Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Algorithms and Interfaces for Real-Time Deformation of 2D and 3D Shapes

This thesis investigates computer algorithms and user interfaces which assist in the process of deforming raster images, vector graphics, geometric models and animated characters in real time. Many recent works have focused on deformation quality, but often at the sacrifice of interactive performance. A goal of this thesis is to approach such high quality but at a fraction of the cost. This is achieved by leveraging the geometric information implicitly contained in the input shape and the semantic information derived from user constraints. Existing methods also often require or assume a particular interface between their algorithm and the user. Another goal of this thesis is to design user interfaces that are not only ancillary to real-time deformation applications, but also endowing to the user, freeing maximal creativity and expressiveness. This thesis first deals with discretizing continuous Laplacian-based energies and equivalent partial differential equations. We approximate solutions to higher-order polyharmonic equations with piecewise-linear triangle meshes in a way that supports a variety of boundary conditions. This mathematical foundation permeates the subsequent chapters. We aim this energyminimization framework at skinning weight computation for deforming shapes in real-time using linear blend skinning (LBS). We add additional constraints that explicitly enforce boundedness and later, monotonicity. We show that these properties and others are mandatory for intuitive response. Through the boundary conditions of our energy optimization and tetrahedral volume meshes we can support all popular types of user control structures in 2D and 3D. We then consider the skeleton control structure specifically, and show that with small changes to LBS we can expand the space of deformations allowing individual bones to stretch and twist without artifacts. We also allow the user to specify only a subset of the degrees of freedom of LBS, automatically choosing the rest by optimizing nonlinear, elasticity energies within the LBS subspace. We carefully manage the complexity of this optimization so that real-time rates are undisturbed. In fact, we achieve unprecedented rates for nonlinear deformation. This opti-
New approach to using elliptic curve transformations for security of ad hoc networks

The present paper describes the method which is used to transform an elliptical curve for a random number generator. This method allows one to increase the number of generator inner states. The restoration of the generation law tends to get complicated as the number of inner states increases The spin-off of the present work is the obtained lower boundary of a pseudorandom bit sequence period.
Characteristics and Possible Mechanism of Ventricular Arrhythmia Dependent on the Dispersion of Action Potential Durations

The arrhythmogenic role of increased dispersion of repolarization (dispersion) was studied in 23 open-chest dogs using six simultaneously recorded monophasic action potentials (MAPs) from the ventricular surface and programmed ventricular premature stimulation (VPS). Increased dispersion was induced by generalized hypothermia (29°C) and regional warm blood (38430C) perfusion through a coronary artery branch. Hypothermia and regional warm blood perfusion increased maximum dispersion from 13 ± 10 to 111 ± 16 msec (p < 0.001), predominantly because of the increased MAP duration difference (10 ± 15 vs 97 ± 16 msec, p < 0.001). The maximal difference between activation times was not significantly changed, but the QRS duration increased from 47 ± 6 to 52 ± 7 msec (p < 0.01). Ventricular arrhythmia did not occur spontaneously but was induced by a single VPS in all 23 dogs during hypothermia and regional warm blood perfusion when dispersion reached a critical magnitude. The critical magnitude of dispersion required to induce ventricular arrhythmia was documented in 16 dogs by stepwise increments or decrements of dispersion. In four dogs, an increase in atrial pacing rate of 24 beats/mm prevented induction of ventricular arrhythmia by decreasing dispersion from a critical magnitude of 103 ± 5 msec to a nonarrhythmogenic value of 86 ± 9 msec (p < 0.05). In six dogs, we compared the stimulation sitedependent effects of VPS applied in the region with short and long MAPs. In all dogs, ventricular arrhythmia was inducible only by VPS from the region with a short MAP. Premature impulses from this region propagated more slowly than those from the region with a long MAP. Our results show that the large dispersion of repolarization facilitates the development of a conduction delay necessary to induce sustained arrhythmia by an early premature stimulus applied at the site with a short MAP.
Involvement of Phytosulfokine in the Attenuation of Stress Response during the Transdifferentiation of Zinnia Mesophyll Cells into Tracheary Elements1[W][OA]

Phytosulfokine (PSK) is a sulfated peptide hormone required for the proliferation and differentiation of plant cells. Here, we characterize the physiological roles of PSK in transdifferentiation of isolated mesophyll cells of zinnia (Zinnia elegans ‘Canary Bird’) into tracheary elements (TEs). Transcripts for a zinnia PSK precursor gene, ZePSK1, show two peaks of expression during TE differentiation; the first accumulation is transiently induced in response to wounding at 24 h of culture, and the second accumulation is induced in the final stage of TE differentiation and is dependent on endogenous brassinosteroids. Chlorate, a potent inhibitor of peptide sulfation, is successfully applied as an inhibitor of PSK action. Chlorate significantly suppresses TE differentiation. The chlorate-induced suppression of TE differentiation is overcome by exogenously applied PSK. In the presence of chlorate, expression of stress-related genes for proteinase inhibitors and a pathogenesis-related protein is enhanced and changed from a transient to a continuous pattern. On the contrary, administration of PSK significantly reduces the accumulation of transcripts for the stress-related genes. Even in the absence of auxin and cytokinin, addition of PSK suppresses stress-related gene expression. Microarray analysis reveals 66 genes down-regulated and 42 genes up-regulated in the presence of PSK. The large majority of down-regulated genes show significant similarity to various families of stress-related proteins, including chitinases, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis enzymes, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid synthase, and receptor-like protein kinases. These results suggest the involvement of PSK in the attenuation of stress response and healing of wound-activated cells during the early stage of TE differentiation.
The Separation of Human Monocytes from Blood Including Biochemical Observations 1 2

The importance of the monocyte and its derivative, the macrophage, is becoming increasingly apparent in many areas of biologic research. In addition to its well-known role in phagocytosis, it likely plays a part in processing antigen in cellular immunity (1) and facilitating the response of lymphocytes to antigen (2), pokeweed mitogen (3), and phytohemagglutinin (4). It is a rich source of colony-stimulating factor for the in vitro growth of colonies of granulocytes and mononuclear cells from human and murine marrow (5). This cell may of use in the immunotherapy of human neoplastic processes. The monocyte is produced in the bone marrow (6), but its precursor cell is yet to be identified. Measurement of the physiological, immunological, and biochemical activities of the normal human monocyte has been hampered by the difficulty of obtaining pure samples in sufficient quantity. Most methods have resulted in monocyte monolayers adherent to a surface where they cannot be accurately counted or easily handled for study. The present study reports the separation of monocytes in high purity and large quantities from normal human blood. It results in cells that are in suspension and, therefore, can be easily quantitated. They can be easily transferred for radioisotopic, morphologic, and immunologic investigations. Materials and Methods. Two hundred and fifty milliliters of venous blood from normal volunteers was anticoagulated with heparin (12 U/ml of blood) and the erythrocytes sedimented with 5% dextran (Sigma Chem. Co., St. Louis, MO) for 40 min at 37°. The cells in the supernatant were harvested by centrifugation at 190g for 8 min and washed in sterile phosphate-buffered saline (PBS, pH 7.25). The mononuclear cells were initially separated by the method of Bennett and Cohn (7). The cells were suspended in 27% bovine albumin (Cohn fraction V) (Sigma Chem. Co.) in PBS at a cell concentration of 75 × 106 leukocytes/ml.
Delayed influence of stretch‐shortening cycle fatigue on large ankle joint position coded with static positional signals

This study examines the static position sense from the ankle joint following a unilateral exhaustive stretch‐shortening cycle (SSC)‐type exercise involving mostly the triceps surae muscle group. Fatigue effects were quantified within the exercised and non‐exercised leg through a maximal isometric voluntary plantarflexion test (MVC) performed immediately before (Pre) and after the SSC exercise, and repeated 2 (D2) and 8 (D8) days later. The static position sense test consisted in active reproductions with the non‐exercised ankle of two target dorsiflexed positions (small and large) previously maintained with either the non‐exercised (control procedure) or the exercised ankle (fatigue procedure). This test was carried out at Pre, D2, and D8. At D2, the MVC test revealed significant decreases in voluntary soleus muscle activity and peak plantarflexion force. The position sense test showed no error in reproduction accuracy in the control procedure. In contrast, the fatigue procedure revealed an overestimation of the large dorsiflexed position, only, with an associated increase of the agonist tibialis muscle activity. In agreement with the antagonist (stretched) muscle influence on the position sense, this overestimation is mostly attributed to potential SSC fatigue effects on ascending proprioceptive afferents issued from the exercised/inflamed antagonist muscles.
A new three-step search algorithm for block motion estimation

The three-step search (TSS) algorithm has been widely used as the motion estimation technique in some low bit-rate video compression applications, owing to its simplicity and effectiveness. However, TSS uses a uniformly allocated checking point pattern in its first step, which becomes inefficient for the estimation of small motions. A new three-step search (NTSS) algorithm is proposed in the paper. The features of NTSS are that it employs a center-biased checking point pattern in the first step, which is derived by making the search adaptive to the motion vector distribution, and a halfway-stop technique to reduce the computation cost. Simulation results show that, as compared to TSS, NTSS is much more robust, produces smaller motion compensation errors, and has a very compatible computational complexity. >
Targeting antimicrobial-resistant bacterial respiratory tract pathogens: it is time to ‘get smart’

Purpose of review Pathogen-directed therapy targeting multidrug-resistant bacteria in pneumonia can be a challenge. We reviewed the recent literature on bacterial resistance, diagnostic methods, and treatment strategies to guide pathogen-directed therapy of respiratory infections. Recent findings Antibiotic resistance is a growing problem in both community and nosocomial settings. Macrolide resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae varies geographically, ranging from 45 to 88%, and has been associated with prior antibiotic use. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacilli remain the main targets for pathogen-directed therapy in patients with hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated pneumonia. Rapid molecular tests show promise to facilitate pathogen-directed therapy. Improved antibiotic use with the right drug and optimal dose is a key strategy in tackling antimicrobial resistance. Evidence supporting de-escalation for hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated pneumonia has been increasing. To date, no convincing evidence exists to support combination therapy for severe infections due to carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacilli. Aerosolized therapy might provide additive benefits to parenteral therapy, but requires further study. Summary Pathogen-directed therapy guided by in-vitro microbiological data is a safe approach for the treatment of respiratory infections due to antibacterial-resistant bacteria. Further research should focus on the role of rapid diagnostic tools, new antibiotics, and novel immunotherapy for respiratory infection.
Mediterranean diet adherence during pregnancy and fetal growth: INMA (Spain) and RHEA (Greece) mother–child cohort studies

Dietary intake of specific nutrients or food groups during pregnancy could influence fetal growth, but scant evidence is available on effects of dietary patterns. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of Mediterranean diet (MD) adherence during pregnancy on fetal growth in two population-based mother–child cohorts in Spain and Greece. We studied 2461 mother–newborn pairs from the Spanish multi-centre ‘INMA’ study (Atlantic area: INMA-Atlantic; Mediterranean area: INMA-Mediterranean), and 889 pairs from the ‘RHEA’ study in Crete, Greece. Maternal diet during pregnancy was assessed by FFQ and MD adherence was evaluated through an a priori score. Fetal growth restriction was based on a customised model, and multivariate log-binomial and linear regression models were used to adjust for several confounders. MD scores differ significantly between the cohorts with women in INMA-Atlantic reporting higher intakes of fish and dairy products, while women in the Mediterranean area reported higher intakes of cereals, vegetables and fruits. Women with high MD adherence had a significantly lower risk of delivering a fetal growth–restricted infant for weight (risk ratios: 0·5; 95 % CI 0·3, 0·9) in the INMA-Mediterranean cohort. Stratified analysis by smoking revealed that higher MD adherence increased birth weight and birth length in smoking mothers, whereas this effect was not apparent in non-smoking mothers. The results of the present study show that several types of MD exist across European Mediterranean regions. High MD adherence may modify the detrimental effect of smoking on birth size, but overall effects of diet were not universal for the studies in this analysis.
Cotylenin A-induced differentiation is independent of the transforming growth factor-β signaling system in human myeloid leukemia HL-60 cells

Cotylenin A, which has been isolated as a plant growth regulator, potently induces the differentiation of human myeloid leukemia cells. Treatment of HL-60 cells with a combination of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β and 1α, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (VD3) resulted in increased differentiation compared to separate treatments, but TGF-β did not affect the cotylenin A-induced differentiation of HL-60 cells. It is possible that the signal transduction pathway used by cotylenin A for inducing the differentiation of leukemia cells is the same as that used by TGF-β. However, cotylenin A did not affect the expression of TGF superfamily or Smad genes in HL-60 cells. Treatment with neutralizing anti-TGF-β antibody or an inhibitor of TGF-β signaling did not inhibit cotylenin A-induced differentiation, although VD3-induced differentiation was significantly suppressed by these treatments. The subcellular distribution of Smad3 was also unaffected by cotylenin A. These results suggest that the cotylenin A-induced differentiation of leukemia cells is independent of the TGF-β signaling system, although TGF-β acts as an autocrine mediator of the growth arrest and differentiation of leukemia cells induced by VD3 and other inducers.
Plants influencing the behaviour of Large White Butterfly (Pieris brassicae L.)

Large White Butterfly, Pieris brassicae L. (LWB) is one of the greatest pests of cruciferous cultures in Estonia, and, in the years of its biggest abundance, it can destroy a significant part of a crop. Many plants contain natural compounds that can repel and/or attract insects and protect neighbouring plants. This principle is used in a method known as companion planting. The aim of this paper was to establish to what extent it was possible to influence, by using companion plants, the oviposition intensity of adults of LWB on Brassica oleracea var. capitata f. alba. Cabbage plots were surrounded, as a border around garden beds, by the following plant species: Salvia horminum L. (syn. viridis L), Chrysanthemum carinatum Schousboe, Tagetes patula L. , Allium cepa L. or Calendula officinalis L. Companion plants were replanted on the experimental plots in two rows. On control plots only cabbage was growing. French marigold, T. patula and painted daisy, C. carinatum were oviposition repellent to P. brassicae - compared with the control variant; butterflies laid fewer eggs on cabbage of these variants. At the same time, flowers of T. patula were attractive to adults of P. brassicae as the butterfly fed intensively on the flowers. There were no butterflies on flowers of C. carinatum, allowing us to conclude that this plant was a repellent to adults of P. brassicae. Certain repellent effects of painted sage, S. horminum, appeared towards the end of the summer, when the plants were in full flower. Butterflies laid eagerly eggs on cabbage plants surrounded by calendula, C. officinalis and onion, A. cepa. Our experiments showed how important it is to reckon with a certain pest, the control of which is intended, in choosing plants for founding a garden with diverse vegetation.
CHARACTERIZATION OF A SULFATE- AND THIOSULFATE-TRANSPORTING SYSTEM IN SALMONELLA TYPHIMURIUM.

Inorganic sulfate can be utilized as the sole source of sulfur by a wide variety of sulfate-assimilating microorganisms (1, 2). The first step in the utilization of sulfate for purposes of cell growth by a microorganism would be the entrance of the anion into the interior of the cell. In Escherichia co&, it appears that there is a barrier which prevents sulfate from passively diffusing into the cell (3, 4). In this organism, however, little progress was made in elucidating the mechanism by which sulfate actually enters the cell. The availability of several mutants of Salmonella typhimurium made it possible to study the transport of the sulfate ion in this bacterium. It was reported in an earlier paper (5) that mutants of the cys A region of S. typhimurium possess all enzymes necessary for the assimilation of sulfate into cysteine, and yet are unable to utilize either sulfate or thiosulfate as sole sulfur sources for cell growth. It was speculated at that time (5) that the cys A mutants are of the type generally called cryptic; that is, a specific transport system for sulfate is lacking in these mutants. Mutants of the cys A region have been analyzed genetically by Mizobuchi, Demerec, and Gillespie (6). Their findings indicate that the cys A region is composed of three complementation groups (or cistrons as defined by use of the cis-trans test (7)). This paper will show that the integrity of these three cistrons is required in order for the sulfate and thiosulfate ions to be transported by S. typhimurium. Furthermore, certain properties of the transport system will be described as well as a number of regulatory mechanisms which control the functioning of the transport system.
Three-Dimensional Computer-Based Gold Prospectivity Mapping using Conventional Geographic Information systems , Three-Dimensional Mine Visualization Software and Custom Built Spatial Analysis Tools

Proceedings of GeoComputation ‘97 & SIRC ‘97 Effective mineral exploration requires a detailed knowledge of the factors and processes which result in the formation of economic deposits. To apply this knowledge, a sound three-dimensional understanding of the geology and structure of a region is required. In most cases, surface geology can be mapped with a high degree of accuracy, however, the geology at depth has to be inferred from geophysical methods, or through drilling programs, and is therefore mapped at much lower spatial resolution. This anisotropy in spatial-data quality, coupled with the scarcity of three dimensional geographic information systems (GIS), makes computer-based exploration at a campor districtscale very difficult.
The Burden of Zoonoses in Kyrgyzstan: A Systematic Review

Introduction Zoonotic disease (ZD) pose a serious threat to human health in low-income countries. In these countries the human burden of disease is often underestimated due to insufficient monitoring because of insufficient funding. Quantification of the impact of zoonoses helps in prioritizing healthcare needs. Kyrgyzstan is a poor, mountainous country with 48% of the population employed in agriculture and one third of the population living below the poverty line. Methodology/Principal Findings We have assessed the burden of zoonoses in Kyrgyzstan by conducting a systematic review. We have used the collected data to estimate the burden of ZDs and addressed the underestimation in officially reported disease incidence. The estimated incidences of the ZDs were used to calculate incidence-based Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs). This standardized health gap measure enhances comparability between injuries and diseases. The combined burden for alveolar echinococcosis, cystic echinococcosis, brucellosis, campylobacteriosis, congenital toxoplasmosis, non-typhoidal salmonellosis and rabies in Kyrgyzstan in 2013 was 35,209 DALYs [95% Uncertainty interval (UI):13,413–83,777]; 576 deaths [95% UI: 279–1,168] were attributed to these infections. We estimate a combined median incidence of ZDs of 141,583 cases [95% UI: 33,912–250,924] in 2013. The highest burden was caused by non-typhoidal Salmonella and Echinococcus multilocularis, respectively 14,792 DALYs [95% UI: 3,966–41,532] and 11,915 DALYs [95% UI: 4,705–27,114] per year. Conclusion/Significance The health impact of zoonoses in Kyrgyzstan is substantial, comparable to that of HIV. Community-based surveillance studies and hospital-based registration of all occurrences of zoonoses would increase the accuracy of the estimates.
Isolation of steroidal glycosides from Solanum xanthocarpum and studies on their antifungal activities

Isolation of the methanol extract of Solanum xanthocarpum resulted in the isolation and characterization of carpesterol (1) and four steroidal glycosides (2, 3, 4, and 5). The structures of these compounds were established by spectroscopic analysis. The antifungal activity of the steroidal compounds extracted from the fruits of S. xanthocarpum was investigated against Aspergillus niger and Trichoderma viride. The isolated compounds 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 exhibited inhibitory effects on the radial growth of A. niger and Trichoderma viride.