Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
DIBR with content-adaptive filtering for 3D view

Depth Image Based Rendering (DIBR) is a well-known process for producing 3D views, which can synthesize a virtual view from images and their associated depth information. However, in an image owing to the abrupt change of the scene, the depth image may change rapidly to make the converting view have holes with different sizes and directions, and subsequently it affects qualities of the 3D view and may take more time for hole-filling. This paper presents a content-adaptive filtering technique to modify the depth map. A preprocessing that applies respective filter to different sizes and directions of holes is used to achieve the optimization of the depth map. As results, this method not only improves the 3D view quality and maintains the texture information, but also reduces the number of holes and the computing time on hole-filling.
The Constraint Satisfaction Problem: Complexity and Approximability (Dagstuhl Seminar 18231)

Constraint satisfaction has always played a central role in computational complexity theory; appropriate versions of CSPs are classical complete problems for most standard complexity classes. CSPs constitute a very rich and yet sufficiently manageable class of problems to give a good perspective on general computational phenomena. For instance, they help to understand which mathematical properties make a computational problem tractable (in a wide sense, e.g
Dose potency relationship of terbutaline inhaled via Turbuhaler or via a pressurized metered dose inhaler.

OBJECTIVE The relative dose potency of cumulative doses of terbutaline sulfate inhaled via Turbuhaler and via a pressurized metered dose inhaler was estimated with respect to lung efficacy and systemic effect. METHODS The study was an open, crossover, randomized, multicenter study including 31 adult patients with asthma [forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), 65% of predicted]. The patients inhaled terbutaline doses of 0.125, 0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mg (a total of 4 mg) at 30-minute intervals. Lung function [FEV1, forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory flow at 75% of FVC (FEF75%), and peak expiratory flow (PEF)], and systemic effect variables (serum potassium, tremor, pulse, blood pressure) were monitored prior to the first inhalation and 15 to 25 minutes after each inhaled dose. RESULTS The mean relative dose potency of terbutaline inhaled via Turbuhaler compared with pressurized metered dose inhaler was 1.5 (95% confidence interval: 1.2 to 1.8) with respect to FEV1 and serum potassium, respectively. The corresponding relative dose potencies for PEF, FVC, and FEF75% were 1.0, 1.2, and 1.6, respectively, with no statistically significant difference between the two devices. No differences between the devices were evident with regard to blood pressure and pulse. CONCLUSION The results suggest that Turbuhaler is more efficient in the delivery of inhaled terbutaline to the lungs compared with the conventional pressurized metered dose inhaler.
Identification of a mitochondrial transporter for basic amino acids in Arabidopsis thaliana by functional reconstitution into liposomes and complementation in yeast.

We describe the identification and functional characterization of two Arabidopsis mitochondrial basic amino acid carriers (BAC), AtmBAC1 and AtmBAC2, which are related to the yeast ornithine (Orn) carrier Ort1p, also known as Arg11p. The arg11 mutant requires arginine (Arg) supplementation because it fails to export sufficient ornithine from the mitochondrion to the cytosol where it is converted to arginine. AtmBAC1 and, to a lesser extent, AtmBAC2 partially replaced the function of Ort1p in yeast arg11. The more efficient putative carrier, AtmBAC1, was expressed in E. coli, purified, and reconstituted into phospholipid vesicles, where it transported the basic l-amino acids arginine, lysine, ornithine and histidine (in order of decreasing affinity). AtmBAC1 recognized l-histidine whereas both yeast Ort1p and the mammalian ortholog ORNT1p do not. Also different from ORNT1p, AtmBAC1 did not transport citrulline. AtmBAC1 appeared to be more stereospecific than the yeast and mammalian ornithine carriers, exhibiting greater preference for the l-forms of arginine, lysine and ornithine. By RT-PCR, both AtmBAC1 and AtmBAC2 transcripts were detected in stems, leaves, flowers, siliques, and seedlings. Expression of AtmBAC1 in seedlings is consistent with its involvement in Arg breakdown in early seedling development, i.e. delivery of Arg to mitochondrial arginase. The Km (0.19 mm) for Arg uptake by AtmBAC1 was close to the value we previously determined for the saturable component of Arg uptake into intact mitochondria from soybean seedling cotyledons.
Sensorless Adaptive Backstepping Speed Control of Induction Motor

This paper proposes an adaptive speed tracking control scheme for an induction motor subject to unknown load torque via backstepping analysis. The controller is developed under a special nonlinear coordinate transform such that speed control objective can be fulfilled. The underlying design concept is to endow the closed-loop system while lacking the knowledge of some key system parameters, such as the rotor resistance, motor inertia, and motor damping coefficient. The proposed control scheme comes along with a thorough proof derived based on Lyapunov stability theory. Experimental results are also given to validate the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme
An AI Approach to Automatic Natural Music Transcription

Automatic music transcription (AMT) remains a fundamental and difficult problem in music information research, and current music transcription systems are still unable to match human performance. AMT aims to automatically generate a score representation given a polyphonic acoustical signal. In our project, we approach the AMT problem on two fronts: acoustic modeling to identify pitches from a frame of audio, and establishing a score generation model to convert exact piano roll representations of audio into more ‘natural’ sheet music. We build an end to end pipeline that aims to convert . wav classical piano audio files into a ‘natural’ score representation.
Normative data for Farsi-speaking Iranians in the United States on measures of executive functioning

ABSTRACT As the Farsi-speaking Iranian population continues to grow in the United States, examination of their cognitive performance is an imperative first step to providing this group with culturally competent services. Thirty-six healthy primarily Farsi-speaking Iranian adults completed Farsi-translated and adapted versions of three frequently used measures of executive/subcortical functioning: Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), Trail Making Test (TMT), and Color Trails Test (CTT). Participants’ performance on each measure was compared to published normative data resulting in 0–85% of cognitively and medically healthy individuals being classified as impaired depending on the executive/subcortical test score examined, with the highest impairment rates for specific WCST outcome scores. These findings raise questions for the use of published norms with Farsi-speaking Iranians residing in the US. The present study provided normative data from this group of Farsi-speaking Iranians on the Farsi-translated and adapted versions of the WCST, TMT, and CTT.
Design of power converter for induction furnaces with computer simulations

In the paper researches for design of the resonant converter for induction heating of the metals by computer simulation programs are given. ELTA, PowerSim and Semesiel simulation programs are used for design and optimization in the power converter. The purpose of the research is work on bridge power converter in mode of induction device. The mode of induction heating of metals has retroactive effect of the parameters of resonant circuit on the power converter. The change of the parameters of the resonant circuit changes the output power of the converter. Usually in the applications on the induction heating of metal materials the converter is required to work with constant power.
Accurate and reliable soldier and first responder indoor positioning: multisensor systems and cooperative localization

A robust, accurate positioning system with seamless outdoor and indoor coverage is a highly needed tool for increasing safety in emergency response and military urban operations. It must be lightweight, small, inexpensive, and power efficient, and still provide meter-level accuracy during extended operations. GPS receivers, inertial sensors, and local radio-based ranging are natural choices for a multisensor positioning system. Inertial navigation with foot-mounted sensors is suitable as the core system in GPS denied environments, since it can yield meter-level accuracies for a few minutes. However, there is still a need for additional supporting sensors to keep the accuracy at acceptable levels during the duration of typical soldier and first responder operations. Suitable aiding sensors are three-axis magnetometers, barometers, imaging sensors, Doppler radars, and ultrasonic sensors. Further more, cooperative positioning, where first responders exchange position and error estimates in conjunction with performing radio based ranging, is deemed a key technology. This article provides a survey on technologies and concepts for high accuracy soldier and first responder positioning systems, with an emphasis on indoor positioning.
De novo REEP2 missense mutation in pure hereditary spastic paraplegia

Alterations in proteins that regulate endoplasmic reticulum morphology are common causes of hereditary spastic paraplegia (SPG1‐78, plus others). Mutations in the REEP1 gene that encodes an endoplasmic reticulum‐shaping protein are well‐known causes of SPG31, a common autosomal dominant spastic paraplegia. A closely‐related gene, REEP2, is mutated in SPG72, with both autosomal and recessive inheritances. Here, we report a patient with a pure hereditary spastic paraplegia due to a de novo missense mutation (c.119T > G, p.Met40Arg) in REEP2 at a highly‐conserved residue very close to another known pathogenic missense change. This represents only the second autosomal dominant SPG72 missense mutation reported.
Superpixel tracking via graph-based semi-supervised SVM and supervised saliency detection

This paper proposes a superpixel tracking method via a graph-based hybrid discriminative-generative appearance model. By utilizing a superpixel-based graph structure as the visual representation, spatial information between superpixels is considered. For constructing the discriminative appearance model, we propose a graph-based semi-supervised support vector machine (SVM) approach by taking superpixels in the current frame as unlabeled training samples and adjusting the classification result utilizing the spatial information provided by a k-regular graph, making the tracker more robust for appearance variation. The adjusted classification result is further used in graph-based supervised saliency detection to generate a generative appearance model, making the real target more salient. Finally, we incorporate the hybrid appearance model into a particle filter framework. Experimental results on five challenging sequences demonstrate that our tracker is robust in dealing with occlusion and shape deformation.
Mice lacking GFAP are hypersensitive to traumatic cerebrospinal injury

GLIAL fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is an intermediate filament protein expressed primarily in astrocytes. We have tested whether GFAP protects against mechanical stress by inducing percussive head injury in GFAP-null mice with a weight drop device. When mice were positioned on a foam bed which allowed head movement at impact, all 14 wild-type mice tested survived, but 12 of 15 GFAP-null mice died within a few minutes. The cause of death appeared to be upper cervical spinal cord injury resulting in respiratory arrest. When the foam bed was replaced by a firm support, both GFAP-null and wild-type mice survived. These results indicate that mice lacking GFAP are hypersensitive to cervical spinal cord injury caused by sudden acceleration of the head.
Microchannel Fabrication and Bio-Related Applications

This report discusses the method for the fabrication of microchannels. Microchannel production is a two step process. First, soft photolithography methods are implemented to fabricate a reusable mold. The mold is then used to create the microchannel, which consists of polydimethylsiloxane, or PDMS, and glass. Bio-related applications are also discussed.
Imagen global e intenciones futuras de comportamiento del turista de segunda residencia

No cabe duda que el turismo de segunda residencia esta adquiriendo una importancia destacada dentro del panorama turistico espanol. Sin embargo, hasta el momento, han predominado las aproximaciones meramente descriptivas del fenomeno siendo, por tanto, insuficiente la atencion que se le ha prestado desde el punto de vista de la investigacion academica. Con objeto de subsanar estas carencias, el presente estudio profundiza, desde una optica de demanda, en la percepcion y comportamiento del turista de segunda residencia respecto al destino, incidiendo en sus diferencias con el resto de turistas. Para ello, se hace especial referencia a las dimensiones de la imagen del destino, analizando tanto su incidencia en la imagen global como en las intenciones futuras de comportamiento. Los resultados muestran que existen diferencias importantes entre ambos tipos de turistas en relacion al perfil sociodemografico y a las dimensiones de la imagen que explican la imagen global poseida y el comportamiento futuro.
Fluctuations cycliques dans une zone de libre-échange : le cas de la communauté andine des nations

Le principal objectif de ce travail de recherche est d'analyser de facon integrale les fluctuations economiques de court et moyen terme dans la Communaute Andine des Nations (Bolivie, Colombie, Equateur, Perou et Venezuela). Dans un premier temps nous analysons les similitudes cycliques entre les differents pays andins ; dans ce sens, l'interet est tout d'abord porte sur la forme du cycle conjoncturel, notamment en termes de duree et d'ampleur des phases, a travers la configuration d'un algorithme d'identification et la mise en place d'une procedure de re-echantillonnage. Par la suite nous cherchons a elucider les sources des fluctuations cycliques andines dans le contexte d'un modele d'equilibre general dynamique et stochastique avec des interrelations regionales, dans lequel les pays partenaires et le reste du monde font face a trois chocs stochastiques differents : deux chocs specifiques de productivite et d'investissement, et un choc regional des termes de l'echange. Pour terminer, nous abordons la question relative a l'importance des institutions en tant qu'element explicatif des fluctuations de court terme en Amerique Latine. Ainsi premierement, nous introduisons un modele de cycle reel, calibre pour reproduire certaines caracteristiques de l'economie venezuelienne, dans lequel la qualite institutionnelle est assimilee a un mecanisme d'amplification des chocs. Deuxiemement, nous explorons empiriquement le lien entre institutions et fluctuations d'offre a l'aide de donnees de panel et d'outils statistiques issus de l'analyse factorielle.
A Perspective on LES and its Application to Liquid Rocket Combustion Systems

Abstract : This paper provides a perspective on Large Eddy Simulation (LES) and its application to liquid rocket injection, mixing and combustion processes. Simulating these processes involves a variety of challenges which include all of the classical closure problems inherent to the treatment of turbulence and combustion, and a unique set of problems imposed by the introduction of thermodynamic nonidealities and transport anomalies. Emphasis is placed on: (1) the fundamental issues and limiting extremes, (2) the theoretical and numerical framework developed to handle these difficulties, and (3) a series of results which give insight into the intricate nature of the problem and current state of the art with respect to LES. The discussion is framed in the context of the three workshop test cases, with conclusions drawn accordingly.
31P MRS studies of exercising human muscle at high temporal resolution

Methods for measuring mitochondrial activity from 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy data collected during and after exercise were compared in controls, weight lifters, and peripheral vascular occlusive disease (PVOD) patients. There were trends toward increasing mitochondrial activity during exercise in order from PVOD patients, moderately active controls, highly active controls, to weight lifters. Results from PVOD patients show divergence of some measures due to 1) the non‐exponential nature of phosphocreatine recovery, and 2) potential breakdown of [ADP] control of the mitochondria due to lack of oxygen (for Qmax calculation). These results demonstrate the utility of obtaining and directly analyzing high time resolution data rather than assuming monoexponential behavior of metabolite recovery. Magn Reson Med 41:1145–1151, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Conserved PFT1 Tandem Repeat Is Crucial for Proper Flowering in Arabidopsis thaliana

It is widely appreciated that short tandem repeat (STR) variation underlies substantial phenotypic variation in organisms. Some propose that the high mutation rates of STRs in functional genomic regions facilitate evolutionary adaptation. Despite their high mutation rate, some STRs show little to no variation in populations. One such STR occurs in the Arabidopsis thaliana gene PFT1 (MED25), where it encodes an interrupted polyglutamine tract. Although the PFT1 STR is large (∼270 bp), and thus expected to be extremely variable, it shows only minuscule variation across A. thaliana strains. We hypothesized that the PFT1 STR is under selective constraint, due to previously undescribed roles in PFT1 function. We investigated this hypothesis using plants expressing transgenic PFT1 constructs with either an endogenous STR or synthetic STRs of varying length. Transgenic plants carrying the endogenous PFT1 STR generally performed best in complementing a pft1 null mutant across adult PFT1-dependent traits. In stark contrast, transgenic plants carrying a PFT1 transgene lacking the STR phenocopied a pft1 loss-of-function mutant for flowering time phenotypes and were generally hypomorphic for other traits, establishing the functional importance of this domain. Transgenic plants carrying various synthetic constructs occupied the phenotypic space between wild-type and pft1 loss-of-function mutants. By varying PFT1 STR length, we discovered that PFT1 can act as either an activator or repressor of flowering in a photoperiod-dependent manner. We conclude that the PFT1 STR is constrained to its approximate wild-type length by its various functional requirements. Our study implies that there is strong selection on STRs not only to generate allelic diversity, but also to maintain certain lengths pursuant to optimal molecular function.
Melatonin treatment of pediatric residents for adaptation to night shift work.

BACKGROUND Night float rotations are used in residency training programs to reduce residents' sleep deprivation. Night shift work, however, is accompanied by deleterious effects on sleep, mood, and attention. OBJECTIVE To test whether melatonin reduces the deleterious effects of night shift work on sleep, mood, and attention in pediatric residents during night float rotation. DESIGN/METHODS Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover. Participants took melatonin (3 mg) or a placebo before bedtime in the morning after night shift; completed a sleep diary and an adverse-effects questionnaire daily; and completed the Profile of Mood States and the Conners Continuous Performance Test 3 times in each study week to test mood and attention, respectively. SETTING A university-affiliated, tertiary-care pediatric hospital. PARTICIPANTS Healthy second-year pediatric residents working 2 night float rotations. OUTCOME MEASURES Standardized measures of sleep, mood, and attention. RESULTS Twenty-eight residents completed both treatments; 17 completed 1 treatment (10 placebo, 7 melatonin). There was not a statistically significant difference in measures of sleep, mood, and 5 of 6 measures of attention during melatonin and placebo treatment. One measure of attention, the number of omission errors, was significantly lower on melatonin (3.0 +/- 9.6) than on placebo (4.5 +/- 17.5) (z = -2.12, P = .03). CONCLUSIONS The isolated finding of improvement of 1 single measure of attention in a test situation during melatonin treatment was not sufficiently robust to demonstrate a beneficial effect of melatonin in the dose used. Other strategies need to be considered to help residents in adaptation to night shift work.
The construction of prehistoric Britain

The papers in this volume cover ca. 35,000 years of prehistory within the British Isles, from the fi rst appearance of anatomically modern humans at the start of the Upper Palaeolithic to the early centuries of the fi rst millennium A.D. when Britain and Ireland were brought within the orbit of Roman and early post-Roman Europe, and so “history” of sorts. The volume is not intended as a comprehensive overview of British prehistory, nor is it organised along the lines of a linear or period-based narrative (such accounts are available, notably Hunter and Ralston 1999; Bradley 2007). Rather, it provides a theoretically informed review of current research set within a thematic format. These themes include: the interpretation of major points of social, ideological and economic transition (during the Upper Palaeolithic, Mesolithic–Neolithic and the Middle Bronze Age); landscape and inhabitation; domestic and ceremonial architecture; foodways; productive technology; exchange; identity; and mortuary practice. While intended as a stand-alone work, the volume was conceived alongside that on Prehistoric Europe, edited by Andrew Jones for this series. A broad attempt was made to match themes, while at the same time acknowledging how differences in theoretical position (see Hodder 1991), fi eldwork traditions and the character of the record between Britain, Ireland and Continental Europe have shaped the ways in which prehistory has been studied and written in these different regions. The geographic scope of this volume covers the modern countries of England, Scotland and Wales, with reference to Ireland (both the Northern counties that form part of the United Kingdom and the Republic) (fi gs. 1.1 and 1.2). This does not constitute a large area: at 244,820 sq. km the United Kingdom is slightly smaller than the state of Michigan, for example. A volume on prehistoric Britain might appear myopic by comparison with others in this series which have dealt with archaeology on a continental or equivalent scale (e.g., Africa: Stahl 2005; Oceania: Y2