Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Recent advances in image dehazing

Images captured in hazy or foggy weather conditions can be seriously degraded by scattering of atmospheric particles, which reduces the contrast, changes the color, and makes the object features difficult to identify by human vision and by some outdoor computer vision systems. Therefore image dehazing is an important issue and has been widely researched in the field of computer vision. The role of image dehazing is to remove the influence of weather factors in order to improve the visual effects of the image and provide benefit to post-processing. This paper reviews the main techniques of image dehazing that have been developed over the past decade. Firstly, we innovatively divide a number of approaches into three categories: image enhancement based methods, image fusion based methods and image restoration based methods. All methods are analyzed and corresponding sub-categories are introduced according to principles and characteristics. Various quality evaluation methods are then described, sorted and discussed in detail. Finally, research progress is summarized and future research directions are suggested.
Imbalanced synaptic plasticity induced spatial cognition impairment in male offspring rats treated with chronic prenatal ethanol exposure.

BACKGROUND As chronic prenatal ethanol (EtOH) exposure (CPEE) may cause deficiencies in a variety of behavioral and cognitive functions, the aim of present study is to investigate the effects of CPEE on spatial learning and memory and examine the action of CPEE on synaptic plasticity balance in the hippocampus of adolescent male rats. METHODS The animal model was produced by EtOH exposure throughout gestational period with 4 g/kg bodyweight, while the male offspring rats were used in the study. Morris water maze (MWM) test was performed, and then, long-term potentiation (LTP) and depotentiation were recorded from Schaffer collaterals to CA1 region in the hippocampus. RESULTS It was shown that escape latencies in learning period and re-acquisition period were prolonged in CPEE-treated group compared with that in control group. Furthermore, LTP was drastically inhibited, and depotentiation was distinctly enhanced in CPEE-treated group compared with that in control group. CONCLUSIONS It is suggested that the balance between cognitive stability and flexibility was broken by the bidirectional effects of long-term synaptic plasticity. In addition, the spatial cognition was attenuated by the alteration of synaptic plasticity balance in CPEE-treated male adolescent rats.
Validity and Reliability of Thai Version of the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM) Subjective Form.

BACKGROUND Self-administered questionnaires have become an important aspect for clinical outcome assessment of foot and ankle-related problems. The Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM) subjective form is a region-specific questionnaire that is widely used and has sufficient validity and reliability from previous studies. OBJECTIVE Translate the original English version of FAAM into a Thai version and evaluate the validity and reliability of Thai FAAM in patients with foot and ankle-related problems. MATERIAL AND METHOD The FAAM subjective form was translated into Thai using forward-backward translation protocol. Afterward, reliability and validity were tested. Following responses from 60 consecutive patients on two questionnaires, the Thai FAAM subjective form and the short form (SF)-36, were used. The validity was tested by correlating the scores from both questionnaires. The reliability was adopted by measuring the test-retest reliability and internal consistency. RESULTS Thai FAAM score including activity of daily life (ADL) and Sport subscale demonstrated the sufficient correlations with physical functioning (PF) and physical composite score (PCS) domains of the SF-36 (statistically significant with p < 0.001 level and ≥ 0.5 values). The result of reliability revealed highly intra-class correlation coefficient as 0.8 and 0.77, respectively from test-retest study. The internal consistency was strong (Cronbach alpha = 0.94 and 0.88, respectively). CONCLUSION The Thai version of FAAM subjective form retained the characteristics of the original version and has proved a reliable evaluation instrument for patients with foot and ankle-related problems.
Am I Abnormal? Relative Rank and Social Norm Effects in Judgments of Anxiety and Depression Symptom Severity

Overdetection and underdetection of depression and anxiety in primary care are common and may partly reflect individuals’ misperceptions of the severity of symptoms they experience. Here, we explore how people’s judgments about the severity of their own symptoms are influenced by their beliefs about the distribution of symptoms experienced by the rest of the population. We apply the rank-based decision by sampling cognitive model of judgment to symptom severity. The model proposes that judgments depend on the relative rank of an item within a mental sample of comparable items. It is predicted that judgments of symptom severity will be context dependent and more specifically that an individual’s judgments will be invalid to the extent that the individual has inaccurate beliefs about the relevant social context. Two studies found that participants’ assessments of symptom severity were rank based. Study 1 elicited participants’ beliefs about the social distribution of symptoms and found that participants’ judgments of whether they were depressed or anxious were mainly predicted not by their symptoms’ objective severity but rather by where participants ranked the severity of their symptoms in comparison with the believed symptoms of others. Study 2 varied symptom distributions experimentally and again found relative rank effects as predicted. It is concluded that the real-world application of contextual models of judgment requires investigation of individual differences in participants’ background beliefs. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The need for cognition.

Four studies are reported in which a scale to assess the need for cognition (i.e., the tendency for an individual to engage in and enjoy thinking) was developed and validated. In Study 1 a pool of items was administered to groups known to differ in need for cognition. Members of a university faculty served as subjects in the high-need-for-cognition group, whereas assembly line workers served as subjects in the low-need-for-cognition group. The criteria of ambiguity, irrelevance, and internal consistency were used to select the items for subsequent studies. A factor analysis was performed on the selected items and yielded one major factor. In 'Study 2 the scale was administered to a more homogeneous population (400 undergraduates) to validate the factor structure obtained in Study 1 and to determine whether the scale tapped a construct distinct from test anxiety and cognitive style. The factor structure was replicated in Study 2, responses to the need for cognition scale were predictably and weakly related to cognitive style, and responses were unrelated,to test anxiety. In Study 3, 104 subjects completed need for cognition, social desirability, and dogmatism scales and indicated what their American College Test scores were. Results indicated that need for cognition was related weakly and negatively to being close minded, unrelated to social desirability, and positively correlated with general intelligence. Study 4 replicated the major findings of Study 3 and furnished evidence of thj predictive validity of the Need for Cognition Scale: Attitudes toward simple an complex versions of a cognitive task appeared indistinguishable until the subjects' need for cognition was considered. The theoretical utility of the construct and measure of need for cognition are discussed.
A Comparison of Stock Market Efficiency of the BRIC Countries

This article compares the stock market efficiency of Brazil, Russia, India and China (commonly referred to as BRIC). The profitability of trading rules associated with the Simple Moving Average (SMA), the Relative Strength Index (RSI), the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) and the Momentum (MOM) are evaluated. It is found that these indicators are most profitable in the Russian stock market. The Brazilian stock market is found to be the most efficient market among the BRIC. An explanation for such a discrepancy is provided.
Sol-Gel Prepared NiO Thin Films for Electrochromic Applications

An electrochromic material changes its optical properties in the visible part of the spectrum under a certain applied potential. The change is reversible and the material returns to its original state under the opposite electric field. Recently, electrochromism has been applied in electrochromic devices, where in a battery-like assembly the throughput of solar light is controlled by the voltage and is usually termed a smart window. In the first part of this article a brief theoretical introduction to electrochromism and the functioning of smart windows is given. Since in the last decade nickel oxide has been extensively studied as an ion-storage material in electrochromic devices, some properties of nickel oxide are explained in the following part. The electrochromic response (reversibility during potential switching and the degree of coloration) of a nickel oxide thin film, used in a electrochromic device, strongly depends on the degree of heat treatment. Thermal analysis of thin films can give valuable information about a suitable temperature and the duration of heat-treatment when thin films are prepared by chemical methods of deposition. Since thermal analysis of thin films deposited on a substrate is not a common analytical technique, basic strategies are also summarized in the article. After this theoretical introduction, the application of TG analysis to optimisation of the electrochromic response of sol-gel prepared Ni oxide thin films is presented. The electrochromic properties of thin films, thermally treated to different degrees, were tested using spectroelectrochemical methods. Additional techniques (IR, TEM, AFM and EXAFS) were indispensable in following structural and morphological changes during the heat treatment.
Detection and Classification of Vehicles From Video Using Multiple Time-Spatial Images

Detection and classification of vehicles are two of the most challenging tasks of a video-based intelligent transportation system. Traditional detection and classification methods are computationally highly expensive and become unsuccessful in many cases such as occlusion among the vehicles and when differences between pixel intensities of vehicles and backgrounds are small. In this paper, a novel detection and classification method is proposed using multiple time-spatial images (TSIs), each obtained from a virtual detection line on the frames of a video. Such a use of multiple TSIs provides the opportunity to identify the latent occlusions among the vehicles and to reduce the dependencies of the pixel intensities between the still and moving objects to increase the accuracy of detection performance as well as to achieve an improved classification performance. In order to identify the class of a particular vehicle, a two-step k nearest neighborhood classification scheme is proposed by utilizing the shape-based, shape-invariant, and texture-based features of the segmented regions corresponding to the vehicle appeared in appropriate frames that are determined from the TSIs of the video. Extensive experimentations are carried out in vehicular traffics of varying environments to evaluate the detection and classification performance of the proposed method, as compared with the existing methods. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method provides a significant improvement in counting and classifying the vehicles in terms of accuracy and robustness alongside a substantial reduction of execution time, as compared with that of the other methods.
Asymptotic mutual information of amplify-and-forward MIMO relay channel with Rician fading

In this paper, we derive the asymptotic mutual information expression for the amplify-and-forward (AF) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) two-hop relay channels, where the source terminal (ST), relay terminal (RT) and destination terminal (DT) are equipped with a number of antennas and there is a direct link between the ST and DT. The analysis is based on the Kronecker correlated Rician fading model. The considered channel model is fairly general and the derived asymptotic mutual information result can be degenerated to several previously published results. Numerical simulation results show that, even for a moderate number of antennas at each link, the derived mutual information expression provides undistinguishable results as the average mutual information.
How transformational leadership is related to organizational citizenship behavior? The mediating role of emotional intelligence

Managers’ emotional intelligence (EI), organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and leadership styles play an imperative role in the organizational success. The current research investigates the mediating role of EI on the relationship between OCB and transformational leadership (TL). Data has been collected from employees of banking service sector of Pakistan. SPSS and Amos have been used to test the hypotheses of study in the conceptual model. Total sample size for this study is N=300. The value for Cronbach alpha is 0.907. The results provide an evidence for the mediating effect of EI on the relationship between TL and OCB. The paper concludes with the discussion on results and implications for the academicians and manager.
Deadlock free task distribution and resource allocation for holonic manufacturing systems based on multi-agent framework

Holonic manufacturing systems (HMS) are the next wave of manufacturing revolution to deal with dynamic changes. A HMS can be modeled as a cooperative multi-agent system with constraints of production processes and finite resources. Deadlocks may also take place in HMS. Although there are many works on HMS, there is still lack of research known to the author addressing the issue of deadlock in HMS. This paper focuses on the modeling of HMS and development of deadlock free task distribution and resource allocation protocol and algorithm based on the framework of multi-agent systems. Our results include: (1) a mathematical multi-agent model for the HMS; (2) characterization of deadlock free conditions for task distribution and resource allocation; (3) a collaboration network formation process for coordination and negotiation among agents; and (4) a class of deadlock free task distribution and resource allocation algorithms based on deadlock free conditions.
Isolation and characterization of Bacillus thuringiensis from soils in contrasting agroecological zones of Ethiopia

Phenotypic and molecular methods were used to isolate and characterize B. thuringiensis from diverse agro-ecological zones of Ethiopia. Bioassays were used to test the insecticidal activity of B. thuringiensis strains against the major malaria vector, Anopheles arabiensis (Diptera). B. thuringiensis were isolated from 32% of the total 503 soil samples collected from the 16 agro-ecological zones. All sequenced isolates were 99%-100% identical to each other and to B. thuringiensis entries in Genbank. B. thuringiensis with similar 16S rRNA gene sequences from these different zones were characterized with regard to maximum growth rate and temperature optima for growth to test if there was local adaptation in these functional traits. The result showed a narrow temperature range around 30°C for maximal growth rate, and there were no significant differences between agro-ecological zones. Of 110 Bacillus thuringiensis isolates analyzed for the presence of crystal protein genes, 7 tested positive for cry 4, cry 11, and cyt toxin genes. Sequencing of these genes in positive strains demonstrated 99-100 % homology to known mosquitocidal cry and cyt genes in Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis. The present study shows that this biotechnologically important species is wide spread in Ethiopian soils and that it does not demonstrate local adaptation to temperature regimes, at least not for basic functions such as growth-temperature response. Our finding also pointed the potential for exploiting this species in vector control programs.
Specific Patterns of White Matter Alterations Help Distinguishing Alzheimer's and Vascular Dementia

Alzheimer disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD) together represent the majority of dementia cases. Since their neuropsychological profiles often overlap and white matter lesions are observed in elderly subjects including AD, differentiating between VaD and AD can be difficult. Characterization of these different forms of dementia would benefit by identification of quantitative imaging biomarkers specifically sensitive to AD or VaD. Parameters of microstructural abnormalities derived from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) have been reported to be helpful in differentiating between dementias, but only few studies have used them to compare AD and VaD with a voxelwise approach. Therefore, in this study a whole brain statistical analysis was performed on DTI data of 93 subjects (31 AD, 27 VaD, and 35 healthy controls—HC) to identify specific white matter patterns of alteration in patients affected by VaD and AD with respect to HC. Parahippocampal tracts were found to be mainly affected in AD, while VaD showed more spread white matter damages associated with thalamic radiations involvement. The genu of the corpus callosum was predominantly affected in VaD, while the splenium was predominantly affected in AD revealing the existence of specific patterns of alteration useful in distinguishing between VaD and AD. Therefore, DTI parameters of these regions could be informative to understand the pathogenesis and support the etiological diagnosis of dementia. Further studies on larger cohorts of subjects, characterized for brain amyloidosis, will allow to confirm and to integrate the present findings and, furthermore, to elucidate the mechanisms of mixed dementia. These steps will be essential to translate these advances to clinical practice.
Factors Associated with the Recent Increasing Cesarean Delivery Rate at a Japanese Perinatal Center

Objective. We examined which specific factors contributed to the increase in Cesarean delivery rate at our hospital over a 10-year period. Methods. From January 2002 to December 2012, data on the Japanese singleton deliveries at ≥22-week gestation managed at Japanese Red Cross Katsushika Maternity Hospital were collected. Potential factors associated with the increasing Cesarean delivery rate were selected according to previous studies. In this study, the incidences of intrauterine fetal demise, umbilical artery pH <7.1, and severe perineal laceration were calculated for each year. Results. The Cesarean delivery rate at our institution increased significantly during the study period (17.3% in 2002 versus 23.4% in 2012, P < 0.01). During the study period, the Cesarean delivery rates in the cases of nulliparity, preterm delivery, low birth weight (<2,500 g), previous Cesarean deliveries and breech presentation were increased significantly. The incidence of intrauterine fetal demise and low umbilical artery pH was significantly decreased, and a negative correlation was found between the Cesarean delivery rate and the incidence of low umbilical artery pH for each year (r = −0.92, P < 0.01). Conclusion. At our institute, the neonatal outcomes seemed to be improved associated with the increased Cesarean delivery rate between 2002 and 2012.
Context-Dependent Role of Mitochondrial Fusion-Fission in Clonal Expansion of mtDNA Mutations

The accumulation of mutant mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) molecules in aged cells has been associated with mitochondrial dysfunction, age-related diseases and the ageing process itself. This accumulation has been shown to often occur clonally, where mutant mtDNA grow in number and overpopulate the wild-type mtDNA. However, the cell possesses quality control (QC) mechanisms that maintain mitochondrial function, in which dysfunctional mitochondria are isolated and removed by selective fusion and mitochondrial autophagy (mitophagy), respectively. The aim of this study is to elucidate the circumstances related to mitochondrial QC that allow the expansion of mutant mtDNA molecules. For the purpose of the study, we have developed a mathematical model of mitochondrial QC process by extending our previous validated model of mitochondrial turnover and fusion-fission. A global sensitivity analysis of the model suggested that the selectivity of mitophagy and fusion is the most critical QC parameter for clearing de novo mutant mtDNA molecules. We further simulated several scenarios involving perturbations of key QC parameters to gain a better understanding of their dynamic and synergistic interactions. Our model simulations showed that a higher frequency of mitochondrial fusion-fission can provide a faster clearance of mutant mtDNA, but only when mutant–rich mitochondria that are transiently created are efficiently prevented from re-fusing with other mitochondria and selectively removed. Otherwise, faster fusion-fission quickens the accumulation of mutant mtDNA. Finally, we used the insights gained from model simulations and analysis to propose a possible circumstance involving deterioration of mitochondrial QC that permits mutant mtDNA to expand with age.
Muslim Marriages in the Western World: A Decade Review

This paper reviews research studies that have examined Muslim marriage trends in the western world for the past ten years (20052015). Studies were classified in six categories: 1) Impact of religiosity on marital relationship; 2) New forms of courtship and marriage in the Muslim community; 3) Women issues and marriage; 4) Appropriate marital instruments utilized in working with Muslims; 5) Counseling with Muslims; and 6) Marital quality. Important areas for future studies are
A metric entropy bound is not sufficient for learnability

The authors prove by means of a counterexample that it is not sufficient, for probably approximately correct (PAC) learning under a class of distributions, to have a uniform bound on the metric entropy of the class of concepts to be learned. This settles a conjecture of Benedek and Itai (1991). >
Cross-validation based adaptation for regularization operators in learning theory

We consider learning algorithms induced by regularization methods in the regression setting. We show that previously obtained error bounds for these algorithms, using a priori choices of the regularization parameter, can be attained using a suitable a posteriori choice based on cross-validation. In particular, these results prove adaptation of the rate of convergence of the estimators to the minimax rate induced by the "effective dimension" of the problem. We also show universal consistency for this broad class of methods which includes regularized least-squares, truncated SVD, Landweber iteration and ν-method.