Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Minimising systematic error surfaces in digital elevation models using oblique convergent imagery

There are increasing opportunities to use consumer‐grade digital cameras, particularly if accurate spatial data can be captured. Research recently conducted at Loughborough University identified residual systematic error surfaces or domes discernible in digital elevation models (DEMs). These systematic effects are often associated with such cameras and are caused by slightly inaccurate estimated lens distortion parameters. A methodology that minimises the systematic error surfaces was therefore developed, using a mildly convergent image configuration in a vertical perspective. This methodology was tested through simulation and a series of practical tests. This paper investigates the potential of the convergent configuration to minimise the error surfaces, even if the geometrically more complex oblique perspective is used. Initially, simulated data was used to demonstrate that an oblique convergent image configuration can minimise remaining systematic error surfaces using various imaging angles. Additionally, practical tests using a laboratory testfield were conducted to verify results of the simulation. The need to develop a system to measure the topographic surface of a flooding river provided the opportunity to verify the findings of the simulation and laboratory test using real data. Results of the simulation process, the laboratory test and the practical test are reported in this paper and demonstrate that an oblique convergent image configuration eradicates the systematic error surfaces which result from inaccurate lens distortion parameters. This approach is significant because by removing the need for an accurate lens model it effectively improves the accuracies of digital surface representations derived using consumer‐grade digital cameras. Carefully selected image configurations could therefore provide new opportunities for improving the quality of photogrammetrically acquired data.
Channel Allocation for Third-generation Mobile Radio Systems

A range of Dynamic Channel Allocation (DCA) techniques are studied comparatively in the context of the GSM-like system, with the aim of increasing the system's carried traffic performance. The locally optimised least interference algorithms (LOLIA) emerges, as the best overall candidate, potentially increasing the teletraffic capacity of fxed channel allocation schemes by up to 80%.
A randomized primal distributed algorithm for partitioned and big-data non-convex optimization

In this paper we consider a distributed optimization scenario in which the aggregate objective function to minimize is partitioned, big-data and possibly non-convex. Specifically, we focus on a set-up in which the dimension of the decision variable depends on the network size as well as the number of local functions, but each local function handled by a node depends only on a (small) portion of the entire optimization variable. This problem set-up has been shown to appear in many interesting network application scenarios. As main paper contribution, we develop a simple, primal distributed algorithm to solve the optimization problem, based on a randomized descent approach, which works under asynchronous gossip communication. We prove that the proposed asynchronous algorithm is a proper, ad-hoc version of a coordinate descent method and thus converges to a stationary point. To show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, we also present numerical simulations on a non-convex quadratic program, which confirm the theoretical results.
Development of a Potential Probiotic Fresh Cheese Using Two Lactobacillus salivarius Strains Isolated from Human Milk

Cheeses have been proposed as a good alternative to other fermented milk products for the delivery of probiotic bacteria to the consumer. The objective of this study was to assess the survival of two Lactobacillus salivarius strains (CECT5713 and PS2) isolated from human milk during production and storage of fresh cheese for 28 days at 4°C. The effect of such strains on the volatile compounds profile, texture, and other sensorial properties, including an overall consumer acceptance, was also investigated. Both L. salivarius strains remained viable in the cheeses throughout the storage period and a significant reduction in their viable counts was only observed after 21 days. Globally, the addition of the L. salivarius strains did not change significantly neither the chemical composition of the cheese nor texture parameters after the storage period, although cheeses manufactured with L. salivarius CECT5713 presented significantly higher values of hardness. A total of 59 volatile compounds were identified in the headspace of experimental cheeses, and some L. salivarius-associated differences could be identified. All cheeses presented good results of acceptance after the sensory evaluation. Consequently, our results indicated that fresh cheese can be a good vehicle for the two L. salivarius strains analyzed in this study.
Galactomannan and 1,3-β-d-Glucan Testing for the Diagnosis of Invasive Aspergillosis

Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is a severe complication among hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients or patients with hematological malignancies and neutropenia following anti-cancer therapy. Moreover, IA is increasingly observed in other populations, such as solid-organ transplant recipients, patients with solid tumors or auto-immune diseases, and among intensive care unit patients. Frequent delay in diagnosis is associated with high mortality rates. Cultures from clinical specimens remain sterile in many cases and the diagnosis of IA often only relies on non-specific radiological signs in the presence of host risk factors. Tests for detection of galactomannan- (GM) and 1,3-β-d-glucan (BDG) are useful adjunctive tools for the early diagnosis of IA and may have a role in monitoring response to therapy. However, the sensitivity and specificity of these fungal biomarkers are not optimal and variations between patient populations are observed. This review discusses the role and interpretation of GM and BDG testing for the diagnosis of IA in different clinical samples (serum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, cerebrospinal fluid) and different groups of patients (onco-hematological patients, solid-organ transplant recipients, other patients at risk of IA).
Simultaneous completions of modal and amodal figures: Visual evoked potentials reveal asymmetrical interference effects

Modal and amodal completion processes are thought to affect the emergence and the potency of each other. To see whether one dominates over the other, we measured the Npd, that is, the negativity of visual-evoked potentials whose amplitude increases with perceptual difficulty. In the first experiment, the Npds to illusory (modal) squares and diamonds placed over amodal diamonds and squares, respectively, were found to be greater when targets were the amodal figures than when targets were the modal figures, thus suggesting that modal figures created more interference. A second experiment showed that greater Npds were specific to interference and not to the greater difficulty at focusing on amodal figures rather than on modal figures. A third experiment showed that the interference also occurs with real figures in replacement of modal ones. Overall, the results suggest a certain dominance of modal completion over amodal completion when both occur in the same display.
Interstellar medium conditions in z ~ 0.2 Lyman-break analogs

We present an analysis of far–infrared (FIR) [CII] and [OI] fine structure line and continuum observations obtained with Herschel/PACS, and ^(12)CO(1–0) observations obtained with the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer, of Lyman-break analogs (LBAs) at z ~ 0.2. The principal aim of this work is to determine the typical interstellar medium (ISM) properties of z ~ 1−2 main sequence (MS) galaxies, with stellar masses between 10^(9.5) and 10^(11)M⊙, which are currently not easily detectable in all these lines even with ALMA and NOEMA. We perform PDR modeling and apply different infared diagnostics to derive the main physical parameters of the far-infrared (FIR)-emitting gas and dust and we compare the derived ISM properties to those of galaxies on and above the MS at different redshifts. We find that the ISM properties of LBAs are quite extreme (low gas temperature and high density and thermal pressure) with respect to those found in local normal spirals and more active local galaxies. LBAs have no [CII] deficit despite having the high specific star formation rates (sSFRs) typical of starbursts. Although LBAs lie above the local MS, we show that their ISM properties are more similar to those of high-redshift MS galaxies than of local galaxies above the main sequence. This data set represents an important reference for planning future ALMA [CII] observations of relatively low-mass MS galaxies at the epoch of the peak of the cosmic star formation.
Understanding of anaphoric relations in skilled and less skilled comprehenders

This experiment investigated comprehension of four types of anaphor (reference, ellipsis, substitution and lexical) in 7 to 8−year-old good and poor comprehenders, matched in decoding skills but differing in reading comprehension skill. Poor comprehenders performed less well than skilled comprehenders both in identifying antecedents of anaphors in a story, and in answering questions on the text which required anaphor resolution. Both groups performed more poorly as distance between anaphor and antecedent increased, and poor comprehenders were more adversely affected by distance than good comprehenders for ellipsis. Children's errors are used to suggest differences between the groups in processes of resolving anaphors, in terms of scanning text for appropriate antecedents and integrating text with world knowledge.
Systemic symptoms in irritable bowel syndrome: An investigative study on the role of enterocyte disintegrity, endotoxemia and inflammation

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is often accompanied by extra-intestinal symptoms, including fatigue and musculoskeletal pain. The present study aimed to investigate whether these symptoms were associated with markers of enterocyte disintegrity, endotoxemia and inflammation. Patients with IBS were recruited consecutively from our outpatient clinic (n=94) and compared with a group of healthy controls (n=20). Habitual symptoms were assessed using the IBS Severity Scoring System, the Fatigue Impact Scale and Visual Analogue Scales for measuring musculoskeletal pain. A lactulose challenge test was performed to induce post-prandial symptoms, and blood samples were obtained prior to and 90 min following lactulose ingestion to determine levels of intestinal fatty acid binding protein (iFABP), lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the LPS co-receptor soluble cluster of differentiation (sCD) 14, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and calprotectin. Habitual symptom scores were high among the included patients, and lactulose ingestion induced significantly more symptoms in the patient group compared with the healthy control group (P=0.0001). Serum levels of iFABP were reduced in IBS patients compared with healthy controls, prior to and following lactulose ingestion (P=0.0002 and P=0.0001, respectively). Following lactulose ingestion, iFABP levels decreased in IBS patients (P=0.0001) and in healthy controls (P=0.02). Fasting levels of LPS, sCD14, MCP-1 and calprotectin were not significantly different between IBS patients and healthy controls. However, following lactulose ingestion, LPS levels increased in healthy controls (P=0.03), whereas MCP-1 levels decreased in IBS patients (P=0.008). Intestinal and extra-intestinal symptom severities were not correlated with levels of circulating biomarkers. No assessed biomarker in the present study appeared to be associated with symptom development in IBS patients. However, the implications of the low levels of iFABP observed require further investigation.
GREENHOUSE GAS SEQUESTRATION BY ALGAE – ENERGY AND GREENHOUSE GAS LIFE CYCLE STUDIES

We have examined various scenarios involving the growth of algae and the sequestering of carbon during its growth. End-uses for algae are found in the production of food supplements for humans; animal feed; oil extraction and its transesterification to produce biodiesel; electricity production upon combustion directly or by transforming the algae to methane anaerobically; or fuel production via pyrolysis, gasification or anaerobic digestion. In every case, the greenhouse gases sequestered by the algae are released into the atmosphere, so that greenhouse gas benefits arise only as offsets when the algal use displaces the combustion of a fossil fuel in a vehicle or for the production of electricity. This paper examines the greenhouse gas, costs and energy balance on a life-cycle basis for algae grown in salt-water ponds and used to produce biodiesel and electricity. Under the conditions described and the data assumed, it is shown that it is possible to produce algal biodiesel at less cost and with a substantial greenhouse gas and energy balance advantage over fossil diesel. However, when scaled up to large commercial production levels, the costs may exceed those for fossil diesel. The economic viability is highly dependent upon algae with high oil yields capable of high production year-round, which has yet to be demonstrated on a commercial scale.
Continuous Defect Prediction: The Idea and a Related Dataset

We would like to present the idea of our Continuous Defect Prediction (CDP) research and a related dataset that we created and share. Our dataset is currently a set of more than 11 million data rows, representing files involved in Continuous Integration (CI) builds, that synthesize the results of CI builds with data we mine from software repositories. Our dataset embraces 1265 software projects, 30,022 distinct commit authors and several software process metrics that in earlier research appeared to be useful in software defect prediction. In this particular dataset we use TravisTorrent as the source of CI data. TravisTorrent synthesizes commit level information from the Travis CI server and GitHub open-source projects repositories. We extend this data to a file change level and calculate the software process metrics that may be used, for example, as features to predict risky software changes that could break the build if committed to a repository with CI enabled.
Fathers and Mothers of Children With Learning Disabilities

This study compared emotional and coping resources of two parent groups with children ages 8 to 12 years—children with learning disabilities (LD) versus with typical development—and explored how mothers’ and fathers’ emotional resources (low anxious/avoidant attachment, low negative affect, and high positive affect) may explain differences in parents’ coping resources (active/avoidant coping with a child-related problem, sense of coherence). Parents (N = 410) comprised 107 couples with LD children and 98 couples with typically developing children. Significant group differences emerged on parental coping strategies, and significant sex differences emerged too, more so in the LD group. As hypothesized, parental emotional resources contributed to coping resources, although this differed partially between groups. Discussion focuses on the unique value of emotional resources for coping resources in both populations.
The Relationship of Group Process Variables and Team Performance

The efficacy of three group process variables—group potency, social cohesion, and team-member exchange—in explaining team performance was examined for 648 military officers working in 50 self-managed teams over a 5-week period. Team performance was assessed on two objective criteria (mental task performance and physical task performance) and one subjective criterion (commander team performance ratings). Each of the group process variables was related to at least one aspect of team performance. Of the three group process variables, group potency exhibited the greatest predictive efficacy as it explained unique variance in team performance over that accounted for by both social cohesion and team-member exchange.
Group Cohesion, Collective Efficacy, and Motivational Climate as Predictors of Conductor Support in Music Ensembles

In the present study, we examined whether collective efficacy, group cohesion (task and social), and perceived motivational climate (task-involving and ego-involving orientations) in a music ensemble predict instrumentalists' perceived conductor support. Ninety-one (N = 91) skilled high school instrumentalists participated in the study. To assess the variables, participants responded to a number of surveys during rehearsals. It was hypothesized that instrumentalists' perceptions of collective efficacy, group cohesion, and a task-involving motivational climate cultivated by the conductor would predict conductor support. Results showed that, collectively, these variables accounted for 46% of the variance in instrumentalist perceptions of a supportive conductor. Findings of this study may provide guidance on how conductors can create learning environments that instill a strong sense of support for their instrumentalists.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN QUALITY OF LIFE AND HEALTH LOCUS OF CONTROL BELIEFS IN HEMODIALYSIS PATIENTS

Background: Chronic kidney disease as a major health problem can create physical, psychological, economic, and social problems for patients and generally affect their quality of life. However, health beliefs and behaviors of these patients can affect their health condition too. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the quality of life and health locus of control beliefs in hemodialysis patients.
Unlucky Victims or Lucky Survivors?: Spontaneous Counterfactual Thinking by Families Exposed to the Tsunami Disaster

Subjective experiences of good or bad luck appear to depend upon downward or upward comparisons with close counterfactuals. People exposed to disasters have both options: They were at the wrong place at the wrong time, but their fate could in many cases have been worse; so in a sense, they are unlucky victims, but lucky survivors. Interviews with 85 Norwegian tourists 9-11 months after they had been exposed to the tsunami disaster in Southeast Asia showed good luck to be a pivotal theme in a majority of the narratives. Nobody claimed they had been unfortunate or unlucky. Moreover, downward counterfactual thoughts and downward comparisons with others occurred 10 times more often than upward counterfactuals and upward comparisons. In a follow-up 2 years later, 95% answered they had been lucky. A contextual analysis revealed several facets of luck, including its relation to gratitude, guilt, and supernatural beliefs.
Exploring the trend of increased cervical intraepithelial neoplasia detection rates in the Netherlands

Objective Over the last decade, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) detection has increased in the Netherlands. We investigated the underlying mechanism by quantifying the increase, and analyzing patterns of CIN and cervical cancer detection over time. Methods We observed annual CIN and cervical cancer detection rates (DRs) per 10,000 primary smears within the Dutch screening programme for 2000–2011. Joinpoint analyses were performed to determine changes in time trends, logistic regression analyses to assess the relative risk of calendar time on histological outcomes, adjusted for demographic factors and type of primary cytology test used. Results Trends of increased detection occurred for all CIN grades (ie. DRs increased from 17.8 to 36.1, from 21.0 to 35.5, and from 43.4 to 64.6 for CIN I, II, and III from 2003 to 2009). After adjusting for demographic factors, DRs were still 2.11 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.95, 2.29), 1.79 (95% CI: 1.66, 1.92) and 1.59 (95% CI: 1.50, 1.67) times larger in 2009. When also adjusting for the type of cytology test, DRs were 1.90 (95% CI: 1.62, 2.22), 1.48 (95% CI: 1.22, 1.79) and 1.55 (95% CI: 1.39, 1.73) times larger. No trends in cervical cancer DRs were found. Conclusions The implementation of liquid-based cytology contributed to the CIN increase. If some of these extra detected CIN are regressive this leads to overdiagnosis. Other factors, such as an increased cervical cancer risk, and implementation of imaging-assisted reading, could also have contributed.
The Effect of Story Impressions Preview on Learning From Narrative Text

Abstract The authors assessed the extent to which a generative prereading activity known as Story Impressions (SI), or composing a guess from clues, influences passage recall relative to a more passive prereading activity of reading a Content Preview (CP). The results from 74 eighth-grade students indicated the CP groups equaled the reading-only control groups in recall of the major phrases of the narrative as well as other passage information. As expected, the SI groups significantly exceeded the CP groups and the control groups on both aspects of passage recall. The authors argued that the SI method could be effective because it induced the three fundamental processes that constitute reading comprehension (M. A. Gernsbacher, 1990) and the concomitant generative learning effect (M. C. Wittrock, 1989).
The impact of servant leadership and subordinates' organizational tenure on trust in leader and attitudes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between servant leadership, subordinates' trust in leader and job satisfaction, and whether subordinates' organizational tenure moderated the effect. Design/methodology/approach – A structured questionnaire survey was used to collect data by 218 employees in a service-oriented private firm in the People's Republic of China. Findings – The findings indicated that trust in leader mediated the relationship between servant leadership and subordinates' job satisfaction. Also, the positive effect of servant leadership on subordinates' trust in leader and job satisfaction was stronger for short-tenure subordinates than that for long-tenure subordinates. Originality/value – This paper enriches the existing leadership literature and contributes to the research into how and why servant leadership may influence subordinates' attitudes.
Dopamine does not limit fetal cerebrovascular responses to hypoxia.

Dopamine is used clinically to stabilize mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) in sick infants. One goal of this therapeutic intervention is to maintain adequate cerebral blood flow (CBF) and perfusion pressure. High-dose intravenous dopamine has been previously demonstrated to increase cerebrovascular resistance (CVR) in near-term fetal sheep. We hypothesized that this vascular response might limit cerebral vasodilatation during acute isocapnic hypoxia. We studied nine near-term chronically catheterized unanesthetized fetal sheep. Using radiolabeled microspheres to measure fetal CBF, we calculated CVR at baseline, during fetal hypoxia, and then with the addition of an intravenous dopamine infusion at 2.5, 7.5, and 25 microg.kg(-1). min(-1) while hypoxia continued. During acute isocapnic fetal hypoxia, CBF increased 73.0 +/- 14.1% and CVR decreased 38.9 +/- 4.9% from baseline. Dopamine infusion at 2.5 and 7.5 microg.kg(-1). min(-1), begun during hypoxia, did not alter CVR or MAP, but MAP increased when dopamine infusion was increased to 25 microg.kg(-1). min(-1). Dopamine did not alter CBF or affect the CBF response to hypoxia at any dose. However, CVR increased at a dopamine infusion rate of 25 microg.kg(-1). min(-1). This increase in CVR at the highest dopamine infusion rate is likely an autoregulatory response to the increase in MAP, similar to our previous findings. Therefore, in chronically catheterized unanesthetized near-term fetal sheep, dopamine does not alter the expected cerebrovascular responses to hypoxia.