Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multi-path multi-tier 360-degree video streaming in 5G networks

360° video streaming is a key component of the emerging Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) applications. In 360° video streaming, a user may freely navigate through the captured 360° video scene by changing her desired Field-of-View. High-throughput and low-delay data transfers enabled by 5G wireless networks can potentially facilitate untethered 360° video streaming experience. Meanwhile, the high volatility of 5G wireless links present unprecedented challenges for smooth 360° video streaming. In this paper, novel multi-path multi-tier 360° video streaming solutions are developed to simultaneously address the dynamics in both network bandwidth and user viewing direction. We systematically investigate various design trade-offs on streaming quality and robustness. Through simulations driven by real 5G network bandwidth traces and user viewing direction traces, we demonstrate that the proposed 360° video streaming solutions can achieve a high-level of Quality-of-Experience (QoE) in the challenging 5G wireless network environment.
Monogamy promotes altruistic sterility in insect societies

Monogamy is associated with sibling-directed altruism in multiple animal taxa, including insects, birds and mammals. Inclusive-fitness theory readily explains this pattern by identifying high relatedness as a promoter of altruism. In keeping with this prediction, monogamy should promote the evolution of voluntary sterility in insect societies if sterile workers make for better helpers. However, a recent mathematical population-genetics analysis failed to identify a consistent effect of monogamy on voluntary worker sterility. Here, we revisit that analysis. First, we relax genetic assumptions, considering not only alleles of extreme effect—encoding either no sterility or complete sterility—but also alleles with intermediate effects on worker sterility. Second, we broaden the stability analysis—which focused on the invasibility of populations where either all workers are fully sterile or all workers are fully reproductive—to identify where intermediate pure or mixed evolutionarily stable states may occur. Third, we consider a broader range of demographically explicit ecological scenarios relevant to altruistic worker non-reproduction and to the evolution of eusociality more generally. We find that, in the absence of genetic constraints, monogamy always promotes altruistic worker sterility and may inhibit spiteful worker sterility. Our extended analysis demonstrates that an exact population-genetics approach strongly supports the prediction of inclusive-fitness theory that monogamy promotes sib-directed altruism in social insects.
Attending to Breath: Exploring How the Cues in a Virtual Environment Guide the Attention to Breath and Shape the Quality of Experience to Support Mindfulness

Busy daily lives and ongoing distractions often make people feel disconnected from their bodies and experiences. Guided attention to self can alleviate this disconnect as in focused-attention meditation, in which breathing often constitutes the primary object on which to focus attention. In this context, sustained breath awareness plays a crucial role in the emergence of the meditation experience. We designed an immersive virtual environment (iVE) with a generative soundtrack that supports sustained attention on breathing by employing the users' breathing in interaction. Both sounds and visuals are directly mapped to the user's breathing patterns, thus bringing the awareness researched. We conducted micro-phenomenology interviews to unfold the process in which breath awareness can be induced and sustained in this environment. The findings revealed the mechanisms by which audio and visual cues in VR can elicit and foster breath-awareness, and unfolded the nuances of this process through subjective experiences of the study participants. Finally, the results emphasize the important role that a sense of agency and control have in shaping the overall quality of the experience. This can in turn inform the design specifications of future mindfulness-based designs focused on breath awareness.
Periparturient Behavior and Physiology: Further Insight Into the Farrowing Process for Primiparous and Multiparous Sows

Giving birth is a critical time for many species and is often the most painful event ever experienced by females. In domestic species, like the pig, pain associated with parturition represents a potential welfare concern, and the consequences of pain can cause economic losses (e.g., by indirectly contributing to piglet mortality as pain could slow post-farrowing recovery, reduce food and water intake, reducing milk let-down). This study investigated pain assessment and its management in primiparous (gilts) and multiparous (sows) breeding pigs, including the provision of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) post-parturition. Individuals were randomly allocated to receive the NSAID ketoprofen (3 mg/kg bodyweight) (n = 11 gilts, 16 sows) or the equivalent volume of saline (n = 13 gilts, 16 sows) by intramuscular injection 1.5 h after the birth of the last piglet. Data collected included putative behavioral indicators of pain (back leg forward, tremble, back arch), salivary cortisol concentrations pre-farrowing and up to 7 days post-injection. In addition, post-partum biomarkers of inflammation, including the acute phase protein C-reactive protein (CRP) and 3 porcine cytokines [interleukin-1 β (IL1 β), interleukin-6 (IL6), and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF α)] were measured in plasma collected 6 h following the injection. Behaviors were analyzed using generalized linear mixed models, and physiological variables with linear mixed models. No difference in putative pain behaviors, salivary cortisol, CRP, or cytokines were found between individuals treated with ketoprofen or those administered the saline control. However, there were some differences between gilts and sows, as sows exhibited more putative pain behavior than gilts, had higher salivary cortisol on the day of farrowing and had higher plasma TNF α. Conversely, gilts had higher salivary cortisol than sows on day 3 post-farrowing and had higher CRP. This indicates that, like human females, multiparous sows experience more pain from uterine activity following birth than primiparas. This study provides useful information for developing management practices relating to post-farrowing care for breeding pigs.
Quantitative Phase Imaging and Artificial Intelligence: A Review

Recent advances in quantitative phase imaging (QPI) and artificial intelligence (AI) have opened up the possibility of an exciting frontier. The fast and label-free nature of QPI enables the rapid generation of large-scale and uniform-quality imaging data in two, three, and four dimensions. Subsequently, the AI-assisted interrogation of QPI data using data-driven machine learning techniques results in a variety of biomedical applications. Also, machine learning enhances QPI itself. Herein, we review the synergy between QPI and machine learning with a particular focus on deep learning. Furthermore, we provide practical guidelines and perspectives for further development.
Users' Preference Prediction of Real Estates Featuring Floor Plan Analysis using FloorNet

In recent years, with the progress of e-commerce, recommendation for not only mass-produced daily items, such as books, but also special items that are not mass-produced has become an important task. In this study, we present an algorithm for real estate recommendation. There are no identical properties in the world, properties already occupied by someone else cannot be recommended, and users rent or buy properties only a few times in their lives. Therefore, automatic property recommendation is one of the most difficult tasks. In this study, we predict users' preference for properties, which is the first step of property recommendation, by combining content-based filtering and multilayer perceptron (MLP). In the MLP, we used not only attribute data of users and properties but also the deep features extracted from floor plan images of properties. As a result, we succeeded in predicting users' preference with an accuracy of 60.7%.
Fast Approximate Natural Gradient Descent in a Kronecker-factored Eigenbasis

Optimization algorithms that leverage gradient covariance information, such as variants of natural gradient descent (Amari, 1998), offer the prospect of yielding more effective descent directions. For models with many parameters, the covariance matrix they are based on becomes gigantic, making them inapplicable in their original form. This has motivated research into both simple diagonal approximations and more sophisticated factored approximations such as KFAC (Heskes, 2000; Martens & Grosse, 2015; Grosse & Martens, 2016). In the present work we draw inspiration from both to propose a novel approximation that is provably better than KFAC and amendable to cheap partial updates. It consists in tracking a diagonal variance, not in parameter coordinates, but in a Kronecker-factored eigenbasis, in which the diagonal approximation is likely to be more effective. Experiments show improvements over KFAC in optimization speed for several deep network architectures.
All-in-one: Multi-task Learning for Rumour Verification

Automatic resolution of rumours is a challenging task that can be broken down into smaller components that make up a pipeline, including rumour detection, rumour tracking and stance classification, leading to the final outcome of determining the veracity of a rumour. In previous work, these steps in the process of rumour verification have been developed as separate components where the output of one feeds into the next. We propose a multi-task learning approach that allows joint training of the main and auxiliary tasks, improving the performance of rumour verification. We examine the connection between the dataset properties and the outcomes of the multi-task learning models used.
VR‐embedded BIM immersive system for QS engineering education

Information communications technology (ICT) has been implemented in the construction sector but there is not yet any immersive system to integrate virtual reality (VR) and building information modeling (BIM) for quantity surveying (QS) practice and education. Aiming to develop a VR‐embedded BIM immersive system for quantity surveying practice and education, experiments using Autodesk Revit 2016, Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2015, and Unity were conducted in this study. The developed VR‐embedded BIM immersive system for quantity surveying practice and education consists of two main components, namely: Immersive System (Head‐mounted display/360‐degree display) and Non‐immersive systems (Desktop VR). The virtual reality application could help improving QS practitioners' and QS students' understanding on the architectural design using VR walkthrough to navigate the virtual 3D building model, thus to improve the efficiency of decision making and the precision in quantity surveying work.
Impacts of sleep deprivation on vigilance, fatigue, and performance during simulated train driving

Drowsiness is one of the main factors that contribute to the occurrence of accidents, particularly in the transportation sector. While the effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive functions have been reported, the exact relationships remain a critical issue. This study aimed at quantifying the effects of extreme sleep deprivation on vigilance, fatigue, and performance during simulated train driving. A total of 12 participants were asked to drive a train simulator continuously for 4 hours, either in a sleep deprived condition (2-hr of sleep) or normal (8-hr of sleep) condition. Dependent variables obtained during the task included Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT) parameters, degree of fatigue (assessed via Visual Analogue Scale/VAS) and sleepiness (reported using Karolinska Sleepiness Scale/KSS), and driving performance (the number of speed limit violations). Findings from this study demonstrated substantial decrements in vigilance in the sleep-deprived condition. This condition also resulted in 75% increase in speed violation and a two-fold increase in the degree of fatigue and sleepiness. Extreme sleep deprivation was clearly associated with substantially poorer response. The exact effects, however, were dependent upon the types of responses.
Effects of biochar on the fate and toxicity of herbicide fenoxaprop-ethyl in soil

Biochar, as a soil amendment in agriculture, has attracted considerable attention. In the study, the fate and toxicity of the herbicide fenoxaprop-ethyl were evaluated in soils with and without 5% rice husk biochar amendment. Fenoxaprop-ethyl and metabolite fenoxaprop degradation followed first-order kinetics in the two soils. Fenoxaprop-ethyl decreased fast with half-lives less than 2 days. Large amounts of fenoxaprop formed and remained in the control soil. However, fenoxaprop was much lower in the biochar-amended soil with reduction over 85% on the 35th day. The estimated half-lives of fenoxaprop were 56.9 and 1.5 days in the control and biochar-amended soils, respectively. Biochar restrained the formation and promoted the dissipation of fenoxaprop. Biological indicator earthworms (Eisenia fetida) were used in a 14-day acute toxicity test. Fenoxaprop-ethyl showed low toxicity to earthworms with LC50 value of 322.9 µg g−1. Biochar amendment was non-toxic to earthworms and effectively reduced the toxicity. The results suggested that the application of biochar may reduce the risks of fenoxaprop-ethyl in the soil environment.
The influence of leg-to-body ratio, arm-to-body ratio and intra-limb ratio on male human attractiveness

Human mate choice is influenced by limb proportions. Previous work has focused on leg-to-body ratio (LBR) as a determinant of male attractiveness and found a preference for limbs that are close to, or slightly above, the average. We investigated the influence of two other key aspects of limb morphology: arm-to-body ratio (ABR) and intra-limb ratio (IR). In three studies of heterosexual women from the USA, we tested the attractiveness of male physiques that varied in LBR, ABR and IR, using figures that ranged from −3 to +3 standard deviations from the population mean. We replicated previous work by finding that the optimally attractive LBR is approximately 0.5 standard deviations above the baseline. We also found a weak effect of IR, with evidence of a weak preference for the baseline proportions. In contrast, there was no effect of ABR on attractiveness, and no interactions between the effects of LBR, ABR and IR. Our results indicate that ABR is not an important determinant of human mate choice for this population, and that IR may exert some influence but that this is much smaller than the effects of LBR. We discuss possible reasons for these results, including the limited variability in upper limb proportions and the potentially weak fitness-signal provided by this aspect of morphology.
Biochemical Properties of Human D-amino Acid Oxidase Variants and Their Potential Significance in Pathologies

The stereoselective flavoenzyme D-amino acid oxidase (DAAO) catalyzes the oxidative deamination of neutral and polar D-amino acids producing the corresponding α-keto acids, ammonia, and hydrogen peroxide. Despite its peculiar and atypical substrates, DAAO is widespread expressed in most eukaryotic organisms. In mammals (and humans in particular), DAAO is involved in relevant physiological processes ranging from D-amino acid detoxification in kidney to neurotransmission in the central nervous system, where DAAO is responsible of the catabolism of D-serine, a key endogenous co-agonist of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors. Recently, structural and functional studies have brought to the fore the distinctive biochemical properties of human DAAO (hDAAO). It appears to have evolved to allow a strict regulation of its activity, so that the enzyme can finely control the concentration of substrates (such as D-serine in the brain) without yielding to an excessive production of hydrogen peroxide, a potentially toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS). Indeed, dysregulation in D-serine metabolism, likely resulting from altered levels of hDAAO expression and activity, has been implicated in several pathologies, ranging from renal disease to neurological, neurodegenerative, and psychiatric disorders. Only one mutation in DAO gene was unequivocally associated to a human disease. However, several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are reported in the database and the biochemical characterization of the corresponding recombinant hDAAO variants is of great interest for investigating the effect of mutations. Here we reviewed recently published data focusing on the modifications of the structural and functional properties induced by amino acid substitutions encoded by confirmed SNPs and on their effect on D-serine cellular levels. The potential significance of the different hDAAO variants in human pathologies will be also discussed.
The public’s risk perception of blood transfusion in Saudi Arabia

Background Human beings may face many circumstances, such as surgery, trauma, and anemia, in which they could require an urgent blood transfusion. However, only a few studies have examined people’s risk perception of blood transfusion. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the public’s risk perception of blood transfusion in Saudi Arabia, and to identify factors associated with their risk perception. Methods Self-reported questionnaires on blood transfusion risk perception were distributed to the public during a Saudi national festival in Riyadh. Data were analyzed using mean, SD, Student’s t-test, and linear regression. Results The overall percentage mean score±SD of risk perception was 59.8±16.1. Male participants were significantly more likely to perceive blood transfusion negatively, both in terms of the dread/severity domain (β=−0.23, p=0.003) and their overall risk perception score (β=−0.17, p=0.028). Older participants were considerably more likely to have a more negative perception (β=0.12, p=0.041) of the benefits of blood transfusion compared with younger participants. Study participants who received blood in the past had a significantly better perception (β=−0.13, p=0.029) of the benefits of transfusion. Additionally, participants who had previously donated blood had a considerably more positive perception in the dread/severity domain (β=−0.18, p=0.017) and their overall score (β=−0.15, p=0.045). Conclusion Saudi males are more likely to perceive blood transfusion as a high-risk procedure. Similarly, older Saudis will probably have a more negative perception of the benefits of blood transfusion. Previous recipients and donors will likely have a better perception of the benefits of blood transfusion and a more positive overall risk perception.
Learning Multilevel Semantic Similarity for Large-Scale Multi-Label Image Retrieval

We present a novel Deep Supervised Hashing with code operation (DSOH) method for large-scale multi-label image retrieval. This approach is in contrast with existing methods in that we respect both the intention gap and the intrinsic multilevel similarity of multi-labels. Particularly, our method allows a user to simultaneously present multiple query images rather than a single one to better express her intention, and correspondingly a separate sub-network in our architecture is specifically designed to fuse the query intention represented by each single query. Furthermore, as in the training stage, each image is annotated with multiple labels to enrich its semantic representation, we propose a new margin-adaptive triplet loss to learn the fine-grained similarity structure of multi-labels, which is known to be hard to capture. The whole system is trained in an end-to-end manner, and our experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method is not only able to learn useful multilevel semantic similarity-preserving binary codes but also achieves state-of-the-art retrieval performance on three popular datasets.
Representational efficiency outweighs action efficiency in human program induction

The importance of hierarchically structured representations for tractable planning has long been acknowledged. However, the questions of how people discover such abstractions and how to define a set of optimal abstractions remain open. This problem has been explored in cognitive science in the problem solving literature and in computer science in hierarchical reinforcement learning. Here, we emphasize an algorithmic perspective on learning hierarchical representations in which the objective is to efficiently encode the structure of the problem, or, equivalently, to learn an algorithm with minimal length. We introduce a novel problem-solving paradigm that links problem solving and program induction under the Markov Decision Process (MDP) framework. Using this task, we target the question of whether humans discover hierarchical solutions by maximizing efficiency in number of actions they generate or by minimizing the complexity of the resulting representation and find evidence for the primacy of representational efficiency.
Role of the medial prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens in an operant model of checking behaviour and uncertainty

Background: Excessive checking is a common, debilitating symptom of obsessive–compulsive disorder. To further examine cognitive processes underpinning checking behaviour, and clarify how and why checking develops, we designed a novel operant paradigm for rats, the observing response task. The present study used the observing response task to investigate checking behaviour following excitotoxic lesions of the medial prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens core and dorsal striatum, brain regions considered to be of relevance to obsessive–compulsive disorder. Methods: In the observing response task, rats pressed an ‘observing’ lever for information (provided by light onset) about the location of an ‘active’ lever that provided food reinforcement. Following training, rats received excitotoxic lesions of the regions described above and performance was evaluated post-operatively before histological processing. Results: Medial prefrontal cortex lesions selectively increased functional checking with a less-prominent effect on non-functional checking and reduced discrimination accuracy during light information periods. Rats with nucleus accumbens core lesions made significantly more checking responses than sham-lesioned rats, including both functional and non-functional checking. Dorsal striatum lesions had no direct effect on checking per se, but reduced both active and inactive lever presses, and therefore changed the relative balance between checking responses and instrumental responses. Conclusions: These results suggest that the medial prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens core are important in the control of checking, perhaps via their role in processing uncertainty of reinforcement, and that dysfunction of these regions may therefore promote excessive checking behaviour, possibly relevant to obsessive-compulsive disorder.