Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Smart stick for Blind: Obstacle Detection, Artificial vision and Real-time assistance via GPS

The paper presents a theoretical model and a system concept to provide a smart electronic aid for blind people. The system is intended to provide overall measures – Artificial vision and object detection ,real-time assistance via global positioning system(GPS). The system consist of proximity sensors, ultrasonic sensors , gps module, stereo cameras and dual feedback system-auditory as well as vibratory circuit. The aim of the overall system is to provide a low cost and efficient navigation aid for blind which gives a sense of artificial vision by providing information about the environmental scenario of static and dynamic objects around them.
Transcriptome Analyses Reveal Candidate Genes Potentially Involved in Al Stress Response in Alfalfa

Alfalfa is the most extensively cultivated forage legume, yet most alfalfa cultivars are not aluminum tolerant, and the molecular mechanisms underlying alfalfa responses to Al stress are largely unknown. In this study, we aimed to understand how alfalfa responds to Al stress by identifying and analyzing Al-stress-responsive genes in alfalfa roots at the whole-genome scale. The transcriptome changes in alfalfa roots under Al stress for 4, 8, or 24 h were analyzed using Illumina high-throughput sequencing platforms. A total of 2464 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, and most were up-regulated at early (4 h) and/or late (24 h) Al exposure time points rather than at the middle exposure time point (8 h). Metabolic pathway enrichment analysis demonstrated that the DEGs involved in ribosome, protein biosynthesis, and process, the citrate cycle, membrane transport, and hormonal regulation were preferentially enriched and regulated. Biosynthesis inhibition and signal transduction downstream of auxin- and ethylene-mediated signals occur during alfalfa responses to root growth inhibition. The internal Al detoxification mechanisms play important roles in alfalfa roots under Al stress. These findings provide valuable information for identifying and characterizing important components in the Al signaling network in alfalfa and enhance understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying alfalfa responses to Al stress.
Using GPU-accelerated Genetic Algorithm for non-linear motion deblurring in a single image

One of the key problems of restoring a degraded image from motion blur is the estimation of the unknown nonlinear blur filter from a single input blurred image. Many blind deconvolution methods typically assume frequency-domain constraints on images, simplified parametric forms for the motion path during camera shake or use multiple input images with specific characteristics. The paper proposes an algorithm for removing non-linear motion blur from a single input blurred image using Genetic Algorithms, by finding proper parameters and goal function. Also recent research in natural image statistics is exploited, which shows that photographs of natural scenes typically obey heavy-tailed distribution. Then a Graphics Processing Unit-Accelerated version of the Genetic Algorithm is presented, that achieved a huge speedup in the running time. The accelerated algorithm works 12.6× faster than the standard Genetic Algorithm. Experiments on a wide data set of standard images degraded with different kernels of different sizes demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed approach compared to other algorithms.
From stable walking to steering of a 3D bipedal robot with passive point feet

SUMMARY This paper exploits a natural symmetry present in a 3D robot in order to achieve asymptotically stable steering. The robot under study is composed of 5-links and unactuated point feet; it has 9 DoF (degree-of-freedom) in the single-support phase and six actuators. The control design begins with a hybrid feedback controller that stabilizes a straight-line walking gait for the 3D bipedal robot. The closed-loop system (i.e., robot plus controller) is shown to be equivariant under yaw rotations, and this property is used to construct a modification of the controller that has a local, but uniform, input-to-state stability (ISS) property, where the input is the desired turning direction. The resulting controller is capable of adjusting the net yaw rotation of the robot over a step in order to steer the robot along paths with mild curvature. An interesting feature of this work is that one is able to control the robot's motion along a curved path using only a single predefined periodic motion.
A genetic approach with a simple fitness function for sorting unsigned permutations by reversals

Sorting unsigned permutations by reversals is an important and difficult problem in combinatorial processing of permutations with important applications in bio-informatics for the interpretation of the evolutionary relationship between organisms. Since it was shown that the problem is NP-hard many approximation and a few evolutionary algorithms were proposed. In this paper we propose a new genetic algorithm approach that uses modified crossover and mutation operators adapted to the problem. Instead previous genetic algorithmic approaches, the proposed algorithm uses a very simple fitness function that can be linearly computed in the size of the permutation and updated in constant time, for each individual in each generation. In order to compare the accuracy of the computed solutions, an 1.5 approximation ratio algorithm was developed by fixing Christie's approximation method. The results showed that on average the proposed genetic approach produces competitive results in relation with the ones given by the 1.5-approximation algorithm. Additionally, it has been observed that for permutations of all sizes, that were randomly generated, it was alway possible to compute better solutions with the genetic than with the approximate approach and that the difference obtained for these cases is greater than the ones obtained in the cases in which the genetic approach has a worse behavior than the approximate one.
A Framework for Translating SMS Messages

Short Messaging Service (SMS) has become a popular form of communication. While it is predominantly used for monolingual communication, it can be extremely useful for facilitating cross-lingual communication through statistical machine translation. In this work we present an application of statistical machine translation to SMS messages. We decouple the SMS translation task into normalization followed by translation so that one can exploit existing bitext resources and present a novel unsupervised normalization approach using distributed representation of words learned through neural networks. We describe several surrogate data that are good approximations to real SMS data feeds and use a hybrid translation approach using finite-state transducers. Both objective and subjective evaluation indicate that our approach is highly suitable for translating SMS messages.
Languages and Tools for Real-Time Systems: Problems, Solutionsand Opportunities

This report summarizes two talks I gave at the The rst talk (\Statements about Real-Time: Truth or Bull? ") was given in the early morning. At the behest of the workshop's organizers, its primary function was to seed the ongoing discourse and provoke some debate. Besides asking controversial questions, and positing opinions, the talk also identiied some several fertile research areas that might interest PLDI attendees. The second talk (\Languages and Transformations: Some Solutions") was more technical, and it reviewed our research on program optimizations for real-time domains. However, I tried as much as possible to revisit the research problems raised in the morning talk, and present some possible approaches to them. The following paragraphs contain the text from my viewgraphs, laced with some commentary. Since so much work has been done in real-time systems { and even more in programming languages { my references are by necessity incomplete.
Pay-for-Performance Reform Programs: It’s More Than the Money!

This study evaluated five teachers from a middle school with a history of low-performances and high teacher turnover. This school participated in a reform program, Pay-For-Performance, where they received financial bonuses to increase performances on literacy and mathematics assessments. Additional requirements included participation in workshops, and planning and data discussions. Despite appreciation for incentives, teachers credited these professional development opportunities and district’s growth model as the impetus for their changing practices. Participants’ instructional practices became student-centered as they promoted engagement by building stronger relationships with students and by offering them choices with how they demonstrated their understanding of the curriculum.
A new fairness model for resilient packet rings

One of the main requirements in packet ring networks is to provide fairness in bandwidth allocation among the ring nodes. Each node must receive a fair share of the ring bandwidth and should not starve for an extended period of time. Due to the particular architecture of the packet rings, fairness models such as max-min fairness and proportional fairness are not suitable for these networks. Ring ingress aggregated with spatial reuse (RIAS) is a proposed model for packet rings. However, it lacks generality and intuition. In this paper, a new fairness model for ring networks called ring ingress aggregated max-min (RIAMM) fairness, is proposed. This model is invariant of the source behavior. We have analyzed conditions as well as feasibility criteria for this model. Considering resilient packet ring (RPR) as a particular case, we have studied the effect of source behaviors and fairness algorithms. Three main source behaviors, namely, MF (maximally feasible), FEP (feasible equal partitioning), and SC (single choke) are studied. We show that the FEP source behavior can result in a throughput loss of up to 17%, when traffic disparity exists. It is also shown that fairness algorithms with a slow convergence can result in permanent unfairness during a congestion period.
QR-code based online robot augmented reality system for education

In this paper, we propose an efficient, augmented reality system for education utilizing scenarios acquired from the metadata of quick response (QR) code. Our system enables interaction using an assembled robot in a virtual environment. First, we build a virtual environment around the robot according to the metadata. In addition, we create and manage a wide variety of content using metadata. We estimate the camera pose by using both marker-based and markerless methods. Lastly, we use a Bluetooth module and metadata of QR codes to interact with objects in the virtual environment.
Lessons Learned from Using Health Literacy Strategies in a Pilot Communication Skills Program

Introduction: Limited health literacy results in poorer health outcomes, however, effective communication can facilitate understanding. Communication skills programs could incorporate strategies to address communication gaps caused by poor health literacy. Objectives: 1) to describe the effects of a pilot educational intervention on providers' knowledge and reported use of health literacy strategies; 2) to describe participants' reasons to participate and their opinions regarding the educational intervention's delivery and content. Methodology: We conducted a quasi-experimental study design with a questionnaire before, immediately after, one and three months after the intervention. Semi-structured interviews conducted one year after the intervention explored participants' opinions and experiences with the intervention and strategies. Results: Of 329 physicians invited, only 13 (3.9%) participated. Participants' mean knowledge score increased from 59.2% to 80% (p<0.001) but was lower at three months (63.3, p<0.005). Reported awareness of health literacy issues increased from 23.1% to 92.3% (p<0.001) and remained high at three months. Using simple language, limiting amount of information and checking for understanding were strategies reportedly still used at three months. Information presented was new for participants and increased their awareness of communication problems. Health literacy strategies were reportedly simple to use. Conclusions: Our program increased participants' awareness of health literacy issues and self-reported use of health literacy strategies for communication up to three months after the intervention. Future research areas should include replication with a larger sample size, objective measurement of strategies utilized by providers, and measuring patients' opinions about these strategies.
WiGeR: WiFi-Based Gesture Recognition System

Recently, researchers around the world have been striving to develop and modernize human–computer interaction systems by exploiting advances in modern communication systems. The priority in this field involves exploiting radio signals so human–computer interaction will require neither special devices nor vision-based technology. In this context, hand gesture recognition is one of the most important issues in human–computer interfaces. In this paper, we present a novel device-free WiFi-based gesture recognition system (WiGeR) by leveraging the fluctuations in the channel state information (CSI) of WiFi signals caused by hand motions. We extract CSI from any common WiFi router and then filter out the noise to obtain the CSI fluctuation trends generated by hand motions. We design a novel and agile segmentation and windowing algorithm based on wavelet analysis and short-time energy to reveal the specific pattern associated with each hand gesture and detect duration of the hand motion. Furthermore, we design a fast dynamic time warping algorithm to classify our system’s proposed hand gestures. We implement and test our system through experiments involving various scenarios. The results show that WiGeR can classify gestures with high accuracy, even in scenarios where the signal passes through multiple walls.
EXPRESSION OF GSH 1 GENE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF GLUTATHIONE IN E . COLI

The wild Saccharomyces Cerevisiae consider as a good candidate for synthesizing high quantity of glutathione (red). GSH1 gene from Saccharomyces Cerevisiae was identified and cloned in E.coli expression vector for over expression of glutathione synthetase to leads to increased levels of GSH in cellular extracts and the product purified to confirm its expression. Primers were designed based on entire sequence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and GC content of the genomic DNA. The PCR was carried out to amplify the template DNA with the primers. The amplified products were inserted in to 1-67&99-346 region of PUC18 used as a cloning vector for the higher expression of glutathione production. In view of comparative analysis of glutathione preparation and standarized the protocol used in various steps involved in the purification process, subsequently identify the product recovered from different samples used in the experiment. The cellular glutathione content extracted in a supernatant of the culture lysate was used for determined of glutathione. The efficiency of GSH production by recombinant E.coli has nearly 40 fold increased its production when compared to wild type strains. The prepared fractions were used for analysis of glutathione also the size of final purified products were checked by SDS PAGE and product should be concentrated by lyophilization process, it is recommended that application of glutathione on protecting freeze dried molecules in various field.
Disentangling the Relationship Between Race and Attitudes Toward the Police: Police Contact, Perceptions of Safety, and Procedural Justice

Recent incidents involving police shootings of unarmed men of color have increased tensions between communities and police departments across the United States. In response, scholars have intensified efforts to understand the factors that shape attitudes toward the police. The current study examines individual and aggregate factors that influence satisfaction with the police. To this end, we address three research questions: (a) are there significant racial/ethnic differences in satisfaction with police; (b) do these differences persist after accounting for experiences with the police, perceptions of safety, and aggregate measures; and (c) can procedural justice help explain racial variation in attitudes toward the police? Study findings highlight the importance of perceptions of safety in explaining racial/ethnic variation in attitudes toward the police.
How Inclusive Policies Shape Prejudice Versus Acceptance of Refugees: A Portuguese Study

The recent wave of refugees arriving in Europe has given rise to much social debate. One important issue in this debate regards public opinions about the way political institutions should deal with existing prejudice against refugees. We examined this question in three studies. In Study 1 (N = 119), we assessed the relationship between participants’ agreement with refugees’ inclusion, perceived realistic and symbolic threats, and attitudes toward refugees’ acculturation. In Study 2 (N = 166), we tested the effects of the existence (vs. nonexistence) of government refugee inclusion policies on participants’ prejudice toward refugees. In Study 3 (N = 112), we tested the effect of governments’ integrative (vs. assimilative vs. uncertainty) policies on prejudice toward refugees. Realistic and symbolic threats predicted agreement with assimilation, but realistic threat also negatively predicted integration. Moreover, the presence of inclusive policies decreased perceived threat of, and negative attitudes toward, refugees. Perceived threat and negative attitudes emerged more strongly when government policies were uncertain than when they were directed at integration or assimilation, and predicted participants’ agreement with refugees’ assimilation. We discuss the social and theoretical implications of these results.
JHK′ Imaging Photometry of Seyfert 1 Active Galactic Nuclei and Quasars. III. Variability of Radio-Quiet and Radio-Loud Active Galactic Nuclei

Variability of 226 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in the near-infrared J, H, and K′ bands is analyzed and discussed. An ensemble average for measured variabilities was obtained for various samples of the AGNs divided by absolute B magnitude MB, redshift z, and radio strength. All the samples in the J, H, and K′ bands are found to give significant ensemble variability, but no significant wavelength dependence is found. The ensemble variability in the entire sample combining the J, H, and K′ samples is Δm ≈ 0.22 mag, while Δm ≈ 0.18 mag for the radio-quiet AGNs and Δm ≈ 0.26 mag for radio-loud AGNs. The ensemble variability for the radio-quiet AGNs shows no significant MB dependence, while showing positive MB dependence for the radio-loud AGNs. In any samples the measured variability shows positive correlation among different passbands, with the correlation coefficients of rJH, r, and r ranging from 0.6 to 0.9. For radio-quiet AGNs, the coefficient r in a redshift range of 0.1 < z < 0.3 is significantly higher than rJH or r. The coefficient for the radio-loud AGNs with 0.6 < z < 1.0 is as high as 0.95, irrespective of the passband. However, for the radio-quiet AGNs with z > 0.3 and radio-loud AGNs with z < 0.3, we cannot confirm such strong correlation among different passbands. All the features of near-infrared variability for the radio-quiet AGNs are consistent with a simple dust reverberation model of the central regions of AGNs. However, the features for the radio-loud AGNs are not fully explained by such a model, and a nonthermal variable component is suggested as a viable candidate for causing their large and fast variability in the near-infrared region.
Microarray and Morphological Analysis of Early Postnatal CRB2 Mutant Retinas on a Pure C57BL/6J Genetic Background

In humans, the Crumbs homologue-1 (CRB1) gene is mutated in progressive types of autosomal recessive retinitis pigmentosa and Leber congenital amaurosis. The severity of the phenotype due to human CRB1 or mouse Crb1 mutations is dependent on the genetic background. Mice on C57BL/6J background with Crb1 mutations show late onset of retinal spotting phenotype or no phenotype. Recently, we showed that conditional deletion of mouse Crb2 in the retina results in early retinal disorganization leading to severe and progressive retinal degeneration with concomitant visual loss that mimics retinitis pigmentosa due to mutations in the CRB1 gene. Recent studies in the fruit fly and zebrafish suggest roles of the Crumbs (CRB) complex members in the regulation of cellular signalling pathways including the Notch1, mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) and the Hippo pathway. Here, we demonstrate that mice backcrossed to C57BL/6J background with loss of CRB2 in the retina show a progressive disorganization and degeneration phenotype during late retinal development. We used microarray gene profiling to study the transcriptome of retinas lacking CRB2 during late retinal development. Unexpectedly, the retinas of newborn mice lacking CRB2 showed no changes in the transcriptome during retinal development. These findings suggest that loss of CRB2 in the developing retina results in retinal disorganization and subsequent degeneration without major changes in the transcriptome of the retina. These mice might be an interesting model to study the onset of retinal degeneration upon loss of CRB proteins.
Specifying and Verifying Robotic

This paper presents an approach to the speciication of requirements, and veriication of design, for a robot or other intelligent system. Formal mathematical reasoning is used to show that a design conforms to the system requirements. Typically the requirements deene safety and functionality constraints on the system and components. Formal analysis allows the system designer to evaluate the system behavior and verify the system parameters in order to guarantee safe and robust system performance. The approach is demonstrated on a typical robotic task { visual grasping.
Psychometric properties of the Slovenian long and short version of the self-compassion scale

The Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) is a widely used instrument for measuring selfcompassion. In this study we examined psychometric properties of the SCS long and short form in a Slovenian community sample (N = 442). The total score reliability was satisfactory both in the long form (? = .91) and short form (? = .81). The reliability of subscales in the long form was between . 66 and . 84, and relatively low in the short form (from .45 to .72). We performed a confirmatory factor analysis and examined a one factor, a two factor a six-factor correlated model, a higher order model, and a bi-factor model. The six-factor and bi-factor models showed the best fit for the SCS-LF, and the six-factor model was the only acceptable fit for the SCS-SF. The correlation between the long and the short form is very high (r = .96). The SCS correlates in a predictable way with satisfaction with life, well-being, and attachment styles. We concluded that Slovenian versions of both the long and the short form of the SCS have generally from acceptable to good psychometric properties. Results supported the use of both the total score and subscale scores of SCS-LF. The short version of the SCS can be used as a good and economical alternative when the aim is to use the total score.