Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An original face anti-spoofing approach using partial convolutional neural network

Recently deep Convolutional Neural Networks have been successfully applied in many computer vision tasks and achieved promising results. So some works have introduced the deep learning into face anti-spoofing. However, most approaches just use the final fully-connected layer to distinguish the real and fake faces. Inspired by the idea of each convolutional kernel can be regarded as a part filter, we extract the deep partial features from the convolutional neural network (CNN) to distinguish the real and fake faces. In our prosed approach, the CNN is fine-tuned firstly on the face spoofing datasets. Then, the block principle component analysis (PCA) method is utilized to reduce the dimensionality of features that can avoid the over-fitting problem. Lastly, the support vector machine (SVM) is employed to distinguish the real the real and fake faces. The experiments evaluated on two public available databases, Replay-Attack and CASIA, show the proposed method can obtain satisfactory results compared to the state-of-the-art methods.
The Nexus task-parallel runtime system

A runtime system provides a parallel language compiler with an interface to the low-level facilities required to support interaction between concurrently executing program components. Nexus is a portable runtime system for task-parallel programming languages. Distinguishing features of Nexus include its support for multiple threads of control, dynamic processor acquisition, dynamic address space creation, a global memory model via interprocessor references, and asynchronous events. In addition, it supports heterogeneity at multiple levels, allowing a single computation to utilize different programming languages, executables, processors, and network protocols. Nexus is currently being used as a compiler target for two task-parallel languages: Fortran M and Compositional C++. In this paper, we present the Nexus design, outline techniques used to implement Nexus on parallel computers, show how it is used in compilers, and compare its performance with that of another runtime system.
Genetics of epilepsy syndromes in families with photosensitivity

Objective: To use family studies to investigate the clinical genetics of photosensitivity to understand the interrelationship of different photosensitive epilepsy syndromes. Methods: Twenty-nine families were recruited in which at least 2 members had idiopathic epilepsy and either clinical or electrical photosensitivity on EEG studies. We performed electroclinical analysis of these individuals and all other affected family members and analyzed the phenotypic patterns in families. Results: An earlier age at seizure onset was observed in photosensitive patients compared with nonphotosensitive individuals. A significant female bias for photosensitivity was confirmed. All subjects with visual seizures were photosensitive. Subjects could be classified into 3 main photosensitive phenotypes: genetic (idiopathic) generalized epilepsies (GGE), idiopathic photosensitive occipital epilepsy (IPOE), and mixed GGE/IPOE. Within each category, subjects with purely photosensitive seizures were observed. We report a distinctive syndrome of early-onset photosensitive absence epilepsy, with onset beginning by 4 years of age, which was more refractory than childhood absence epilepsy. Conclusions: The clinical genetics of the idiopathic photosensitive epilepsies show a phenotypic spectrum from the GGEs to IPOE with overlap between the focal features of IPOE and all the GGE syndromes. Shared genetic determinants are likely to contribute to the complex inheritance pattern of photosensitivity, IPOE, and the GGEs.
Distributed and mobility-adaptive clustering for multimedia support in multi-hop wireless networks

A distributed algorithm is presented that partitions the nodes of a fully mobile network (multi-hop network) into clusters, thus giving the network a hierarchical organization. The algorithm is proven to be adaptive to changes in the network topology due to nodes' mobility and to nodes addition/removal. A new weight-based mechanism is introduced for the efficient cluster formation/maintenance that allows the cluster organization to be configured for specific applications and adaptive to changes in the network status, not available in previous solutions. Specifically, new and flexible criteria are defined that allow the choice of the nodes that coordinate the clustering process based on mobility parameters and/or their current status. Simulation results are provided that demonstrate up to an 85% reduction on the communication overhead associated with the cluster maintenance with respect to techniques used in clustering algorithms previously proposed.
Outlook for Manufacturing Materials by Severe Plastic Deformation

Six years have passed since the international workshop “Investigations and Applications of Severe Plastic Deformation” held 2-8 August 1999 in Moscow, Russia. This workshop focused on severe plastic deformation (SPD) processing to produce bulk nanostructured metals and alloys. Since 1999 the field has expanded from 200 to over 2000 publications that have addressed the microstructures and properties that can be produced by a growing number of SPD techniques. In view of this expansion, the outlook for ongoing development of severely deformed materials is updated. Special attention is given to factors influencing the manufacturing and commercialization of SPD-processed metals, including barriers to their widespread application. Recommendations are made for future SPD research that will facilitate more rapid commercialization of SPD-processed metals and enhance the competitiveness of SPD processing with respect to alternative technologies for producing bulk nanostructured metals.
Regularized subspace Gaussian mixture models for cross-lingual speech recognition

We investigate cross-lingual acoustic modelling for low resource languages using the subspace Gaussian mixture model (SGMM). We assume the presence of acoustic models trained on multiple source languages, and use the global subspace parameters from those models for improved modelling in a target language with limited amounts of transcribed speech. Experiments on the GlobalPhone corpus using Spanish, Portuguese, and Swedish as source languages and German as target language (with 1 hour and 5 hours of transcribed audio) show that multilingually trained SGMM shared parameters result in lower word error rates (WERs) than using those from a single source language. We also show that regularizing the estimation of the SGMM state vectors by penalizing their ℓ1-norm help to overcome numerical instabilities and lead to lower WER.
Variational principles, surface evolution, PDE's, level set methods and the stereo problem

We present a novel geometric approach for solving the stereo problem for an arbitrary number of images (greater than or equal to 2). It is based upon the definition of a variational principle that must be satisfied by the surfaces of the objects in the scene and their images. The Euler-Lagrange equations which are deduced from the variational principle provide a set of PDE's which are used to deform an initial set of surfaces which then move towards the objects to be detected. The level set implementation of these PDE's potentially provides an efficient and robust way of achieving the surface evolution and to deal automatically with changes in the surface topology during the deformation, i.e. to deal with multiple objects. Results of a two dimensional implementation of our theory are presented on synthetic and real images.
Which Behavioral and Personality Characteristics Are Associated With Difficulties in Selective Attention?

Objective: The present study investigated the behavioral and personality profile associated with difficulties in selective attention. Method: A group of participants with ADHD were assessed for ADHD behaviors. Adults with ADHD (n = 22) and without ADHD (n = 84) were tested on the conjunctive visual-search task for selective attention and behavioral measures, including ADHD behaviors, Big Five dimension of personality, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms, and sensation-seeking behavior. Results: Correlations and multiple regression analysis (group was dummy coded) showed that ADHD behaviors were not related to search performance. However, poorer search performance was related to greater neuroticism, agreeableness, introversion, lower sensation seeking, and, marginally, to OCD symptoms. Conclusion: The study findings suggested that difficulties in selective attention are probably not associated with ADHD behaviors, but rather with personality traits characterized by preserving and avoiding high-stimulation behaviors.
Traditional versus automated injection contrast system in diagnostic and percutaneous coronary interventional procedures: comparison of the contrast volume delivered.

UNLABELLED Contrast injection with a manual stopcock-manifold system is the standard technique during diagnostic coronary angiography or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The ACIST Injection System is a new automatic injection device that allows online hemodynamic monitoring, as well as control of injection rate and amount of contrast to be delivered. The aim of the study was to compare the amount of contrast media delivered using the two methods, i.e., the traditional (manual injection plus standard power injection for the left ventriculography using the ANGIOMAT-6000) versus the ACIST System programmed injector. A total of 453 consecutive patients underwent diagnostic cardiac catheterization and/or PCI at our institution. Patients were randomly assigned to either automated contrast injection with the ACIST device (n = 253) or to conventional contrast injection using a stopcock-manifold system and contrast injection by hand syringe (n = 200). In the diagnostic catheterization group, the mean quantity of contrast volume was significantly lower in the ACIST group compared to the control group (130 +/- 60 ml versus 257 +/- 64 ml, respectively; 97.4% more contrast media; p < 0.001). When the data were analyzed for patients who underwent diagnostic catheterization plus PCI, the mean quantity of contrast volume was 228 +/- 90 ml versus 350 +/- 94 ml, respectively (53.8% more contrast media; p < 0.001). For patients who underwent PCI alone, the mean quantity of contrast volume was 175 +/- 76 ml versus 275 +/- 100 ml, respectively (57.3% more contrast media; p = 0.009). When only the total volume of contrast media delivered to the patient was considered (not including the contrast wasted outside), the results were very similar. CONCLUSION There was a significant reduction in the total volume of contrast media used (amount injected to the patient as well as the amount wasted) and in the net amount of contrast delivered to the patient with the ACIST power device when compared to the traditional method of manual contrast injection.
Locomotion control of a bio-robotic system via electric stimulation

This paper investigates the reaction of a living insect to electric stimulation. Artificial electrical stimulation is one of the tools of neuroethology to investigate the neural system. By creating artificial inputs to the system, specific reaction can be observed. The escape turn is a well-known reaction pattern of an insect in response to the appearance of a predator. In the first part we analyze the locomotory reaction of an insect (Periplaneta Americana) to various electrical stimuli. These stimulus-reaction measurements are done on a light-weight styro-foam trackball which is connected to a computer. This allows us to record the turning rate and the forward movement of the insect in response to antennal stimulation. Based on this data a simple mathematical model is established. As a simple example of an autonomous bio-robotic system and to verify the black-box model an electronic backpack which does line-tracking has been built. Using two photosensors as inputs the electronic backpack forces the insect to walk along a black line.
Evaluation of Thermal and Viscoelastic Properties of Asphalt Binders by Compounding with Polymer Modifiers

A series of potentially useful asphalt blends containing polyethylene with different extents of polarity as modifiers have been prepared and characterized for asphalt pavement. The results of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) studies show that poly(ethylene-graft-maleic anhydride) (MPE) exhibit more interaction with asphalt phase than low density polyethylene (LDPE) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) due to more dispersion of the amorphous content of MPE into the asphalt matrix. The phase distributions of micrographs from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirm that polyethylene modifiers with different extents of polarity in asphalt blends results in dispersion of polymer additive into the asphalt phase and affect the certain degree of the phase separation of asphalt blends. From rheological studies, most of asphalt blends exhibit superior performance at higher temperature with increasing the contents of modifiers such as reducing Newtonian flow response, enhancing rutting resistance as well as frequency of loading and improving creep resistance than tank asphalt. POLYM. COMPOS. , 31:1738–1744, 2010. © 2010 Society of Plastics Engineers.
Preliminary Results of National Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Registry Risk Factor Survey Data

Background The National ALS Registry is made up of two components to capture amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) cases: national administrative databases (Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans Health Administration and Veterans Benefits Administration) and self-identified cases captured by the Registry’s web portal. This study describes self-reported characteristics of U.S. adults with ALS using the data collected by the National ALS Registry web portal risk factor surveys only from October 19, 2010 through December 31, 2013. Objective To describe findings from the National ALS Registry’s web portal risk factor surveys. Measurements The prevalence of select risk factors among adults with ALS was determined by calculating the frequencies of select risk factors—smoking and alcohol (non, current and former) histories, military service and occupational history, and family history of neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS, Alzheimer’s and/or Parkinson’s. Results Nearly half of survey respondents were ever smokers compared with nearly 41% of adults nationally. Most respondents were ever drinkers which is comparable to national estimates. The majority were light drinkers. Nearly one-quarter of survey respondents were veterans compared with roughly 9% of US adults nationally. Most respondents were retired or disabled. The industries in which respondents were employed for the longest time were Professional and Scientific and Technical Services. When family history of neurodegenerative diseases in first degree relatives was evaluated against our comparison group, the rates of ALS were similar, but were higher for Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and any neurodegenerative diseases. Conclusions The National ALS Registry web portal, to our knowledge, is the largest, most geographically diverse collection of risk factor data about adults living with ALS. Various characteristics were consistent with other published studies on ALS risk factors and will allow researchers to generate hypotheses for future research.
Antisense rescue defines specialized and generalized functional domains for c-Fos protein

Serum induces the expression of a number of proteins with similar transcriptional properties, including those encoded by the proto-oncogenes c-fos and c-jun. This study employs a novel antisense rescue method to determine whether antisense-resistant genes (constructed by deletion of antisense RNA target sequences) can replace c-fos expression during serum-induced DNA synthesis. Immunoprecipitation studies and nuclease protection assays demonstrated that anti-fos RNA inhibited endogenous c-fos expression but did not inhibit expression of transfected antisense-resistant mutant c-fos genes. The results of nuclear-labelling and cellular-proliferation studies indicated that C terminally truncated Fos mutants, including FBR v-fos, could not rescue endogenous Fos, although full-length and minimally truncated c-fos expression vectors could restore serum-induced DNA synthesis in cells expressing anti-fos RNA. Overexpression of c-Jun protein (Jun) could not restore serum-induced DNA synthesis to cells expressing inducible anti-fos RNA despite equivalent transactivation of an AP-1 target gene. Thus, the antisense rescue method defines a specialized function for c-Fos protein which is distinct from the function(s) of Jun and/or transforming FBR v-Fos proteins.
Analysis of bonded finite wedges with an interfacial crack under antiplane shear loading

Abstract Antiplane shear deformation of bonded finite wedges with an interface crack is studied in this article. The traction-free condition is imposed on the circular segment of the wedge. Boundary conditions on the radial edges are considered as traction—traction. In order to solve this problem a novel mathematical technique has been employed. This technique consists of the use of some recently proposed finite complex transforms, which have complex analogies to the standard finite Mellin transforms of the first and second kinds. However, for the problem of bonded wedges with an interfacial crack, first it is necessary to express the traction-free condition of the crack faces in the form of a singular integral equation, which is done in this article by describing an exact analytical method. The resultant singular integral equations are then solved numerically and the obtained results including the stress intensity factors at the crack tips are plotted. Comparison of the results in the special cases shows a complete agreement with those cited in the literature.
Pubic hair preferences, reasons for removal, and associated genital symptoms: comparisons between men and women.

INTRODUCTION Pubic hair grooming and removal are common behaviors among men and women. However, little is known about the reasons for grooming, preferred pubic hairstyle of sexual partners, and symptoms associated with regular grooming. AIMS This study aims to assess pubic hair removal/grooming practices, pubic hairstyle preferences, and genital outcomes associated with pubic hair removal among men and women in a college sample. METHODS Data were gathered from 1,110 participants (671 women and 439 men) at a large public Midwestern university and a small Southern public university. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Items assessed demographics, pubic hair grooming and removal practices in the past 4 weeks, reasons for pubic hair status, preference for pubic hairstyle of sexual partners, and symptoms associated with removal and grooming. RESULTS Most (95%) participants had removed their pubic hair on at least one occasion in the past 4 weeks with shaving being the most commonly reported hair removal technique by women (82%) and men (49%). Women were significantly more likely to report their typical status as hair-free (50% vs. 19%; χ(2) = 165.528, P < 0.001) and men were significantly more likely to prefer a hair-free sexual partner (60% vs. 24%; χ(2) = 211.712, P < 0.001). Genital itching was experienced on at least one occasion by 80.3% of pubic hair groomers and was the most commonly reported side effect. CONCLUSION Genital grooming and pubic hair removal are common practices among both men and women of college-age. Women are likely to report stronger associations with feelings of cleanliness, comfort, sex appeal, social norms of their peer group, and affordability as reasons for their chosen pubic hair style. Women also report more experiences with genital side effects of pubic hair removal, an expected result as women are removing pubic hair more frequently and more completely than their male counterparts.
Multi-Mycotoxin Analysis in Durum Wheat Pasta by Liquid Chromatography Coupled to Quadrupole Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry

A simple and rapid multi-mycotoxin method for the determination of 17 mycotoxins simultaneously is described in the present survey on durum and soft wheat pasta samples. Mycotoxins included in the study were those mainly reported in cereal samples: ochratoxin-A (OTA), aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), zearalenone (ZON), deoxynivalenol (DON), 3-and 15-acetyl-deoxynivalenol (3-AcDON and 15-AcDON), nivalenol (NIV), neosolaniol (NEO), fusarenon-X, (FUS-X), T-2 toxin (T-2) and HT-2 toxin (HT-2), fumonisin B1 and B2 (FB1 and FB2), and four emerging mycotoxins: three enniatins (ENA, ENA1, and ENB), and beauvericin (BEA). Twenty-nine samples were analyzed to provide an overview on mycotoxin presence: 27 samples of durum wheat pasta, and two samples of baby food. Analytical results concluded that trichothecenes showed the highest incidence, mainly DON, NIV, and HT-2 toxin, followed by ZON and ENB, while NEO, FUS-X, OTA, AFB1, and FUM were not detected in any sample. The highest contents corresponded to ENB and ranged from 91.15 µg/kg to 710.90 µg/kg.
Effect of Zn, Au, and In on the polymorphic phase transformation in Cu_6Sn_5 intermetallics

Cu_6Sn_5 is a critical intermetallic compound in soldering operations. Conventional equilibrium phase diagrams show that this compound is of either a hexagonal or monoclinic structure at temperatures above and below 186 °C, respectively. Under nonequilibrium conditions, the crystal structure is dependent on composition, temperature, and processing history. The effect of Zn, Au, and In on the hexagonal to monoclinic polymorphic transformation in Cu_6Sn_5 intermetallics is investigated using variable temperature synchrotron powder x-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. It is revealed that, as in the case of trace Ni additions, the alloying elements Zn and Au completely stabilize the hexagonal Cu_6Sn_5 and prevent the phase transformation. In contrast, In additions only partially stabilize the hexagonal Cu_6Sn_5.
The Long-Term Effects of UI Extensions on Employment

The majority of papers analyzing the employment effects of unemployment insurance (UI) benefit durations focus on the duration of the first unemployment spell. In this paper, we make two contributions. First, we use a regression discontinuity design to analyze the long-term effects of extensions in UI durations. These estimates differ from standard estimates in that they incorporate differences in UI benefit receipt and employment due to recurrent unemployment spells. Second, we derive a welfare formula of UI extensions that incorporates recurrent nonemployment spells.