Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Facial Orientation During Multi-party Interaction with Information Kiosks

We hypothesize that the performance of multimodal perceptive user interfaces during multi-party interaction may be improved by using facial orientation of users as a cue for identifying the addressee of a user utterance. Multi-party interactions were collected in a user test where one participant would both interact with an information kiosk and negotiate with another person about the information to be obtained. It was found that users indeed look at the system when they speak to the system, but that they also look at the system most of the time when they negotiate with the other person. It is concluded that facial orientation by itself does not fully identify the addressee of a user utterance, but there are promising results for a combination of facial orientation and
MRI Evaluation and Functional Assessment of Brain Injury After Hypoxic Ischemia in Neonatal Mice

Background and Purpose— Severe perinatal asphyxia is an important cause of brain injury in the newborn infant. We examined early events after hypoxic ischemia (HI) in the 7-day-old mouse brain by MRI and related them to long-term functional effects and histopathology in the same animals at 4 to 5 weeks of age. Methods— HI was induced in 7-day-old CD1 mice by exposure to 8% oxygen for 30 minutes after occlusion of the left common carotid artery. The resulting unilateral focal lesion was evaluated in vivo by MRI (T2 maps and apparent diffusion coefficient maps) at 3, 6, and 24 hours and 5 days after hypoxia. Locomotion and sensorimotor function were analyzed after 3 weeks. Four weeks after HI, the mice were killed, and cresyl violet–stained brain sections were examined morphologically. Results— A decrease in apparent diffusion coefficient values in cortex on the affected side was found at 3 hours after HI. T2 values were significantly increased after 6 hours and remained so for 5 days. Maximal size of the lesion was attained at 3 to 6 hours after HI and declined thereafter. Animals with MRI-detected lesions had decreased forward locomotion, performed worse than controls in the beam-walking test, and showed a unilateral hypotrophy in the cresyl violet–stained brain sections 4 weeks later. Conclusions— The temporal progression of the damage after HI in 7-day-old mice differs from that of the adult brain as judged by MRI. The early lesions detected by MRI were related to functional impairments for these mice in near-adult life.
Repeated Sprint Ability in Young Basketball Players: Multi-direction vs. One-Change of Direction (Part 1)

The aim of the present study was to examine the reliability of a novel multi-direction repeated sprint ability (RSA) test [RSM; 10 × (6 × 5-m)] compared with a RSA with one change of direction [10 × (2 × 15-m)], and the relationship of the RSM and RSA with Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 1 (Yo-Yo IR1) and jump performances [squat jump (SJ) and counter-movement-jump (CMJ)]. Thirty-six (male, n = 14, female n = 22) young basketball players (age 16.0 ± 0.9 yrs) performed the RSM, RSA, Yo-Yo IR1, SJ, and CMJ, and were re-tested only for RSM and RSA after 1 week. The absolute error of reliability (standard error of the measurement) was lower than 0.212 and 0.617-s for the time variables of the RSA and RSM test, respectively. Performance in the RSA and RSM test significantly correlated with CMJ and SJ. The best time, worst time, and total time of the RSA and RSM test were negatively correlated with Yo-Yo IR1 distance. Based on these findings, consistent with previously published studies, it was concluded that the novel RSM test was valid and reliable.
DNA synthesis and mitosis in fused cells. I. HeLa homokaryons.

When HeLa cells growing in asynchronous culture are fused together by inactivated Sendai virus, synchrony of DNA synthesis and mitosis is rapidly imposed in the resultant multinucleate cells, even though the single cells which fuse to form these multinucleate cells are at different stages of the cell cycle. Some measure of nuclear co-ordination can already be observed within a few hours of cell fusion, and maximal synchrony is achieved within 2 days. By the end of the second day after fusion, asynchronous DNA synthesis or mitosis is rare. In binucleate cells this high order of synchrony is maintained for at least 5 days, but in cells containing greater numbers of nuclei some loss of synchrony begins to appear after the third day. The results indicate that the ability of the multinucleate cell to co-ordinate nuclear events is not impaired by the use of virus to facilitate cell fusion.
Correlation between sodium and potassium excretion in 24- and 12-h urine samples

Low-sodium and high-potassium diets have been recommended as an adjunct to prevention and treatment of hypertension. Analysis of these nutrients in 24-h urine has been considered the reference method to estimate daily intake of these minerals. However, 24-h urine collection is difficult in epidemiological studies, since urine must be collected and stored in job environments. Therefore, strategies for shorter durations of urine collection at home have been proposed. We have previously reported that collecting urine during a 12-h period (overnight) is more feasible and that creatinine clearance correlated strongly with that detected in 24-h samples. In the present study, we collected urine for 24 h divided into two 12-h periods (from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm and from 7:00 pm to 7:00 am next day). A sample of 109 apparently healthy volunteers aged 30 to 74 years of both genders working in a University institution was investigated. Subjects with previous myocardial infarction, stroke, renal insufficiency, and pregnant women were not included. Significant (P < 0.001) Spearman correlation coefficients (rs) were found between the total amount of sodium and potassium excreted in the urine collected at night and in the 24-h period (rs = 0.76 and 0.74, respectively). Additionally, the 12-h sodium and potassium excretions (means ± SD, 95% confidence interval) corresponded to 47.3 ± 11.2%, 95%CI = 45.3-49.3, and 39.3 ± 4.6%, 95%CI = 37.3-41.3, respectively, of the 24-h excretion of these ions. Therefore, these findings support the assumption that 12-h urine collected at night can be used as a reliable tool to estimate 24-h intake/excretion of sodium and potassium.
Controlling GPU-based Volume Rendering using Ray Textures

In this paper we introduce a novel approach to control different rendering parameters of volume ray casting. Since the introduction of ray casting implementations on programmable graphics hardware, both performance and flexibility have increased and are able to outperform texture-based techniques. In addition, by using rays for computing the volume integral instead of proxy geometry one has more control over local settings. Therefore, we employ dependent texture lookups to user editable 2D textures, thus allowing for interactive parameter setting on a per-ray basis, at a negligible performance overhead on modern graphics hardware. By those means we are able to control the volume rendering in a way not possible with proxy-based direct volume rendering and demonstrate some exemplary uses.
EFFECTIVENESS : improved strength and performance in healthy individuals and athletes IS HIGH-FREQUENCY NEUROMUSCULAR ELECTRICAL STIMULATION A SUITABLE TOOL FOR MUSCLE PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT IN BOTH HEALTHY HUMANS AND ATHLETES ?

In this French study, the authors reviewed the literature with the purpose of giving an overview of the benefits and limitations of electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) in healthy individuals, recreational and competitive athletes. EMS training results in significant increase of muscle strength. When EMS is combined with dynamic voluntary exercises, it can also improve sport specific skills and performance, like jump performance, sprint ability. EMS is an interesting training tool for athletes, because during electrical stimulation the ‘fasttwitch’ muscle fibres can be activated more easily at lower force levels, whereas during voluntary exercise these fibres are usually recruited for higher power levels. EMS appears as a method of choice when the time available for strengthening program is limited and also it provides diversity and variability in the training program, which might enhance athlete's motivation. The authors conclude there is compelling evidence that electrical stimulation is a relevant and efficient complement to voluntary resistance training protocols for muscle strength improvement. It is also a legal complement for athletes (e.g. as compared to doping procedures).
Demo: Real-time contour-based pedestrian detection

Real-time pedestrian detection in crowded scenarios still represents a major scientific challenge. Dynamic occlusions between humans and the presence of dense gradient structure (clutter) typically render such scenarios complex for automated visual analysis. In this demo we present an algorithmic framework which efficiently computes pedestrian-specific shape and motion cues and combines them in a probabilistic manner to infer the location and occlusion status of pedestrians viewed by a stationary camera. The articulated pedestrian shape is represented by a sparse contour template, where fast template matching against image features is carried out using integral images built along oriented scan-lines. The motion cue is computed by employing a non-parametric background model using the YCbCr color space. Given the probabilistic output from the two cues the spatial configuration of hypothesized human body locations is obtained by an iterative optimization scheme taking into account the depth ordering and occlusion status of individual hypotheses. The method achieves fast computation times even in complex scenarios with a high pedestrian density. The underlying algorithms have been heavily optimized. Furthermore, if GPGPU hardware is available, computationally expensive algorithmic parts are carried out on the GPU. This demo will demonstrate human detection on a set of complex scenes along with specific detection performance and run-time benchmarks.
Annotation of logic programs for independent AND-parallelism by partial evaluation*

Abstract Traditional approaches to automatic AND-parallelization of logic programs rely on some static analysis to identify independent goals that can be safely and efficiently run in parallel in any possible execution. In this paper, we present a novel technique for generating annotations for independent AND-parallelism that is based on partial evaluation. Basically, we augment a simple partial evaluation procedure with (run-time) groundness and variable sharing information so that parallel conjunctions are added to the residual clauses when the conditions for independence are met. In contrast to previous approaches, our partial evaluator is able to transform the source program in order to expose more opportunities for parallelism. To the best of our knowledge, we present the first approach to a parallelizing partial evaluator.
Hydroxyl-Directed Stereoselective Diboration of Alkenes

An alkoxide-catalyzed directed diboration of alkenyl alcohols is described. This reaction occurs in a stereoselective fashion and is demonstrated with cyclic and acyclic homoallylic and bishomoallylic alcohol substrates. After oxidation, the reaction generates 1,2-diols such that the process represents a method for the stereoselective directed dihydroxylation of alkenes.
I know what leaked in your pocket: uncovering privacy leaks on Android Apps with Static Taint Analysis

Android applications may leak privacy data carelessly or maliciously. In this work we perform inter-component data-flow analysis to detect privacy leaks between components of Android applications. Unlike all current approaches, our tool, called IccTA, propagates the context between the components, which improves the precision of the analysis. IccTA outperforms all other available tools by reaching a precision of 95.0% and a recall of 82.6% on DroidBench. Our approach detects 147 inter-component based privacy leaks in 14 applications in a set of 3000 real-world applications with a precision of 88.4%. With the help of ApkCombiner, our approach is able to detect inter-app based privacy leaks.
Semi-automatic metric reconstruction of buildings from self-calibration: preliminary results on the evaluation of a linear camera self-calibration method

We investigate the linear self-calibration method proposed by Newsam et al. (1996) for our project on 3D reconstruction of architectural buildings. This self-calibration method assumes that the principal point is known, the camera has square pixels and has no skew. It allows 3D shape to be reconstructed from two images while giving the camera the freedom to vary its focal length. In this paper, we evaluate the focal lengths obtained from their method with both synthetic data and real data. In real data where known 3D data are available, Tsai's (1987) calibration method is used for comparison. Our experimental results show that the focal lengths from the two methods differed by less than 5% and the reconstructed 3D shape was very good in that angles were well preserved.
Applications of Nanotechnology in Food Microbiology

Life secrets lie in invisible world which excites imagine to study. Nowadays, nanotechnology became public terminology for applications of nano-size (nm = 10 meter) in all sciences. Nano-particles already present in nature such as living cell structures (proteins, DNA, polysaccharides, membranes, etc.) and natural structures such as casein micelles or starch, the folding of globular proteins and protein aggregates are examples of self-assembly structures that create stable entities, but these questions need answer: How can the nano-size change properties of the same active material and how can it be mimicked to get additional benefits for application in life? Moreover is it true or false? Most of the nanoparticles were traditionally used belong to the group of colloids (i.e. emulsions, micelles, monoand bi-layers). One of the first colloidal gold dispersions was prepared by Michael Faraday in the middle of the 18th century. The particles were attracted to each other through Van der Waals forces, which give them colloidal stability. In colloidal particles, steric stabilization is achieved by adsorbing polymers and surfactants on the surface. Nanoparticles could be further stabilized by coating them with molecules that can form chemical bonds (Fendler, 2001). Owing to the greater surface area of nanoparticles per mass unit, they are expected to be more biologically active than larger sized particles ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 4 Number 4 (2015) pp. 846-853 http://www.ijcmas. com
The most common spatial autocorrelation indicators in the literature are : the

Spatial autocorrelation is a method of Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA). The latter set of methods allow for the study and understanding of the spatial distribution and spatial structure as well as they allow for detecting spatial dependence or autocorrelation in spatial data. More specifically, spatial autocorrelation is the correlation between the values of a single variable that is strictly due to the proximity of these values in geographical space by introducing a deviation from the assumption of independent observations of classical statistics (Griffith, 2003). The most common spatial autocorrelation indicators in the literature are: the Moran’s I, the Geary’s c, and the Getis’ G.
An Iterated L1 Algorithm for Non-smooth Non-convex Optimization in Computer Vision

Natural image statistics indicate that we should use non-convex norms for most regularization tasks in image processing and computer vision. Still, they are rarely used in practice due to the challenge to optimize them. Recently, iteratively reweighed ℓ1 minimization has been proposed as a way to tackle a class of non-convex functions by solving a sequence of convex ℓ2 - ℓ1 problems. Here we extend the problem class to linearly constrained optimization of a Lipschitz continuous function, which is the sum of a convex function and a function being concave and increasing on the non-negative orthant (possibly non-convex and non-concave on the whole space). This allows to apply the algorithm to many computer vision tasks. We show the effect of non-convex regularizers on image denoising, deconvolution, optical flow, and depth map fusion. Non-convexity is particularly interesting in combination with total generalized variation and learned image priors. Efficient optimization is made possible by some important properties that are shown to hold.
LLNL's Regional Model Calibration and Body-Wave Discrimination Research in the Former Soviet Union Using Peaceful Nuclear Explosions (PNEs)

Long-range seismic profiles from Peaceful Nuclear Explosions (PNE) in the Former Soviet Union (FSU) provide a unique data set to investigate several important issues in regional Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) monitoring. The recording station spacing ({approx}15 km) allows for extremely dense sampling of the propagation from the source to {approx} 3300 km. This allows us to analyze the waveforms at local, near- and far-regional and teleseismic distances. These data are used to: (1) study the evolution of regional phases and phase amplitude ratios along the profile; (2) infer one-dimensional velocity structure along the profile; and (3) evaluate the spatial correlation of regional and teleseismic travel times and regional phase amplitude ratios. We analyzed waveform data from four PNE's (m{sub b} = 5.1-5.6) recorded along profile KRATON, which is an east-west trending profile located in northern Sibertil. Short-period regional discriminants, such as P/S amplitude ratios, will be essential for seismic monitoring of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) at small magnitudes (m{sub b} < 4.0). However, P/S amplitude ratios in the short-period band, 0.5-5.0 Hz, show some scatter. This scatter is primarily due to propagation and site effects, which arise from variability in the elastic and anelastic structure of the crustal waveguide. Preliminary results show that Pg and Lg propagate efficiently in north Siberia at regional distances. The amplitude ratios show some variability between adjacent stations that are modeled by simple distance trends. The effect of topography, sediment and crustal thickness, and upper mantle discontinuities on these ratios, after removal of the distance trends, will be investigated. The travel times of the body wave phases recorded on KEATON have been used to compute the one-dimensional structure of the crust and upper mantle in this region. The path-averaged one-dimensional velocity model was computed by minimizing the first arriving P-phase travel-time residuals for all distances ({Delta} = 300-2300 km). A grid search approach was used in the minimization. The most significant features of this model are the negative lid-gradient and a low-velocity zone in the upper mantle between the depths of 100-200 km; precise location of the LVZ is poorly constrained by the travel time data. We will extend our investigation to additional PNE lines to further investigate the amplitude and travel-time variations in eastern and central Eurasia. Finally, the dense station spacing of the PNE profiles allows us to model the spatial correlation of travel times and amplitude ratios through variogram modeling. The statistical analysis suggests that the correlation lengths of the travel-time and amplitude measurements are 12{sup o} and 10{sup o}, respectively.
Energy transport in peptide helices

We investigate energy transport through an α-aminoisobutyric acid-based 310-helix dissolved in chloroform in a combined experimental-theoretical approach. Vibrational energy is locally deposited at the N terminus of the helix by ultrafast internal conversion of a covalently attached, electronically excited, azobenzene moiety. Heat flow through the helix is detected with subpicosecond time resolution by employing vibrational probes as local thermo meters at various distances from the heat source. The experiment is supplemented by detailed nonequilibrium molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the process, revealing good qualitative agreement with experiment: Both theory and experiment exhibit an almost instantaneous temperature jump of the reporter units next to the heater which is attributed to the direct impact of the isomerizing azobenzene moiety. After this impact event, helix and azobenzene moiety appear to be thermally decoupled. The energy deposited in the helix thermalizes on a subpicosecond timescale and propagates along the helix in a diffusive-like process, accompanied by a significant loss into the solvent. However, in terms of quantitative numbers, theory and experiment differ. In particular, the MD simulation seems to overestimate the heat diffusion constant (2 Å2 ps−1 from the experiment) by a factor of five.
Androgen Receptor Interacts with a Novel MYST Protein, HBO1*

The androgen receptor (AR), a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily, plays a central role in male sexual differentiation and prostate cell proliferation. Results of treating prostate cancer by androgen ablation indicate that signals mediated through AR are critical for the growth of these tumors. Like other nuclear receptors, AR exerts its transcriptional function by binding tocis-elements upstream of promoters and interacting with other transcriptional factors (e.g. activators, repressors and modulators). To determine the mechanism of AR-regulated transcription, we used the yeast two-hybrid system to identify AR-associated proteins. One of the proteins we identified is identical to the human origin recognition complex-interacting protein termed HBO1. A ligand-enhanced interaction between AR and HBO1 was further confirmed in vivo and in vitro. Immunofluorescence experiments showed that HBO1 is a nuclear protein, and Northern blot analysis revealed that it is ubiquitously expressed, with the highest levels present in human testis. HBO1 belongs to the MYST family, which is characterized by a highly conserved C2HC zinc finger and a putative histone acetyltransferase domain. Surprisingly, two yeast members of the MYST family, SAS2 and SAS3, have been shown to function as transcription silencers, despite the presence of the histone acetyltransferase domain. Using a GAL4 DNA-binding domain assay, we mapped a transcriptional repression domain within the N-terminal region of HBO1. Transient transfection experiments revealed that HBO1 specifically repressed AR-mediated transcription in both CV-1 and PC-3 cells. These results indicate that HBO1 is a new AR-interacting protein capable of modulating AR activity. It could play a significant role in regulating AR-dependent genes in normal and prostate cancer cells.
Markov Chains-Based Derivation of the Phase Detector Gain in Bang-Bang PLLs

Due to the presence of a binary phase detector (BPD) in the loop, bang-bang phase-locked loops (BBPLLs) are hard nonlinear systems. Since the BPD is usually also the only nonlinear element in the loop, in practical applications, BBPLLs are commonly analyzed by first linearizing the BPD and then using the traditional mathematical techniques for linear systems. To the author's knowledge, in the literature, the gain of the linearized BPD (Kbpd) is determined neglecting the effect of the BBPLL dynamics on the effective jitter seen by the BPD. In this brief, we develop an approach to the determination of Kbpd which takes into consideration also this effect. The approach is based on modeling the dynamics of a BBPLL as a Markov chain. This approach gives new insights into the behavior of the BBPLL and leads to an expression for the Kbpd, which is more general than the one currently known in literature