Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investigating the impact of sensory effects on the Quality of Experience and emotional response in web videos

Multimedia is ubiquitously available online with large amounts of video increasingly consumed through Web sites such as YouTube or Google Video. However, online multimedia typically limits users to visual/auditory stimulus, with onscreen visual media accompanied by audio. The recent introduction of MPEG-V proposed multi-sensory user experiences in multimedia environments, such as enriching video content with so-called sensory effects like wind, vibration, light, etc. In MPEG-V, these sensory effects are represented as Sensory Effect Metadata (SEM), which is additionally associated to the multimedia content. This paper presents three user studies that utilize the sensory effects framework of MPEG-V, investigating the emotional response of users and enhancement of Quality of Experience (QoE) of Web video sequences from a range of genres with and without sensory effects. In particular, the user studies were conducted in Austria and Australia to investigate whether geography and cultural differences affect users' elicited emotional responses and QoE.
The Model Minority as a Shared Reality and Its Implication for Interracial Perceptions

Despite the disparities of the life experiences among Asian Americans, the model minority stereotype continues to propagate in the United States. Taking a shared reality theory perspective, we demonstrate that the model minority image of being diligent, high achieving, and submissive is a characteristic representation of Asian Americans that is widely shared among Americans (Study 1). In addition, Americans assume that most people in the United States expect Asian Americans to conform to the model minority image (Study 2). Taken together, these results suggest that the model minority representation is a shared reality in the United States. Furthermore, results from an experimental study (Study 3) confirms that media exposure to Asian-American successes can strengthen European Americans’ belief in the model minority as a shared reality, broadening the difference between the perceived acceptance of Asian Americans and African Americans in the community. Such exposure also strengthens European Americans’ inclination to align their personal attitudes toward Asian Americans with their perceived shared attitude in the community.
Regulation of pga Operon Expression and Biofilm Formation in Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae by σE and H-NS

ABSTRACT Clinical isolates of the porcine pathogen Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae often form adherent colonies on agar plates due to expression of an operon, pgaABCD, encoding a poly-β-1,6-N-acetyl-d-glucosamine (PGA) extracellular matrix. The adherent colony phenotype, which correlates with the ability to form biofilms on the surfaces of polystyrene plates, is lost following serial passage in broth culture, and repeated passage of the nonadherent variants on solid media does not result in reversion to the adherent colony phenotype. In order to investigate the regulation of PGA expression and biofilm formation in A. pleuropneumoniae, we screened a bank of transposon mutants of the nonadherent serovar 1 strain S4074T and identified mutations in two genes, rseA and hns, which resulted in the formation of the adherent colony phenotype. In other bacteria, including the Enterobacteriaceae, H-NS acts as a global gene regulator, and RseA is a negative regulator of the extracytoplasmic stress response sigma factor σE. Transcription profiling of A. pleuropneumoniae rseA and hns mutants revealed that both σE and H-NS independently regulate expression of the pga operon. Transcription of the pga operon is initiated from a σE promoter site in the absence of H-NS, and upregulation of σE is sufficient to displace H-NS, allowing transcription to proceed. In A. pleuropneumoniae, H-NS does not act as a global gene regulator but rather specifically regulates biofilm formation via repression of the pga operon. Positive regulation of the pga operon by σE indicates that biofilm formation is part of the extracytoplasmic stress response in A. pleuropneumoniae.
From Theory to Practice: Sub-Nyquist Sampling of Sparse Wideband Analog Signals

Conventional sub-Nyquist sampling methods for analog signals exploit prior information about the spectral support. In this paper, we consider the challenging problem of blind sub-Nyquist sampling of multiband signals, whose unknown frequency support occupies only a small portion of a wide spectrum. Our primary design goals are efficient hardware implementation and low computational load on the supporting digital processing. We propose a system, named the modulated wideband converter, which first multiplies the analog signal by a bank of periodic waveforms. The product is then low-pass filtered and sampled uniformly at a low rate, which is orders of magnitude smaller than Nyquist. Perfect recovery from the proposed samples is achieved under certain necessary and sufficient conditions. We also develop a digital architecture, which allows either reconstruction of the analog input, or processing of any band of interest at a low rate, that is, without interpolating to the high Nyquist rate. Numerical simulations demonstrate many engineering aspects: robustness to noise and mismodeling, potential hardware simplifications, real-time performance for signals with time-varying support and stability to quantization effects. We compare our system with two previous approaches: periodic nonuniform sampling, which is bandwidth limited by existing hardware devices, and the random demodulator, which is restricted to discrete multitone signals and has a high computational load. In the broader context of Nyquist sampling, our scheme has the potential to break through the bandwidth barrier of state-of-the-art analog conversion technologies such as interleaved converters.
Complex adaptive systems: Exploring the known, the unknown and the unknowable

The study of complex adaptive systems, from cells to societies, is a study of the interplay among processes operating at diverse scales of space, time and organizational complexity. The key to such a study is an understanding of the interrelationships between microscopic processes and macroscopic patterns, and the evolutionary forces that shape systems. In particular, for ecosystems and socioeconomic systems, much interest is focused on broad scale features such as diversity and resiliency, while evolution operates most powerfully at the level of individual agents. Understanding the evolution and development of complex adaptive systems thus involves understanding how cooperation, coalitions and networks of interaction emerge from individual behaviors and feed back to influence those behaviors. In this paper, some of the mathematical challenges are discussed.
Subcontract: a flexible base for distributed programming

A key problem in operating systems is permitting the orderly introduction of new properties and new implementation techniques. We describe a mechanism, subcontract, that within the context of an object-oriented distributed system permits application programmers control over fundamental object mechanisms. This allows programmers to define new object communication mechanisms without modifying the base system. We describe how new subcontracts can be introduced as alternative communication mechanisms in the place of existing subcontracts. We also briefly describe some of the uses we have made of the subcontract mechanism to support caching, crash recovery, and replication.
Video-Rate Lissajous-Scan Atomic Force Microscopy

Raster scanning is common in atomic force microscopy (AFM). The nonsmooth raster waveform contains high-frequency content that can excite mechanical resonances of an AFM nanopositioner during a fast scan, causing severe distortions in the resulting image. The mainstream approach to avoid scan-induced vibrations in video-rate AFM is to employ a high-bandwidth nanopositioner with the first lateral resonance frequency above 20 kHz. In this paper, video-rate scanning on a nanopositioner with 11.3-kHz resonance frequency is reported using a smooth Lissajous scan pattern. The Lissajous trajectory is constructed by tracking two sinusoidal waveforms on the lateral axes of the nanopositioner. By combining an analog integral resonant controller (IRC) with an internal model controller, 1- and 2-kHz single tone set-points were successfully tracked. High-quality time lapsed AFM images of a calibration grating recorded at 9 and 18 frames/s without noticeable image distortions are reported.
Shrinkage of Prostate and Improved Quality of Life: Management of BPH Patients with Croton membranaceus Ethanolic Root Extract

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is an enlargement of the prostate. The study aimed at validating the use of freeze-dried Croton membranaceus ethanolic root extract for BPH management. Thirty-three patients were observed before and after 3-month administration of 20 mg t.i. d orally. The International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), and the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) questionnaires were used. Total/free PSA (tPSA, fPSA), renal, liver function, lipid tests, and ultrasonographic imaging were performed. Thirty (30) patients (66 ± 11 years) completed the study. IPSS results showed 37% had severe, 40% moderate, and 23% mild symptoms before; 57% and 43% had moderate and mild symptoms, respectively, after treatment. IIED of patients' results showed 30% with severe, 40% moderate, 24% mild-moderate, 3% mild, and 3% no erectile dysfunction before treatment and 20% severe, 43% moderate, and 37% mild-moderate dysfunction, after treatment. Quality of life (QoL) improved (P = 0.001). Significant but non-pathological increases in total and indirect bilirubin as well as apolipoprotein A occurred. Mean tPSA reduced from 27.9 ± 19.0 to 16.2 ± 11.8 ng/mL (P = 0.002); fPSA from 6.1 ± 4.8 to 3.9 ± 2.9 ng/mL (P = 0.045); and prostate volume from 101.8 ± 41.3 to 54.5 ± 24.8 cm3 (P = 0.023). C. membranaceus shrinks the prostate and improves QoL.
Feature Extraction based Face Recognition , Gender and Age Classification

-The face recognition system with large sets of training sets for personal identification normally attains good accuracy. In this paper, we proposed Feature Extraction based Face Recognition, Gender and Age Classification (FEBFRGAC) algorithm with only small training sets and it yields good results even with one image per person. This process involves three stages: Pre-processing, Feature Extraction and Classification. The geometric features of facial images like eyes, nose, mouth etc. are located by using Canny edge operator and face recognition is performed. Based on the texture and shape information gender and age classification is done using Posteriori Class Probability and Artificial Neural Network respectively. It is observed that the face recognition is 100%, the gender and age classification is around 98% and 94% respectively.
Intestinal-Specific TNFα Overexpression Induces Crohn’s-Like Ileitis in Mice

Background and Aim Human and animal studies have clearly established tumor necrosis factor (TNF)α as an important mediator of Crohn’s disease pathogenesis. However, whether systemic or only local TNFα overproduction is required for the development of chronic intestinal inflammation and Crohn’s disease remains unclear. The aim of this study was to assess the contribution of intestinal epithelial-derived TNFα to the development of murine Crohn’s-like ileitis. Methods We adapted the well-established TNF∆ARE/+ mouse model of Crohn’s disease (which systemically overexpresses TNFα) to generate a homozygous mutant strain that overexpress TNFα only within the intestinal epithelium. Intestinal-specific TNFi∆ARE/i∆ARE mice were examined for histopathological signs of gut inflammation and extraintestinal manifestations of Crohn’s disease. The mucosal immune phenotype was characterized, and the contribution of specific lymphocyte populations to the pathogenesis of TNFi∆ARE/i∆ARE ileitis was assessed. Results TNFi∆ARE/i∆ARE mice had increased mucosal and systemic TNFα levels compared to wild-type controls (P<0.001), as well as severe chronic ileitis with increased neutrophil infiltration and villous distortion, but no extraintestinal manifestations (P<0.001 vs. wild-type controls). The gut mucosal lymphocytic compartment was also expanded in TNFi∆ARE/i∆ARE mice (P<0.05), consisting of activated CD69+ and CD4+CD62L- lymphocytes (P<0.05). FasL expression was significantly elevated in the mesenteric lymph nodes of TNFi∆ARE/i∆ARE mice (P<0.05). Adoptive transfer of mucosal TNFi∆ARE/i∆ARE lymphocytes resulted in ileitis in immunologically naïve severe combined immunodeficiency recipients (P<0.05 vs. wild-type controls), indicating an effector phenotype that was associated with increased production of both Th1 (IFNγ) and Th2 (IL-5, IL-13) cytokines. Conclusion Intestinal epithelial-derived TNFα is sufficient for the induction of Crohn’s-like ileitis, but not for the occurrence of extraintestinal manifestations, in TNFi∆ARE/i∆ARE mice. These effects were associated with generation of effector lymphocytes within the intestinal mucosa and dysregulated apoptosis. Thus, targeted intestinal blockade of TNFα may provide an effective means to neutralize gut-derived TNFα with reduced side effects.
Automated known problem diagnosis with event traces

Computer problem diagnosis remains a serious challenge to users and support professionals. Traditional troubleshooting methods relying heavily on human intervention make the process inefficient and the results inaccurate even for solved problems, which contribute significantly to user's dissatisfaction. We propose to use system behavior information such as system event traces to build correlations with solved problems, instead of using only vague text descriptions as in existing practices. The goal is to enable automatic identification of the root cause of a problem if it is a known one, which would further lead to its resolution. By applying statistical learning techniques to classifying system call sequences, we show our approach can achieve considerable accuracy of root cause recognition by studying four case examples.
The influence of retention hole and adhesive systems on the shear bond strengths of resin composite to amalgam

The aim of the study is to evaluate the influence of surface-treatment methods with and without the use of a retention hole on the shear bond strength of a resin composite adhered to amalgam using an adhesive system. Amalgam specimens were divided into six groups. Group 1 (Bur) specimens were roughened with a diamond bur, Group 2 (Al2O3) specimens were sandblasted with a 50 μm aluminum oxide powder, Group 3 (CoJet®) specimens were sandblasted with 30 μm CoJet® Sand, Group 4 (Bur + Rh) specimen surfaces were prepared with a retention hole 1 mm in diameter and 1 mm deep and roughened with a diamond bur, Group 5 (Al2O3 + Rh) specimens were also prepared with a retention hole and sandblasted with 50 μm aluminum oxide powder, and Group 6 (CoJet® + Rh) surfaces were prepared with a retention hole and sandblasted with 30 μm CoJet® Sand. Resin composite cylinders were bonded onto the amalgam surfaces using Xeno® IV, Optibond™ All-In-One, Clearfil™ SE Bond, Adper™ Single Bond Plus, and Scotchbond™ Multi-Purpose adhesive systems. In addition, silane (Monobond S) was used for Groups 5 and 6. The shear bond was determined and statistically analyzed using two-way analysis of variance and post hoc Tukey’s tests (p ≤ 0.05). The surface treatment significantly affected the shear bond strengths of the adhesive systems. The shear bond strengths of Optibond™ All-In-One (2.661 ± 0.48 MPa) in Group 1 and Scotchbond Multi-Purpose (3.818 ± 0.98) in Group 4 were significantly higher than those of the other adhesive systems. Silica coating of the amalgam surface significantly improved the shear bond strength of the resin composites. The addition of a retention hole on the amalgam affects the bonding strength of the composite adhesion.
Evaluation of Indices in Differentiation Between Iron Deficiency Anemia and β-Thalassemia Trait for Chinese Children

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and β-thalassemia trait (β-TT) are the most common microcytic anemia. Kinds of discrimination indices have been established as simple, fast, and inexpensive means since 1970s. This study evaluates the validity of 12 indices in differentiation between IDA and β-TT for Chinese children. The 12 discrimination indices were red blood cell (RBC) count, RBC distribution width, Mentzer Index, Green and King Index, RBC distribution width Index, England and Fraser Index, Shine and Lal Index, Srivastava Index, Ricerca Index, Ehsani Index, Sirdah Index, and Huber-Herklotz-Index. A total of 300 children (β-TT, n=127 and IDA, n=173) were enrolled in the study. We calculated the sensitivity and specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and Youden's index for each index. We also established new cut-off values by receiver operating characteristic curves. Green and King Index showed the highest reliability, as it had the largest area under the curve (AUC=0.947), whereas Srivastava Index and Shine and Lal Index showed the lowest reliability (AUC=0.679 and 0.532, respectively). We concluded Green and King Index, Ricerca Index, and England and Fraser Index could be used in discrimination between IDA and β-TT in Chinese children.
Comparative Study of Vitamin B Complex Combined with Alpha Lipoic Acid versus Vitamin B Complex in Treatment of Diabetic Polyneuropathy in Type 2 Diabetic Patients

Objective: Diabetic Polyneuropathy (DPN) represents a major health problem as it increases morbidity affecting patients’ quality of life. Vitamin B frequently is used for treating DPN. ALPHA Lipoic Acid (ALA) seems to delay or reverse DPN. The present study compared the effect of Vitamin B complex combined with ALA versus Vitamin B in treatment of DPN in Egyptian type 2 diabetic patients. Methods: Forty type 2 diabetic patients with DPN of whom twenty received once-daily oral doses of ALA (600 mg) in combination with Vitamin B complex and the other twenty only received vitamin B complex for 12 weeks. Patients were evaluated by Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI) questionnaire and Nerve Conduction Studies (NCS). Blood samples were collected for determination of Insulin Resistance and lipid abnormalities. All the previous assessments were performed at baseline and at week 12. Results: There was a significant reduction after 12 weeks of supplementation in vitamin B complex plus Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) group using MNSI questionnaire (p=0.001) and not in vitamin B complex group. NCS demonstrated that 12 out of 16 patients in vitamin B complex plus ALA group showed improvement in at least one property measured compared with only 6 out of 16 in vitamin B complex group (p=0.0732). The influence of the combination on the progression of diabetes with regards to insulin resistance and lipid profile showed no advantage over Vitamin B complex alone. Conclusion: Combined therapy of DPN with ALA and Vitamin B complex, orally for 12 weeks improves the symptoms of neuropathy (MNSI) with a similar trend in NCS.
The N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist CNS 1102 protects cerebral gray and white matter from ischemic injury following temporary focal ischemia in rats.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Cerebral white matter is as sensitive as gray matter to ischemic injury and is probably amenable to pharmacological intervention. In this study we investigated whether an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist, CNS 1102, protects not only cerebral gray matter but also white matter from ischemic injury. METHODS Ten rats underwent 15 minutes of temporary focal ischemia and were blindly assigned to CNS 1102 intravenous bolus injection (1. 13 mg/kg) followed by intravenous infusion (0.33 mg/kg per hour) for 3.75 hours or to vehicle (n=5 per group) immediately after reperfusion. Seventy-two hours after ischemia, the animals were perfusion fixed for histology. The severity of neuronal necrosis in the cortex and striatum was semiquantitatively analyzed. The Luxol fast blue-periodic acid Schiff stain and Bielschowsky's silver stain were used to measure optical densities (ODs) of myelin and axons, respectively, in the internal capsule of both hemispheres, and the OD ratio was calculated to reflect the severity of white matter damage. RESULTS Neuronal damage in both the cortex and the striatum was significantly better in the drug-treated group than in the placebo group (P<0.05). The OD ratio of both the axons (0.93+/-0.08 versus 0.61+/-0.18; P<0.01) and the myelin sheath (0.95+/-0.07 versus 0.67+/-0.19; P=0.01) was significantly higher in the CNS 1102 group than in the placebo group. The neurological score was significantly improved in the drug-treated group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS The NMDA receptor antagonist CNS 1102 protects not only cerebral gray matter but also white matter from ischemic injury, most probably by preventing degeneration of white matter structures such as myelin and axons.
Species concepts in Calonectria (Cylindrocladium)

Species of Calonectria and their Cylindrocladium anamorphs are important plant pathogens worldwide. At present 52 Cylindrocladium spp. and 37 Calonectria spp. are recognised based on sexual compatibility, morphology and phylogenetic inference. The polyphasic approach of integrating Biological, Morphological and Phylogenetic Species Concepts has revolutionised the taxonomy of fungi. This review aims to present an overview of published research on the genera Calonectria and Cylindrocladium as they pertain to their taxonomic history. The nomenclature as well as future research necessary for this group of fungi are also briefly discussed.
Probabilistic programming

Probabilistic programs are usual functional or imperative programs with two added constructs: (1) the ability to draw values at random from distributions, and (2) the ability to condition values of variables in a program via observations. Models from diverse application areas such as computer vision, coding theory, cryptographic protocols, biology and reliability analysis can be written as probabilistic programs. Probabilistic inference is the problem of computing an explicit representation of the probability distribution implicitly specified by a probabilistic program. Depending on the application, the desired output from inference may vary---we may want to estimate the expected value of some function f with respect to the distribution, or the mode of the distribution, or simply a set of samples drawn from the distribution. In this paper, we describe connections this research area called ``Probabilistic Programming" has with programming languages and software engineering, and this includes language design, and the static and dynamic analysis of programs. We survey current state of the art and speculate on promising directions for future research.
Understanding Game Theory via Wireless Power Control [Lecture Notes]

In this lecture note, we introduce the basic concepts of game theory (GT), a branch of mathematics traditionally studied and applied in the areas of economics, political science, and biology, which has emerged in the last 15 years as an effective framework for communications, networking, and signal processing (SP). The real catalyst has been all of the blooming issues related to distributed networks in which the nodes can be modeled as players in a game competing for system resources. Some relevant notions of GT are introduced by elaborating on a simple application in the context of wireless communications, notably the power control in an interference channel (IC) with two transmitters and two receivers.