Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dynamic Routing during Disaster Events

Innovations in mobile technology allow people to request route information on their smartphone to reach safe areas during emergency and disaster evacuations. In return, the affected people in the field can send their observation reports, e.g. using a dedicated icon-based disaster language. However, given the turbulent nature of disaster situations, the people and systems at crisis center are subjected to information overload, which can obstruct timely and accurate information sharing. A dynamic and automated evacuation plan that is able to predict future disaster outcome can be used to coordinate the affected people to safety in times of crisis. In this paper, we present a dynamic version of the shortest path algorithm of Dijkstra. The algorithm is able to compute the shortest path from the GPS-based location of the user (sent by the smartphone) to the safety area by taking into account possible affected areas in future. In the case of a toxic cloud, the “plume” model has been used to predict the path of the “plume” and to compute affected areas in the future. The algorithm has been tested in a simulation study and used in an experiment during a simulated crisis event in the city of Rotterdam.
A coronal explosion on the flare star CN Leonis

We present simultaneous high-temporal and high-spectral resolution observations of the nearby flare star CN Leo at optical and soft X-ray wavelengths. During our observing campaign a major flare occurred, raising the star's instantaneous energy output by almost three orders of magnitude. The flare shows the often observed impulsive behavior, with a rapid rise and slow decay in the optical and a broad soft X-ray maximum about 200 seconds after the optical flare peak. In addition to this usually encountered flare phenomenology we find, however, an extremely short (T dec ≈ 2 s) soft X-ray peak, which is very likely of thermal, rather than nonthermal nature and coincides temporally with the optical flare peak. While at hard X-ray energies nonthermal bursts are routinely observed on the Sun at flare onset, thermal soft X-ray bursts on time scales of seconds have never been observed in a solar, nor stellar context. Time-dependent, one-dimensional hydrodynamic modeling of this event requires an extremely short energy deposition time scale τ dep of a few seconds to reconcile theory with observations, thus suggesting that we are witnessing the results of a coronal explosion on CN Leo. Thus the flare on CN Leo provides the opportunity to observationally study the physics of the long-sought "micro-flares" thought to be responsible for coronal heating.
MASS: meta-analysis of score statistics for sequencing studies

Summary: MASS is a command-line program to perform meta-analysis of sequencing studies by combining the score statistics from multiple studies. It implements three types of multivariate tests that encompass all commonly used association tests for rare variants. The input files can be generated from the accompanying software SCORE-Seq. This bundle of programs allows analysis of large sequencing studies in a time and memory efficient manner. Availability and implementation: MASS and SCORE-Seq, including documentations and executables, are available at http://dlin.web. unc.edu/software/. Contact: lin@bios.unc.edu
Hepatic Glucagon Action Is Essential for Exercise-Induced Reversal of Mouse Fatty Liver

OBJECTIVE Exercise is an effective intervention to treat fatty liver. However, the mechanism(s) that underlie exercise-induced reductions in fatty liver are unclear. Here we tested the hypothesis that exercise requires hepatic glucagon action to reduce fatty liver. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS C57BL/6 mice were fed high-fat diet (HFD) and assessed using magnetic resonance, biochemical, and histological techniques to establish a timeline for fatty liver development over 20 weeks. Glucagon receptor null (gcgr−/−) and wild-type (gcgr+/+) littermate mice were subsequently fed HFD to provoke moderate fatty liver and then performed either 10 or 6 weeks of running wheel or treadmill exercise, respectively. RESULTS Exercise reverses progression of HFD-induced fatty liver in gcgr+/+ mice. Remarkably, such changes are absent in gcgr−/− mice, thus confirming the hypothesis that exercise-stimulated hepatic glucagon receptor activation is critical to reduce HFD-induced fatty liver. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that therapies that use antagonism of hepatic glucagon action to reduce blood glucose may interfere with the ability of exercise and perhaps other interventions to positively affect fatty liver.
Apparent cooperativity in the folding of multidomain proteins depends on the relative rates of folding of the constituent domains

Approximately 75% of eukaryotic proteins contain more than one so-called independently folding domain. However, there have been relatively few systematic studies to investigate the effect of interdomain interactions on protein stability and fewer still on folding kinetics. We present the folding of pairs of three-helix bundle spectrin domains as a paradigm to indicate how complex such an analysis can be. Equilibrium studies show an increase in denaturant concentration required to unfold the domains with only a single unfolding transition; however, in some cases, this is not accompanied by the increase in m value, which would be expected if the protein is a truly cooperative, all-or-none system. We analyze the complex kinetics of spectrin domain pairs, both wild-type and carefully selected mutants. By comparing these pairs, we are able to demonstrate that equilibrium data alone are insufficient to describe the folding of multidomain proteins and to quantify the effects that one domain can have on its neighbor.
Multifeature-Based High-Resolution Palmprint Recognition

Palmprint is a promising biometric feature for use in access control and forensic applications. Previous research on palmprint recognition mainly concentrates on low-resolution (about 100 ppi) palmprints. But for high-security applications (e.g., forensic usage), high-resolution palmprints (500 ppi or higher) are required from which more useful information can be extracted. In this paper, we propose a novel recognition algorithm for high-resolution palmprint. The main contributions of the proposed algorithm include the following: 1) use of multiple features, namely, minutiae, density, orientation, and principal lines, for palmprint recognition to significantly improve the matching performance of the conventional algorithm. 2) Design of a quality-based and adaptive orientation field estimation algorithm which performs better than the existing algorithm in case of regions with a large number of creases. 3) Use of a novel fusion scheme for an identification application which performs better than conventional fusion methods, e.g., weighted sum rule, SVMs, or Neyman-Pearson rule. Besides, we analyze the discriminative power of different feature combinations and find that density is very useful for palmprint recognition. Experimental results on the database containing 14,576 full palmprints show that the proposed algorithm has achieved a good performance. In the case of verification, the recognition system's False Rejection Rate (FRR) is 16 percent, which is 17 percent lower than the best existing algorithm at a False Acceptance Rate (FAR) of 10-5, while in the identification experiment, the rank-1 live-scan partial palmprint recognition rate is improved from 82.0 to 91.7 percent.
Keyword Query Reformulation on Structured Data

Textual web pages dominate web search engines nowadays. However, there is also a striking increase of structured data on the web. Efficient keyword query processing on structured data has attracted enough attention, but effective query understanding has yet to be investigated. In this paper, we focus on the problem of keyword query reformulation in the structured data scenario. These reformulated queries provide alternative descriptions of original input. They could better capture users' information need and guide users to explore related items in the target structured data. We propose an automatic keyword query reformulation approach by exploiting structural semantics in the underlying structured data sources. The reformulation solution is decomposed into two stages, i.e., offline term relation extraction and online query generation. We first utilize a heterogenous graph to model the words and items in structured data, and design an enhanced Random Walk approach to extract relevant terms from the graph context. In the online query reformulation stage, we introduce an efficient probabilistic generation module to suggest substitutable reformulated queries. Extensive experiments are conducted on a real-life data set, and our approach yields promising results.
MammoExplorer: An Advanced CAD Application for Breast DCE-MRI

Currently X-ray mammography is the most widely used method for early detection of breast cancer. However, the use of Dynamic Contrast Enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) has gained wider attention, since it considerably improves tumor detection and classification by analyzing the flow of contrast agent within the breast tissue. In this paper we present MammoExplorer, a CAD application that combines advanced interaction, segmentation and visualization techniques to explore Breast DCE-MRI data. Our application uses Brushing and Linking, Two-level Volume Rendering, Importance-driven Volume Rendering, and False Color Maps. In addition, we present Enhancement Scatterplots, a novel graphical representation of DCE-MRI data, novel segmentation approaches, and a new way to explore time-varying CE-MRI data.
Fast and Accurate Semi-Automated Segmentation Method of Spinal Cord MR Images at 3T Applied to the Construction of a Cervical Spinal Cord Template

Objective To design a fast and accurate semi-automated segmentation method for spinal cord 3T MR images and to construct a template of the cervical spinal cord. Materials and Methods A semi-automated double threshold-based method (DTbM) was proposed enabling both cross-sectional and volumetric measures from 3D T2-weighted turbo spin echo MR scans of the spinal cord at 3T. Eighty-two healthy subjects, 10 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, 10 with spinal muscular atrophy and 10 with spinal cord injuries were studied. DTbM was compared with active surface method (ASM), threshold-based method (TbM) and manual outlining (ground truth). Accuracy of segmentations was scored visually by a radiologist in cervical and thoracic cord regions. Accuracy was also quantified at the cervical and thoracic levels as well as at C2 vertebral level. To construct a cervical template from healthy subjects’ images (n=59), a standardization pipeline was designed leading to well-centered straight spinal cord images and accurate probability tissue map. Results Visual scoring showed better performance for DTbM than for ASM. Mean Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) was 95.71% for DTbM and 90.78% for ASM at the cervical level and 94.27% for DTbM and 89.93% for ASM at the thoracic level. Finally, at C2 vertebral level, mean DSC was 97.98% for DTbM compared with 98.02% for TbM and 96.76% for ASM. DTbM showed similar accuracy compared with TbM, but with the advantage of limited manual interaction. Conclusion A semi-automated segmentation method with limited manual intervention was introduced and validated on 3T images, enabling the construction of a cervical spinal cord template.
Alpha2 adrenergic modulation of NMDA receptor function as a major mechanism of RGC protection in experimental glaucoma and retinal excitotoxicity.

PURPOSE alpha2 Agonists, such as brimonidine, have been shown to protect retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in animal models of glaucoma and acute retinal ischemia. In this study, the authors investigated the neural mechanism that may underlie alpha2 neuroprotection of RGCs. METHODS The authors used in situ RGCs in the isolated rat retina to investigate possible interactions between alpha2 and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors and rat glaucoma or rabbit retinal NMDA excitotoxicity models to verify in vitro findings under in vivo conditions. RESULTS Application of NMDA elicited a robust intracellular Ca(2+) signal and inward current in individual in situ RGCs voltage clamped at -70 mV. NMDA-elicited responses were blocked by D-AP5 (D-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid), a selective NMDA receptor antagonist. Brimonidine pretreatment also significantly reduced NMDA-elicited whole-cell currents and cytosolic Ca(2+) signals in RGCs. This suppressive action of brimonidine was blocked by alpha2 antagonists, cAMP analogs, an adenylate cyclase activator, and a cAMP-specific phosphodiesterase (PDE4) inhibitor, indicating that this brimonidine effect is mediated by the alpha2 receptor through a reduction of intracellular cAMP production. Brimonidine or NMDA receptor blockers protected RGCs in rat glaucoma and rabbit retinal NMDA excitotoxicity models. The brimonidine neuroprotective effect was abolished by an alpha2 antagonist or a PDE4 inhibitor in both in vivo models. CONCLUSIONS The results demonstrate alpha2 modulation of NMDA receptor function as an important mechanism for neuroprotection. These results suggest a new therapeutic approach based on neuromodulation, instead of direct inhibition, of the NMDA receptor for the treatment of glaucoma and other CNS disorders associated with NMDA receptor overactivation.
Ultrastructure and elemental analysis of Hypoxis hemerocallidea: a multipurpose medicinal plant.

BACKGROUND Herbal medicine is a popular means of medical management in some parts of the world especially in Africa. Hypoxis hemerocallidea Fisch.C. A.Mey. & Avé-Lall, also known as African potato of the Hypoxidaecae family, is one of the medicinal plants that have enjoyed long usage as an herbal medicine in South Africa. In this study, the morphology and elemental constituents of H. hemerocallidea leaf was investigated to correlate the functional role of the ultrastructure in the production of therapeutic compounds. MATERIALS AND METHODS Fresh leaves of H. hemerocallidea were prepared for analysis using standard methods. The ultrastructure and crystal deposits of the plant were assessed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive x-ray (EDX). RESULTS It was observed that the leaves were characterised by multicelullar glandular and non glandular trichomes which are sparsely distributed over the entire surfaces. The glandular trichomes (GTs) in H. hemerocallidea leaf have boulbous heads which are probably filled with secretions, while the non glandular trichomes were long, fibrous and sparse. EDX-SEM of Hypoxis hemerocallidea leaf revealed that carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and silicon are the major components of the deposits, while other elements such as iron, sulphur, sodium, calcium, magnesium, potassium, manganese, iodine, chromium and iodine were present in small but variable amounts. CONCLUSION The presence of these elements which are crucial to maintaining good health, in addition to other bioactive constituents might be accountable for the multipurpose therapeutic uses of Hypoxis hemerocallidea in the treatment of cancers, HIV/AIDS related diseases, urinary tract infections, cardiovascular disorders, diabetes and other chronic ailments of humans.
Mobile Crowdsourcing of Data for Fault Detection and Diagnosis in Smart Buildings

Energy use of buildings represents roughly 40% of the overall energy consumption. Most of the national agendas contain goals related to reducing the energy consumption and carbon footprint. Timely and accurate fault detection and diagnosis (FDD) in building management systems (BMS) have the potential to reduce energy consumption cost by approximately 15-30%. Most of the FDD methods are data-based, meaning that their performance is tightly linked to the quality and availability of relevant data. Based on our experience, faults and relevant events data is very sparse and inadequate, mostly because of the lack of will and incentive for those that would need to keep track of faults. In this paper we introduce the idea of using crowdsourcing to support FDD data collection processes, and illustrate our idea through a mobile application that has been implemented for this purpose. Furthermore, we propose a strategy of how to successfully deploy this building occupants' crowdsourcing application.
Case Control Study To Assess Association Between Periodontal Infection And Coronary Heart Disease

Background: Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of adult mortality and morbidity throughout the world. Well known risk factors independently or combined are involved in both atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction. Recent data have shown that viral and bacterial infections may also contribute to acute thromboembolic events, hence a case control study was carried out. Aims and Objective : To investigate the possible association between periodontal health and coronary artery disease, in patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) and Coronary Heart Disease (CHD). Material and Methods: 150 patients, 75 with AMI and 75 with CHD were included in the study. Data on hypertension, diabetes, smoking status and alcohol consumption were recorded. AMI patients were clinically examined 3-4 days after admission to the coronary care unit. Clinical examination of CHD patients was carried out during the hospital stay. All teeth excluding third molars were studied and clinical data were recorded regarding Plaque Index, Simplified Oral Hygiene Index, Gingival Index, Gingival Bleeding Index, Probing Depth and Clinical Attachment Loss. Results: Percentage of sites exhibiting bleeding on probing and the number of sites with more probing depth were significantly higher among AMI patients than those with CHD (P=0.05 and p=0.001 respectively). There was abundant plaque and debris around all tooth surfaces in AMI patients (p=0.001). Conclusion: Overall result of this case control study showed an association between periodontitis and acute myocardial infarction.
Route of Adenovirus-Based HIV-1 Vaccine Delivery Impacts the Phenotype and Trafficking of Vaccine-Elicited CD8+ T Lymphocytes

ABSTRACT Candidate HIV-1 vaccine regimens utilizing intramuscularly (i.m.) administered recombinant adenovirus (rAd)-based vectors can induce potent mucosal cellular immunity. However, the degree to which mucosal rAd vaccine routing might alter the quality and anatomic distribution of vaccine-elicited CD8+ T lymphocytes remains unclear. We show that the route of vaccination critically impacts not only the magnitude but also the phenotype and trafficking of antigen-specific CD8+ T lymphocytes in mice. I.m. rAd immunization induced robust local transgene expression and elicited high-frequency, polyfunctional CD8+ T lymphocytes that trafficked broadly to both systemic and mucosal compartments. In contrast, intranasal (i.n.) rAd immunization led to similarly robust local transgene expression but generated low-frequency, monofunctional CD8+ T lymphocytes with restricted anatomic trafficking patterns. Respiratory rAd immunization elicited systemic and mucosal CD8+ T lymphocytes with phenotypes and trafficking properties distinct from those elicited by i.m. or i.n. rAd immunization. Our findings indicate that the anatomic microenvironment of antigen expression critically impacts the phenotype and trafficking of antigen-specific CD8+ T lymphocytes.
Syndromes of the first and second pharyngeal arches: A review

Our aim in this review is to discuss currently known mechanisms associated with three important syndromes of the first and second pharyngeal arches: Treacher Collins syndrome (TCS), Oculo‐auriculo‐vertebral syndrome (AOVS) and Auriculo‐Condylar syndrome (ACS) or question mark ear syndrome. TCS and ACS are autosomal dominant diseases, with nearly complete penetrance and wide spectrum of clinical variability. The phenotype of the latter has several overlapping features with OAVS, but OAVS may exist in both sporadic and autosomal dominant forms. Mutations in the TCOF1 gene are predicted to cause premature termination codons, leading to haploinsuficiency of the protein treacle and causing TCS. Low amount of treacle leads ultimately to a reduction in the number of cranial neural crest cells migrating to the first and second pharyngeal arches. Other than TCS, the genes associated with ACS and OAVS are still unknown. The first locus for ACS was mapped by our group to 1p21‐23 but there is genetic heretogeneity. Genetic heterogeneity is also present in OAVS. Based on the molecular analysis of balanced translocation in an OAVS patient, it has been suggested that abnormal expression of BAPX1 possibly due to epigenetic disregulation might be involved with the etiology of OAVS. Involvement of environmental events has also been linked to the causation of OAVS. Identification of factors leading to these disorders are important for a comprehensive delineation of the molecular pathways underlying the craniofacial development from the first and the second pharyngeal arches, for genetic counseling and to open alternative strategies for patient treatment. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Enterprise Resource Planning Systems Introduction and Internal Auditing Legitimacy: An Institutional Analysis

ABSTRACT In this article, the authors examine how the internal audit function maintains its legitimacy when enterprise resource planning systems are introduced. This work centers on an in-depth case study of a multinational bank and finds that enterprise resource planning systems impose an institutional logic of control based on interlinked assumptions. These assumptions motivate changes in the practice and structure of the internal audit function to become an integrated and comprehensive function to maintain its legitimacy.
Using Tensor Completion Method to Achieving Better Coverage of Traffic State Estimation from Sparse Floating Car Data

Traffic state estimation from the floating car system is a challenging problem. The low penetration rate and random distribution make available floating car samples usually cover part space and time points of the road networks. To obtain a wide range of traffic state from the floating car system, many methods have been proposed to estimate the traffic state for the uncovered links. However, these methods cannot provide traffic state of the entire road networks. In this paper, the traffic state estimation is transformed to solve a missing data imputation problem, and the tensor completion framework is proposed to estimate missing traffic state. A tensor is constructed to model traffic state in which observed entries are directly derived from floating car system and unobserved traffic states are modeled as missing entries of constructed tensor. The constructed traffic state tensor can represent spatial and temporal correlations of traffic data and encode the multi-way properties of traffic state. The advantage of the proposed approach is that it can fully mine and utilize the multi-dimensional inherent correlations of traffic state. We tested the proposed approach on a well calibrated simulation network. Experimental results demonstrated that the proposed approach yield reliable traffic state estimation from very sparse floating car data, particularly when dealing with the floating car penetration rate is below 1%.
Multiscale adaptive sampling in environmental robotics

Observation of spatially distributed oceanographic phenomena using sensor-enabled AUVs involves a trade-off between coverage and resolution. In this paper the performance of adaptive variation sensitive sample distributions in such a sensing task is evaluated under mission constraints such as finite measurement time and finite vehicle speed and compared to uniform sampling. The relative performance of the four algorithms considered is characterized in terms of localization of features in the test functions.