Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An efficient algorithm based on the fast fuzzy theory for image and video dehazing

Influenced by the climatic conditions, such as haze, there exist problems of weak visibility and low contrast for the images and videos captured outdoors. Recently, an effective image haze removal method based on dark channel prior has been proposed. However, the brightness of the result is usually not as bright as the atmospheric light, that makes the whole image looks dim. Besides, the execution speed of this method is slow. As a result, it cannot be applied to the situations with high real-time requirements, such as video streams. In order to solve these problems, an efficient algorithm for image and video dehazing is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the transmission map of hazy image based on the fast fuzzy theory is calculated. Then, according to the statistical principle of dark channel prior and the atmospheric scattering model, the haze-free image under ideal illumination can be restored successfully. Large number of experimental results have shown that, the proposed algorithm can obtain better haze-free results for single image compared with the previous method. More importantly, the execution efficiency has been improved greatly. As a result, video steaming can also be dehazed in real-time so as to meet the occasions with much requirements of industry.
QuantMiner for mining quantitative association rules

In this paper, we propose QUANTMINER, a mining quantitative association rules system. This system is based on a genetic algorithm that dynamically discovers "good" intervals in association rules by optimizing both the support and the confidence. The experiments on real and artificial databases have shown the usefulness of QUANTMINER as an interactive, exploratory data mining tool.
Cholinesterase in voluntary frog's muscle

RECENT investigations by Dale, Feldb erg and their collaborators have shown that impulses reaching motor nerve endings in voluntary muscle fibres cause a liberation of acetylcholine, and suggest that this substance may act as a transmitter of excitation from nerve to muscle. According to previous investigations [Chang & Gaddum, 1933; Plattner & Hintner, 1930], the amount of acetylcholine found in various tissues and the quantity of cholinesterase present can be brought into relation with the existence of the so-called cholinergic transmitter mechanism: the highest concentration of substrate and enzyme was-with a few unexplained exceptions-found in tissues whose main activity is controlled by nerves which are acting, or may be supposed to act, by liberating acetylcholine. As Brown et al. [1936] suggest, the acetylcholine liberated is more or less rapidly hydrolysed in order to enable the tissues to return to their previous condition, and therefore the distribution of the enzyme may vary with the kind of tissue. It was therefore of interest to obtain quantitative data of the rate of acetylcholine hydrolysis by voluntary muscle tissue. METHODS
Neural-based iterative approach for iris detection in iris recognition systems

The detection of the iris boundaries is considered in the literature as one of the most critical steps in the identification task of the iris recognition systems. In this paper we present an iterative approach to the detection of the iris center and boundaries by using neural networks. The proposed algorithm starts by an initial random point in the input image, then it processes a set of local image properties in a circular region of interest searching for the peculiar transition patterns of the iris boundaries. A trained neural network processes the parameters associated to the extracted boundaries and it estimates the offsets in the vertical and horizontal axis with respect to the estimated center. The coordinates of the starting point are then updated with the processed offsets. The steps are then iterated for a fixed number of epochs, producing an iterative refinements of the coordinates of the pupils center and its boundaries. Experiments showed that the method is feasible and it can be exploited even in non-ideal operative condition of iris recognition biometric systems.
Weak Emergence *

An innocent form of emergence—what I call "weak emergence"—is now a commonplace in a thriving interdisciplinary nexus of scientific activity—sometimes called the "sciences of complexity"—that include connectionist modelling, non-linear dynamics (popularly known as "chaos" theory), and artificial life.1 After defining it, illustrating it in two contexts, and reviewing the available evidence, I conclude that the scientific and philosophical prospects for weak emergence are bright. Emergence is a tantalizing topic because examples of apparent emergent phenomena abound. Some involve inanimate matter; e.g., a tornado is a self-organizing entity caught up in a global pattern of behavior
The reliability of an Arabic translation of the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease assessment test.

OBJECTIVE To produce a conceptually equivalent Arabic version of the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Assessment Test (CAT), and to assess its reliability. METHODS A prospective observational study was carried out from June 2010 to September 2010 at King Abdulaziz Medical City and King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. We conducted this study in 2 phases. Phase 1: the translation of the CAT from English to Arabic, through forward and backward translation, as well as pilot testing. Phase 2: assessment of the test-retest reliability of the CAT for 45 patients with COPD who received optimal care by their pulmonologist. RESULTS This study was conducted on 45 participants. The CAT mean total (+/- SD) score at the test session was 10.7+/-5.8, and 9.2+/-4.5 at the re-test session. The interclass correlation of the total score was 0.9 (p=0.000076). The strongest correlation was for the item of confidence in leaving home with a value of 0.92 (p=0.000082), whereas the weakest was for the item related to sleep with a value of 0.53 (p=0.007). CONCLUSION The Arabic version of the CAT was found to be easy to administer, reliable, and had a strong interclass correlation reflecting stability over time and across the items.
SQCK: A Declarative File System Checker

The lowly state of the art for file system checking and repair does not match what is needed to keep important data available for users. Current file system checkers, such as e2fsck, are complex pieces of imperfect code written in low-level languages. We introduce SQCK, a file system checker based on a declarative query language; declarative queries are a natural match for the cross-checking that must be performed across the many structures of a file system image. We show that SQCK is able to perform the same functionality as e2fsck with surprisingly elegant and compact queries. We also show that SQCK can easily perform more useful repairs than e2fsck by combining information available across the file system. Finally, our prototype implementation of SQCK achieves this improved functionality with comparable performance to e2fsck.
Gut Reactions : The Importance of Gut Microbial Effects on Drug Metabolism and Disposition

An oft-overlooked yet critical aspect of patient responses to drugs is the role of the gut microbiota. The microbiota functions both directly and indirectly in drug metabolism, performing reductive and hydrolytic biotransformations as well as modulating host metabolic enzyme activity. As demonstrated in a recent pharmacometabonomic study of simvastatin response, microbe-derived metabolites may act as biomarkers for predicting therapy outcomes and thus allow enhanced personalized treatment regimes. A second study showcases the value of addressing microbe-host metabolic relationships in improving the therapeutic index of irinotecan. Taken together, these studies provide lessons for the pharmaceutical industry in methods of accounting for microbiota composition during drug development. Applied in parallel with metagenomic platforms and more traditional preclinical models, pharmacometabonomic analysis of gut microbial contributions to host metabolism promises to allow both improvement in drug efficacy and manipulation of the gut community for more favorable drug responses and reduced adverse drug reactions.
Convergence and tracking analysis of a constrained least mean fourth adaptive algorithm

It is a well established fact that the addition of a constraint to an adaptive algorithm improves its performance properties. Consequently, in this work, a noise-constrained least mean fourth (NCLMF) adaptive algorithm is developed. The NCLMF algorithm is based on a constrained minimization problem that includes knowledge of the noise variance. Moreover, this noise constrained LMF algorithm can be seen as a variable-step-size LMF algorithm. The convergence analysis as well the tracking analysis of the NCLMF adaptive algorithm are developed using the concept of energy conservation. Finally, simulation results are presented to demonstrate the superiority of the NCLMF algorithm over the conventional LMF algorithm as well corroborating the theoretical findings.
Localization of door handle using a single camera on a door opening mobile manipulator

This paper presents a novel approach to localizing a door handle of unknown geometry to assist in autonomous door opening. The localization is performed using data from a single CCD camera that is mounted at the end-effector of a mobile manipulator. The proposed algorithm extracts a 3D point cloud using optical flow and known camera motion provided by the manipulator. Segmentation of the point cloud is then performed, enabling the separation of the door and the handle points, which is then followed by fitting a boundary box to the door handle data. The fitted box can then be used to guide robotic grasping. The proposed algorithm has been validated using a 3D virtual scene, and the results have demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed method to localize a door handle in an unknown environment.
Uptake of Workplace HIV Counselling and Testing: A Cluster-Randomised Trial in Zimbabwe

Background HIV counselling and testing is a key component of both HIV care and HIV prevention, but uptake is currently low. We investigated the impact of rapid HIV testing at the workplace on uptake of voluntary counselling and testing (VCT). Methods and Findings The study was a cluster-randomised trial of two VCT strategies, with business occupational health clinics as the unit of randomisation. VCT was directly offered to all employees, followed by 2 y of open access to VCT and basic HIV care. Businesses were randomised to either on-site rapid HIV testing at their occupational clinic (11 businesses) or to vouchers for off-site VCT at a chain of free-standing centres also using rapid tests (11 businesses). Baseline anonymised HIV serology was requested from all employees. HIV prevalence was 19.8% and 18.4%, respectively, at businesses randomised to on-site and off-site VCT. In total, 1,957 of 3,950 employees at clinics randomised to on-site testing had VCT (mean uptake by site 51.1%) compared to 586 of 3,532 employees taking vouchers at clinics randomised to off-site testing (mean uptake by site 19.2%). The risk ratio for on-site VCT compared to voucher uptake was 2.8 (95% confidence interval 1.8 to 3.8) after adjustment for potential confounders. Only 125 employees (mean uptake by site 4.3%) reported using their voucher, so that the true adjusted risk ratio for on-site compared to off-site VCT may have been as high as 12.5 (95% confidence interval 8.2 to 16.8). Conclusions High-impact VCT strategies are urgently needed to maximise HIV prevention and access to care in Africa. VCT at the workplace offers the potential for high uptake when offered on-site and linked to basic HIV care. Convenience and accessibility appear to have critical roles in the acceptability of community-based VCT.
Hydrogen production by a green alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, in an alternating light/dark cycle

The evolution of H2 in the dark period of a light/dark cycle by a green alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, was studied with the aim of developing a two/stage biophotolysis system. The algal cells accumulated starch during the growth period in light. When these cells were incubated microaerobically in the dark, hydrogenase activity was induced was induced without an appreciable lag time and therapy H2 evolution was observed for several hours to more than 10 h, depending upon the amount of added O2. The cells harvested in the midlogarithmic growth phase were the most efficient in production of H2 in the dark. H2 evolution was highly dependent on temperature, but rather incentive to pH values from 5–9. Based on these observations, altering production of O2 and H2 was demonstrated repeatedly in a light/dark cycle.
Reproducibility of ultrasonographically determined intima-media thickness is dependent on arterial wall thickness. The Tromsø Study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE We compared the reproducibility of B-mode ultrasonographic measurements of intima-media thickness (IMT) in various segments of the right carotid artery and examined whether measurement error was associated with IMT or cardiovascular risk factor levels. METHODS In 1994/1995 a total of 6676 participants in the Tromsø Study underwent ultrasound examination of common carotid artery IMT. Reproducibility of measurements was assessed by inviting 111 participants to a second ultrasound scan within 3 weeks of the first scan. On each occasion the subjects were examined by three sonographers. RESULTS The mean between-observer absolute differences in IMT in the far wall of the bifurcation and the near and far walls of the common carotid-artery were 0.15, 0.10, and 0.08 mm, respectively. The corresponding within-observer differences were 0.15, 0.10, and 0.06 mm, respectively. Approximately 70% to 80% of total measurement variability was due to differences among sonographers; the rest was attributable to within-reader variability. Measurement error increased significantly with increasing IMT: the increase was more than twofold over the range of measurements. Cardiovascular risk factor levels were not associated with measurement variability when we controlled for IMT. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that B-mode ultrasound provides reproducible estimates of the IMT in both the near and far walls of the carotid artery. Although measurement error is generally small, it increases proportionally with the level of IMT.
A New Fairness-Oriented Packet Scheduling Scheme with Reduced Channel Feedback for OFDMA Packet Radio Systems

In this paper, we propose a flexible and fairness-oriented packet scheduling approach for 3GPP UTRAN long term evolution (LTE) type packet radio systems, building on the ordinary proportional fair (PF) scheduling principle and channel quality indicator (CQI) feedback. Special emphasis is also put on practical feedback reporting mechanisms, including the effects of mobile measurement and estimation errors, reporting delays, and CQI quantization and compression. The performance of the overall scheduling and feedback re-porting process is investigated in details, in terms of cell throughput, coverage and resource allocation fairness, by using extensive quasistatic cellular system simulations in practical OFDMA system environment with frequency reuse of 1. The performance simulations show that by using the proposed modified PF ap-proach, significant coverage improvements in the order of 50% can be obtained at the expense of only 10-15% throughput loss, for all reduced feedback reporting schemes. This reflects highly improved fairness in the radio resource management (RRM) compared to other existing schedulers, without essentially com-promising the cell capacity. Furthermore, we demonstrate the improved functionality increase in radio re-source management for UE’s utilizing multi-antenna diversity receivers.
Detection of masses in mammograms using texture features

Suspicious regions are identified following the bilateral image subtraction of left and right breast image pairs. The study uses the nipple as a common rotational point thereby facilitating an alignment with the highest correlation prior to subtraction. Within this study, 144 breast images from the MIAS database are considered. Five co-occurrence matrices are constructed at four different distances for each suspicious region. Twelve texture features defined by Haralick et. al. (1973) are considered. Two further features defined by Chan et. al (1997), inertia and difference average, are also computed giving a total of fourteen texture measures. Following classification of six principal components calculated for the extracted features using an artificial neural network and 10-fold cross-validation, an average recognition rate of 77% was achieved. Using the receiver operating characteristic analysis, the overall sensitivity of the technique measured by the value of Az, was found to be 0.74.
Clinical Experience with Interstitial Thermoradiotherapy for Localized Implantable Pelvic Tumors

Twenty-six patients (20 females, 6 males) with localized tumors of the pelvis, including 3 primary advanced (PRIM). 7 persistent (PERS), 10 recurrent (REC), and 6 metastatic (MET) tumors, were treated with a combination of low-dose rate (LDR) iridium 192 interstitial radiotherapy (IRT), interstitial 915 MHz microwave hyperthermia (IHT), and external beam radiotherapy (RT). Histological diagnoses were squamous cell carcinoma in 13 (50%), adenocarcinoma in 12 (46%) and soft tissue sarcoma in 1 (4%) lesion. Tumor sites were cervix in 8 (31%), colorectum in 6 (23%), vagina in 4 (15%), anus in 3 (12%), ovary in 2 (8%), and other sites in 3 (12%) lesions. IHT was administered immediately before iridium 192 was placed and after its removal for 45–60 minutes at 41–44°C. On December 31, 1991 median follow-up was 25 months (mean: 23 months; range: 5–65 months). At 3 months follow-up (FU), complete remission (CR) occurred in 17 (65%), partial remission (PR) in 7 (27%), and no change or progressive disease (NC/PD), in 2 (8%) lesions. At 12 months FU, in 16 of 21 patients (76%) local control (LC) was achieved, with 1 (5%) patient exhibiting a slow tumor regression. After combined IRT-IHT locoregional relapse or tumor re growth occurred in 8/26 (31%): 5 (19%) outside and 3 (12%), inside the previously treated volume; relapses occurred within 8–30 (mean: 18) months of follow-up. Factors influencing initial (3 months FU) and long-term tumor response (12 months FU) included tumor class, tumor volume, total radiation dose, and thermal parameters with “good quality of heating” (TQ 41°C ≥ 75%) and high minimum tumor temperature (Tmin(av) ≥ 41°C). Treatment toxicity was acceptable: whereas 8 (31%) patients experienced acute side effects, which subsided within weeks, 7 (27%) developed long-term complications. Thermal damage was associated with IHT treatments exceeding maximum average temperatures of ≥ 44°C and maximum peak temperatures of ≥ 45°C.
Cells Expressing the Epstein-Barr Virus Growth Program Are Present in and Restricted to the Naive B-Cell Subset of Healthy Tonsils

ABSTRACT In this paper we demonstrate, for the first time, that Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-infected cells expressing the lymphoblastoid growth program are present in healthy carriers of the virus. Previously we observed that latently infected naive B cells are present in tonsils only when viral replication is detected, suggesting that these may represent newly infected B cells. We have tested this idea by performing a reverse transcription-PCR analysis for the expression of latent genes (EBNA2 and the EBNA3s) that are characteristically expressed only by newly infected cells expressing the growth latency program. EBNA2 expression is regularly detected in purified naive (IgD+) tonsillar B cells (13 of 16 tonsils tested) but was never found in the IgD− population (0 of 16). More detailed analysis revealed that the mRNAs for the latent genes EBNA1 (3 of 3 tonsils tested), EBNA3a (3 of 5), EBNA3b (3 of 5), EBNA3c (3 of 5), LMP1 (6 of 6), and LMP2 (5 of 6) were also present in the IgD+ population, but the EBNA1Q-K transcript, characteristic of nonlymphoblastoid forms of latency, was never detected (0 of 6). Finally, we demonstrate that the latently infected naive (IgD+) cells express CD80 (B7.1), a marker characteristically expressed on activated naive lymphoblasts but absent from resting naive B cells. The infected naive (IgD+) population in the tonsil therefore has the viral and cellular phenotype of a B-cell directly infected with EBV—an activated lymphoblast expressing the growth program.
Reduction of double‐stranded RNA‐activated protein kinase in hepatocellular carcinoma associated with hepatitis B virus

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Asia. Double‐stranded RNA (dsRNA)‐activated protein kinase (PKR) is an interferon‐induced, serine/threonine protein kinase. Recent studies have suggested that PKR is involved in the pathogenesis of HCC with hepatitis virus C infection by inhibiting viral and cellular proteins related to cell growth and proliferation. In the present study, PKR was examined in both tumor and non‐tumor tissues from HCC livers infected with HBV. The expression of PKR was determined by TaqMan real‐time PCR and immunohistochemical methods. The level of PKR was also analyzed in relation to pathological changes observed in HCC. The result showed that PKR was reduced in tumor tissues of HCC from HBV carriers with low serum viral load (<0.7 × 106 copies/ml) compared to those with higher serum viral load. However, the overall PKR level was much lower in tumor tissues than that in non‐tumor tissues, irrespective of HBV carrier status or serum viral load. PKR level tended to be lower in HCC samples with alpha‐fetoprotein (AFP) more than 500 ng/ml (mean: 4024.2 ng/ml) than those with AFP less than 500 ng/ml (mean: 50.6 ng/ml). There was no significant difference in the expression of PKR between tumor tissues with well differentiation and those with poor or moderate differentiation. In conclusion, the level of PKR was reduced in HCC tumor tissues, suggesting a possible role of PKR in promoting the growth of tumor. HBV may participate in altering the level of PKR, but factors other than HBV should play a more determining role in the regulation of PKR in HCC. The association between PKR and AFP levels may offer an alternative tumor marker for HCC. J. Med. Virol. 73:187–194, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.