Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cyclic pursuit in three dimensions

Pursuit strategies for interacting particles and feedback laws to execute them are formulated in three dimensions, focusing on constant bearing (CB) pursuit - a case of interest in biology. In the analysis of such laws for the setting of n particles engaged in cyclic pursuit, we reveal interesting invariant manifold dynamics and associated explicit integrability properties, as well as conditions for special solutions such as relative equilibria.
Antimicrobial and fluoride release capacity of orthodontic bonding materials.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial and fluoride releasing capacity of 3 bonding materials. MATERIAL AND METHODS Thirty nine specimens with standardized surface smoothness and dimensions were prepared. The antimicrobial capacity of the materials against S. mutans, L. casei and C. albicans was evaluated by determining the percentage of growth inhibition of these microorganisms in an inoculated medium, obtained by optical density readouts on a spectrophotometer. The potential to interfere in microbial growth on the surface of the studied materials was observed by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The fluoride release capacity in ultrapure water for 14 days was analyzed by means of ion chromatography. RESULTS The PLUS group presented the highest percentage of microbial inhibition and the most contamination-free surface. The FUJI group presented the best fluoride release capacity. CONCLUSIONS The TransbondTM Plus Color Change was the one that presented the best general behavior considering the evaluated aspects.
High performance 16-bit MCML multiplier

This paper presents a high performance 16x16 bit 2's complement multiplier using MOS Current Mode Logic (MCML). A small library of MCML logic gates consisting of NAND/AND, XOR/XNOR, MUX and full adder are designed and optimized for low power and high-speed operation. Using these gates, a 16 bit MCML signed multiplier is designed and tested for 4 different supply current, in a UMC 0.18 μm CMOS technology and VDD of 1.8V. According to our simulations, the highest current circuit works at 800 MHz and consumes 55 mW, while the lowest power operates at 250 MHz and consumes 16 mW. The circuits are either consume less power or operate up to a higher frequency compared to equivalent circuits in the literature. One of the most important advantages of this circuit is the absence of the power supply current spikes which makes the circuit very suitable for mixed mode designs. The multiplier consists of 7,268 transistors while a comparable CMOS multiplier in the literature consists of 13,444 transistors.
Local Image Histograms for Learning Exposure Fusion

Local image histograms provide valuable descriptors of the behavior of an image around a given pixel. Rather than bucketing intensity values for all the pixels in an image, local histograms are defined separately for each pixel and represent the distribution of nearby intensities. Several image filters, including the median, mean-shift, and bilateral, can be described and computed using these histograms. In the SIGGRAPH 2010 conference, a new technique was introduced for efficiently computing such local histograms at all points in an image [2]. While previous algorithms had time complexity proportional to the support of the histogram, the new approach always runs in O(1) time per pixel, taking advantage of efficient Gaussian blur operations to simplify the local histogram computation process. While [2] applies local image histograms to the reexpression of previously-known image filters, these histograms also provide interesting features that could be used to apply machine learning to computational photography. In this project, we propose the application of this technique to learning reasonable approaches to exposure fusion, in which images of a scene taken at different exposures are linearly combined at each pixel to generate a meaningful output using the entire dynamic range of the display device. Ideally, although there obviously is a strong correlation between the histograms and values of adjacent pixels in a photograph, the histograms provide sufficiently strong descriptions of local behavior that this dependence can be ignored. Thus, we use examples of successfullyfused images and their per-pixel histograms as training data to learn a function mapping a single pixel and its corresponding histogram in each of the different exposures to a single output. This dependence likely is nonlinear, since local histograms often exhibit complex or even bimodal distributions. For this reason, we apply the “Least-Squares SVM” kernelized regression technique, which implicitly makes use of high-order features [3]. In the particular setting of image processing with locallyweighted histograms, evaluation of the learned exposure fusion function can be made considerably more efficient by taking advantage of the fact that histograms change with relatively low frequency across most images; a key contribution of this project is a new algorithm for efficient evaluation that makes image-processing-byexample a more feasible task. This project represents one of the first data-driven techniques in computational photography introduced to the graphics community. Its timings compare favorably with comparable approaches and more standard image processing techniques, and the output exhibits relatively few undesirable artifacts.
Acute and Chronic Dopamine Dynamics in a Nonhuman Primate Model of Recreational Cocaine Use

Using a model of recreational cocaine consumption, we have determined in four rhesus monkeys the impact of self-administered cocaine on mesolimbic and sensorimotor striatal dopaminergic neurotransmission. The effects of cocaine repeated within a self-administration session and across multiple sessions over a 6 month period were determined by the use of fixed-ratio self-administration and microdialysis procedures. The exposure to cocaine was modest, with at most two 0.5 mg/kg infusions permitted in each weekly session. Within a cocaine self-administration session, acute tolerance to the ability of cocaine to elevate extracellular striatal dopamine was observed. Over a period of 6 months of repeated self-administration, there was a significant increase in the impact of a fixed dose on extracellular dopamine, indicating that neurochemical sensitization to the effects of self-administered cocaine occurs in primates. A pronounced dopaminergic response to noncontingent cocaine was also observed, with no increases in extracellular dopamine in response to an unexpected saline substitution, indicating that the neurochemical response to self-administered cocaine is primarily caused by direct pharmacological effects of the drug rather than by conditioning to external environmental cues. These results highlight the contrast in time-dependent changes in neurochemical responsiveness to cocaine, depending on whether within-session or between-session comparisons are made. They also demonstrate that recreational levels of cocaine consumption can result in neurochemical sensitization, an enduring change in brain function that may contribute to addiction.
Downregulation of the stress-induced ligand ULBP1 following SV40 infection confers viral evasion from NK cell cytotoxicity

Polyomaviruses are a diverse family of viruses which are prevalent in the human population. However, the interactions of these viruses with the immune system are not well characterized. We have previously shown that two human polyomaviruses, JC and BK, use an identical microRNA to evade immune attack by Natural Killer (NK) cells. We showed that this viral microRNA suppresses ULBP3 expression, a stress induced ligand for the killer receptor NKG2D. Here we show that Simian Virus 40 (SV40) also evades NK cell attack through the down regulation of another stress-induced ligand of NKG2D, ULBP1. These findings indicate that NK cells play an essential role in fighting polyomavirus infections and further emphasize the importance of various members of the ULBP family in controlling polyomavirus infection.
Batoid wing skeletal structure: Novel morphologies, mechanical implications, and phylogenetic patterns

The skeleton of the “wings” of skates and rays consists of a series of radially oriented cartilaginous fin rays emanating from a modified pectoral girdle. Each fin ray consists of small, laterally oriented skeletal elements, radials, traditionally represented as simple cylindrical building blocks. High‐resolution radiography reveals the pattern of calcification in batoid wing elements, and their organization within the fin ray, to be considerably more complex and phylogenetically variable than previously thought. Calcification patterns of radials varied between families, as well as within individual pectoral fins. Oscillatory swimmers show structural interconnections between fin rays in central areas of the wing. Morphological variation was strongly predictive of locomotor strategy, which we attribute to oscillatory swimmers needing different areas of the wing stiffened than do undulatory swimmers. Contributions of various forms of calcification to radial stiffness were calculated theoretically. Results indicate that radials completely covered by mineralized tissue (“crustal calcification”) were stiffer than those that were calcified in chain‐like patterns (“catenated calcification”). Mapping this functionally important variation onto a phylogeny reveals a more complicated pattern than the literature suggests for the evolution of locomotor mode. Therefore, further investigation into the phylogenetic distribution of swimming mode is warranted. J. Morphol. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Conservation studies on four medicinal taxa of Southern Nigeria

Experiments were conducted to document optimum ways of producing sturdy and suitable planting materials of Bryophyllum pinnatum, Cordia millenii, Enantia cholrantha and Celtis durandii found in Southern Nigeria. The plants are used in the treatment of various diseases such as earache, fever, malaria, typhoid, jaundice, liver problem and menstrual pains. Forest top soil was observed to be the best growth medium. The stem cuttings of B. pinnatum did not root in all the experiments while leaf rooted along the serrated margin. Within 30 days, 18 seedlings were produced in forest topsoil as against 10 produced in river sand. Significant differences were observed in response to coconut milk treatment under the various time durations. 24 new plants were produced from the leaves soaked for 24 h as against 3 from the leaves of B. pinnatum soaked for 1 min from forest topsoil. Lower values from river sand were observed. Mycorrhizal association was observed to exist. Seedlings inoculated with mycorrhizal soil had a mean total value of 90 cm in height growth against the control where 30 cm was obtained. Significant stem rooting was noted in response to coconut milk treatment except with B. pinnatum in which zero values were obtained. 60% of the stem cuttings rooted was observed in E. cholorantha, and 50% in C. millenii and C. durandii with 24 h treatment with coconut milk. The determination of the phytochemical constituents revealed that the plants contain saponin, alkaloids, tanins, inulins, potassium mallate, ascorbic and organic acids. The plants are used in the treatment of various diseases such as earache, fever, malaria, typhoid, jaundice, liver problem and menstrual pains. Key words: Conservation, Bryophyllum pinnatum, Cordia millenii, Enantia chlorantha, Celtis durandii.
Testing male immunocompetence in two hymenopterans with different levels of social organization: ‘live hard, die young?’

Males are under different selective pressures than females, which results in differences in the physiology of the two sexes to maximize their fitness. In terms of immunity, males are typically considered as the ‘sicker sex’, where immunocompetence is reduced to favour increased reproductive output. However, male social Hymenoptera are also haploid and therefore lack allelic variation at the individual level, which can also lead to reduced immunocompetence. Over the last decade, several studies have provided evidence for a higher susceptibility to disease in males of social Hymenoptera, without clarifying whether this susceptibility was a direct consequence of their haploid condition or the result of a ‘live hard, die young’ overall evolutionary strategy. In the present study, we used an experimental approach of bacterial challenge to test the immune response of males and females in two species of social Hymenoptera (honey bees, Apis mellifera; paper wasps, Polistes dominula), where males show very different life-history traits. Drones benefit from colony protection for most of their life, whereas P. dominula males leave their colonies and have to survive for weeks at leks. If the haploid condition is responsible for a higher susceptibility in males, we should expect a lower immune response in males of both species compared to females. Conversely, if the immunocompetence depends on the life-history traits of males, an opposite trend is expected in males of the two species. Our results do not support the ‘haploid susceptibility hypothesis’ but are in accordance with the different life history of males from the two species. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2015, 114, 274–278.
Classifying and Identifying of Threats in E-mails - Using Data Mining Techniques

E-mail has become one of the most ubiquitous methods of communication. The large percentage of the total traffic over the internet is thee-mail. E-mail data is also growing rapidly, creating needs for automated analysis. So, to detect crime, to organize bundles of emails, a spectrum of techniques should be applied to discover and identify patterns and make predictions. Data mining has emerged to address problems of understanding ever-growing volumes of information for structured data, finding patterns within data that are used to develop useful knowledge. Earlier Statistical methods are used to characterize user behavior , classifying spam and detecting novel email viruses. However, previous techniques have not examined the contributions of these features to their classification and they need some improvements. By applying data mining classification techniques we can achieve this very efficiently. In this paper we show that Naive Bayes classification approach is useful for predicting user's behavior and to organize the emails according to users constraints.
Multimodalcues for addressee-hood in triadic communication with a human information retrieval agent

Over the last few years, a number of studies have dealt with the question of how the addressee of an utterance can be determined from observable behavioural features in the context of mixed human-human and human-computer interaction (e.g. in the case of someone talking alternatingly to a robot and another person). Often in these cases, the behaviour is strongly influenced by the difference in communicative ability of the robot and the other person, and the "salience" of the robot or system, turning it into a situational distractor. In the current paper, we study triadic human-human communication, where one of the participants plays the role of an information retrieval agent (such as in a travel agency where two customers who want to book a vacation, engage in a dialogue with the travel agent to specify constraints on preferable options). Through a perception experiment we investigate the role of audio and visual cues as markers of addressee-hood of utterances by customers. The outcomes show that both audio and visual cues provide specific types of information, and that combined audio-visual cues give the best performance. In addition, we conduct a detailed analysis of the eye gaze behaviour of the information retrieval agent both when listening and speaking, providing input for modelling the behaviour of an embodied conversational agent.
Caveolin-1 as a Novel Indicator of Wound-Healing Capacity in Aged Human Corneal Epithelium

Excess caveolin-1 has been reported to play a role in age-dependent hyporesponsiveness to growth factors in vitro. Therefore, we hypothesized that caveolin-1-dependent hyporesponsiveness to growth factors in aged corneal epithelial cells might be responsible for delayed wound healing in vivo. To test this hypothesis, we evaluated corneal wound-healing time by vital staining using fluorescein after laser epithelial keratomileusis (LASEK). We compared wound-healing times in young, middle-aged and elderly patients. We also examined caveolin-1 levels and other aging markers, such as p53 and p21, in the corneal epithelium. Elderly patients generally had higher caveolin-1 levels in the corneal epithelia than young patients. There were, however, variations among individuals with increased caveolin-1 in some young patients and decreased levels in some elderly patients. Wound-healing time after LASEK correlated well with the corneal caveolin-1 status. Therefore, we suggest that caveolin-1 status might be responsible for delayed wound healing in elderly patients after LASEK. Caveolin-1 status might be a regulator for wound-healing capacity and a novel target for in vivo adjustment.
Vessel Visualization using Curved Surface Reformation

Visualizations of vascular structures are frequently used in radiological investigations to detect and analyze vascular diseases. Obstructions of the blood flow through a vessel are one of the main interests of physicians, and several methods have been proposed to aid the visual assessment of calcifications on vessel walls. Curved Planar Reformation (CPR) is a wide-spread method that is designed for peripheral arteries which exhibit one dominant direction. To analyze the lumen of arbitrarily oriented vessels, Centerline Reformation (CR) has been proposed. Both methods project the vascular structures into 2D image space in order to reconstruct the vessel lumen. In this paper, we propose Curved Surface Reformation (CSR), a technique that computes the vessel lumen fully in 3D. This offers high-quality interactive visualizations of vessel lumina and does not suffer from problems of earlier methods such as ambiguous visibility cues or premature discretization of centerline data. Our method maintains exact visibility information until the final query of the 3D lumina data. We also present feedback from several domain experts.
Synthetic aperture radar interferometry

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is a coherent active microwave imaging method. In remote sensing it is used for mapping the scattering properties of the Earth's surface in the respective wavelength domain. Many physical and geometric parameters of the imaged scene contribute to the grey value of a SAR image pixel. Scene inversion suffers from this high ambiguity and requires SAR data taken at different wavelength, polarization, time, incidence angle, etc. Interferometric SAR (InSAR) exploits the phase differences of at least two complex-valued SAR images acquired from different orbit positions and/or at different times. The information derived from these interferometric data sets can be used to measure several geophysical quantities, such as topography, deformations (volcanoes, earthquakes, ice fields), glacier flows, ocean currents, vegetation properties, etc. This paper reviews the technology and the signal theoretical aspects of InSAR. Emphasis is given to mathematical imaging models and the statistical properties of the involved quantities. Coherence is shown to be a useful concept for system description and for interferogram quality assessment. As a key step in InSAR signal processing two-dimensional phase unwrapping is discussed in detail. Several interferometric configurations are described and illustrated by real-world examples. A compilation of past, current and future InSAR systems concludes the paper.
On the Topology of Fibrations with Section and Free Loop Spaces

We relate the brace products of a fibration with section to the differentials in its Serre spectral sequence. In the particular case of free loop fibrations, we establish a link between these differentials and Browder operations in the fiber. Applications and several calculations (for the particular cases of spheres and wedges of spheres) are given. 2000 Mathematical Subject Classification: 55P35, 55Q15, 55R05, 55R20.
Provided for Non-commercial Research and Educational Use. Not for Reproduction, Distribution or Commercial Use. Gratitude

research and educational use including without limitation use in instruction at your institution, sending it to specific colleagues who you know, and providing a copy to your institution's administrator. Glossary Appreciation The general recognition of and attention to positive aspects of one's life. Experiment A scientific study in which participants are randomly assigned to a treatment condition (e.g., write a gratitude letter) versus a neutral control condition (e.g., write about your day), thus allowing causal inferences about the conditions to be made. Gratitude The recognition of a positive outcome from an external source, including a felt sense of wonder or thankfulness for benefits received. Mediation A theory or statistical model that attempts to explain the underlying factor that explains the relationship between two variables (e.g., that gratitude promotes health because it stimulates people to engage in healthy behaviors).
Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery Open Access the European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (euroscore) Is Not Appropriate for Withholding Surgery in High-risk Patients with Aortic Stenosis: a Retrospective Cohort Study

Background: The European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE) is a widely used risk assessment tool in patients with severe aortic stenosis to determine operability and to select patients for alternative therapies such as transcatheter aortic valve implantation. The objective of this study was to determine the accuracy of the EuroSCORE in predicting mortality following aortic valve replacement (AVR).
A Query Language Solution for Shortest Path Problems in Cyclic Geometrics

This paper presents a recursive query language solution for the shortest path problem based on the transformation of a cyclic geometric graph into an acyclic time graph, i.e. an acyclic Petri Net specifying the possible transitions (turns) between successive rides on different roads. Using this transformation, the shortest path problem is transformed into a fastest tour problem. The time complexity of the proposed solution is O(N), where N is the number of towns in the underlying geometry. The underlying algorithm guarantees termination.
Learning with Iwasawa Coordinates

Finding a good metric over the input space plays a fundamental role in machine learning. Most existing techniques assume the Mahalanobis metric without incorporating the geometry of Pn, the space of n◊n symmetric positive-definite (SPD) matrices, which leads to difficulties in the optimization procedure used to learn the metric. In this paper, we introduce a novel algorithm to learn the Mahalanobis metric using a natural parametrization of Pn. The data are then transformed by the learned metric into another linear space. This linear space however does not have the required structure needed to significantly improve the classification of data that are not linearly separable. Therefore, we develop an efficient algorithm to map this transformed input data space onto the known curved space of positive definite matrices, Pn, and empirically show that this mapping yields superior clustering results (in comparison to state-of-the-art) on several well published data. A key advantage of mapping the data to Pn as opposed to an infinite dimensional space using a Kernel (as in SVM) is that, Pn is finite dimensional, its geometry is fully known and therefore one can incorporate its Riemannian structure into nonlinear learning tasks.