Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ROS commander (ROSCo): Behavior creation for home robots

We introduce ROS Commander (ROSCo), an open source system that enables expert users to construct, share, and deploy robot behaviors for home robots. A user builds a behavior in the form of a Hierarchical Finite State Machine (HFSM) out of generic, parameterized building blocks, with a real robot in the develop and test loop. Once constructed, users save behaviors in an open format for direct use with robots, or for use as parts of new behaviors. When the system is deployed, a user can show the robot where to apply behaviors relative to fiducial markers (AR Tags), which allows the robot to quickly become operational in a new environment. We show evidence that the underlying state machine representation and current building blocks are capable of spanning a variety of desirable behaviors for home robots, such as opening a refrigerator door with two arms, flipping a light switch, unlocking a door, and handing an object to someone. Our experiments show that sensor-driven behaviors constructed with ROSCo can be executed in realistic home environments with success rates between 80% and 100%. We conclude by describing a test in the home of a person with quadriplegia, in which the person was able to automate parts of his home using previously-built behaviors.
Generic sign board detection in images

Sign board detection is important for such computer vision applications as video surveillance and content based visual information retrieval. Previous researches on this topic focus mainly on application specific sign board such as car plates and traffic signs. Many special properties including special color, size, shape, and symmetry have to be used to detect these special sign boards. In this paper, we develop a system to detect generic sign board in an image or video. The only assumption we made is that the sign has to be a polygon formed by straight boundaries. Using a new set of straight line and polygon geometry analysis techniques, we can accurately locate a sign in a cluttered image efficiently. Experiments on over one hundred images clearly demonstrate the efficacy of the new algorithms.
Developing Parent Partnerships in Secondary Literacy Learning.

description of one Australian program provides a framework for bridging home and school literacies. ■■Parent involvement in children's education has long been accepted as an important element in effective schooling (Delgado-Gaitan, 1991; Schneider & Coleman, 1993). Many studies have shown that there is a high positive correlation between parent knowledge, beliefs, and interactive styles with children's school achievement (see Schaefer, 1991 for a detailed review). Although attempts to explain this relationship have varied, explanations that represent a deficit model are often emphasized. These explanations are based on the assumption that some children receive "good" or "appropriate" preparation for schooling, while others receive "poor" or "inappropriate" preparation. This view has been criticised because of its failure to recognise that schooling is a cultural practice (Auerbach, 1989; Taylor, 1993), and consequently, much of the variability of student achievement in school reflects differences and discrepancies in the cultures of home and school (Au & Kawakami, 1984; Cazden, 1988; Heath, 1983; Moll, 1988). Bourdieu (1977), for example, argues that schools inconsistently tap the social and cultural resources of society, privileging specific groups by emphasising particular linguistic styles, curricula, and authority patterns. Similarly, Gee (1990) notes that to be a teacher in any school demands specific ways of using language, behaving, interacting, and adherence to sets of values and attitudes. There is obvious potential for mismatches between these discourses and those which have been characteristic of some children's homes and communities. Scribner and Cole ( 1 98 1 ) describe literacy as a social practice into which people are enculturated or apprenticed as members of specific groups. Since one gets better at specific social practices as one practices them, it would seem that those children who enter school already having been partially apprenticed into the social practices of schooling
A Web-framework for ODIN Annotation

The current release of the ODIN (On-line Database of Interlinear Text) database contains over 150,000 linguistic examples, from nearly 1,500 languages, extracted from PDFs found on the web, representing a signiﬁcant source of data for language research, particularly for low-resource languages. Errors introduced during PDF-to-text conversion or poorly formatted examples can make the task of automatically analyzing the data more difﬁcult, so we aim to clean and normalize the examples in order to maximize accuracy during analysis. In this paper we describe a system that allows users to automatically and manually correct errors in the source data in order to get the best possible analysis of the data. We also describe a RESTful service for managing collections of linguistic examples on the web. All software is distributed under an open-source license.
Identifying Unnecessary Bounds Checks Through Block-Qualified Variable Elimination

Java’s memory-safety relies on the Java Virtual Machine checking that each access to an array does not exceed the bounds of that array. When static analysis can determine that some array access instruction will never use an out of bounds index, the cost of dynamically checking the index each time the instruction is executed can be avoided. This report introduces Block-Qualified Variable Elimination (BQVE) as a program analysis technique that extends Fourier-Motzkin Elimination [5, 3], so that it can be applied directly to programs in Static Single Assignment Form (SSA) [2] in order to determine whether array accesses of such programs are in bounds. This is accomplished by performing the variable elimination on a constraint system, where each constraint consists of a linear inequality the program’s variables and a blockvalidity qualifier that specifies in what program regions the linear inequality holds. Additional modifications handle SSA’s φ-functions. In summary, the BQVE algoirthm works as follows: BQVE operates on SSA programs for which a control flow graph and a dominator tree have been computed. From such a program, a set of block-qualified linear program constraints consistent with the program’s semantics is extracted from the program code. These constraints are combined with additional constraints derived from properties that are to be tested (e.g., that a particular array access never exceeds its upper bounds) to form a system of constraints. The BQVE algorithm then operates by eliminating non-φ variables from the constraint system and introducing new constraints derived from the old constraints that involved the eliminated variables or were related to φ-functions. After all variables have been eliminated and the φ-functions have been processed, the resulting constraint system can be examined to determine whether the property in
Associations of pericardial and intra-thoracic fat with coronary calcium presence and progression in a multi-ethnic study

Body mass index (BMI) may not accurately or adequately reflect body composition or its role in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Ectopic adipose depots may provide a more refined representation of the role of adiposity in CVD. Thus, the association of pericardial and intra‐thoracic fat with coronary artery calcium (CAC) was examined.
Optimization of Selective Enhancement for MPEG-4 Fine Granularity Scalability

In this paper, we use the Fine Granularity Scalability (FGS) as defined in the Streaming Video Profile (SVP) of MPEG4 PDAM4 [1] and demonstrate how FGS can match the requirement of the Internet environment and other applications with heterogeneous networks such as terrestrial broadcasting, Internet broadcasting, and wireless communications. We present two algorithms that utilize an FGS syntax tool, selective enhancement, to further improve the performance of FGS using Rate-Distortion optimization technique.
Sexual conduct of secondary school students in Mongolia and their sexual health information needs.

Young people in Mongolia are growing up in an era of profound political, economic and cultural changes. The period of adolescence is also lengthening as biological maturity is reached earlier but the social and economic independence necessary for marriage is reached later. Sexual activity among adolescents is probably becoming more common though rather little secure evidence is available. The aim of the study was to develop a body of knowledge that will assist to: (i) identify the main sexual health information needs of secondary school students; (ii) create the necessary knowledge base for appropriate policies and programmes, with particular attention to in-school sexuality education. The study combines quantitative and qualitative approaches to examine the sexual conduct of secondary school students in Ulaanbaatar. Data were collected on: i) sexual beliefs and practices that are common among young people, ii) their perceived concerns and needs, and iii) views of relevant 'stakeholders' - teachers, doctors. and parents - with regard to sexuality of young people and their sexual information needs. A sample of 2,028 students aged 14-18 years was drawn from 22 schools in the capital city. A self administered questionnaire was used to elicit knowledge, attitudes and behaviours. In addition, 41 in-depth interviews and 13 focus group discussions were conducted. The results show that young people are exposed to health hazards through their sexual behaviour, and that they would welcome and benefit from school-based sexuality education. Most 'stakeholders' had limited knowledge about the sexuality of adolescents but a large majority considered that sex education should be included in school curricula.
Importance of seafood as nutrient source in the diet of Belgian adolescents.

BACKGROUND Regular seafood consumption is recommended in dietary guidelines. The aim of this study was to investigate the importance of seafood as a nutrient source in adolescents' diet and the extent to which seafood consumption can increase the intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin D. METHODS Consumption data recorded during seven consecutive days for 341 adolescents selected in Ghent (Belgium) were used to estimate the intake of vitamin D, linoleic (LA), alpha-linolenic (LNA), arachidonic (AA), eicosapentaenoic (EPA), docosapentaenoic (DPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acid. RESULTS The adolescents consumed on average 3.21 microg/day vitamin D, 11.7 g/day LA and 1.4 g/day LNA. The mean intakes of AA, EPA, DPA and DHA were 83.2, 55.9, 18.4 and 111.4 mg/day respectively. The major source of vitamin D was fortified margarine. Fats and oils were the main sources for LA and LNA. The intake of AA was mainly contributed by meat, poultry and eggs. Fish and seafood contributed for 84.1%, 59.3% and 64.4% respectively for EPA, DPA and DHA. CONCLUSION Flemish adolescents would benefit from increased seafood consumption, as this would lead to a higher intake of EPA and DHA as well as of vitamin D. Moreover, replacement of foods rich in saturated fat (SFA) by seafood products can help to reduce SFA intake.
Validation of the Polish version of Satisfaction with Asthma Treatment Questionnaire (SATQ)

Introduction Among the chronically ill there is a tendency for non-compliance with medical recommendations, which is often due to low satisfaction with the offered treatment. Satisfaction with Asthma Treatment Questionnaire (SATQ) is a questionnaire for measuring satisfaction with the inhalation treatment of asthma in patients of more than 18 years of age. SATQ is a standardized tool that has not been previously used in Poland. SATQ consists of 4 domains: efficiency, ease of use, the burdening with asthma treatment and side effects and concerns. Aim To validate the Polish language version of SATQ questionnaire and an overall verification of the usefulness of the tool relative to trials from clinical practice. Material and methods The degree of difficulty and comprehension of the questions and the reliability and validity of the Polish version of the questionnaire was determined in 67 patients with asthma (mean age: 45.8 ±14.3 years (range maximum – at least 18–65 years). The vast majority of patients in the study group have used the inhalers for more than 1 year and were educated in the field of aerosols management. The resulting scores are calculated by adding up the scores for each question and dividing by the number of questions. The reliability of the questionnaire design was verified using the Spearman rank correlation coefficients between elements and ranges between band assessments and evaluations and overall assessment of quality and patient satisfaction with treatment. Internal consistency and reliability of the tool was assessed using Cronbach’s α. The values of Cronbach’s α were evaluated with respect to the threshold value of 0.70. Results SATQ questionnaire was understandable and easy to fill out for all subjects. The filling time of SATQ was designed as to be within 5–10 min. Cronbach’s α was reached on all scales, demonstrating the reliability of the analyzed scale and lack of redundancy. Conclusions The Polish version of SATQ questionnaire meets the basic psychometric criteria and can be used to assess satisfaction with the inhalation treatment of asthma.
An Equalization Scheme for 10 Gb / s 4-PAM Signaling over Long Cables

|In this paper, we present simulation results for a 10Gb/s serial link. The serial link is composed of a transmitter, copper coaxial cable, and a receiver. Multilevel signalling (4-PAM) is used along with transmit pulse shaping and receiver equalization. Signi cant performance improvement is a orded by the receiver equalizer. A simple 1-tap equalizer is implemented in conjunction with a 3-tap transmit pulse shaping lter. The transmit lter reduces the e ects of inter-symbol interference (ISI) caused by the long tails of the channel impulse response. The 1-tap equalizer acts as a zero-forcing equalizer (ZFE), thus the equalizer is a high pass lter. Both lters' tap weights are derived using the least-squares algorithm. Simulations were performed in HPSICE and Matlab using 0.35 m CMOS models.
Factors Contributing to PTSD and Compassion Fatigue in Television News Workers

A great deal of research has been done on the psychological effects of news coverage on viewers. However, more recent research has shown that journalists, too, can suffer psychologically and emotionally from the stories that they cover. This study examined the specific aspects of a journalist’s job that contribute to these psychological conditions by surveying 280 television news workers for posttraumatic stress (PTSD) and compassion fatigue. Results showed that the type of stories covered was a significant predictor of PTSD, while job commitment, social support, perceived work pressure, and gender were significant predictors of compassion fatigue symptoms. Implications for these findings are discussed as well as possible applications in the training of new journalists and the broadcast industry itself.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ORGANIZATIONAL INTELLIGENE AND STRATEGIC THINKING

Although strategic thinking is so important in strategic management, actually its role in the Organizational Vision Designing remains unrealized and vague. The element that would pave the way of better understanding this phenomenon is Organizational Intelligence. In a comprehensive definition can be said that strategic thinking is organization architecture and using of the employees’ individual intelligence. The aim of this paper is studying on the impact of Organizational Intelligence on Strategic Thinking and identifying the relationship between dimensions of these two variables. Hypotheses have been proposed in the form of a conceptual model and results achieved by using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) methodology. In this case, we used the Albert’s model to determine dimensions of Organizational Intelligence and the Liedtka’s model for dimensions of strategic thinking he results show that these variables are associated together. Therefore, to improve Strategic objectives in organizations it is recommended that senior managers should consider the linkage (relation) of these two variables.
An Efficient Geometric Localization Approach for Distributed Sensor Networks

Localization is a fundamental problem in wireless sensor networks. Many approaches, including range-based and range-free techniques, have been proposed to determine the optimal location for sensor nodes. This paper presents a simple range-free localization scheme that is based on received signal strength indicator (RSSI) geometric localization for wireless sensor networks. The node locations are computed by performing simple geometric calculations that rely on the specific approximate RSSI values with the position of a mobile beacon equipped with a global positioning system. The simulation results showed that the proposed scheme is efficient, and that the node positions can be determined accurately.
The bone morphogenetic protein antagonist Noggin is regulated by Sox9 during endochondral differentiation

Noggin has been described to be capable of binding bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP) and inhibiting BMP signaling by preventing the interactions of BMP with their receptors. Noggin expression during endochondral differentiation was analyzed to elucidate its potential role during chondrogenesis. Throughout mouse development, Noggin was expressed abundantly in the chondrocytic lineage as early as collagen type II RNA was detectable. In addition, a strong correlation was detected between Noggin expression and the expression profile of Sox9 during chondrogenesis. Sox9 (known to play an important role during chondrogenesis) and Noggin expression were investigated in the pluripotent mesenchymal cell line C3H10T1/2, stimulated by BMP‐2. BMP‐2 caused significant upregulation of Sox9 and Noggin expression in these cells. The upregulation of Noggin could be inhibited by introducing antisense oligonucleotides against Sox9 mRNA into the cells. Using mouse limb bud cultures, the role of Sox9 and Noggin during endochondral tissue differentiation was further studied. Treatment of cultures with Sox9 antisense oligonucleotides and/or Noggin protein caused significant alterations in limb morphogenesis and endochondral development. The data suggest that the transcriptional control of Noggin by Sox9 is a potent regulatory mechanism in chondrocyte differentiation.
Mosaic Genomes of the Six Major Primate Lentivirus Lineages Revealed by Phylogenetic Analyses

ABSTRACT To clarify the origin and evolution of the primate lentiviruses (PLVs), which include human immunodeficiency virus types 1 and 2 as well as their simian relatives, simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIVs), isolated from several host species, we investigated the phylogenetic relationships among the six supposedly nonrecombinant PLV lineages for which the full genome sequences are available. Employing bootscanning as an exploratory tool, we located several regions in the PLV genome that seem to have uncertain or conflicting phylogenetic histories. Phylogeny reconstruction based on distance and maximum-likelihood algorithms followed by a number of statistical tests confirms the existence of at least five putative recombinant fragments in the PLV genome with different clustering patterns. Split decomposition analysis also shows that phylogenetic relationships among PLVs may be better represented by network-based graphs, such as the ones produced by SplitsTree. Our findings not only imply that the six so-called pure PLV lineages have in fact mosaic genomes but also make more unlikely the hypothesis of cospeciation of SIVs and their simian hosts.
DOA Estimation under Unknown Mutual Coupling and Multipath with Improved Effective Array Aperture

Subspace-based high-resolution direction of arrival (DOA) estimation significantly deteriorates under array manifold perturbation and rank deficiency of the covariance matrix due to mutual coupling and multipath propagation, respectively. In this correspondence, the unknown mutual coupling can be circumvented by the proposed method without any passive or active calibration process, and the DOA of the coherent signals can be accurately estimated accordingly. With a newly constructed matrix, the deficient rank can be restored, and the effective array aperture can be extended compared with conventional spatial smoothing. The proposed method achieves a good robustness and DOA estimation accuracy with unknown mutual coupling. The simulation results demonstrate the validity and efficiency of the proposed method.
ISAR Imaging of Targets With Complex Motions Based on Modified Lv’s Distribution for Cubic Phase Signal

For targets with complex motions, such as highly maneuvering airplanes and ships fluctuating with oceanic waves, the Doppler frequencies of scatterers are actually time-varying and azimuth echoes of a range cell have to be modeled as multicomponent cubic phase signals (CPSs) after the range alignment and the phase adjustment. In inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) imaging based on the CPS model, the chirp rate and the quadratic chirp rate are identified as causes of the image defocus. In this paper, by employing a novel parametric symmetric self-correlation function and the keystone transform, an effective estimation algorithm, known as the modified Lv's distribution (MLVD), is presented for the CPS and applied to ISAR imaging of targets with complex motions. The MLVD is simple and can be easily implemented using the complex multiplication, the fast-Fourier transform (FFT), and the inverse FFT (IFFT). The implementation, the cross-term, the antinoise performance, and the computational cost are analyzed for the MLVD. Compared to three representative estimation algorithms for the CPS, the MLVD can acquire a higher antinoise performance and eliminate the brute-force searching without the interpolation. Through simulations and analyses for synthetic models and the real radar data, we verify the effectiveness of the MLVD and the corresponding ISAR imaging algorithm.
Implementation of a jpeg object-oriented ASIP: a case study on a system-level design methodology

In this paper, we present a JPEG decoder implemented in our ODYSSEY design methodology. We start with an object-oriented JPEG decoder model. The total operation from modeling to implementation is done automatically by our EDA tool-set in about 10 hours. The resultant system is a JPEG decoder ASIP whose hardware part is implemented on FPGA logic blocks and software part runs on a MicroBlaze processor. This ASIP can be extended by software routines to implement the motion JPEG or MPEG2 decoding algorithms. We implemented our system on ML402 FPGA-based prototype board. Experimental results show that our ASIP implementation is comparable to other approaches while our approach enables quick and easy development of an ASIP using our EDA tool-set and effectively reduces time-to-market.