Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Approximation schemes in computational geometry

The complexity of geometric algorithms depend largely upon the complexity of the geometric objects they manipulate. In this thesis we consider Euclidean graphs and polyhedra, which have applications in robotics, motion planning, and circuit design. We focus on constructing simpler approximations of these objects. Thus problems involving these objects become more tractable, though perhaps at the expense of suboptimality of solutions. Some of our approximation schemes are successful, and lead to efficient solutions to many problems. In others, we prove that the schemes are themselves too complex to be practically feasible. Our results highlight many combinatorial and geometric properties of the objects considered. Our results can be divided into two broad categories. First we consider the problem of approximating dense Euclidean graphs by sparse subgraphs, where the subgraph either has few edges, or their total edge lengths are small, or both. Furthermore between any two vertices, the shortest path in the subgraph should be almost as short as the original shortest path. We prove that various planar subgraphs of the complete Euclidean graph on the plane approximate original shortest paths within a constant factor. We then show that even for graphs with arbitrary edge weights, sparse subgraphs exist with this property. Some of our results are shown to be optimal. Next, we consider the problem of approximating polyhedra. In particular, given a collection of pairwise disjoint polyhedra and their spatial positions in space, we are required to cover each with a polyhedral hull such that the hulls are pairwise disjoint, and the number of vertices (or edges, or faces) of the hulls is minimized. The motivation is, by replacing original polyhedra with their hulls, their descriptions get reduced, which speeds up further processing. We prove that the two and three dimensional versions of this problem are NP-hard (even for only two polyhedra in three dimensions), but provide several exact and approximation algorithms for the more restricted rectilinear two dimensional problem.
For a two-dimensional incompressible flow solved using Chorin's artificial compressibility method

Reduction of total computing time required by an iterative algorithm for solving Navier-Stokes equations is an important aspect of making the existing and future analysis codes more cost effecfve. Several attempts have been made to accelerate the convergence of an explicit Runge-Kutta time-stepping algorithm. These acceleration methods are based on local time stepping I , implicit residual smoothing 1 enthalpy damping 1 and multigrid techniques 2. Also, an extrapolation procedure based on the power method and the Minimal Residual Method (MRM) were applied 2 to the Jameson's multigrid algorithm. The MRM uses same values of optimal weights for the corrections to every equation in a system and has not been shown to accelerate the scheme without multigriding. Our Distributed Minimal Residual (DMR) method 3-4 based on our General Nonlinear Minimal Residual (GNLMR) method 5 allows each component of the solution vector in a system of equations to have its own convergence speed. The DMR method was found capable of reducing the computation time by 10-75% depending on the test case and grid used. Recently, we have developed and tested a new method termed Sensitivity Based DMR or SBMR method that is easier to implement in different codes and is even more robust and computatioually efficient than our DMR method.
Ultra-Processed Foods as Ingredients of Culinary Recipes Shared on Popular Brazilian YouTube Cooking Channels

Social media platforms are readily accessible sources of information about cooking, an activity deemed crucial for the improvement of a population’s diet. Previous research focused on the healthiness of the content shared on websites and blogs, but not on social media such as YouTube®. This paper analysed the healthiness of 823 culinary recipes retrieved from 755 videos shared during a six-month period on ten popular Brazilian YouTube® cooking channels. Recipes were categorized by type of preparation. To assess recipes’ healthiness, ingredients were classified according to the extension and purpose of industrial processing, in order to identify the use of ultra-processed foods. Additionally, a validated framework developed from criteria established in both editions of the Dietary Guidelines for the Brazilian Population was employed. Recipes for cakes and baked goods, puddings, snacks and homemade fast foods, which were among the most frequently posted, contained the lowest proportion of unprocessed/minimally processed ingredients and the highest proportion of ultra-processed ingredients. Recipes containing whole cereals, fruits, legumes, nuts, and seeds were scarce. Results indicate that users should be critical about the quality of recipes shared on YouTube® videos, also indicating a need for strategies aimed at informing individuals on how to choose healthier recipes or adapt them to become healthier.
The Impairment of Blood-Brain Barrier in Alzheimer’s Disease: Challenges and Opportunities with Stem Cells

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder and its prevalence is increasing. Nowadays, very few drugs effectively reduce AD symptoms and thus, a better understanding of its pathophysiology is vital to design new effective schemes. Presymptomatic neuronal damage caused by the accumulation of Amyloid β peptide and Tau protein abnormalities remains a challenge, despite recent efforts in drug development. Importantly, therapeutic targets, biomarkers, and diagnostic techniques have emerged to detect and treat AD. Of note, the compromised blood-brain barrier (BBB) and peripheral inflammation in AD are becoming more evident, being harmful factors that contribute to the development of the disease. Perspectives from different pre-clinical and clinical studies link peripheral inflammation with the onset and progression of AD. This review aims to analyze the main factors and the contribution of impaired BBB in AD development. Additionally, we describe the potential therapeutic strategies using stem cells for AD treatment.
MPP7 as a Novel Biomarker of Esophageal Cancer: MPP7 Knockdown Inhibits Esophageal Cancer Cell Migration and Invasion

MAGUK p55 scaffold protein 7 (MPP7) is a member of the stardust family of membrane-associated guanosine kinase protein P55 and plays a role in the establishment of epithelial cell polarity. However, its potential implication in human esophageal cancer is unclear. In this study, we investigated the expression profile of MPP7 and its functional impact on esophagus cancer. Expression analyses of immunohistochemical microarrays with survival and prognostic information of 103 patients with esophageal cancer demonstrated that MPP7 was overexpressed in 52 patients, who showed poor survival rates. The transcriptional expression of MPP7 in esophageal cancer in TCGA database increased successively from normal epithelial, to esophageal adenocarcinoma, to esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Transcriptome sequencing after MPP7 knockdown in esophageal carcinoma cells showed that wound-healing-associated proteins were down-regulated, and the TGF-β pathway was one of the important signaling pathways. A loss-of-function study showed that the knockdown of MPP7 inhibited cell migration and invasion. These results could be verified in a model of tumor cells injected into the tail vein and subcutaneous tumor of nude mice. Herein, our results indicated that MPP7 could have an oncogenic role in human esophagus cancer, thus demonstrating its potential as a novel biomarker for the diagnosis and/or treatment of esophagus cancer.
The topology of complements to hypersurfaces and nonvanishing of a twisted deRham cohomology

In this note we show how the cohomology of a twisted deRham complex on a complement to certain hypersurfaces in C is related to the invariant of hypersurfaces in C which we studied in [L5],[L6]. This invariant is the homotopy group of the complement having a dimension depending on the dimension of singular locus of the hypersurface. The first part contains the necessary definitions, discussion and examples from these papers.
Geochemistry and U–Pb zircon geochronology of the Jutogh Thrust sheet, Himachal Pradesh, NW‐Himalaya: Implications to the petrogenesis and regional tectonic setting

We present datasets of the whole‐rock geochemistry and U–Pb zircon geochronology from the Jutogh Thrust (JT) sheet of eastern Himachal Pradesh, NW Himalaya, in order to explain the tectono‐magmatic environment in which they formed. The metapelite and granitoids of the JT sheet have moderate to high SiO2, Al2O3, Na2O, K2O, and rare earth elements (REE). The A/CNK (Al2O3/CaO + Na2O + K2O) ratio with magnitudes ≥1, indicates the peraluminous nature, calc‐alkaline series, and S‐type granitoids. The high values of Rb and Th as compared to Nb and the negative Ba anomaly also suggest the dominance of crustal source material. The distinct enrichment of large‐ion lithophile elements of Rb, Th, K, Ba and Pb and strong depletion in high‐field‐strength elements (HFSE) of Zr, Nb and Ti results in high incompatible elements/HFSE ratios, which suggest that the source is derived from many intra‐crustal tectonic environments. All samples are well‐fractionated REE patterns [(La/Yb)N = 6.06–17.37] and characterized by moderately flat enriched [(La/Sm)N = 2.31–4.71] of light rare earth elements. The negative Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu* = 0.18–0.71), suggest the plagioclase fractionation from the sourced magma and the origin of granitic gneiss through the high temperature (~800°C). The zircon U–Pb ages of granite range between 883.0 ± 15.0 Ma and 1260.0 ± 10.0 Ma, with a consistent peak of ~925.0 Ma. It confirms that the northern edge of the Indian Plate collided with an unnamed microcontinent. Also, in a contemporaneous process, the upper crust underwent partial melting, and the generated magma intruded in an extensional tectonic set‐up of the northern edge (i.e., presently known as the Jutogh and Vaikrita thrust sheets) of the Indian Plate during the Neoproterozoic. The available zircon U–Pb ages of the JT sheet range between 550–2750 Ma. The magmatic nature of zircons, with two peaks of ~825 Ma and ~910 Ma, suggests that episodic magmatic processes have taken place during the Neoproterozoic. This study revealed that the Higher Himalayan Crystalline Sequence was a meta‐sedimentary sequence and was deposited in an active margin set‐up of the northern edge of the Indian Plate.
Analysis of the Rise and Fall of Pork Prices and Prediction of the Future Pork Market

In the past two years, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that domestic pork prices fluctuated repeatedly. Prices are rising internationally. COVID-19 has ravaged the world for two years. Pork production capacity declined rapidly in 2019. Then came the second blow of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the second half of the year, as production capacity recovers and demand falls, pork market excess capacity. Based on the data of 2020 and 2021, this study will focus on pork stock and the prices of corn to forecast the trend of pork prices in 2022. Rooted in the pork market in 2020 and 2021 and international and domestic corn prices, pork prices are forecast to continue to rise in the second half of 2021 and 2022.
Photosynthetic mechanism of high yield under an improved wide-narrow row planting pattern in maize

stand; light-use dehydrogenase; phospho pyruvate carboxylase; pyruvate Wide–narrow row maize planting patterns are a popular way to enhance maize yield via improving canopy PAR. To further optimize canopy PAR, we designed an improved wide–narrow row planting pattern (R2) based on the principle of the shortest projection length and the longest illumination of objects on the ground. Compared to the traditional wide–narrow row planting pattern (R1), maize yield increased by about 10% in R2. R2 maize had higher PAR, leaf area index, chlorophyll content, and photosynthetic rates than maize grown in R1. Moreover, compared to maize leaves in R1, the carbon assimilation enzymatic activities were also significantly higher in R2. The higher carbon assimilation enzymatic activity in R2 could account for the increased photosynthetic rate. Thus, the improved wide–narrow row planting pattern could improve photosynthetic performance by enhancing the PAR of the plant canopy, which further promotes the ear number and yield in northeast China.
AN OVERVIEW ON COLONIC DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM

Colonic drug delivery has gained increased importance not just for the delivery of the drugs for the treatment of local diseases associated with the colon but also for its potential for the delivery of proteins and therapeutic peptides. Natural polysaccharides have been used as a tool to deliver the drugs specifically to the colon. Formulation coated with enteric polymers releases drug, when pH move towards alkaline range while as the multicoated formulation passes the stomach, the drug is released after a lag time of 3-5 hours that is equivalent to small intestinal transit time. Drug coated with a bioadhesive polymer that selectively provides adhesion to the colonic mucosa may release drug in the colon. Historically, the clinical applications of colonic drug delivery have been limited to the local treatment of inflammatory bowel disease with little consideration of the possibility for systemic absorption. The physiology and environmental conditions in the colon extremely low surface area due to lack of villi and lack of fluid would seem to support this view. Nevertheless, other local diseases of the large intestine could benefit from topical delivery to the colonic mucosa. The potential of the colon for systemic delivery of drugs including vaccines, proteins and peptides, is gaining renewed interest. The review is aimed at understanding Pharmaceutical approaches to colon targeted drug delivery systems for better therapeutic action without compromising on drug degradation or its low bioavailability
Quadrature amplitude modulation frequency up- and down-conversions using a positive-intrinsic-negative photodiode sampling mixer

Abstract. Simulation and experimental performance analysis of a positive-intrinsic-negative photodiode (PIN-PD) sampling mixer used as frequency up and down-converters are presented. Besides, a frequency mixing with a PIN-PD can operate in a frequency range up to 47.3 GHz for up-conversion and 38.5 GHz for down-conversion. The design and operating regime peculiarities of a PIN-PD as an up and down-converter in a radio over fiber (RoF) system are also discussed. The conversion gain of a PIN-PD sampling mixer is simulated and measured. We showed that the gain may decrease from 27 dB at a mixing frequency of 8.3 GHz to 3 dB at the one with 47.3 GHz in an up-conversion mode and from 26.5 dB at 31.7 GHz to 7 dB at 38.5 GHz in a down-conversion mode, when the PIN-PD bias voltage was 0 V. The conversion gain degrades with the decrease of the bias voltage from 0 to −5 V. Error vector magnitudes (EVMs) of the quadratic amplitude modulation (M-QAM) up and down-converted signals are investigated. Quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) data at bit rates between 312.5 Mbit / s and 5 Gbit / s are frequency-converted. The EVM is used a performance index to assess the mixing system. Exploitable EVMs in the range of 15% up to 34.9% are reached for up-conversion of the mixing frequency. For down-conversion, the EVM varies from 20% to 34.9% at 5 Gbit / s over the whole frequency range. The EVM of mixed signals is improved with 16-QAM and 64-QAM modulations.
Empowerment of Rural Women at Household Level in District Nankana Sahib

his quantitative research was conducted in District Nankana Sahib. The size of the sample was 150Female respondents. A convenient sampling technique was used for the assortment of the respondents. The questionnaire was used as a tool. The results revealed that the empowerment level of rural women in the household is low in district Nankana Sahib. Women are facing a lot of problems that create the main hurdle in the empowerment status of rural women. The result showed that 46.7 percent of women were illiterate and 26.7 percent of women had a primary level of education, 75.3percent of women had no right to get a share in the inheritance property,only 39.3percent of women took decisions for the selection of their children spouse, 68.7percent women were monitoring child rearing activities, 54.0percent women were not taking decisions about disposable income for expenses. There is a highly positive association between age and decision-making autonomy, income and decision-making autonomy, and education and decision-making.
Associated production of a charged Higgs boson and top quark at LHC: The role of the complete electroweak supersymmetric contribution

The process of charged Higgs production in association with a top quark at the LHC has been calculated at the complete next-to-leading-order electroweak level both in a two-Higgs-doublet model and in the minimal supersymmetric standard model, assuming a minimal supergravity breaking scheme. We have numerically explored the size of the one-loop corrections in two typical supersymmetric scenarios, with particular attention to the tan{beta} dependence, and we have found that they remain perturbatively small but possibly sizable, reaching a 20% limit for extreme values of tan{beta}, when the complete set of Feynman diagrams is taken into account.
Manabe’s Radiative-Convective Equilibrium

Syukoro (Suki) Manabe’s Nobel Prize in physics was awarded largely for his early work on one-dimensional models of “radiative-convective equilibrium” (RCE), which produced the first credible estimates of Earth’s climate sensitivity. This article reviews that work and tries to identify those aspects that make it so distinctive. We argue that Manabe’s model of RCE contained three crucial ingredients. These are i) a tight convective coupling of the surface to the troposphere ii) an assumption of fixed relative humidity rather than fixed absolute humidity, and iii) a sufficiently realistic representation of greenhouse gas radiative transfer. Previous studies had separately identified these key ingredients, but none had properly combined them. We then discuss each of these ingredients in turn, highlighting how subsequent research in the intervening decades has only cemented their importance for understanding global climate change. We close by reflecting on the elegance of Manabe’s approach and its lasting value.
Urinary Collectrin (TMEM27) as Novel Marker for Acute Kidney Injury

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a leading complication in hospitalized patients of different disciplines due to various aetiologies and is associated with the risk of chronic kidney disease, the need for dialysis and death. Since nephrons are not supplied with pain signals, kidney injury is mostly diagnosed by serum creatinine with a time delay. Recent work has shown that certain urinary biomarkers are available for early detection of AKI. In total, 155 subjects, including 102 patients with AKI at various stages and 53 subjects without AKI, were enrolled, and their course and laboratory data were recorded. Urinary collectrin (TMEM27) was measured by a commercially available ELISA assay. Changes in serum creatinine were used to determine AKI stage. Patients with AKI presented with significantly lower levels of urinary collectrin compared to patients without AKI (1597 ± 1827 pg/mL vs. 2855 ± 2073; p = 0.001). Collectrin was found to inversely correlate with serum creatinine and stages of AKI. Collectrin levels were lowest in AKI stage III (1576 ± 1686 pg/mL; p = 0.001) and also significantly lower in stage II (1616 ± 2148 pg/mL; p = 0.021) and stage I (1630 ± 1956 pg/mL; p = 0.019) compared to subjects without AKI. An optimal minimum collectrin cut-off value of 1606 [95% CI 1258 to 1954] pg/mL was determined to detect AKI. In conclusion, urinary collectrin represents an indicator of AKI that, unlike all other established AKI biomarkers, decreases with stage of AKI and thus may be associated with a novel pathogenic pathway.
The spatial distribution of magnetospheric convection electric fields at ionospheric altitudes - A review. I - Observations

Les differentes techniques d'etude de la convection en zone aurorale sont passees en revue avec une attention particuliere aux sondages radar coherents et incoherents. On synthetise les donnees sur des modeles de cellules doubles avec asymetrie reliee a la composante By, la discontinuite de Harang et ses relations avec la latitude, la baisse de convection a basse latitude et son renversement a la limite de la calotte polaire. On separe les effets du champ electrique a l'echelle locale et planetaire
BnGF14-2c Positively Regulates Flowering via the Vernalization Pathway in Semi-Winter Rapeseed

14-3-3s are general regulatory factors (GF14s or GRFs) involved in a variety of physiological regulations in plants, including the control of flowering time. However, there are poorly relevant reports in rapeseed so far. In this study, we identified a homologous 14-3-3 gene BnGF14-2c (AtGRF2_Like in Brassica napus) in rapeseed based on bioinformatic analysis by using the sequences of the flowering-related 14-3-3s in other plant species. Then, we found that overexpression of BnGF14-2c in the semi-winter rapeseed “93275” promoted flowering without vernalization. Moreover, both yeast two-hybrid and bimolecular fluorescence complementation analysis indicated that BnGF14-2c may interact with two vernalization-related flowering regulators BnFT.A02 and BnFLC.A10. , respectively. qPCR analysis showed that the expression of BnFT (AtFT_Like) was increased and the expression of two selected vernalization-related genes were reduced in the overexpression transgenic plants. Further investigation on subcellular localization demonstrated that BnGF14-2c localized in the nucleus and cytoplasm. The results of RNA-seq analysis and GUS staining indicated that BnGF14-2c is ubiquitously expressed except for mature seed coat. In general, the interaction of 14-3-3 and FLC was firstly documented in this study, indicating BnGF14-2c may act as a positive regulator of flowering in rapeseed, which is worthy for more in-depth exploration.
High Glucose Induces Late Differentiation and Death of Human Oral Keratinocytes

Keratinocytes are essential cells for wound repair. Impaired oral wound healing is common in diabetic patients with periodontal disease. High glucose, or hyperglycemia, impairs the cellular function of different cell types. However, it is unknown whether high glucose has a detrimental effect on the functions of oral keratinocytes. In the current study, a human gingival keratinocyte cell line, telomerase immortalized gingival keratinocytes (TIGK), was treated with high glucose (24 and 48 mM) for up to 120 h. Proliferation, migration, cell viability, and production of markers of differentiation, growth factors and enzymatic antioxidants were assessed after high glucose treatment. The results showed that high glucose significantly inhibited TIGK proliferation and migration. High glucose also induced significant cell death through apoptosis and necrosis as determined by flow cytometry, especially at 120 h after high glucose treatment. Necrosis was the dominant form of cell death induced. Real-time PCR showed that high glucose treatment upregulated mRNA expression of late keratinocyte differentiation makers, such as keratin 1, 10, 13 and loricrin, and downregulated enzymatic antioxidants, including superoxide dismutase 1, catalase, nuclear factor erythroid 2 -related factor 2, heme oxygenase 1. In conclusion, high glucose impairs the proliferation and migration of oral keratinocytes and likely induces cell death through the promotion of late cell differentiation and down-regulation of enzymatic antioxidants.