Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A template-guided approach to vehicle surveillance and access control

Video-based surveillance techniques have extended their scope to the field of undervehicle inspection. However, their role is currently restricted to the visualization of the inspection results, while the evaluation of their outcome depends solely on the judgement of the operator. This paper presents an intelligent template-guided approach, which addresses the task of computer-assisted undervehicle inspection and access control. It combines a license plate identification stage which authenticates incoming vehicles and a template-guided undervehicle inspection stage which alerts the operator in case of questionable content alterations.
Perceived Intrafamilial Connectedness and Autonomy in Families With and Without an Anxious Family Member: A Multiple Informant Approach

Perceived intrafamilial “emotional connectedness” and “autonomy” were investigated within families with and without an anxious family member using a multiple informant approach. The sample consisted of 32 mothers with a current anxiety disorder and 56 controls, their partners, and their anxious and nonanxious teenage children. No differences were found with respect to the perceived family relationships of family members with versus without anxious mothers. However, compared with nonanxious adolescents, anxious adolescents perceived less autonomy in relation to both parents. Mothers of anxious adolescents also perceived their children to be less autonomous toward them and their partners, than mothers of nonanxious adolescents. In contrast with “autonomy,” “emotional connectedness” was not reported to be different between families with and without an anxious adolescent. Agreement among family members and the importance of perceived individual autonomy in the development of anxiety are discussed.
The validity of the Background Field Approximation

In the absence of a tractable theory of quantum gravity, quantum matter field effects have been so far computed by treating gravity at the Background Field Approximation. The principle aim of this paper is to investigate the validity of this approximation which is not specific to gravity. To this end, for reasons of simplicity and clarity, we shall compare the descriptions of thermal processes induced by constant acceleration (i.e. the Unruh effect) in four dynamical frameworks. In this problem, the position of the ``heavy'' accelerated system plays the role of gravity. In the first framework, the trajectory is treated at the BFA: it is given from the outset and unaffected by radiative processes. In the second one, recoil effects induced by these emission processes are taken into account by describing the system's position by WKB wave functions. In the third one, the accelerated system is described by second quantized fields and in the fourth one, gravity is turned on. It is most interesting to see when and why transitions amplitudes evaluated in different frameworks but describing the same process do agree. It is indeed this comparison that determines the validity of the BFA. It is also interesting to notice that the abandonment of the BFA delivers new physical insights concerning the processes. For instance, in the fourth framework, the ``recoils'' of gravity show that the acceleration horizon area acts as an entropy in delivering heat to accelerated systems.
Assessing Water Resources Using a New Hydrologic Model

GSFLOW is a new U.S. Geological Survey model for simulating ground-water/surface-water interactions. GSFLOW couples PRMS (the Precipitation Runoff Modeling System) to MODFLOW (the Modular Ground-Water Model) with modules for simulating flow and storage in unsaturated-zones, lakes, and streams. GSFLOW simulates infiltration, runoff generation, and lateral flow in temporarily saturated material (i.e., interflow beneath storm-generated perched water tables) with physically based equations. Unsaturated-zone flow beneath the soil zone is based on a 1-d kinematic-wave approximation to the Richards’ equation, implicitly coupled to MODFLOW. GSFLOW simulates spatialand time-varying ground-water recharge on the basis of daily energy and mass balances among precipitation, solar radiation, heat, evapotranspiration, runoff, infiltration, and storage in the snowpack and soil zone, and percolation and storage through the unsaturated zone as well as changes to recharge caused by ground-water pumping and surface-water diversions. The water resources of multiple basins in the United States and Australia are being evaluated with GSFLOW. The model will be used to relate physical and hydrologic characteristics of the basins such as land use, geography, and climate to water resources issues such as sustainable yield and surface-water/ground-water interaction. Application of GSFLOW in three dissimilar basins will provide a robust means of testing the new model and could provide new insights when assessing water-resources across the world.
A numerical and experimental study of acoustic micromixing in 3D microchannels for lab-on-a-chip devices

This paper reports a numerical and experimental study of acoustic streaming and micromixing in polydimethylsiloxane microchannels. The mixing between two fluids flowing in microchannels was evaluated through the following conditions: (1) using a 28 μm thick β-poly(vinylidene fluoride) (β-PVDF) as a piezoelectric transducer actuated with a 24 Vpp and 40 MHz sinusoidal voltage; (2) using different flow rates. The results suggest that the mixing length increases as the flow rate increases and that the acoustic streaming phenomenon leads to a reduction on the mixing length. The good qualitative agreement between numerical and experimental results is a valuable indicator to predict the mixing performance of microfluidic devices, for improving biological fluid analysis in diagnosis lab-on-a-chip devices.
Automatic group delay measurement of multichannel and long length frequency-translating RF links

There were difficulties in testing group delay of frequency-translating devices. With the integration of SMC+PHASE calibration method of VNA, we overcome the difficulties and provide a solution for automatic delay measurement of long-length frequency-translating RF links. Finally, the detailed system and flow designs are discussed and the measurement result is analyzed. The overall accuracy of the typical link in this paper is estimated to be 0.18ns.
Attachment Predicts Adolescent Conversions at Young Life Religious Summer Camps

The correspondence hypothesis maintains that people with secure parental attachments will experience gradual religious conversions, with internal working models of childhood attachment figures forming the basis of attachment to God. The compensation hypothesis predicts that people with insecure attachments will experience sudden and dramatic conversions as they seek a relationship with God to compensate for insecure attachment relationships. In Study 1, faith narratives from 162 adolescents were analyzed; associations between parental attachment and the type of conversion reflected in the narrative support both hypotheses. In Study 2, data were prospectively collected from 240 adolescents attending religious summer camps; after camp, 138 participants reported a gradual conversion and 21 reported a sudden conversion. Participants who rated themselves securely attached to their parents before camp were more likely to report a gradual conversion, supporting the correspondence hypothesis. Precamp insecure parental attachment did not predict the subsequent incidence of a sudden religious conversion.
Formulating Optimized Storage and Memory Space Specifications for Linux Network Embedded Systems

Embedded systems are constantly becoming more complex, as they are increasingly equipped with more functionality. Networking capability is one of the most desired features even for embedded systems, hence network applications, typically used in desktop systems, are required to become available in the embedded system domain. Rewriting these applications to fit into embedded root file systems takes time and effort that may entail a considerable cost. On the other hand, using the existing desktop applications is a good strategy, although introducing many challenges. Formulating storage specifications is easy, but it is not the same for memory as traditionally used memory tools do not utilize the Proportional Set Size value. A thoroughly architecture-independent development methodology is proposed about the construction of an optimized medium-sized network embedded system utilizing the large GNU/Linux code base and emulation. It expands from building, optimizing and comparing libraries, commonly used in embedded systems, optimizing applications to emulating the final system, constructed by an integrated building environment, so as to check functionality and to acquire insight about useful metrics that aid the decision making process. An application of the methodology, focused on the ARM architecture, was deployed demonstrating the value of it, which proves much more efficient than using Android for such constraint environments.
Impression Management Motivations, Strategies and Disclosure Credibility of Corporate Narratives

This paper explores the key factors that influence disclosure credibility of corporate managers. Mercer (2004) provided a critical and comprehensive account of the academic literature on disclosure credibility. This paper finds that investors, while determining the credibility of a management disclosure, examine four basic factors—the situational incentives at the time of the disclosure, management’s trustworthiness and competence, the degree of assurance for the message from internal and external sources, and several characteristics of the disclosure such as its precision, venue of release and time horizon.
Constructing language: evidence from a French–English bilingual child

This paper presents evidence from a French‐English bilingual child between the ages of two years three months and three years five months, growing up bilingually from birth, with a French mother and English father in an English speaking environment. In focussing upon questions in the child’s two languages, and charting in some detail the emergence of particular structures, it is argued that the data support a growing body of evidence that young children learn language in a piecemeal, item‐by‐item fashion. Furthermore, analysis of the questions in the parents’ two languages suggests that the input also has an important role to play. The implications of these findings are considered with regard to the training of professionals working in early years settings.
Identifying Functional Bases for Multidimensional Neural Computations

Current dimensionality-reduction methods can identify relevant subspaces for neural computations but do not favor one basis over the other within the relevant subspace. Finding the appropriate basis can simplify the description of the nonlinear computation with respect to the relevant variables, making it easier to elucidate the underlying neural computation and make hypotheses about the neural circuitry, giving rise to the observed responses. Part of the problem is that although some of the dimensionality reduction methods can identify many of the relevant dimensions, it is usually difficult to map out or interpret the nonlinear transformation with respect to more than a few relevant dimensions simultaneously without some simplifying assumptions. While recent approaches make it possible to create predictive models based on many relevant dimensions simultaneously, there still remains the need to relate such predictive models to the mechanistic descriptions of the operation of underlying neural circuitry. Here we demonstrate that transforming to a basis within the relevant subspace where the neural computation is best described by a given nonlinear function often makes it easier to interpret the computation and describe it with a small number of parameters. We refer to the corresponding basis as the functional basis, and illustrate the utility of such transformation in the context of logical OR and logical AND functions. We show that although dimensionality-reduction methods such as spike-triggered covariance are able to find a relevant subspace, they often produce dimensions that are difficult to interpret and do not correspond to a functional basis. The functional features can be found using a maximum likelihood approach. The results are illustrated using simulated neurons and recordings from retinal ganglion cells. The resulting features are uniquely defined and nonorthogonal, and they make it easier to relate computational and mechanistic models to each other.
Multilevel converter with variable flying capacitor voltage used for virtual infinite capacitor

We evaluate the flying capacitor multilevel converter (FCMC) with one switched-capacitor cell under asymmetric working condition, as a highly efficient hardware realization for the virtual infinite capacitor (VIC). The VIC is a type of electronic circuit, recently introduced to replace large, expensive and unreliable electrolytic capacitors, mainly intended for smoothing random fluctuations of a DC bus voltage V. By the proposed novel control algorithm, the pulsating power that the VIC takes away from the DC bus is shared among the main buffering and the flying capacitors, with the proportion set by a prescribed value. This facilitates to reduce the physical size of the converter, and hence achieve higher power density. This flying capacitor converter operates in an unconventional way, as the flying capacitor voltage is highly variable and hence the converter works under an asymmetric scenario. An average model of this specific working mode is presented, with the design of a linearized current controller. To improve the capacitance reduction ratio, the average value the of flying capacitor voltage is regulated to a relatively high value, instead of V/2. This is achieved by adjusting the phase shift of the PWM carriers. Both continuous and discontinuous conduction modes are investigated, and verified by simulation.
Pulse Inhibition of Histone Deacetylases Induces Complete Resistance to Oxidative Death in Cortical Neurons without Toxicity and Reveals a Role for Cytoplasmic p21waf1/cip1 in Cell Cycle-Independent Neuroprotection

Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors are currently in human clinical trials as antitumor drugs because of their ability to induce cell dysfunction and death in cancer cells. The toxic effects of HDAC inhibitors are also apparent in cortical neurons in vitro, despite the ability of these agents to induce significant protection in the cells they do not kill. Here we demonstrate that pulse exposure of cortical neurons (2 h) in an in vitro model of oxidative stress results in durable neuroprotection without toxicity. Protection was associated with transcriptional upregulation of the cell cycle inhibitor, p21waf1/cip1, both in this model and in an in vivo model of permanent ischemia. Transgenic overexpression of p21waf1/cip1 in neurons can mimic the protective effect of HDAC inhibitors against oxidative stress-induced toxicity, including death induced by glutathione depletion or peroxide addition. The protective effect of p21waf1/cip1 in the context of oxidative stress appears to be unrelated to its ability to act in the nucleus to inhibit cell cycle progression. However, although p21waf1/cip1 is sufficient for neuroprotection, it is not necessary for HDAC inhibitor neuroprotection, because these agents can completely protect neurons cultured from p21waf1/cip1-null mice. Together these findings demonstrate (1) that pulse inhibition of HDACs in cortical neurons can induce neuroprotection without apparent toxicity; (2) that p21waf1/cip1 is sufficient but not necessary to mimic the protective effects of HDAC inhibition; and (3) that oxidative stress in this model induces neuronal cell death via cell cycle-independent pathways that can be inhibited by a cytosolic, noncanonical action of p21waf1/cip1.
Nitric oxide attenuates leukocyte-endothelial interaction via P-selectin in splanchnic ischemia-reperfusion.

We studied the effects of exogenous nitric oxide (NO) on leukocyte-endothelial interaction after 60 min of splanchnic artery ischemia and 120 min of reperfusion (SAO/R) in pentobarbital sodium-anesthetized rats via intravital microscopy. Treatment with the NO donor S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP, 20 micrograms/kg bolus followed by infusion at 20 micrograms.kg-1.h-1), beginning 10 min before reperfusion, resulted in significantly decreased leukocyte-endothelial interaction. This was manifested by a significant decrease in leukocyte rolling and adherence in the postcapillary venules. Tissue protection was demonstrated by a significantly lower plasma free amino-nitrogen concentration in the SNAP-treated SAO/R rats compared with those receiving NO-depleted SNAP (P < 0.05). Immunohistochemical localization of P-selectin showed significantly decreased P-selectin expression on the venular endothelium after SAO/R in rats given SNAP 10 min before reperfusion (23.0 +/- 3.2% vs. 54.9 +/- 12.1% positive staining, respectively, P < 0.01). From these data, we conclude that the effects of exogenous NO on leukocyte-endothelial interaction after ischemia-reperfusion appear to be at least partially mediated through the endothelial adhesion molecule P-selectin.
Non-invasive investigation of gastrointestinal functions with magnetic resonance imaging: towards an “ideal” investigation of gastrointestinal function

Gastrointestinal (GI) function is complex and physiological measurements are subject to a variety of technical difficulties and practical limitations. The ideal technique would be non-invasive, widely available, convenient, and reliable and would not expose the subject to ionising radiation. It would permit direct assessment of GI function in the postprandial as well as the resting state, and be able to differentiate between food, secretion, and air in the lumen. GI structure and function are interdependent and the ideal technique would permit simultaneous assessment of these factors. Finally, the bowel operates as a functional whole and assessment of the GI tract proximal and distal to the area of interest is desirable. In this article the authors summarise the development and validation of magnetic resonance imaging techniques that overcome many of the deficiencies of existing methods, and have many characteristics of the “ideal” investigation of GI function.
ECOD: new developments in the evolutionary classification of domains

Evolutionary Classification Of protein Domains (ECOD) (http://prodata.swmed.edu/ecod) comprehensively classifies protein with known spatial structures maintained by the Protein Data Bank (PDB) into evolutionary groups of protein domains. ECOD relies on a combination of automatic and manual weekly updates to achieve its high accuracy and coverage with a short update cycle. ECOD classifies the approximately 120 000 depositions of the PDB into more than 500 000 domains in ∼3400 homologous groups. We show the performance of the weekly update pipeline since the release of ECOD, describe improvements to the ECOD website and available search options, and discuss novel structures and homologous groups that have been classified in the recent updates. Finally, we discuss the future directions of ECOD and further improvements planned for the hierarchy and update process.
Students Teaching Students: An Experiential Learning Opportunity for Large Introductory Psychology Classes in Collaboration with Local Elementary Schools

Students in large, lecture-based introductory psychology classes often do not have the benefit of experiential learning (EL) opportunities due to logistical constraints. To overcome this obstacle, we developed an EL project in which introductory psychology students in small groups present some aspect of the course material to local elementary school classes. The project challenges undergraduate students to demonstrate a deep level of understanding of the presentation material. Such depth of understanding enables them to flexibly communicate material in an age-appropriate manner to kindergarten through 5th-grade students. Feedback results from undergraduate students, elementary school students, and teachers demonstrated that this project supported learning outcomes in undergraduates in a positive and enjoyable way for both student groups.
National Growth Charts for United Arab Emirates Children With Down Syndrome From Birth to 15 Years of Age

Background Specific centile growth charts for children with Down syndrome (DS) have been produced in many countries and are known to differ from those of normal children. Since growth assessment depends on the growth pattern characteristic for these conditions, disorder-specific charts are desirable for various ethnic groups. Aims To provide cross-sectional weight, height, and head circumference (HC) references for healthy United Arab Emirates (UAE) children with DS. Methods A retrospective and cross-sectional growth study of Emirati children with DS, aged 0 to 18 years old, was conducted. Height, weight, and HC were measured in each child. Cole’s LMS statistical method was applied to estimate age-specific percentiles, and measurements were compared to UAE reference values for normal children. Results Incidence of DS in the UAE population is 1 in 374 live births (267 in 10 000 live births). We analyzed 1263 growth examinations of 182 children with DS born between 1994 and 2012. The male-to-female ratio was 1.6:1. Height, weight, and HC centile charts were constructed for ages 0 to 13 years. The prevalence of overweight and obesity in DS children aged 10 to 13 years of age was 32% and 19%, respectively. The DS children were significantly shorter and heavier than normal children in the UAE. Conclusions Weight, height, and HC growth charts were created for children with DS. These can be used as a reference standard for the UAE children with DS. Overweight and obesity are quite common in DS children ≥10 years of age, as DS children tend to be shorter and heavier than non-DS children.
Selection of copula model for inter-market dependence

We explore several copula models of the joint distribution of national stock indices including FGM and Gaussian copulas and representatives of the Archimedean family. We compare the methods of estimation based on maximum likelihood including fully parametric and semi-parametric models built on empirical margins. Criteria for comparison of multiple bivariate copula models are suggested, based on empirical concordance, joint empirical distribution functions, and the patterns of the tail dependence. Five different copulas are analyzed and the model selection procedures are described. The conclusion suggesting that Frank copula appears to be the most appropriate model is compared with the results of other studies. Application of the models constructed is illustrated by calculation of the probabilities of catastrophic events (simultaneous stock index drop).
Degradation of Tobacco Mosaic Virus Movement Protein by the 26S Proteasome

ABSTRACT Cell-to-cell spread of tobacco mosaic virus is facilitated by the virus-encoded 30-kDa movement protein (MP). This process involves interaction of viral proteins with host components, including the cytoskeleton and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). During virus infection, high-molecular-weight forms of MP were detected in tobacco BY-2 protoplasts. Inhibition of the 26S proteasome by MG115 andclasto-lactacystin-β-lactone enhanced the accumulation of high-molecular-weight forms of MP and led to increased stability of the MP. Such treatment also increased the apparent accumulation of polyubiquitinated host proteins. By fusion of MP with the jellyfish green fluorescent protein (GFP), we demonstrated that inhibition of the 26S proteasome led to accumulation of the MP-GFP fusion preferentially on the ER, particularly the perinuclear ER. We suggest that polyubiquitination of MP and subsequent degradation by the 26S proteasome may play a substantial role in regulation of virus spread by reducing the damage caused by the MP on the structure of cortical ER.