Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Bi-Directional Message Passing Model for Salient Object Detection

Recent progress on salient object detection is beneficial from Fully Convolutional Neural Network (FCN). The saliency cues contained in multi-level convolutional features are complementary for detecting salient objects. How to integrate multi-level features becomes an open problem in saliency detection. In this paper, we propose a novel bi-directional message passing model to integrate multi-level features for salient object detection. At first, we adopt a Multi-scale Context-aware Feature Extraction Module (MCFEM) for multi-level feature maps to capture rich context information. Then a bi-directional structure is designed to pass messages between multi-level features, and a gate function is exploited to control the message passing rate. We use the features after message passing, which simultaneously encode semantic information and spatial details, to predict saliency maps. Finally, the predicted results are efficiently combined to generate the final saliency map. Quantitative and qualitative experiments on five benchmark datasets demonstrate that our proposed model performs favorably against the state-of-the-art methods under different evaluation metrics.
One-Shot Action Localization by Learning Sequence Matching Network

Learning based temporal action localization methods require vast amounts of training data. However, such large-scale video datasets, which are expected to capture the dynamics of every action category, are not only very expensive to acquire but are also not practical simply because there exists an uncountable number of action classes. This poses a critical restriction to the current methods when the training samples are few and rare (e.g. when the target action classes are not present in the current publicly available datasets). To address this challenge, we conceptualize a new example-based action detection problem where only a few examples are provided, and the goal is to find the occurrences of these examples in an untrimmed video sequence. Towards this objective, we introduce a novel one-shot action localization method that alleviates the need for large amounts of training samples. Our solution adopts the one-shot learning technique of Matching Network and utilizes correlations to mine and localize actions of previously unseen classes. We evaluate our one-shot action localization method on the THUMOS14 and ActivityNet datasets, of which we modified the configuration to fit our one-shot problem setup.
IMPLEMENTATION OF NEAR REAL-TIME SOIL MOISTURE PRODUCTS IN THE SAF NETWORK BASED ON METOP ASCAT DATA

Soil moisture data are of particular interest for the hydrology, meteorology and agronomy communities. With the establishment of dedicated Satellite Application Facilities (SAF), interested users will have the possibility of obtaining earth observation products on an operational basis. This will be the case for hydrology and water management (H-SAF), numerical weather prediction (NWP SAF) or land surface (LSA SAF) applications. The objective of this paper is to present plans for implementation of near real-time (NRT) soil moisture products for prospective user groups in the Satellite Application Facilities. The raw data will be retrieved from the Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT) flown onboard the three Meteorological Operational (MetOp) satellites, the first of which is scheduled for launch in July 2006. We present the planned processing of Level 2 data (surface soil moisture product in orbit geometry) and give suggestions for future Level 3 data processing (various value-added soil moisture products).
Human influences on regional temperature change – comparing adjacent plains of China and Russia

Land‐use and land‐cover change (LUCC, such as the conversion of natural landscape to agricultural land) and human activities (HAs) are the most important human influences (HIs) on regional climate. Studying such influences is fundamental to understanding anthropogenic climate change. Our objectives were to quantify contributions of HI on regional temperature change and demonstrate that HI may cause abrupt climate change. We quantified the contribution of HI on regional temperature by comparing the seasonal temperature changes between a human‐dominated plain and an adjoining natural plain using the daily maximum (Tmax) and minimum (Tmin) temperature data from 12 meteorological stations. We quantified the contribution of HA on regional temperature change using winter weather data because snow cover in both plains masked the effects of LUCC. HI caused decreases in Tmax and increases in Tmin, and an increase in mean temperature. HA contributed to the reduction in the diurnal temperature range, whereas LUCC caused an increase in the range. The abrupt temperature change was in accord with the abrupt changes in agricultural land area and population. The HI led to an abrupt change in Tmax 3 years earlier (1985) than the recognized abrupt climate change in the Northern Hemisphere (1988). The synthetic effects of HI (LUCC and HA) evidently altered the change trends and accelerated abrupt changes in regional temperature, which affected the regional climate. Our findings can elucidate regional climate patterns and improve the accuracy of downscaling general circulation models.
Quality of Life Among Thalassemia Children Patients in the Gaza Strip

This study aimed to assess the quality of life of children (3-12 years) diagnosed with Thalassemia in Gaza Strip. A descriptive, analytical, cross-sectional design was used. All children 3-12 years old who were diagnosed with thalassemia and live in GS were included in the study (75 cases) with response rate (81.3%). Participants were interviewed by the researcher and completed the questionnaire which focused on quality of life of chronic diseases and included five domains. These domains are physical health, psychological health, social relationships, environment health and personal safety. Validity and reliability of the instrument were tested and the total instrument reliability test (Cronbach's Alpha) was 0.767. The scores for the study domains ranged between 2.81 for personal security domain and 3.66 for environmental health domain. Moreover, the study domains did not show statistically significant difference when compared by sex, living places, monthly income the relationship between parents and recurrent hospitalization. The findings of this study suggest the need of children diagnosed with thalassemia for support in all study domains. Health professionals need to work to minimize the disease's burdens. The current study calls the attention of health policy makers for new policies and new roles for the community health nurses and social workers. The study also revealed that there is a bad need to pay more attention when caring and dealing with thalassemia patients. Special food supplementation should be available in order to improve their physical health, more psychological support from their families and the society is needed. In addition, there is a need to provide safe environment and to enhance personal safety of these children.
Embedding the Notion of Child- and Family-Centered Care into Organizational Practice: Learning from Organizational Visioning

ABSTRACT Child- and family-centered care has permeated the practices of child welfare as a means to address fragmentation. Case management appears promising, but the approach is still in its infancy. This article aims to provides an understanding of the emergent organizational vision of a new approach to case management at multiple organizational levels. The authors conducted a case study on the implementation of Intensive Family Case Management in a Dutch organization that provides child and youth protection services. The focus is on the continuous and bottom-up process of visioning, which has helped to define the shared organizational vision. The key finding was an emerging, widely shared vision that is congruent at many organizational levels and that contrasts starkly with the old work approach. The conclusion is that innovative child- and family-centered approaches to case management are inherent to a multi-level organizational system that is consistent with the approaches it advocates, being embedded in organizational structures and embodied in practitioners’ mindsets.
LEAST SQUARES MATCHING FOR AIRBORNE LASER SCANNER DATA

Finding corresponding spots in the overlap of two digital terrain models derived from airborne laserscanner data is required for two purposes: (i) Strip adjustment: Often the direct georeferencing (via GPS/IMU) of the individual laser strips is not perfect and the remaining (small) errors are to be removed by a strip adjustment. For this adjustment corresponding spots in the strips are required. (ii) Quality control: Often for a certain area several partly overlapping DTMs exist, which are generated from different data at different dates. In order to check the georeferencing of these DTMs the discrepancies between the DTMs in the common overlap should be computed. This again requires the identification of corresponding spots in two different DTMs. In this paper we present a method for deriving corresponding spots in two different overlapping point clouds with very high precision, by applying a robust version of the method of least squares area matching (LSM) on raster data interpolated from laser data (heights and intensity). The inclusion of laser intensity data is particularly useful in areas with little variation in height in order to derive the horizontal shifts between corresponding patches in the two data sets.
Continuing the Discourse of Women in Information Technology: A South African Perspective

Abstract Currently, there is a worldwide decline in the participation of women in the information technology (IT) profession and education. This article continues the existing discourse on women in IT by discussing the South African domestic and IT work environments. The aim is to understand whether South African women experience similar levels of career problems in the IT industry as their international counterparts. Using critical interpretive analysis, we used the experiences of 48 women working in the private sector IT firms to investigate not only what attracts women in South Africa to the IT industry but also what discourages them from following a career in this field. The data were collected by means of an anonymous online questionnaire consisting of open- and close-ended questions. This study provides an insight into the impact of domestic influences on women in the IT industry in South Africa. It also contributes to communities, such as, feminists, academia, practitioners, or governments, in the creation of an emancipation theory or a series of interventions to improve the situation for women in the South African IT industry.
Productive and Reproductive Performance of Holstein-Friesian Cows under Farmer's Management in Hossana Town, Ethiopia

The study was conducted on 154 Holstein-Friesian (HF) cows maintained under farmer’s managemental system in Hossana city (Ethiopia). A total of 80 HF owners were randomly selected and interviewed with structured questionnaire to assess the productive and reproductive performance of Holstein-Friesian cows. The results of the study showed that the mean milk yield/day/cow was 8.38±0.47 L, lactation length was 252.25±5.31 days, peak yield was 11.39±0.58 L and lactation milk yield was 2149.19±143.80 L, number of services per conception was 1.8±0.09, age at first calving was 36.48±0.55 month, calving to first service interval was 212.70±18.12 days and calving interval was 462.87±19.48 days for HF cows. The constraints of dairy production in the study areas including feed shortage (1st), high feed cost (2nd), disease (3rd), scarce information about feeding (4th), high medicament cost (5th), scarcity of timely veterinary services (6th), lack of capital (7th), low price of milk (8th), heat detection (9th) and inefficient AI services (10th) were found to be the top challenges for dairy practice in the area. Therefore, strategies designed to solve the existing problem should be important by involving all stakeholders in the formulation and implementation of improvement strategies.
Incidence angle normalization of Wide Swath SAR data for oceanographic applications

Abstract A backscattering trend in the range direction of the signal received by Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) in Wide Swath (WS) mode results in a progressive reduction of brightness over images from near to far range, which affects the detection and classification of sea surface features on wide swath SAR images. The aim of the present paper is to investigate methods for limiting the issue of Normalized Radar Cross-Section (NRCS or σ°) variation due to the incidence angle. Two sensor independent functions are investigated: a theoretical backscattering shape function derived from a minimum wind speed and an empirical range fit of NRCS against incidence angle θ. The former method exploits only the modeled NRCS values while the latter only the image content. The results were compared with the squared cosine correction, the most widely applied method for normalization, using six newly developed comparison factors. The results showed that the cosine squared normalization has the lowest efficiency while the proposed methods have similar behaviors and comparable results. Nevertheless, after the log-transformation and summation of the comparison factors, it was clearly shown that theoretical normalization performance is superior to the empirical one since it has the highest accuracy and requires less computational time.
Dilemma in Individual Collaboration for Invention: Should We be Similar or Diverse in Knowledge?

This study integrates theories relevant to collaborative knowledge creation and provides evidence to discover effects of knowledge diversity on collaborative knowledge creation. The analysis uses a sample comprising 38,500 granted U.S. utility patents involving two collaborating inventors, from application year 1991 to 2005. Interindividual knowledge diversity is thought to affect collaborative knowledge creation in three dimensions: increasing probability of excellent ideas, increasing probability of disagreements, and lowering knowledge assimilation. Furthermore, these impacts are conditional on two proposed moderators: technology scope and affiliation scope. Empirical evidence supports the positive effect of knowledge diversity weakening as the scope of technology broadens. The effect also differs depending upon whether the collaboration occurs between organizations, within one organization, or outside any organization.
Evaluation of Probiotic Potential of Some Native Lactobacillus Strains on the Growth Performance and Serum Biochemical Parameters of Japanese Quails (Coturnix Coturnix Japonica) during Rearing Period

ABStRACt The objective of the present study was to evaluate the probiotic effects of different concentrations of four selected native Lactobacillus strains on the growth performance and serum biochemical parameters of Japanese quails. A completely randomized design (CRD) was applied, including seven probiotic treatments with four replicates of 20 quails each, totaling 560 quails. Treatments were applied for five weeks. Four native Lactobacillus strains were anaerobically grown in a 10-L batch fermenter and lyophilized (10 10 CFU/g). Treatments were as follows: T1: control (basal diet); T2: commercial probiotic CP1; T3: commercial probiotic CP2; and T4, T5, T6, and T7: four native strains added at levels of 50, 100, 150, and 200 g/ton diet, respectively. The native probiotics significantly improved body weight gain (BWG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) during the starter, finisher, and overall periods (35 days) ( p< 0.05), whereas no significant effect was observed on feed intake. The native strains significantly influenced the serum glucose, total protein, globulin, phosphorus, uric acid, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), LDL/HDL ratio, white blood cell counts (WBC), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) of quails during the rearing period (
Would Responsive Parenting Reduce the Rate of Childhood Obesity

Multiple studies can be found to support the statement that faster weight gain increases your risk of lifelong obesity and associated co-morbidities such as, cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes [1]. Childhood obesity has reached epidemic levels in developed countries and is continuing to rise in developing countries. 10% of the world’s school children are estimated to be carrying extra weight; one quarter of these children are clinically obese. In addition 1% more children are becoming obese every year [2].
Job insecurity and mental health: A meta-analytical review of the consequences of precarious work in clinical disorders

Faced with the growing instability resulting from the world economic crisis, job insecurity gains relevance in the study of occupational health. In order to analyse the consequences of job insecurity on mental health, a reference document is provided including the empirical research advances in the current framework. This systematic review follows a meta-analytical technique through 56 independent samples with 53,405 participants in total. The analysis offers a significant correlation between subjective job insecurity and mental health. Thus, it has been found that job insecurity is related to the risk or presence of depression, anxiety and emotional exhaustion, as well as to general low satisfaction with life, international comparisons are made, and negative results among workers regardless of the economic situation of the countries are highlighted, too. Moreover, methodological and conceptual contributions have been made in terms of the quality of the metrics applied. Job insecurity appears as a major problem for workers’ mental health, generating devastating effects on all kind of professional profiles and economic contexts.
Synthetic Satellite Imagery for Real-Time High-Resolution Model Evaluation

AbstractOutput from a real-time high-resolution numerical model is used to generate synthetic infrared satellite imagery. It is shown that this imagery helps to characterize model-simulated large-scale precursors to the formation of deep-convective storms as well as the subsequent development of storm systems. A strategy for using this imagery in the forecasting of severe convective weather is presented. This strategy involves comparing model-simulated precursors to their observed counterparts to help anticipate model errors in the timing and location of storm formation, while using the simulated storm evolution as guidance.
Closing the Wearable Gap: Mobile Systems for Kinematic Signal Monitoring of the Foot and Ankle

Interviews from strength and conditioning coaches across all levels of athletic competition identified their two biggest concerns with the current state of wearable technology: (a) the lack of solutions that accurately capture data “from the ground up” and (b) the lack of trust due to inconsistent measurements. The purpose of this research is to investigate the use of liquid metal sensors, specifically Liquid Wire sensors, as a potential solution for accurately capturing ankle complex movements such as plantar flexion, dorsiflexion, inversion, and eversion. Sensor stretch linearity was validated using a Micro-Ohm Meter and a Wheatstone bridge circuit. Sensors made from different substrates were also tested and discovered to be linear at multiple temperatures. An ankle complex model and computing unit for measuring resistance values were developed to determine sensor output based on simulated plantar flexion movement. The sensors were found to have a significant relationship between the positional change and the resistance values for plantar flexion movement. The results of the study ultimately confirm the researchers’ hypothesis that liquid metal sensors, and Liquid Wire sensors specifically, can serve as a mitigating substitute for inertial measurement unit (IMU) based solutions that attempt to capture specific joint angles and movements.
Self-Fulfilling Debt Dilution: Maturity and Multiplicity in Debt Models

We establish that creditor beliefs regarding future borrowing can be self-fulfilling, leading to multiple equilibria with markedly different debt accumulation patterns. We characterize such indeterminacy in the Eaton-Gersovitz sovereign debt model augmented with long maturity bonds. Two necessary conditions for the multiplicity are (i) the government is more impatient than foreign creditors, and (ii) there are deadweight losses from default. The multiplicity is dynamic and stems from the self-fulfilling beliefs of how future creditors will price bonds; long maturity bonds are therefore a crucial component of the multiplicity. We introduce a third party with deep pockets to discuss the policy implications of this source of multiplicity and identify the potentially perverse consequences of traditional “lender of last resort” policies. (JEL E44, E62, F34, H63, G12)
Submitted to manuscript ( Please , provide the manuscript number ! ) Robust Capacity Planning for Project Management

Antonio J. Conejo Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, conejonavarro.1@osu.edu Nicholas G. Hall Department of Management Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, hall.33@osu.edu Daniel Zhuoyu Long Department of Systems Engineering & Engineering Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, corresponding author: zylong@se.cuhk. edu.hk Runhao Zhang Department of Systems Engineering & Engineering Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, rhzhang@se.cuhk. edu.hk
The motric, Educational, Recreational and Satisfaction Impact of Adventure Education Activities in the Urban Tourism Environment

(1) Background: The study aims to highlight the impact of educational, recreational, motric and satisfaction of adventure education activities in the urban tourism environment; (2) Methods: The study included 48 students with specialization in physical education. The adventure education program included two specific activities and the evaluation focused on: the students’ choice in choosing and crossing the routes from the Adventure Park in Brasov according to their difficulty; the distance covered within the Photo Trip Brasov Adventure. At the end of program a questionnaire contained 20 items divided into two parts of 10 items for each of the two activities: Adventure Park Brasov Challenge and Photo Trip Brasov Adventure, was used to assess the educational, recreational and satisfaction impact of the urban adventure tourism activities. The results were processed using SPPS 20; (3) Results: At the Adventure Park Brasov Challenge the girls have accumulated 118 points (29.7%), and the boys 280 points (70.3%). For Photo Trip Brasov Adventure, the average distance covered by the 12 teams was 5.516 ± 0.240. The results are statistically significant for p < 0.05. The Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient for the whole questionnaire was α = 0.933; for the Adventure Park Brasov Challenge was α = 0.811; for Photo Trip Brasov Adventure was α = 0.924, suggesting that the items had a very high internal consistency; (4) Conclusions: Participation in the Education program through adventure in urban tourism environment highlighted the expansion and improvement of the physical, technical, educational, recreational potential and participation of the students. The analysis of the results of the questionnaire revealed that the students mostly appreciate the satisfaction and recreational parameters and in the lower the educational and motoric parameters.
Lp‐distortion and p‐spectral gap of finite graphs

We give a lower bound for the Lp ‐distortion cp(X) of finite graphs X , depending on the first eigenvalue λ1(p)(X) of the p ‐Laplacian and the maximal displacement of permutations of vertices. For a k ‐regular vertex‐transitive graph it takes the form