Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Combining texture and shape for automatic crude patch registration

Building complete three-dimensional models often requires the registration and integration of multiple partial reconstructions. Registration is usually performed using a coarse-to-fine approach. We present a novel method for the crude registration of many partial three-dimensional reconstructions (patches). Our method combines the 3D measurements with the texture. Registration with methods that use only geometry will fail if the shape is too simple or symmetric. In such cases one has to use texture to resolve the ambiguities. But even then, knowledge of the shape greatly simplifies the task. The strategy we use is to intersect the surface with small spheres centered at feature points. The intersection line between such a sampling sphere and the surface defines an invariant region in the texture image. The surface texture inside these regions is used for matching regions between different patches.
Robertsonian translocations--reproductive risks and indications for preimplantation genetic diagnosis.

BACKGROUND Robertsonian translocations carry reproductive risks that are dependent on the chromosomes involved and the sex of the carrier. We describe five couples that presented for preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). METHODS PGD was carried out using cleavage-stage (day 3) embryo biopsy, fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) with locus-specific probes, and day 4 embryo transfer. RESULTS Couple A (45,XX,der(14;21)(q10;q10)) had two previous pregnancies, one with translocation trisomy 21. A successful singleton pregnancy followed two cycles of PGD. Couple B (45,XX,der(13;14)(q10;q10)) had four miscarriages, two with translocation trisomy 14. One cycle of PGD resulted in triplets. Couple C (45,XX,der(13;14)(q10;q10)) had four years of infertility; two cycles were unsuccessful. Couple D (45,XY,der(13;14)(q10;q10)) presented with oligozoospermia. A singleton pregnancy followed two cycles of PGD. Couple E (45,XY,der(13;14)(q10;q10)) had a sperm count within the normal range and low levels of aneuploid spermatozoa. PGD was therefore not recommended. No evidence for a high incidence of embryos with chaotic or mosaic chromosome complements was found. CONCLUSIONS For fertile couples, careful risk assessment and genetic counselling should precede consideration for PGD. Where translocation couples need assisted conception for subfertility, PGD is a valuable screen for imbalance, even when the risk of viable chromosome abnormality is low.
Molecular mechanisms of human T-cell leukemia/lymphotropic virus type I infection.

T HE HUMAN T-CELL leukemidymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) was isolated from a patient with cutaneous T-cell lymphomas 17 years ago,"4 and its clear association with human diseases led to inclusion of retroviruses among human pathogens? "1 The discovery of HTLV-I was followed a few years later by the discoveIy of HTLV-11'' and the rapid identification of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). 13-16 HTLV-I is the cause of both a hematopoietic malignancy, adult T-cell leukemidymphoma (ATLL),"' as well as a progressive myelopathy called tropical spastic paraparesis/HTLV-I-associated myelopathy (TSP/HAM). 9"' HTLV-I1 has been isolated from a variant form of hairy Tcell l e ~ k e m i a ' ~ ~ ' ~ , ~ ' and from other hematologic patient^'^. '^ and more recently from sporadic cases of HTLV-I-negative TSP/HAM patients. ". " However, the casual link of HTLVI1 with these diseases is still uncertain. HTLV-I is transmitted sexually, by breast milk, and by blood p r o d ~ c t s . ~ ~ ~ ~ Several aspects of HTLV-I pathogenesis remain obscure in part because of the absence, until recently, of biologically active viral molecular clones and practical animal models. HTLV-I displays some features of chronic and acute animal classes of retroviruses.26~27 Like chronic viruses, HTLVI induces T-cell leukemia after a long latency period, but apparently it does not integrate near cellular oncogenesz8 and the virus appears to be latent in the neoplastic cells. Yet, HTLV-I, like the acutely transforming animal retroviruses, can transform T cells in vitr0. ~3'~-~' The HTLV-I transcriptional transactivator ( T ~ x ) ~ ' . ~ ~ is a weak oncogene in v i t r ~ , ~ ' ? ~ ~ but its expression in the ATLL cells has not been convincingly s h o ~ n . ~ ~ . ~ ' If the oncogenicity of HTLV-I is not completely clear, the underlying mechanism of the neuropathy induced by this virus is even less clear. Current speculations that HTLV-I may lead to neurologic disease by indirect mechanisms, such as au to imm~ni ty~ ' . ~~ or transinduction of cytokines, come mainly from the lack of demonstration that HTLV-I can infect and replicate in cells of the central nervous system in vivo. HTLV-I infection is endemic in some Asian and African countries as well as in Central America. Some areas in the United States are also endemic, and the virus is found mainly in people of African-American background. In European countries, only a few cases of ATLL and TSP/HAM have been described.
Investigation on dielectric loaded monopole antennas for dual band application

This paper deals with investigation on dielectric loaded monopole antennas for dual band operation. A closed form expression is obtained relating the volume of the dielectric block and its dielectric constant for specified resonance frequency. Applicability of the relation is demonstrated for different dielectric geometries and the cases where the deviations are observed are also highlighted.
Space-Efficient Data Structures in the Word-RAM and Bitprobe Models

This thesis studies data structures in the word-RAM and bitprobe models, with an emphasis on space efficiency. In the word-RAM model of computation the space cost of a data structure is measured in terms of the number of w-bit words stored in memory, and the cost of answering a query is measured in terms of the number of read, write, and arithmetic operations that must be performed. In the bitprobe model, like the word-RAM model, the space cost is measured in terms of the number of bits stored in memory, but the query cost is measured solely in terms of the number of bit accesses, or probes, that are performed. First, we examine the problem of succinctly representing a partially ordered set, or poset, in the word-RAM model with word size Θ(lgn) bits. A succinct representation of a combinatorial object is one that occupies space matching the information theoretic lower bound to within lower order terms. We show how to represent a poset on n vertices using a data structure that occupies n2/4 + o(n2) bits, and can answer precedence (i.e., less-than) queries in constant time. Since the transitive closure of a directed acyclic graph is a poset, this implies that we can support reachability queries on an arbitrary directed graph in the same space bound. As far as we are aware, this is the first representation of an arbitrary directed graph that supports reachability queries in constant time, and stores less than (n 2 ) bits. We also consider several additional query operations. Second, we examine the problem of supporting range queries on strings of n characters (or, equivalently, arrays of n elements) in the word-RAM model with word size Θ(lgn) bits. We focus on the specific problem of answering range majority queries: i.e., given a range, report the character that is the majority among those in the range, if one exists. We show that these queries can be supported in constant time using a linear space (in words) data structure. We generalize this result in several directions, considering various frequency thresholds, geometric variants of the problem, and dynamism. These results are in stark contrast to recent work on the similar range mode problem, in which the query operation asks for the mode (i.e., most frequent) character in a given range. The current best data structures for the range mode problem take Õ( √ n) time per query for linear space data structures. Third, we examine the deterministic membership (or dictionary) problem in the bitprobe model. This problem asks us to store a set of n elements drawn from a universe [1, u] such that membership queries can be always answered in t bit probes. We present several new fully explicit results for this problem, in particular for the case when n = 2, answering an open problem posed by Radhakrishnan, Shah, and Shannigrahi [ESA 2010]. We also present a general strategy for the membership problem that can be used to solve many related fundamental problems, such as rank, counting, and emptiness queries. Finally, we conclude with a list of open problems and avenues for future work.
Lymantria dispar herbivory induces rapid changes in carbon transport and partitioning in Populus nigra

We tested for rapid changes in photosynthate transport and partitioning in response to Lymantria dispar (L.) (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) (gypsy moth) herbivory in Populus nigra L. (Salicaceae). Transport and partitioning of [11C]‐photosynthate from young mature leaves were measured in vivo before and 18 h after leaf chewing by gypsy moth larvae, which were caged on three older leaves. Following herbivory, there was an increase in export speed of recently fixed carbon from younger mature leaves. The increased export speed was due to a quicker transit time of 11C through the leaf, rather than a change in transport speed through the phloem. Additionally, basipetal partitioning of [11C]‐photosynthate was increased following herbivory. Neither of these changes was observed in control plants. This enhancement of export occurs even though herbivores are well known to induce increases in carbon allocation to secondary metabolites within leaves. Our results demonstrate that the use of non‐destructive imaging of 11C tracer is a powerful tool for examining plant responses to herbivory. Although the mechanisms underlying the rapid increase in carbon flux to stems and roots remain to be elucidated, our results raise the possibility of a coordinated whole plant response to herbivory. Thus, even when the herbivore specializes on only one plant tissue type, a whole plant approach may be key to understanding how plants respond to herbivory.
Interfacial charge behaviour at dielectric - dielectric interfaces

Multi-dielectric insulation systems are commonly used in high voltage apparatus. Interfacial charge accumulated at the dielectric - dielectric interface governs the dielectric behaviour of the composites considerably. In this work, we perform space charge measurements on polymeric composites of epoxy resin and polyethylene, to investigate the behaviour of interfacial charge at the interfaces, under various experimental conditions. Pulsed Electro-Acoustic (PEA) system is used for measurement of charge distribution. The interfacial charge at the discontinuities, in similar as well as dissimilar dielectrics, is studied. Interfacial charge is seen to develop at discontinuities within otherwise homogeneous materials. Accumulation of space charge above threshold fields, at interfaces of different materials, ultimately dominates the polarity and magnitude of accumulated charge.
Endothelial and Accessory Cell Interactions in Neuroblastoma Tumor Microenvironment

Early childhood tumors that originate from the adrenal medulla and sympathetic nervous system are classified as neuroendocrine tumors [2]. Based on immunohistological criteria, neuroendocrine tumors can be broadly categorized as either neural or epithelial. As the name implies, tumors of the neural subtype display various degrees of neuronal differentiation and they stain positive for the neuroendocrine markers, synaptophysin and chromogranin A [3, 4]. Less well-differentiated or more primitive neural tumors are referred to as neuroblastoma (NB) while tumors with more differentiated features, such as ganglion and nerve bundles, are referred to as ganglioneuroblastoma and ganglioneuroma. This chapter focuses on NB, a form of cancer that occurs in infants and young children. NB is by far the most common cancer in infants, and the fourth most common type of cancer in children [5]. There are approximately 650 new cases each year in the United States, and NB accounts for 15% of all cancer deaths in children. At present, NB patients have limited options for therapy and there is a pressing need to find better treatment options. To develop better treatment options, it is critical to understand the origins of this disease, and mechanisms involved in disease progression. The first section of this chapter is dedicated to a review of neuroendocrine embryology in order to shed some light on the cell that may be responsible for NB. The exact NB progenitor cell has not been identified, however there is evidence that these cells are derived from the neural crest (NC). Understanding the differentiation of NC to cell types that constitute the peripheral nervous system, and the mechanisms utilized during this process is critical to our knowledge of NB
Molecular characterization of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene of Oestridae species causing obligate myiasis

Abstract. A 688‐bp region of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene was sequenced from larvae of 18 species of Oestridae causing obligate myiasis. Larvae belonged to the four Oestridae subfamilies (Cuterebrinae, Gasterophilinae, Hypodermatinae and Oestrinae), which are commonly found throughout the world. Analysis of both nucleotide and amino acid data was performed. Nucleotide sequences included 385 conserved sites and 303 variable sites; mean nucleotide variation between all species was 18.1% and variation within each subfamily ranged from 5.3% to 13.34%. Intraspecific pairwise divergences ranged from 0.14% to 1.59%, and interspecific variation ranged from 0.7% to 27%. Of the 229 amino acids, 76 were variable (60 of which were phylogenetically informative), with some highly conserved residues identified within each subfamily. Phylogenetic analysis showed a strong divergence among the four subfamilies, concordant with classical taxonomy based on morphological and biological features. This study provides the first molecular data set for myiasis‐causing Oestridae species, providing an essential database for the molecular identification of these parasites and the assessment of phylogenetic relationships within family Oestridae.
Success probability in full duplex relay networks using stochastic geometry

This paper investigates a cooperative wireless networks using relay node. We consider full duplex (FD) and half duplex (HD) scenarios. We derive the success probability where the signal transmits from source node to the destination node through relay node using stochastic geometry. We compute the success probability under two conditions, i.e. no self interference cancellation and perfect self interference cancellation. We show that success probability of FD scenario is lower than HD scenario. The gap between them is 2 dB. Hence, the potential of FD transmission becomes questionable for implementation.
BEEF PRODUCER CHOICE IN CATTLE MARKETING

In addition to the conventional auction method of cattle marketing, some alternative marketing arrangements include sale by private treaty, video auction, retained ownership, and use of strategic alliances. This study finds that 91% of Louisiana producers use conventional auctions, while 39% use other types of marketing arrangements. The most heavily used alternative marketing arrangement is private treaty, at 26%. Those producers using alternative marketing arrangements tend to be larger, have heavier weaning weights, have more diverse farming operations, be younger, have greater contact with their county extension agents, and depend less on income from off-farm sources.
Towards Scalable and Cost-aware Bioinformatics Workflow Execution in the Cloud - Recent Advances to the Tavaxy Workflow System

Cloud-based scientific workflow systems can play an important role in the development of cost effective bioinformatics analysis applications. So far, most efforts for supporting cloud computing in such workflow systems have focused on simply porting them to the cloud environment. The next due steps are to optimize these systems to exploit the advantages of the cloud computing model, basically in terms of managing resource elasticity and the associated business model. In this paper, we introduce new advancements in designing scalable and cost-effective workflows in the cloud using the Tavaxy workflow system, focusing on genome analysis applications. We provide an overview of the system and describe its key cloud features including the configuration and execution of complete workflows and/or specific sub-workflows in the cloud. Taking real world examples, we demonstrate the key elasticity management features of the system. These features are designed to support two common scenarios: 1 minimizing workflow execution time under budget constraints and 2 minimizing budget spend under workflow deadline constraints. We evaluate the effectiveness of our approach by conducting experiments on the Amazon EC2 cloud with dynamic pricing and variable heterogeneous resource allocation.
A 14-element printed planar antenna array embedded within a UAV structure

A 14 elements planar antenna array of printed patches is designed and fabricated to be embedded inside the structure of an unmanned air vehicle (UAV) to enhance its communication link with the ground station. The array operates in the ISM band with a center frequency of 2.45 GHz and has measured operating bandwidth of approximately 40MHz. A beam steering algorithm is applied to aid in directing the beam towards the base station. The half power beam width (HPBW) and array gain as a function of the azimuth and elevation angles below the UAV have been characterized and studied.
Opportunistic Noisy Network Coding for Fading Relay Networks Without CSIT

The parallel relay network is studied, in which a single source node sends a message to a single destination node with the help of N parallel relays. Channel coefficients are assumed to vary over time and channel state information (CSI) is causally available only at the receiver side (CSIR). Opportunistic noisy network coding is proposed for intelligently exploiting CSIR at each relay in a distributed manner by operating the noisy network coding scheme with adaptive compression. More specifically, each relay opportunistically vector-quantizes the collection of received symbols that is received with channel gains larger than a certain threshold. It then forwards the digital compression information to the destination node using independently generated Gaussian codes. For independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) Rayleigh fading, the proposed scheme is shown to achieve the ergodic capacity in the large number of relays regime. Furthermore, the proposed scheme is extensively compared with several alternative schemes, the decode-forward scheme, the adaptive amplify-forward scheme, and the non-adaptive noisy network coding scheme over geometric models. We show that the new proposed scheme provides significant gain over these schemes in various cases.
Los Logros y las Carencias de las Transferencias de Efectivo Condicionadass: Evaluación del Impacto del Programa Tekoporã del Paraguay

El Centro Internacional de Pobreza (CIP), con el apoyo del GTZ y el FNUAP, ha llevado a cabo recientemente una evaluacion del impacto del programa piloto de Tekopora, un programa de transferencias de efectivo condicionadas (CCT, en su sigla inglesa) en Paraguay. Previamente, el CIP analizo el marco logico del programa y sus dificultades de aplicacion, y se evaluaron sus mecanismos de seleccion de beneficiarios.1 Esta Nota de Evaluacion presenta un resumen de los impactos del programa sobre el comportamiento y bienestar de los hogares, como se recogio en Soares et al. (2008). La evaluacion de un programa piloto puede ofrecer aportaciones importantes en el proceso de toma de decisiones sobre la viabilidad de su ampliacion, la eficacia de su diseno y la evaluacion de los problemas que limitan sus efectos potenciales. La evaluacion de Tekopora muestra impactos positivos en el ingreso per capita y el consumo, la reduccion de la pobreza, asistencia escolar, la inversion en la produccion agricola, el acceso al credito para consumo, el ahorro y la participacion social. De hecho, estos resultados justifican facilmente su ampliacion. Sin embargo, el programa piloto no ha tenido exito en la reduccion del trabajo infantil o el aumento de la vacunacion infantil.2 Por lo tanto, abordar estos aspectos debe ser una parte clave de cualquier reformulacion del programa cuando se amplie. (.)
Cdc28 and Cdc14 Control Stability of the Anaphase-promoting Complex Inhibitor Acm1*

The anaphase-promoting complex (APC) regulates the eukaryotic cell cycle by targeting specific proteins for proteasomal degradation. Its activity must be strictly controlled to ensure proper cell cycle progression. The co-activator proteins Cdc20 and Cdh1 are required for APC activity and are important regulatory targets. Recently, budding yeast Acm1 was identified as a Cdh1 binding partner and APCCdh1 inhibitor. Acm1 disappears in late mitosis when APCCdh1 becomes active and contains conserved degron-like sequences common to APC substrates, suggesting it could be both an inhibitor and substrate. Surprisingly, we found that Acm1 proteolysis is independent of APC. A major determinant of Acm1 stability is phosphorylation at consensus cyclin-dependent kinase sites. Acm1 is a substrate of Cdc28 cyclin-dependent kinase and Cdc14 phosphatase both in vivo and in vitro. Mutation of Cdc28 phosphorylation sites or conditional inactivation of Cdc28 destabilizes Acm1. In contrast, inactivation of Cdc14 prevents Acm1 dephosphorylation and proteolysis. Cdc28 stabilizes Acm1 in part by promoting binding of the 14-3-3 proteins Bmh1 and Bmh2. We conclude that the opposing actions of Cdc28 and Cdc14 are primary factors limiting Acm1 to the interval from G1/S to late mitosis and are capable of establishing APC-independent expression patterns similar to APC substrates.
Precondicionamiento isquémico inducido por el ejercicio en pacientes con enfermedad coronaria

El precondicionamiento isquémico posee un efecto cardioprotector que depende de mecanismos metabólicos. Nos propusimos demostrar a través de la isquemia inducida por el ejercicio, la presencia del precondicionamiento isquémico clásico y la segunda ventana. Se incluyeron 14 pacientes, 9 masculinos y 5 femeninos, con una cardiopatía isquémica demostrada por coronariografia o estudio de perfusión miocárdica y prueba ergométrica positiva. A todos se les realizó 3 pruebas ergométricas consecutivas (Erg. I, Erg. II y Erg. III), con un intervalo entre Erg I y Erg II de 30 min y entre Erg II y Erg III de 24 h. Se encontraron diferencias significativas entre las medias de Erg. I y II (P ≤ ,001) y entre Erg I y III ( p ≤ ,05) en las variables: duración de la isquemia (434 s ± 228, 300 s ± 177, 314 s ± 226); depresión del segmento ST (-2,9 mm ± 1,3, -2,1 mm ± 1,3, -2,2 mm ± 1,1); variación de la pendiente de la relación ST/FC (-507 mm/s ± 188, -360 mm/s ± 225, 402 mm/s ± 180); y entre Erg. I y Erg. III (p £,05) en la duración de angina (243 s ±66, 172 s ± 109, 122 s ± 90). Los doble productos en las variables medidas tuvieron incremento en Erg. II y III en relación con Erg. I, pero sin significación estadística p> , 05. Concluimos que la isquemia inducida por el ejercicio generó menor evidencia de isquemia a los 30 min. A las 24 h también se encontró una tendencia de reducción isquémica, aunque de menor intensidad. El precondicionamiento isquémico pudiera ser el mecanismo generador de ambas cardioprotecciones.