Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MR determination of hippocampal volume: comparison of three methods.

PURPOSE To determine whether measurements of the volume of the hippocampal formation obtained from a three-dimensional acquisition not perpendicular to the hippocampus are statistically different from those obtained from a perpendicular acquisition. METHODS Both hippocampi were studied in 10 healthy volunteers with two three-dimensional acquisitions, allowing three different volume-calculation protocols: (a) on sections from a coronal 3-D acquisition not perpendicular to the axis of the hippocampal formation (NOPERP protocol), (b) on sections obtained with the same acquisition but reformatted perpendicular to the axis of the hippocampal formation (REFOR protocol), and (c) on sections from a coronal 3-D acquisition perpendicular to the axis of the hippocampal formation (PERP protocol) obtained with the patient's head tilted backward. To obtain measurements of the volume of the hippocampal formations, an accurate 3-D processing technique was used to segment the hippocampus. In all subjects, two hippocampal formation right-left asymmetry indexes were calculated by using each of the three protocols. RESULTS For the right hippocampus, the mean volume was 3.42 cm3 (NOPERP protocol), 4.18 cm3 (REFOR protocol), and 3.91 cm3 (PERP protocol). For the left hippocampus, the mean volume was 3.29 cm3 (NOPERP protocol), 4.02 cm3 (REFOR protocol), and 3.74 cm3 (PERP protocol). For both hippocampi, the differences of the mean volumes were significant between each protocol. However, for both hippocampi, a high correlation was observed between volumes obtained with the different protocols. For the two asymmetry indexes, there were no significant differences for the means obtained with the three protocols. CONCLUSION With the use of 3-D acquisitions in the study of hippocampal formation biometry, different procedures lead to significant variations in the absolute values of the volume of the hippocampal formation. However, there is a strong correlation between the results obtained by each method.
On Power and Energy Consumption Modeling for Smart Mobile Devices

In nowadays life, mobile phones are becoming a cheaper and smaller alternative to laptops for simple, everyday tasks. They experienced an astonishing growth in functionalities and, because of their constant presence in our life, mobile phones became fundamental for the interaction with information coming from the environment. Nevertheless, their resources are limited, both in terms of performance and power, and their availability can greatly vary over time. Especially when dealing with power consumption, mobile devices cannot disregard environment conditions and user habits. Both internal and external conditions are rapidly changing and may influence the response of the entire system, e.g., switching between network types may causes an unpredictable power consumption. In order to puzzle out all these issues, we regard the definition of a power/energy model for mobile devices as a first mandatory step. In literature, several attempts to do so are present, basing their approaches on techniques coming from different computer science fields. They differ in the way they consider hardware components, in the operating system they are suitable for and in the scope of their tests and experiments. Within this paper, we categorize techniques presented in the major works in the field, in order to be able to compare different methods, highlight open issues and give suggestions on future works.
A Theory Of Cultural Value Orientations: Explication And Applications

This article presents a theory of seven cultural value orientations that form three cultural value dimensions. This theory permits more finely tuned characterization of cultures than other theories. It is distinctive in deriving the cultural orientations from a priori theorizing. It also specifies a coherent, integrated system of relations among the orientations, postulating that they are interdependent rather than orthogonal. Analyses of data from 73 countries, using two different instruments, validate the 7 cultural orientations and the structure of interrelations among them. Conceptual and empirical comparisons of these orientations with Inglehart’s two dimensions clarify similarities and differences. Using the cultural orientations, I generate a worldwide empirical mapping of 76 national cultures that identifies 7 transnational cultural groupings: West European, English-speaking, Latin American, East European, South Asian, Confucian influenced, and African and Middle Eastern. I briefly discuss distinctive cultural characteristics of these groupings. I then examine examples of socioeconomic, political, and demographic factors that give rise to national differences on the cultural value dimensions, factors that are themselves reciprocally influenced by culture. Finally, I examine consequences of prevailing cultural value orientations for
Food for Thought: A New Compromised Method of Standard Setting

A number of standard setting methods are in use with their own strengths and limitations. Angoff is a popular method worldwide but very demanding on resources. This paper explores if the judgement of the Angoff panels of judges can been explained by post-hoc psychometrics. Furthermore the paper examines if such correlations can be used to standard set exam papers based on their psychometric item difficulty and discrimination index.
Reconstructing Interior Head Tissue from X-Ray Transmissions

Several algorithms have been proposed for reconstructing the variable attenuation coefficients of tissues inside the skull from x-ray transmission measurements. We show that a simulated head section is accurately reconstructed by a modification, which is both fast and simple, of a previously studied algorithm. The possibility of using the algorithm to perform absolute measurements of the attenuation coefficient at points interior to the skull is high.
Bearing estimation with time-delay neural networks

In this paper we present a neuromimetic approach to the bearing estimation issue. The proposed method is based on time-delay neural networks. This kind of network is well suited to take into account constraints encountered in signal processing: it deals with the dynamic nature of the signal and discovers acoustic and temporal features. According to the propagation model of plane waves, the network has to relate the delays between sensors to enable source localisation. The time-delay neural network approach is encompassed in a successive-refinement method. Thus, accuracy is increased while the number of networks to look at the whole horizon is reduced.
Special Kähler manifolds : a survey

This is a survey of recent contributions to the area of special Kähler geometry. It is based on lectures given at the 21st Winter School on Geometry and Physics held in Srni in January 2001. 1 Remarkable features of special Kähler manifolds A (pseudo-) Kähler manifold (M, J, g) is a differentiable manifold endowed with a complex structure J and a (pseudo-) Riemannian metric g such that (i) J is orthogonal with respect to the metric g, i.e. J∗g = g and (ii) J is parallel with respect to the Levi Civita connection D, i.e. DJ = 0. In the following we will always allow pseudo-Riemannian, i.e. possibly indefinite metrics. The prefix “pseudo” will be generally omitted. The following definition is by now standard, see [F]. Definition 1 A special Kähler manifold (M, J, g,∇) is a Kähler manifold (M, J, g) together with a flat torsionfree connection ∇ such that (i) ∇ω = 0, where ω = g(·, J ·) is the Kähler form and (ii) ∇J is symmetric, i.e. (∇XJ)Y = (∇Y J)X for all vector fields X and Y . More precisely, one should speak of affine special Kähler manifolds since there is also a projective variant of special Kähler manifolds. In fact, there is a class of (affine) special Kähler manifolds M , which are called conic special Kähler manifolds and which admit a certain C∗-action. The quotient of M by that action can be considered as projectivisation of M and is called a projective special Kähler manifold, see [ACD]. Originally [dWVP1], in the supergravity literature, by a special Kähler manifold one understood a projective special Kähler manifold. This terminology was mantained in the first mathematical papers on that subject [C1, C2, AC] and abandoned with the publication of [F]. Example 1: Let (M, J, g) be a flat Kähler manifold, i.e. the Levi Civita connection D is flat. Then (M, J, g,∇ = D) is a special Kähler manifold and ∇J = 0. Conversely, any special Kähler manifold (M, J, g,∇) such that ∇J = 0 satisfies ∇ = D = Levi Civita connection of the flat Kähler metric g. This is the trivial example of a special Kähler manifold. Before giving a general construction of special Kähler manifolds, which yields plenty of non-flat examples, I would like to offer some motivation for that concept. • The notion of special Kähler manifold was introduced by the physicists de Wit and Van Proeyen [dWVP1] and has its origin in certain supersymmetric field theories. More precisely, affine special Kähler manifolds are exactly the allowed targets for the scalars of the vector multiplets of field theories with N = 2 rigid supersymmetry on four-dimensional Minkowski spacetime. Projective special Kähler manifolds correspond to such theories with local supersymmetry, which describe N = 2 supergravity coupled to vector multiplets. N = 2 supergravity theories occur as low energy limits of type II superstrings and play a prominent role in the study of moduli spaces of certain two-dimensional superconformal field theories [CFG]. The structure of these
Incognito: The Neuroscience of Grief and Grieving

In this chapter, we explore the neuroscience of grief and grieving. Even though the cognitive portion of the initiation into loss implores us to see a correlation between what is expected of us and the concept of reality as we move toward the outcome, the brain is meaning-driven, attempting to match new information with prior understanding. And as neural connections continue to develop and change throughout grief and grieving the “emotional monster” may not be capable of being quieted through support, whether professional or personal. The resistance from a cognitive approach is taken over by our effort to tame that “emotional monster” and images and feelings that are unique to the loss process stunt the capability of the brain to provide rational thinking. We end by picturing how our relentless search began, as we are in awe of what we intuitively know to be true, and that we are not fixed in toxicity, but can change the most challenging neurological situation. Our search was to understand the process of cognition as we move through grief and grieving. We wrote this chapter hoping it would shed a well-lit conversation on the most difficult time we will experience in our lives, the initiation into loss. The light shines on the neuroscience of this journey – as it would not honor ‘self’ if we did not look at ‘self ‘in a wholesome way. We frame this chapter through four focus lenses: self and self-discovery focus; emotion focus; social context and role identity focus; and cognitive focus.
Functional-structural plant modelling.

In the last decade, many research teams throughout the world initiated a new approach in plant science by developing computer models of plant functioning and growth. The intention of this approach was to understand the complex interactions between plant architecture and the physical and biological processes that drive the plant development at several spatial and temporal scales, using so-called functional-structural plant models (FSPMs). Explicitly taking into account the spatial distribution of plant organs has multiple consequences: (i) FSPMs are usually associated with 3D plant models where plant architecture is represented as a collection of interconnected plant components, which are distributed in the 3D below- and above-ground space; (ii) FSPMs usually deal with the spatial distribution of both environmental and biological processes; (iii) FSPMs are usually based on scaling up, mostly from the organ to the plant, but also from tissue to organ or from plant to stand; and (iv) to deal with the system complexity owing to the high number of plant constituents, and to deal with the potentially high numbers of interacting processes, FSPMs must develop adequate computational methods. To discuss these questions, in 1996 the FSPM series of workshops (http://amap.cirad.fr/workshop/FSPM04/index.html) was established to assemble regularly from all over the world scientists who integrate 3D representations of plants, physiological models, environmental models, computer science and mathematics into their approach. The general aim of this community is to understand better, through the use of 3D representations, the importance of taking into account the spatialisation of processes in plant functioning and morpho-genesis. The FSPM community contributes to unravelling these integrated plant functioning mechanisms and in this issue of New Phytologistwe feature a set of papers that address the different aspects and questions raised (Godin et al, 2005), so highlighting the current advances and future directions required. (Resume d'auteur)
Theoretical validation of object-oriented lack-of-cohesion metrics

Class cohesion refers to the degree of relatedness of class attributes and methods. Software developers use class cohesion measure to assess the quality of their products and to guide the restructuring of poorly designed classes. Several class cohesion metrics are proposed in the literature, and a few of them are theoretically validated against the class cohesion necessary properties. Metrics that violate class cohesion properties are not well defined, and their utility as indictors of the relatedness of class members is questionable. The purpose of this paper is to theoretically validate six lack-of-cohesion based metrics. Results show that most of the metrics considered satisfy the majority of the class cohesion necessary properties.
Agent-Based Generative Simulation of an Intelligent Distributed Scheduling World with Netlogo

Unplanned disruptive events and disturbances such as arrivals of rush orders or machine breakdowns must bemanaged locally to avoid propagating the effects along the value chain. To overcome the traditional separationbetween task scheduling and manufacturing execution systems the novel idea of emergent synthesis/control ofschedules for better handling the dynamics at the shop-floor is proposed. A new interaction mechanism forsimultaneous distributed scheduling and execution control is evaluated using a generative simulation model inNetlogo. The interaction mechanism has been designed around the concept of order and resource agents acting asautonomic managers within the artificial society of a dynamic Gantt world. The advantages of generative modellingin agent-based simulation are discussed to emphasize how difficult to predict emerging behaviours and bottom-upmacroscopic dynamics in a manufacturing case study can be addressed by proper design of agent interactions.Results obtained for different abnormal scenarios are presented to highlight the benefits of simulating artificialsocieties of intelligent agents.
Data-Driven Workflows for Microservices: Genericity in Jolie

Microservices is an architectural style inspired by service-oriented computing that has recently started gainingpopularity. Jolie is a programming language based on the microservices paradigm: the main building block of Jolie systems are services, in contrast to, e.g., functions or objects. The primitives offered by the Jolie language elicit many of the recurring patterns found in microservices, like load balancers and structured processes. However, Jolie still lacks some useful constructs for dealing with message types and data manipulation that are present in service-oriented computing. In this paper, we focus on the possibility of expressing choices at the level of data types, a feature well represented in standards for Web Services, e.g., WSDL. We extend Jolie to support such type choices, and enable Jolie processes to act on data generically (without knowing which type it has in the choice). We show the impact of our implementation on some of the typical scenarios found in microservice systems. This shows how computation can move from a process-driven to a data-driven approach, and leads to the preliminary identification of recurring communication patterns that can be shaped as design patterns.
3D Target Location Algorithm with One Single Camera

A new 3D target location algorithm is proposed, which is based on a series of images taken by one camera. A non-linear transformation mathematical model taking the lens distortion into account is built. Through the corresponding relationship between the characteristic points in the world and those in the images, the parameters of the transformation matrix are determined. Simulation by the MATLAB graphics processing functions shows that it is feasible to realize the non-linear locating model, which has high accuracy and stability.
How Community-Based Peer-to-Peer Social Networks Can Affect Query Routing?

Search performance is still a challenge in peer-to-peer (P2P) systems. The structure of the underlying models has a direct effect on the performance of the search algorithms. In unstructured system like Gnutella, query flooding algorithm suffers from poor scalability and considerable network overhead. In structured systems, algorithms like CAN and CHORD provide better performance, but they need more administrative tasks and have limited functionality in search. Although query flooding suffers from several weaknesses, it is easy to implement and can produce reasonable results when it is run on a proper model. In a proposed model based on social network the effect of model over query flooding is investigated. A simulation of the model shows that if a query is routed to proper nodes it produces less network traffic and better performance than unstructured model.
Computation of Electromagnetic Fields in Assemblages of Biological Cells Using a Modified Finite-Difference Time-Domain Scheme

When modeling objects that are small compared with the wavelength, e.g., biological cells at radio frequencies, the standard finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method requires extremely small time-step sizes, which may lead to excessive computation times. The problem can be overcome by implementing a quasi-static approximate version of FDTD based on transferring the working frequency to a higher frequency and scaling back to the frequency of interest after the field has been computed. An approach to modeling and analysis of biological cells, incorporating a generic lumped-element membrane model, is presented here. Since the external medium of the biological cell is lossy material, a modified Berenger absorbing boundary condition is used to truncate the computation grid. Linear assemblages of cells are investigated and then Floquet periodic boundary conditions are imposed to imitate the effect of periodic replication of the assemblages. Thus, the analysis of a large structure of cells is made more computationally efficient than the modeling of the entire structure. The total fields of the simulated structures are shown to give reasonable and stable results at 900,1800, and 2450 MHz. This method will facilitate deeper investigation of the phenomena in the interaction between electromagnetic fields and biological systems.
Theory and applications of incremental ΔΣ converters

Analog-Digital (A/D) converters used in instrumentation and measurements often require high absolute accuracy, including very high linearity and negligible dc offset. The realization of high-resolution Nyquist-rate converters becomes very expensive when the resolution exceeds 16 bits. The conventional delta-sigma (/spl Delta//spl Sigma/) structures used in telecommunication and audio applications usually cannot satisfy the requirements of high absolute accuracy and very small offset. The incremental (or integrating) converter provides a solution for such measurement applications, as it has most advantages of the /spl Delta//spl Sigma/ converter, yet is capable of offset-free and accurate conversion. In this paper, theoretical and practical aspects of higher order incremental converters are discussed. The operating principles, topologies, specialized digital filter design methods, and circuit level issues are all addressed. It is shown how speed, resolution, and A/D complexity can be optimized for a given design, and how with some special digital filters improved speed/resolution ratio can be achieved. The theoretical results are verified by showing design examples and simulation results.
When an Indian speaks to a Chinese: making sense of World Englishes in the framework of communication accommodation theory

Abstract Informed by communication accommodation theory, this study aims to examine whether and how speakers of World Englishes manage the issue of intelligibility in intercultural communication and to reveal the socio-psychological reasons for any speech changes that occur. The article contrasts two topic-prompted conversations that a male Indian English teacher engages in with a Chinese colleague and an Indian colleague respectively at a university in China. The results of the investigation show that when a person communicates in English with someone speaking another English variety, he can be self-motivated to seek common ground to manage the issue of intelligibility while reserving speech differences to maintain a distinctive identity. Based on the findings, this article ends with suggestions for English teaching and learning as well as further studies on World Englishes within the framework of communication accommodation theory.
Time-Resolved lmmunofluorometncAssay of 34-kDa Somatomedin-BindingProtein

In this time-resolved immunofluorometric assay for the 34kDa somatomedin-binding protein (SmBP), affinity-purified polyclonal antibodies are used, along with solid-phase separation of bound and free analyte. The first antibody is bound to polystyrene microtiter wells; the second is labeled with europium(IIi) chelate. The detection limit of the method is 0.25 g/L, much lower than that (about 8 pg/L) for radioimmunoassay. By immunofluorometric assay, SmBP is detectable, and couldbe accuratelyquantified,in the serum of all 88 individualswe tested, whereas by radioimmunoassaya third ofthesampleshad concentrations below the detection limit. When SmBP was detectable by both methods, the concentrations measured by the two techniques correlated well (r = 0.98).
A simplified method for online secondary path modeling in multichannel ANC systems

In single-channel feedforward active noise control (ANC) systems, the additive random noise-based method are often applied to achieve secondary path modeling during online operation of ANC systems. This paper investigates the issue of online secondary path modeling (OSPM) in multichannel ANC systems. It is shown that the application of existing methods for OSPM in multichannel ANC systems, greatly increases the computational complexity. This paper is an extension of our previous work for OSPM in ANC systems. It is shown that Authors' method has reduced computational complexity as compared with the other methods. The computer simulations are carried out which demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.