Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neural networks to aid the autonomous landing of a UAV on a ship

This paper proposes to examine the possible uses of Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) to aid the landing of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) on a ship. Three distinct phases are proposed. The dataset required for training and testing was produced by simulating a ship's motion at sea using Unity. Phase 1 converts video images from a UAV on-board camera to numeric data. Phase 2 utilizes Phase 1 data and calculates the current relative orientation and distance of the UAV to the landing platform. Co-ordinate pairs representing screen positions of particular areas of a ship's landing pad were normalized and used to train the Phase 2 ANN. Orientation has been calculated to an accuracy of +/−1% and distance +/−2%. Phase 3 determines future landing windows. Phase 3 uses the orientations produced in Phase 2 and calculates future periods when a landing, within a time limit, could be attempted. This paper proposes strategies and current research into Phases 1, 2 and 3 and suggests development of an indicator of optimal landing times for Manned Aerial Vehicles (MAV).
The Recombinant Bacille Calmette–Guérin Vaccine VPM1002: Ready for Clinical Efficacy Testing

The only licensed vaccine against tuberculosis (TB), bacille Calmette–Guérin (BCG), protects against severe extrapulmonary forms of TB but is virtually ineffective against the most prevalent form of the disease, pulmonary TB. BCG was genetically modified at the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology to improve its immunogenicity by replacing the urease C encoding gene with the listeriolysin encoding gene from Listeria monocytogenes. Listeriolysin perturbates the phagosomal membrane at acidic pH. Urease C is involved in neutralization of the phagosome harboring BCG. Its depletion allows for rapid phagosome acidification and promotes phagolysosome fusion. As a result, BCGΔureC::hly (VPM1002) promotes apoptosis and autophagy and facilitates release of mycobacterial antigens into the cytosol. In preclinical studies, VPM1002 has been far more efficacious and safer than BCG. The vaccine was licensed to Vakzine Projekt Management and later sublicensed to the Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd., the largest vaccine producer in the world. The vaccine has passed phase I clinical trials in Germany and South Africa, demonstrating its safety and immunogenicity in young adults. It was also successfully tested in a phase IIa randomized clinical trial in healthy South African newborns and is currently undergoing a phase IIb study in HIV exposed and unexposed newborns. A phase II/III clinical trial will commence in India in 2017 to assess efficacy against recurrence of TB. The target indications for VPM1002 are newborn immunization to prevent TB as well as post-exposure immunization in adults to prevent TB recurrence. In addition, a Phase I trial in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer patients has been completed, and phase II trials are ongoing. This review describes the development of VPM1002 from the drawing board to its clinical assessment.
Group decision making based on generalized intuitionistic fuzzy prioritized geometric operator

Intuitionistic fuzzy set was studied by many authors because it is a powerful technique to depict uncertainty, which is a set containing three functions: the membership function; the nonmembership function; and the hesitancy function. The aggregation of intuitionistic fuzzy values (IFVs) is of paramount importance in decision making. In this paper, we research IFVs aggregation problems, where there exist a prioritization relationship over the aggregated arguments. First, we propose the generalized intuitionistic fuzzy prioritized weighted geometric operator based on Archimedean t‐conorm and t‐norm. Then, some of its desirable properties and special cases are investigated in detail. Furthermore, a multicriteria group decision‐making problems is formulated with IFVs using the proposed operator. Finally, the validity and applicability of the proposed method, as well as analysis of the comparison with different generator functions, are illustrated with a real example about talent introduction. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Ferrocene-mediated enzyme electrode for amperometric determination of glucose.

for each type of enzyme but in an opposite direction for each. The type III enzyme experiences an increase in apparent Km with increasing inosine concentration, while the type V enzyme shows a slight decrease in apparent Km at high inosine concentration. The most dramatic homogeneous effect is that of increasing inosine concentration upon the VmM values, however. For the type III enzyme, apparent VmiU! is reduced by nearly a factor of 2 but, for the type V enzyme, apparent Vma, decreases more than 7-fold. Such product inhibition reveals itself through longer response times in the immobilized enzyme electrodes. The results obtained in this study show that the potentiometric ammonia gas-sensing enzyme electrode does exhibit linear responses to substrate concentrations both above and below the Km value of the adenosine deaminase enzyme when sufficient enzyme is immobilized at the electrode surface. The BSA-glutaraldehyde cross-link provides for stabilization of the enzyme activity as shown by the observed electrode lifetime. Comparison of the homogeneous kinetic parameters with those obtained from the immobilized study reveals significant changes in the kinetic properties of the enzyme when it is immobilized, possibly resulting from conformational changes in the enzyme upon exposure to BSA and glutaraldehyde. The magnitude of the effect of addition of inosine on apparent Km and Vmax depends upon whether the enzyme is immobilized or free in solution. The apparent Km for the immobilized enzyme remained essentially constant upon addition of inosine, while the apparent Km for the homogeneous enzyme did show some variation but in opposite direction for the type III and V enzymes. In the construction of enzyme electrodes, it is desirable to obtain the highest (fastest rate) and lowest Km (greatest affinity) values possible. From the results of this study carried out at high enzyme levels it is apparent that type III adenosine deaminase would be the best choice for the construction of an immobilized enzyme electrode both from the point of view of apparent Km and Vmax values and from the less pronounced product inhibition effect on the type III enzyme compared to the Type V enzyme. Even in the absence of initial inosine, type III enzyme electrodes have faster response times than corresponding electrodes prepared with type V enzyme.
An Approach to Extracting Trunk from an Image

Rendering realistic trees is quite important for simulating a 3D natural scene. Separating the trunk from its background is the first step toward the 3D model construction of the tree. In this paper, a three-phase algorithm is developed to extract the trunk structure of the tree and hence segment the trunk from the image. Some experiments were conducted and results confirmed the feasibility of proposed algorithm.
Political Maneuvering During Business Process Transformation: A Pluralist Approach

: For years, managers have tried to improve organizational performance through business process transformation (BPT), and their experiences have informed IS research and practice. Although extant theory acknowledges the political nature of these dynamic transformation initiatives, researchers have yet to empirically investigate and theorize how organizational politics impacts BPT behaviors and outcomes. Drawing on a pluralist methodology, we present an embedded case study of a company-wide BPT project across four business units at the high-tech firm Terma. First, we apply different perspectives on organizational politics to develop detailed accounts of each business unit's response to the transformation initiative, which reveals four distinct patterns of BPT politics: “applying the hammer”, “struggling to engage”, “walking the talk”, and “keeping up appearances”. Next, we combine the empirical findings with extant literature to theorize how transformation agents and process users engage in politics during BPT implementation. As a result, our research leverages a pluralist approach to show how alternative political perspectives and forms of politics can help managers maneuver BPT initiatives in their roles as transformation agents and process users.
Computed tomography visceral adipose tissue volume measurements of Italians. Predictive equations.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate total visceral adipose tissue (AT) volumes in relation to single slices of visceral AT area measured at different levels and to other simple anthropometric measurements. DESIGN Only outpatients examined in a metabolic unit were considered; subjects without conditions known to affect AT distribution who gave their informed consent were recruited. SETTING All subjects were hospitalized in the Department of Internal Medicine of the University of Messina. SUBJECTS 90 adult subjects of which 18 men and 42 pre- and 30 post-menopausal women. Ages ranged from 18 to 69 years and body mass indexes ranged from 22 to 50. INTERVENTIONS The AT volume was calculated by computed tomography from the AT area of five scans and from the distances between these scans. RESULTS AT area at the level of the 2nd-3rd lumbar vertebra had by itself the highest predictive power in men (s.e. = 6.8%), in post-menopausal women (s.e. = 7.4%) and, together with age, in pre-menopausal women (s.e. = 14%). Of the non-radiological parameters it was waist circumference, together with age, which showed the highest predictive power in men (s.e. = 21%), pre-menopausal women (s.e. = 25%) and, together with height, in post-menopausal women (s.e. = 33%). CONCLUSIONS A single scan measurement at the lumbar level was confirmed to be representative of total visceral AT volume. Waist circumference was the non-radiological parameter that best correlated with volume.
Identification of the A 3 adenosine receptor in rat retinal ganglion cells

Growing evidence indicates that adenosine is an important intracellular mediator in the retina and has considerable potential to protect retinal neurons [1-3]. Changes in retinal adenosine levels occur during ischemic events [4-6], with increased adenosine levels both enhancing the recovery of the electroretinogram (ERG) b-wave after ischemia, and preventing the ischemia-induced thinning of retinal cell layers [1]. Although the A 1 , A 2A , A 2B , and A 3 subtypes of G-proteincoupled surface receptors are all stimulated by adenosine [79], protective effects on retinal ganglion cells have been primarily associated with the A 1 receptor. Stimulation with A 1 receptor agonists protects the ischemic retina [1-3], and attenuates the damaging effects of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) [10-12]. The A 1 and the A 3 receptors are both coupled to the G i protein and their stimulation can decrease cytoplasmic levels of cAMP [13], although other downstream signaling pathways may differ [14-16]. In both neural and cardiac tissues, stimulation of the A 3 receptor with moderate levels of agonists can produce protective actions which equal or exceed those of A 1 receptor agonists, while excessive receptor stimulation is deleterious [17-19]. In studies of cerebral ischemia, postischemic and chronic preischemic administration of A 3 receptor agonists was neuroprotective, whereas acute administration of agonists during ischemia exacerbated the histological and functional damage [19-23]. These reports suggest that stimulation of the A 3 receptor could augment the protective effects of the A 1 receptor on retinal ganglion cells, if the conditions of agonist delivery were examined with care. A recent study suggested that stimulation of the A 3 receptor was beneficial to retinal ganglion cells [24]. Agonists for the A 3 receptor prevented the Ca 2+ rise and cell death which accompanied activation of the P2X 7 receptor. While this study implied a neuroprotective role for the A 3 receptor using pharmacologic tools, the molecular identification of the A 3 receptor in retinal ganglion cells has been elusive. An initial study was unable to detect any message for the A 3 receptor in the eye using in situ hybridization [25]. Subsequently, message ©2006 Molecular Vision
Codes of conduct in the Swedish business sector: Application on external parties

This qualitative study was conducted to investigate how large publicly listed companies inSweden apply its code of conduct on external parties as well as how such application is bestcarried out. Three overarching steps (implementation, monitoring and actions) weredeveloped from previous research to serve this purpose. Agency and contract theory wereimportant to understand the underlying problems of application of codes of conduct onexternal parties. It was found that companies that adequately address all of the three stepsexperience a successful application of its code of conduct on external parties. Companies thatdo not address the three steps as thoroughly do not experience the same compliance with theircode of conduct. It was further found that many companies fail to adequately address theemphasized areas. Extensive deficiencies put companies in a vulnerable position as externalparties associated with a company might have a negative impact on the company’s brand andreputation. An outlook shows that companies are not prioritizing all of the steps sufficientlyand it is thus suggested that they revise their plans. The project was carried out incooperation with KPMG Forensic and Advokatfirman Delphi. A content analysis and a survey were used to collect necessary data.
Capital Investment Decision-Making

Glossary 1. What is Capital Investment? 2. The Capital Investment Process 3. Financial Analysis Tools for CI Appraisal 4. Using NPV Correctly: Some Further Issues 5. Determining the Required Rate of Return and Dealing with Risk 6. What do We Know about Capital Investment Practice? 7. Capital Investment as a Human Decision-making Activity: A Behavioural Perspective 8. Illustrative Case Study: Capital Investment Decision-making in Practice 9. Conclusions
Gaze Control Strategy for Vision-Guided Humanoid Walking (Blickwinkelsteuerung für visuell geführtes humanoides Laufen)

Abstract To increase the autonomy of a vision guided walking robot, perception must be controlled such that the humanoid is provided with sufficient information about its environment. This article outlines a modular task-specific and situation-dependent gaze control scheme which selects an optimal view direction allowing the goal-oriented acquisition of the relevant information. The basic idea of the approach rests upon maximization of the predicted visual information content of a view situation. For information management, a hybrid Extended Kalman Filter is proposed considering the peculiarities of legged locomotion. Specific view direction evaluation strategies for obstacle avoidance and self-localization tasks are formulated. For dealing with these conflicting objectives a decision strategy for situation-dependent view direction selection based on Utility Theory is presented. Several references to related published work on simulative validation and real-world experiments with different robot platforms are given. The results demonstrate the relevance and practicality of the proposed gaze control approach in the framework of a system for vision-guided humanoid walking.
HER-2/neu Overexpression as a Predictor for the Transition from In situ to Invasive Breast Cancer

The clinical implications of HER-2/neu (HER2) expression in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) lesions have yet to be clearly elucidated; this despite the more frequent expression of HER2 in high-grade DCIS lesions compared with invasive cancers. We hypothesized that HER2 overexpression in DCIS is associated with more rapid progression to invasive disease. Immunohistochemical staining for estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and HER2 was done on DCIS specimens. Univariate analysis and a multivariate logistic regression were done to determine whether estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, or HER2 status, comedo necrosis, nuclear grade, lesion size, or patient age predicted the presence of associated invasive disease in patients with DCIS. Invasive foci were found in association with HER2 overexpressing DCIS at a higher frequency than with DCIS that did not overexpress HER2. Although high nuclear grade, large lesion size, and HER2 overexpression were all associated with the presence of invasive disease on univariate analysis, HER2 was the only significant predictor for the presence of invasive disease after multivariate adjustment (odds ratio, 6.4; P = 0.01). These data indicate that HER2 overexpression in DCIS lesions predicts the presence of invasive foci in patients with DCIS and suggest that targeting of HER2 in an early disease setting may forestall or prevent disease progression. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2009;18(5):1386–9)
21 Fats and Oils – Animal

Lipids are of vital importance. Without lipids there is no life, we cannot think, and we experience no sense. Lipids are vital components in cell membranes and for the construction of vitamins and glycolipids used as intracellular messengers. The main categories of lipids are the triglycerides or fats produced from plant, marine, and animal sources. Fats are major taste, flavor, and texture components in daily foodstuffs and provide a significant part of our energy needs. Animal fats provide important amounts of fats used in the world today, both for foods and for many non-food applications. Animal fats are produced by a process termed rendering, which has been developed over the last 200 years or so from very basic cooking and melting processes to refined industrial processes that are essentially following the same process steps. Rendering is used to convert land animal slaughter by-products into marketable products, including edible and inedible animal fats and proteins for food, agricultural, and industrial use. Animal fat is a versatile, sustainable, and natural basis for many products. Wordwide, 172 million tonnes of vegetable and animal oils and fats are produced annually, from which approximately 25 million tonnes (14%) are estimated to be of animal origin (REA, 2013). These animal fats are mainly categorized as tallow, lard, fish oil, and butter. This chapter will focus on fats derived from land animals slaughtered for the production of meat for human consumption. It will follow the sourcing of raw materials, the processing standards applied, and the necessary legislation. European systems will be used to illustrate the main features of animal-based fat production and to enable the differences between specific types of process systems (such as food, inedible, and technical) to be emphasized. Aspects of safety, quality, applications, nutrition, and sustainability will also be considered.Woodgate and van der Veen (2004) published a review of the fat processing sector, which comprised a comprehensive synopsis of regulatory controls currently in place and those foreseen for the future as well as providing statistical data.
A large-scale audio and video fingerprints-generated database of TV repeated contents

Using specifically-designed lightweight audio and video fingerprints, we were able to detect repeated contents over a quasi-uninterrupted recording of 10+ TV channels, over more than 4 years, starting January 2010 (380,000 hours); the detection independently uses audio and video fingerprints. The results are stored into a database that holds more than 20 million detected repeats. Detections range from a few seconds up to one hour. The database can be explored using a standard web browser. There are a many potential applications, e.g. for structuring and documenting contents.
The Influence of GRA and TOPSIS for Assortment of Green Supply Chain Management Strategies in Cement Industry

The present paper aimed at proposing new strategies for evaluating the green supply chain management for enhancing the priority to environmental factors in cement manufacturing life cycle analysis, there by reducing the carbon foot prints. These strategies help in producing eco-friendly products there striking the balance between economy and environment. Initially green supply chain priorities are defined by using grey relational analysis (GRA). The priority weights obtained by GRA method is used to determine the weight for each indicator selected in the present study and then GRA is combined with TOPSIS methodology to obtain the priority for level-II measurement indicators used in the present study. These strategies will influence the decision making priorities during cement manufacturing . Keywords - Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM), strategy prioritization, Grey Relational Analysis (GRA), TOPSIS, Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)
Genetic variation in vascular endothelial growth factor gene and its association with recurrent spontaneous abortion.

BACKGROUND Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a main role in fetal and placental angiogenesis and is secreted by different cells of endometrium and placenta. OBJECTIVE In the present study we investigated the association of VEGF gene polymorphisms with recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). METHODS A case-control study of 100 women with at least two consecutive pregnancy losses before 20 weeks of gestational age and 100 fertile controls was performed to evaluate four VEGF gene polymorphisms including +936C/T (rs3025039), -154G>A (rs1570360), rs3025010 and +5092A/C (rs2146323). Genotyping was performed by PCR based restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis. Haplotype frequency was estimated for three SNPs' genotypes. Analysis of genetic STRUCTURE and K means clustering were performed to estimate genetic variation. RESULTS We found an association between -154G/A heterozygous genotype (GA) and RSA. The VEGF single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in intron region (rs3025010) in different inheritance models was also associated with RSA. Linkage disequilibrium analysis revealed that VEGF SNP in intron 5 (rs3025010) was linked to promoter region SNP (rs1570360). Cluster analysis including Neighbor Joining and K-means clustering supported genetic differentiation of women with RSA and controls. CONCLUSION Allelic polymorphisms in common VEGF SNPs was associated with RSA samples and haplotypes with at least one minor allele showing an association with RSA pathogenesis (Tab. 8, Fig. 2, Ref. 35).
Data preparation for sample-based face detection

Face recognition is one of the most active biometric traits. Sample-based face detection is an active research topic in this area. It is of great interest to enhance the performance of the current face detection methods. In this paper, we propose new algorithms of sample selection and active samples generation to solve the problem of imbalanced training samples in the face detection task. Experimental results show that our proposed approaches enhance the performance of face detection, and the accuracy gain of the proposed approaches is significant when the available training samples are imbalanced or insufficient.
Open semantic service networks

Online service marketplaces will soon be part of the economy to scale the provision of specialized multi-party services through automation and standardization. Current research, such as the *-USDL service description language family, is already defining the basic building blocks to model the next generation of business services. Nonetheless, the developments being made do not target to interconnect services via service relationships. Without the concept of relationship, marketplaces will be seen as mere functional silos containing service descriptions. Yet, in real economies, all services are related and connected. Therefore, to address this gap we introduce the concept of open semantic service network (OSSN), concerned with the establishment of rich relationships between services. These networks will provide valuable knowledge on the global service economy, which can be exploited for many socio-economic and scientific purposes such as service network analysis, management, and control.