Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Learning to Predict Streaming Video QoE: Distortions, Rebuffering and Memory

Mobile streaming video data accounts for a large and increasing percentage of wireless network traffic. The available bandwidths of modern wireless networks are often unstable, leading to difficulties in delivering smooth, high-quality video. Streaming service providers such as Netflix and YouTube attempt to adapt their systems to adjust in response to these bandwidth limitations by changing the video bitrate or, failing that, allowing playback interruptions (rebuffering). Being able to predict end user' quality of experience (QoE) resulting from these adjustments could lead to perceptually-driven network resource allocation strategies that would deliver streaming content of higher quality to clients, while being cost effective for providers. Existing objective QoE models only consider the effects on user QoE of video quality changes or playback interruptions. For streaming applications, adaptive network strategies may involve a combination of dynamic bitrate allocation along with playback interruptions when the available bandwidth reaches a very low value. Towards effectively predicting user QoE, we propose Video Assessment of TemporaL Artifacts and Stalls (Video ATLAS): a machine learning framework where we combine a number of QoE-related features, including objective quality features, rebuffering-aware features and memory-driven features to make QoE predictions. We evaluated our learning-based QoE prediction model on the recently designed LIVE-Netflix Video QoE Database which consists of practical playout patterns, where the videos are afflicted by both quality changes and rebuffering events, and found that it provides improved performance over state-of-the-art video quality metrics while generalizing well on different datasets. The proposed algorithm is made publicly available at this http URL release_v2. rar.
Melatonin versus vitamin E as protective treatment against oxidative stress after extra‐hepatic bile duct ligation in rats

The aims of the present study were first to compare the effects of melatonin and vitamin E on the cholestasis syndrome and their protective effect on liver injury, and second, to evaluate the activity of antioxidant enzymes after treatment with these antioxidant drugs. Cholestasis was achieved in adult male Wistar rats by double ligature and section of the extra‐hepatic biliary duct. Hepatic and plasma oxidative stress markers were evaluated by changes in the amount of lipid peroxides, measured as malondialdehyde (MDA) and reduced glutathione (GSH) in plasma and homogenates of hepatic tissue. Serum bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase (AP), and gamma‐glutamyl‐transpeptidase (GGT) were used to evaluate the severity of cholestasis, and serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were used to evaluate the hepatic injury. Both vitamin E and melatonin were administrated 1 day before and 7 days after bile duct ligation. Acute ligation of the bile duct was accompanied by a significant increased in MDA and a decrease in GSH levels in both plasma and liver, as well as a significant reduction in antioxidant enzymes activities. The overall analysis of both treatments showed that melatonin (500 μg/kg daily) offered significantly better protection against cholestasis and a superior protective effect on hepatic injury than did vitamin E (15 mg/kg daily). Although vitamin E treatment resulted in a reduction of parameters of oxidative stress, the results were significantly better after a much lower daily dose of melatonin. Moreover, melatonin treatment was associated with a significant recovery of antioxidative enzymes. In conclusion, the present paper demonstrates a correlation between the intensity of biliary tract obstruction and increased free radical generation, as well as a direct correlation between the level of oxidative stress and the biochemical markers of liver injury. Melatonin (at a much lower dose than vitamin E) was much more efficient than vitamin E in reducing the negative parameters of cholestasis, the degree of oxidative stress and provided a significantly greater hepatoprotective effect against the liver injury secondary to the acute ligation of the biliary duct.
The Self-organization of Skilled Noun Learning the Attentional Learning Account

Young children's skilled generalization of newly learned nouns to new instances has become the battleground for two very different approaches to cognition. This debate is a proxy for a larger dispute in cognitive science and cognitive development: cognition as rule-like amodal propositions, on the one hand, or as embodied, modal, and dynamic processes on the other. After a brief consideration of this theoretical back drop, we turn to the specific task set before us: an overview of the Attentional Learning Account (ALA) of children's novel noun generalizations, the constrained set of experimental results to be explained, and our explanation of them. We conclude with a consideration of what all of this implies for a theory of cognitive development. Knowledge in Process 3 Knowledge embedded in process: The self-organization of skilled noun learning In the course of science, there are phenomena that temporarily (for years and even decades) seem to attract more than their fair share of attention. Young children's skilled generalization of a newly learned noun to new instances, a phenomenon (and experimental paradigm) first introduced by Katz, Baker, and Macnamara in 1974, is one of these cases. Children are so skilled and systematic in generalizing newly learned names of things that this basic task is used to study a wide variety of issues, including 1992; Baldwin & Baird, 2001). Because of the broad reach of the method, children's novel noun generalizations have also become the battleground for two very different approaches to cognitive development. The editors of this special issue propose to advance the field by asking researchers associated with the two different sides to consider and explain, each from their own perspective, a constrained set of experimental results, and to answer the question, again each from their own perspective, of what counts as an explanation of cognitive development. We begin, not with what counts as a theory of development, but with what counts as cognition. In contemporary cognitive science, there is a sharp divide between two all encompassing views of cognition as rule-like amodal propositions, on the one hand, or as embodied, modal, and dynamic processes on the other. How children generalize names for things (and the perception-conception debate embedded within it) is the proxy for this larger dispute in the developmental literature. After a brief consideration of this theoretical back drop, we turn to the specific task set before us: an overview of the Knowledge in Process …
Smooth, second order, non‐negative meshfree approximants selected by maximum entropy

We present a family of approximation schemes, which we refer to as second‐order maximum‐entropy (max‐ent) approximation schemes, that extends the first‐order local max‐ent approximation schemes to second‐order consistency. This method retains the fundamental properties of first‐order max‐ent schemes, namely the shape functions are smooth, non‐negative, and satisfy a weak Kronecker‐delta property at the boundary. This last property makes the imposition of essential boundary conditions in the numerical solution of partial differential equations trivial. The evaluation of the shape functions is not explicit, but it is very efficient and robust. To our knowledge, the proposed method is the first higher‐order scheme for function approximation from unstructured data in arbitrary dimensions with non‐negative shape functions. As a consequence, the approximants exhibit variation diminishing properties, as well as an excellent behavior in structural vibrations problems as compared with the Lagrange finite elements, MLS‐based meshfree methods and even B‐Spline approximations, as shown through numerical experiments. When compared with usual MLS‐based second‐order meshfree methods, the shape functions presented here are much easier to integrate in a Galerkin approach, as illustrated by the standard benchmark problems. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Language phenotypes of autism: Towards an understanding of the communication domain of autism

OF THE DISSERTATION . ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . iv DEDICATION . vi TABLE OF CONTENTS . vii LIST OF TABLES . x LIST OF FIGURES . xii Chapter 1: Introduction . 1 Autism – General Background . 1 Genetics of Autism . 4 Genetic Studies of Autism . 7 Language and Autism . 20 Rationale for Thesis Experiments . 23 Chapter 2: Combined linkage and linkage disequilibrium analysis of a motor speech phenotype within families ascertained for autism risk loci . 27 Abstract . 28 Introduction . 29 Methods . 32 Results . 40 Discussion . 46 Conclusion . 52 Chapter 3: Follow-up Linkage and Association Analyses of a Nonverbal Motor Speech Phenotype Identified in the AGRE Data Set . 54 Abstract: . 55 Background: . 57 Methods: . 61 Results: . 68 Discussion: . 72 Conclusion: . 78 Chapter 4: Characterizing Language Profiles in Families Ascertained for Autism and Specific Language Impairment . 79 Abstract . 80
Face and landmark detection by using cascade of classifiers

In this paper, we consider face detection along with facial landmark localization inspired by the recent studies showing that incorporating object parts improves the detection accuracy. To this end, we train roots and parts detectors where the roots detector returns candidate image regions that cover the entire face, and the parts detector searches for the landmark locations within the candidate region. We use a cascade of binary and one-class type classifiers for the roots detection and SVM like learning algorithm for the parts detection. Our proposed face detector outperforms the most of the successful face detection algorithms in the literature and gives the second best result on all tested challenging face detection databases. Experimental results show that including parts improves the detection performance when face images are large and the details of eyes and mouth are clearly visible, but does not introduce any improvement when the images are small.
Coping, Occupational Wellbeing and Job Satisfaction of Nurses

The study determined the relationship between coping, occupational wellbeing (as measured by burnout and work engagement), and job satisfaction of nurses in two private hospitals in Namibia. A cross-sectional research design was used. One-hundred and ninety-one nurses employed in two private hospitals in Namibia were the participants. The Maslach-Burnout Inventory (MBI-G)(Maslach, Jackson, & Leiter, 1996), Work Engagement Questionnaire (UWES)(Schaufeli, Salanova, Gonzalez-Roma & Bakker, 2002), COPE Questionnaire (Carver, Scheier, & Weintraub, 1989), and Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ)(Weiss, Dawis, England, & Lofquist, 1967) were used to collected data during April 2009. Coping strategies explained professional efficacy, work engagement, and job satisfaction.
Explaining the Diversification Discount

Diversified firms trade at a discount relative to similar single-segment firms. We argue in this paper that this observed discount is not per se evidence that diversification destroys value. Firms choose to diversify. Firm characteristics, which make firms diversify, might also cause them to be discounted. Not taking into account these firm characteristics might wrongly attribute the observed discount to diversification. Data from the Compustat Industry Segment File from 1978 to 1996 is used to select a sample of single segment and diversifying firms. We use three alternative econometric techniques to control for the endogeneity of the diversification decision. All three methods suggest the presence of self-selection in the decision to diversify and a negative correlation between firm's choice to diversify and firm value. The diversification discount always drops, and sometimes turns into a premium, when we control for the endogeneity of the diversification decision. We do a similar analysis in a sample of refocusing firms. Again, some evidence of self-selection by firms exists and we now find a positive correlation between firm's choice to refocus and firm value. These results consistently suggest the importance of taking the endogeneity of the diversification status into account, in analyzing its effect on firm value.
The Development of a Biologically-Inspired Directional Microphone for Hearing Aids

The development of novel microfabrication techniques for producing a directional microphone for hearing aids is here described. The mechanisms underlying both the structure and function of these unusual microphones were originally inspired by the ears of an inconspicuous insect, the parasitoid fly Ormia ochracea. The structure of Ormia’s ears inspired new approaches to design directional microphones that are more sensitive and have lower thermal noise than that typical of those using traditional approaches. The mechanisms for directional hearing in this animal are discussed along with the engineering design concepts that they have inspired, because they illustrate how basic research can inspire technology development–translational research. However, to realize the potential of bioexploitation this microphone diaphragm concept would have been very difficult to realize without the availability of new silicon microfabrication technologies. Thus, this report can be viewed as an example of what may be possible with the application of new fabrication methods to microphones. Challenges and opportunities provided by the use of silicon microfabrication technology for microphones are discussed.
Eco-Hydrological Characterization of Inland Wetlands in Africa Using L-Band SAR

Maps describing the eco-hydrology of inland wetland systems in Africa are needed to identify and implement appropriate adaptive management plans related to land use and land cover. Many African countries lack regional baseline information on the temporal extent, distribution and characteristics of wetlands. This information is provided here in the form of maps which characterize two wetland sites of international importance in Malawi and Mozambique. Multi-temporal L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) datasets are combined with Landsat Thematic Mapper and ASTER images, digital elevation models, and vegetation species data to provide information on wetland ecology and hydrology. These data were used as input to a hybrid, Decision Tree classifier and a Principal Components Analysis classification approach to produce maps depicting the spatial distribution of vegetation species and characterizing the wetland dynamics. The maps exhibit classification accuracies of 89% and 84% for the two sites respectively. The L-band SAR datasets have proved to be an essential information source in the production of these maps due to (i) frequent cloud cover/smoke which reduces the temporal coverage of optical data, and (ii) a systematic observation strategy and frequent image acquisition which enables characterization of the flood dynamics at a high temporal resolution.
Expression of ICAM-1 and E-selectin in gingival tissues of smokers and non-smokers with periodontitis.

BACKGROUND Tobacco smoking affects systemic concentrations of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1, but its effect on local expression of adhesion molecules in gingival tissue has not been studied previously. METHODS E-selectin and ICAM-1 expression on small blood vessel endothelia in gingival biopsies obtained from smokers (n=17) and non-smokers (n=17) with periodontitis was examined with immunohistochemistry. Blood vessels were identified with monoclonal antibody for von Willebrand's factor. RESULTS A significantly larger number of vessels were observed in inflamed tissues of non-smokers than smokers (P<0.05). The number and proportion of vessels expressing both ICAM-1 and E-selectin was greater in sites with inflammation compared to non-inflamed sites in both smokers and non-smokers (P<0.05). The proportion of the total number of vessels expressing ICAM-1 in non-inflamed sites was greater in non-smokers compared with smokers (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that the inflammatory response in smokers with periodontitis may not be accompanied by an equivalent increase in vascularity. Reduced ICAM-1 expression in non-inflamed areas of smokers could reflect a systemic effect of tobacco smoking on ICAM-1 independent of inflammation.
Antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of oropharyngeal viridans group streptococci isolates from cystic fibrosis and non-cystic fibrosis patients.

The antimicrobial susceptibility profile of 77 oropharyngeal viridans streptococci isolates from 34 cystic fibrosis (CF) patients and 58 isolates from 43 healthy non-CF patients were studied by the E-test and the standard disk diffusion methods. Overall penicillin and cefotaxime resistances (intermediate plus resistant isolates) were significantly higher (p < 0.05) among CF isolates (72.7% and 45.5%, respectively) than among non-CF isolates (51.7% and 15.5%, respectively). No significant difference was observed in overall (intermediate plus resistant) erythromycin resistance rates, although high-level erythromycin resistance (> or =32 microg/mL) was more frequently found in CF isolates (24.6%) than in non-CF isolates (12.1%). An unexpected high percentage of isolates showed low level erythromycin resistance (MIC range, 0.5-15 microg/mL): 41.5% in cystic fibrosis and 46.5% in non-CF isolates. No significant differences were observed regarding the percentage of colonized patients with at least one penicillin-resistant isolate. On the contrary, colonization with cefotaxime (p < 0.001) or erythromycin (p = 0.014) resistant isolates were significantly more prevalent in CF patients. Similar tetracycline and chloramphenicol resistance rates were observed for both groups. Viridans isolates resistant to a single antibiotic were more prevalent among non-CF patients and multiple resistance was higher among CF patients. Prior antibiotic exposure could result in differences in beta-lactam resistance and colonization rates with resistant isolates between both groups. None of the non-CF patients was previously treated with antimicrobials for a period of three months before sampling. In contrast, 94.1% of CF patients were treated with antimicrobials within the same period; 65.6% with beta-lactam antibiotics. Patients with CF disease, frequently exposed to antimicrobials, may be a reservoir of viridans streptococci isolates with resistance determinants, particularly to beta-lactam antibiotics.
PCBs and PCDD/DFs in waste oil illegally dumped and neglected for more than 20 years

Quantification of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated-dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) in waste oil by high resolution gas chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC-HRMS), and profiling of their congeners and homologues were described. Waste oil packed in drums which were estimated to have been exposed to the weather for more than 20 years were found by the illegal dumping patrol in 2006. PCBs were detected in all of 12 waste oil samples examined, with concentrations in the range of 0.0032–22 μ g/g. The main pollution sources of the waste oil samples were presumed to be KC300, KC400 and/or KC500 by principal component analysis (PCA) and a chemical mass balance (CMB) method. The concentrations of PCDDs and PCDFs (PCDD/DFs) in the illegally dumped waste oil ranged from 1.1 to 360 pg/g and 1.3 to 110 pg/g, respectively. The ratios of toxicity equivalency quantity (TEQ) of PCDDs and PCDFs to Co-PCBs were lower than those of Yusho rice oil. Consequently, it was determined that even after 20 years of exposure to the weather, no PCB denaturation occurred. However, it was confirmed that low-chlorinated biphenyls in corroded drums would have evaporated into the atmosphere.
Effect of A-Site Cation Ordering on Chemical Stability, Oxygen Stoichiometry and Electrical Conductivity in Layered LaBaCo2O5+δ Double Perovskite

The effect of the A-site cation ordering on the chemical stability, oxygen stoichiometry and electrical conductivity in layered LaBaCo2O5+δ double perovskite was studied as a function of temperature and partial pressure of oxygen. Tetragonal A-site cation ordered layered LaBaCo2O5+δ double perovskite was obtained by annealing cubic A-site cation disordered La0.5Ba0. 5CoO3-δ perovskite at 1100 °C in N2. High temperature X-ray diffraction between room temperature (RT) and 800 °C revealed that LaBaCo2O5+δ remains tetragonal during heating in oxidizing atmosphere, but goes through two phase transitions in N2 and between 450 °C and 675 °C from tetragonal P4/mmm to orthorhombic Pmmm and back to P4/mmm due to oxygen vacancy ordering followed by disordering of the oxygen vacancies. An anisotropic chemical and thermal expansion of LaBaCo2O5+δ was demonstrated. La0.5Ba0. 5CoO3-δ remained cubic at the studied temperature irrespective of partial pressure of oxygen. LaBaCo2O5+δ is metastable with respect to La0.5Ba0. 5CoO3-δ at oxidizing conditions inferred from the thermal evolution of the oxygen deficiency and oxidation state of Co in the two materials. The oxidation state of Co is higher in La0.5Ba0. 5CoO3-δ resulting in a higher electrical conductivity relative to LaBaCo2O5+δ. The conductivity in both materials was reduced with decreasing partial pressure of oxygen pointing to a p-type semiconducting behavior.
Bile microbiota in primary sclerosing cholangitis: Impact on disease progression and development of biliary dysplasia

Objective The etiopathogenesis and risk for development of biliary neoplasia in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) are largely unknown. Microbes or their metabolites have been suggested to play a role. To explore this potential microbial involvement, we evaluated the differences in biliary microbiota in PSC patients at an early disease stage without previous endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC) examinations, advanced disease stage, and with biliary dysplasia or cholangiocarcinoma. Design Bile samples from the common bile duct were collected from 46 controls and 80 patients with PSC during ERC (37 with early disease, 32 with advanced disease, and 11 with biliary dysplasia). DNA isolation, amplification, and Illumina MiSeq sequencing were performed for the V1-V3 regions of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. Results The most common phyla found were Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Fusobacteria, and Actinobacteria. The most common families were Prevotellaceae, Streptococcaceae, Veillonellaceae, Fusobacteriaceae, and Pasteurellaceae, and the most common genera were Prevotella, Streptococcus, Veillonella, Fusobacterium, and Haemophilus. The bacterial communities of non-PSC subjects and early stage PSC patients were similar. Alpha diversity was lower in patients with biliary dysplasia/cholangiocarcinoma than in other groups. An increase in Streptococcus abundance was positively correlated with the number of ERC examinations. Streptococcus abundance was also positively correlated with an increase in disease severity, even after controlling for the number of ERC examinations. Conclusions Our findings suggest that the aetiology of PSC is not associated with changes in bile microbial communities, but the genus Streptococcus may play a pathogenic role in the progression of the disease.
Design of metamaterials using artificial neural networks

This paper presents an analysis of the resonant characteristics of a composite medium based on a periodic array of interspaced conducting nonmagnetic split ring resonators (SRR) and continuous thin wires (TW). The medium exhibits simultaneously negative values of effective permeability (μeff) and permittivity (∊eff) within a microwave frequency band, characterizing a metamaterial. An analysis using Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) is built to obtain the permeability and permittivity as a function of resonant frequencies for a given geometrical dimensions of the metamaterial, for an optimization of the development medium.