Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Emotion Recognition Based on Nonlinear Features of Skin Conductance Response

Skin Conductance Response (SCR) may include reliable information about human emotions. In this study, we find and confirm the SCR signals associated with emotions (ESCR), such as calm, happy, angry, grief and fear are deterministic and nonlinear by surrogate data analysis. As for the emotion classification experiment, the overall recognition rates are 67%-72% by Fisher, 67%-76% by k-NN, 66%72% by LDC and 73%-87% by QDC, respectively. The results from this study provide strong evidence that SCR signals associated with emotions are nonlinear, and the effectiveness of nonlinear features for emotion recognition is also confirmed.
Seasonal Synchronization of Influenza in the United States Older Adult Population

Background In temperate regions, influenza epidemics occur annually with the highest activity occurring during the winter months. While seasonal dynamics of the influenza virus, such as time of onset and circulating strains, are well documented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Influenza Surveillance System, an accurate prediction of timing, magnitude, and composition of circulating strains of seasonal influenza remains elusive. To facilitate public health preparedness for seasonal influenza and to obtain better insights into the spatiotemporal behavior of emerging strains, it is important to develop measurable characteristics of seasonal oscillation and to quantify the relationships between those parameters on a spatial scale. The objectives of our research were to examine the seasonality of influenza on a national and state level as well as the relationship between peak timing and intensity of influenza in the United States older adult population. Methodology/Principal Findings A total of 248,889 hospitalization records were extracted from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for the influenza seasons 1991–2004. Harmonic regression models were used to quantify the peak timing and absolute intensity for each of the 48 contiguous states and Washington, DC. We found that individual influenza seasons showed spatial synchrony with consistent late or early timing occurring across all 48 states during each influenza season in comparison to the overall average. On a national level, seasons that had an earlier peak also had higher rates of influenza (rs = −0.5). We demonstrated a spatial trend in peak timing of influenza; western states such as Nevada, Utah, and California peaked earlier and New England States such as Rhode Island, Maine, and New Hampshire peaked later. Conclusions/Significance Our findings suggest that a systematic description of influenza seasonal patterns is a valuable tool for disease surveillance and can facilitate strategies for prevention of severe disease in the vulnerable, older adult population.
Low-voltage, low-power circuits for data communication systems

Low-Voltage, Low-Power Circuits for Data Communication Systems. (December 2003) Mingdeng Chen, B.S., National University of Defense Technology, P. R. China; M.S., National University of Defense Technology, P. R. China; Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Jose Silva-Martinez There are growing industrial demands for low-voltage supply and low-power consumption circuits and systems. This is especially true for very high integration level and very large scale integrated (VLSI) mixed-signal chips and system-on-a-chip. It is mainly due to the limited power dissipation within a small area and the costs related to the packaging and thermal management. In this research work, two low-voltage, low-power integrated circuits used for data communication systems are introduced. The first one is a high performance continuoustime linear phase filter with automatic frequency tuning. The filter can be used in hard disk driver systems and wired communication systems such as 1000Base-T transceivers. A pseudo-differential operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) based on transistors operating in triode region is used to achieve a large linear signal swing with low-voltage supplies. A common-mode (CM) control circuit that combines common-mode feedback (CMFB), common-mode feedforward (CMFF), and adaptivebias has been proposed.
NegoChat: a chat-based negotiation agent

To date, a variety of automated negotiation agents have been created. While each of these agents has been shown to be effective in negotiating with people in specific environments, they lack natural language processing support required to enable real-world types of interactions. In this paper we present NegoChat, the first negotiation agent that successfully addresses this limitation. NegoChat contains several significant research contributions. First, we found that simply modifying existing agents to include an NLP module is insufficient to create these agents. Instead, the agents' strategies must be modified to address partial agreements and issue-by-issue interactions. Second, we present NegoChat's negotiation algorithm. This algorithm is based on bounded rationality, and specifically Aspiration Adaptation Theory (AAT). As per AAT, issues are addressed based on people's typical urgency, or order of importance. If an agreement cannot be reached based on the value the human partner demands, the agent retreats, or downwardly lowers the value of previously agreed upon issues so that a ``good enough'' agreement can be reached on all issues. This incremental approach is fundamentally different from all other negotiation agents, including the state-of-the-art KBAgent. Finally, we present a rigorous evaluation of NegoChat, showing its effectiveness.
Allee Effect from Parasite Spill-Back

The exchange of native pathogens between wild and domesticated animals can lead to novel disease threats to wildlife. However, the dynamics of wild host-parasite systems exposed to a reservoir of domesticated hosts are not well understood. A simple mathematical model reveals that the spill-back of native parasites from domestic to wild hosts may cause a demographic Allee effect in the wild host population. A second model is tailored to the particulars of pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) and salmon lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis), for which parasite spill-back is a conservation and fishery concern. In both models, parasite spill-back weakens the coupling of parasite and wild host abundance—particularly at low host abundance—causing parasites per host to increase as a wild host population declines. These findings show that parasites shared across host populations have effects analogous to those of generalist predators and can similarly cause an unstable equilibrium in a focal host population that separates persistence and extirpation. Allee effects in wildlife arising from parasite spill-back are likely to be most pronounced in systems where the magnitude of transmission from domestic to wild host populations is high because of high parasite abundance in domestic hosts, prolonged sympatry of domestic and wild hosts, a high transmission coefficient for parasites, long-lived parasite larvae, and proximity of domesticated populations to wildlife migration corridors.
Using Bilateral Symmetry to Improve 3D Reconstruction from Image Sequences

Abstract In previous applications, bilateral symmetry of objects was used either as a descriptive feature in domains such as recognition and grasping or as a way to reduce the complexity of structure from motion. In this paper we demonstrate how bilateral symmetry can be used to improve the accuracy in 3D reconstruction. The symmetry property is used to “symmetrize” data before and after reconstruction. We first show how to compute the closest symmetric 2D and 3D configurations given noisy data. This gives us a symmetrization procedure, which we apply to images before reconstruction, and which we apply to the 3D configuration after reconstruction. We demonstrate a significant improvement obtained with real images. We demonstrate the relative merits of symmetrization before and after reconstruction using simulated and real data.
Scheduling Batch and Heterogeneous Jobs with Runtime Elasticity in a Parallel Processing Environment

Today's schedulers for a parallel processing environment are generally optimized for submit-time elasticity of batch jobs only, where resource needs are specified only at submission time. They are not designed for runtime elasticity of heterogeneous workloads comprising both batch and interactive jobs. By runtime elasticity it is meant that resource requirements for a job can change during its execution. This paper examines today's workload models and schedulers from this novel perspective. We show the need for an extended workload model with runtime elasticity. We then propose Delayed-LOS and Hybrid-LOS, two novel scheduling algorithms that improve and build on an existing Dynamic Programming based scheduler (LOS) designed only for batch jobs. While Delayed-LOS improves significantly over LOS, Hybrid-LOS is specifically designed for heterogeneous parallel workloads. We further propose elastic versions of these algorithms that incorporate runtime elasticity as well. Extensive simulations with GridSim framework demonstrate that Delayed-LOS & Hybrid-LOS improve average utilization by up to 4.1% & 4.55%, thereby reducing mean job-waiting time and slowdown by up to 31.88% & 25.31% and 30.3% & 24.29%, respectively.
The NU-Prolog Debugging Environment

Traditional declarative debuggers, despite their theoretical attractions are not considered to be practical tools for debugging of many Prolog programs. This is partly due to the fact that the basic declarative debugging system (Shapiro 83) only dealt with pure Prolog programs, and partly due to practical limitations of the suggested methods and algorithms. Our aim has been to study the applicability of declarative debugging methods to a wider range of Prolog programs. Earlier we have reported on improvements to methods and algorithms for declarative debugging of logic programs. In this paper we discuss extention of our algorithms for dealing with some Prolog constructs. In particular , negation of composed goals, unsafe uses of negation, the built-in setof predicate, and the if-then-else construct are elaborated upon. We also report on experiments with a sample of non-trivial Prolog programs, using our prototype system. Practical problems such as multiplicity of \irrelevant" user interactions are addressed. Finally, the types of Prolog programs to which the extended declarative debugging techniques are applicable are discussed.
The first complete mitogenome of the South China deep‐sea giant isopod Bathynomus sp. (Crustacea: Isopoda: Cirolanidae) allows insights into the early mitogenomic evolution of isopods

Abstract In this study, the complete mitochondrial (mt) genome sequence of the South China deep‐sea giant isopod Bathynomus sp. was determined, and this study is the first to explore in detail the mt genome of a deep‐sea member of the order Isopoda. This species belongs to the genus Bathynomus, the members of which are saprophagous residents of the deep‐sea benthic environment; based on their large size, Bathynomus is included in the “supergiant group” of isopods. The mt genome of Bathynomus sp. is 14,965 bp in length and consists of 13 protein‐coding genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, only 18 transfer RNA genes, and a noncoding control region 362 bp in length, which is the smallest control region discovered in Isopoda to date. Although the overall genome organization is typical for metazoans, the mt genome of Bathynomus sp. shows a number of derived characters, such as an inversion of 10 genes when compared to the pancrustacean ground pattern. Rearrangements in some genes (e.g., cob, trnT, nad5, and trnF) are shared by nearly all isopod mt genomes analyzed thus far, and when compared to the putative isopod ground pattern, five rearrangements were found in Bathynomus sp. Two tRNAs exhibit modified secondary structures: The TΨC arm is absent from trnQ, and trnC lacks the DHU. Within the class Malacostraca, trnC arm loss is only found in other isopods. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Bathynomus sp. (Cymothoida) and Sphaeroma serratum (Sphaeromatidea) form a single clade, although it is unclear whether Cymothoida is monophyletic or paraphyletic. Moreover, the evolutionary rate of Bathynomus sp. (dN/dS [nonsynonymous mutational rate/synonymous mutational rate] = 0.0705) is the slowest measured to date among Cymothoida, which may be associated with its relatively constant deep‐sea environment. Overall, our results may provide useful information for understanding the evolution of deep‐sea Isopoda species.
Effective Targeting of advertisements considering emotion detected from social media updates and other peer based factors.

This project aims to target advertisement effectively for a user by considering several factors which are still relatively unexplored. It aims to target advertisement for a user through a mapping which gives weights to several emotion and peer based factors. First of all, it gauges the mood of a person by browsing through his facebook statuses. After effectively judging the mood it targets advertisements based on the user's mood, peer reviews, a person's own likings and his age and nationality. Thus, we make an attempt to target customized, psychologically stimulated advertisements for better user-product interaction. Keywords—emotion detection; emotion categories; emotion intensity; targeting of advertisement; peer based advertisement.
Outcomes and Complications of Sclerotherapy for Venous Malformations

Objective: To determine the efficacy of sclerotherapy for venous malformations (VMs). Methods: PubMed was used to search the medical literatures for publication on the combined topics of “VMs and sclerotherapy. ” The final evaluation of the venous lesions was based on both objective parameters and subjective parameters. Complications were also recorded. Results: A total of 35 studies published between 1986 and 2011 matched the selection criteria and were included. Ethanol, polidocanol, ethanolamine oleate, and sodium tetradecyl sulfate (STS) are the 4 mainstream sclerosants. The total efficiency of these 4 sclerosants all exceeded 90% except STS. Skin damage (10.0%) was the most common minor complication. Other complications included renal damage (3.9%), nerve damage (1.85%), muscle damage (0.66%), pulmonary embolism (0.25%), cardiovascular collapse (0.08%), and others. Conclusions: Sclerotherapy is effective for VMs. However, there is limited evidence from randomized clinical trials to support the use of any kinds of sclerosants.
A visual adaptive interface to file systems

In this paper we present our experience in building a visual flle manager, VENNFS2, that offers to users an adaptive interface toward access to files. Our file manager was originally designed to overcome some of limitations of hierarchical file systems, since it allows users to categorize files in such a way that files may belong multiple categories at once. Based on the past history of the files that were opened and modified by the user, VENNFS2 graphically presents the user a small number of choices of the next file the user will modify. Some preliminary testing with interesting hints are also reported.
Designing an effective vibration-based notification interface for mobile phones

We conducted an experiment to understand how mobile phone users perceive the urgency of ten simple vibration alerts that were created from four basic signals: short on, short off, long on, and long off. The short and long signals correspond to 200 ms and 600 ms, respectively. To convey the level of urgency of notifications and help users prioritize them, the design of mobile phone vibration alerts should consider that the gap length preceding or succeeding a signal, the number of gaps in the vibration pattern, and the vibration's duration affect an alert's perceived level of urgency. Our study specifically shows that shorter gap lengths between vibrations (200 ms vs. 600 ms), a vibration pattern with one gap instead of two, and shorter vibration all contribute to making the user perceive the alert as more urgent.
The value of the tip-apex distance in predicting failure of fixation of peritrochanteric fractures of the hip.

Failure of fixation of peritrochanteric fractures that have been treated with a fixed-angle sliding hip-screw device is frequently related to the position of the lag screw in the femoral head. A simple measurement has been developed to describe the position of the screw. This measurement, the tip-apex distance, is the sum of the distance from the tip of the lag screw to the apex of the femoral head on an anteroposterior radiograph and this distance on a lateral radiograph, after controlling for magnification. To determine the value of this measurement in the prediction of so-called cutout of the lag screw, 198 peritrochanteric fractures (193 patients) were studied. The minimum duration of follow-up was three months (average, thirteen months), during which period all of the fractures either healed or had failure of the fixation. Of the nineteen failures that were identified, sixteen were due to the device cutting out of the femoral head. The average tip-apex distance was twenty-four millimeters (range, nine to sixty-three millimeters) for the successfully treated fractures compared with thirty-eight millimeters (range, twenty-eight to forty-eight millimeters) for those in which the screw cut out (p = 0.0001). None of the 120 screws with a tip-apex distance of twenty-five millimeters or less cut out, but there was a very strong statistical relationship between an increasing tip-apex distance and the rate of cutout, regardless of all other variables related to the fracture. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Coping among Dual-Career Men and Women across the Family Life Cycle

Differences in coping across five family life cycle stages are identified using responses from 329 dual-career women and men. Coping strategy use differs significantly by gender and life cycle stage. Women utilize the coping strategies of Cognitive Restructuring, Delegating, Limiting Avocational Activities, and Using Social Support significantly more often than do men. Dual-career men and women without children at home use Compartmentalizing significantly less frequently than men and women with children. Respondents whose oldest child is under age 6 reported less use of Delegating than those with an oldest child age 13-18. Limiting Avocational Activities is used less often by participants with children under age 6 than by those with older children. The results are discussed from a family life cycle perspective.
Renal cyst pseudoenhancement at multidetector CT: what are the effects of number of detectors and peak tube voltage?

PURPOSE To determine the effect of the number of detectors and peak tube voltage on renal cyst pseudoenhancement in a phantom model. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study on computed tomographic (CT) phantoms did not require institutional review board approval. The renal compartments of a CT phantom were filled with iodinated contrast material diluted to attain attenuations of 40, 140, and 240 HU. Saline-filled cylinders simulating cysts of varying diameters (range, 0.7-3.0 cm) were serially suspended in the renal compartments and scanned at 80, 90, 100, 120, and 140 kVp in 16-detector (n = 3) and 64-detector (n = 2) CT scanners. Generalized estimating equations were used to determine predictors of cyst pseudoenhancement (defined as a >10 HU increase in cyst attenuation when the background renal attenuation increased from 40 to 140 or 240 HU). RESULTS Pseudoenhancement was seen with higher frequency (59 [61%] of 96 cysts vs 52 [39%] of 132 cysts, P < .05) and magnitude (17 vs 13 HU, P < .005) with 64- rather than with 16-detector scanners. Pseudoenhancement was also seen with higher frequency (25 [42%] of 60 cysts vs 11 [18%] of 60 cysts, P < .005) and magnitude (18 vs 13 HU, P < .05) at 140 kVp than at 80 or 90 kVp. Cyst pseudoenhancement increased with higher background renal enhancement (P < .005) and smaller cyst diameter (P < .05). The number of detectors, peak tube voltage, renal parenchymal enhancement level, and cyst diameter were independent predictors of cyst pseudoenhancement. CONCLUSION Lower tube voltage settings may be useful when accurate differentiation between small renal cysts and solid masses is critical, particularly for 64-detector CT scanners.
A semi‐analytic model comparison – gas cooling and galaxy mergers

We use stripped-down versions of three semi-analytic galaxy formation models to study the influence of different assumptions about gas cooling and galaxy mergers. By running the three models on identical sets of merger trees extracted from high-resolution cosmological N-body simulations, we are able to perform both statistical analyses and halo-by-halo comparisons. This paper demonstrates that there is a good statistical agreement between the three models used here, when operating on the same merger trees, reflecting a general agreement in the underlying framework for semi-analytic models. We also show, however, that various assumptions that are commonly adopted to treat gas cooling and galaxy mergers can lead to significantly different results, at least in some regimes. In particular, we find that the different models adopted for gas cooling lead to similar results for mass scales comparable to that of our own Galaxy. Significant differences, however, arise at larger mass scales. These are largely (but not entirely) due to different treatments of the ‘rapid cooling’ regime, and different assumptions about the hot gas distribution. At this mass regime, the predicted cooling rates can differ up to about one order of magnitude, with important implications on the relative weight that these models give to feedback from active galactic nuclei in order to counteract excessive gas condensation in relatively massive haloes at low redshift. Different assumptions in the modelling of galaxy mergers can also result in significant differences in the timings of mergers, with important consequences for the formation and evolution of massive galaxies.
Phenotypic characterization of rambouillet sheep expressing the callipyge gene: I. Inheritance of the condition and production characteristics.

The objectives of this study were to determine the model of inheritance of the callipyge gene and to evaluate the growth, ADFI, feed efficiency, reproductive performance, and wool growth of sheep that are heterozygous for the callipyge gene. Ewes (n = 236) with a normal muscle phenotype and genotype were mated to three heterozygous rams that expressed the callipyge gene. Lambs (n = 311) were subjectively classified at weaning (90 to 120d) according to muscle phenotype by a panel of three evaluators working independently. The callipyge muscle phenotype was expressed in 150 lambs, whereas 161 lambs expressed a normal muscle phenotype. The percentage of lambs expressing the callipyge muscle phenotype (48.2%) did not differ (P > .1) from the expected 50%. Growth rate was similar for lambs of both phenotypes regardless of sex. Feed efficiency was superior (P < .05) for both male and female lambs with the callipyge muscle phenotype. Average daily feed intake was lower for male (P < .02) and female (P < .004) lambs with the callipyge muscle phenotype. Grease fleece weight and staple length at 12 mo were superior (P < .03) for ewes with a normal muscle phenotype. These results indicate that the callipyge gene in sheep is dominant when inherited from the paternal parent and lambs expressing the callipyge gene have increased feed efficiency and reduced ADFL.