Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Parallel GPU Algorithms for Mechanical CAD

This thesis describes new parallel GPU algorithms that accelerate fundamental CAD operations such as spline evaluations, surface-surface intersections, minimum distance computations, moment computations, etc., thereby improving the interactivity of a CAD system.CAD systems (such as SolidWorks, AutoCAD, ProE, etc.) create graphical user interfaces for solid modeling, which build on fundamental CAD operations that are performed by a modeling kernel. However, since many of these fundamental operations are compute-intensive, the CAD systems make the designer wait until a particular operation is completed before providing visual feedback and allowing new operations to be performed, reducing interactivity. The broad objective of this research is to develop new parallel algorithms for CAD that run on Graphics Processing Units to provide order-of-magnitude better performance than current CPU implementations.A critical operation that all CAD systems have to perform is the evaluation of Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines (NURBS) surfaces. We developed a unified parallel algorithm to evaluate and render a NURBS surface directly using the GPU. The GPU algorithm can render over 100 NURBS surfaces at 30 frames per second, significantly enhancing interactivity.Fundamental modeling operations (such as surface intersections, separation distance computations, etc.) are typically performed repeatedly in a CAD system during modeling. We have developed GPU-accelerated algorithms that perform surface-surface intersections more than 50 times faster than the commercial solid modeling kernel ACIS. We have also developed GPU algorithms to perform minimum distance computations, which have applications in multi-axis machining, path planning, and clearance analysis. These algorithms are not only more than two orders of magnitude faster than the CPU implementations, they often have much tighter error bounds.We have also developed algorithms for computing accurate geometric moments of solid models that are represented using multiple trimmed-NURBS surfaces. We have developed a framework that makes use of NURBS surface data to evaluate surface integrals of trimmed NURBS surfaces in real time. With our framework, we can compute volume and moments of solid models with error estimates. The framework also supports local geometry changes, which is useful for providing interactive feedback to the designer while the solid model is being designed.Finally, the ultimate objective of this research is to provide a generalized framework to overcome some of the GPU programming challenges in CAD. Using this framework, a programmer could easily develop complex CAD algorithms that utilize the GPU to improve the performance of CAD systems.
Adaptive e-Assessment Application Scenario - A Framework and Concept for the Integration of askme! in Higher Education

To provide the expertise to apply learned knowledge in practice is one main challenge of higher education. Especially, the engineering graduates need to solve complex problems in their profession and apply specific expertise in various contexts. These demands encompass less recalling of factual knowledge, but more comprehensive key competencies like problem-solving expertise. In this paper, the Adaptive Assessment System askme! is used to address this challenge. The authors discuss the general conditions of the education of a course in theoretical computer science offered for students of a Bachelor degree program. Furthermore, this paper provides an application scenario in which the applied learning platform Moodle will be extended by adaptive methods of assessment.
Comprehensive modeling of electric vehicles to analyze their performance based on different propulsion profiles

Battery electric vehicle (BEV) technology is the most often used type of EV due to its reliable energy storage system. According to the different driving cycles of EVs, electric motors undergo degradation as a result of sudden variations in the dynamic state of torque. Therefore, reliability and performance assessment of the electric motor are important. This paper presents transient and harmonic analysis techniques that were engaged to observe the motor conditions in different operating modes. In order to study the system's behavior, in addition to the harmonic analysis on torque and stator currents, the transient response of stator current for different electric motors is also touched upon in this paper. In an ideal BEV, the motor voltage supplied by the battery is considered to be constant, whereas in real applications, the voltage drops due to the SOC characteristics of the batteries. This paper will also discuss the motor frequency response used to investigate the effects of motor input voltage on the performance of the system. Complete sets of the experimental test is discussed and reported in this study to verify the numerical investigation results.
Cell-mediated immune response of human lymphocytes to influenza A/USSR (H1N1) virus infection

Cell-mediated immunity to influenza A/USSR (H1N1) virus was assessed by measuring transformation response and interferon production by Ficoll-Hypaque-purified peripheral blood lymphocytes from children and adults. Lymphocyte transformation was found to be related to the individual's previous experience with H1N1 influenza virus. Lymphocyte cultures, obtained from adults who had their last contact with the H1N1 virus over 20 years ago, were able to transform when incubated with H1N1 influenza antigens. This response suggests that influenza virus can induced long-term cell-mediated immunity for periods of at least 20 years. Interferon produced by stimulated lymphocytes was found to be unrelated to previous contact with influenza H1N1 virus; seronegative as well as seropositive individuals were capable of producing interferon in response to viral antigens. The interferon produced was type I.
Listeria monocytogenes Uses Listeria Adhesion Protein (LAP) To Promote Bacterial Transepithelial Translocation and Induces Expression of LAP Receptor Hsp60

ABSTRACT Listeria monocytogenes interaction with the intestinal epithelium is a key step in the infection process. We demonstrated that Listeria adhesion protein (LAP) promotes adhesion to intestinal epithelial cells and facilitates extraintestinal dissemination in vivo. The LAP receptor is a stress response protein, Hsp60, but the precise role for the LAP-Hsp60 interaction during Listeria infection is unknown. Here we investigated the influence of physiological stressors and Listeria infection on host Hsp60 expression and LAP-mediated bacterial adhesion, invasion, and transepithelial translocation in an enterocyte-like Caco-2 cell model. Stressors such as heat (41°C), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) (100 U), and L. monocytogenes infection (104 to 106 CFU/ml) significantly (P < 0.05) increased plasma membrane and intracellular Hsp60 levels in Caco-2 cells and consequently enhanced LAP-mediated L. monocytogenes adhesion but not invasion of Caco-2 cells. In transepithelial translocation experiments, the wild type (WT) exhibited 2.7-fold more translocation through Caco-2 monolayers than a lap mutant, suggesting that LAP is involved in transepithelial translocation, potentially via a paracellular route. Short hairpin RNA (shRNA) suppression of Hsp60 in Caco-2 cells reduced WT adhesion and translocation 4.5- and 3-fold, respectively, while adhesion remained unchanged for the lap mutant. Conversely, overexpression of Hsp60 in Caco-2 cells enhanced WT adhesion and transepithelial translocation, but not those of the lap mutant. Furthermore, initial infection with a low dosage (106 CFU/ml) of L. monocytogenes increased plasma membrane and intracellular expression of Hsp60 significantly, which rendered Caco-2 cells more susceptible to subsequent LAP-mediated adhesion and translocation. These data provide insight into the role of LAP as a virulence factor during intestinal epithelial infection and pose new questions regarding the dynamics between the host stress response and pathogen infection.
A Sox1 to Pax6 Switch Drives Neuroectoderm to Radial Glia Progression During Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells

The transcription factors Sox1 and Pax6 are expressed sequentially during early mouse embryonic neurogenesis. Sox1 expression starts upon formation of neuroectoderm, whereas Pax6 is subsequently expressed in radial glial cells, the latter giving rise to most neurons of the cerebral cortex. Here we used mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells to study the role of Sox1 and Pax6 in regulating differentiation of neural progenitors. For this purpose, we investigated the effect of overexpression and knockdown of Sox1 and Pax6, using three differentiation protocols. We show that (a) expression of Sox1 or Pax6 in uncommitted ES cells favored neuroectodermal lineage choice; (b) continuous Sox1 expression maintained cells at the neuroepithelial stage and prevented expression of Pax6 and other radial glial cell markers; (c) Sox1 knockdown facilitated exit from the progenitor stage, whereas Pax6 knockdown decreased formation of radial glia; (d) forced Pax6 expression in neuroepithelial cells triggered their differentiation into radial glia and neurons; and (e) Pax6 expression induced cell migration, a feature typical of radial glia‐derived early neurons. We conclude that Sox1 enhances neuroectodermal commitment and maintenance but blocks further differentiation. In contrast, Pax6 is involved in the progression of neuroectoderm toward radial glia. STEM CELLS 2009;27:49–58
Effect of Chronic Lead Ingestion by Rats on Glucose Metabolism and Acetylcholine Synthesis in Cerebral Cortex Slices

Abstract: The effect of chronic low‐level lead (Pb2+) ingestion on the metabolic pathways leading to the acetyl moiety of acetylcholine (ACh) was examined. Cerebral cortex slices, prepared from untreated or Pb2+‐exposed rats (600 ppm lead acetate in the drinking water for 20 days), were incubated in Krebs‐Ringer bicarbonate buffer with 10 mM glucose and tracer amounts of [6‐3H]glucose and either [6‐14C]glucose or [3‐14C]β‐hydroxybutyrate. Altering the concentration of Pb2+ in the drinking water produced a dose‐related increase in blood and brain lead levels. When tissue from Pb2+‐exposed rats was incubated with mixed‐labeled glucose, incorporation into lacate, citrate, and ACh was considerably decreased, although no changes occurred in the 3H/14C ratios. Similar effects of Pb2+ were found when 14C‐labeled β‐hydroxy‐butyrate was substituted for the [14C]glucose. It appears from these data that Pb2+ exerts a generalized effect on energy metabolism and not on a specific step in glucose metabolism. The impairment of glucose metabolism may explain partially the Pb2+‐induced changes observed in cholinergic function.
An Ecological Perspective on Leadership Theory, Research, and Practice

Current theories of leadership are based mainly on the industrial paradigm emphasizing the preeminence of positional leaders and the machine-like qualities of organizations. Evolutionary and attributional biases tend to reinforce the industrial paradigm. The authors propose an ecological theory of leadership that makes 4 important assertions: (a) Effective leadership processes involve temporary resolutions of a tension between the traditional industrial approach and the neglected ecological approach; (b) specific leaders are less important than they appear because the ecological context is more important than what leaders decide to do; (c) organizations are more adaptive when there is a diversity of genuine input into decision-making processes; and (d) leadership itself is an emergent process arising from the human interactions that make up the organization.
EVOLUTION OF SUBTERRANEAN DIVING BEETLES (COLEOPTERA: DYTISCIDAE HYDROPORINI, BIDESSINI) IN THE ARID ZONE OF AUSTRALIA

Abstract Calcrete aquifers in arid inland Australia have recently been found to contain the world's most diverse assemblage of subterranean diving beetles (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae). In this study we test whether the adaptive shift hypothesis (ASH) or the climatic relict hypothesis (CRH) is the most likely mode of evolution for the Australian subterranean diving beetles by using a phylogeny based on two sequenced fragments of mitochondrial genes (CO1 and 16S‐tRNA‐ND1) and linearized using a relaxed molecular clock method. Most individual calcrete aquifers contain an assemblage of diving beetle species of distantly related lineages and/or a single pair of sister species that significantly differ in size and morphology. Evolutionary transitions from surface to subterranean life took place in a relatively small time frame between nine and four million years ago. Most of the variation in divergence times of the sympatric sister species is explained by the variation in latitude of the localities, which correlates with the onset of aridity from the north to the south and with an aridity maximum in the Early Pliocene (five mya). We conclude that individual calcrete aquifers were colonized by several distantly related diving beetle lineages. Several lines of evidence from molecular clock analyses support the CRH, indicating that all evolutionary transitions took place during the Late Miocene and Early Pliocene as a result of aridification.
Различные синтаксические роли инфинитива в истории английского языка

РАЗЛИЧНЫЕ СИНТАКСИЧЕСКИЕ РОЛИ ИНФИНИТИВА В ИСТОРИИ АНГЛИЙСКОГО ЯЗЫКА Статья посвящена диахроническому изучению глагольной лексики на примере комплексного анализа инфинитива. В основу статьи положена синтаксическая роль инфинитива в предложении как принципиального критерия выделения инфинитивных конструкций и его историко-этимологический анализ в системе исторической эволюции. В статье исследуются различные синтаксические функции инфинитива в истории английского языка. Английский инфинитив рассматривается в роли подлежащего, дополнения и в сочетании с различными предлогами в диахронии. В нашей статье мы рассматриваем случаи употребления инфинитива в синтаксической структуре предложения в древнеанглийский и среднеанглийский периоды, для того чтобы выделить отдельные морфологические, лексические средства использования инфинитива в английском языке и проанализировать его историческое развитие. Адрес статьи: www.gramota. net/materials/1/2012/10/14.html Статья опубликована в авторской редакции и отражает точку зрения автора(ов) по рассматриваемому вопросу.
Are express saccades generated under natural viewing conditions?

To assess whether express saccades are generated under everyday conditions, we collected eye movement data from Rhesus monkeys engaged in free viewing under a variety of conditions. The durations of the fixation periods that occurred between saccades were calculated. The results show that while short‐duration fixations within the range of express saccades occur quite commonly, the overall distribution is unimodal. This is the case even when all the object elements in the visual scene have the same contrast. The findings suggest that while saccades that fall within the express range occur commonly under natural viewing conditions, bimodal distributions of saccadic latencies are obtainable only under laboratory conditions.
Cardiac Damage Secondary to Occupational Exposure to Tin Vapor

Tin is commonly used as a coating on copper kitchen appliances, and “tinsmithing” as a trade is common in many non-Western countries, where cooking utensils are re-tinned when the cooking surface wears thin. Tinsmiths, or “tinkers,” are commonly exposed to the following fumes during their work: stannic [tin(IV)] oxide, ammonium chloride, and hydrochloric acid. In this study we assessed workers from tinsmith workshops of our province for signs, symptoms, and laboratory evidence of cardiac end-organ damage. Between June 2002 and March 2003, researchers went to the main tinsmith workshop area of our province to interview tinsmiths in their workplaces and to gather addresses of their “traveling tinker” colleagues, who work with portable equipment. All workers were interviewed and underwent a complete physical examination, blood testing for lipid parameters, and echocardiography. Twenty-six tin workers (mean age 49± 10 y) and 25 control patients (convenience sample of hospital employees) were included in the study. Tobacco use, incidence of hypertension, and serum lipid parameters were not significantly different between the two groups (p < .05). The differences in myocardial performance index, systolic function, and mitral flow A velocity were also nonsignificant. However, the mitral inflow E velocity in the tinsmiths was significantly less than in controls (0.71± 0.1 vs. 0.95± 0.1 m/s, p < .001). The mitral deceleration time was also much longer in the tinsmith group (216± 71 ms vs. 143± 14 ms, p < .001). Eleven of the tinkers (23%) were found to have aortic valve sclerosis (severe in one, moderate in another, mild in the other nine), but aortic valve sclerosis was found in none of the control subjects. One tinsmith was found to have three-vessel coronary disease on angiogram. Another tinker with “myocarditis” in the past, and slow flow on angiography, had normalization of his cardiac tests after refraining from tin exposure for 6 mo. Thus, occupational exposure to heavy tin fumes is associated with left ventricle diastolic dysfunction and sclerosis of the aortic valve. Tin workers should minimize their exposure to tin fumes, and physicians should monitor tinsmiths closely for signs of heart disease.
Prostate cancer: correlation of MR imaging and MR spectroscopy with pathologic findings after radiation therapy-initial experience.

PURPOSE To prospectively evaluate magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and MR spectroscopy for depiction of local prostate cancer recurrence after external-beam radiation therapy, with step-section pathologic findings as the standard of reference. MATERIALS AND METHODS Study received institutional approval, and written informed consent was obtained. Study was compliant with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Sextant biopsy, digital rectal examination, MR imaging, MR spectroscopy, and salvage radical prostatectomy with step-section pathologic examination were performed in nine patients with increasing prostate-specific antigen levels after external-beam radiation therapy. MR imaging criterion for tumor was a focal nodular region of reduced signal intensity at T2-weighted imaging. MR spectroscopic criteria for tumor were voxels with choline (Cho) plus creatine (Cr) to citrate (Cit) ratio ([Cho + Cr]/Cit) of at least 0.5 or voxels with detectable Cho and no Cit in the peripheral zone. Sensitivity and specificity of sextant biopsy, digital rectal examination, MR imaging, and MR spectroscopy were determined by using a prostate sextant as the unit of analysis. For feature analysis, MR imaging and MR spectroscopic findings were correlated with step-section pathologic findings. RESULTS MR imaging and MR spectroscopy showed estimated sensitivities of 68% and 77%, respectively, while sensitivities of biopsy and digital rectal examination were 48% and 16%, respectively. MR spectroscopy appears to be less specific (78%) than the other three tests, each of which had a specificity higher than 90%. MR spectroscopic feature analysis showed that a metabolically altered benign gland could be falsely identified as tumor by using MR spectroscopic criteria; further analysis of MR spectroscopic features did not lead to improved MR spectroscopic criteria for recurrent tumor. CONCLUSION In summary, MR imaging and MR spectroscopy may be more sensitive than sextant biopsy and digital rectal examination for sextant localization of cancer recurrence after external-beam radiation therapy.
Design Approach of Distributed Systems for the Control of Industrial Process

This article describes a methodological approach to the design of distributed systems for the control of industrial process. The designer tackles the problem by specifying the behaviour of the process rather than by specifying a solution. In this way he defines the “what to control”. This specification can then be converted not only into a Petri net to allow the checking of certain properties of the described behaviour, but also into a logical network of communicating modules which defines the logical structure of the process control system. In both cases, the rules of conversion are direct and simple.
Do social information-processing models explain aggressive behaviour by children with mild intellectual disabilities in residential care?

BACKGROUND This study aimed to examine whether the social information-processing model (SIP model) applies to aggressive behaviour by children with mild intellectual disabilities (MID). The response-decision element of SIP was expected to be unnecessary to explain aggressive behaviour in these children, and SIP was expected to mediate the relation between social schemata and aggressive behaviour. METHOD SIP and aggressive behaviour of 130 10- to 14-year-old children with MID in residential care were assessed. The fit of various SIP models was tested with structural equation modelling. RESULTS The response-decision process was found not to be necessary to explain aggressive behaviour. Social schemata were indirectly related to aggressive behaviour with aggressive response generation as mediating variable. CONCLUSIONS Implications for SIP theory and intervention are discussed.
Bargaining and Ethnicity: A field experiment with students and villagers∗

We report data from a field experiment aimed at determining the extent of both in-group favoritism and out-group discrimination, known as parochial altruism, within a multiethnic society, Ecuador. The main ethnic groups studied were: mestizos, indigenous, montubios, and african-ecuadorians. We worked with standard subject, college students (116), and non-standard subjects, villagers (110). We took the experimenter and the students out into the field. Participants played an ultimatum game twice under an ingroup and an out-group condition. The second time the game was played we switched the roles of the players. We do not find a systematic evidence for in-group favoritism and out-group discrimination across groups. However, for values above the fair division, students favor their own groups more than villagers do. Villagers present more hyper-fair or confused profile preferences compared to students, while the latter are more monotonically rational. ∗An earlier version of this paper was titled “Bargaining and ethnic variation within a country. ” We are very grateful to Natalia Candelo Londoño, Leda Cosmides, Alexandra Espinosa, Robert Foley, Diego Grijalva, Werner Güth, Pablo Lucio-Paredes, Julio Ortega, Wilson Pérez, and seminar participants at the 3rd Antigua Experimental Economics Conference at Universidad Francisco Marroquin, 3rd International Congress on Economics at the Escuela Politécnica Nacional for their useful suggestions. We thank Andrea Aguirre, Johana Andrango, Marissa Espinoza, Nicholas Gachet and Priscila Vera for excellent research assistance. All remaining errors are ours. We gratefully acknowledge financial support from the Instituto de Economı́a and the Chancellor Grants of the Universidad San Francisco de Quito. †Corresponding author: promero@usfq.edu. ec