Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Optimized GPU based Filtered Backprojection method

Tomography images reconstructed from conebeam CT make it possible to observe inside of the projected object without any damage, and so it has been widely used in the industrial and medical fields. Recent advanced imaging equipment can produce high-resolution CT images. However, it takes much time to reconstruct the obtained large dataset. To reduce the time to reconstruct CT images, we propose an accelerating method using GPU (graphics processing unit). Reconstruction consists of mainly two parts, filtering and back-projection. In filtering phase, we applied 4ch image compression method and in back-projection phase, computation reduction method using depth test is applied. The experimental results show that the proposed method accelerates the speed 50 times than the CPU-based program optimized with OpenMP by utilizing the high-computing power of parallelized GPU. 핵심어: Reconstruction, GPU, Filtering, FFT, compression 본 연구는 서울시 산학연 협력사업(10888), 지식경제부 중기거점 기술개발사업(10028331-2008-23), 두뇌한국 21 지원 사업, 서울대 컴퓨터 연구소(0421-20080066) 지원으로 수행되었음. *주저자 : 서울대학교 컴퓨터공학과 석사과정 e-mail: pjh_xp@cglab.snu.ac.kr **공동저자 : 서울대학교 컴퓨터공학과 교수 e-mail: yshin@snu.ac.kr **공동저자 : 서울대학교 컴퓨터공학과 박사과정 e-mail: intellee@cglab.snu.ac.kr ***교신저자 : 서울대학교 컴퓨터공학과 박사과정 e-mail: holee@cglab.snu.ac.kr 1. 서론 삼차원 재구성(Reconstruction)이란, 물체를 중심으로 일정 각도 간격으로 회전하며 얻은 투영 영상으로부터, 공간적 해석이 가능한 단층영상들을 생성하는 것을 HCI2009 학술대회
Prosodic Elements of a Political Speech and its Effects on Listeners

Five longer utterances were analyzed. They were taken from a speech of Angela Merkel held on a party congress. Their impact on subjects was evaluated by means of a listening experiment. It showed, that the stimuli belong to two different groups. One of the groups was judged significantly better than the other independent of political bias and pre-knowledge of listeners. An acoustical analysis of prosodic features (speaking rate, pausing, average F0 and micro-prosodic contour of F0 in stressed syllables) supported the differences in judgment between the two groups of stimuli. A re-synthesis experiment verified the influence of the measured parameters on the judgments. The two groups of stimuli are interpreted as different modes of speaking. Those modes correspond to content and function of an statement: The speaker used a calm variant to “inform” and “argue” and an excited variant to “appeal” or “be indignant over a topic”. The calm one was judged more likable. Reasons for the differences in effect are provided in the discussion.
Agesize relationship at reproduction of South African female loggerhead turtles Caretta caretta

Average age and size at first reproduction are important demographic parameters used in the management and conservation of populations. For sea turtles, absolute values for these parameters are still ambiguous, as most species are slow-growing, late-maturing migrants which are rarely encountered during the first 1 to 2 decades of their lives. Additionally, growth is signif- icantly influenced by a variety of intrinsic and extrinsic factors which make it difficult to describe agesize relationships. Extensive notching (mutilation-tagging) of South African loggerhead tur- tles was used to determine age and size at reproduction (putative first nesting season), and thus to identify the trigger for sexual maturation. To date, 137 clearly identified notched adult females have been encountered at the nesting beach. A Gaussian and log-normal distribution were fitted to the age distribution data but only the Gaussian distribution can be used to safely estimate age at first observation, as the right part ('older ages') of the distribution is still unknown. The esti- mated age at first observation was corrected for the possibility that a female was not encountered during her first nesting season. Results indicate an average age of 36.2 ± SD 7.71 yr (95% CI 28.2 to 44.3 yr) with a straight carapace length (SCLmin) of 83.7 ± 4.15 cm (95% CI 83.0 to 84.4 cm). It was concluded that size is a more important threshold for the initiation of the maturation process than age and that the onset of sexual maturity is dependent on intrinsic and extrinsic factors.
Applying Multi-Agent System for Optimal Multi-Microgrids Operation

This paper analyzes the capabilities of multi-agent system (MAS) technology for the optimal multi-microgrids (MMGs) operation in gridconnected mode. In this system, communication among microgrids (MGs) is realized by developing a modified contract net protocol (MCNP) based on agent communication language (ACL) messages. Moreover, a two-stage mathematical model is proposed based on mixed integer linear programming (MILP) for local optimization in each MG, and global optimization in energy management system.
INFLUENCE OF HERBICIDES FOR BROAD-LEAVED WEEDS AND ADJUVANTS WITH DICHLORFOP METHYL ON WILD OAT CONTROL

A reduced rate of dichlorfop methyl 2[4-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)-phenoxypropionic acid methyl ester] (0.56 kg/ha) in combination with different adjuvants provided as effective wild oat (Avena fatua L.) control as the recommended field rate (1.12 kg/ha) without adjuvants. Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) yields were higher when treated with dichlorfop methyl at 0.56 kg/ha plus adjuvants than when treated with dichlorfop methyl at 1.12 kg/ha. The herbicidal activity of dichlorfop methyl on wild oats was severely reduced on addition to the spray mixture of growth-hormone-type herbicides for broad-leaved weeds. The antagonism was due to the active ingredients in the herbicide formulations for broad-leaved weeds rather than to solvent incompatibilities. Ester formulations of herbicides for broad-leaved weeds caused less antagonism of dichlorfop methyl activity than did amine formulations. Non-hormonal contact-type herbicides (e.g., bromoxynil at 0.28 kg/ha) were compatible with dichlorfop methyl. Attempts to find a mi.
Behavior of queen bumblebee pollinators on Primula sieboldii (Primulaceae) in response to different patch sizes and spacing

Pollinator visitation patterns are strongly affected by the spatial structure of a plant population. We assessed the effects of the size and spacing of patches on the foraging behavior of queens of Bombus diversus tersatus on a heterostylous perennial species, Primula sieboldii, using an experimental population. We compared Akaike's information criterion (AIC) among candidate statistical models, and models with patch size had the lowest AIC in various aspects of visitation behavior. Visitation frequency per patch increased with increasing patch size, but the proportion of visited flowers decreased. As a result of this combination of visitation patterns, visitation frequency per flower was only slightly affected by patch size. This result indicates that the bumblebees came close to an ideal free distribution for the use of resources in terms of the patch size within a population. From the plant's point of view, increasing the number, but decreasing the proportion, of flowers visited in larger patches would maximize reproductive success by minimizing inbreeding. Although patch size strongly affected visitation frequencies, patch spacing had a moderate effect only on the visitation frequency per patch. Visitation frequency per patch was higher with closer spacing between patches. No evidence for an interaction between patch size and spacing was detected.
The Concept of “Situation” in John Dewey’s Logic and Philosophy of Science

This paper attempts to resolve a vexed interpretive problem for scholars of John Dewey’s logic, epistemology, and philosophy of science; namely, what is a “situation,” and what role does it play in Dewey’s theory of inquiry? I argue that these questions properly belong to the history of logic as well as epistemology and philosophy of science, and that scholars who have ventured interpretations of these ideas, from Dewey’s contemporaries to today, have misunderstood Dewey’s ideas. I provide an alternative interpretation of Dewey’s “situation” concept and the situational theory of inquiry that makes use of it, and I briefly trace some implications of these interpretations for thinking about the philosophy of scientific inquiry in particular.
The effects of cross-fostering on growth rate and post-weaning behavior of segregated early-weaned piglets

Cross-fostering involving piglets older than 2 d of age is often used in segregated early weaning (SEW) units to increase piglets' body weight homogeneity. This study was conducted to document the effects of such cross-fostering on weight gain, skin lesions, and post-weaning behavior of SEW piglets. Cross-fostering was done at 6 ± 1 d of age, in half of the 32 litters studied, by exchanging two piglets between pairs of litters. Piglets (n = 256) were weighed at birth, fostering, weaning (day 18 ± 1), and every week during the next month. The behavior of piglets was video-recorded during 3 h after weaning, and during 1 h on days 19, 20, 22, 24, 31, 38 and 45. Adopted piglets gained only 76% of the weight of non-adopted piglets between fostering and weaning (P < 0.001) and this difference persisted until day 45 (P < 0.05). Piglets from fostered litters fought less than control piglets during their first 2 d in nursery pens (P < 0.01) and skin lesions tended to be less frequent (P < 0.1). In all treatment gr.
The prognostic value and potential mechanism of Matrix Metalloproteinases among Prostate Cancer

Background: Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMPs) play an indispensable role in the initial alteration and development of PCa. We tried to generate an MMP-related prognostic signature (MMPS) in prostate cancer (PCa). Methods: TCGA-PRAD, MSKCC/GSE21032, GSE116918, GSE70769 cohorts were enrolled to assess the prognostic value of MMPs. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression was employed to generate the MMPS signature. The log-rank test and Kaplan-Meier (K-M) survival curve were applied to show the difference RFS, The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and area under the ROC curve (AUC) was plotted to predict the accuracy of signature. CIBERSORT was conducted to analyze the different immune infiltration in MMPS-H and MMPS-L groups. Potential signaling pathways activated in the MMPS-H groups by Metascape. Results: MMP1, MMP7, MMP11, MMP24 and MMP26 were selected by LASSO regression and established the MMPS predict signature. The MMPS showed the high prognostic value in TCGA-PRAD training cohort (AUC=0.714) and validation cohorts (GSE116918: AUC=0.976, GSE70769: AUC=0.738, MSKCC: AUC=0.793). Pid integrin1 pathway, G2M checkpoint, and response to growth factor signaling pathways were activated in MMPS-H group, patients with the high MMPS risk score and low M2 macrophage showed the worst recurrence-free survival (RFS). Conclusion: MMPs involved and played an essential role in the tumorigenesis and biochemical recurrence in PCa patients. The MMPS signature could accurately predict the recurrence of PCa patients and validated in several cohorts.
Male phenotype, fertility, and the pursuit of extra-pair copulations by female birds

In field and laboratory studies of birds, positive associations between male phenotype and success at obtaining extra-pair copulations or extra-pair fertilizations are often interpreted as providing evidence that females are using extra-pair copulations to obtain indirect benefits for their offspring, either through genes for increased viability, or for a fisherian mating advantage. I describe a simple model, in which functional fertility (the success of ejaculates in fertilizing eggs) covaries with male phenotype, which can explain the observed associations equally well. Under such a model, females pursue extra-pair copulations as insurance against the functional infertility of their mate, and obtain only direct benefits for themselves in their current reproductive event. Several studies of birds suggest that a relation between male phenotype and functional fertility is often likely to exist and that there are many potential causes of functional infertility. Non-manipulative field studies are unlikely to produce results which distinguish between the two hypotheses, and I discuss several alternative approaches which may allow their resolution.
Fishery management advice with ecosystem considerations

The European Union Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) includes four descriptors of Good Environmental Status (GES) which are affected by fishing activity. These descriptors are: biodiversity, fish stocks, foodweb, and seabed integrity. This paper shows how these descriptors can be related to variables within an ecological model and how an ecological model can be used to analyse whether the fishing pressure that is estimated based on bioeconomic criteria is within general sustainable limits. The paper presents an example of such an analysis of the Eastern Baltic cod fishery using two models: a bioeconomic model and an ecological model. The models are calibrated based on historic data. The mapping between the descriptors specified by MSFD and variables available for analysis in the models is incomplete, e.g. genetics and spatial structures are not included in the models. The models can be used strategically, providing a qualitative understanding of the anticipated relative changes.
Quality-by-Design-engineered pBFT Consensus Configuration for Medical Device Development

Health product development has been lately tainted by wariness in manufacturers, which has reduced trust in the system. It also affects Digital Health were patients’ big data flows generated by numerous sensors are subject to increased security and confidentiality to lower the risks incurred. Our aim is to increase trust in the system again by implementing a dedicated Blockchain solution where data are automatically stored, and where each actor in the development process can access and host them. Blockchain has its downside, such as a subefficient management of big data flows. This study is a first step toward defining a Blockchain solution that will not deteriorate the Quality of Service in this particular context by using the Quality by Design approach. We will mainly focus on the time to consensus attribute which affects both of them. From our experiments’ results generated after running screening design and surface response design on a practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance (pBFT) simulator, we find that the transmission time and the message processing time are the most impacting factors.
Directionality of the Drumming Display of the Ruffed Grouse

Abstract. Directionality is a key feature of vocalizations in birds and can provide insight into vocalizations° function and propagation. Despite recent interest in birds' production of nonvocal acoustic signals, little is known about the directionality of these sounds. Here, we examine the directionality of the drumming display of male Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus), a nonvocal acoustic signal used in mate attraction and territorial defense. We recorded drumming males with a low-frequency microphone and measured sound-pressure levels with a sound-level meter from three orientations: front (0°), behind (180°), and side (90°). The sound-pressure level was significantly higher in front of and behind a drumming male than on the sides, indicating that the drumming sound radiates primarily along the displaying bird's longitudinal axis. Spectral analyses of the recordings did not, however, yield consistent differences in frequency among the three orientations. The acoustic radiation pattern of the drumming display differs from that of vocalizations in that the sound-pressure levels are just as high behind the bird as they are in front of it. This directionality likely affects estimation of distance by predators and intended receivers as well as potentially limiting the number of receivers able to perceive the signal.
The Impact of Dietary Zinc Oxide on the Bacterial Diversity of the Small Intestinal Microbiota of Weaned Piglets

Dietary zinc oxide is often used in pharmacological concentrations to promote health as well as performance of weaned piglets due to its bacteriostatic effects. This study was conducted to provide an in depth analysis of the bacterial composition in weaned piglets fed different amounts of dietary zinc oxide. Piglets were fed diets containing 57 (low), 164 (medium) or 2425 (high) mg/kg dietary zinc. Zinc above the basal dietary level was supplied from analytical grade zinc oxide (ZnO). DNA was extracted from stomach and ileum digesta samples of 32 and 53d old animals (n=4 per group) and used to generate bar-coded 16S ribosomal DNA amplicons for deep sequencing analysis. A total of 9 phyla, 40 orders, 75 families and 328 genera were detected in 8.76 x 105 sequencing reads. Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria were the dominant phyla, but no significant differences between treatment groups were observed. Lactobacillales (16.3-59.9%), Bacteroidales (2.2-59.1%), Clostridiales (0.05-70.2%) and Selenomonadales (2.6-17.5%) were found as the dominating order. Noteworthy changes on the order level were found for numerically or significantly increased ratios of Clostridiales, but significantly decreased Lactobacillales in the high dietary zinc group. The bacterial diversity for the high dietary zinc diet was significantly higher for the total microbiota than the medium or low zinc diet. However, Lactobacillales diversity decreased, while Clostridiales and Enterobacteriales diversity increased significantly. Principal component analysis confirmed changes in the microbiota, most notably for the high dietary zinc treatment. This study has shown that pharmacological doses of high dietary zinc can drastically alter the bacterial composition and development of the microbiota in weaned piglets. The quantitative shift of bacterial groups due to high dietary zinc was most pronounced one week after weaning, while the more developed microbiota in older animals seemed to be able to adapt to high concentrations of dietary zinc.
Real World Graph E ﬃ ciency

In a network it is often desirable to determine the shortest path between a given pair of nodes in the network, where the length of a path is equal to the number of edges comprising it. Longer paths are often inherently less "e ﬃ cient" than shorter ones. In this paper we investigate the mathematical concept of e ﬃ ciency of networks, and of star-like networks in particular. In this paper, we present exercises for students where they are introduced to the notion of e ﬃ ciency. Students will also see an analysis of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) Subway system, that shows that this network is 82% as e ﬃ cient as a network where there is a direct line between every pair of stations.
The adaptedness of the floral phenotype in a relict endemic, hawkmoth-pollinated violet. 1. Reproductive correlates of floral variation

This paper examines the relationship between quantitative variation in floral morphology (sizes of petals, spur and peduncle) and maternal reproductive success (seed production) in Viola cazorlensic (Violaceae), a narrowly endemic violet of south-eastern Spain pollinated by day-flying hawkmoths (Sphingidae). This plant is characterized by broad intraspecific variation in size and proportions of floral parts. Floral morphology does not influence significantly the probability of fruit set. Among flowers setting fruit, spur length and size of petals have no significant effect on seed production, but capsules from long- and short-peduncted flowers contain significantly more seeds than capsules from flowers with intermediate peduncles. Individual plants differ significantly in average floral characteristics. Plants with comparatively long and short peduncles tend to produce more seeds than those with intermediate ones, even after accounting statistically for individual differences in flower production. These findings are interpreted as evidence of disruptive selection on peduncle length during the study season. Floral variability in this species may be explained by the combined action of disruptive selection on peduncle length (the character most variable among individuals) and little, if any, stabilizing selection on spur length and size of petals.
Blood Values of Some Helminth-Infected Aquacultured Fishes

Erythrocytes, thrombocytes, lymphocytes and neutrophils were the principal blood cell types found in the blood of Clarias batrachus , Ophicephalus striatus , Oreochromis mossambicus and Oreochromis niloticus . Eosinophils and basophils were observed in Ophicephalus striatus but were absent in Clarias batrachus . Eosinophils but no basophils were seen in Oreochromis mossambicus and Oreochromis niloticus . Along with mature erythrocytes, immature, dividing, senile, and disintegrated erythrocytes were also observed from the circulating blood of the four fish species. From Clarias batrachus , eight species of helminths were recovered, namely, Cichlidogyrus sclerosus , Actinocleidus sp. , Phyllodistomum sp. , Opegaster minima , Gauhatiana batrachii , Bovienia serialis , Procamallanus darius , and Philometra sp. The parasites recovered from Ophicephalus striatus were Diplostomulum sp. , Camallanus ophicephali , Arqulus indicus , and Lernaea cyprinacea . Cichlidogyrus sclerosus and Transversotrema laruei were collected from Oreochromis mossambicus and Oreochromis niloticus ; from the latter, Gyrodactylus medius was also recovered. The average parasite burden was generally low. Parasitized and unparasitized fishes were active and appeared healthy. Blood values of parasitized fishes showed few significant differences from those of unparasitized fish groups. No parasitized fish group showed significant reduction in mean hematocrit and RBC count or significant increase in mean WBC count and mean % neutrophils in comparison with unparasitized group of the same fish species.
Influence of ripening and turgor on the tensile properties of pears: a microscopic study of cellular and tissue changes.

The tensile properties of european pear (Pyrus communis L. 'Beurre Bosc') and asian pear (Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai 'Choguro') were examined using a microscope-mounted apparatus that allowed direct observation and recording of cell and tissue changes during testing. To manipulate turgor potential, tissue slices from fruit of different firmness (ripeness) were incubated in sucrose solutions of differing water potential. Solution water potentials were adjusted for individual fruit, and varied between -2.5 and 1 MPa from the water potential of the expressed juice. Fruit firmness declined from 100 to 20 N and from 60 to 25 N during ripening of european and asian pears, respectively. For both european and asian pears the relationship between fruit firmness and tensile strength of tissue soaked in isotonic solutions was sigmoidal, with the major mechanism of tissue failure being cell wall failure and cell fracture at high firmness and intercellular debonding at low firmness. In the intermediate zone, where fruit firmness and tissue tensile strength decreased simultaneously, a mixture of cell wall rupture and intercellular debonding could be observed. Tissue and cell extension at maximum force both declined similarly as fruit softened. Tensile strength of tissue from firm pears (>50 N firmness, >0.8 N tensile strength) decreased by as much as 0.6 N during incubation in solutions that were more concentrated than the cell sap (hypertonic solutions). When similar tissue slices were incubated in solutions that were less concentrated than the cell sap (hypotonic solutions), the tensile strength increased by up to 0.4 N. This is interpreted as stress-hardening of the cell wall in response to an increase in cell turgor. Tensile strength of tissue from soft pears was not affected by osmotic changes, as the mechanism of tissue failure is cell-to-cell debonding rather than cell wall failure.