Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Calibration and accuracy analysis of a focused plenoptic camera

In this article we introduce new methods for the calibration of depth images from focused plenoptic cameras and validate the results. We start with a brief description of the concept of a focused plenoptic camera and how from the recorded raw image a depth map can be estimated. For this camera, an analytical expression of the depth accuracy is derived for the first time. In the main part of the paper, methods to calibrate a focused plenoptic camera are developed and evaluated. The optical imaging process is calibrated by using a method which is already known from the calibration of traditional cameras. For the calibration of the depth map two new model based methods, which make use of the projection concept of the camera are developed. These new methods are compared to a common curve fitting approach, which is based on Taylor-series-approximation. Both model based methods show significant advantages compared to the curve fitting method. They need less reference points for calibration than the curve fitting method and moreover, supply a function which is valid in excess of the range of calibration. In addition the depth map accuracy of the plenoptic camera was experimentally investigated for different focal lengths of the main lens and is compared to the analytical evaluation.
Running Out of Space: Models of Information Navigation

This short paper reflects recent concerns with the models on which we base navigation mechanisms for information spaces. As we are daily presented with new sources of online information in a variety of areas, and as these are increasingly interconnected into a large web of electronic information, it becomes necessary to investigate the means by which these information sources are structured. Architects have long understood the relationship between the structure of space and the interactions it can support, and much the same holds true of information structures.
The effect of ETS exposure on the BDNF protein

Introduction: In America, it is common knowledge that smoking cigarettes is bad for one’s health; however, it is less well known that secondhand smoke exposure can affect the neurological health of children. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the U.S. 1 in 5 children are at greater risk for mental health problems due to postnatal ETS exposure (Centers for Disease Control and prevention, 2010). Second hand smoke (SHS), also known as environmental tobacco smoke exposure (ETS), is made up of smoke breathed out by a smoker and side stream smoke from the burning cigarette. There are several toxic chemicals that are composed in SHS, such as arsenic, lead, cesium, carbon monoxide, and polyaromatics such as benzene. The toxic chemicals in SHS are known to result in negative health outcomes in the pulmonary and cardiovascular systems.
Rural Regeneration Policy and Practice. Rhetoric or reality

This is a study of the rhetoric and reality of rural regeneration in the UK. The thesis considers the activities of practitioners and policyrnakers within the new forms of rural governance which have emerged over the past decade and are now having pronounced effects on the practice of rural development. Policy rhetoric is assigned meaning and interpreted by practitioners and eventually becomes a reality through development practice. This analysis uses the concepts of participation and partnership, in terms of their function as rhetoric framing contemporary policies that eventually become regeneration practice. Micro-politics are identified as crucial processes of rural development activity that affect this practice The research draws on the work of a rural development initiative in Suffolk, the Communities First-Suffolk project. Using this project an ethnographic study was conducted. A theoretical framework is set out for each of the three main concepts partnership, participation and micro-politics. Empirical findings from the Case Study are then used to analyse the theory underpinning the research. A gap between rhetoric and reality was found to exist in both rural policy and within its practice. This consists of a paradox of governance in terms of decentralisation, rules of engagement, the role of lead agencies, participation and partnership structures. The role of the individual was found to be integral to these elements and indeed to broader rural development processes. This thesis calls for government policy to recognise the disparity between rural rhetoric and reality. It thus suggests that policymakers consider adopting mechanisms to evaluate and review governance processes in addition to the traditional approach of evaluating regeneration products. Unless the rhetoric-reality gap is closed, existing exclusions, barriers and problems will continue to prevail within rural development structures, hampering the progress and activity of rural development agents policymakers and practitioners alike.
Measuring Social and Economic Change in Rural Russia: Surveys from 1991 to 2003

Chapter 1 Introduction: How Do We Measure Change in Rural Russia? Part 2 A Macro-Level View of Change in the Russian Countryside Chapter 3 Central Government Reforms in Agriculture Chapter 4 Regional Responses to Reforms Chapter 5 The Transformation of Russian Agriculture Part 6 The Adaptation of Villages and Households to the New Economy Chapter 7 The Impact of Reforms on the Social Organization of the Russian Village Chapter 8 Household Capital and Agricultural Sales Chapter 9 Household Capital and Income Inequality Part 10 Evaluating the Quality of Village Life Chapter 11 Rural Poverty Chapter 12 Material Goods and Services Chapter 13 Mental Health and Subjective Quality of Life Part 14 Building Sustainable Rural Communities Chapter 15 The Future of Rural Russia Chapter 16 What Can We Learn from the Experiment in Russian Agrarian Reform?
Automatic Parallel Parking of Car-Like Mobile Robots Using Saturation Control and Bang-Bang Control

In this paper, we consider the parallel parking problem of car-like mobile robots. First, a kinematic model of the robot suitable for control applications has been derived. The problem of stabilizing the robot is seen as an extension of the tracking problem. Two types of steering controllers for straight-line tracking: bangbang (optimal) control and saturated control have been proposed. Due to the discontinuity of the control law, the performance of the system when a bang-bang control is used may be highly oscillatory. We demonstrate that the saturated control which is continuous, achieves also a quick steering of the system near to the origin, and this type of control can be successfully used in solving automatic parking problems. An approach of using saturated control with two different levels of saturation is proposed, in order to obtain a larger area of the staring configurations of the mobile robot for the first reverse manuever of the parallel parking. The robot can be automatically parked by using one or multiple maneuvers, depending on the size of the parking space. Simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed control schemes. Key-Words: Car-like mobile robot, parallel parking maneuver, bang-bang control, saturated control
Pedestrian Detection Directing at the Region of Interest in Videos

In this paper we present a novel and robust framework that decomposes continuous people detection into three parts, including off-line detection, tracking and learning. We introduce temporal coherence and spatial constraints into off-line detection phase by collecting a dynamical model from tracker which is estimated and updated by the learning algorithm. This method makes the detector aim at regions where a potential target will appear in the next frame, capable of handling pedestrians with occlusions and variety of scales, which as result greatly improves performance of pedestrian detection. We carry out a quantitative and qualitative evaluation on the public datasets.
Magnetic Glass Ceramics by Sintering of Borosilicate Glass and Inorganic Waste

Ceramics and glass ceramics based on industrial waste have been widely recognized as competitive products for building applications; however, there is a great potential for such materials with novel functionalities. In this paper, we discuss the development of magnetic sintered glass ceramics based on two iron-rich slags, coming from non-ferrous metallurgy and recycled borosilicate glass. The substantial viscous flow of the glass led to dense products for rapid treatments at relatively low temperatures (900–1000 °C), whereas glass/slag interactions resulted in the formation of magnetite crystals, providing ferrimagnetism. Such behavior could be exploited for applying the obtained glass ceramics as induction heating plates, according to preliminary tests (showing the rapid heating of selected samples, even above 200 °C). The chemical durability and safety of the obtained glass ceramics were assessed by both leaching tests and cytotoxicity tests.
Modeling and economic evaluation of Power2Gas technology using energy hub concept

A major challenge in power system operation is the integration of renewable energy in-feed in large scale. Due to the fluctuating nature and seasonal dependency of these energy carriers, excess energy might be curtailed and shortfalls are covered by conventional generation units, since it is possible that sufficient storage capacities are not always available. In this paper we focus on the Power-to-Gas technology as an additional source for enhancing power system operability. Power-to-Gas converts electrical energy into hydrogen or methane, which can be stored or transported via the existing natural gas infrastructure. A major concern is whether this technology is economically valid. In order to address this issue, we propose a model based on the energy hub concept and apply it to historic data. In a simulation study we show, that currently a power-to-gas plant is not economically viable.
A Tough Call: Mitigating Advanced Code-Reuse Attacks at the Binary Level

Current binary-level Control-Flow Integrity (CFI) techniques are weak in determining the set of valid targets for indirect control flow transfers on the forward edge. In particular, the lack of source code forces existing techniques to resort to a conservative address-taken policy that overapproximates this set. In contrast, source-level solutions can accurately infer the targets of indirect calls and thus detect malicious control-flow transfers more precisely. Given that source code is not always available, however, offering similar quality of protection at the binary level is important, but, unquestionably, more challenging than ever: recent work demonstrates powerful attacks such as Counterfeit Object-oriented Programming (COOP), which made the community believe that protecting software against control-flow diversion attacks at the binary level is rather impossible. In this paper, we propose binary-level analysis techniques to significantly reduce the number of possible targets for indirect branches. More specifically, we reconstruct a conservative approximation of target function prototypes by means of use-def analysis at possible callees. We then couple this with liveness analysis at each indirect callsite to derive a many-to-many relationship between callsites and target callees with a much higher precision compared to prior binary-level solutions. Experimental results on popular server programs and on SPEC CPU2006 show that TypeArmor, a prototype implementation of our approach, is efficient - with a runtime overhead of less than 3%. Furthermore, we evaluate to what extent TypeArmor can mitigate COOP and other advanced attacks and show that our approach can significantly reduce the number of targets on the forward edge. Moreover, we show that TypeArmor breaks published COOP exploits, providing concrete evidence that strict binary-level CFI can still mitigate advanced attacks, despite the absence of source information or C++ semantics.
Neutrinoless double beta decay of deformed nuclei within QRPA with realistic interaction

In this paper a microscopic state-of-the-art approach to calculation of the nuclear matrix element M 0� for neutrinoless double beta decay with an account for nuclear deformation is presented in length and applied for 76 Ge, 150 Nd and 160 Gd. The proton-neutron quasiparticle random phase approximation (QRPA) with a realistic residual interaction [the Brueckner G matrix derived from the charge-depending Bonn (Bonn-CD) nucleon-nucleon potential] is used as the underlying nuclear structure model. The effects of the short range correlations and the quenching of the axial vector coupling constant gA are analyzed. The results show that neutrinoless double beta decay of 150 Nd, to be measured soon by the SNO+ collaboration, provides one of the best probes of the Majorana neutrino mass. This confirms our preliminary conclusion in Ref. [17].
The effect of motion on presence during virtual sailing for advanced training

This paper explores the amount of motion simulation required to influence presence and immersion on a dinghy sailing simulator. We specifically focused on the effects of roll, pitch and heave, when sailing an course with up-, side-and down-wind sections in a virtual environment. A real dingy was mounted on a 6 Degrees of Freedom (DOF) Stewart platform; the participants could influence the course of a virtual boat by a rudder while experiencing physical displacement by simulated wind and waves. Five experienced sailors completed the same course several times while subjected to varying motion conditions. Results show a positive effect on presence and immersion when adding simulated motion in multiple degrees of freedom to the dinghy sailing simulator, especially by roll (>20 degrees necessary), while pitch is of less importance (<5 degrees necessary) and heave (less than 10 cm) can almost be neglected. These findings are of importance for developing boat simulators and other virtual sports applications that employ actuated platforms
AN IMPLEMENTATION OF A CRL LINEARIZATION ALGORITHM USING REWRITING STRATEGIES

The present invention is directed to a novel process for manufacturing tablets of N-halohydantoin compounds. In the process, at least one dry, particulate N-halohydantoin compound is blended with a dry, particulate alkali metal or alkaline earth salt to form a dry mixture, and the mixture is compacted into densified forms such as tablets. Dry particulate alkali metal or alkaline earth salts consist of a cation selected from among the group comprising lithium, sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium and an anion selected from among the group comprising carbonate, bicarbonate, borate, silicate, phosphate, percarbonate, and perphosphate, to form a dry mixture and compressing the mixture. The invention is further directed to tablets produced by this process. The invention is also directed to mixtures comprising N-halohydantoin, one-half to three percent by weight alkali metal or alkaline earth salt, minor components and less than about five percent water. The invention is still further directed to densified mixtures consisting essentially of N-halohydantoin, one-half to three percent by weight alkali metal or alkaline earth salt, and less than about five percent water.
Exploring fandom and motives for viewing televised sports

In this study we sought to identify motives for watching televised sports and to explore the relationship between motivation and perhaps one of the most important antecedents to television sports viewing: fandom. Various studies have suggested different motives for watching sports, specifically (Kahle, Kambara, & Rose, 1996; Milne & McDonald, 1999; Trail & James, 2001; Wann, 1995), and for watching television, generally (Rubin, 1983). Therefore, our first objective was to identify more clearly a comprehensive typology of motives people have for viewing televised sports. We considered motives from the Television Viewing Motives Scale (TVMS; Rubin, 1983), and specific, sometimes disparate, motives for watching sports gleaned from the literature. Previous studies have suggested highly avid fans may have different motives for viewing sports than do less avid fans and are more involved with televised sports than are less avid fans (Gantz, 1981; Gantz & Wenner, 1995; Wann, 1995). Consequently, our second objective was to explore the extent to which viewers’ level of fandom affects their motives for viewing televised sports. The findings suggest that our predispositions to sports (i.e., level of fandom) may influence our sports television viewing motives. We also discuss the implications of these findings as well as directions for future sports media research. People build their knowledge of and interest in sports, in part, based on their exposure to and motives for watching televised reports. Twenty-fourhour news and entertainment programming on ESPN and other sports channels and media provide audiences with access to the personal lives of their favorite athletes (Harris, 2004). Other channels focus on specific sports (e.g.,
The impact of the interannual variability in hydrodynamic conditions on the plankton development in Lake Constance in spring and summer

Long-tenn measurements (1979-1994) of meteorological parameters and of algal and crusta­ cean biomass were used in conjunction with a comprehensive hydrodynamic model to evaluate the im­ pact of the weather regime on plankton dynamics in a large, deep, temperate lake (Upper Lake Constance), and to identify potential causal mechanisms. The natural variability of weather conditions, including the exceptionally mild winters during the late eighties, allowed to investigate the covariation of meteorological parameters such as irradiance, air temperature, and wind with vernal algal and crustacean population growth. Crustacean zooplankton responded strongly to differences in surface water tempera­ ture, but not to mixing depth or algal biomass. Clear relationships between changes of algal biomass and meteorological factors were only found during the rare occasions when they acted together to favour or hamper algal development. Otherwise, the impact of the meteorological on the physical conditions, which were most likely conducive to phytoplankton development, could not be followed by this simple approach. This problem was overcome with a one-dimensional hydrodynamic turbulent exchange model driven by the meteorological boundary conditions at the water surface. It was used to simulate the devel­ opment of the vernal density stratification and to study the relationships between meteorological param­ eters and exchange rates from the euphotic to the aphotic zone. The beginning of the spring algal bloom was shown to depend on the stabilization of the upper part of the water column. As soon as mixing below 20 m was inhibited, confining the algae to the euphotic zone for prolonged periods of time, substantial increases in algal standing stock occurred consistently. In contrast, during periods when high vertical mixing rates were computed with the model, no substantial enhancement of algal biomass was found. This tight coupling between the estimates of vertical mixing intensity and observed algal development, combined with knowledge about the impact of individual meteorological factors on mixing, enabled predictions about the response of algae to different weather conditions during spring.
Measuring Productivity Dynamics with Endogenous Choice of Technology and Capacity Utilization: An Application to Automobile Assembly

During the 1980s, all Japanese automobile producers opened assembly plants in North America. Industry analysts and previous research claim that these transplants are more productive than incumbent plants and that they produce with a substantially different production process. We compare the two production processes by estimating a model that allows for heterogeneity in technology and productivity. We treat both types of heterogeneity as intrinsically unobservable. In the model, plants choose technology before production starts. They condition subsequent input decisions on this choice. Maximum likelihood estimation is used to estimate the unconditional distribution of the technology choice, output, and inputs. The model is applied to a sample of automobile assembly plants. We control for capacity utilization, unobserved productivity differences, and price effects. The results indicate that there exist two distinct technologies. In particular, the more recent technology uses labor less intensively and it has a higher elasticity of substitution between labor and capital. Hicks-neutral productivity growth is estimated to be lower, while capital-biased (labor-saving) productivity growth is estimated significantly higher, for the new technology. Using the estimation results, we decompose industry-wide productivity growth in plant-level changes and composition effects, for both technologies separately. Plant-level productivity growth is further decomposed to reveal the importance of capital-biased productivity growth, increase in capital-labor ratio, and returns to scale.
CONSCIOUSNESS IS COMPUTATIONAL: THE LIDA MODEL OF GLOBAL WORKSPACE THEORY

We argue that the functions of consciousness are implemented in a bio-computational manner. That is to say, the conscious as well as the non-conscious aspects of human thinking, planning, and perception are produced by adaptive, biological algorithms. We propose that machine consciousness may be produced by similar adaptive algorithms running on the machine. Global Workspace Theory is currently the most empirically supported and widely discussed theory of consciousness. It provides a high-level description of such algorithms, based on a large body of psychological and brain evidence. LIDA provides an explicit implementation of much of GWT, which can be shown to perform human-like tasks, such as the interactive assignment of naval jobs to sailors. Here we provide brief descriptions of both GWT and LIDA in relation to the scientific evidence bearing on consciousness in the brain. A companion article explores how this approach could lead to machine consciousness.1 We also discuss the important distinction between volition and consciously mediated action selection, and describe an operational definition of consciousness via verifiable reportability. These are issues that may well bear on the possibility of machine consciousness.
Configuration space visualization for mechanical design

We are studying difficult geometric problems in computer-aided mechanical design where visualization plays a key role. The research addresses the fundamental design task of contact analysis: deriving the part contacts and the ensuing motion constraints in a mechanical system. We have automated contact analysis of general planar systems via configuration space computation. Configuration space is a geometric representation of rigid-body interaction that encodes quantitative information, such as part motion paths, and qualitative information, such as system failure modes. The configuration space dimension equals the number of degrees of freedom in the system. Three-dimensional spaces are most important, but higher-dimensions are often useful. The qualitative aspects, which relate to the topology of the configuration space, are best understood by visualization. We explain what configuration space is, how it encodes contact information, and what research challenges it poses for visualization.