Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
First, do no harm

ABSTRACT Conservation agencies charged with care of threatened plant species should be governed by the concepts that conservation actions should do no harm. Adaptive management research progresses in imperfect situations due to incomplete knowledge. Interpreting new experimental or observational evidence for inclusion in conservation plans should first consider the big picture by identifying collateral quandaries before scaling up the approach to large-scale implementation. We discuss a case study of Cycas micronesica conservation activities on the island of Guam. The use of large stem cuttings has been shown to be a viable approach for rescuing trees from planned construction sites. However, this artificial means of producing transplants exhibits shortcomings, some of which may add new threats to the existing plant population. Moreover, devoting funds for use of the new technique in tree rescue projects does not address the primary threats that have led to listing under the United States Endangered Species Act (ESA). Transplanted trees will likely succumb to those ubiquitous threats shortly after the completion of a successful rescue project. Alternatively, investing conservation funds into mitigation of the primary threats could lead to removal of the species from the ESA.
Bandit-based Random Mutation Hill-Climbing

The Random Mutation Hill-Climbing algorithm is a direct search technique mostly used in discrete domains. It repeats the process of randomly selecting a neighbour of a best-so-far solution and accepts the neighbour if it is better than or equal to it. In this work, we propose to use a novel method to select the neighbour solution using a set of independent multi-armed bandit-style selection units which results in a bandit-based Random Mutation Hill-Climbing algorithm. The new algorithm significantly outperforms Random Mutation Hill-Climbing in both OneMax (in noise-free and noisy cases) and Royal Road problems (in the noise-free case). The algorithm shows particular promise for discrete optimisation problems where each fitness evaluation is expensive.
Dislocation microstructure evolution in cyclically twisted microsamples: a discrete dislocation dynamics simulation

Miniaturization in technical devices has increased interest in the investigation of the deformation and fatigue behaviour of metals in the micrometre regime. Due to the small dimensions of these devices, mechanical properties depend on the motion of a marginal number of dislocations. In this paper, the evolution of dislocation microstructure in torsion loaded single crystalline aluminium wires is analysed by three-dimensional discrete dislocation dynamics simulations. It is shown that the size of pile-ups and the number of the active slip systems is significantly influenced by cross-slip events independent of the crystallographic orientation. Dislocations are driven by the stress gradient from the applied loading to move into the centre of the sample. These dislocations cannot escape through the surface because of the reversal of the sign of the stress in the centre of the sample. If the micrometre-sized specimens are untwisted, the remaining dislocation microstructure in these samples depends on the maximum torsion angle reached before unloading. The larger the torsion angle, the higher is the remaining dislocation density in the unloaded specimens. These results are discussed with respect to cyclic deformation mechanisms at small scale.
Clinical trial on the effect of regular tea drinking on iron accumulation in genetic haemochromatosis

Background—Black tea is known to be a potent inhibitor of intestinal absorption of non-haem iron at least in healthy subjects. Aims—To investigate this effect in patients with genetic haemochromatosis, and, more importantly, the effect of regular tea drinking on the accumulation of storage iron in these patients over one year. Patients—Investigations were carried out on 18 patients with clinically proven genetic haemochromatosis. For the study of storage iron accumulation, they were separated into a group instructed to drink a particularly tannin rich tea regularly with meals and a control group. Methods—Intestinal iron absorption from a test meal was measured using whole body counting. Body iron stores were evaluated quantitatively by exhaustive phlebotomy, using haemoglobin, saturation of serum iron binding capacity, and serum ferritin for the assessment of body iron status. Results—A significant reduction in iron absorption was observed when the test meal was accompanied by drinks of tea instead of water. In the tea drinking group, the increase in storage iron was reduced by about one third compared with that of the control group. Conclusions—Regular tea drinking with meals reduces the frequency of phlebotomies required in the management of patients with haemochromatosis.
Pretreatment characteristics of carcinoid tumors of the lung which predict aggressive behavior.

Carcinoid tumors of the lung are uncommon and usually have a favorable outcome after resection. However, some patients have aggressive tumors that cannot be completely resected or have unfavorable outcomes after resection. A retrospective study was conducted to identify factors that predict outcome. Records of all previously untreated patients treated at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center (UTMDACC) between 1959 and 1994, with histologically confirmed carcinoid tumors of the lung, were reviewed. Histologic specimens were reclassified by contemporary criteria. Five-year survival for 79 patients without distant metastasis who had tumors with clinically aggressive features at diagnosis (defined as extension to the carina, involvement of regional lymph nodes, and/or vascular invasion) was 50.9% as compared with 76.9% (p = 0.01) for patients without these features. Five-year survival was 38.7% for patients with "atypical" histopathology (p = 0.01). Patients with aggressive tumors were more likely to have atypical tumors [odds ratio (OR) 11.73, p < 0.001]. However, 17.5% of the patients with clinically aggressive carcinoid tumors had tumors that were classified as typical. Carcinoid tumors of the lung that exhibit aggressive behavior may not have atypical histopathologic features. Clinical features that suggest aggressive behavior and unfavorable outcome warrant further investigation.
Overexpression of the centrosomal protein Aurora-A kinase is associated with poor prognosis in epithelial ovarian cancer patients.

PURPOSE To assess the clinical significance of Aurora-A kinase, a centrosome-regulating serine-threonine kinase, in ovarian carcinoma. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Aurora-A kinase expression was assessed by Western blot (cell lines) or immunohistochemistry (high-grade epithelial ovarian cancers), and clinical variables were collected by retrospective chart review. Centrosome amplification was assessed by immunofluorescence in cell lines, and by immunohistochemistry in patient samples. RESULTS All ovarian cancer cell lines exhibited significant Aurora-A kinase protein overexpression, and all except A2780-par had centrosome amplification, a characteristic of mitotic dysregulation leading to genomic instability. Fifty-eight of 70 patient samples (82.8%) exhibited Aurora-A kinase overexpression compared with normal ovarian surface epithelium. High Aurora-A kinase expression was strongly associated with supernumerary centrosome count in tumor cells (P<0.001). Tumors with the greatest Aurora-A overexpression (n=24) had decreased patient survival (median survival, 1.44 versus 2.81 years; P=0.01). High Aurora-A expression and suboptimal surgical cytoreduction remained predictors of poor survival (P<0.05) by multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS Aurora-A kinase is overexpressed by a substantial proportion of ovarian cancers and is associated with centrosome amplification and poor survival. It may be a useful prognostic marker and target in ovarian cancer.
Cuspal deflection and microleakage in pre molar teeth restored with bulk-fill resin-based composites

The aim of this study was to assess the cuspal deflection and cervical microleakage of premolar teeth filled with a bulk-fill composite resin or bulk-fill flowable composite resin base, and comparison between them and a conventional dimethacrylate and a silorane-base composite resin. Forty maxillary premolar teeth were divided into four groups (n = 10), standardized large mesio-occluso-distal (MOD) cavities were prepared. The distance between cusp tips was measured before and after the cavity preparations with a digital micrometer. In Group 1 Quixfil was used with bulk-fill technique. Teeth in Group 2 were restored to within 2 mm of palatal cusp in a single increment with x-tra base. The remaining occlusal cavity was restored with GrandioSO. In Groups 3 and 4, the teeth were incrementally restored with GrandioSO and Filtek Silorane, respectively. Cuspal deflection was measured 5 min, 24 h, 1 week, and 2 weeks after the completion of restorations. Each restored tooth was subjected to thermocycling regime, and microleakage was assessed. Data were analyzed with Kruskal–Wallis and Mann Whitney U tests (p < 0.05). Groups restored with bulk-fill composites (Groups 1 and 2) showed similar cuspal deflection with the group restored incrementally with GrandioSO. A significant reduction in cuspal deflection was observed in Filtek Silorane restorations. None of the groups showed complete prevention of dye penetration. Group 2 showed the best marginal sealing. In Conclusion, conventional composite resin applied by incremental technique caused cuspal deflection similar to that of bulk-fill composites used as restorative or base. The flowable bulk-fill composites were superior to others in preventing microleakage.
MRI of Hepatocellular Carcinoma before and after Transcatheter Chemoembolization

Objective Magnetic resonance imaging of hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) was performed before and after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE). The changes of tumor signal intensity were compared to residual tumor or tumor recurrence in the follow-up period. Materials and Methods Fifteen cirrhotic patients with HCC were studied. All patients were examined with MRI both before and 3 months after TACE. Requirement for the study was that all lesions were detectable by MR before TACE. Results Magnetic resonance imaging detected 31 tumors. The changes of tumor signal intensity were compared to residual tumor or tumor recurrence in the follow-up period. On T1-weighted (T1W) images before TACE, 16 tumors were hyperintense, 11 were isointense, and 4 were hypointense; on T2W images, 26 tumors were hyperintense, 5 were isointense, and none were hypointense. On T1W images 3 months after TACE, 8 tumors were hyperintense, 18 were isointense, and 9 were hypointense; on T2W images, 11 were hyperintense, 11 were isointense, and 9 were hypointense. All the tumors that became hypointense on T2W images after TACE did not recur on follow-up. All lesions that were still hyperintense on T2W images after TACE showed residual tumor during the follow-up. Among 11 tumors that were isointense on T2W images after TACE, 7 were hyperintense on T2W images before TACE; 6 of these did not recur. Four tumors were isointense on T2W images before and after TACE; 2 of these showed residual tumor in the follow-up. On T2W images after TACE, 15 of 16 HCCs that decreased in signal intensity did not recur on follow-up. On T1W images no correlation was seen between the changes of the signal intensity of the lesion and tumor recurrence in the follow-up; however, 9 of 17 HCCs that did not recur after TACE showed decreased signal intensity. All the tumors (10 of 10) with decreased signal intensity on both T1W and T2W images after TACE did not show tumor recurrence on follow-up. Conclusion The results suggest that MRI is useful in the assessment of the therapeutic effect of TACE in HCC.
Perceived racial/ethnic discrimination among fifth-grade students and its association with mental health.

OBJECTIVES We sought to describe the prevalence, characteristics, and mental health problems of children who experience perceived racial/ethnic discrimination. METHODS We analyzed cross-sectional data from a study of 5147 fifth-grade students and their parents from public schools in 3 US metropolitan areas. We used multivariate logistic regression (overall and stratified by race/ethnicity) to examine the associations of sociodemographic factors and mental health problems with perceived racial/ethnic discrimination. RESULTS Fifteen percent of children reported perceived racial/ethnic discrimination, with 80% reporting that discrimination occurred at school. A greater percentage of Black (20%), Hispanic (15%), and other (16%) children reported perceived racial/ethnic discrimination compared with White (7%) children. Children who reported perceived racial/ethnic discrimination were more likely to have symptoms of each of the 4 mental health conditions included in the analysis: depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and conduct disorder. An association between perceived racial/ethnic discrimination and depressive symptoms was found for Black, Hispanic, and other children but not for White children. CONCLUSIONS Perceived racial/ethnic discrimination is not an uncommon experience among fifth-grade students and may be associated with a variety of mental health disorders.
Pattern-making simulation on embroidery using probabilistic neural network and texture fitting method

Embroidery fabric is different from other planar fabrics such as printed fabrics and twill fabrics. Because embroidery fabrics have inherent solid texture patterns, furry edges, voids and thickness shadows, it is very difficult to filter and simulate texture patterns and this is the bottleneck for embroidery automation. Therefore, this paper proposes the texture fitting method. The texture fitting method is a kind of nonfiltered digital image processing method. For embroidery fabrics full of multiple single-connected, single-color and single-texture closed regions, the texture fitting method can complete color and region separation, and texture simulation fast. Then the results can be output to monitors or plotters to investigate the simulation effect and it can be compared to real fabrics, or this technology can be used as a generalized filter for embroidery fabrics. This paper first addresses a combination of mean, morphological and central weighted median filters to remove light variation on embroidery surface, periodic darkness on the greige, and noised texture structures, so as to separate colors by weighted fuzzy C-means method and reshape one-dimensional image pixels to finish region separation. The second part of this paper utilizes the texture fitting method to identify stitch colors and simulate texture patterns over the whole image. By exporting the result to visual devices, we can prove the integral correctness and efficiency of the texture simulation.
Augmentation of Cardiopulmonary Baroreflex Control of Forearm Vascular Resistance in Borderline Hypertension

Arterial barereflex control of heart rate is impaired in young men with borderline or mild hypertension. Despite this impairment, these subjects often hare exaggerated increases in rascular resistance during orthostatk stress. We considered the possibility that this exaggerated reflex vasoconstriction might reflect augmented cardiopulmonary baroreflex control of vascular resistance m borderline hypertension (BHT). Accordingly, we studied cardiopulmonary baroreflex control of forearm rascular resistance in nine BHT men with blood pressure intermittently above 150/90 mm Hg and in seven nonnotensive (NT) men. Cardiopulmonary baroreceptor input was reduced with lower body negative pressure (LBNP −5 to −2 0 mm Hg), which decreases cardiac filling pressures. Baseline mean arterial pressure was 99 ± 3 mm Hg (mean ± SE) in BHT vs 83 ± 2 mm Hg in NT (p < 0.05). Baseline forearm resistance was also higher in BHT than in NT: 19 ± 2 vs 13 ± 1 mm Hg/ml/mln/100 ml or units (p < 0.05). Reflex increases in forearm resistance during LBNP were greater (p < 0.05) in BHT than in NT (8.6 ± 1.7 vs 4.5 ± 1.1 units during LBNP −20). Increases in arterial pressure and forearm resistance during a cold pressor test were not significantly different in the two groups. Thus, the augmented response to LBNP could not be attributed to a nonspecific influence of increased baseline resistance or a generalized abnormality in reflex control. In summary, the results of this study suggest that there is augmentation of the tonic inhibitory influence of cardiopulmonary baroreceptors in humans with BHT. (Hypertension 4: 39–46, 1982)
Highly active antiretroviral therapy corrects hematopoiesis in HIV-1 infected patients: interest for peripheral blood stem cell-based gene therapy

Objectives: To study, in asymptomatic HIV-1-infected (HIV+) patients, whether peripheral blood hematopoietic progenitor/stem cells (PBPC) mobilized by granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), can be used as a source of cells for retroviral gene therapy. Design: PBPC from two groups of HIV+ patients (treated or untreated by highly active antiretroviral therapy) and from seronegative donors were mobilized with G-CSF. Methods: PBPC collected by leukapheresis were enriched for CD34 cells, immunophenotypically and functionally characterized, cultured and infected with retroviral vectors. HIV proviral integration was studied on fresh and cultured cells. Results: G-CSF moderately and transiently increased the viral load in untreated patients only, and induced in both groups of HIV+ patients mobilization of percentages and numbers of CD34 cells comparable to those of seronegative volunteers. The most immature CD34 cell subset, the clonogenic progenitor and long-term culture initiating cells were significantly decreased in leukapheresis products and CD34-enriched fractions from untreated HIV+ patients but not in those from treated HIV+ patients. Cell cycle activation and growth factor responses of CD34 cells from both groups of HIV+ patients were not different from those of the control group. Culture and retroviral infection of CD34 cells from HIV+ patients did not enhance HIV replication, and yielded transduction levels similar to those obtained using CD34 cells from seronegative donors. Conclusions: G-CSF-mobilized PBPC can be safely used for HIV retroviral gene therapy in asymptomatic treated patients while highly active antiretroviral therapy would control the G-CSF-induced increase in viral load and correct the defective hematopoiesis observed in untreated patients, without inhibiting the retroviral transduction of PBPC.
Non-Radiating Waveguide With High Permittivity Dielectric And Antennas Based On It

In this thesis the propagation characteristics of non-radiating dielectric waveguides (NRD guide) and its feasibility for end-fire and leaky-wave antenna structures in the W frequency band were studied. To obtain the propagation constant, MARCATILI’s approximation method was extended to be used with NRD guides and the outcome was verified with simulation results. In order to connect the NRD guide to standard metal waveguides a new direct connection transition was developed and a prototype was manufactured and measured. Based on the concept of a dielectric rod waveguide antenna an NRD guide end-fire antenna is presented and verified experimentally based on the the same experimental NRD guide used for the transition. Furthermore a concept for a new type of periodic leaky-wave antenna based on the NRD guide is presented, where high impedance surfaces allow the radiated electromagnetic wave to propagate out of the waveguide structure.
Extra high speed matrix multiplication on the Cray-2

The Cray-2 is capable of performing matrix multiplication at very high rates. Using library routines provided by Cray Research, Inc., performance rates of 300 to 425 MFLOPS can be obtained on a single processor, depending on system load. Considerably higher rates can be achieved with all four processors running simultaneously.This article describes how matrix multiplication can be performed even faster, at up to twice the above-listed rates. This can be achieved by: (1) employing Strassen's matrix multiplication algorithm to reduce the number of floating-point operations performed and (2) utilizing local memory on the Cray-2 to avoid performance losses due to memory bank contention. The numerical stability and potential for parallel application of this procedure are also discussed.
Mapping the constructicon with SYMPAThy. Italian word combinations between fixedness and productivity

This work introduces SYMPAThy, a data representation model in which the combinatorial properties of a lexical item are described by merging surface and deeper linguistic information. The proposed approach is then evaluated by comparing, for a sample list of verbal idioms, a set of SYMPAThy-based fixedness indexes against the relevant speaker-elicited indexes available in the descriptive norms collected by Tabossi et al. (2011).
Assessing the Cost of RF-Power Harvesting Nodes in Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) consist of nodes with limited power resources. A potential method to prolong the lifespan of a node is the use of an antenna which can harvest energy from radio frequency (RF) signals. In this paper, we model a network consisting of nodes with energy harvesting capabilities and a number of dedicated energy transmitters (ETs) which send data to the nodes. We identify those parameters which affect the consumption of the nodes and we design a method to achieve multi-hop energy transfer between the nodes. However, the ultimate purpose of this paper is to examine whether the cost of the investment of using energy harvesting nodes can be covered by achieving a lower operation cost; that is longer operation times and, thus, less frequent maintenance. We consider three scenarios with different node densities and transmitter populations. Simulation results show that the use of RF-energy harvesting nodes can save a significant amount of energy, while the cost of the investment can be covered in less than 8 years for dense networks.
Nonrigid Image Deformation Using Moving Regularized Least Squares

This letter presents an image deformation method based on Moving Regularized Least Squares optimization. The user controls the deformation by simply choosing a set of point handles in the input image, and also the target positions that the source point handles should be deformed to. The deformation function in our method is nonrigid and specified in a functional space, more specifically a reproducing kernel Hilbert space. The proposed method possesses three characteristics: 1) it is able to create detail-preserving and intuitive deformations; 2) the solution of the deformation function has a simple closed-form; 3) it is extremely computationally efficient which can be performed in real-time (less than 0.1 milliseconds per frame for an image of size 500 ×500). We compare our method to a state-of-the-art method which is modeled by rigid transformations; the qualitative and quantitative results demonstrate the benefits of using the nonrigid formulation in aspects of both accuracy and efficiency. Moreover, the proposed method is general and it can be applied to other applications for interpolation.
iProgram: Intuitive programming of an industrial HRI cell

This paper introduces a concept for intuitive programming of an industrial HRI cell for non-experts. The main idea of this concept is to combine recently available technologies ranging from speech recognition, 3D visual surveillance (person tracking and object recognition) and handheld devices over to teach-in, visual programming and instruction based programming of compliant robots for heavy loads. With these components an easy method for programming or adapting workflows within an industrial packaging cell was realized and tested in a real factory environment.