Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
DEPTH CLUSTERING METHODS FOR LDI CONSTRUCTION

Different approaches have been used for LDI construction in a multi-view context. This article proposes a simple adaptive way to build a Layered Depth Image (LDI) representation and improve the trade-off between the number of layers and the synthesized view quality. The LDI construction scheme is first recalled, followed by different classification algorithms which aim at reducing the inter-layer correlation. A clustering based on the depth spatial locality is then presented.
Multimodal Recognition of Cognitive Workload for Multitasking in the Car

This work describes the development and evaluation of a recognizer for different levels of cognitive workload in the car. We collected multiple biosignal streams (skin conductance, pulse, respiration, EEG) during an experiment in a driving simulator in which the drivers performed a primary driving task and several secondary tasks of varying difficulty. From this data, an SVM based workload classifier was trained and evaluated, yielding recognition rates of up to for three levels of workload.
The Role of CD44-Hyaluronic Acid Interaction in Exogenous Mesenchymal Stem Cells Homing to Rat Remnant Kidney

Background/Aims: The aim of our study was to reveal the role of CD44-Hyaluronic acid (HA) in the homing and improving renal function of systemically transplanted MSCs in chronic renal failure. Methods: First, a remnant kidney model was established in rats and the expression of HA was determined using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and western blotting. Next, chemotaxis assay using flow cytometry, and cell migration assay of MSCs were performed in vitro. Then, MSCs were transplanted into rats, thus, sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into sham group, 5/6 nephrectomy (5/6 Nx) group, MSC group and MSC/Anti-CD44 group (n = 8 for all groups). Migration of MSCs to the kidney in these rats was assessed by using cell tracking experiments, and tissue damage was evaluated by morphological analysis using Masson's trichrome staining and periodic acid Schiff staining. Results: HA was significantly observed in 5/6 Nx group, but not in sham group. Meanwhile, HA was discovered induced MSCs migration remarkably (p < 0.05) and anti-CD44 antibody inhibited the migration significantly (p < 0.05) in vitro. In vivo, the GFP-MSCs were observed in MSC group and the cells reduced in MSC/Anti-CD44 groups, especially, in the tubulointerstitium. Conclusion: Our findings reveal that CD44-HA has the potential to induce MSCs homing to injured tissue, while its effect on the ability of MSCs, improving tissue function, is not significant.
The Measurement of the Magnetization Characteristics of Large Power Transformers and Reactors through D.C. Excitation

Transformers and reactors used in the electric power transmission systems show non-linear magnetization characteristics, the exact knowledge of which is essential to the study of system transient operation. This paper describes a measurement method for these characteristics, based on D.C. EXCITATION. During such excitation, only applied voltage and absorbed current are measured and recorded, to be afterwards numerically processed. This measurement requires only a very small power, usually lower than 0.01 p.u. of the tested unit rated power; it is very accurate and makes it possible to obtain magnetization characteristics up to currents higher than the rated current. Theoretical bases on which the measurements are grounded, practical considerations on their performing and a set or relevant results on power high voltage transformers and reactors are afterwards exposed. More, it is possible by a d.c. excitation to measure magnetization characteristics which cannot be otherwise determined.
A document analysis and recognition system

This article describes our research results in constructing a system that analyzes and recognizes printed Chinese documents. Emphasis is placed upon the interactions between different functional modules of our system that are necessary and important to the overall system performance. In particular, the interplay between image and document processing is seen as useful for removing spurious black spots in the background and white holes within character interiors. We also show that the interplay between feature analysis and character recognition enhances the generalization and discrimination power in recognizing characters. Our system holds above 98% recognition rate products. In some extreme cases, 25% better recognition rate has been seen. Our system is also able to treat many cases impossible for other systems.
Authentic Assessment of the Young Child: Celebrating Development and Learning. Second Edition.

I. OVERVIEW OF AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT. 1. Authentic Assessment: An Emerging Paradigm. 2. Implementing Authentic Assessment with Young Children. II. BACKGROUND INFORMATION NEEDED TO IMPLEMENT AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT. 3. The Basics in Authentic Assessment: Understanding Child Development and Learning. 4. Knowledge of Cultures and Developmental Diversity. 5. Knowledge of Subject Matter Content in the Curriculum. III. IMPLEMENTING AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT. 6. Planning for Authentic Assessment. 7. Portfolio Development and Assessment. 8. Collaborating with Young Children to Promote Their Self-Assessment and Learning. 9. Collaborating with Families to Promote Authentic Assessment. 10. Advocating for Quality Authentic Assessment Practices.
Cost-effectiveness of point-of-care biomarker assessment for suspected myocardial infarction: the randomized assessment of treatment using panel Assay of cardiac markers (RATPAC) trial.

OBJECTIVES Chest pain due to suspected myocardial infarction (MI) is responsible for many hospital admissions and consumes substantial health care resources. The Randomized Assessment of Treatment using Panel Assay of Cardiac markers (RATPAC) trial showed that diagnostic assessment using a point-of-care (POC) cardiac biomarker panel consisting of CK-MB, myoglobin, and troponin increased the proportion of patients successfully discharged after emergency department (ED) assessment. In this economic analysis, the authors aimed to determine whether POC biomarker panel assessment reduced health care costs and was likely to be cost-effective. METHODS The RATPAC trial was a multicenter individual patient randomized controlled trial comparing diagnostic assessment using a POC biomarker panel (CK-MB, myoglobin, and troponin, measured at baseline and 90 minutes) to standard care without the POC panel in patients attending six EDs with acute chest pain due to suspected MI (n = 2,243). Individual patient resource use data were collected from all participants up to 3 months after hospital attendance using self-completed questionnaires at 1 and 3 months and case note review. ED staff and POC testing costs were estimated through a microcosting study of 246 participants. Resource use was valued using national unit costs. Health utility was measured using the EQ-5D self-completed questionnaire, mailed at 1 and 3 months. Quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) were calculated by the trapezium rule using the EQ-5D tariff values at all follow-up points. Mean costs per patient were compared between the two treatment groups. Cost-effectiveness was estimated in terms of probability of dominance and incremental cost per QALY. RESULTS Point-of-care panel assessment was associated with higher ED costs, coronary care costs, and cardiac intervention costs, but lower general inpatient costs. Mean costs per patient were £1217.14 (standard deviation [SD] ± 3164.93), or $1,987.14 (SD ±$4,939.25), with POC versus £1005.91 (SD ±£1907.55), or $1,568.64 (SD ±$2,975.78), with standard care (p = 0.056). Mean QALYs were 0.158 (SD ± 0.052) versus 0.161 (SD ± 0.056; p = 0.250). The probability of standard care being dominant (i.e., cheaper and more effective) was 0.888, while the probability of the POC panel being dominant was 0.004. These probabilities were not markedly altered by sensitivity analysis varying the costs of the POC panel and excluding intensive care costs. CONCLUSIONS Point-of-care panel assessment does not reduce costs despite reducing admissions and may even increase costs. It is unlikely to be considered a cost-effective use of health care resources.
On the use of phase and energy for musical onset detection in the complex domain

We present a study on the combined use of energy and phase information for the detection of onsets in musical signals. The resulting method improves upon both energy-based and phase-based approaches. The detection function, generated from the analysis of the signal in the complex frequency domain is sharp at the position of onsets and smooth everywhere else. Results on a database of recordings show high detection rates for low rates of errors. The approach is more robust than its predecessors both theoretically and practically.
Characterization of five evolutionary conserved regions of the human tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) promoter: Implications for the engineering of a human TH minimal promoter assembled in a self‐inactivating lentiviral vector system

A DNA fragment of about 13 kb containing the human tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) promoter was previously isolated from a genomic DNA library and sequenced. The 11 kb from the transcription start of the human TH promoter was successively joined to the green fluorescent protein (GFP) to generate a transgenic mouse model. High levels of GFP expression could be observed in TH‐positive cells of the Substantia nigra of embryonic and adult mice. Intriguingly, the sequence of the human TH promoter showed a low degree of homology with the mouse and rat TH promoters. In fact, comparative analysis of the sequences of human, rat, and mouse TH promoters revealed only five small regions of high homology. These five evolutionarily conserved regions were numbered in numeric progression from the 5′ end of human TH promoter. In the present study, a panel of minimal human TH promoters was generated to analyze the transcriptional activity and specificity of gene expression conferred by the five conserved regions (CRs). The series of constructs was termed 250 bp and contained the first −194 bp of the human TH promoter immediately upstream of the transcription start, the first 35 bp the human TH messenger RNA leader, plus one or more of the five CRs. All the constructs were assembled in a self‐inactivating form of the latest series of lentiviral vector system based on the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV‐1). Lentiviral‐mediated gene transfer was highly efficient for the in vitro transduction of human neuronal progenitor cells (hNPCs). Since a subset of hNPCs express TH following in vitro treatment with a mixture of differentiating agents, it was possible to assess specificity of expression for all the minimal human TH promoters. Overall, the successive addition of the five conserved regions produced a greater degree of specificity in induced TH‐positive hNPCs, in particular after the addition of CRI (−8,917, −8,876). However, the human TH minimal promoters did not show any specificity for TH‐positive differentiated mouse primary striatal and S. nigra cells, indicating a difference of TH gene regulation between the human and mouse systems. The human TH minimal promoters may provide the opportunity for the selection of TH‐positive human embryonic and adult stem cells for brain transplantation experiments in animal models for Parkinson's disease. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Resting-State Functional Connectivity Modulation and Sustained Changes After Real-Time Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Neurofeedback Training in Depression

Amygdala hemodynamic responses to positive stimuli are attenuated in major depressive disorder (MDD) and normalize with remission. Real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging neurofeedback (rtfMRI-nf) training with the goal of upregulating amygdala activity during recall of happy autobiographical memories (AMs) has been suggested, and recently explored, as a novel therapeutic approach that resulted in improvement in self-reported mood in depressed subjects. In this study, we assessed the possibility of sustained brain changes as well as the neuromodulatory effects of rtfMRI-nf training of the amygdala during recall of positive AMs in MDD and matched healthy subjects. MDD and healthy subjects went through one visit of rtfMRI-nf training. Subjects were assigned to receive active neurofeedback from the left amygdale (LA) or from a control region putatively not modulated by AM recall or emotion regulation, that is, the left horizontal segment of the intraparietal sulcus. To assess lasting effects of neurofeedback in MDD, the resting-state functional connectivity before and after rtfMRI-nf in 27 depressed subjects, as well as in 27 matched healthy subjects before rtfMRI-nf was measured. Results show that abnormal hypo-connectivity with LA in MDD is reversed after rtfMRI-nf training by recalling positive AMs. Although such neuromodulatory changes are observed in both MDD groups receiving feedback from respective active and control brain regions, only in the active group are larger decreases of depression severity associated with larger increases of amygdala connectivity and a significant, positive correlation is found between the connectivity changes and the days after neurofeedback. In addition, active neurofeedback training of the amygdala enhances connectivity with temporal cortical regions, including the hippocampus. These results demonstrate lasting brain changes induced by amygdala rtfMRI-nf training and suggest the importance of reinforcement learning in rehabilitating emotion regulation in depression.
Filtration Improves the Performance of a High-Throughput Screen for Anti-Mycobacterial Compounds

The tendency for mycobacteria to aggregate poses a challenge for their use in microplate based assays. Good dispersions have been difficult to achieve in high-throughput screening (HTS) assays used in the search for novel antibacterial drugs to treat tuberculosis and other related diseases. Here we describe a method using filtration to overcome the problem of variability resulting from aggregation of mycobacteria. This method consistently yielded higher reproducibility and lower variability than conventional methods, such as settling under gravity and vortexing.
Experimental results with bistatic SAR tomography

This paper gives a quick overview of inversion methods for bistatic tomographic processing. The methods are tested over simulated and real data. The real data has been acquired from a set of indoor experiments carried out in the Radiation Laboratory (RadLab), at the University of Michigan. A scale model with a house, some trees and a rough surface on the ground has been built to reproduce an urban scenario.
Sector concentration risk in SME credit portfolios: A multifactor approach.

In large portfolios of small and medium-sized businesses (SME), which are highly granular, concentration risk arises from correlated defaults among groups of borrowers. Consequently, measurement of concentration risk needs to take into account borrowers' heterogeneity. One way to proceed is to extend the standard asymptotic single factor framework by introducing additional factors of systematic risk varying between groups of borrowers. Using a generalized linear mixed model, the paper extends the standard one factor credit risk model to the multi-factor framework taking into account industry effects. The paper uses a large database containing ratings history of more than 600.000 French SME over the 1999-2008 period. Results show that the standard one factor model and the IRB regulatory formula largely fail capturing potential risk concentration. Moreover, loans to the real estate industry may be a first order determinant of concentration risk, even when considering loans to small and very small businesses.
On the Order Structure of Time Projection

Abstract The order structure of time projections associated with random times in a von Neumann algebra is investigated in the general setup as well as that of the CAR and CCR algebras. In the second case various additional properties (such as e.g. the upper/lower continuity) of the lattice of time projections are also discussed.
Automatic Variation of the Degree of Articulation in New HMM-Based Voices

This paper focuses on the automatic modification of the degree of articulation (hypo and hyperarticulation) of an existing standard neutral voice in the framework of HMM-based speech synthesis. Hypo and hyperarticulation refer to the production of speech respectively with a reduction and an increase of the articulatory efforts compared to the neutral style. Starting from a source speaker for which neutral, hypo and hyperarticulated speech data are available, statistical transformations are computed during the adaptation of the neutral speech synthesizer. These transformations are then applied to a new target speaker for which no hypo or hyperarticulated recordings are available. Four statistical methods are investigated, differing in the speaking style adaptation technique (model-space Linear Scaling LS vs. CMLLR) and in the speaking style transposition approach (phonetic vs. acoustic correspondence) they use. The efficiency of these techniques is assessed for the transposition of prosody and of filter coefficients separately. Besides we investigate which representation of the spectral envelope is the most suited for this purpose: MGC, LSP, PARCOR and LAR coefficients. Subjective evaluations are performed in order to determine which statistical transformation method achieves the highest performance in terms of segmental quality, reproduction of the articulation degree and speaker identity preservation. The most successful method is finally used for automatically modifying the degree of articulation of existing standard neutral voices.
Coupled B-snake grids and constrained thin-plate splines for analysis of 2-D tissue deformations from tagged MRI

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is unique in its ability to noninvasively and selectively alter tissue magnetization and create tagged patterns within a deforming body such as the heart muscle. The resulting patterns define a time-varying curvilinear coordinate system on the tissue, which the authors track with coupled B-snake grids. B-spline bases provide local control of shape, compact representation, and parametric continuity. Efficient spline warps are proposed which warp an area in the plane such that two embedded snake grids obtained from two tagged frames are brought into registration, interpolating a dense displacement vector field. The reconstructed vector field adheres to the known displacement information at the intersections, forces corresponding snakes to be warped into one another, and for all other points in the plane, where no information is available, a C/sup 1/ continuous vector field is interpolated. The implementation proposed in this paper improves on the authors' previous variational-based implementation and generalizes warp methods to include biologically relevant contiguous open curves, in addition to standard landmark points. The methods are validated with a cardiac motion simulator, in addition to in-vivo tagging data sets.
Maternal adjustment, parenting and child behaviour in families of school-aged twins conceived after IVF and ovulation induction.

BACKGROUND Previous studies that have examined the long-term effects of infertility and assisted reproductive technology on parenting and child behaviour in families with twins have suffered from methodological problems. This study compared measures of parental adjustment, parenting and child behaviour in families with 5-year-old twins who were conceived after in vitro fertilisation (IVF) or ovulation induction (OI) with families whose twins were naturally conceived (NC). METHODS The families who conceived via IVF/OI (N = 121) were identified from an epidemiological study of twins and matched to families who were conceived naturally (N = 121) on the basis of eleven child and family variables. Mothers were interviewed in their homes for the study. RESULTS No significant differences were observed between the IVF/OI families and the NC families on measures of parental adjustment or parent and teacher ratings of the twins' behaviour. IVF/OI mothers and their partners agreed with each other about discipline more than NC couples, but otherwise no other differences in parenting were found. CONCLUSIONS Overall, this study provides evidence that families who conceive twins following IVF/OI are functioning well and that the experience of fertility treatment does not lead to long-term difficulties for parents or children.
Reversible logic

This work presents the logical reversibility. The inputs and outputs of reversible logic gates can be uniquely retrievable from each other. The reversible logic operations can't erase information and dissipate zero heat. The circuit actually operates in a backward operation, allows reproducing the inputs from the outputs and consumes zero power. As the basic elements of any logic circuit, logic gates are used to realize Boolean functions. By combining reversible logic gates, reversible circuits can perform complex logical and arithmetic operations. A one-to-one mapping between inputs and outputs is realized. The logical operations run backwards by cascading a reversible logic gate with its dual (inverse). Reversible circuits are also called lossless circuits, as there is neither energy loss nor information loss. These circuits are very attractive for applications where extremely low power consumption, or heat dissipation, is desirable in areas ranging from communications, low power VLSI (very large-scale integration) technology, optical computing to nanotechnology. Reversible logic found to be very useful in quantum computing where the quantum evolution is inherently reversible.
Mean Variance and Goal Achieving Portfolio for Discrete-Time Market With Currently Observable Source of Correlations

The paper studies optimal portfolio selection for discrete time market models in mean-variance and goal achieving setting. The optimal strategies are obtained for models with an observed process that causes serial correlations of price changes. The optimal strategies are found to be myopic for the goal-achieving problem and quasi-myopic for the mean variance portfolio.