Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lapped textures

We present for creating texture over an surface mesh using an example 2D texture. The approach is to identify interesting regions (texture patches) in the 2D example, and to repeatedly paste them onto the surface until it is completely covered. We call such a collection of overlapping patches a lapped texture. It is rendered using compositing operations, either into a traditional global texture map during a preprocess, or directly with the surface at runtime. The runtime compositing approach avoids resampling artifacts and drastically reduces texture memory requirements. Through a simple interface, the user specifies a tangential vector field over the surface, providing local control over the texture scale, and for anisotropic textures, the orientation. To paste a texture patch onto the surface, a surface patch is grown and parametrized over texture space. Specifically, we optimize the parametrization of each surface patch such that the tangential vector field aligns everywhere with the standard frame of the texture patch. We show that this optimization is solved efficiently as a sparse linear system.
Dance/Movement Therapy and Autism: A Case Study

This thesis explores the development of the therapeutic relationship with a child with autism through dance/movement therapy. The characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder effect social interactions, communication, behavior and interests. This means there is difficulty engaging and maintaining reciprocal social interactions, and trouble with receptive and expressive language. The purpose of this study is to describe how movement mirroring in dance/movement therapy affects the development of the therapeutic relationship with a child with autism, through the analysis of the Ways of Seeing approach. The data collected in this clinical case study consisted of video tapped sessions and Laban Movement Analysis transcriptions of the sessions. The child participated in five dance/movement therapy sessions over five consecutive days. A relationship was created that produced growth for both the child and the dance/movement therapy researcher. This development was described through The Ways of Seeing Technique and Method. The findings are told through a narrative of the sessions through the eyes of the
Validation of a patient reported outcome questionnaire for assessing success of endoscopic prostatectomy

Purpose Several international committees involved in establishing standards of care have recommended that patients undergoing surgery for bladder outlet obstruction should be assessed with patient reported outcomes (PRO). The Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I) is an instrument designed to measure a patients interpretation of symptom changes following intervention. The objective of this study was to validate the PGI-I as a PRO assessment following surgery for bladder outflow obstruction (BOO) in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Methods Men undergoing photoselective vaporisation of the prostate were followed prospectively. Pre- and postoperative International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), Quality of life (QoL) index, peak urinary flow (Qmax), and postvoid residual (PVR) assessments were done. The PGI-I was conducted and correlated at 3 months postoperatively to changes in IPSS, QoL, Qmax, and PVR. Results One hundred and sixty-six consecutive patients were included. Following surgery, IPSS and QoL improved by 11 and 2.4 points (P<0.0001). PGI-I was found to correlate with postoperative changes in IPSS and QoL (Pearson correlation, 0.47 and 0.58, respectively; P<0.0001). Conclusions This is the first study to validate the PGI-I as a PRO measure to surgery for BOO. This suggests a potential for the PGI-I to be used to assess surgical therapies for BPH and may be a valuable addition for measuring outcomes in clinical trials evaluating surgical interventions for BPH.
The Tulip 3 Framework: A Scalable Software Library for Information Visualization Applications Based on Relational Data

Tulip is an information visualization framework dedicated to the analysis and visualization of relational data. Based on a decade of research and development of this framework, we present the architecture, consisting of a suite of tools and techniques, that can be used to address a large variety of domain-specific problems. With Tulip, we aim to provide the developer with a complete library, supporting the design of interactive information visualization applications for relational data that can be tailored to the problems he or she is addressing. The current framework enables the development of algorithms, visual encodings, interaction techniques, data models, and domain-specific visualizations. The software model facilitates the reuse of components and allows the developers to focus on programming their application. This development pipeline makes the framework efficient for research prototyping as well as the development of end-user applications.
Data Expiration and Aggregate Queries

We investigate the space requirements for summaries needed for maintaining exact answers to aggregate queries over histories of relational databases. We show that, in general, a super-logarithmic lower bound (in the length of the history) on space needed to maintain a summary of the history in order to be able to maintain answers to counting queries. We also develop a natural restriction on the use of aggregation that allows for a logarithmic upper bound and in turn maintaining the summary of the history using counters.
DB2 advisor: an optimizer smart enough to recommend its own indexes

This paper introduces the concept of letting an RDBMS optimizer optimize its own environment. In our project, we have used the DB2 optimizer to tackle the index selection problem, a variation of the knapsack problem. This paper discusses our implementation of index recommendation, the user interface, and provide measurements on the quality of the recommended indexes.
Atazanavir: simplicity and convenience in different scenarios

HIV protease inhibitors (PI) have undergone the most significant evolution when considering the different families of antiretrovirals. Marketed in 2003, atazanavir (ATV) is the first azapeptide PI, and is considered a member of the second generation of PIs. Important characteristics make ATV different from other drugs in the same family of antiretrovirals. It is administered once daily, either as two capsules (200 mg) or boosted with ritonavir (100 mg) two capsules (150 mg) or one capsule (300 mg). No elevations in serum levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol or triglycerides have been observed with unboosted ATV. Although some increases in these levels are found with boosted ATV, these were lower when compared with other PIs. Elevation in unconjugated bilirubin levels, which is usually not dose limiting, is the most frequent adverse event. Naive patients receiving ATV boosted with ritonavir do not develop PI mutations at failure, whereas unboosted ATV in the same scenario induces the I50L mutation, which does not confer cross-resistance to other PIs. The best scenario for unboosted ATV is simplification. In PI treatment-experienced patients with PI mutations, susceptibility to ATV is usually reduced, so it should be administered with ritonavir. As with other PIs, careful attention must be given to pharmacokinetic drug interactions; the coadministration of certain commonly used drugs among HIV-infected patients, tenofovir and members of the proton pump inhibitor family, leads to significantly lower plasma levels of ATV.
TOX Provides a Link Between Calcineurin Activation and CD8 Lineage Commitment

T cell development is dependent on the integration of multiple signaling pathways, although few links between signaling cascades and downstream nuclear factors that play a role in thymocyte differentiation have been identified. We show here that expression of the HMG box protein TOX is sufficient to induce changes in coreceptor gene expression associated with β-selection, including CD8 gene demethylation. TOX expression is also sufficient to initiate positive selection to the CD8 lineage in the absence of MHC–TCR interactions. TOX-mediated positive selection is associated with up-regulation of Runx3, implicating CD4 silencing in the process. Interestingly, a strong T cell receptor–mediated signal can modify this cell fate. We further demonstrate that up-regulation of TOX in double positive thymocytes is calcineurin dependent, linking this critical signaling pathway to nuclear changes during positive selection.
H264/AVC features & functionalities suitable for wireless video transmission

There has been an alarming increase in demand for multimedia applications due to explosive growth in communication, commerce and entertainment services. Nowadays devices such PDA, laptops and phone have more processing and computing capability. Consequently, this will eventually allow more effective and efficient video streaming and mobile applications over wireless network. Perhaps the development of H.264/AVC has had tremendous impact on the multimedia industry such that it will continue to play an integral role in future and next generation wireless systems due its remarkable features and functionalities which are exceptional. Perhaps it is very important to note that using it alone would not have much profound impact on the video quality unless good parameters and features are selected to enhance the performance. This paper critically examines and explores the features of the H.264/AVC which can significantly improve the perceived video quality in a wireless network. More importantly, the significance of some parameters has been experimented to clearly demonstrate the capability and potential application of H.264/AVC.
Modeling and perceiving of (un-)certainty in articulatory speech synthesis

This paper deals with the role of paralinguistic expression in articulatory speech synthesis. We describe two experiments which investigate the perception of certain vs. uncertain utterances produced by articulatory speech synthesis, using the system developed in [1]. Experiment 1 tests to what extent subjects are able to identify certainty and uncertainty as intended paralinguistic expressions in the acoustical signal by the varying acoustic cues intonation and delay. Further on, we investigate if (un)certainty influences the intelligibility of the synthetic utterances. Results show that the utterances are identified as intended with respect to (un)certainty. Regarding intelligibility, hardly any influence is measurable. Experiment 2 looks more in detail into the perception of uncertainty by using several levels. Therefore, not only intonation and delay are varied as acoustical cues but also fillers. Results show that our intended different levels of uncertainty indeed evoked different degrees of perceived uncertainty.
Board-level shear, bend, drop and thermal cycling reliability of lead-free chip scale packages with partial underfill: a low-cost alternative to full underfill

Full capillary flow underfill (FCFU) has been proven to be effective in improving the board-level mechanical reliability of lead-free (LF) area array packages (AAPs). However, the FCFU may have negative effects on the thermal cycling reliability of AAPs depending on the material properties of underfills, including coefficients of thermal expansion, glass transition temperature, modulus, and adhesion strength. In addition, the increased cost, time-consuming processes, and poor reworkability caused by the application of FCFU have also hindered the widespread use of the board-level underfills. In order to address these challenges, a partial capillary flow underfill (PCFU) or corner-only underfill approach was developed. However, data are scarce for board-level solder joint reliability of LF AAPs with PCFU, especially for portable electronics applications. In this paper, the overall reliability of LF chip scale packages (CSPs) with FCFU and PCFU was comparatively studied using the AAP-to-board interconnection shear test, monotonic 3-point bending test, vertical free drop test, and thermal cycling test. One set of non-underfilled CSP assemblies was tested as the control. The test results indicated that the mechanical performance of underfilled CSPs was significantly enhanced compared to the CSPs without underfill, especially for drop reliability. However, the characteristic life values of CSPs with FCFU and PCFU during the thermal cycling test were reduced by 15% and 8%, respectively. The improvement in overall boardlevel solder joint reliability of LF CSPs provided by the PCFU was comparable to that of the FCFU. Hence, partial underfill can be used as a good alternative to full underfill. Failure analysis demonstrated that the dominant failure mode was PCB pad cratering in shear and bending test, and the brittle fracture at the CSP intermetallic compound/solder interface was dominant for all the test groups under drop loading conditions. In contrast, the failure mechanisms of the underfilled and control boards were different during the thermal cycling test: PCB pad cratering and bulk solder fatigue crack were found in the CSPs with and without underfill, respectively.
La herramienta «BiQual» como instrumento para el estudio de la calidad del servicio en bibliotecas universitarias españolas de ciencia y tecnología

This research presents partial results of a study carried out during the period 2003 to 2006 on a population of users of Science and Technology Spanish University Libraries. The sample analysed was formed by academics from 19 universities. The main contribution of this study is to present the “BiQual” tool to evaluate the service quality in university libraries, particularly in science and technology. This tool was created based on the users point of view. The results identify the behaviours of these users and those aspects that concern the quality of the service in this environment.
NMDA receptors and plasticity in adult primate somatosensory cortex

Topographic maps in adult primate somatosensory cortex are capable of dramatic reorganizations after peripheral nerve injuries. In the present experiments, we have deprived a circumscribed portion of the hand map in somatosensory cortex of four adult squirrel monkeys by transecting the median nerve to one hand, and evaluated the hypothesis that N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA) glutamatergic receptors are necessary for the reorganization that follows within four weeks. In one monkey, we confirm previous results demonstrating that the deprived cortex has regained responsiveness in its expanse four weeks after median nerve transection. However, in three monkeys in which NMDA receptors were concurrently blocked, most of the deprived cortex remained unresponsive. Thus, much of the cortical “recovery” that typically follows peripheral nerve injury in adult monkeys is apparently dependent on NMDA receptors and may well be due to Hebbian‐like changes in synaptic strength. Perhaps the elimination of the normally dominant inputs to “median nerve cortex” permits the gradual strengthening of correlations between the activity of the formally impotent presynaptic and deprived postsynaptic elements. These enhanced correlations may also have been made possible by reductions in intracortical inhibition as a necessary but not sufficient condition. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Role of Illogical Inferences with Polysemic Utterances for Grammar Formation

In this paper, we study on relationships among illogical inferences, polysemic utterances, and meaning changes using computational experiments for grammar formation through cultural evolution. In the experiments, we show that: 1. the illogical inferences expand expressible meaning space and cause polysemic utterances, 2. the polysemic utterances increase meaning changes indirectly, 3. compositional language is acquired even under a restraint mechanism of polysemic utterances. From these results, we suggest that the humans may have a mechanism which controls the illogical inferences adequately for language learning.
Campylobacter Infection as a Trigger for Guillain-Barré Syndrome in Egypt

Background Most studies of Campylobacter infection triggering Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) are conducted in western nations were Campylobacter infection and immunity is relatively rare. In this study, we explored Campylobacter infections, Campylobacter serotypes, autoantibodies to gangliosides, and GBS in Egypt, a country where Campylobacter exposure is common. Methods GBS cases (n = 133) were compared to age- and hospital-matched patient controls (n = 374). A nerve conduction study was performed on cases and a clinical history, serum sample, and stool specimen obtained for all subjects. Results Most (63.3%) cases were demyelinating type; median age four years. Cases were more likely than controls to have diarrhea (29.5% vs. 22.5%, Adjusted Odds Ratio (ORa) = 1.69, P = 0.03), to have higher geometric mean IgM anti-Campylobacter antibody titers (8.18 vs. 7.25 P<0.001), and to produce antiganglioside antibodies (e.g., anti-Gd1a, 35.3 vs. 11.5, ORa = 4.39, P<0.0001). Of 26 Penner:Lior Campylobacter serotypes isolated, only one (41:27, C. jejuni, P = 0.02) was associated with GBS. Conclusions Unlike results from western nations, data suggested that GBS cases were primarily in the young and cases and many controls had a history of infection to a variety of Campylobacter serotypes. Still, the higher rates of diarrhea and greater antibody production against Campylobacter and gangliosides in GBS patients were consistent with findings from western countries.
On the outage capacity of MIMO multihop networks

In this paper we discuss the outage capacity of multihop networks employing terminals with multiple antennas. We discuss the performance of several novel relaying configurations and signalling algorithms for either limited feedback or non-feedback channels. Three relaying types are considered, namely analogue relaying, digital relaying and hybrid relaying. We find that digital selective relaying outperforms all other relaying configurations considered here while requiring the highest signalling overhead. The matched filter based hybrid relaying scheme appears to be a good suboptimum choice for its good performance and low signalling overhead in the multiple relay scenario. We also find that for hybrid relaying schemes, the MMSE algorithm, which is usually applied in conventional MIMO systems, might not give effective performance improvement when it is applied at relays
Mitochondrial DNA analysis shows a Near Eastern Neolithic origin for domestic cattle and no indication of domestication of European aurochs

The extinct aurochs (Bos primigenius primigenius) was a large type of cattle that ranged over almost the whole Eurasian continent. The aurochs is the wild progenitor of modern cattle, but it is unclear whether European aurochs contributed to this process. To provide new insights into the demographic history of aurochs and domestic cattle, we have generated high-confidence mitochondrial DNA sequences from 59 archaeological skeletal finds, which were attributed to wild European cattle populations based on their chronological date and/or morphology. All pre-Neolithic aurochs belonged to the previously designated P haplogroup, indicating that this represents the Late Glacial Central European signature. We also report one new and highly divergent haplotype in a Neolithic aurochs sample from Germany, which points to greater variability during the Pleistocene. Furthermore, the Neolithic and Bronze Age samples that were classified with confidence as European aurochs using morphological criteria all carry P haplotype mitochondrial DNA, suggesting continuity of Late Glacial and Early Holocene aurochs populations in Europe. Bayesian analysis indicates that recent population growth gives a significantly better fit to our data than a constant-sized population, an observation consistent with a postglacial expansion scenario, possibly from a single European refugial population. Previous work has shown that most ancient and modern European domestic cattle carry haplotypes previously designated T. This, in combination with our new finding of a T haplotype in a very Early Neolithic site in Syria, lends persuasive support to a scenario whereby gracile Near Eastern domestic populations, carrying predominantly T haplotypes, replaced P haplotype-carrying robust autochthonous aurochs populations in Europe, from the Early Neolithic onward. During the period of coexistence, it appears that domestic cattle were kept separate from wild aurochs and introgression was extremely rare.
Repression by Ikaros and Aiolos is mediated through histone deacetylase complexes

Here we show that the lymphoid lineage‐determining factors Ikaros and Aiolos can function as strong transcriptional repressors. This function is mediated through two repression domains and is dependent upon the promoter context and cell type. Repression by Ikaros proteins correlates with hypo‐acetylation of core histones at promoter sites and is relieved by histone deacetylase inhibitors. Consistent with these findings, Ikaros and its repression domains can interact in vivo and in vitro with the mSin3 family of co‐repressors which bind to histone deacetylases. Based on these and our recent findings of associations between Ikaros and Mi‐2–HDAC, we propose that Ikaros family members modulate gene expression during lymphocyte development by recruiting distinct histone deacetylase complexes to specific promoters.
Occurrence Probability of Structured Motifs in Random Sequences

The problem of extracting from a set of nucleic acid sequences motifs which may have biological function is more and more important. In this paper, we are interested in particular motifs that may be implicated in the transcription process. These motifs, called structured motifs, are composed of two ordered parts separated by a variable distance and allowing for substitutions. In order to assess their statistical significance, we propose approximations of the probability of occurrences of such a structured motif in a given sequence. An application of our method to evaluate candidate promoters in E. coli and B. subtilis is presented. Simulations show the goodness of the approximations.
Spoken Interaction with Broadcast Debates

The constant emergence and change of technologies in the form of digital products and services can cause certain groups of the population to feel excluded, older adults represent one such group. We investigate how to combine applied research on computational models of argument and human-centric computing to impact the way in which older adults interact with broadcast debates. This paper describes a technology application that uses a speech recognition interface to interact with broadcast debates. The application classifies spoken utterances and creates positive or negative “votes” related arguments from a debate. We describe a user study where older adults interact with a debate using the application. Our results indicate that the use of speech recognition, extra information provided to users, and feedback on their interaction, plays an important role in their engagement with the debate.
A low-power pairing-based cryptographic accelerator for embedded security applications

We report on the implementation of an IP core for Pairing-based cryptography. The core performs an elliptic curve cryptographic operation called the Tate Pairing over the field GF(2251). In this paper, we describe the implementation of the design in TSMC 65nm GP CMOS standard cells and the optimisations made for low-power operation. The resulting core computes the pairing in 1.5ms and consumes less than 4mW.