Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Generalized Laplacian Distance and Its Applications for Visual Matching

The graph Laplacian operator, which originated in spectral graph theory, is commonly used for learning applications such as spectral clustering and embedding. In this paper we explore the Laplacian distance, a distance function related to the graph Laplacian, and use it for visual search. We show that previous techniques such as Matching by Tone Mapping (MTM) are particular cases of the Laplacian distance. Generalizing the Laplacian distance results in distance measures which are tolerant to various visual distortions. A novel algorithm based on linear decomposition makes it possible to compute these generalized distances efficiently. The proposed approach is demonstrated for tone mapping invariant, outlier robust and multimodal template matching.
A Classification-driven Approach to Document Planning

Document Planning - the task of deciding which content messages should be realised in a target document based on raw data provided by an underlying application, and how these messages should be structured - is arguably one of the most crucial tasks in Natural Language Generation (NLG). In this work we present a machine learning approach to Document Planning that is entirely trainable from annotated corpora, and which paves the way to our long-term goal of developing a text generator system based on a series of classifiers for a simple NLG application in the education domain.
Indoor data management

A large part of modern life is lived indoors such as in homes, offices, shopping malls, universities, libraries and airports. However, almost all of the existing location-based services (LBS) have been designed only for outdoor space. This is mainly because the global positioning system (GPS) and other positioning technologies cannot accurately identify the locations in indoor venues. Some recent initiatives have started to cross this technical barrier, promising huge future opportunities for research organizations, government agencies, technology giants, and enterprizing start-ups - to exploit the potential of indoor LBS. Consequently, indoor data management has gained significant research attention in the past few years and the research interest is expected to surge in the upcoming years. This will result in a broad range of indoor applications including emergency services, public services, in-store advertising, shopping, tracking, guided tours, and much more. In this tutorial, we first highlight the importance of indoor data management and the unique challenges that need to be addressed. Subsequently, we provide an overview of the existing research in indoor data management, covering modeling, cleansing, indexing, querying, and other relevant topics. Finally, we discuss the future research directions in this important and growing research area, discussing spatial-textual search, integrating outdoor and indoor spaces, uncertain indoor data, and indoor trajectory mining.
A Theoretical Analysis of the Effects of Plaque Thickness and Initial Salivary Sucrose Concentration on Diffusion of Sucrose into Dental Plaque and its Conversion to Acid During Salivary Clearance

A mathematical model, written in FORTRAN, has been developed to simulate the interrelated processes of salivary sucrose clearance from the mouth, diffusion of sucrose into dental plaque, and conversion of sucrose to acid and glucan. Reaction of acid with enamel is not included in the model. A total of 28 parameters can be varied by the user, and the relative importance of the different factors affecting acid formation can be assessed. The output of the program gives sucrose and acid concentrations and pH at different depths within the plaque. The initial variables studied were plaque thickness, the salivary sucrose concentration, and the duration of exposure of the plaque to sucrose. Stephan curves typical of those recorded in vivo were generated by the model. With any particular salivary sucrose concentration, there was an optimum plaque thickness at which a minimum pH was achieved at the enamel surface, with very thin or thick plaque samples producing a smaller pH fall. With thick plaque, the minimum pH was often not achieved at the inner surface but at some intermediate depth, which may explain the location of early caries lesions in fissures. The extent of the pH fall at the inner surface and the duration of the pHminimum region of the Stephan curve were directly related to the initial salivary sucrose concentration and to the duration of exposure to sucrose prior to normal salivary clearance. Simulation of a water rinse at as short a time as two min after the beginning of normal salivary sugar clearance showed that this procedure had only a very small effect on the shape of the Stephan curve. Thus, the maximum salivary sucrose concentration achieved prior to normal salivary clearance appears to be a major factor which determines the extent of the pH fall at the enamel surface of the plaque.
Interference Constraint Active Learning with Uncertain Feedback for Cognitive Radio Networks

In this paper, an intelligent probing method for interference constraint learning is proposed to allow a centralized cognitive radio network (CRN) to access the frequency band of a primary user (PU) in an underlay cognitive communication scenario. The main idea is that the CRN probes the PU and subsequently eavesdrops the reverse PU link to acquire the binary ACK/NACK packet. This feedback is implicit channel state information of the PU link, indicating whether the probing-induced interference is harmful or not. The intelligence of this sequential probing process lies in the selection of the power levels of the secondary users, which aims to minimize the number of probing attempts, a clearly active learning (AL) procedure, and expectantly the overall PU QoS degradation. The enhancement introduced in this paper is that we incorporate the probability of each feedback being correct into this intelligent probing mechanism by using a multivariate Bayesian AL method. This technique is inspired by the probabilistic bisection algorithm and the deterministic cutting plane methods (CPMs). The optimality of this multivariate Bayesian AL method is proven and its effectiveness is demonstrated through numerical simulations. Computationally cheap CPM adaptations are also presented, which outperform existing AL methods.
A probabilistic level set formulation for interactive organ segmentation

Level set methods have become increasingly popular as a framework for image segmentation. Yet when used as a generic segmentation tool, they suffer from an important drawback: Current formulations do not allow much user interaction. Upon initialization, boundaries propagate to the final segmentation without the user being able to guide or correct the segmentation. In the present work, we address this limitation by proposing a probabilistic framework for image segmentation which integrates input intensity information and user interaction on equal footings. The resulting algorithm determines the most likely segmentation given the input image and the user input. In order to allow a user interaction in real-time during the segmentation, the algorithm is implemented on a graphics card and in a narrow band formulation.
Room Temperature Brittlement of T2 in the Mo-Si-B System

Compression and three-point bending tests were conducted at room temperature (RM) on the Mo5SiB2 (T2) alloy, which was prepared by sparking plasma sintering (SPS). It was found that almost no plastic deformation occured in the T2 alloy before failure but with a tremendous compressive strength of 2907 MPa. The fracture toughness determined from the single edge notch bend specimen is 3.34 MPa·m1/2, similar to the value of 3.5 MPa·m1/2 in ɑ-Al2O3. Once the cleavage crack initiated near the notch under continuous loads, it propagated on a certain plane (001) until the specimen completely fractured. In this work, the electronic structure was also calculated by the first-principles method, indicating that the contribution to RM brittleness is mainly caused by the covalent bonds which arrange alternately in the T2 phase.
Passive and Active Vibration Isolation Methods in Discrete Mechatronic Systems

Piezoelectric actuators are more and more common in many different technical and precision industries. Mechatronic systems which combine them with mechanical models and steering recently are used in plenty practical applications. In this paper, discrete mechatronic systems have been compared relating to known passive vibration isolation method and active that has been additionally introduced to considered systems. Requirements for the systems have been given in form of poles and zeros. Basing on amplitude response functions and dynamical flexibilities, damping performance in both cases has been investigated.
Preparation and Characterization of a Graphene Oxide Film Modified by the Covalent Attachment of Polysiloxane

Hybrid materials consisting of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and polycyclohexyl-methylsiloxane (PCHMS) grafted graphene oxide (GO) were obtained by condensation polymerization in toluene. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicates that the composites were synthesized through the formation of Si-O bond. The X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and thermogravimetric indicate that the hydrolysis polycondensation can accelerate the graft reaction. The hybrid films were prepared by simple filtration of the dispersed system of PDMS/GO/water, PCHMS/GO and PCHMS/GO/water in dimethylformamide. Tensile tests indicate the mechanical properties of the films varied with their structure. The rigid PCHMS/GO/water films have a tensile strength of 17.83 MPa, and the pliant PDMS/GO/water films have an elongation at break of 3.14%. UV-Vis spectra of GO and the hybrids indicate that the addition of polysiloxane caused a red-shift (10–20 nm) of the absorption peak.
Parent–offspring conflict and selection on egg size in turtles

The trade‐off between offspring size and number can present a conflict between parents and their offspring. Because egg size is constrained by clutch size, the optimal egg size for offspring fitness may not always be equivalent to that which maximizes parental fitness. We evaluated selection on egg size in three turtle species (Apalone mutica, Chelydra serpentina and Chrysemys picta) to determine if optimal egg sizes differ between offspring and their mothers. Although hatching success was generally greater for larger eggs, the strength and form of selection varied. In most cases, the egg size that maximized offspring fitness was greater than that which maximized maternal fitness. Consistent with optimality theory, mean egg sizes in the populations were more similar to the egg sizes that maximized maternal fitness, rather than offspring fitness. These results provide evidence that selection has maximized maternal fitness to achieve an optimal balance between egg size and number.
The chinese herbal medicine Tien-Hsien liquid inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis in a wide variety of human cancer cells.

OBJECTIVE Tien-Hsien liquid (THL) is a commercially available Chinese herbal mixture that has been used as an anticancer dietary supplement for more than 10 years. We recently showed that THL has strong immunomodulatory effects on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and T cells. To investigate the antitumor activity of THL further, we sought to test whether THL could induce apoptosis in various human cancer cell lines based on the fact that THL contains several components with tumor killing functions. DESIGN The growth inhibitory effect of THL on human cervical carcinoma C-33A cells, human lung carcinoma H1299 cells, and human PBMC was assessed by counting viable cells using the trypan blue dye exclusion method. The apoptosis-inducing activity of THL in H1299 cells was assessed by analyzing the cells with four assays: (1) Hoechst 33258 nuclear DNA staining; (2) the terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay; (3) the nucleosomal DNA fragment ladder assay; and (4) the sub-G1 cell analysis. The activities of caspase-8, -9, and -3 in H1299 cells treated with or without THL were also measured to elucidate the possible mechanism underlying THL apoptosis-inducing effect. Finally, the apoptotic effect of THL on fifteen human cancer cell lines and normal human cells were analyzed by the TUNEL assay. RESULTS THL could induce apoptosis in all human cancer cell lines tested but not in normal human cells. THL treatment of H1299 cancer cells resulted in activation of caspase-8, -9, and -3 and the inhibitors of these caspases could partially block THL-induced apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS THL has been used by numerous patients with cancer for many years with no known adverse effect. Our present study showing that THL had a broad-range tumor killing function has provided a molecular basis underlying THL therapeutic activity. Furthermore, because THL had apoptotic effects only on cancer cells but not on normal cells, this selectivity suggests that THL could be a potential cancer therapeutic agent.
Systematic Use of Software Development Patterns through a Multilevel and Multistage Classification

Software patterns are reusable solutions to problems that occur often throughout the software development process. This chapter formally states which sort of software patterns shall be used in which particular moment of the software development process and in the context of which Software Engineering professionals, technologies and methodologies. The way to do that is to classify those patterns according to the proposed multilevel and multistage pattern classification based on the software development process. The classification is based on the OMG modeling infrastructure or Four-Layer Architecture and also on the RUP (Rational Unified Process). It considers that patterns can be represented at different levels of the OMG modeling infrastructure and that representing patterns as metamodels is a way of turning the decisions on their application more objective. Classifying patterns according to the proposed pattern classification allows for the preservation of the original advantages of those patterns and avoids that the patterns from a specific category are handled by the inadequate professionals, technologies and methodologies. The chapter illustrates the proposed approach with the classification of some patterns.
Expert consensus on the desirable characteristics of review criteria for improvement of health care quality

Objectives—To identify the desirable characteristics of review criteria for quality improvement and to determine how they should be selected. Background—Review criteria are the elements against which quality of care is assessed in quality improvement. Use of inappropriate criteria may impair the effectiveness of quality improvement activities and resources may be wasted in activities that fail to facilitate improved care. Methods—A two round modified Delphi process was used to generate consensus amongst an international panel of 38 experts. A list of 40 characteristics of review criteria, identified from literature searches, was distributed to the experts who were asked to rate the importance and feasibility of each characteristic. Comments and suggestions for characteristics not included in the list were also invited. Results—The Delphi process refined a comprehensive literature based list of 40 desirable characteristics of review criteria into a more precise list of 26 items. The expert consensus view is that review criteria should be developed through a well documented process involving consideration of valid research evidence, possibly combined with expert opinion, prioritisation according to health outcomes and strength of evidence, and pilot testing. Review criteria should also be accompanied by full clear information on how they might be used and how data might be collected and interpreted. Conclusion—The desirable characteristics for review criteria have been identified and will be of use in the development, evaluation, and selection of review criteria, thus improving the cost effectiveness of quality improvement activities in healthcare settings.
Partial Sequence of the Alpha-Tubulin Gene From Histomonas meleagridis Isolates From the United States

Abstract Histomonas meleagridis, the causative agent of histomoniasis, is a protozoan parasite classified in the Dientamoebidae (order Tritrichomonadida). The &agr;-tubulin gene of 7 H. meleagridis isolates originating from either domestic chickens or turkeys from the United States was amplified by nested PCR and sequenced. A 91.4–99.8% nucleotide identity was shared among the 7 different sequences, and phylogenetic analysis disclosed that the 7 isolates were divided into at least 3 clades. These sequences had a 91–99% nucleotide identity and a 96–100% amino acid identity compared with 3 H. meleagridis &agr;-tubulin sequences obtained from isolates originating from turkeys in Germany. Further &agr;-tubulin gene analysis from species in the Dientamoebidae will be useful in elucidating the evolutionary relationship of these protozoans.
Active voltage clamp in flyback converters operating in CCM mode under wide load variation

Active clamp topologies of low power dissipation have become a very attractive solution in order to limit overvoltages in flyback converters. Although many suitable topologies have been introduced for the case of discontinuous conduction mode (DCM), where the duty cycle value depends on the load level, in continuous conduction mode (CCM) it is more difficult to appropriately design such topologies so as to "sense" load changes-due to the small duty cycle divergence under wide load variation. Taking for granted that in order to achieve high power-factor correction in these converters, CCM is a more attractive mode of operation, a drastic solution for this case that will manage to eliminate voltage stresses under wide load changes has become very essential. For this purpose, this paper presents an active clamp topology with small power dissipation, suitable for flyback converters operating in CCM mode. Its main idea is the use of a load-dependent current source, consisting of an auxiliary converter operating in DCM mode. Experimental results highlight the effectiveness of the proposed topology under wide load changes, establishing it as an appropriate solution in order to develop flyback converters, even at the power range of 500 W.
Highly Accurate in Vivo Terahertz Spectroscopy of Healthy Skin: Variation of Refractive Index and Absorption Coefficient Along the Human Body

A method to reconstruct the terahertz (THz) refractive index and absorption coefficient of in vivo tissue using THz pulsed spectroscopy (TPS) has been proposed. The method utilizes a reference THz window to fix the sample of interest during the TPS reflection mode measurements. Satellite pulses caused by multiple THz-wave reflections in the reference window are taken into account to accurately solve the inverse problem. The stability of the proposed method in the presence of various factors, including digital noise in the TPS waveforms and fluctuations of the reference THz window position, has been accurately analyzed. The method has been implemented to study in vivo the THz refractive index and absorption coefficient of the human skin. The skin from three persons has been measured, and the results agree with the well-known data on healthy skin spectroscopy in general, except for several regions of the skin. Thus, for the elbow, the hand, the knee, and the heel the THz refractive index and absorption coefficient considerably differ from the average values. The observed results are of principle importance for further development of novel approaches to skin diagnosis based on THz technologies.
Recognizing suspicious activities in infrared imagery using appearance-based features and the theory of hidden conditional random fields for outdoor perimeter surveillance

Abstract. This work aims to present an extended framework for automatically recognizing suspicious activities in outdoor perimeter surveilling systems based on infrared video processing. By combining size-, speed-, and appearance-based features, like the local phase quantization and the histograms of oriented gradients, actions of small duration are recognized and used as input, along with spatial information, for modeling target activities using the theory of hidden conditional random fields (HCRFs). HCRFs are used to classify an observation sequence into the most appropriate activity label class, thus discriminating high-risk activities like trespassing from zero risk activities, such as loitering outside the perimeter. The effectiveness of this approach is demonstrated with experimental results in various scenarios that represent suspicious activities in perimeter surveillance systems.
Staying well during pregnancy and the postpartum: A pilot randomized trial of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for the prevention of depressive relapse/recurrence.

OBJECTIVE Clinical decision-making regarding the prevention of depression is complex for pregnant women with histories of depression and their health care providers. Pregnant women with histories of depression report preference for nonpharmacological care, but few evidence-based options exist. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy has strong evidence in the prevention of depressive relapse/recurrence among general populations and indications of promise as adapted for perinatal depression (MBCT-PD). With a pilot randomized clinical trial, our aim was to evaluate treatment acceptability and efficacy of MBCT-PD relative to treatment as usual (TAU). METHOD Pregnant adult women with depression histories were recruited from obstetric clinics at 2 sites and randomized to MBCT-PD (N = 43) or TAU (N = 43). Treatment acceptability was measured by assessing completion of sessions, at-home practice, and satisfaction. Clinical outcomes were interview-based depression relapse/recurrence status and self-reported depressive symptoms through 6 months postpartum. RESULTS Consistent with predictions, MBCT-PD for at-risk pregnant women was acceptable based on rates of completion of sessions and at-home practice assignments, and satisfaction with services was significantly higher for MBCT-PD than TAU. Moreover, at-risk women randomly assigned to MBCT-PD reported significantly improved depressive outcomes compared with participants receiving TAU, including significantly lower rates of depressive relapse/recurrence and lower depressive symptom severity during the course of the study. CONCLUSIONS MBCT-PD is an acceptable and clinically beneficial program for pregnant women with histories of depression; teaching the skills and practices of mindfulness meditation and cognitive-behavioral therapy during pregnancy may help to reduce the risk of depression during an important transition in many women's lives.
Dielectric properties of strontium hexaferrite in microwave, infrared and far infrared ranges

Presents the dielectric properties of polycrystalline SrF/sub 12/O/sub 19/ in the microwave range and far infrared range. Samples were made from powder pressed in a magnetic field and sintered in air at 1200 degrees C. The experimental results and numerically calculated dielectric permittivity in the far infrared range show that the dielectric permittivity holds a microwave value and in mm-wave range. The transmission characteristics of a thick film Sr- hexaferrite isolator in fin line technique were observed in the range 32.7-39.2 GHz. The bandwidth over which the isolation loss is greater than 20 dB is about 2 GHz (at around 36 GHz). Ferrite devices in this geometry have the advantage of being compact and of low cost compared to the ferrite devices in conventional structures. >