Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Predicting pedestrian road-crossing assertiveness for autonomous vehicle control

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) must interact with other road users including pedestrians. Unlike passive environments, pedestrians are active agents having their own utilities and decisions, which must be inferred and predicted by AVs in order to control interactions with them and navigation around them. In particular, when a pedestrian wishes to cross the road in front of the vehicle at an unmarked crossing, the pedestrian and AV must compete for the space, which may be considered as a game-theoretic interaction in which one agent must yield to the other. To inform AV controllers in this setting, this study collects and analyses data from real-world human road crossings to determine what features of crossing behaviours are predictive about the level of assertiveness of pedestrians and of the eventual winner of the interactions. It presents the largest and most detailed data set of its kind known to us, and new methods to analyze and predict pedestrian-vehicle interactions based upon it. Pedestrian-vehicle interactions are decomposed into sequences of independent discrete events. We use probabilistic methods - logistic regression and decision tree regression - and sequence analysis to analyze sets and sub-sequences of actions used by both pedestrians and human drivers while crossing at an intersection, to find common patterns of behaviour and to predict the winner of each interaction. We report on the particular features found to be predictive and which can thus be integrated into game-theoretic AV controllers to inform real-time interactions.
Adaptive evolution of secretory cell lines in vertebrate skin

Abstract The embryonic horny layer of vertebrates contains distinctive cell lines that account for the remarkable, diverse secretory performances of their cutaneous apparatuses. Aquatic classes (jawless, cartilaginous and bony fishes) possess single gland cells, scattered among ordinary epidermal cells, that manufacture proteinaceous or mucous substances. This dichotomy is retained in adult amphibians, although the secretory cells in anamnionic tetrapode begin to be arranged in complex glands located in the loose dermis. In the Amniota, intensive keratinisation involving the epidermis results in the loss of the ancestral secretory lines, accompanied by the onset of a novel, lipid- producing gland type, which in mammals is flanked by the exclusive sweat gland apparatus. In this concise up-to-date review, we attempt to phylogenetically narrow the large variety of secretory structures in vertebrate skin into a few basic schemes, in the light of the close relationships between environmental challenges and ecological, ethological as well as physiological roles of the cutaneous apparatus.
CAN WE HEAR THE GEOMETRICAL MEASURES OF A VIOLIN?

A simplified version of Dünnwalds timbre parameters for Old Italian Violin Sound; L (bass), ACD-B (unnasality) and DE-F (clarity) are used to compare the sound of 15 Stradivarius and 15 Guarnerius del Gesú violins. The parameters was extracted from 1/12 octave band played long time average spectra obtained from a CD-recording with the same musical piece played on each of these fine violins. A considerable spread in these parameters and the sound pressure levels were found in both groups of old violins. This spread is used for a direct correlation with the variation in thickness and other geometrical data of some 18 of these Golden age violins. In general, instruments with thinner plates and higher arc height have a statistical tendency of having higher values for L, ACD-B and DE-F and thus sound “more old Italian”. But these have a tendency of sounding less loud. In particular the border and average thickness of the back plate is lower for violins with high L and ACD-B and the tops are generally thinner for violins with higher values of DE-F. The development of timbre through Guarneri del Gesùs career is: towards less bass, more nasal, more clear and a stronger sound. Stradivari seems to have the opposite development through his longer career; Richer in bass, less nasal and slightly less loud with age. He seems to keep his brilliance through his career.
The Aggregate Cost of Systematic Forecast Errors ∗

This paper estimates the aggregate cost of forecast errors made by firm managers. Using firm-level data on managerial expectations of future sales, we document that, consistent with underreaction to new information, managerial forecast errors are positively correlated with past forecast errors or past forecast revisions. We then investigate the effect on allocative efficiency and total output implied by this forecasting bias, in the context of a quantitative steady-state model of heterogeneous firms in general equilibrium. We find significant aggregate output and welfare losses relative to a full-information rational expectation benchmark; perhaps more surprisingly, large aggregate gains can also be achieved by simply replacing observed managerial forecasts with “optimal forecasts” that can easily be estimated from the data. ∗We thank seminar participants at UC Berkeley, Brandeis and Dartmouth for their insightful comments. †Harvard University ‡UC Berkeley, NBER and CEPR §MIT and CEPR
Cloud Resolving Modeling

One of the most promising methods to test the representation of cloud processes used in climate models is to use observations together with cloud resolving models (CRMs). CRMs use more sophisticated and realistic representations of cloud microphysical processes, and they can reasonably well resolve the time evolution, structure, and life cycles of clouds and cloud systems (with sizes ranging from about 2-200 km). CRMs also allow for explicit interaction between clouds, outgoing longwave (cooling) and incoming solar (heating) radiation, and ocean and land surface processes. Observations are required to initialize CRMs and to validate their results. This paper provides a brief discussion and review of the main characteristics of CRMs as well as some of their major applications. These include the use of CRMs to improve our understanding of: (1) convective organization, (2) cloud temperature and water vapor budgets, and convective momentum transport, (3) diurnal variation of precipitation processes, (4) radiative-convective quasi-equilibrium states, (5) cloud-chemistry interaction, (6) aerosol-precipitation interaction, and (7) improving moist processes in large-scale models. In addition, current and future developments and applications of CRMs will be presented.
The Attitudes and Perceptions Towards Animal Welfare of Staff Employed in the Care and Handling of Animals During Animal Transport in Muş Province

Bu arastirma Mus il merkezi ve bazi ilcelerinde yasayan 80 hayvan nakliyecisi, arac surucusu ve hayvan bakicisinin katilimiyla yapilmistir. Anket uc bolumden olusmaktadir; birinci bolumde katilimcilarin sosyo-demografik ozellikleri incelenmistir. Ikinci bolum bilissel, duygusal ve davranissal boyutlara dayanan hayvan refahi tutum olcegi ve ucuncu bolum nakil personelinin hayvan refahini etkileyen barindirma, besleme, personel, saglik ve diger faktorlere iliskin algi olceginden olusmaktadir. Arastirmada elde edilen sonuclar, hayvan nakillerinde gorevli personelin hayvan refahi algi ve tutumunun idare ettikleri hayvan nakillerinde hayvanlarin refahini etkileyebilecegini gostermistir. Mus ilinde gerceklesen hayvan nakillerinde gorevli personelin hayvan refahi konusunda bilgi ve becerisinin yetersiz oldugu ve hayvan refahina iliskin personel tutumunda bilissel ve duygusal boyutlarin agirlik tasidigi anlasilmistir. Sonuc olarak cogunlugu sekiz saati asan uzun yol nakiller olan Mus ilinde gerceklesen nakillerde insan-hayvan etkilesimlerinin duzeyini ve kalitesini arttirmak icin nakilde gorevli personelin algi ve tutumunun gelistirilmesi icin personel egitimi ve bilissel davranisci mudahale tekniklerinden yararlanilabilecegi dusunulmektedir.
Idade materna e fatores associados a resultados perinatais

OBJECTIVE: To analyze and compare perinatal outcomes of pregnant adolescent women and pregnant women in later age (between 20 and 34 years old) from data of a Live Born Information System. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out with data collected retrospectively of 18,009 live born infants from consults of data of a Live Born Information System. Registers of live born infants were distributed in three groups: group I (adolescents) - 10 to 19 years old; group II - 20 to 34 years old; and group III (later age) - 35 years or older. RESULTS: Findings showed that perinatal risks were related to prematurity (OR 1,35) and five-minute (OR 1,44) among infants born to adolescent mothers. CONCLUSION: Results pointed out high indexes of preterm birth in low-birth-weight infants and five-minute Apgar scores of less than seven in pregnancies that occurred in adolescents and in women 35 years and older.
Inter-agency working: good intentions and interaction dynamics

This paper explores inter-agency working and examines the implications of inter-agency operations for delivering multi-domain service outcomes. Cross-agency collaborative approaches to service delivery are suggested to provide the vehicle for achieving integrated service and policy goals. However, it is argued these need to be crafted ‘fit’ for purpose’ and may not be the requisite approach for all joint purposes. Moreover, some commentators suggest that the optimism about these partnership arrangements and cross-agency actions to resolve complex multi-dimensional problems may be misplaced and propose that further research into the actual rather than desired consequences of these arrangements may find that, at times, partnership working creates negative effects. While collaboration and partnerships are often framed as the way to achieve real breakthroughs in service delivery across agencies, there remain key challenges to interagency working. As more and insistent calls for agencies and other community actors to work together in resolving complex social problems are heeded, the implications of working across organizational boundaries need to be further investigated. This paper investigates cases of inter-agency programmes to understand the dimensions and limitations of inter-agency working. The paper concludes by offering a framework for better inter-agency working that has applicability across all sectors.
Finite constraint set receding horizon quadratic control

This contribution addresses the problem of discrete time receding horizon quadratic control for plants whose input is restricted to belong to a finite set. We also study the dynamics of the resulting closed‐loop system. Based upon the geometry of the underlying quadratic programme, a finitely parametrized expression for the control law is derived, which makes use of vector quantizers. Alternatively, the control law can be formulated by means of a polyhedral partition of the state space, which is closely connected with the partition induced when considering saturation‐like constraints. Exact analytic expressions for the partition can be developed, therefore avoiding the need for on‐line optimization. The closed‐loop system, comprising controller and plant, exhibits highly nonlinear dynamics, due to the finite set restriction. Asymptotic stability only holds for very special cases. In general, this notion is too strong. Nevertheless, ultimate boundedness of state trajectories is often achieved. Tools for determining positively invariant sets, hence ensuring ultimate boundedness, are presented. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Velocity variations and uncertainty from transdimensional P-wave tomography of North America

S U M M A R Y High-resolution models of seismic velocity variations constructed using body-wave tomography inform the study of the origin, fate and thermochemical state of mantle domains. In order to reliably relate these variations to material properties including temperature, composition and volatile content, we must accurately retrieve both the patterns and amplitudes of variations and quantify the uncertainty associated with the estimates of each. For these reasons, we image the mantle beneath North America with P-wave traveltimes from USArray using a novel method for 3-D probabilistic body-wave tomography. The method uses a Transdimensional Hierarchical Bayesian framework with a reversible-jump Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm in order to generate an ensemble of possible velocity models. We analyse this ensemble solution to obtain the posterior probability distribution of velocities, thereby yielding error bars and enabling rigorous hypothesis testing. Overall, we determine that the average uncertainty (1σ ) of compressional wave velocity estimates beneath North America is ∼0.25 per cent dVP/VP, increasing with proximity to complex structure and decreasing with depth. The addition of USArray data reduces the uncertainty beneath the Eastern US by over 50 per cent in the upper mantle and 25–40 per cent below the transition zone and ∼30 per cent throughout the mantle beneath the Western US. In the absence of damping and smoothing, we recover amplitudes of variations 10–80 per cent higher than a standard inversion approach. Accounting for differences in data coverage, we infer that the length scale of heterogeneity is ∼50 per cent longer at shallow depths beneath the continental platform than beneath tectonically active regions. We illustrate the model trade-off analysis for the Cascadia slab and the New Madrid Seismic Zone, where we find that smearing due to the limitations of the illumination is relatively minor.
Supporting Mediated Peer-Evaluation to Grade Answers to Open-Ended Questions

We show an approach to semi-automatic grading of answers given by students to open ended questions (open answers). We use both peer-evaluation and teacher evaluation. A learner is modeled by her Knowledge and her assessments quality (Judgment). The data generated by the peer- and teacher- evaluations, and by the learner models is represented by a Bayesian Network, in which the grades of the answers, and the elements of the learner models, are variables, with values in a probability distribution. The initial state of the network is determined by the peer-assessment data. Then, each teacher’s grading of an answer triggers evidence propagation in the network. The framework is implemented in a web-based system. We present also an experimental activity, set to verify the effectiveness of the approach, in terms of correctness of system grading, amount of required teacher's work, and correlation of system outputs with teacher’s grades and student’s final exam grade.
Vertical and lateral drift corrections of scanning probe microscopy images

A procedure is presented for image correction of scanning probe microscopy data that is distorted by linear thermal drift. The procedure is based on common ideas for drift correction, which the authors combine to a comprehensive step-by-step description of how to measure drift velocities in all three dimensions and how to correct the images using these velocities. The presented method does not require any knowledge about size or shape of the imaged structures. Thus, it is applicable to any type of scanning probe microscopy image, including images lacking periodic structures. Besides providing a simple, ready-to-use description of lateral and vertical drift correction, they derive all formulas needed from the model of linear drift.
Particle motion: the missing link in underwater acoustic ecology

Sound waves in water have both a pressure and a particle‐motion component, yet few studies of underwater acoustic ecology have measured the particle‐motion component of sound. While mammal hearing is based on detection of sound pressure, fish and invertebrates (i.e. most aquatic animals) primarily sense sound using particle motion. Particle motion can be calculated indirectly from sound pressure measurements under certain conditions, but these conditions are rarely met in the shelf‐sea and shallow‐water habitats that most aquatic organisms inhabit. Direct measurements of particle motion have been hampered by the availability of instrumentation and a lack of guidance on data analysis methods. Here, we provide an introduction to the topic of underwater particle motion, including the physics and physiology of particle‐motion reception. We include a simple computer program for users to determine whether they are working in conditions where measurement of particle motion may be relevant. We discuss instruments that can be used to measure particle motion and the types of analysis appropriate for data collected. A supplemental tutorial and template computer code in matlab will allow users to analyse impulsive, continuous and fluctuating sounds from both pressure and particle‐motion recordings. A growing body of research is investigating the role of sound in the functioning of aquatic ecosystems, and the ways in which sound influences animal behaviour, physiology and development. This work has particular urgency for policymakers and environmental managers, who have a responsibility to assess and mitigate the risks posed by rising levels of anthropogenic noise in aquatic ecosystems. As this paper makes clear, because many aquatic animals senses sound using particle motion, this component of the sound field must be addressed if acoustic habitats are to be managed effectively.
Black Hole Massive Thermodynamics

A photon inside a gravitational eld dened by the accelerates g is found to have a gravitational mass given by mg = (ћ=2c3)g, where ћ is the reduced Planck's constant, and c is the speed of light in vacuum. This force is equivalent to the curvature force introduced by Einstein's general relativity. These photons behave like the radiation emitted by a black hole. A black hole emitting such a radiation develops an entropy that is found to increase linearly with black hole mass, and inversely with the photon mass. Based on this, the entropy of a solar black hole emitting photons of mass ~10-33eV amounts to ~1077 kB. The created photons could be seen as resulting from quantum fluctuation during an uncertainty time given by Δt = c/g. The gravitational force on the photon is that of an entropic nature, and varies inversely with the square of the entropy. The power of the massive photon radiation is found to be analogous to Larmor power of an accelerating charge.
Role of M3 Muscarinic Acethylcholine Receptor Antibodies as a New Marker in Primary Sjögren Syndrome

Aims: This paper investigates the presence of M3 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor autoantibody present in the serum of patients with primary SjOgren syndrome (pSS). Main methods: We detected the levels of M3mAChR peptide IgG, PGE2, IL-1β in serum of SS patients using the enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA). To measure the quantity of nitrite/nitrate, we used Griess reagent system. Key findings: Titres of M3mAChR antibody in sera from SS patients are significantly enhanced compared to healthy subjects (control). The enhancement of these autoantibodies is accompanied by the increase of the levels of PGE2, IL-1β and nitrite/nitrate in serum. Under in vitro conditions, the synthetic human M3 peptide impaires the increment of M3mAChR antibody but not that of nati-Ro/SSA antibody. In positive anti-Ro/SSA antibody patients, the increment of M3mAChR peptide IgG and the measured pro-inflammatory substances is related. Significance: On this basis, anti M3mAChR peptide IgG can be said to act as a modulator of the immune system and to play a role in the host-chronic increment of proinflammatory substances in SS patients with positive Ro/SSA antibody. This association between the antibody and the pathogenesis of SS disease may result in useful predicting SS.
The Effect of DBS Settings on Neuropsychological Functioning in Patients with Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is an idiopathic progressive neurological disorder. Improvement in Parkinsonian motor function has been established with subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS). Recently, the relationship between DBS stimulator settings and motor function has begun to be explored; however, no study to date has investigated the relationship between DBS settings and neuropsychological functioning. This study evaluated the extent to which DBS settings (i.e., amplitude, frequency, and pulse width) are associated with post-operative performances on the RBANS (Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status). The study was a prospective clinical trial of STN DBS for the treatment of medication refractory PD. Twenty patients were identified that met study inclusion and exclusion criteria. All participants completed neuropsychological evaluations, including the RBANS. Correlations revealed significant relationships between amplitude and pulse width with RBANS indices of visuospatial/constructional ability (r =.55) and immediate memory (r = .45). Also, significant relationships were found between amplitude and line orientation (r =.45) and pulse width and delayed figure recall (r =.46). Multiple regression found DBS stimulator settings, along with symptoms of anxiety, to be significant predictors of RBANS scores. While DBS appears to be relatively benign from a neuropsychological standpoint, some patients experience more pronounced
THE SEEDS DIRECT IMAGING SURVEY FOR PLANETS AND SCATTERED DUST EMISSION IN DEBRIS DISK SYSTEMS

Debris disks around young main-sequence stars often have gaps and cavities which for a long time have been interpreted as possibly being caused by planets. In recent years, several giant planet discoveries have been made in systems hosting disks of precisely this nature, further implying that interactions with planets could be a common cause of such disk structures. As part of the SEEDS high-contrast imaging survey, we are surveying a population of debris-disk-hosting stars with gaps and cavities implied by their spectral energy distributions, in order to attempt to spatially resolve the disk as well as to detect any planets that may be responsible for the disk structure. Here, we report on intermediate results from this survey. Five debris disks have been spatially resolved, and a number of faint point sources have been discovered, most of which have been tested for common proper motion, which in each case has excluded physical companionship with the target stars. From the detection limits of the 50 targets that have been observed, we find that β Pic b-like planets (∼10 Mjup planets around G–A-type stars) near the gap edges are less frequent than 15%–30%, implying that if giant planets are the dominant cause of these wide (27 AU on average) gaps, they are generally less massive than β Pic b.
Finding a Zipf distribution and cascading propagation metric in utility line outage data

Observed transmission line outage data is grouped into successive generations of events. The empirical distribution of the number of generations in the cascades follows a Zipf distribution that implies the increasing propagation as cascades progress. The slope of the Zipf distribution gives a System Event Propagation Slope Index (SEPSI). This new metric quantifies the cascade propagation, varies as expected, and determines the probabilities of small, medium, and large cascades.
Incorporation of a DNA Sequence Encoding Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) into Endophytic Diazotroph from Sugarcane and Sweet Potato and the Colonizing Ability of these Bacteria in Brassica oleracea

Three endophytic bacterial strains (Burkholderia sp. no. 25, Enterobacter sp. no. 35 and Klebsiella sp. no. 38) isolated from sweet potato and sugarcane were examined for their ability to incorporate the gene encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP) via conjugation and electroporation. Enterobacter sp. no. 35 and Klebsiella sp. no. 38 were successfully tagged with the gfp gene by conjugation using pTn5kmgfpmut1. Fluorescence microscopic observation of Brassica oleracea inoculated with gfp-tagged endophytes revealed that Enterobacter sp. no. 35 and Klebsiella sp. no. 38 colonized the junctions between the lateral roots and the main roots.