Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Selective attention , ideal observer theory and ‘ early ’ visual channels

Most traditional models of early vision assumed xed channelling of information through the visual system. However, recent thinking has emphasized the exibility of the processing and readout of information coming through the visual system, depending on such factors as attention, task demands, learning and practice (see we propose a two-stage model based on these new principles. It was developed to explain our empirical results on binocular summation (Pardhan and Rose, 1999). Although qualitative at present, we believe it provides a framework for developing future quantitative , integrative models of channelling in binocular vision. These channels tile the range of possible disparities and ocular dominances (Fig. 1). We have also been inspired by Anderson and Movshon's (1989) psychophysica l model and evidence that binocular summation occurs in multiple ocular dominance channels, and the extensive psychophysica l literature for the existence of disparity and ocular dominance channels.
TiO and VO broad band absorption features in the optical spectrum of the atmosphere of the hot-Jupiter HD 209458b

Context. The presence of titanium oxide (TiO) and vanadium oxide (VO) gas phase species is searched for in the atmosphere of the hot Jupiter HD 209458b. Aims. We compared a model for the planet’s transmitted spectrum to multi-wavelength eclipse-depth measurements (from 3 000 to 10 000 A), obtained by Sing et al. (2008a) using archived HST-STIS time series spectra. We make use of these observations to search for spectral signatures from extra absorbers in the planet a tmosphere between 6 000 and 8 000 A. Methods. Along with sodium depletion and Rayleigh scattering recently published for this exoplanet atmosphere, an extra absorb er of uncertain origin, redward of the sodium lines, resides in the atmosphere of the planet. Furthermore, this planet has a stratosphere experiencing a thermal inversion caused by the capture of optical stellar flux by absorbers that resides at altitude. Rec ent models have predicted that the presence of TiO and VO in the atmosphere of HD 209458b may be responsible for this temperature inversion. Although no specific TiO and VO spectral band head signatures have been identified unambiguously in the observed spectrum , we suggest here that the opacities of those molecules are possi ble candidates to explain the remaining continuous broad band absorption observed between 6 200 and 8 000 A. To match reasonably well the data, the abundances of TiO and VO molecules are evaluated from ten to one thousand times below solar. This upper limit result is in agreement with expected variations with altitude due to depletion effects such as condensation. Results.
Human Mobility Monitoring in Very Low Resolution Visual Sensor Network

This paper proposes an automated system for monitoring mobility patterns using a network of very low resolution visual sensors (30 × 30 pixels). The use of very low resolution sensors reduces privacy concern, cost, computation requirement and power consumption. The core of our proposed system is a robust people tracker that uses low resolution videos provided by the visual sensor network. The distributed processing architecture of our tracking system allows all image processing tasks to be done on the digital signal controller in each visual sensor. In this paper, we experimentally show that reliable tracking of people is possible using very low resolution imagery. We also compare the performance of our tracker against a state-of-the-art tracking method and show that our method outperforms. Moreover, the mobility statistics of tracks such as total distance traveled and average speed derived from trajectories are compared with those derived from ground truth given by Ultra-Wide Band sensors. The results of this comparison show that the trajectories from our system are accurate enough to obtain useful mobility statistics.
Linear and approximate maximum likelihood localization from TOA measurements

Many applications in telecommunications require the determination of the localization of a transmitter, through interception of its transmissions by receivers at known positions. The time-of-arrival (TOA) of a signal at a receiver, multiplied by the speed of travel of the signal, gives the range of the transmitter from the receiver. With two or more receivers, the intersection of the range circles then determines the emitter location. From noisy TOA measurements, optimal estimation requires solving nonlinear equations. This paper proposes a closed-form, linear approximation method that finds the optimal solution. The performance of this estimator is superior to two other linear estimators, and attains the theoretical error lower bound, as confirmed by simulation.
New organic-inorganic hybrid composites based on cellulose nanofibers and modified Laponite

Abstract The combination of cellulosic materials and clays, such as Laponite, can provide composites with superior optical and mechanical properties compared to pristine cellulose. Synthetic clays can also be used as a host matrix for the immobilization of luminescent complexes, as the incorporated complexes may present enhanced emission quantum efficiency, photo and thermostability compared to the non-immobilized ones. In this way, we, herein, report the preparation of luminescent composites through the incorporation of a Eu(III) complex [Eu3+(tta)n] containing Laponite (Lap) into cellulose nanofibers (CNF). The thermogravimetry results show that the obtained CNF/Lap@[Eu3+(tta)n] films present higher thermal resistance than the CNF film. The Eu3+(tta)n species were found in the composite structure with preserved luminescence characteristics, and no leaching or degradation of the organic ligand was observed with the preparation of the composites.
The impact of nutritional supplementation on quality of life in patients infected with hepatitis C virus.

BACKGROUND The present study aimed to evaluate the impact of animal and vegetable protein supplementation on health-related quality of life (HRQL) in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and to investigate clinical and nutritional variables related to quality of life in these patients. METHODS One hundred and forty patients infected with HCV were randomly assigned to one of two groups: the Soy Group (SG; n = 72), where patients received a soy supplement diet and the Casein Group (CG; n = 68), where patients received casein as a supplement. Anthropometric, biochemical and clinical assessments were performed in all patients, and the Short-Form Health Survey was applied at baseline and 12 weeks after study initiation. RESULTS Before supplementation, poor HRQL scores were associated with female sex (P = 0.004) and advanced fibrosis (F3/F4; P = 0.04). Reduced HRQL scores were correlated with age (r = -0.263; P = 0.002), serum albumin levels (r = 0.245; P = 0.004), lean mass (r = 0.301; P < 0.0001) and body fat percentage (r = -0.262; P = 0.002). After 12 weeks of intervention, patients in both supplementation groups showed significantly increased HRQL scores, with no difference being observed between the SG and the CG. CONCLUSIONS Nutritional therapy with either soybean or casein supplementation improved quality of life in patients infected with HCV. Quality of life was influenced by anthropometric, biochemical, clinical and sociodemographic factors in patients with HCV before nutritional supplementation.
Morphology and motion of single optically trapped aerosol particles from digital holography

Nonspherical particles play a key role in the atmosphere by affecting processes such as radiative forcing, photochemistry, new particle formation and phase transitions. In this context, measurements on single particles proved to be very useful for detailed investigations of the properties of the particles studied and of processes affecting them. However, measurements on single nonspherical particles are limited by the difficulties and lack of understanding associated with the optical trapping of such particles. Here, we aim at better understanding the optical trapping of nonspherical particles in air by comparing the motion of an observed nonspherical particle with simulated optical forces and torques. An holographic microscope is used to retrieve the 6D motion of a trapped peanut-shaped particle (3D for translation and 3D for rotation). Optical forces and torques exerted by the optical trap on the peanut-shaped particle are calculated by using FDTD simulations. Most of the main features of the particle motion are in agreement with the calculations while some specific aspects of the particle motion cannot yet be explained.
Towards Run-Time Verification of Adaptive Security for IoT in eHealth

This paper integrates run-time verification enablers in the feedback adaptation loop of the ASSET adaptive security framework for Internet of Things (IoT) in the eHealth settings and instantiates the resulting framework with Colored Petri Nets. The run-time enablers make machine-readable formal models of a system state and context available at run-time. In addition, they make requirements that define the objectives of verification available at run-time as formal specifications and enable dynamic context monitoring and adaptation. Run-time adaptive behavior that deviates from the normal mode of operation of the system represents a major threat to the sustainability of critical eHealth services. Therefore, the integration of run-time enablers into the ASSET adaptive framework could lead to a sustainable security framework for IoT in eHealth.
Unsaturable methods for solving severely ill-posed problems

Considered here is the problem of an approximate solution of severely ill-posed problems represented in the form of linear operator equations of the first kind with approximately known right-hand sides and operators. For a class of the problems two methods of solving were constructed which consist in combination of Morozov's discrepancy principle and a finite-dimensional version of the ordinary Tikhonov regularisation. It is shown that the methods provide for the optimal order of accuracy without saturation. The efficiency of the theoretical results is checked by test example.
Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.

(2) Subsection (1) above does not apply— (a) to the importation or exportation of a controlled drug which is for the time being excepted from paragraph (a) or, as the case may be, paragraph (b) of subsection (1) above by regulations under section 7 of this Act [or by provision made in a temporary class drug order by virtue of section 7A] ; or (b) to the importation or exportation of a controlled drug under and in accordance with the terms of a licence issued by the Secretary of State and in compliance with any conditions attached thereto.
To Do or Not to Do: the Role of Agendas for Action in Analyzing News Coverage of Violent Conflict

One critical function that news narratives perform is orienting action: Providing a selective, coherent account of events, they suggest what needs to be done, coordinating and motivating public agendas. The importance of news narratives’ agendas for action has been particularly salient in the coverage of conflict 1 (Wolfsfeld 1997, Robinson et al. 2010): Conflict spurns heated debates wherein advocated courses of action collide, while audiences rely heavily on various media to comprehend ongoing events. Keeping track of the cacophony of agendas advanced in print and online newspapers and magazines, social media, and other public discourse confronts news readers, journalists, decision makers, and scholars alike with a major challenge. Computer assisted analyses have the potential to help comprehending conflict news, distilling agendas for action and possibly predicting the mobilization of consensus and collective action (Snow and Benford 1988). This paper presents the INFOCORE consortium’s ongoing efforts at automatically capturing agendas in conflict discourse, employing NLP technology and statistical analysis. We demonstrate the utility and potential of our approach using coverage of the Syrian chemical weapons crisis in 2013.
Multiple-Hypothesis Trilateration and Tracking with Distributed Radars

A novel algorithm to associate and trilaterate detections from multiple distributed radars is presented. The algorithm provides for flexible track state representations. The coordinate system of a track is switched from the measurement coordinates (range-Doppler) to cartesian coordinates when a detection from another sensor is associated to the track. In the case of multiple targets and false alarms we run into the complication of multiple association possibilities. These can be resolved by using a multi-hypothesis algorithm. In general, correctly formed tracks will have more likely associations. Therefore, hypotheses describing these tracks will be favored. Simulations with one or two targets and different false alarm rates show the need to preserve multiple hypotheses of the world state. Tracking performance for various false alarms rates is evaluated
Using methane dynamic model to estimate methane emission from natural wetlands in China

Natural wetlands are the largest land-based natural sources for methane (CH4) emissions. China's natural wetland area accounts for about 4% of the area of the natural wetlands worldwide. Based on the data of global lakes and wetlands, in this study we conducted modeling work of CH4 emissions from natural wetlands in China by using terrestrial ecosystem model (TEM) of the 1995–2005. The results show that China's terrestrial natural wetland based CH4 emission is 7.48Tg/a, which is mainly distributed in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and in northwest region of China accounting for 68% of the emissions nationwide. Lake wetlands, marsh/floodplains and seasonal wetland are the major three types of wetlands are the major sources of CH4 emissions in China, accounting for 65% of total emissions. Monthly simulations of CH4 emissions from 1995–2005 show that regional maximum on CH4 emissions are closely related to soil temperatures and in the period of June, July and August, of which the emission maximum is in July. These simulation based estimates will be of great importance to China's climate change and greenhouse gas control study.
Pilot-Scale Bioleaching of Metals from Pyritic Ashes

Solid waste from sulfuric acid production may contain relatively high levels of metals such as Fe, Zn, Co, Cu and As that are harmful if inappropriately disposed of in the environment, but may be a valuable resource if metals can be recovered. The objective of this research was to investigate the pilot-scale acid bioleaching of metals from pyritic ashes, originating from the roasting of pyrite ores for sulfuric acid production and consisting mainly of hematite. Bioleaching was carried out at 25 °C in pilot-scale continuously stirred tank reactors (CSTR), with 50 L working volume in mineral salts medium supplemented with trace elements, 1 % (w/v) elemental sulfur and with pyritic ash pulp densities 10 % and 20 %. The reactors were inoculated with a mixed culture of iron- and sulfur-oxidising acidophiles containing Acidithiobacillus (At.) ferrooxidans, At. thiooxidans/albertensis, At. caldus, Leptospirillum ferrooxidans, Sulfobacillus (Sb.) thermosulfidooxidans, Sb. thermotolerans and some members of Alicyclobacillus genus. Metal leaching yields from pyritic ashes in the CSTR after 32 days were 54.6-56.7 % Cu, 41.7-43.2 % Zn, 1.7-1.8 % Co, 3.0-5.4 % As and 0.3-0.5 % Fe. Solution pH decreased during the experiment from 2.9 to 1.9-2.2. Elemental analysis using X-ray fluorescence showed that the contents of metals, except for As, in the leach residue were below the higher guideline values given in the Government decree on the assessment of the soil contamination and remediation needs by the Ministry of the Environment, Finland. Bioleaching facilitated the extraction of metals from pyritic ashes and the mitigation of environmental risks related to the residue disposal for other metals except for As.
A female Viking warrior confirmed by genomics

Abstract Objectives The objective of this study has been to confirm the sex and the affinity of an individual buried in a well‐furnished warrior grave (Bj 581) in the Viking Age town of Birka, Sweden. Previously, based on the material and historical records, the male sex has been associated with the gender of the warrior and such was the case with Bj 581. An earlier osteological classification of the individual as female was considered controversial in a historical and archaeological context. A genomic confirmation of the biological sex of the individual was considered necessary to solve the issue. Materials and methods Genome‐wide sequence data was generated in order to confirm the biological sex, to support skeletal integrity, and to investigate the genetic relationship of the individual to ancient individuals as well as modern‐day groups. Additionally, a strontium isotope analysis was conducted to highlight the mobility of the individual. Results The genomic results revealed the lack of a Y‐chromosome and thus a female biological sex, and the mtDNA analyses support a single‐individual origin of sampled elements. The genetic affinity is close to present‐day North Europeans, and within Sweden to the southern and south‐central region. Nevertheless, the Sr values are not conclusive as to whether she was of local or nonlocal origin. Discussion The identification of a female Viking warrior provides a unique insight into the Viking society, social constructions, and exceptions to the norm in the Viking time‐period. The results call for caution against generalizations regarding social orders in past societies.
Why Are Women Dying When They Reach Hospital on Time? A Systematic Review of the ‘Third Delay’

Background The ‘three delays model’ attempts to explain delays in women accessing emergency obstetric care as the result of: 1) decision-making, 2) accessing services and 3) receipt of appropriate care once a health facility is reached. The third delay, although under-researched, is likely to be a source of considerable inequity in access to emergency obstetric care in developing countries. The aim of this systematic review was to identify and categorise specific facility-level barriers to the provision of evidence-based maternal health care in developing countries. Methods and Findings Five electronic databases were systematically searched using a 4-way strategy that combined search terms related to: 1) maternal health care; 2) maternity units; 3) barriers, and 4) developing countries. Forty-three original research articles were eligible to be included in the review. Thirty-two barriers to the receipt of timely and appropriate obstetric care at the facility level were identified and categorised into six emerging themes (Drugs and equipment; Policy and guidelines; Human resources; Facility infrastructure; Patient-related and Referral-related). Two investigators independently recorded the frequency with which barriers relating to the third delay were reported in the literature. The most commonly cited barriers were inadequate training/skills mix (86%); drug procurement/logistics problems (65%); staff shortages (60%); lack of equipment (51%) and low staff motivation (44%). Conclusions This review highlights how a focus on patient-side delays in the decision to seek care can conceal the fact that many health facilities in the developing world are still chronically under-resourced and unable to cope effectively with serious obstetric complications. We stress the importance of addressing supply-side barriers alongside demand-side factors if further reductions in maternal mortality are to be achieved.
A moonshine dialogue in mathematical physics

Phys and Math are two colleagues at the University of Sacenbon (Crefan Kingdom), dialoguing about the remarkable efficiency of mathematics for physics. They talk about the notches on the Ishango bone, the various uses of psi in maths and physics, they arrive at dessins d'enfants, moonshine concepts, Rademacher sums and their significance in the quantum world. You should not miss their eccentric proposal of relating Bell's theorem to the Baby Monster group. Their hyperbolic polygons show a considerable singularity/cusp structure that our modern age of computers is able to capture. Henri Poincare would have been happy to see it.
Analysis of a modified positive output Luo converter and its application to solar PV system

The modified positive output Luo converter is a type of a high-gain DC-DC converter. It is derived from the positive output Luo converter. This topology uses combination of inductors and capacitors to lift the input voltage to a higher value of the output voltage. The voltage gain of the converter in a re-lift configuration is two times of that provided by a boost converter while using a single switch. In this paper, the steady state analysis of the re-lift configuration of the modified positive output Luo converter operating in the continuous conduction mode is presented and the relevant expressions are derived. The possible application of this converter as one of the stages in a single phase transformer-less grid integrated solar PV system is suggested. Simulation results are presented to support the theoretical analysis.
Using Actors to Build a Parallel DBMS

In this paper, we present the design and the architecture of a parallel main memory database management system. We focus on concurrency control scheme and recovery. Our prototype is based on the concept of "database actors", an object-oriented data model well suited for parallelmanipulations. The storage sub system is built upon distributed Ram-files using SDDS (Scalable Distributed Data Structures) techniques. A nested transaction model is proposed and used to handle concurrency access and recovery. We have also proposed novel approach, based on wait-die, to implement a distributed deadlock prevention technique for our model of nested transactions.
The Exploration of Human Resource from the Supply-Demand Core Competence to its Suitability : A Resource-Based Theory Perspective

This main study explores resource-based theory as a perspective to exam whether the professional and basic capabilities of college education can provide and then fit the need the human resource core competence of firms. Using 200 managers of Taiwanese firms by Multi-Hierarchical Regression as statistical tools, this study significantly shows by: while the college education can provide students with these two capabilities, these capabilities can fit the firms’ needs of the core competence, under the consideration of firms and college cooperation as industry-school exchange to raise the development of these capabilities of these students. This suggests that when the colleges give its academic training for the students to these two capabilities, these capabilities match the firms’ demand for their need of human resources. The rationale reason could be: when we consider the component of core competence as creative force, learning ability, and practical experience, the processes of the academic particular programs and the college-firm collaboration can help enhance the student from a labor force to human resource, increasing an employment rate based on a better contribution to firms.