Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Facial Recognition Using Multisensor Images Based on Localized Kernel Eigen Spaces

A feature selection technique along with an information fusion procedure for improving the recognition accuracy of a visual and thermal image-based facial recognition system is presented in this paper. A novel modular kernel eigenspaces approach is developed and implemented on the phase congruency feature maps extracted from the visual and thermal images individually. Smaller sub-regions from a predefined neighborhood within the phase congruency images of the training samples are merged to obtain a large set of features. These features are then projected into higher dimensional spaces using kernel methods. The proposed localized nonlinear feature selection procedure helps to overcome the bottlenecks of illumination variations, partial occlusions, expression variations and variations due to temperature changes that affect the visual and thermal face recognition techniques. AR and Equinox databases are used for experimentation and evaluation of the proposed technique. The proposed feature selection procedure has greatly improved the recognition accuracy for both the visual and thermal images when compared to conventional techniques. Also, a decision level fusion methodology is presented which along with the feature selection procedure has outperformed various other face recognition techniques in terms of recognition accuracy.
Establishing Laws and Policies on Parent to Child Violence in Finland 1965–1983

This study explores perceptions of parent to child violence, the arguments for imposing legal regulation, and the intended objectives of the legislative process that led to a ban in Finland in 1983. This qualitative policy analysis examines policy documents alongside expert interviews with professional on the legislative process. The example of Finland shows that a significant change in attitudes and decreased levels of violence towards children can be achieved without the threat of legal punishment, even without specific intervention policies. However, the study emphasises the importance of establishing clear practices alongside altering legislation which has been inadequate in Finland.
Neural Substrates Mediating Human Delay and Trace Fear Conditioning

Previous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies with human subjects have explored the neural substrates involved in forming associations in Pavlovian fear conditioning. Most of these studies used delay procedures, in which the conditioned stimulus (CS) and unconditioned stimulus (UCS) coterminate. Less is known about brain regions that support trace conditioning, a procedure in which an interval of time (trace interval) elapses between CS termination and UCS onset. Previous work suggests significant overlap in the neural circuitry supporting delay and trace fear conditioning, although trace conditioning requires recruitment of additional brain regions. In the present event-related fMRI study, skin conductance and continuous measures of UCS expectancy were recorded concurrently with whole-brain blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) imaging during direct comparison of delay and trace discrimination learning. Significant activation was observed within the visual cortex for all CSs. Anterior cingulate and medial thalamic activity reflected associative learning common to both delay and trace procedures. Activations within the supplementary motor area (SMA), frontal operculum, middle frontal gyri, and inferior parietal lobule were specifically associated with trace interval processing. The hippocampus displayed BOLD signal increases early in training during all conditions; however, differences were observed in hippocampal response magnitude related to the accuracy of predicting UCS presentations. These results demonstrate overlapping patterns of activation within the anterior cingulate, medial thalamus, and visual cortex during delay and trace procedures, with additional recruitment of the hippocampus, SMA, frontal operculum, middle frontal gyrus, and inferior parietal lobule during trace conditioning. These data suggest that the hippocampus codes temporal information during trace conditioning, whereas brain regions supporting working memory processes maintain the CS-UCS representation during the trace interval.
Promoting Self-Directed Learning in Simulation-Based Discovery Learning Environments Through Intelligent Support

Providing learners with computer-generated feedback on their learning process in simulation-based discovery environments cannot be based on a detailed model of the learning process due to the “open” character of discovery learning. This paper describes a method for generating adaptive feedback for discovery learning based on an “opportunistic” learning model that takes the current hypothesis of the learner and the experiments performed to test this hypothesis as input. The method was applied in a simulation–based learning environment in the physics domain of collisions. Additionally, the method was compared to an environment in which subjects received predefined feedback on their hypotheses, not taking the experimentation behavior into account. Results showed that overall both groups did not differ on knowledge acquired. A further analysis indicated that, in their learning processes, the learners in the experimental condition built upon their intuitive knowledge base, whereas the learners in the control condition built upon their conceptual knowledge base. In addition, measures of the learning process showed that the subjects in the experimental condition adopted a more inquiry-based learning strategy compared to the subjects in the control condition. We concluded, therefore, that providing learners with adaptive feedback had a different and beneficial effect on the learning process compared to more traditional predefined feedback.
Analysis of Radiosonde and Ground-Based Remotely Sensed PWV Data from the 2004 North Slope of Alaska Arctic Winter Radiometric Experiment

During 9 March–9 April 2004, the North Slope of Alaska Arctic Winter Radiometric Experiment was conducted at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program’s (ARM) “Great White” field site near Barrow, Alaska. The major goals of the experiment were to compare microwave and millimeter wavelength radiometers and to develop forward models in radiative transfer, all with a focus on cold (temperature from 0° to 40°C) and dry [precipitable water vapor (PWV) 0.5 cm] conditions. To supplement the remote sensors, several radiosonde packages were deployed: Vaisala RS90 launched at the ARM Duplex and at the Great White and Sippican VIZ-B2 operated by the NWS. In addition, eight dual-radiosonde launches were conducted at the Duplex with Vaisala RS90 and Sippican GPS Mark II, the latter one modified to include a chilled mirror humidity sensor. Temperature comparisons showed a nighttime bias between VIZ-B2 and RS90, which reached 3.5°C at 30 hPa. Relative humidity comparisons indicated better than 5% average agreement between the RS90 and the chilled mirror. A bias of about 20% for the upper troposphere was found in the VIZ-B2 and the Mark II measurements relative to both RS90 and the chilled mirror. Comparisons in PWV were made between a microwave radiometer, a microwave profiler, a global positioning system receiver, and the radiosonde types. An RMS agreement of 0.033 cm was found between the radiometer and the profiler and better than 0.058 cm between the radiometers and GPS. RS90 showed a daytime dry bias on PWV of about 0.02 cm.
Bosentan therapy for portopulmonary hypertension

The dual endothelin receptor antagonist bosentan has been approved in several countries for pulmonary arterial hypertension, and patients with portopulmonary hypertension (PPHTN) have not specifically been excluded. However, no data have been published on the efficacy and safety of bosentan in this patient population. Here, the first clinical experiences with bosentan in patients with Child A cirrhosis and severe PPHTN are reported. In total, 11 consecutive patients with cirrhosis and severe PPHTN in New York Heart Association Functional Classes III and IV were treated for >1 yr with bosentan. After 1 yr of treatment with bosentan, all patients showed improved symptoms and exercise capacity. The 6-min walking distance increased from 310±102 m at baseline to 388±81 m at 1 yr. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing disclosed a significant increase in peak oxygen uptake, from 12.6±3.5 to 16.6±2.8 mL·min−1·kg−1. Pulmonary vascular resistance fell from 944±519 to 635±321 dynes·s·L−1. The medication was well tolerated by all patients, and there was no evidence of drug-related liver injury. In conclusion, bosentan proved to be efficacious and safe in a small number of patients with portopulmonary hypertension.
Complexity Matters: On Gender Agreement in Heritage Scandinavian

This paper investigates aspects of the noun phrase from a Scandinavian heritage language perspective, with an emphasis on noun phrase-internal gender agreement and noun declension. Our results are somewhat surprising compared with earlier research: We find that noun phrase-internal agreement for the most part is rather stable. To the extent that we find attrition, it affects agreement in the noun phrase, but not the declension of the noun. We discuss whether this means that gender is lost and has been reduced to a pure declension class, or whether gender is retained. We argue that gender is actually retained in these heritage speakers. One argument for this is that the speakers who lack agreement in complex noun phrases, have agreement intact in simpler phrases. We have thus found that the complexity of the noun phrase is crucial for some speakers. However, among the heritage speakers we also find considerable inter-individual variation, and different speakers can have partly different systems.
PARADIGMA MENINGKATKAN MUTU PENDIDIKAN PADA LPTK

Kinerja Lembaga Pendidikan Tenaga Kependidikan (LPTK) harus selalu mengacu pada kualitas yan berkelanjutan, yang dilandasi oleh kreativitas. Kualitas bukan saja input, tetapi juga proses dan keluaran. Hal ini dimaksud agar keluaran tersebut dapat bersaing dengan lulusan perguruan tingggi lainnya sehingga cepat terserap oleh pasar kerja. Demi terbentuknnya pendidikan yang bermutu di LPTK, diperlukan paradigma baru dalam pelaksanaan pendidikan di LPTK. Hal ini penting karena dibutuhkan LPTK yang memiliki daya saing untuk bersaing menghasilkan kependidikan yang bermutu di dunia pendidikan.
Cytokeratin No. 9, an epidermal type I keratin characteristic of a special program of keratinocyte differentiation displaying body site specificity

Plantar epidermis of the bovine heel pad as well as human plantar and palmar epidermis contain large amounts of an acidic (type I) keratin polypeptide (No. 9) of Mr 64,000 which so far has not been found in epidermis of other sites of the body. We present evidence for the keratinous nature of this protein, including its ability to form cytokeratin complexes and intermediate-sized filaments in vitro. We have isolated RNA from plantar epidermis of both species and show, using translation in vitro, that these polypeptides are genuine products of distinct mRNAs. Using immunofluorescence microscopy with specific antibodies against this protein, we demonstrate its location in most cells of suprabasal layers of plantar epidermis as well as in sparse keratinocytes which occur, individually or in small clusters, in upper layers of epidermis of other body locations. We conclude that cytokeratin No. 9 is characteristic of a special program of keratinocyte differentiation which during morphogenesis is expressed in most epidermal keratinocytes of soles and palms but only in a few keratinocytes at other body sites. This example of cell type-specific expression of a member of a multigene family in relation to a body site- related program of tissue differentiation raises important biological questions concerning the regulation of keratinocyte differentiation and morphogenesis as well as the function of such topological heterogeneity within a given type of tissue.
A study of the double-acceptor level of the silicon divacancy in a proton irradiated n-channel CCD

Radiation damage effects are problematic for space-based detectors. Highly energetic particles, predominantly from the sun can damage a detector and reduce its operational lifetime. For an image sensor such as a Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) impinging particles can potentially displace silicon atoms from the CCD lattice, creating defects which can trap signal charge and degrade an image through smearing. This paper presents a study of one energy level of the silicon divacancy defect using the technique of single trap-pumping on a proton irradiated n-channel CCD. The technique allows for the study of individual defects at a sub-pixel level, providing highly accurate data on defect parameters. Of particular importance when concerned with CCD performance is the emission time-constant of a defect level, which is the time-scale for which it can trap a signal charge. The trap-pumping technique is a direct probe of individual defect emission time-constants in a CCD, allowing for them to be studied with greater precision than possible with other defect analysis techniques such as deep-level transient spectroscopy on representative materials.
Regularized High-Dimensional Sparse Regression

In this project, we discuss high-dimensional regression, where the dimension of the multivariate distribution is larger than the sample size, i.e. d n. With the assumption of sparse structure of the underlying multivariate distribution, we take the advantage of the `1 regularized method for parameter estimation. There are two major problems that will be discussed in this project: (1) a family of Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (Lasso) type high-dimensional sparse regression methods (FLARE), including Least Absolute Deviation (LAD) Lasso, Square Root (SQRT) Lasso, `q norm loss Lasso and Dantzig selector; (2) precision matrix estimation with the Constrained `1 Minimization Approach to Sparse Precision Matrix Estimation (CLIME) and TuningInsensitive Approach for Optimally Estimating Gaussian Graphical Models (TIGER) respectively. We apply several different numerical algorithms to solve the proposed problems above. They are mainly Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers (ADMM) with convergence rate O(1/t) and the Monotone Fast Iterative Soft-thresholding Algorithm (MFISTA) with convergence rate O(1/t2), where t is the number of iterations. For CLIME and TIGER, we adopt a hybrid ADMM (HADM) which combines coordinate descent for fast convergence and linearization for stable estimation. For FLARE, we adopt both ADMM and MFISTA for LAD Lasso and SWRT Lasso combining dual smoothing, and we adopt ADMM for `q Lasso and Dantzig selector due to the different constraint of Dantzig selector and special non-smoothness form of `q Lasso. Especially for `q Lasso, we apply two root finding procedures to obtain its numerical estimation. Empirically, we conduct numerical experiments on both simulated and real data sets to illustrate the efficiency of our proposed method.
Folate receptor-targeted liposomes enhanced the antitumor potency of imatinib through the combination of active targeting and molecular targeting

Purpose Imatinib inhibits platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR), and evidence shows that PDGFR participates in the development and progression of cervical cancer. Although imatinib has exhibited preclinical activity against cervical cancer, only minimal clinical therapeutic efficacy was observed. This poor therapeutic efficacy may be due to insufficient drug delivery to the tumor cells and plasma protein binding. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore a novel folate receptor (FR)-targeted delivery system via imatinib-loaded liposomes to enhance drug delivery to tumor cells and to reduce plasma protein binding. Methods Imatinib was remote-loaded into FR-targeted liposomes which were prepared by thin film hydration followed by polycarbonate membrane extrusion. Encapsulation efficiency, mean size diameter, and drug retention were characterized and cellular uptake, cell cytotoxicity, and cell apoptosis on cervical cancer HeLa cells were evaluated. Comparative pharmacokinetic studies were also carried out with FR-targeted imatinib liposomes, simple imatinib liposomes, and free imatinib. Results High encapsulation efficiency (>90%), appropriate mean particle size (143.5 nm), and zeta potential (−15.97 mV) were obtained for FR-targeted imatinib liposomes. The drug release profile showed minimal imatinib leakage (<5%) in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) at pH =7.4 within 72 hours of incubation, while more leakage (>25%) was observed in PBS at pH =5.5. This indicates that these liposomes possess a certain degree of pH sensitivity. Cytotoxicity assays demonstrated that the FR-targeted imatinib liposomes promoted a six-fold IC50 reduction on the non-targeted imatinib liposomes from 910 to 150 μM. In addition, FR-targeted imatinib liposomes enhanced HeLa cell apoptosis in vitro compared to the non-targeted imatinib liposomes. Pharmacokinetic parameters indicated that both targeted and non-targeted liposomes exhibited long circulation properties in Kunming mice. Conclusion These findings indicate that the nano-sized FR-targeted PDGFR antagonist imatinib liposomes may constitute a promising strategy in cervical cancer therapy through the combination of active targeting and molecular targeting.
Over-Interpreting Functional Neuroimages

Cognitive neuroscientists use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure properties of a participant’s brain during a cognitive task. These imaging results are transformed into compelling pictures of brain activity using statistical models. I will argue that, for a broad class of experiments, neuroimaging experts have a tendency to over‐interpret the functional significance of their data. This over‐interpretation appears to follow from contentious theoretical assumptions about the mind‐brain connection, and from a propensity to conflate the anatomical location of a statistically‐significant correlation with knowledge of the mechanistic functioning at that location.
The state of course learning outcomes at leading universities

ABSTRACT Within higher education, the importance of learning outcomes has become well-established. They are expected to guide the teaching and learning process, assessment, and curriculum development, while at the same time act as foundational elements to transitions towards national qualifications frameworks, competency-based education, and international partnerships such as the Bologna agreement. However, as essential as learning outcomes have become, very little is known about the quality of learning outcomes within courses. Through a content analysis of publicly available syllabi, this paper examines course learning outcomes from some of the leading teaching universities in the world. Results of this exploratory study indicate that the quality of learning outcomes is quite poor, and that a great deal of work is required until most outcomes would be aligned with internationally accepted best practices.
Reducing the SLAM drift error propagation using sparse but accurate 3D models for augmented reality applications

SLAM is the generic name given to the class of methods allowing to incrementally build a 3D representation of an environment while simultaneously using this map to localize a mobile system evolving within this environment. Though quite a mature field, several scientific problems remain open and particularly the reduction of drift. Drift is inherent to SLAM since the task is fundamentally incremental and errors in model estimation are cumulative. In this paper we suggest to take advantage from sparse but accurate knowledge of the environment to periodically reinitialize the system, thus stopping the drift. As it may be of interest in a Augmented reality context, we show this knowledge can be propagated to past estimations through bundle adjustment and present three different strategies to perform this propagation. Experiments carried out in an urban environment are described and demonstrate the efficiency of our approach.
Parameters for Topic Boundary Detection in Multi-Party Dialogues

We present a topic boundary detection method that searches for connections between sequences of utterances in multi party dialogues. The connections are established based on word identity. We compare our method to a state-of-the art automatic Topic boundary detection method that was also used on multi party dialogues. We checked various methods of preprocessing of the data, including stemming, lemmatization and stopword filtering with a text-based as well as speech-based stopword lists. Using standard evaluation methods we found that our method outperformed the state-of-the art method.
Measurement of the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich increment in massive galaxy clusters

We have detected the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) increment at 850µm in two galaxy clus- ters (Cl0016 + 16 and MS1054.4 0321) using SCUBA (Sub-millimetre Common User Bolometer Array) on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope. Fits to the isothermalmodel yield a central Compton y parameter of (2.2 ± 0.7) × 10 4 and a central 850µm flux of �I0 = 2.2 ± 0.7 mJy beam 1 in Cl0016. This can be combined with decrement measure- ments to infer y = (2.38± 0.36 0.34 ) × 10 4 and vpec = 400± 1900 1400 km s 1 . In MS1054 we find a peak850µm flux ofI0 = 2.0±1.0 mJy beam 1 andy = (2.0±1.0)×10 4 . To be success- ful such measurements require large chop throws and non-standard data analysis techniques. In particular, the 450µm data are used to remove atmospheric variations in the 850µm data. An explicit annular model is fit to the SCUBA difference data i n order to extract the radial profile, and separately fit to the model differences to minimi ze the effect of correlations in- duced by our scanning strategy. We have demonstrated that with sufficient care, SCUBA can be used to measure the SZ increment in massive, compact galaxy clusters.
A Near-Optimal Linear Crosstalk Canceler for Upstream VDSL

Crosstalk is the major source of performance degradation in VDSL. Several crosstalk cancelers have been proposed to address this. Unfortunately, they suffer from error propagation, high complexity, and long latency. This paper presents a simple, linear zero-forcing (ZF) crosstalk canceler. This design has a low complexity and no latency and does not suffer from error propagation. Furthermore, due to the well-conditioned structure of the VDSL channel matrix, the ZF design causes negligible noise enhancement. A lower bound on the performance of the linear ZF canceler is derived. This allows performance to be predicted without explicit knowledge of the crosstalk channels, which simplifies service provisioning considerably. This bound shows that the linear ZF canceler operates close to the single-user bound. Therefore, the linear ZF canceler is a low-complexity, low-latency design with predictable near-optimal performance. The combination of spectral optimization and crosstalk cancellation is also considered. Spectra optimization in a multiaccess channel generally involves a complex optimization problem. Since the linear ZF canceler decouples transmission on each line, the spectrum on each modem can be optimized independently, leading to a significant reduction in complexity