Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Tutorial on Speckle Reduction in Synthetic Aperture Radar Images

Speckle is a granular disturbance, usually modeled as a multiplicative noise, that affects synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images, as well as all coherent images. Over the last three decades, several methods have been proposed for the reduction of speckle, or despeckling, in SAR images. Goal of this paper is making a comprehensive review of despeckling methods since their birth, over thirty years ago, highlighting trends and changing approaches over years. The concept of fully developed speckle is explained. Drawbacks of homomorphic filtering are pointed out. Assets of multiresolution despeckling, as opposite to spatial-domain despeckling, are highlighted. Also advantages of undecimated, or stationary, wavelet transforms over decimated ones are discussed. Bayesian estimators and probability density function (pdf) models in both spatial and multiresolution domains are reviewed. Scale-space varying pdf models, as opposite to scale varying models, are promoted. Promising methods following non-Bayesian approaches, like nonlocal (NL) filtering and total variation (TV) regularization, are reviewed and compared to spatial- and wavelet-domain Bayesian filters. Both established and new trends for assessment of despeckling are presented. A few experiments on simulated data and real COSMO-SkyMed SAR images highlight, on one side the costperformance tradeoff of the different methods, on the other side the effectiveness of solutions purposely designed for SAR heterogeneity and not fully developed speckle. Eventually, upcoming methods based on new concepts of signal processing, like compressive sensing, are foreseen as a new generation of despeckling, after spatial-domain and multiresolution-domain methods.
The impact of a multiple intelligences teaching approach drug education programme on drug refusal skills of Nigerian pupils

The rising incidence of drug abuse among youths in Nigeria is a source of concern for health educators. This study was carried out on primary six pupils to determine the effect of a Multiple Intelligences Teaching Approach Drug Education Programme (MITA-DEP) on pupils’ acquisition of drug refusal skills. A programme of drug education based on the Multiple Intelligences Teaching Approach (MITA) was developed. An experimental group was taught using this programme while a control group was taught using the same programme but developed based on the Traditional Teaching Approach. Pupils taught with the MITA acquired more drug refusal skills than those taught with the Traditional Teaching Approach. Urban pupils taught with the MITA acquired more skills than rural pupils. There was no statistically significant difference in the mean refusal skills of male and female pupils taught with the MITA.
Examining Interpopulation Variation in Bluegill Growth Rates and Size Structure: Effects of Harvest, Maturation, and Environmental Variables

Abstract Understanding how life history variation and the environment affect growth and population size structure is an important theme of fisheries ecology. However, the interactions among important biotic and abiotic factors and their relative importance in the context of population-specific variation are seldom considered. We used an information theoretic approach to investigate how environmental variables interact with important life history parameters to influence population size structure of bluegills Lepomis macrochirus. We sampled bluegill populations in 23 Illinois reservoirs to examine the effects of temperature, water transparency, and prey availability and bluegill density, harvest, and size at maturation on bluegill growth and population size structure. Good growth and large body size were associated with warm, clear lakes containing abundant prey resources. An exception to this pattern was early growth (length at age 2): Larger body size at age 2 was associated with relatively low Secchi dep.
Feasibility and benefits of a parent-focused preschool child obesity intervention.

OBJECTIVES This field study tested the feasibility and benefits of a program to promote 6 targeted parental behaviors to prevent obesity in children served by the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). METHODS Two WIC sites participated in a nonrandomized, controlled 1-year prospective study to assess parents' self-reported behavior changes. RESULTS Statistical analyses of preintervention and postintervention assessments of parental behavior demonstrated significant changes in 2 behaviors: frequency of offering the child water and frequency of engaging in active play with the child. In both cases, the intervention proved effective in increasing the desired behavior. CONCLUSIONS The findings demonstrate the feasibility of changing parental behaviors through multidimensional education in a WIC clinic setting.
Effects of Different Resistance Training Volumes on Strength and Power in Team Sport Athletes

Abstract Naclerio, F, Faigenbaum, AD, Larumbe-Zabala, E, Perez-Bibao, T, Kang, J, Ratamess, NA, and Triplett, NT. Effects of different resistance training volumes on strength and power in team sport athletes. J Strength Cond Res 27(7): 1832–1840, 2013—The aim of this study was to compare the effects of 3 different volume of resistance training (RT) on maximum strength and average power in college team sport athletes with no previous RT experience. Thirty-two subjects (20 men and 12 women, age = 23.1 ± 1.57 years) were randomly divided into 4 groups: low volume (LV; n = 8), 1 set per exercise and 3 sets per muscle group; moderate volume (MV; n = 8), 2 sets per exercise and 6 sets per muscle group; high volume (HV; n = 8), 3 sets per exercise and 9 sets per muscle group; and a non-RT control group (n = 8). The 3 intervention groups were trained for 6 weeks thrice weekly after a nonperiodized RT program differentiated only by the volume. Before (T1) and after training (T2), 1 repetition maximum (1RM) and maximal average power (AP) produced on the bench press (BP), upright row (UR), and squat (SQ) were assessed by progressive resistance tests. One repetition maximum-BP and 1RM-UR increased significantly in the 3 interventions groups (p < 0.05), whereas only the HV group significantly improved 1RM-SQ (p < 0.01). The MV and HV groups increased AP-BP (p < 0.05), whereas only the LV group improved AP-SQ (p < 0.01). Moderate effect sizes (ES; >0.20 < 0.60) were observed for the 1RM-BP and 1RM-UR in the 3 training groups. High-volume group showed the larger ES for 1RM-BP (0.45), 1RM-UR (0.60), and 1RM-SQ (0.47), whereas the LV produced the higher ES for SQ-AP (0.53). During the initial adaptation period, a HV RT program seems to be a better strategy for improving strength, whereas during the season, an LV RT could be a reasonable option for maintaining strength and enhancing lower-body AP in team sport athletes.
1.1-kW Peak-Power Dissipative Soliton Resonance in a Mode-Locked Yb-Fiber Laser

We report an ytterbium-doped all-fiber laser generating dissipative soliton resonance (DSR) pulses with kilowatt-level peak power. The laser cavity was constructed with all-10/125 large-mode-area fibers to alleviate excessive nonlinear effects caused by high peak power. DSR pulse breaking and Raman-induced instability are avoided by carefully placing the fiber sections. Numerical and experimental investigation of high-peak-power DSR laser mode-locked with nonlinear optical loop mirrors is presented. Up to 1.66 W, 161-nJ energetic pulses are obtained without pulse-breaking. In particular, the laser generates pulses with 48–146 ps tunable pulse duration and an almost fixed peak power as high as 1.1 kW. To the best of our knowledge, this letter presents the first demonstration of DSR pulses with kilowatt-level peak power in mode-locked fiber lasers.
An evaluation of visual versus sensorimotor methods for improving orientation discrimination of letter reversals by preschool children.

KOENIGSBERG, RuMI SHARFMAN. An Evaluation of Visual versus Sensorimotor Methods for Improving Orientation Discrimination of Letter Reversals by Preschool Children. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1973, 44, 764-769. Previous researchers have found that 4and 5-year-old Ss have great difficulty in discriminating orientation. Some studies, however, have shown improved performance following brief sensorimotor training. 2 experiments were conducted to pinpoint the sources of difficulty and to determine the best methods for improving performance. Results indicated that demonstrations teaching the relevance of orientation are necessary and sufficient to produce improved discrimination and that sensorimotor training contributes little additional benefit. The demonstrations featured a standard that could be rotated to illustrate relationships between forms differing in orientation.
Imaging , Diagnosis , Prognosis Combined Analysis of Estrogen Receptor b-1 and Progesterone Receptor Expression Identifies Lung Cancer Patients with Poor Outcome

Purpose: Steroid hormones and growth factors affect lung cancer, and it is possible they act in concert to influence patient outcome. Experimental Design: Primary lung tumors and normal lung tissue were analyzed for expression and localization of estrogen receptor a and b-1 (ERa and ERb), aromatase, progesterone receptor (PR), and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Results: Tumors expressed higher levels of ERb compared to matched normal lung, whereas the reverse was true of PR. High cytoplasmic ERb expression was identified as an independent negative prognostic predictor of overall survival (OS; HR 1⁄4 1.67), and low total PR was identified as an independent negative predictor of time to progression (TTP; HR 1⁄4 1.59). After adjusting for stage, age, sex, and smoking, combined high cytoplasmic ERb and low total PR showed enhanced effects on OS (HR1⁄4 2.64) and on TTP (HR 1⁄4 6.02). Further effects on OS were observed when EGFR expression was included (HR 1⁄4 5.32). Patients with low cytoplasmic ERb, low aromatase, low EGFR, and high total PR had shorter OS than patients with the opposite pattern (HR 1⁄4 6.60). Contribution of these markers to survival showed no significant sex differences in a multivariable model. ERa was elevated in tumors but was not predictive of survival, and appears to represent a variant ERa protein that is only recognized by a C-terminal antibody. Conclusions: Hormonal and EGFR pathways together may contribute to lung cancer prognosis. Lung tumors with high ERb-1/low PRmay define patients with aggressive biology. A validation study is necessary to fully assess the predictive value of these markers. Clin Cancer Res; 17(1); 154–64. 2010 AACR.
Report of the IAU Division 1 Working Group on

A Division 1 Working Group on “Nomenclature for Fundamental Astronomy” (NFA) was formed at the 25th IAU GA in 2003 in order to provide proposals for new nomenclature associated with the implementation of the IAU 2000 Resolutions. This WG is also intended to make related educational efforts for addressing the issue to the large community of scientists. Five Newsletters were issued from October 2003 to July 2004 and posted on the NFA webpage (http://syrte.obspm.fr/iauWGnfa/). One important step has been the preparation of a questionnaire including a part on ‘terminology choices’ and a part for the Almanac Offices and related organizations. The summary of the responses and comments to this questionnaire and further questions have led to draft WG recommendations and guidelines on terminology together with a Resolution proposal to the IAU 2006 GA which are supported by explanatory documents. This paper reports on the WG activities, draft recommendations and future actions.
Melioidosis In India: the tip of the iceberg?

Diagnosis of melioidosis by the isolation of Burkholderia pseudomallei from one or more body fluid/tissue specimens of 6 Indian subjects, 5 of whom had not travelled outside India, is reported. The places of residence of these 6 and one patient previously reported, namely Tripura (2), Kerala (2), Orissa (1), Tamil Nadu (1) and Maharashtra (1) are therefore potentially endemic for melioidosis. B.pseudomallei closely resembles common contaminant Pseudomonas sp. and are easily mis-identified in microbiology laboratories. We surmise that melioidosis is underdiagnosed and underreported in India and we alert clinicians, microbiologists and public health professionals to the possibility of melioidosis being far more common than previously recognised.
On the application of frequency selective common mode feedback for multifrequency EIT

Common mode voltages are frequently a problem in electrical impedance tomography (EIT) and other bioimpedance applications. To reduce their amplitude common mode feedback is employed. Formalised analyses of both current and voltage feedback is presented in this paper for current drives. Common mode effects due to imbalances caused by the current drives, the electrode connections to the body load and the introduction of the body impedance to ground are considered. Frequency selective narrowband common mode feedback previously proposed to provide feedback stability is examined. As a step towards multifrequency applications the use of narrowband feedback is experimentally demonstrated for two simultaneous current drives. Measured results using standard available components show a reduction of 62 dB for current feedback and 31 dB for voltage feedback. Frequencies ranged from 50 kHz to 1 MHz.
Drosophila embryonic 'fibroblasts': Extending mutant analysis in vitro

The in vivo analysis of Drosophila using genetics, with almost a hundred year history, has produced an immense body of knowledge about biology. In vitro analysis, while arguably the poor cousin to its in vivo relative, has a utility-in biochemical analyses and in cell-based screening, for example, with RNAi. A major block to the development of in vitro analysis has been the lack of an efficient genetic method to derive cell lines from mutant Drosophila strains. We recently discovered that expression of activated Ras (RasV12) provides cells in vitro with both a survival and a proliferative advantage and hence promotes the generation of cell lines.1 In this addendum, we provide new data describing the genesis of seven cell lines corresponding to a rumi mutant, which demonstrate that the method can be used to derive lines and study genetic mutants in vitro.
Tris(ethylenediamine)cobalt(II) dichloride

The title compound, [CoII(C2H8N2)3]Cl2, was obtained unexpectedly as the product of an attempted solvothermal synthesis of cobalt selenide from the elements in the presence of NH4Cl in ethylenediamine solvent. The three chelate rings of the distorted octahedral [Co(C2H8N2)3]2+ complex cation adopt twisted conformations about their C—C bonds. The spread of cis-N—Co—N bond angles [80.17 (6)–98.10 (6)°] in the title compound is considerably greater than the equivalent data for [CoIII(C2H8N2)3]Cl3 [Takamizawa et al. (2008 ▶). Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 47, 1689–1692]. In the crystal, the components are linked by numerous N—H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds, generating a three-dimensional network in which the cationic complexes are stacked in columns along [010] and separated by columns of chloride anions.
Vibrations and pullin instabilities of microelectromechanical von Kármán elliptic plates incorporating the Casimir force

We consider the von Kármán nonlinearity and the Casimir force to first develop a reduced-order model for a prestressed clamped elliptic electrostatically actuated microplate, and then use it to study vibrations and pull-in instability. The reduced-order model is derived by taking a family of linearly independent kinematically admissible functions as basis functions for the transverse displacement. The in-plane displacement vector is expressed as the sum of displacements for irrotational and isochoric waves in a two-dimensional medium. The potentials of these two displacement vector fields satisfy an eigenvalue problem analogous to that of transverse vibrations of a linear elastic membrane. Basis functions for the transverse and the in-plane displacements are related by using the nonlinear equation governing the plate’s in-plane motion. The reduced-order model is derived from the equation governing the transverse deflection of the plate. Pull-in parameters are found using the displacement iteration pull-in extraction method and by studying small vibrations of the plate about its predeformed configuration. However, the effect of inertia forces on pull-in parameters has not been analyzed. The reduced-order model for a linear elliptic micromembrane is derived as a special case of that for an elliptic plate. r 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Staining and Peeling of the Internal Limiting Membrane in the Cat Eye

Purpose: To investigate the cat vitreomacular interface using trypan blue (TB) and indocyanine green (ICG) and to determine the validity of the cat model in terms of staining and peeling of the internal limiting membrane (ILM). Methods: Lensectomy and vitrectomy were performed in four eyes of two cats. The ILM of two eyes was stained with TB (0.15%). ILM peeling was performed in one eye. Two eyes were stained with ICG (0.5%). One eye was illuminated for 3 min. Light and transmission electron microscopy and confocal microscopy were performed. Results: Clinically, both dyes stained the cat ILM similar to human ILM. TB staining resulted in a normal ultrastructure and antigenity of the retina. ILM peeling was associated with intraretinal bleeding. There were fragments of Müller cells adherent to the retinal side of the ILM, and Müller cell endfeet were ruptured and avulsed. ICG staining of the ILM followed by illumination caused severe inner retinal damage. ICG without illumination resulted in focal ILM detachments associated with tearing of Müller cell endfeet. Conclusions: The cat can be used as a model to study the effect of TB and ICG on the central area of the cat retina, as previous results from clinical and experimental postmortem settings in human eyes were confirmed in the current study. Peeling of the ILM as a sheet as performed in human macular surgery is not feasible. Differences in the ultrastructure of the ILM and a strong adhesion of the ILM to Müller cell endfeet may account for this observation.
Does Suppressing the Thought of a Self-Relevant Stigma Affect Interpersonal Interaction?

ABSTRACT In the current study, we examined the effects of women's suppressing negative gender stereotypes while interacting with a male confederate. Compared with control participants, those who suppressed negative thoughts about women's ability experienced less self-confidence, lower self-esteem, and were more nonverbally submissive during the interaction, particularly if they were high in stigma consciousness (Pinel, 1999). These findings illustrate the negative intra- and interpersonal consequences of stigma suppression.
ECOC-based structured neural networks

The structured neural networks (SNNs) presented by Serpico and Roli have understandable behavior, while they always get lower predictive accuracy than the selected traditional BP neural networks. To improve the generalization of SNN classifiers, this paper proposes ECOC-based structured neural networks (ESNNs) that use error-correcting output codes as the output representation, and adopts the search-coding method to generate ECOCs. For remote-sensing image classification tasks, ESNNs predict pixel classes with relatively high accuracy while keeping the characteristic of understandability.
PerPot DoMo: Antagonistic Meta-Model Processing two Concurrent Load Flows

The antagonistic meta-model PerPot has been developed in order to simulate the interaction of load and performance in physiologic processes – which has been done successfully in a lot of applications. There are, however, a lot of cases where neither the restriction to just one type of load nor the transformation of two or more load flows to one abstract substitute represents practice satisfyingly. Two very well-known examples are given by the load pairs [speed and slope] in case of running and [volume and intensity] in case of long term training.In order to meet those demands the PerPot concept has been extended to PerPot DoMo, the concept and the tool of which are briefly introduced, followed by some first results of how it works. Although the model approach seems to be rather simple, it turns out that the simu-lation quality is surprisingly high and allows good predictions in short term as well as in long term activities.
The Design of a Patient Transportation Robot's Lifting Arms Considering Comfort and Safety without the Presence of a Sheet

A transportation robot's lifting arms have an effect on the comfort and safety of patients. Improved arms have been designed through dynamic and static analyses to increase safety if a sheet not present on the lifting arms. To design the lifting arms, experimentation is very helpful, however, it is difficult and dangerous to experiment on patients; therefore, a simple human model was made and used for the dynamic analysis. Through the dynamic analysis results, a safe width and comfortable location for the lifting arms were determined. The thickness was then determined by static analysis and optimum design. In addition, tests have been conducted to confirm comfort and safety by deploying the designed lifting arms onto a transportation robot.
Multimodal conformity of expression between blog names and content

Using a sentiment lexicon for German translated into English, Italian, Spanish and Swedish, Tumblr URL names for blog archives are inspected with regard to the category of the content. Across the five languages, where the content would be of concern to anyone who would be inclined to filter offensive content, the URLs are constructed with negative sentiment expressions more often than positive sentiment expressions. Other relations suggestive of either conformity or opposition in expression between the modalities of blog name and blog content in image in text are not strongly visible in the 1000 URL sample studied.
A Symbolic Approach for Classification of Moving Vehicles in Traffic Videos

In this paper, a symbolic approach is proposed to classify moving vehicles in traffic videos. A corner-based tracking method is presented to track and detect moving vehicles. We propose to overlap the boundary curves of each vehicle while tracking it in sequence of frames to reconstruct a complete boundary shape of the vehicle. The reconstructed boundary shape is normalized and then a set of efficient shape features are extracted. The extracted shape features are used to form interval-valued feature vector representation of vehicles. Vehicles are categorized into 4 different types of vehicle classes using a symbolic similarity measure. To corroborate the efficacy of the proposed method, experiment is conducted on 21,239 frames of roadway traffic videos taken in an uncontrolled environment during day time. The proposed method has 95.16% classification accuracy. Moreover, experiments reveal that the proposed method can be well adopted for on-line classification of moving vehicles as it is based on a simple matching scheme.