Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pre-Eliminating Features for Fast Training in Real Time Object Detection in Images with a Novel Variant of AdaBoost

Our primary interest is to build fast and reliable object recognizers in images based on small training sets. This is important in cases where the training set needs to be built mostly manually, as in the case that we studied, the recognition of the Honda Accord 2004 from rear views. We described a novel variant of the AdaBoost based learning algorithm, which builds a strong classifier by incremental addition of weak classifiers (WCs) that minimize the combined error of the already selected WCs. Each WC is trained only once, and examples do not change their weights. We proposed to pre-eliminate features whose cumulative error of corresponding best WCs exceeds a predetermined threshold value. We tested two straightforward definitions of cumulative error. In both cases, we showed that, when over 97% of the initial features are eliminated at the very beginning from further training, training time is drastically reduced while having little impact on the quality of the pool of available WCs. This is a novel method that has reduced the training set WC quantity to less than 3% of its original number, greatly speeding up training time, and showing no negative impact on the quality of the final classifier. Our experiments indicated that the set of features used by Viola and Jones and others for face recognition was inefficient for our problem; therefore, each object requires its own custom-made set of features for real time and accurate recognition. Our training method, combined with the selection of appropriate features, has resulted in finding a very accurate classifier containing merely 30 weak classifiers. Compared to existing literature, we have overall achieved the design of a real time object detection machine with the least number of examples, the least number of weak classifiers, the fastest training time, and with competitive detection and false positive rates
The unusual UV continuum of quasar Ton 34 and the possibility of crystalline dust absorption

Context. Luminous quasars are known to display a sharp steepening of the continuum near 1100 A. This spectral feature is not well fitted by current accretion disk models, unless Comptonization of the disk emission is invoked. Absorption by carbon crystalline dust has been proposed to account for this feature. Aims. Ton 34 (zq = 1.928) exhibits the steepest far-UV decline (Fν ∝ ν −5.3 ) among the 183 quasar HST-FOS spectra analyzed by Telfer et al. (2002, ApJ, 565, 773). It is an ideal object to test the crystalline dust hypothesis as well as alternative interpretations of the UV break. Methods. We reconstruct the UV spectral energy distribution of Ton 34 by combining HST, IUE and Palomar spectra. Results. The far-UV continuum shows a very deep continuum trough, which is bounded by a steep far-UV rise. We fit the trough assuming nanodiamond dust grains. Conclusions. Extinction by carbon crystalline dust reproduces the deep absorption trough of Ton 34 reasonably well, but not the observed steep rise in the extreme UV. We also study the possibility of an intrinsic continuum rollover. The dust might be part of a high velocity outflow (� 13 000 km s −1 ), which is observed in absorption in the lines of C iv λ1549, O vi λ1035, N v λ1240 and Lyα.
The "Chiquitafication" of U.S. Latinos and Their Languages, OR Why We Need an Anthropolitical Linguistics.

It is proposed that a process of "chiquitafication" has diminished the complexity of the languages and cultures of over 22 million Latinos living in the United States, and that this process has repercussions for their linguistic security, language maintenance, and ultimately, their hopes for a good life. Focus is on three aspects of this process that feed into "Hispanophobia" and discriminatory policies: the construction of a homogeneous "Hispanic community" that refuses to learn English, the belittling of non-Castilian varieties of Spanish, and labeling of second-generation bilinguals as semior a-linguals. Linguistic analyses should address the language ideology that shapes language behavior and its evaluation; specifically, discussions of individual or community language loss, shift, or attrition among ethnolinguistic minorities in the United States must analyze linguistic data in relation to the ideology they reflect, that "real" Americans are monolingual English speakers. Recommended is an anthropolitical linguistics that amends both the objectives and methods of sociolinguistics and linguistic anthropology. Contains 49 references. (MSE) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ******************************************************************************** The "Chiquitafication" of U.S. Latinos and Their Languages, OR Why We Need an Anthropoiitical Linguistics U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. C:1 Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. 2 Ana Celia Zentella Hunter College and CUNY Graduate School "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC). "
The impact of moral action and moral values on moral judgment and moral behaviour

This thesis focuses on how recalling past behaviour affects attitudes, intentions and behaviour in the domain of moral decision-making. It extends the existing literature on moral licensing and moral cleansing by exploring whether different individual difference variables moderate such licensing and cleansing effects. Five empirical studies are reported. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the moral licensing and moral cleansing literature and also outlines research into the predictive effects of moral norms on behavioural intentions within the structure of the TPB. In chapter 2, the first study reveals evidence of moral cleansing effects: participants in an immoral condition were more likely to donate to charity than were participants in a moral condition or control group. Study 2 investigated whether self monitoring moderated licensing and cleansing effects. Chapter 3 (study 3) investigated the mediation effect of emotion and the moderation effect of moral identity regarding licensing and cleansing effects on attitudes, intentions and moral norm and behaviour. A partial mediation of condition and behaviour by negative emotions was identified. The results also indicated evidence of a cleansing effect. Moreover, in studies 1, 2 and 3 mediation of the moral norms – intention relationship via attitudes was examined. Moral norms were identified as a strong predictor of charitable donation intentions. In Chapter 4, environmental attitude was investigated as a moderator of the effect of individuals’ past pro-environmental behaviour on TPB components. Internally motivated pro-environmental attitude was found to be a significant moderator. Chapter 5 draws upon the idea that conception of morality differs in different cultures and examined how different moral foundation values and cultural orientations affect moral attitudes and intentions in the UK and Iran. Surprisingly, moral norms were a more useful predictor of intention than were attitudes in both national cultures.
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY OF LYSOSOME-RICH FRACTIONS FROM RAT LIVER

A preliminary electron microscope study has revealed the presence in lysosome-rich fractions, isolated from rat liver, of hitherto undescribed cytoplasmic particles, called "dense bodies. " Approximately 0.37 µ in length, the dense bodies often possess an internal cavity and external membrane. They contain many electron-dense granules 55 to 77 A, or less, in diameter. Such dense bodies are also visible in electron micrographs of parenchymatous cells in liver sections. The correlations between dense bodies and lysosomes are listed, but until pure preparations are available it is not possible to assert that dense bodies and lysosomes are identical.
Simulation study on discrete charge effects of SiNW biosensors according to bound target position using a 3D TCAD simulator

We introduce a simulation method for the biosensor environment which treats the semiconductor and the electrolyte region together, using the well-established semiconductor 3D TCAD simulator tool. Using this simulation method, we conduct electrostatic simulations of SiNW biosensors with a more realistic target charge model where the target is described as a charged cube, randomly located across the nanowire surface, and analyze the Coulomb effect on the SiNW FET according to the position and distribution of the target charges. The simulation results show the considerable variation in the SiNW current according to the bound target positions, and also the dependence of conductance modulation on the polarity of target charges. This simulation method and the results can be utilized for analysis of the properties and behavior of the biosensor device, such as the sensing limit or the sensing resolution.
Flexoelectricity and Electrets in Soft Materials and Biological Membranes

Flexoelectricity, and the concomitant emergence of electromechanical size-effects at the nanoscale have been recently exploited to propose tantalizing concepts such as the creation of “apparently piezoelectric” materials without piezoelectric materials, e.g. graphene, emergence of “giant” piezoelectricity at the nanoscale, enhanced energy harvesting, among others. The aforementioned developments pertain primarily to hard ceramic crystals. In this work, we develop a nonlinear theoretical framework for flexoelectricity in soft materials. Using the concept of soft electret materials, we illustrate an interesting nonlinear interplay between the so-called Maxwell stress effect and flexoelectricity, and propose the design of a novel class of apparently piezoelectric materials whose constituents are intrinsically non-piezoelectric. In particular, we show that the electret-Maxwell stress based mechanism can be combined with flexoeletricity to achieve unprecedentedly high values of electromechanical coupling. Flexoelectricity is also important for a special class of soft materials: biological membranes. In this context, flexoelectricity manifests itself as the development of polarization upon changes in curvature. Flexoelectricity is found to be important in a number of biological functions including hearing, ion transport and in some situations where mechanotransduction is necessary. In this work, we present a simple linearized theory of flexoelectricity in biological membranes and some illustrative examples.
Embodiment and Agency: Towards an Aesthetics of Interactive Performativity

— The aim of this paper is to take first steps in direction of a scientifically oriented aesthetics of New Media Art, taking into account the transformation of musical aesthetics taking place at present induced by new digital methods in artistic sound and music computing. Starting from the observation of relevant current issues in music composition and performances such as gesture control in algorithmic sound synthesis, live coding, musical robotics, and live algorithms for music, certain important concepts concerning a theory of human-machine interaction, which are at present under development in our research project C10 "Artistic Interactivity in Hybrid Networks" as part of the collaborative research center SFB/FK 427 "Media and Cultural Communication", are introduced and related to artistic practices. The essential concept of this theory – "interactivity" – is used as a generic term for different kinds of human-machine interactions and is closely related to "agency", "situatedness", and "embodiment". "Agency" stresses a non-asymmetrical relationship between humans and machines. To make clear that some concepts of digital interaction are not conceived of as truly interactive, problems of disembodiment in computer and interactive music and new approaches of embodiment and situatedness in philosophy and cognitive science are discussed. This discussion shows that embodiment serves as a necessary condition for interactivity. Finally, perspectives towards an aesthetics of interactive performativity are discussed, taking into account interactivity, agency, and embodiment. "Performativity" – as developed in German media theories and aesthetics – is characterized as the capacity of a performative act to generate meaning and "reality". It is proposed as a theoretical approach to an aesthetics of New Media Art.
High-Efficiency Class E/F Lumped and Transmission-Line Power Amplifiers

The theoretical analysis of a single-ended Class E/F n mode with explicit derivation of the idealized optimum voltage and current waveforms and load-network parameters with their verification by time- and frequency-domain simulations for a particular case of Class E/F3 mode with a 50% duty cycle are presented. The ideal collector voltage and current waveforms for driving signals with 50% duty cycles demonstrate a possibility of 100% efficiency without overlapping between each other. Two examples of the Class E/F3 GaN HEMT power amplifiers, one with lumped elements at operating frequency of 430 MHz and the other with transmission-line elements at operating frequency of 2.14 GHz, are described and analyzed based on the simulation results. The test board with implemented transmission-line Class E/F3 GaN HEMT power amplifier has been measured and high-performance results with the output power of 40 dBm, drain efficiency of 76%, power-added efficiency of 73.1%, and power gain of 14.3 dB were achieved at operating frequency of 2.14 GHz.
Gender and other factors impacting on mathematics achievement at the secondary level in Mauritius

Mathematics has been seen to act as a ‘critical filter’ in the social, economic and professional development of individuals. The Island of Mauritius relies to a great extent on its human resource power to meet the challenges of recent technological developments, and a substantial core of mathematics is needed to prepare students for their involvements in these challenges. After an analysis of the School Certificate examination results for the past ten years in Mauritius, it was found that boys were out-performing girls in mathematics at that level. This study aimed to examine this gender difference in mathematics performance at the secondary level by exploring factors affecting mathematics teaching and learning, and by identifying and implementing strategies to enhance positive factors. The study was conducted using a mixed quantitative and qualitative methodology in three phases. A survey approach was used in the Phase One of the study to analyse the performance of selected students from seventeen schools across Mauritius in a specially designed mathematics test. The attitudes of these students were also analysed through administration of the Modified Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitude Scale questionnaire. In Phase Two a case study method was employed, involving selected students from four Mauritian secondary schools. After the administration of the two instruments used in Phase One to these selected students, qualitative techniques were introduced. These included classroom observations and interviews of students, teachers, parents and key informants. Data from these interviews assisted in analysing and interpreting the influence of these individuals on students, and the influence of the students’ own attitudes towards mathematics on their learning of mathematics. The results of Phases One and Two provided further evidence that boys were outperforming girls in mathematics at the secondary level in Mauritius. It was noted that students rated teachers highly in influencing their learning of mathematics. However, the teaching methods usually employed in the mathematics classrooms
The Effects of Pterostilbene on Neutrophil Activity in Experimental Model of Arthritis

It has been demonstrated that pterostilbene inhibits reactive oxygen species production in neutrophils in vitro. However, little is known about its effects on neutrophils during inflammation in vivo. In this study, the effect of pterostilbene on neutrophil activity was investigated in experimental arthritis model. Lewis rats were injected by a single intradermal injection of heat-killed Mycobacterium butyricum in Freund's adjuvant to develop arthritis. Another group of arthritic animals received pterostilbene 30 mg/kg, daily, p.o. The number and activity of neutrophils in blood were measured on a weekly basis during the whole experiment. Moreover, the total radical trapping potential in plasma was measured at the end of the experiment. In the pterostilbene treated arthritic group, the treatment significantly lowered the number of neutrophils in blood on days 14 and 21 without significant downregulation of neutrophil oxidative burst. Pterostilbene nonsignificantly increased total radical trapping potential in arthritic animals. These results indicate that the promising effects of pterostilbene on reactive oxygen species operate by different mechanisms in vitro and in the animal model of inflammation. In conclusion, the positive effects of pterostilbene in the model of arthritis may be attributed to regulation of neutrophil number.
A Cross-Cultural Examination of Family Communication Patterns, Parent-Child Closeness, and Conflict Styles in the United States, China, and Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT The current study was designed to examine the impacts of family communication patterns (FCP), relational closeness, and culture on adult children’s conflict styles with their parents. Participants (N = 594) from the United States, China, and Saudi Arabia completed self-report questionnaires that included questions about their family’s conversation and conformity orientations, relational closeness, and their conflict styles with their parents. The results show that conversation orientation is a positive predictor of collaboration and compromise, conformity orientation is a positive predictor of accommodation and avoidance, and relational closeness is a negative predictor of dominance across cultures. Relational closeness also interacts with conversation orientation to influence dominance. The cross-cultural invariance provides empirical evidence of the universal application of FCP in family conflict communication. More importantly, significant interactions between culture and conformity orientation and closeness show that culture’s influence on family communication is better understood through indirect rather than direct roles.
Lack of effect of long-term supplementation with beta carotene on the incidence of malignant neoplasms and cardiovascular disease.

BACKGROUND Observational studies suggest that people who consume more fruits and vegetables containing beta carotene have somewhat lower risks of cancer and cardiovascular disease, and earlier basic research suggested plausible mechanisms. Because large randomized trials of long duration were necessary to test this hypothesis directly, we conducted a trial of beta carotene supplementation. METHODS In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of beta carotene (50 mg on alternate days), we enrolled 22,071 male physicians, 40 to 84 years of age, in the United States; 11 percent were current smokers and 39 percent were former smokers at the beginning of the study in 1982. By December 31, 1995, the scheduled end of the study, fewer than 1 percent had been lost to follow-up, and compliance was 78 percent in the group that received beta carotene. RESULTS Among 11,036 physicians randomly assigned to receive beta carotene and 11,035 assigned to receive placebo, there were virtually no early or late differences in the overall incidence of malignant neoplasms or cardiovascular disease, or in overall mortality. In the beta carotene group, 1273 men had any malignant neoplasm (except nonmelanoma skin cancer), as compared with 1293 in the placebo group (relative risk, 0.98; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.91 to 1.06). There were also no significant differences in the number of cases of lung cancer (82 in the beta carotene group vs. 88 in the placebo group); the number of deaths from cancer (386 vs. 380), deaths from any cause (979 vs. 968), or deaths from cardiovascular disease (338 vs. 313); the number of men with myocardial infarction (468 vs. 489); the number with stroke (367 vs. 382); or the number with any one of the previous three end points (967 vs. 972). Among current and former smokers, there were also no significant early or late differences in any of these end points. CONCLUSIONS In this trial among healthy men, 12 years of supplementation with beta carotene produced neither benefit nor harm in terms of the incidence of malignant neoplasms, cardiovascular disease, or death from all causes.
Les capacités interactives d'enfants de 4 à 7 mois avec un enfant du même âge

L'article donne les premiers resultats d'une recherche sur les comportements et les competences interactives de 16 enfants âges de 4 a 7 mois avec un enfant du meme âge. Ces enfants sont etudies par dyades, a partir du moment ou ils sont assis, par leur mere, dans deux sieges experimentaux. L'orientation et l'eloignement des sieges sont regles a distance, selon un protocole comprenant 8 phases de 3 minutes chacune. Les meres des deux enfants sont presentes et peuvent etre vues par leur enfant tout au long de la session experimentale
An Overview of Brain-Computer Interface Technology Applications in Robotics

A Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) translates the electrical signals produced by brain activity without the need of neuromuscular control. As studies progress on how technology can help impaired individuals, different recent advances in research have emerged with promising results in prosthetics, computer interfaces, mobility and artistic expression in robotics. Other recent advances involving BCIs could also benefit people without major neuromuscular disorders and have appeared as commercial products. This article presents a survey of current and past BCItechnology applications in robotics in invasive and non-invasive studies as well as their commercial applications. This technology offers effective tools for employment in many areas including assistive robotics for the disabled and the elderly for which the current research is developed.
Child Value and Gender Preference Among Konjo Tribe: A Rapid Ethnography Study in Bulukumba Rural Coast Indonesia

Parents' perceptions and expectations for their children are different in variousculture; it depends on how families assess the presence of children in the family and their preference for specific gender. This research aims to assess the perception of children value and gender preferences in Konjo Tribeof Bulukumba Rural Coast, in Indonesia. Using compressed design approach, through rapid etnography assessment. The subject consist of 30 informants, withspesific various couple, public figure, and health workers and assitant Family Planning Staff. The results show that value of children forKonjoTribe community divide into, 1) children are treasure, 2) children are symbol of pride, 3) children are special and precious, 4) children are symbol of family wholeness. While parents preferences of spesific gender in a single family of Konjo Tibe shows different meaning for the existance of sons and daughters, they do more prefer to have son rather than daughter for their first born. It means that in Konjo Tribe, the population will be enlivened with males more than females, considering man as a successor of their generation.