Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Read my lips, login to the virtual world

Login systems in smart devices demand multi-factor authentication for high security and at the same time, it requires simple user experience. We propose a novel application of lip-reading satisfying these requirements. We present the adequacy of lip-reading as a biometric factor by experiment. In addition, automatic lip-reader can be implemented by LSTM (Long Short Term Memory) neural network architecture with good accuracy that can translate visual utterance to password as a knowledge factor. Furthermore, our proposed method, iterative method, can improve accuracy as much as login system required. Our work achieved 93.8% by single iteration from the first result (69.1%).
Evidence for in vivo carotid and femoral wall thickening in human hypertension. Groupe de Prévention Cardio-vasculaire en Médecine du Travail.

Little is known of the in vivo structural changes of large arteries in uncomplicated hypertension. Therefore, we measured the intima-media thickness and lumen diameter of common carotid and femoral arteries by a computerized ultrasonographic technique in 25 normotensive and 25 never treated hypertensive men of similar age (from 25 to 72 years). The intraobserver variability of carotid and femoral wall thicknesses was 4.3% and 5.6%, respectively. Moreover, an in vitro study of 13 human arterial segments removed at autopsy demonstrated a strong correlation (r = .989, P < .001) between computerized ultrasonic and histological intima-media thickness measurements. Compared with control subjects, hypertensive patients had similar arterial diameters but higher carotid and femoral intima-media thicknesses (P < .001) as well as higher ratios of carotid and femoral intima-media thickness to lumen (P < .001, P < .01). The carotid thickness was correlated with age in control subjects (r = .48, P < .05) but not in hypertensive patients. The femoral thickness was correlated with age both in control subjects (r = .55, P < .01) and in hypertensive patients (r = .46, P < .05). Thus, carotid and femoral arterial walls of hypertensive patients were thickened. This thickening was not due to age, although aging also thickened both vessels in control subjects and the femoral artery only in hypertensive patients. Such a wall thickening associated with a normal diameter provides direct evidence of vascular growth and represents a new target to monitor noninvasively in vivo for large artery changes in human hypertension.
Offspring of alcoholics have enhanced antagonistic placebo response.

In this study, 85 college-age men who reported normal drinking practices believed they were drinking malt liquor when they actually drank dealcoholized beer. Following drinking, 11 subjects with an alcoholic biological father showed a significantly larger heart rate decrease (p less than .05) than subjects with a nonalcoholic father. The results are discussed in terms of opponent process and classical conditioning theories of addiction, and the etiological pathway from risk factor to final manifestation of alcoholism.
Dialect and Standard in Second Language Phonology: The Case of Arabic*

This paper shows that students who learn Standard Arabic before a dialect take 'an etymological trip' in learning the phonology of the dialect in question. The paper also discusses instructional implications related to the teaching of foreign languages in general and Arabic in particular, arguing that learners should be exposed to dialects early on. This should be especially the case if the ultimate aim is to use the target language in face-to-face communication and not only to handle printed material.
ECG biosignals in biometric recognition

In this paper authors have studied the current state of the art, noting the achievements and gaps existing in published works. Most of the gaps are related to the testing data used, and therefore the reliability of the results obtained. With this in mind, the paper not only covers such review of the literature, but also the efforts of the authors in developing a solution that could demonstrate the real potential of this biometric modality.
Clinical presentation and genetic analysis of a five generation Chinese family with isolated left ventricular noncompaction.

OBJECTIVE Isolated left ventricular noncompaction (ILVNC) is a rare congenital cardiomyopathy characterized by numerous excessive trabeculations and deep intertrabecular recesses. To date, the clinical features and genetic causes of ILVNC remain unclear. Here, we report the clinical presentation and genetic analysis of a five generation Chinese family with ILVNC. METHODS For this study, 21 living family members were recruited. Each individual underwent a detailed clinical examination for ILVNC. Peripheral blood samples were collected for direct gene sequencing to determine any mutations in the known disease-causing genes of ILVNC, which include the genes TAZ, DTNA, LDB3, LMNA and FKBP12. RESULTS Classic echocardiographic presentation of ILVNC was identified in the proband who had his first onset of heart failure at age 52. His 28-year-old son and 26-year-old daughter showed similar heart anomalies as their father. Although they had no symptoms to date, depressed ventricular systolic function was noted in both of them. Pedigree analysis suggested an autosomal domain mode of inheritance. DNA sequencing found no mutation in the known disease-causing genes of ILVNC. Interestingly, two other members of the family, the proband's wife (also his first cousin) and her sister had classic echocardiographic presentation of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). CONCLUSION A single Chinese family with ILVNC associated with HCM is reported; no mutations in TAZ, DTNA, LDB3, LMNA and FKBP12 was found.
Innovations in Local Domiciliary Long-Term Care: From Libertarian Criticism to Normalisation

This article assesses how social innovations in the field of local domiciliary long-term care are shaped and implemented. It proposes a mapping of innovations in terms of two structuring discourses that inform welfare state reforms: a libertarian and a neo-liberal discourse. It then provides an analysis of the concrete trajectories of three local innovations for elderly people in Hamburg (Germany), Edinburgh (Scotland) and Geneva (Switzerland). Theoretically, social innovation is considered as a discursive process of public problem redefinition and institutionalisation. New coalitions of new actors are formed along this double process, and these transform the original discourse of innovation. The comparative analysis of the three processes of institutionalisation of local innovation shows that, in the context of local policy making, social innovations inspired by a libertarian critique of the welfare state undergo differentiated processes of normalisation.
Laos: Politics in a Single-party State

In the nominally Marxist-Leninist Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), whose political institutions are modelled on those of the former Soviet Union, the most important events of the political calendar are the congresses of the ruling Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP). These congresses take place only every five years, and 2006 was such a year. Party congresses provide opportunities both for the nomination of a new political leadership, and for setting out new policy directions. Thus it was the Fourth Party Congress in 1986 that endorsed the so-called "new economic mechanism", which introduced a market economy and opened the way for private foreign investment. The Fourth Congress was delayed for nine months while the ideological struggle over policy was waged, with great secrecy, within the Party. That subsequent congresses have been held on schedule (some time in March) suggests a degree of ideological consensus. The 2006 Eighth Party Congress was held on schedule.
Migration and Wages Differentials in Urban Cameroon

The purpose of this article is to evaluate the importance of wages differentials between migrants and non migrants and determine what account for it among habitants of Yaounde and Douala, two cosmopolite cities of Cameroon. We use data derived from the Employment and Informal Sector Survey implemented by the National Institute of Statistics in 2005. Econometric analyses of the migration decision, based on a sample of 3585 individuals, indicate that migration and participation decision are negatively correlated. After controlling for migration and labor force selection, results show that there exist a 12.8% wage differential in favor of migrants due to endowments (10.1%) and unexplained factors (2.7%). Yet, this wage differential does not determine speculative migration decisions to urban Cameroon.
Optimum short-term futures hedge using stochastic linear programming

Classical optimal hedge ratio concentrates on risk reduction and neglects strategic value maximisation. In this study, the authors use stochastic optimisation theories to formulate an optimal, short-term hedging scheme to mitigate risks while maximising portfolio value. Stochastic spot and futures price models are used to simulate prices. The periodic optimal hedge ratios are determined using the stochastic-optimisation algorithm. The algorithm is implemented in a Hedge-Position-Optimiser (HPO) which is verified and validated using crude oil and gold data. The results show that HPO adds value to projects by increasing portfolio value while reducing the associated risks.
Differences in multiple forms of short‐term plasticity between excitatory and inhibitory hippocampal neurons in culture

Synaptic transmission is highly dynamic, especially during periods of repetitive activity. This short‐term synaptic plasticity, elicited by either pairs or short trains of action potentials at moderate frequencies (1–10 Hz), may give rise to either depression or facilitation of synaptic transmission. We analyzed these processes in isolated, synaptically coupled pairs of inhibitory or excitatory neurons grown in low‐density cultures of hippocampal neurons. Most inhibitory and excitatory synapses in these cultures displayed paired pulse depression, although the responses of excitatory synapses were more variable and occasionally facilitation was seen. With tetanic stimuli, inhibitory synapses showed depression, but excitatory synapses showed a much richer repertoire of behaviors, including depression and facilitation. While many inhibitory synapses showed posttetanic depression following short trains of action potentials, excitatory synapses instead showed posttetanic facilitation. This facilitation is accompanied by an increase in paired pulse ratio, suggesting that it is the result of presynaptic mechanisms. Finally, excitatory synapses often displayed paired pulse and tetanic facilitation of asynchronous release, a process not seen in inhibitory synapses in these cultures. These similarities and differences in short‐term plasticity exhibited by inhibitory and excitatory cells are likely to be critical for information processing and the control of neuronal excitability, under both normal and pathological conditions, such as epilepsy. Synapse 50:41–52, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Self-management strategies used during flares of rheumatoid arthritis in an ethnically diverse population.

OBJECTIVES Effective management of flares of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can improve symptoms and may delay disease progression. The practice of rheumatologists in managing a flare has been studied, but patients' experiences of, and responses to, disease flares remain poorly defined. This study aimed to address this issue. METHODS Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 patients from an ethnically diverse population who had suffered a recent RA flare. Open questions were asked regarding patients' definitions of a flare, causal attribution, self-management strategies, their triggers to consult health professionals, and the information they had received about RA flares from health professionals. Transcripts were studied using the grounded theory approach to identify themes. RESULTS Flares were usually described as worsening joint pain and swelling. Over-use of joints was identified as the most common cause of a flare, and commonly used self-management strategies included rest, gentle exercise and warming the joints. There was some variation in causal attribution and self-management with ethnicity. CONCLUSIONS This study identified a link between causal attribution of flares and the resultant self-management strategies. A perceived trigger of the flare in some patients formed a focus for their self-management strategies, whereas those who could not identify a cause aimed mainly to alleviate symptoms. A better understanding of patients' perspective in the context of disease flares will allow the development of educational programmes to facilitate more effective self-management of this important manifestation of disease.
Term Premiums in the Term Structure of Interest Rates

THE MARKET-EQUILIBRIUM term structure of interest rates is observed as a set of macroeconomic variables. In contrast, the three main theories of the term structure are built upon differing microeconomic assumptions about the objective functions of borrowers and lenders. This paper develops a formal model of the behavior of borrowers and lenders under uncertainty in which bond investment takes place as a way of devising planned consumption streams. A new way of viewing the equilibrium term structure is proposed so that special term-structure theories emerge from particular patterns of the objective functions of participants in bond markets. The model developed and applied in this paper has several important antecedents. Bierwag and Grove [1] apply a mean-variance portfolio model to determining the term structure but follow the expectations approach in not treating term premiums. Building on their work, Roll [7, 8] introduces maturity preferences and liquidity premiums but does not derive investor demand from constrained utility maximization. Stiglitz [9] pioneers the focus on future consumption as a motive for bond holding. He redefines assets as bundles of time-state claims that are tractable in theory but lack counterparts in actual bond markets. Our work complements his by deriving an explicit expression for the term premium.
Simplicity: A New Language for Blockchains

Simplicity is a typed, combinator-based, functional language without loops and recursion, designed to be used for crypto-currencies and blockchain applications. It aims to improve upon existing crypto-currency languages, such as Bitcoin Script and Ethereum's EVM, while avoiding some of the problems they face. Simplicity comes with formal denotational semantics defined in Coq, a popular, general purpose software proof assistant. Simplicity also includes operational semantics that are defined with an abstract machine that we call the Bit Machine. The Bit Machine is used as a tool for measuring the computational space and time resources needed to evaluate Simplicity programs. Owing to its Turing incompleteness, Simplicity is amenable to static analysis that can be used to derive upper bounds on the computational resources needed, prior to execution. While Turing incomplete, Simplicity can express any finitary function, which we believe is enough to build useful ``smart contracts'' for blockchain applications.
Microscale thermophoresis provides insights into mechanism and thermodynamics of ribozyme catalysis

The analysis of binding interactions between small molecules and biopolymers is important for understanding biological processes. While fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) requires fluorescence labeling on the small molecule, which often interferes with binding, in microscale thermophoresis (MST) the label can be placed on the biopolymer. Ribozymes have not been analyzed by MST so far. The Diels-Alderase ribozyme (DAse) is a true catalyst, facilitating the Diels-Alder reaction between two free small substrates, anthracene dienes, and maleimide dienophiles. Despite high efforts, the determination of the dissociation constant (KD) of maleimide dienophiles to the DAse by FCS has been unsuccessful. Here, we determined the binding interactions of the DAse to its substrates and the Diels-Alder product using MST. The results supported a positive cooperativity for substrate binding to the DAse. By varying the temperature, we furthermore studied the thermodynamics of dienophile dissociation. The entropic contribution was found to be the energetic driving force for the binding of the dienophile to the DAse.
An Innovative Variational Level Set Model for Multiphase Image Segmentation

In this paper, a new model based on variational level set method for segmenting multiphase images is proposed. Its energy functional is based on the level set functions and the regional characteristics functions. It can deal with changes in curves’ topology and be extended to multiphase image segmentation models which are based on other schemes for region competition as well. The gradient flow of the energy functional is computed using variational method to get the optimized solution of the model. In order to guarantee more accurate calculation, discrete definition of level set functions is used. Experimental results show that the new model has promising effect on image segmentation.
Improved prediction for the structure of the dimeric transmembrane domain of glycophorin A obtained through global searching

A more global search method, using fewer assumptions, has been used to predict the structure of the dimeric transmembrane region of the protein glycophorin A. The resulting model significantly differs from that previously determined. In particular, the arrangement between the two transmembrane helices is now more symmetric resulting in improved interaction energies and an increased buried surface area. An increase in the van der Waals interaction energy due to tighter packing compensates for the loss of the interhelical hydrogen bond observed between Thr‐87 of each helix in the previous model. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Distribution of Usutu Virus in Germany and Its Effect on Breeding Bird Populations

Usutu virus (USUV) is an emerging mosquitoborne flavivirus with an increasing number of reports from several countries in Europe, where USUV infection has caused high avian mortality rates. However, 20 years after the first observed outbreak of USUV in Europe, there is still no reliable assessment of the large-scale impact of USUV outbreaks on bird populations. In this study, we identified the areas suitable for USUV circulation in Germany and analyzed the effects of USUV on breeding bird populations. We calculated the USUV-associated additional decline of common blackbird (Turdus merula) populations as 15.7% inside USUV-suitable areas but found no significant effect for the other 14 common bird species investigated. Our results show that the emergence of USUV is a further threat for birds in Europe and that the large-scale impact on population levels, at least for common blackbirds, must be considered.
Understanding the implications of empirical work on corporate growth rates

This paper builds on the empirical literature on corporate growth rates - which suggests that corporate growth rates are very nearly random - and asks whether this empirical work is consistent with standard theories of the firm. We examine both static and dynamic optimizing models of firm output choice, before moving on to examine production functions modelling of corporate learning, models of R&D competition and diversification. In all cases, it seems clear that random corporate growth rates are more or less exactly what one would expect these models to predict. However, the literature on Penrose effects - dynamic managerial limitations to growth - and corporate competencies are not easy to reconcile with random corporate growth rates. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The dynamics of U.S. internal migration

In this paper the authors have theoretically derived a net migration equation and estimated it using time-series data for 51 regions over the period 1971-88. The results indicate that the dynamic response of net migration is stable and is significantly related to stock equilibrium changes induced by amenity differentials, relative employment opportunities, relative real wages, and industry composition. Moreover, the explicit linkage of stock equilibrium to stable dynamic flows in the model ensures that any stock disequilibrium will generate a finite migration response sufficient to attain a new stock equilibrium. The estimated parameters determine the speed at which net migration re-establishes stock equilibrium. Coauthors are Dan S. Rickman, Gary L. Hunt, and Michael J. Greenwood. Copyright 1993 by MIT Press.
Duplicate coverage and demand for health care. The case of Catalonia.

An individual has duplicate coverage when he enjoys a compulsory medical public insurance, and in addition he has purchased a private one. This paper studies the implications of duplicate coverage on both demand for visits to specialists and on the selection process of the private insurance market. Econometric models, estimated by the generalized method of moments, accommodate both the endogeneity of insurance choice decision and the non-negativity of the variable number of visits. The choice of instrumental variables is motivated within a theoretical model of demand for health care. The results shows that endogeneity is important for the subsample of heads of household, but not for the subsample of non-heads of household. For the subsample of non-heads of household, a positive effect of duplicate coverage on the number of visits to specialists is found. Health related variables, education and income are also important. Results are consistent with the idea that heads of household that buy private insurance are the ones with poor unobservable health conditions. It is argued that this last result is related to the existence of a compulsory public insurance.
Cooperative decoder design for non-binary LDPC code with coefficients selection

In this paper we design novel decoders for non-binary low density parity check (LDPC) codes. For a non-binary LDPC code C over the field Fq of size q for some q > 0, we propose two novel cooperative decoders, each composed of a binary component decoder and a q-ary component decoder in a concatenated manner, to obtain excellent decoding performance. Specifically to reduce the complexity of the cooperative decoders, we design a hybrid q-ary component decoder. Then, we propose an algorithm to construct the parity check matrix to eliminate the bit-level cycles. Simulations show that the decoding performance of the proposed algorithm approaches the capacity limit within 0.2dB at BER= 10-4.
Charging infrastructures for EV: Overview of technologies and issues

This paper presents an overview of issues and technologies related to the proper design of charging infrastructures for road electric vehicles. The analysis is carried out taking into account that the recharging stations of electric vehicles might be integrated in smart grids, which interconnect the main grid with distributed power plants, different kinds of renewable energy sources, stationary electrical storage systems and electric loads. The study is introduced by an analysis of the main characteristics concerning different kinds of storage systems to be used for stationary and on-board applications. Then, different charging devices, modes and architectures are presented and described showing their characteristics and potentialities. DC and AC configurations of charging stations are compared in terms of the issues related to their impact on the main grid and the design of their main components. Specific attention was devoted also to the ultra-fast DC architecture, which appears a possible solution to positively affect a wide spread of plug-in hybrid and full electric road vehicles.