Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Political Trust in Societies Under Transformation : A Comparative Analysis of Poland and Ukraine

This article examines the sources of trust in major political institutions in Poland and Ukraine. Using the New Democracies Barometer data sets of 1993 and 1998 the author evaluated the influence of age, gender, education, town size, population's perception of economic and political performance, and support for democracy on political trust. The study reveals that older people and women were more likely to trust political institutions, though they were less positive about their families' economic situations and democracy. Education had a significant positive impact on economic performance and support for democracy and a negative impact on political trust. Town size influenced economic performance, support for democracy, and political performance, and the magnitudes of these effects differed across countries and time periods. Perceptions of economic performance had a strong positive effect on political performance, support for democracy, and confidence in political institutions. Political performance positively influenced support for democracy and confidence in political institutions, and support for democracy influenced political trust. The most significant finding was related to a negative association between support for democracy and political trust in Ukraine.
Fault-tolerant sub-lithographic design with rollback recovery

Shrinking feature sizes and energy levels coupled with high clock rates and decreasing node capacitance lead us into a regime where transient errors in logic cannot be ignored. Consequently, several recent studies have focused on feed-forward spatial redundancy techniques to combat these high transient fault rates. To complement these studies, we analyze fine-grained rollback techniques and show that they can offer lower spatial redundancy factors with no significant impact on system performance for fault rates up to one fault per device per ten million cycles of operation (Pf = 10−7) in systems with 1012 susceptible devices. Further, we concretely demonstrate these claims on nanowire-based programmable logic arrays. Despite expensive rollback buffers and general-purpose, conservative analysis, we show the area overhead factor of our technique is roughly an order of magnitude lower than a gate level feed-forward redundancy scheme.
Unsupervised Building Extraction from High Resolution Satellite Images Irrespective of Rooftop Structures

Extraction of geospatial data from the photogrammetric sensing images becomes more and more important with the advances in the technology. Today Geographic Information Systems are used in a large variety of applications in engineering, city planning and social sciences. Geospatial data like roads, buildings and rivers are the most critical feeds of a GIS database. However, extracting buildings is one of the most complex and challenging tasks as there exist a lot of inhomogeneity due to varying hierarchy. The variety of the type of buildings and also the shapes of rooftops are very inconstant. Also in some areas, the buildings are placed irregularly or too close to each other. For these reasons, even by using high resolution IKONOS and QuickBird satellite imagery the quality percentage of building extraction is very less. This paper proposes a solution to the problem of automatic and unsupervised extraction of building features irrespective of rooftop structures in multispectral satellite images. The algorithm instead of detecting the region of interest, eliminates areas other than the region of interest which extract the rooftops completely irrespective of their shapes. Extensive tests indicate that the methodology performs well to extract buildings in complex environments.
Giant Depolarizing Potentials: the Septal Pole of the Hippocampus Paces the Activity of the Developing Intact Septohippocampal ComplexIn Vitro

In neonatal hippocampal slices, recurrent spontaneous giant depolarizing potentials (GDPs) provide neuronal synchronized firing and Ca2+ oscillations. To investigate the possible role of GDPs in the synchronization of neuronal activity in intact neonatal limbic structures, we used multiple simultaneous electrophysiological recordings in the recently described preparation of intact neonatal septohippocampal complex in vitro. Combined whole-cell (in single or pairs of cells) and extracellular field recordings (one to five simultaneous recording sites) from the CA3 hippocampal region and various parts of the septum indicated that spontaneous GDPs, which can be initiated anywhere along the longitudinal hippocampal axis, are most often initiated in the septal poles of hippocampus and propagate to medial septum and temporal poles of both hippocampi simultaneously. GDPs were abolished in the medial septum but not in the hippocampus after surgical separation of both structures, suggesting hippocampal origin of GDPs. The preferential septotemporal orientation of GDP propagation observed in the intact hippocampus was associated with a corresponding gradient of GDP frequency in isolated portions of hippocampus. Accordingly, most GDPs propagated in the septotemporal direction in both septal and temporal hippocampal isolated halves, and whereas GDP frequency remained similar in the septal part of hippocampus after its surgical isolation, it progressively decreased in more temporally isolated portions of the hippocampus. Because GDPs provide most of the synaptic drive of neonatal neurons, they may modulate the development of neuronal connections in the immature limbic system.
A Programmable 0.8-V 10-bit 60-MS/s 19.2-mW 0.13-$\mu$ m CMOS ADC Operating Down to 0.5 V

This work describes a programmable 10- to 100-MS/s, low-power 10-bit two-step pipeline analog-digital converter (ADC) operating at a power supply from 0.5- to 1.2-V. MOS transistors with a low-threshold voltage are employed partially in the input sampling switches and differential pair of the SHA and MDAC for a proper signal swing margin at a 0.5-V supply. The integrated adjustable current reference optimizes the static and dynamic performance of amplifiers at 10-bit accuracy with a wide range of supply voltages. A signal-isolated layout improves the capacitor mismatch of the multiplying digital-to-analog converter, while a switched- bias power-reduction technique reduces the power dissipation of comparators in the flash ADCs. The prototype ADC in a 0.13-mum CMOS process demonstrates the measured differential nonlin- earity and integral nonlinearity within 0.35 and 0.49 least significant bits. The ADC, with an active die area of 0.98 mm2, shows a maximum signal-to-noise distortion ratio and spurious free dynamic range of 56.0 and 69.6 dB, respectively, and a power consumption of 19.2 mW at a nominal condition of 0.8 V and 60 MS/s.
High Spectral Resolution and Accuracy Studies for a Sr Optical Lattice Clock

The authors report recent progress on an optical lattice clock based on the <sup>1</sup>So-<sup>3</sup>Po transition of <sup>87</sup>Sr. Improvement of the spectral resolution allows measurement of the magnetically-induced frequency shift with an uncertainty below 10<sup>-15</sup>. The high line quality factor is expected to yield complete evaluation of systematic effects at that same level in the near future
Limitations of the principal-axes theory

The classical principal-axes transformation (PAT) has been used in numerous publications for three-dimensional (3-D) reconstructions by sequential alignment of histological sections. However, the PAT can determine at most 1/2n(n+1) parameters (scaling-rotation) in n dimensions. Distortions (shearing) of histological sections can be described by an affine transformation with n/sup 2/ parameters. An analytical model is devised for calculating rotational and scaling errors which can be determined by relating the transformation parameters of the PAT to the exact solution of a singular value decomposition (SVD) of the perturbation matrix. The results show that form and deformation of the form are intertwined and that these results can be transferred to real data. The model is important for assessing the quality that can be expected with the PAT for 3-D reconstructions if no multimodulity reference is available (rigid transformation) and reveals the misalignment in terms of rotational and scaling errors resulting from the PAT as derived in a previously published paper (R. Bajcsy and S. Kovacic, Comput. Vision Graph Image Processing, vol. 46, p. 1-21, 1989).
Methods to Evaluate Scales and Sample Size for Stable Task Inventory Information

Abstract : Methods were developed to determine: (1) the stability and redundancy of responses to two job scales--the continuous Relative Time-Spent scale and the dichotomous Task-Performed scale, (2) the stability of 'job types' (i.e., clusters of job incumbents) derived from scale responses, and (3) the change in stability when sample size is reduced. Results indicated that the Task-Performed scale yields stable, meaningful task information (i.e., percentages of personnel performing tasks) from responses by job incumbents, but no practical gain in information is achieved from the Relative Time-Spent scale. A better way to collect time-spent data is proposed. Findings also demonstrate that highly stable scale data and cluster solutions are obtainable from samples substantially smaller than those presently administered. The study's empirically developed relationship between sample size and stability can be usefully employed to determine cost-effective sampling for task inventory surveys.
IcmS‐dependent translocation of SdeA into macrophages by the Legionella pneumophila type IV secretion system

Legionella pneumophila replicates inside alveolar macrophages and causes an acute, potentially fatal pneumonia called Legionnaires’ disease. The ability of this bacterium to grow inside of macrophages is dependent on the presence of a functional dot/icm type IV secretion system (T4SS). Proteins secreted by the Dot/Icm T4SS are presumed to alter the host endocytic pathway, allowing L. pneumophila to establish a replicative niche within the host cell. Here we show that a member of the SidE family of proteins interacts with IcmS and is required for full virulence in the protozoan host Acanthamoeba castellanii. Using immunofluorescence microscopy and adenylate cyclase fusions, we show that SdeA is secreted into host cells by L. pneumophila in an IcmS‐dependent manner. The SidE‐like proteins are secreted very early during macrophage infection, suggesting that they are important in the initial formation of the replicative phagosome. Secreted SidE family members show a similar localization to other Dot/Icm substrates, specifically, to the poles of the replicative phagosome. This common localization of secreted substrates of the Dot/Icm system may indicate the formation of a multiprotein complex on the cytoplasmic face of the replicative phagosome.
The antibacterial effect of photodynamic therapy in dental plaque-derived biofilms.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Photodynamic therapy has been advocated as an alternative to antimicrobial agents to suppress subgingival species and to treat periodontitis. Bacteria located within dense biofilms, such as those encountered in dental plaque, have been found to be relatively resistant to antimicrobial therapy. In the present study, we investigated the ability of photodynamic therapy to reduce the number of bacteria in biofilms by comparing the photodynamic effects of methylene blue on human dental plaque microorganisms in the planktonic phase and in biofilms. MATERIAL AND METHODS Dental plaque samples were obtained from 10 subjects with chronic periodontitis. Suspensions of plaque microorganisms from five subjects were sensitized with methylene blue (25 microg/mL) for 5 min then exposed to red light. Multispecies microbial biofilms developed from the same plaque samples were also exposed to methylene blue (25 microg/mL) and the same light conditions as their planktonic counterparts. In a second set of experiments, biofilms were developed with plaque bacteria from five subjects, sensitized with 25 or 50 microg/mL of methylene blue and then exposed to red light. After photodynamic therapy, survival fractions were calculated by counting the number of colony-forming units. RESULTS Photodynamic therapy killed approximately 63% of bacteria present in suspension. By contrast, in biofilms, photodynamic therapy had much less of an effect on the viability of bacteria (32% maximal killing). CONCLUSION Oral bacteria in biofilms are affected less by photodynamic therapy than bacteria in the planktonic phase. The antibacterial effect of photodynamic therapy is reduced in biofilm bacteria but not to the same degree as has been reported for treatment with antibiotics under similar conditions.
Learning robot in-hand manipulation with tactile features

Dexterous manipulation enables repositioning of objects and tools within a robot's hand. When applying dexterous manipulation to unknown objects, exact object models are not available. Instead of relying on models, compliance and tactile feedback can be exploited to adapt to unknown objects. However, compliant hands and tactile sensors add complexity and are themselves difficult to model. Hence, we propose acquiring in-hand manipulation skills through reinforcement learning, which does not require analytic dynamics or kinematics models. In this paper, we show that this approach successfully acquires a tactile manipulation skill using a passively compliant hand. Additionally, we show that the learned tactile skill generalizes to novel objects.
Pre-virtualization: Soft layering for virtual machines

Despite its current popularity, para-virtualization has an enormous cost. Its deviation from the platform architecture abandons many of the benefits of traditional virtualization: stable and well-defined platform interfaces, hypervisor neutrality, operating system neutrality, and upgrade neutrality - in sum, modularity. Additionally, para-virtualization has a significant engineering cost. These limitations are accepted as inevitable for significantly better performance, and for the ability to provide virtualization-like behavior on non-virtualizable hardware such as times86. Virtualization and its modularity solve many systems problems, and when combined with the performance of para-virtualization become even more compelling. We show how to achieve both together. We still modify the guest operating system, but according to a set of design principles that avoids lock-in, which we call soft layering. Additionally, our approach is highly automated and thus reduces the implementation and maintenance burden of paravirtualization, which is especially useful for enabling obsoleted operating systems. We demonstrate soft layering on times86 and itanium: we can load a single Linux binary on a variety of hypervisors (and thus substitute virtual machine environments and their enhancements), while achieving essentially the same performance as para-virtualization with less effort.
Thresholding neural network for adaptive noise reduction

In the paper, a type of thresholding neural network (TNN) is developed for adaptive noise reduction. New types of soft and hard thresholding functions are created to serve as the activation function of the TNN. Unlike the standard thresholding functions, the new thresholding functions are infinitely differentiable. By using the new thresholding functions, some gradient-based learning algorithms become possible or more effective. The optimal solution of the TNN in a mean square error (MSE) sense is discussed. It is proved that there is at most one optimal solution for the soft-thresholding TNN. General optimal performances of both soft and hard thresholding TNNs are analyzed and compared to the linear noise reduction method. Gradient-based adaptive learning algorithms are presented to seek the optimal solution for noise reduction. The algorithms include supervised and unsupervised batch learning as well as supervised and unsupervised stochastic learning. It is indicated that the TNN with the stochastic learning algorithms can be used as a novel nonlinear adaptive filter. It is proved that the stochastic learning algorithm is convergent in certain statistical sense in ideal conditions. Numerical results show that the TNN is very effective in finding the optimal solutions of thresholding methods in an MSE sense and usually outperforms other noise reduction methods. Especially, it is shown that the TNN-based nonlinear adaptive filtering outperforms the conventional linear adaptive filtering in both optimal solution and learning performance.
track men ' s testosterone and interest in infants Reading men ' s faces : women ' s mate attractiveness judgments

here right-hand corner of the article or click Receive free email alerts when new articles cite this article-sign up in the box at the top This study investigated whether women track possible cues of paternal and genetic quality in men's faces and then map perception of those cues onto mate attractiveness judgments. Men's testosterone concentrations served as a proxy for genetic quality given evidence that this hormone signals immunocompetence, and men's scores on an interest in infants test were chosen as prima facie markers of paternal quality. Women's perceptions of facial photographs of these men were in fact sensitive to these two variables: men's scores on the interest in infants test significantly predicted women's ratings of the photos for how much the men like children, and men's testosterone concentrations significantly predicted women's ratings of the men's faces for masculinity. Furthermore, men's actual and perceived affinity for children predicted women's long-term mate attractiveness judgments, while men's testosterone and perceived masculinity predicted women's short-term mate attractiveness judgments. These results suggest that women can detect facial cues of men's hormone concentrations and affinity for children, and that women use perception of these cues to form mate attractiveness judgments. 1. INTRODUCTION In paternally investing species such as humans, the desirability of a male as a mating partner is expected to be a function of two dimensions: his genetic quality and his ability and willingness to provide parental investment (Andersson 1994). Insofar as women possess psychological adaptations that use facial cues to assist in mating decisions, then such adaptations would be expected to track information about these two dimensions of male mate quality and map perception of such information onto more global mate attractiveness judgments. Empirical evidence for face reading mate preference mechanisms should thus demonstrate, first, that women accurately track facial cues of men's paternal and genetic quality, and, second, that perception of these cues is causally related to women's attraction to men as potential mates. Recent research has focused on masculinity in men's faces as a cue that may be informative about both heritable fitness and paternal quality (for a review, see Penton-Voak & Perrett 2001). Facial masculinity has been proposed as an honest signal of genetic quality based on evidence that testosterone masculinizes facial physiog-nomy, with high testosterone in turn being sustainable only by healthier men due to the hormone's immunosup-pressive effects (e.g. Grammer & Thornhill 1994; see also Folstad & Karter …
Particle filters for partially observed diffusions

Summary. We introduce a novel particle filter scheme for a class of partially observed multivariate diffusions. We consider a variety of observation schemes, including diffusion observed with error, observation of a subset of the components of the multivariate diffusion and arrival times of a Poisson process whose intensity is a known function of the diffusion (Cox process). Unlike currently available methods, our particle filters do not require approximations of the transition and/or the observation density by using time discretizations. Instead, they build on recent methodology for the exact simulation of the diffusion process and the unbiased estimation of the transition density. We introduce the generalized Poisson estimator, which generalizes the Poisson estimator of Beskos and co‐workers. A central limit theorem is given for our particle filter scheme.
Application of the extended high gain observer to underactuated mechanical systems

For underactuated mechanical systems the use of disturbance estimators has been limited. For fully actuated mechanical systems, disturbance cancellation techniques have been studied and used to reduce the effect of disturbances on system performance. Particularly, the extended high gain observer has shown promising results in performance recovery. However, using the extended high gain observer to estimate and cancel the disturbance in one link of an underactuated system results in adding that disturbance to other links. This paper explores the effects of applying the extended high gain observer to an underactuated mechanical system. We show that the extended high gain observer can be used to reduce the effect of disturbances in a rotary pendulum system.
A Mixture Model for Learning Sparse Representations

In a latent variable model, an overcomplete representation is one in which th e number of latent variables is at least as large as the dimension of the data o bservations. Overcomplete representations have been advocated due to robustness in the presence of noise, the ability to be sparse, and an inherent flexibility in modeling the structure of data [9]. In this report, we modify factor analys is to obtain a method for learning overcomplete sparse representations by re placing the Gaussian prior on the factors with a prior that encourages sparsene ss. This is achieved by using the factorable Laplacian, which implicitly adds a lasso-ty pe penalty term on the latent variables. In order to approximate the intractable in tegrals introduced into this model, a variational technique is used to lower boun d the posterior distributions. Using this lower bound, it is possible to develop an Expectation-Maximization (EM) learning algorithm for estimating the model pa rameters. We use this technique to extend the sparse factor analysis mode l to a mixture of sparse factor analyzers and develop an EM algorithm. The n ew EM algorithm for the mixture model is applied to a handwritten digit recognition problem and is compared to existing methods.
WOLF - A Novel Reordering Write Buffer to Boost the Performance of Log-Structured File Systems

This paper presents the design, simulation and performance evaluation of a novel reordering write buffer for Log-structured File Systems (LFS). While LFS provides good write performance for small files, its biggest problem is the high overhead from cleaning. Previous research concentrated on improving the cleaner’s efficiency after files are written to the disk. We propose a new method that reduces the amount of work the cleaner has to do before the data reaches the disk. Our design sorts active and inactive data in memory into different segment buffers and then writes them to different disk segments. This approach forces data on the disk into a bimodal distribution. Most data in active segments are quickly invalidated, while inactive segments are mostly intact. Simulation results based on both real-world and synthetic traces show that such a reordering write buffer dramatically reduces the cleaning overhead, slashing the system’s overall write cost by up to 53%.