Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Face Sketch Synthesis via Sparse Representation

Face sketch synthesis with a photo is challenging due to that the psychological mechanism of sketch generation is difficult to be expressed precisely by rules. Current learning-based sketch synthesis methods concentrate on learning the rules by optimizing cost functions with low-level image features. In this paper, a new face sketch synthesis method is presented, which is inspired by recent advances in sparse signal representation and neuroscience that human brain probably perceives images using high-level features which are sparse. Sparse representations are desired in sketch synthesis due to that sparseness can adaptively selects the most relevant samples which give best representations of the input photo. We assume that the face photo patch and its corresponding sketch patch follow the same sparse representation. In the feature extraction, we select succinct high-level features by using the sparse coding technique, and in the sketch synthesis process each sketch patch is synthesized with respect to high-level features by solving an $l_1$-norm optimization. Experiments have been given on CUHK database to show that our method can resemble the true sketch fairly well.
Effect of Ability Grouping in Collaborative Learning and Locus of Control on Individual Achievements

This research focus on effect of ability grouping and locus of control in collaborative learning on individual achievements. Investigated important forms of grouping are used in collaborative learning. Expected to be obtained form the appropriate grouping for collaborative learning . The results research showed that (1) there are differences in individual achievement significantly between high homogeneous group, low homogeneous group, and heterogeneous group in collaborative learning, (2) there are differences in individual achievement significantly between with an internal locus of control and external locus of control, (3) there is no interaction effect between ability grouping in collaborative learning and locus of control on individual achievement. Based on the results of descriptive statistical analysis showed that the individual achievement of high homogeneous group turned out to mean the highest, followed then a heterogeneous group, and the lowest low homogeneous group; the individual achievement who have an internal locus of control is higher than the individual achievement who have an external locus of control.
The Effect of Different Starch Liberation and Saccharification Methods on the Microbial Contaminations of Distillery Mashes, Fermentation Efficiency, and Spirits Quality

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of different starch liberation and saccharification methods on microbiological contamination of distillery mashes. Moreover, the effect of hop α-acid preparation for protection against microbial infections was assessed. The quality of agricultural distillates was also evaluated. When applying the pressureless liberation of starch (PLS) and malt as a source of amylolytic enzymes, the lactic acid bacteria count in the mashes increased several times during fermentation. The mashes obtained using the pressure-thermal method and malt enzymes revealed a similar pattern. Samples prepared using cereal malt exhibited higher concentrations of lactic and acetic acids, as compared to mashes prepared using enzymes of microbial origin. The use of hop α-acids led to the reduction of bacterial contamination in all tested mashes. As a result, fermentation of both mashes prepared with microbial origin enzyme preparations and with barley malt resulted in satisfactory efficiency and distillates with low concentrations of aldehydes.
Structural Analysis and Evidence for Dynamic Emergence of Bacillus anthracis S-Layer Networks

ABSTRACT Surface layers (S-layers), which form the outermost layers of many Bacteria and Archaea, consist of protein molecules arranged in two-dimensional crystalline arrays. Bacillus anthracis, a gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium, responsible for anthrax, synthesizes two abundant surface proteins: Sap and EA1. Regulatory studies showed that EA1 and Sap appear sequentially at the surface of the parental strain. Sap and EA1 can form arrays. The structural parameters of S-layers from mutant strains (EA1− and Sap−) were determined by computer image processing of electron micrographs of negatively stained regular S-layer fragments or deflated whole bacteria. Sap and EA1 projection maps were calculated on a p1 symmetry basis. The unit cell parameters of EA1 were a = 69 Å, b = 83 Å, and γ = 106°, while those of Sap were a = 184 Å, b = 81 Å, and γ = 84°. Freeze-etching experiments and the analysis of the peripheral regions of the cell suggested that the two S-layers have different settings. We characterized the settings of each network at different growth phases. Our data indicated that the scattered emergence of EA1 destabilizes the Sap S-layer.
Specification and Synthesis of Word Transductions

We introduce a logic, called L_T, to express properties of transductions, i.e. binary relations from input to output (finite) words. In L_T, the input/output dependencies are modelled via an origin function which associates to any position of the output word, the input position from which it originates. L_T is well-suited to express relations (which are not necessarily functional), and can express all regular functional transductions, i.e. transductions definable for instance by deterministic two-way transducers. Despite its high expressive power, L_T has decidable satisfiability and equivalence problems. Our main contribution is a uniformisation result: from any transduction R defined in L_T, it is possible to synthesise a regular functional transduction f such that for all input words u in the domain of R, f is defined and (u,f(u)) belong to R. As a consequence, we obtain that any functional transduction is regular iff it is L_T-definable.
Recognition of typing motions on AR typing interface

We have proposed Augmented Reality (AR) Typing Interface as a new input interface for mobile devices. By using this interface, users can utilize a wide space in the air in inputting texts. This interface uses a camera which is attached to the back of the device. A virtual keyboard is overlaid on the image captured by a camera using AR technology. In this paper, we propose a new method to recognize typing motions more precisely. In this method, feature vectors are generated by using information of time-series optical flows. Typing motions are recognized by using support vector machine (SVM). We confirmed that the proposed method was able to recognize typing motions with about 90% accuracy for the recorded video of typing in the air.
The apparent dependence of the diffusion coefficient of N‐acetylaspartate upon magnetic field strength: evidence of an interaction with NMR methodology

An inverse relationship between applied magnetic field strength and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of several important brain metabolites including N‐acetyl‐l‐aspartate (NAA), choline and creatine, measured in vivo using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), has been reported. In this investigation, using phantom studies of NAA at magnetic field strengths of 3 and 7 T, these observations have been verified under controlled MRS conditions in vitro, and the ADC of NAA has been found to vary inversely with magnetic field strength, decreasing at a rate of 2.5%/T at 20°C. We have also assessed whether the effect is a function of a systemic bias in methodology, or if the effect is actually on the rate of molecular diffusion. This was done using an MRS‐independent method for measurement of molecular diffusion in NAA phantoms at 0, 0.025 and 7 T applied magnetic field strengths. As a result, it has been demonstrated that the observed apparent magnetic field dependence of the ADC of NAA is a consequence of the NMR measurement and is apparently not a real effect on molecular diffusion. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An Empirical Study on Listed Companies' Change of Investment Project of Financing Capital——An Analysis Based on A-share Market

The phenomenon of listed companies' change of investment project of financing capital prevails in recent years,which leads to negative influence on the companies' performance,reputation,integrity and the whole stock market to a large extent.Therefore,investors and management level show great concern on it.Whether the corporate governance system is appropriately arranged is regarded as one of the most important determinants which influencing the change of investment project of financing capital.From the perspectives of the structures of equity,board of directors,and board of supervisors of corporate governance,the authors try to find out the factors which correlate with the change of investment project of financing capital by taking 295 listed companies with investment changes from 2006 to 2008 as samples.In this way,the authors aim to provide some countermeasures to perfect China's corporate governance system,and make the phenomenon under control.
Convective heat transfer coefficient in compartment fires

Heat transfer to compartment surfaces was measured in fully developed fire experiments. The experiments involved scaled compartments ranging from 1/8th to 3/8th with full-scale height of 2.54 m. Gas temperatures reached 1000°C, and total surface heat flux could reach 200 kW/m2, with convection accounting for 25% of the total. A combination of thermopile heat flux gage, metal plate sensor, and gas and wall thermocouples was used to separate the convective and radiative components. The convective heat transfer coefficients were resolved experimentally. Convective heat transfer coefficient was correlated against temperature rise within the compartment for both flaming and after extinction phases.
F007: finding rediscovered faults from the field using function-level failed traces of software in the field

Studies show that approximately 50% to 90% of the failures reported from the field are rediscoveries of previous faults. Also, approximately 80% of the failures originate from approximately 20% of the code. Despite this identification of the origin of the failures in system code remains an arduous activity, and consumes substantial resources. Prior fault discovery techniques for field traces either require many pass-fail traces, discover only crashing failures, or identify faulty coarse grain code such as files as the source of the fault. This paper describes a new method (F007) that focuses on identifying finer grain faulty code (faulty functions) from only failed traces of deployed software. F007 extracts patterns of function-calls from a historical collection of only function-level failed traces, and then trains decision trees on the extracted function-call patterns for each known faulty function. A ranked list of faulty functions is then predicted by F007 for a new failure trace based on the probability of fault proneness obtained via decision trees. Our case study on the Siemens suite shows that F007: (a) can identify rediscovered faulty functions (with new or old faults) with 60--86% accuracy, (b) needs to examine approximately 5--10% of the code for the Siemens suite, and (c) can discover the faulty functions in every new failed trace by using a small collection of previous failed traces. Thus, F007 can correctly identify the faulty functions for the majority (80%-90%) of (field) failures with the knowledge of a fault in a small percentage (20%) of functions.
On real time VLC channel emulators

This extended abstract proposes an FPGA-based concept for real time channel emulation (CE) adapted for visible light communication (VLC) applications. Crucial insights into the optical channel modeling techniques as well as the important blocks of CE are described. Furthermore, the paper details the CE operation principle enhanced with the necessary mathematical background. Finally, the paper outlines a hardware implementation.
CORRECTION FACTORS IN THE EPR DOSE RECONSTRUCTION FOR RESIDENTS OF THE MIDDLE AND LOWER TECHA RIVERSIDE

Abstract—During 1949–1956, the first Soviet nuclear weapons plant, Mayak, released about 7.6×107 m−3 of liquid radioactive waste with a total activity of 1017 Bq into the Techa River (Southern Urals, Russia). 90Sr contributed 11.6% to the total waste radioactivity. As a result of these radioactive discharges, about 28,000 local residents were exposed to ionizing radiation, and some of them received relatively high doses. Internal exposure of the population residing at the Middle and Lower Techa riverside was mostly from 90Sr deposited in bone and tooth tissues. In order to reconstruct radiation doses to this population group, a study of 35 teeth extracted from local residents was carried out using electron paramagnetic resonance measurements. A total of 73 samples from these 35 teeth (tooth enamel, 33; crown dentin, 20; and root dentin, 20) were prepared and measured with electron paramagnetic resonance. The study revealed high doses (up to 15 Gy) absorbed in tooth enamel of the individuals born during 1945–1949, which was attributed to very high local 90Sr concentration in tooth enamel of this particular age group in the population. The analysis presented here takes into account (a) the time courses both of the release/intake of 90Sr and of the tooth formation, and (b) expected variations in measured absorbed doses due to differing geometric sizes of tooth structures. This methodology enables a more consistent picture to be developed of the 90Sr intake by the Middle and Lower Techa riverside population, based on electron paramagnetic resonance tooth dosimetry.
Cell biology and immunology of Listeria monocytogenes infections: novel insights

Summary: Listeria monocytogenes is an intracellular bacterium responsible for a disease characterized by several clinical features, such as septicemia, brain infection, abortion, and perinatal infection. These clinical features are attributed to its amazing capacity to cross several barriers in susceptible hosts. Intracellular infection is a consequence of the bacterium’s capacity to enter a wide variety of mammalian cells, to not only survive but also replicate therein, and to its faculty to spread from one cell to the next, thereby escaping the humoral immune response. Here, we review both the well‐established and the newly discovered strategies used by this bacterium to achieve this intracellular lifestyle while escaping from the host innate immune response. More than ever, Listeria appears as a model system and a reference in infection biology.
Polarity Index of Psychological Interventions in Maintenance Treatment of Bipolar Disorder

Background: Although several adjunctive psychological interventions are effective in the maintenance of bipolar disorders (BD), no attempt has been made to classify them according to their ability to prevent manic versus depressive episodes. Our study aims to rank the adjunctive psychotherapies for the prophylaxis of BD by means of their polarity index (PI). Methods: Randomized controlled trials comparing the efficacy of a psychological intervention with a comparator in BD maintenance treatment in patients aged over 18 were systematically reviewed. Exclusion criteria were a small sample size, a study sample not exclusively composed of bipolar patients and the absence of a control group. PI is a novel metric indicating the relative antimanic versus antidepressive preventive efficacy of treatments. PI was retrieved by calculating the ratio of the number needed to treat (NNT) for prevention of depression and the NNT for prevention of mania. PI >1.0 indicates a relatively higher antimanic prophylactic efficacy and PI <1.0 a greater antidepressive efficacy. Results: A total of 9 studies were included. PI was 0.33, 0.63 and 0.89 for cognitive-behavioral therapy, 0.42 for family-focused therapy, 0.73 and 0.78 for psychoeducation, 1 for enhanced relapse prevention, 1.78 for caregiver group psychoeducation and 3.36 for brief technique-driven interventions. With regard to the PI for 1 cognitive-behavioral study, enhanced relapse prevention and brief technique-driven interventions may not be reliable since those trials were negative. Conclusions: The PI provides a measure of how much depression-preventive or (hypo) mania-preventive an intervention is and may guide the choice of adjunctive psychotherapy in the context of individualized long-term treatment of BD.
Variable phenotypic expression and onset in MYH14 distal hereditary motor neuropathy phenotype in a large, multigenerational North American family

Introduction: Distal hereditary motor neuropathy (dHMN) causes distal‐predominant weakness without prominent sensory loss. Myosin heavy chain disorders most commonly result in distal myopathy and cardiomyopathy with or without hearing loss, but a complex phenotype with dHMN, myopathy, hoarseness, and hearing loss was reported in a Korean family with a c.2822G>T mutation in MYH14. In this study we report phenotypic features in a North American family with the c.2822G>T in MYH14. Methods: Clinical and molecular characterization was performed in a large, 6‐generation, Caucasian family with MYH14 dHMN. Results: A total of 11 affected and 7 unaffected individuals were evaluated and showed varying age of onset and severity of weakness. Genotypic concordance was confirmed with molecular analysis. Electrophysiological studies demonstrated distal motor axonal degeneration without myopathy in all affected subjects tested. Conclusion: Mutation of MYH14 can result in a range of neuromuscular phenotypes that includes a dHMN and hearing loss phenotype with variable age of onset. Muscle Nerve 56: 341–345, 2017
CR3‐dependent phagocytosis by murine macrophages: different cytokines regulate ingestion of a defined CR3 ligand and complement‐opsonized Cryptococcus neoformans

Phagocytosis is a fundamental process in innate resistance to infection. We have used the pathogenic yeast Cryptococcus neoformans to study the interaction of this encapsulated organism with murine macrophages in vitro. In the absence of exogenous opsonins the encapsulated yeast is almost totally resistant to ingestion by murine macrophages. Owing to its ability to activate the alternative complement pathway, the anti‐phagocytic properties of the polysaccharide capsule can be partially overcome following opsonization in vitro with non‐immune mouse serum and subsequent phagocytosis via complement receptors. Here, we demonstrate the importance of the complement receptor type 3 (CR3) in in vitro phagocytosis of the yeast and in in vivo resistance to infection. In vitro, 70% of a population of resident murine macrophages are able to ingest C. neoformans and then only inefficiently (1–2 organisms per cell). Previously we have shown that tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) and granulocyte–macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (GM‐CSF) efficiently enhance ingestion of serum‐opsonized encapsulated C. neoformans, and we now show that the cytokines convert a population of resident macrophages to a state where all the cells are competent for ingestion of large numbers of yeasts (6–8 per cell). We also show that these cytokines have a direct effect on CR3, as enhanced levels of complement‐opsonized sheep red blood cells (EIgMC) bind to macrophages activated in this way. However, cytokines that have previously been shown to enhance phagocytosis of EIgMC have no effect on ingestion of encapsulated C. neoformans. These results demonstrate that the cytokines regulating CR3‐dependent ingestion of C. neoformans are different to those regulating ingestion of EIgMC and reinforce the importance of studying pathogens rather than inert ligands in understanding the regulation of phagocytosis.
Energy detection with different digital modulation techniques over Rayleigh fading channels in cognitive radio networks

The sensing of radio spectrum is an essential problem in cognitive radio(CR) networks, where secondary users (SUs) need to detect the presence of primary users (PUs) before they use the spectrum allocated to PUs. The detection of primary user status and the spectrum sensing are the major issues in cognitive radio systems. We employ one of the simplest and most efficient Spectrum Sensing technique, the Energy Detection(ED) with three different digital modulation techniques BPSK, QPSK, 16-QAM. In this paper, we analyze the performance of the Energy Detection technique with BPSK, QPSK, 16-QAM modulation techniques over Rayleigh fading Channel. Further, we analyze the performance and BER (Bit Error Rate) of ED under Rayleigh fading and AWGN channels. The investigation and analysis on Energy Detection with above digital modulation techniques can be utilized for future reference of spectrum sensing in the CR networks over AWGN and Rayleigh fading channels.
Exposure to Domestic Violence and Abuse: Evidence of Distinct Physical and Psychological Dimensions

Recent literature on exposure to domestic violence (DV) highlights the need for increased understanding of the dynamics of domestic violence and abuse (DVA). The current aims were to explore whether two separate dimensions, physical and psychological DVA, were evident in adult children’s reports of their exposure to DVA in their family of origin, and whether these dimensions affected psychological well-being and perceived satisfaction with emotional support (hereafter referred to as social support satisfaction). Young adults (N = 465, aged 17-25, 70% female) reported their experiences of DVA as perpetrated by their parents/caregivers, as well as psychological well-being and social support satisfaction, in an online survey. Using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), we verified the presence of a two-factor model (physical and psychological DVA). Hierarchical linear regression analysis demonstrated the differing impact of these two factors: Specifically, although exposure to psychological DVA (domestic abuse [DA]) was related to reduced psychological well-being, there was no significant effect of exposure to physical DVA (DV). However, mediation analysis suggested the presence of a suppression effect; there was a magnification of the negative relationship between exposure to psychological DA and social support satisfaction when exposure to physical DV was accounted for. Although findings are preliminary, they provide strong evidence to support theoretical arguments regarding the need for future research to conceptualize exposure to DVA in terms of both physical and psychological dimensions. Our findings also highlight that to improve service response and provide effective interventions, it is essential to include exposure to psychological DA in risk assessments of such young adults.
Apoptosis and chemo‐resistance in colorectal cancer

Systemic chemotherapy plays an integral part in treating advanced colorectal cancer. However 50% of patients respond poorly or have disease progression due to resistance to chemotherapeutic agents. This article reviews the pathways that regulate apoptosis, apoptotic mechanisms through which chemotherapeutic agents mediate their effect and how deregulation of apoptotic proteins may contribute to chemo‐resistance. Also discussed are potential therapeutic strategies designed to target these proteins and thereby improve response rates to chemotherapy in colorectal cancer. J. Surg. Oncol. 2007;96:77–88. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Glued to the TV : Distracted Investors and Stock Market Liquidity

We study the causal effect of trading on stock market liquidity. We exploit episodes of sensational news (exogenous to the market) that distract retail investors. On “distraction days” we find that trading activity, liquidity, and volatility all decline among stocks owned predominantly by retail investors. These findings, complemented by additional tests, establish that retail investors contribute to liquidity by serving both as noise traders and as liquidity providers. They also identify adverse selection as an important driver of illiquidity, thereby countervailing recent work that assigns a leading role to inventory risk or questions the usefulness of adverse selection measures.