Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cross Correlation versus Mutual Information for Image Mosaicing

This paper reviews the concept of image mosaicing and presents a comparison between two of the most common image mosaicing techniques. The first technique is based on normalized cross correlation (NCC) for registering overlapping 2D images of a 3D scene. The second is based on mutual information (MI). The experimental results demonstrate that the two techniques have a similar performance in most cases but there are some interesting differences. The choice of a distinctive template is critical when working with NCC. On the other hand, when using MI, the registration procedure was able to provide acceptable performance even without distinctive templates. But generally the performance when using MI with large rotation angles was not accurate as with NCC.
Reverse Engineering of the Spindle Assembly Checkpoint

The Spindle Assembly Checkpoint (SAC) is an intracellular mechanism that ensures proper chromosome segregation. By inhibiting Cdc20, a co-factor of the Anaphase Promoting Complex (APC), the checkpoint arrests the cell cycle until all chromosomes are properly attached to the mitotic spindle. Inhibition of Cdc20 is mediated by a conserved network of interacting proteins. The individual functions of these proteins are well characterized, but understanding of their integrated function is still rudimentary. We here describe our attempts to reverse-engineer the SAC network based on gene deletion phenotypes. We begun by formulating a general model of the SAC which enables us to predict the rate of chromosomal missegregation for any putative set of interactions between the SAC proteins. Next the missegregation rates of seven yeast strains are measured in response to the deletion of one or two checkpoint proteins. Finally, we searched for the set of interactions that correctly predicted the observed missegregation rates of all deletion mutants. Remarkably, although based on only seven phenotypes, the consistent network we obtained successfully reproduces many of the known properties of the SAC. Further insights provided by our analysis are discussed.
Shared-control brain-computer interface for a two dimensional reaching task using EEG error-related potentials

One of the main problems of EEG-based brain computer interfaces (BCIs) is their low information rate, thus for complex tasks the user needs large amounts of time to solve the task. In an attempt to reduce this time and improve the application robustness, recent works have explored shared-control strategies where the device does not only execute the decoded commands, but it is also involved in executing the task. This work proposes a shared-control BCI using error potentials for a 2D reaching task with discrete actions and states. The proposed system has several interesting properties: the system is scalable without increasing the complexity of the user's mental task; the interaction is natural for the user, as the mental task is to monitor the device performance to promote its task learning (in this context the reaching task); and the system has the potential to be combined with additional brain signals to recover or learn from interaction errors. Online control experiments were performed with four subjects, showing that it was possible to reach a goal location from any starting point within a 5×5 grid in around 23 actions (about 19 seconds of EEG signal), both with fixed goals and goals freely chosen by the users.
Displacement of Bacterial Plasmids by Engineered Unilateral Incompatibility

Bacterial plasmids employ copy number control systems to ensure that they do not overburden their hosts. Plasmid incompatibility is caused by shared components of copy number control systems, resulting in mutual inhibition of replication. Incompatible plasmids cannot be stably maintained within a host cell. Unilateral incompatibility, in which the plasmid replicons are compatible but one plasmid encodes for the replication inhibitor of the other, leads to rapid displacement of the inhibited plasmid. Thus, we propose that the unilateral incompatibility can be used to eradicate an undesirable plasmid from a population. To investigate this process, we developed deterministic and stochastic models of plasmid dynamics. An analysis of these models provides predictions about the efficacy of plasmid displacement.
From Fiction to Reality and Back: Ontology of Ludic Simulations

The relation between games and simulations can be profitably investigated by combining ontological tools and recent neurological findings. Neurology shows that simulations are connected to fiction or to reality by a suspension of disbelief or alternatively a suspension of belief, and ontological categories of Mimesis simulation of an event or an object and Catharsis simulation of the experience of an event or object lead to a classification of ludic simulations, which allow to discover some of their hidden properties. This paper raises some new issues for the field, like Embodied Simulation, Simulations of Depth and of Surface, the Ontological and the Epistemological Barrier, the Simulation Story, and the K-Rule. Finally, some wittgensteinian tools semantic, syntactic, infra-semantic, and super-syntactic are used in order to suggest how to transform a simulation into a ludic simulation.
Prediction for the Sulfur Content in Pig Iron of Blast Furnace by Combining Artificial Neural Network with Genetic Algorithm

Sulphur content in pig iron is one of the most important indices to represent the quality of liquid iron in blast furnace. In order to timely control sulfur content, a mathematical model is developed to predict the sulfur content in pig iron. Compared with the conventional artificial neural network model, a new method is developed to integrate artificial neural network with genetic algorithm. The genetic algorithm with the binary coded chromosome is used to optimize initial neural network weights. In this project, the first aim is to train the model by integrating artificial neural network with genetic algorithm according to the past processing variables. The second is to predict the next sulfur content based on the training result in the first step and according to the current processing variables. Compared with only using artificial neural network model, this developed method can improve the predicted accuracy. From practical applications, it can be found the model is exact and reliable to predict the sulfur content in the pig iron of blast furnace.
B Vitamins and Magnetic Resonance Imaging–Detected Ischemic Brain Lesions in Patients With Recent Transient Ischemic Attack or Stroke: The VITAmins TO Prevent Stroke (VITATOPS) MRI-Substudy

Background and Purpose— Elevated concentrations of homocysteine are associated with cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD). b-vitamin supplementation with folate and vitamins b12 and b6 reduces homocysteine concentrations. In a substudy of the VITAmins TO Prevent Stroke (VITATOPS) trial, we assessed the hypothesis that the addition of once-daily supplements of b vitamins would reduce the progression of CSVD-related brain lesions. Methods— A total of 359 patients with recent stroke or transient ischemic attack, who were randomly allocated to double-blind treatment with placebo or b vitamins, underwent brain MRI at randomization and after 2 years of b-vitamin supplementation. MR images were analyzed blinded to treatment allocation. Outcomes related to the prespecified hypothesis were progression of white matter hyperintensities and incident lacunes. We also explored the effect of b-vitamin supplementation on the incidence of other ischemic abnormalities. Results— After 2 years of treatment with b vitamins or placebo, there was no significant difference in white matter hyperintensities volume change (0.08 vs 0.13cm3; P=0.419) and incidence of lacunes (8.0% vs 5.9%, P=0.434; odds ratio=1.38). In a subanalysis of patients with MRI evidence of severe CSVD at baseline, b-vitamin supplementation was associated with a significant reduction in white matter hyperintensities volume change (0.3 vs 1.7cm3; P=0.039). Conclusions— Daily b-vitamin supplementation for 2 years did not significantly reduce the progression of brain lesions resulting from presumed CSVD in all patients with recent stroke or transient ischemic attack but may do so in the subgroup of patients with recent stroke or transient ischemic attack and severe CSVD. Clinical Trial Registration— http://vitatops.highway1. com.au/. Unique identifier: NCT00097669 and ISRCTN74743444.
Ordinal Ranking for Google's PageRank

We present computationally efficient criteria that can guarantee correct ordinal ranking of Google's PageRank scores when they are computed with the power method (ordinal ranking of a list consists of assigning an ordinal number to each item in the list). We discuss the tightness of the ranking criteria, and illustrate their effectiveness for top k and bucket ranking. We present a careful implementation of the power method, combined with a roundoff error analysis that is valid for matrix dimensions $n<10^{14}$. To first order, the roundoff error depends neither on $n$ nor on the iteration count, but only on the maximal number of inlinks and the dangling nodes. The applicability of our ranking criterion is limited by the roundoff error from a single matrix vector multiply. Numerical experiments suggest that our criteria can effectively rank the top PageRank scores. We also discuss how to implement ranking for extremely large practical problems, by curbing roundoff error, reducing the matrix dimension, and using faster converging methods.
Electrostatic potential for a hyperbolic probe tip near a semiconductor

The electrostatic potential resulting from a metallic probe tip near a semiconductor is examined. A solution is formulated assuming circular symmetry and using prolate spheroidal coordinates in the vacuum and Cartesian coordinates in the semiconductor. The result is most directly applied to the case of a hyperbolic probe tip, but other shapes (for example, a small hemispherical protrusion on the tip apex) can also be handled. Numerical results are given for representative cases that might be encountered in scanning probe microscopy.
PM10, and children's respiratory symptoms and lung function in the PATY study

Studies of the impact of long-term exposure to outdoor air pollution on the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and lung function in children have yielded mixed results, partly related to differences in study design, exposure assessment, confounder selection and data analysis. We assembled respiratory health and exposure data for >45,000 children from comparable cross-sectional studies in 12 countries. 11 respiratory symptoms were selected, for which comparable questions were asked. Spirometry was performed in about half of the children. Exposure to air pollution was mainly characterised by annual average concentrations of particulate matter with a 50% cut-off aerodynamic diameter of 10 &mgr;m (PM10) measured at fixed sites within the study areas. Positive associations were found between the average PM10 concentration and the prevalence of phlegm (OR per 10 &mgr;g·m−3 1.15, 95% CI 1.02–1.30), hay fever (OR 1.20, 95% CI 0.99–1.46), bronchitis (OR 1.08, 95% CI 0.98–1.19), morning cough (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.02–1.29) and nocturnal cough (OR 1.13, 95% CI 0.98–1.29). There were no associations with diagnosed asthma or asthma symptoms. PM10 was not associated with lung function across all studies combined. Our study adds to the evidence that long-term exposure to outdoor air pollution, characterised by the concentration of PM10, is associated with increased respiratory symptoms.
Designing the User Interface for Multimodal Speech and Pen-Based Gesture Applications: State-of-the-Art Systems and Future Research Directions

The growing interest in multimodal interface design is inspired in large part by the goals of supporting more transparent, flexible, efficient, and powerfully expressive means of human-computer interaction than in the past. Multimodal interfaces are expected to support a wider range of diverse applications, be usable by a broader spectrum of the average population, and function more reliably under realistic and challenging usage conditions. In this article, we summarize the emerging architectural approaches for interpreting speech and pen-based gestural input in a robust manner-including early and late fusion approaches, and the new hybrid symbolic-statistical approach. We also describe a diverse collection of state-of-the-art multimodal systems that process users' spoken and gestural input. These applications range from map-based and virtual reality systems for engaging in simulations and training, to field medic systems for mobile use in noisy environments, to web-based transactions and standard text-editing applications that will reshape daily computing and have a significant commercial impact. To realize successful multimodal systems of the future, many key research challenges remain to be addressed. Among these challenges are the development of cognitive theories to guide multimodal system design, and the development of effective natural language processing, dialogue processing, and error-handling techniques. In addition, new multimodal systems will be needed that can function more robustly and adaptively, and with support for collaborative multiperson use. Before this new class of systems can proliferate, toolkits also will be needed to promote software development for both simulated and functioning systems.
Constructing public-key cryptographic schemes based on class group action on a set of isogenous elliptic curves

We propose a public-key encryption scheme and key agreement protocols based on a group action on a set. We construct an implementation of these schemes for the action of the class group $\mathcal{CL}(\mathcal{O}_K)$ of an imaginary quadratic field $K$ on the set $\mathcal{ELL}$ p,n $(\mathcal{O}_K)$ of isomorphism classes of elliptic curves over $\mathbb{F}_p$ with $n$ points and the endomorphism ring $\mathcal{O}_K$. This introduces a novel way of using elliptic curves for constructing asymmetric cryptography.
1 GHz bulk acoustic wave slanted finger interdigital transducers in aluminum nitride for wideband applications

This paper presents the first experimental demonstration of bulk acoustic wave (BAW) slanted finger interdigital transducer (SFIT) delay line in aluminum nitride (AlN) thin film operating around 1 GHz. The SFIT is used to electro-acoustically transduce the Lamb wave S0 mode. The AlN Lamb SFITs were micromachined and experimentally demonstrated to have a band-pass response with a maximum insertion loss (IL) of 26 dB, fractional bandwidth (6 dB) of 7.9%, and a shape factor (-30 dB) of 1.8. This device displays a small form factor of 150 μm × 421 μm. The transmission response of the measured devices was confirmed to match the impulse response model. However, large pass-band ripples were observed in the device due to the acoustic reflections within the interdigitated fingers. In order to verify the reflection effect, AlN lateral field excitation (LFE) SFITs were also microfabricated. Because of the absence of the bottom floating electrode and the use of a thicker AlN membrane in this configuration, the acoustic mismatch between interdigital transducers (IDTs) is reduced and so is the magnitude of the associated ripple (from 5 dB to 3.5 dB).
Differences in Natural History between Breast Cancers in BRCA1 and BRCA2 Mutation Carriers and Effects of MRI Screening-MRISC, MARIBS, and Canadian Studies Combined

Background: It is recommended that BRCA1/2 mutation carriers undergo breast cancer screening using MRI because of their very high cancer risk and the high sensitivity of MRI in detecting invasive cancers. Clinical observations suggest important differences in the natural history between breast cancers due to mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2, potentially requiring different screening guidelines. Methods: Three studies of mutation carriers using annual MRI and mammography were analyzed. Separate natural history models for BRCA1 and BRCA2 were calibrated to the results of these studies and used to predict the impact of various screening protocols on detection characteristics and mortality. Results: BRCA1/2 mutation carriers (N = 1,275) participated in the studies and 124 cancers (99 invasive) were diagnosed. Cancers detected in BRCA2 mutation carriers were smaller [80% ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) or ≤10 mm vs. 49% for BRCA1, P < 0.001]. Below the age of 40, one (invasive) cancer of the 25 screen-detected cancers in BRCA1 mutation carriers was detected by mammography alone, compared with seven (three invasive) of 11 screen-detected cancers in BRCA2 (P < 0.0001). In the model, the preclinical period during which cancer is screen-detectable was 1 to 4 years for BRCA1 and 2 to 7 years for BRCA2. The model predicted breast cancer mortality reductions of 42% to 47% for mammography, 48% to 61% for MRI, and 50% to 62% for combined screening. Conclusions: Our studies suggest substantial mortality benefits in using MRI to screen BRCA1/2 mutation carriers aged 25 to 60 years but show important clinical differences in natural history. Impact: BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers may benefit from different screening protocols, for example, below the age of 40. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 21(9); 1458–68. ©2012 AACR.
Nanostructured electrodes for efficient gas ionization

We investigate Tungsten (W) nanorod electrodes as gas ionizers. These W nanorods having square-base pyramidal apexes are grown using a glancing angle sputter deposition technique with substrate rotation. We show that few tens of volts of anode voltage applied to the W nanorods are sufficient to ionize a range of different gas species including Ar, CO2, N2 and O2. A distinct ionization onset voltage is observed for each individual gas specie, which suggests that these nanostructured ionization devices may be useful for gas sensing applications. In addition, the low anode voltage and high ion currents observed in this study indicates that the gas ionization devices could be operated using commercially available off-the-shelf batteries.
Genetic variation in the adenosine regulatory cycle is associated with posttraumatic epilepsy development

Determine if genetic variation in enzymes/transporters influencing extracellular adenosine homeostasis, including adenosine kinase (ADK), [ecto‐5′‐nucleotidase (NT5E), cluster of differentiation 73 (CD73)], and equilibrative nucleoside transporter type‐1 (ENT‐1), is significantly associated with epileptogenesis and posttraumatic epilepsy (PTE) risk, as indicated by time to first seizure analyses.
Principal Component Analysis in Topic Modelling of Short Text Document Collections

This paper presents the motivation for and the preliminary theoretical investigations of the PhD project by the first author. The objective of the research is to propose and to experimentally verify the approach of application of eigendecomposition in principal component analysis for topic modelling of short text document collections. The main hypothesis examined in this project, is that principal component analysis applied to word co-occurrence statistics turns topic modelling into well-defined problem having unique solution with natural fitting parameters. The project is performed at the Dept. of Computer Science of Zaporizhzhya National University.
Process Engine Benchmarking with Betsy in the Context of ISO/IEC Quality Standards

Business process management and automation has been the focus of intense research for a long time. Today, a plethora of process languages for specifying and implementing process models have evolved. Examples for such languages are established international standards, such as BPEL 2.0 or, more recently, BPMN 2.0. Implementations of these standards which are able to execute models, so called process engines, diﬀer in their quality of service, e.g., in performance or usability, but also in the degree to which they actually implement a given standard. Selecting the “best” engine for a particular use case is hard, as none of the existing process standards features an objective certiﬁcation process to assess the quality of its implementations. To ﬁll this gap, we present the current achievements in process engine benchmarking and point out future directions.
Bioaccumulation and translocation factors of cadmium and lead in 'Aeluropus littoralis'

Phytoremediation is an eco-friendly and low cost potential strategy for cleaning up of heavy metals from contaminated soils. Selection of promising plant is an important approach for successful phytoremediation. In two separate pot culture experiments, five levels of soil cadmium (Cd) concentrations as 15, 30, 60, 120 and 240 mg Cd kg-1 soil and five levels of lead (Pb) including 500, 1000, 2000, 4000, 8000 mg Pb kg-1 soil were tested. Plant growth, bioaccumulation and translocation factors of Cd and Pb in A. littoralis were investigated. Cd and Pb reduced the A. littoralis dry matter production significantly. Bioaccumulation factor of Pb was <1, which shows A. littoralis could be an excluder of Pb. Our results also showed translocation factor of Cd was more than one and hence, A. littoralis could be considered as accumulator of Cd. The incremental translocation of Cd to the shoots of A. littoralis, when exposed to the higher Cd in soil, indicates a great performance of this plant for Cd phytoextraction and might be introduced as Cd- hyperaccumulator plant.
Review of Natural Fibers. Part I—Vegetable Fibers

Natural fibers, which are an important part of human environment, are also valuable raw materials used for textile and non-textile production. Diversity of natural fiber shapes and forms is caused by their occurrence in different climatic zones. The abundance of the fiber sources arouses interest and gives opportunity for more comprehensive studies and, what follows, finding new applications for the fibers in industry. This paper presents collection of well- and little-known natural fibers from exotic plants that come from various climatic zones. Image analysis conducted by SEM techniques is a reliable method for evaluation of parameters characterizing surface and cross section of natural fibers. Some information about properties and application of the fibers is also provided.