to impose role-based authorization constraints in their security-critical applications. In this paper, we present a Web Services-based authorization framework that can be employed to enforce organization-wide authorization constraints. We describe a generic authorization engine, which supports organization-wide authorization constraints and acts as a central policy decision point within the authorization framework. This authorization engine is implemented by means of the USE system, a validation tool for UML models and OCL constraints.
Predictors of Postpartum Glucose Tolerance Testing in Italian Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Postpartum screening is critical for early identification of type 2 diabetes in women previously diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Nevertheless, its rate remains disappointingly low. Thus, we plan to examine the rate of postpartum glucose tolerance test (ppOGTT) for Italian women with GDM, before and after counseling, and identify demographic, clinical, and/or biochemical predictors of adherence. With these aims, we retrospectively enrolled 1159 women with GDM, in Calabria, Southern Italy, between 2004 and 2011. During the last year, verbal and written counseling on the importance of followup was introduced. Data were analyzed by multiple regression analysis. A significant increase of the return rate was observed following introduction of the counseling [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 5.17 (95% CI, 3.83–6.97), P < 0.001]. Interestingly, previous diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) emerged as the major predictor of postpartum followup [AOR 5.27 (95% CI, 3.51–8.70), P < 0.001], even after stratification for the absence of counseling. Previous diagnosis of GDM, higher educational status, and insulin treatment were also relevant predictors. Overall, our data indicate that counseling intervention is effective, even if many women fail to return, whereas PCOS represents a new strong predictor of adherence to postpartum testing.