Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multi-Object Tracking and Identification via Particle Filtering over Sets

The ability for an information-fusion system to track and identify potentially multiple objects in a dynamic environment is essential for many applications, such as automated surveillance, traffic monitoring, human-robot interaction, etc. The main challenge is due to the noisy and incomplete perception including inevitable false negative and false positive errors, usually originated from some low-level sensors or detectors. To address this challenge, we propose a novel particle filtering over sets based approach to multi-object tracking and identification. We model the multi-object tracking problem as a hidden Markov model with states and observations represented as finite sets. We then develop motion and observation functions accordingly, and do the inference via particle filtering. The corresponding object identification problem is then formulated and solved by using the expectation-maximization method. The set formulation enables us to avoid directly performing observation-to-object association. We empirically confirm that the proposed algorithm outperforms the state-of-the-art in a popular PETS dataset.
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF USING SWEDISH WEIGHT SOUNDING FOR LIQUEFACTION ASSESSMENT

Liquefaction resistance of soils can be evaluated either by laboratory or in-situ tests. The most common in-situ tests are CPT, SPT, Shear-wave Velocity measurement, and BPT. At the previous work of the authors, the SWST was used for liquefaction assessment of a susceptible area in the south of Iran. The procedure of such an analysis is based on the indirect use of SWST results through correlating them to CPT and/or SPT. This approach has its advantages and disadvantages. It is concluded that SWST can be used as a rapid low-cost test for liquefaction assessment either in preliminary assessments of ground in large projects or independently for liquefaction hazard analysis of low-budget small projects.
URBAN SPRAWL PATTERNS WITH THE COSTS OF PROVIDING PUBLIC SERVICES : A TIME SERIES ANALYSIS

The aims of this paper is to show the relationship between the dynamics of urban growth patterns and the public costs necessary to provide public services in order to find out if the different urban forms may affect local public spending. The case study area is located in the central area of the Veneto Region, it covers an area of about 3,700 square km and it is composed by 145 municipalities, which are part of the administrative provincial territory of Padua, Treviso, Venice and Vicenza. Our paper aims to compare the costs of public services coming from the annual balance sheets of the different municipalities included in our sample with urban growth dynamics based on two different temporal patterns (1998, 2007). Geographical elaborations are obtained with unsupervised analysis of satellite images; the multitemporal analysis integrates the data of Landsat images classification and of Cartographic land cover of the Veneto Region.
Effects of Shipping-originated Aerosols on Physical Cloud Properties over Marine Areas near East China

Shipping emissions have received increasing attention due to their influence on regional climate, and air quality at ports and in coastal areas around the world. In the context of climatology, the effects of shipping-originated aerosols (using the aerosol optical depth, AODship, as a proxy) on clouds in marine areas near East China were examined based on multi-satellite datasets. On average, AODship is approximately 0.17, 0.20, 0.15 and 0.13 in the different seasons, contributing 23%, 30%, 36% and 25% of the total AOD, respectively. In remote sea areas, AODship is generally higher in spring and summer and lower in autumn. Statistical analysis shows that it is strongly related to the cloud parameters, such as the cloud fraction (CF), cloud optical thickness (COT) and cloud effective radius (CER) in the liquid phase. In particular, CER and AODship exhibit a positive correlation in winter but a weakly negative correlation in summer over the northern East China Sea and a positive correlation in spring and summer over the Yellow Sea. In all four seasons, COT and CF decrease as AODship increases. The correlations between AODship and the cloud properties are stronger (R > 0.3) when the aerosol-cloud layers are well mixed than when they are separated, indicating that shipping-originated aerosols drawn into the cloud body can directly affect the microphysical properties of cloud droplets during cloud formation. The water vapor content and upward air motion are key thermodynamic conditions within the low atmospheric layers under the cloud bottom that play an important role in cloud formation and development. Our results provide new insight into the influence of shipping emissions on clouds in Asian marine areas.
Labor Statistics Office of Prices and Living Conditions The Double EMG Distribution and Trade Elasticities

Using Brazilian export data that, unlike many trade data sets, keep a full record of small export sales, this paper reconsiders trade elasticities and the welfare gains from trade. Using the Brazilian data, this paper provides novel evidence on the properties of the distributions of log-export sales and shows that the Double Exponentially Modified Gaussian (EMG) distribution parsimoniously captures these properties. Using the Double EMG distribution in a standard monopolistic competition model of trade, this paper demonstrates that data truncation, that is prevalent in many data sets, leads to an upward bias in measuring the partial elasticity of trade with respect to variable trade costs. This bias subsequently leads to the underestimation of the gains from trade by 1% to 9% depending on the extent of data truncation, a range that is commensurate with typical economic growth and large booms.
S IMULATING THE INFLUENCE OF SEA-SURFACE-TEMPERATURE ( SST ) ON TROPICAL CYCLONES OVER S OUTH-W EST I NDIAN OCEAN , USING THE UEMS-WRF REGIONAL CLIMATE MODEL

Tropical cyclones remain a major threat to the lives, property and economy of communities around the South West Indian ocean, notably Southern Africa and Madagascar. Tropical cyclones occur quite frequently around this region, hence the need to be adequately prepared for the impact of climate variability and climate change on them. Previous studies have shown that global warming due to anthropogenic forces may lead to an increase in the frequency of occurrence of tropical cyclones within the region. However, there is little work done regarding the impact of this on the intensity of tropical cyclones formed. This study uses the weather research forecast (WRF) model to perform a series of simulations for tropical cyclone Enawo with the aim of investigating the effect of an increase or decrease (by 2◦C) in sea surface temperature (SST) on the intensity of the tropical cyclone (using windspeed, precipitation and pressure as measures of cyclone intensity). The experiment uses the data from European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) ERA5 re-analysis dataset to validate the results of the WRF model which was ran using boundary conditions data from climate forecast system reanalysis (CFSR). The results indicate that the WRF model performs reasonably well in simulating the track and windspeed of the tropical cyclone, when compared to observational data. In simulating the tropical cyclone, the WRF model shows that an increase in the SST by 2◦C generally increases the intensity of the tropical cyclone formed. This is evident in the increasing maximum precipitation rate as well as windspeed, and decreasing minimum pressure. An increase in SST also causes the emergence of a second low pressure system. On the other hand, a decrease in the SST by 2◦C leads to a minute effect in the intensity but generally acts to decrease it. This results in a smoother track path for the tropical cyclone, a decrease in the maximum precipitation rate and windspeed, and an increase in the surface pressure. The results of this study have shown that increasing the global temperature by around 2◦C violation of the Paris Accord would lead to more violent and unpredictable tropical cyclones within the South West Indian ocean, and hence more destruction and loss of lives.
Understanding how awareness of a fashion company ’ s social sustainability practices influences consumers ’ perception of brand image , as compared to one ’ s interest in fashion

Sustainability in relation to fashion has been a hot topic for many years, and especially the social consequences of apparel produced under sweatshop conditions has caused major scandals, and has become an enormous concern for consumers. Many fashion companies have taken measures to reduce their negative impact, but have been reluctant to communicate these efforts to their consumers, and are therefore described as ‘muted sustainable’ fashion brands. This paper aims to explore how awareness of a fashion company’s muted social sustainability practices in comparison to one’s interest in fashion affects consumers’ perception of brand image. Based on this, this paper’s purpose is to see how important consumers perceive social sustainability practices of fashion companies, and in turn to find out whether fashion companies should start communicating these practices. Further, the relationship between consumers’ perception of brand image and awareness of a company’s muted social sustainability practices is analyzed to see if it is affected by a person’s environmental and social sustainability concern. This paper examines consumers’ perception of the brand image of a chosen ‘muted sustainable’ fashion company, namely: Acne Studios. Questionnaire responses from 172 consumers were analyzed, confirming the influence of both awareness of a fashion company’s muted social sustainability practices and one's interest in fashion on the perception of the brand image of Acne Studios. The results show that awareness of a fashion company’s muted social sustainability practices and one’s interest in fashion are almost equally important in explaining consumers’ perception of brand image. Implications are concerned with the importance of fashion companies to communicate their sustainability efforts in order to increase awareness on these matters amongst consumers, and thus enhance brand image.
Ocena parametrów mechanicznych historycznych murów poprzez badania eksperymentalne w kontek ś cie ich konserwacji konstrukcyjnej Assessing mechanical parameters of historical masonry structures through experimental testing in relation to structural conservation work

The paper is concerned with the use of experimental testing for determining the mechanical parameters and static behaviour of historical masonry structures. The paper discusses simple compression tests, shear test between layers, diagonal compression and shear-compression tests. Experiments are described in both laboratory and in situ conditions. The historical context and the most signi ﬁ cant research programs are reviewed. The algorithm used in each test is described, along with the instrumentation and apparatus needed for conducting the test. The mathematical relationships used to estimate the mechanical parameters on the basis of experimental results are presented. The utility and bene ﬁ ts of experimental testing and the importance of laboratory work is emphasized as a basis for identifying research and development priorities. The case is made for archiving and making available experimental results as a basis for the development of more effective interventions in the future. The dif ﬁ culties and challenges related to using data from experimental testing are also discussed.
Effect of low and moderate aerobic training on appetite and Plasma Ghrelin level in obese sedentary women

The purpose of this study was to compare aerobic exercises with low and moderate intensity on plasma acyl gherlin changes in obese females. 16 rather obese women were randomly selected and divided into into four groups: 1) High weight with low exercise (45.75± 6.75 yrs, BMI: 29.21±0.5Kg/m), 2) Obese with moderate exercise (47.12 ± 4.12 yrs, BMI: 29.59 ± 0.127 Kg/m). All groups practiced running 8 weeks (3 sessions per week), 30 minutes with 50% MHR and low groups practiced the same exercise with 60% MHR. Data were analyzed by T test at 0.05 level. In both groups, plasma acylated ghrelin level increased (P<0.05). Moreover, there was only a significant difference in changes of the appetite and plasma acylated ghrelin level between 4 th and 8 th week of training (P<0.05). [Khalil Zadeh M, Ghahramani M, Salehian MH, Shirmohammadzadeh M. Effect of low and moderate aerobic training on appetite and Plasma Ghrelin level in obese sedentary women. Life Sci J 2013;10(6s):301-307] (ISSN:1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite. com. 47 Kew words: exercise intensity, acylated ghrelin, appetite, obese women
Models in print advertisements modulate attention : insights from an eye tracking study

Model‟s faces are often used in advertising. A large amount of literature in psychology and neurosciences demonstrates that attention is preferentially oriented towards face. This stimulus is fixed longer and processed faster compared to other classes of visual stimuli (objects). Furthermore, eyes are the most attended face feature. They convey a wealth of information about other‟s attention and intention. Attention is automatically oriented to detect and follow gaze direction. For example a direct gaze towards the viewer can be used to focus observer‟s attention on a face, whereas an averted gaze can be used to direct observer‟s attention to an object or a point in space. Several studies demonstrate the role of gaze cues in orienting observer‟s cognitive processes. In marketing, little is known about gaze direction effect on consumer attention and memory towards advertisement. This paper aims to examine the influence of model‟s gaze direction in print advertisements on observer‟s responses. Sixty four adults participated in an eye-tracking experiment. Participants were asked to read an on-screen magazine containing advertisements. All participants showed three experimental conditions (within-subjects design): no face condition, the model‟s-gaze-at-observer condition (direct gaze), and the model‟s-gaze-at-product condition (averted gaze). Results showed that attention towards the ads is stronger in face condition (vs. no face condition) and in averted gaze condition (vs. direct gaze). Moreover averted gaze, relative to direct gaze, increased recall and recognition of executional elements. The present study demonstrates that advertisers should consider the “eye contact effect” in their ads.
Hypertonic saline reduces lipopolysaccharide-induced mouse brain edema through inhibiting aquaporin 4 expression

Introduction: Three percent sodium chloride (NaCl) treatment has been shown to reduce brain edema and inhibited brain aquaporin 4 (AQP4) expression in bacterial meningitis induced by Escherichia coli. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is the main pathogenic component of E. coli. We aimed to explore the effect of 3% NaCl in mouse brain edema induced by LPS, as well as to elucidate the potential mechanisms of action. Methods: Three percent NaCl was used to treat cerebral edema induced by LPS in mice in vivo. Brain water content, IL-1b, TNFa, immunoglobulin G (IgG), AQP4 mRNA and protein were measured in brain tissues. IL-1b, 3% NaCl and calphostin C (a specific inhibitor of protein kinase C) were used to treat the primary astrocytes in vitro. AQP4 mRNA and protein were measured in astrocytes. Differences in various groups were determined by one-way analysis of variance. Results: Three percent NaCl attenuated the increase of brain water content, IL-1b, TNFa, IgG, AQP4 mRNA and protein in brain tissues induced by LPS. Three percent NaCl inhibited the increase of AQP4 mRNA and protein in astrocytes induced by IL-1b in vitro. Calphostin C blocked the decrease of AQP4 mRNA and protein in astrocytes induced by 3% NaCl in vitro. Conclusions: Osmotherapy with 3% NaCl ameliorated LPS-induced cerebral edema in vivo. In addition to its osmotic force, 3% NaCl exerted anti-edema effects possibly through down-regulating the expression of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1b and TNFa) and inhibiting the expression of AQP4 induced by proinflammatory cytokines. Three percent NaCl attenuated the expression of AQP4 through activation of protein kinase C in astrocytes.
OcamlP 3 l 2 . 0 : User Manual

Writing parallel programs is not easy, and debugging them is usually a nightmare. To cope with these difficulties, a structured approach to parallel programs using skeletons and template based compiler techniques has been developed over the past years by several researchers, including the p3l group in Pisa. This approach is based on the use of a set of predefined patterns for parallel computation which are really just functionals implemented via templates exploiting the underlying parallelism, so it is natural to ask whether marrying a real functional language like Ocaml with the p3l skeletons can be the basis of a powerful parallel programming environment. The OcamlP3l prototype described in this document shows that this is the case. The prototype, written entirely in Ocaml using a limited form of closure passing, allows a very simple and clean programming style, shows real speed-up over a network of workstations and as an added fundamental bonus allows logical debugging of a user parallel program in a sequential framework without changing the user code.
The Serum Sodium , Potassium and Calcium Levels in Children 659 Months of Age with Severe Acute Malnutrition

Aim: To study the serum sodium, potassium and calcium levels in cases of SAM and their comparison in cases with and without diarrhea Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in the pediatric unit II, Bahawal Victoria Hospital, Bahawalpur from January 2016 to June 2016 in children having age between 6 to 59 months admitting with a diagnosis of SAM. The patients were divided into two groups, Group A with diarrhea and group B without diarrhea. Blood was taken for serum sodium, potassium and calcium. Results: 100 patients were included. Their mean±SD age in months was 23.56±3.80. 62% were males. Serum sodium (mean±SD) was 138.46±4.14 mmol/L, potassium 3.961±0.691 mmol/L and calcium 8.359±0.61 mg/dl. 67 cases presented with (Group A) while 33 without diarrhea (Group B). The serum sodium (mean±SD) was 138.51±4.22 mmol/L in group A while 138.36± 4.05 in group B (p 0.1), the potassium 3.89±0.67 in group A while 4.1±0.72 in group B (p 0.009) and calcium (mg/dL) 8.39±0.6 in group A while 8.34 ±0.73 mg/dL in group B (0.71). There was isolated hyponatremia in 10.4% cases in group A and 9.1% in group B (p 0.83) while isolated hypokalemia in 26.9% cases in group A and 18.2% in group B (p 0.34). Conclusion: Electrolytes disturbances are common in SAM with or without diarrhea.
HIGH-TECHNOLOGY EXPORTS AND ECONOMIC GROWTH : PANEL DATA ANALYSIS FOR SELECTED OECD COUNTRIES 1

This paper uses a panel cointegration model to analyse the long-term relationship between high-technology exports and economic growth in selected OECD countries in the period from 1989 to 2015. We used high-technology exports (current US$) as the dependent variable and the GDP growth rate, FDI (foreign direct investment), application of patents by residents, and gross capital formation % of GDP as explanatory variables. The export structure of countries is moving increasingly towards technology-intensive products such as ICT (information and communications technology), aerospace, computing and office equipment, electronics, chemical products, pharmaceuticals, and electrical machinery. The export structure has played an important role in the economic growth theories of many countries since the 1960s, as export growth has been associated with faster productivity and GDP growth. We aimed to find out the relationship between high-technology exports and the explanatory variables which we listed for 14 selected OECD countries (Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Korea, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, Turkey, the UK, and the USA). According to our empirical results, there is a long-term relationship between high-technology exports and economic growth in selected OECD countries. The empirical results show that an improvement in patent applications and foreign direct investment play a decisive role in upgrading selected OECD countries’ hightech exports, while growth rate and investment play a negative role in enhancing these countries’ high-tech exports.
Wpływ sprawności funkcjonowania pamięci roboczej na powstawanie fałszywych wspomnień

The aim of this experiment was to determine how the proficiency of working memory functions (WM) influences the tendency to create false memories. The DRM paradigm (Deese, 1959; Roediger, McDermot, 1995, adapted culturally) was used to operationalize the term “false memory”. The WM functions were defined after Miyake and Shah (1999) as (1) alternating attention, (2) content updating and (3) reaction inhibition. 94 subjects were tested (students of University of Łódź, ages 19–26 (M = 20; SD = 1,735)). SWATT and MEMATT tests were used to measure the aspects of the WM and DRM related words lists were used to test the false memories creation. The results positively verified the hypothesis, that the WM’s proficiency substantially influences the amount of false memories created, as it determined the decision making strategies. The subjects with the reflexive strategy scored less false memory markers and more omission errors than those with the impulsive strategy. This result can be explained by deeper information processing in subjects who use the reflexive decision making strategies (Craik, Lockhart, 1972). Utilizing the reflexive strategy was recognized as the correct way of redistributing the WM’s resources (Kahneman, 1973). Also a regression model was created that suggested a 45.5% drop of false memory errors if the impulsive strategy was to be replaced by a more reflexive one.
Understanding and Modeling On-Die Error Correction in Modern DRAM: An Experimental Study Using Real Devices

Experimental characterization of DRAM errors is a powerful technique for understanding DRAM behavior and provides valuable insights for improving overall system performance, energy efficiency, and reliability. Unfortunately, recent DRAM technology scaling issues are forcing manufacturers to adopt on-die error-correction codes (ECC), which pose a significant challenge for DRAM error characterization studies by obfuscating raw error distributions using undocumented, proprietary, and opaque error-correction hardware. As we show in this work, errors observed in devices with on-die ECC no longer follow expected, well-studied distributions (e.g., lognormal retention times) but rather depend on the particular ECC scheme used.