Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ship Detection From Thermal Remote Sensing Imagery Through Region-Based Deep Forest

Ship detection from thermal remote sensing imagery is a challenging task because of cluttered scenes and variable appearances of ships. In this letter, we propose a novel detection algorithm named region-based deep forest (RDF) toward overcoming these existing issues. The RDF consists of a simple region proposal network and a deep forest ensemble. The region proposal network trained over gradient features robustly generates a small number of candidates that precisely cover ship targets in various backgrounds. The deep forest ensemble adaptively learns features from remote sensing data and discriminates real ships from region proposals efficiently. The training process of deep forest ensemble is efficient and users can control training cost according to computational resource available. Experimental results on numerous thermal satellite images demonstrate the superior performance of our method compared with state-of-the-art methods.
Packet Speed and Cost in Mobile Wireless Delay-Tolerant Networks

A mobile wireless delay-tolerant network (DTN) model is proposed and analyzed, in which infinitely many nodes are initially placed on $\mathbb {R}^{2}$ according to a uniform Poisson point process (PPP) and subsequently travel, independently of each other, along trajectories comprised of line segments, changing travel direction at time instances that form a Poisson process, each time selecting a new travel direction from an arbitrary distribution; all nodes maintain constant speed. A single information packet is traveling towards a given direction using both wireless transmissions and sojourns on node buffers, according to a member of a class of utility-based routing rules. For this model, we compute the long-term averages of the speed with which the packet travels towards its destination and the rate with which the wireless transmission cost accumulates. Because of the complexity of the problem, we employ two intuitive, simplifying approximations; simulations show that the approximation error is typically small. Our results provide intuition on the fundamental trade-off that exists in mobile wireless DTNs between the packet speed and the packet delivery cost. The framework developed here is both general and versatile, and can be used as a starting point for further investigation.
Women’s Health in Queensland Prisons

Internationally, best practice for prison health care recommends transferring health service provision from corrections to health authorities. Although it is expected that this change will result in improved health care, there is little evidence of evaluation. This article used qualitative interviews with health service providers to gain insight into the health needs of women’s prisons in Queensland, Australia, both prior to and after the transition in health care service provision. We found that service providers identified that problems persisted regardless of service provider and that improvement required increased resources and more fundamental structural changes within prison environments.
Development of separation methods and measurement protocols for Sr and Pb isotopic analysis of archaeological artefacts by means of single-collector and multi-collector ICP-mass spectrometry

This work aimed at studying the isotopic composition of the elements strontium (Sr) and lead (Pb), that are present in low concentrations in a large variety of archaeological artefacts. For isotope ratio analysis, inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) – a powerful technique for the determination of trace elements and isotope ratios – was used. An analytical strategy was developed, consisting of three key steps: (i) the complete dissolution of a small amount of the (solid) archaeological artefacts making use of concentrated mineral acids, allowing a quantitative recovery for Sr and/or Pb to be obtained, (ii) the isolation of Sr or Pb from its concomitant matrix via extraction chromatography, so that a purified Sr or Pb fraction was obtained and a quantitative recovery for Sr or Pb was established, and (iii) the accurate and precise determination of the isotopic composition of Sr and Pb via single-collector ICP-MS (equipped with one detector) and multi-collector ICP-MS (equipped with an array of detectors). The analytical strategy developed was subsequently applied to three archaeological projects. A first project made use of lead isotopic analysis for provenance determination of metallic artefacts in order to obtain insight into the metal trading network and the trade routes between the Roman Empire and the Indian subcontinent in the period 1st century BC – 2nd century AD. In a second project, lead isotopic analysis allowed to identify the sources of high lead concentrations retrieved in the bone tissue of infants from a Roman settlement. It was shown that the lead present in the infant bone tissue is a mix of lead originating from (i) the process of diagenesis – post-mortem lead exchange between bone and soil – and (ii) lead-enriched food consumed by the mother. A third project aimed at obtaining insight into the heterogeneity of the populations of two grave fields. An explorative study was carried out to distinguish individuals that lived locally and individuals that migrated during their life. For this purpose, the dental tissues (enamel and dentine) of a number of individuals were submitted to strontium isotopic analysis.
On Bringing Software Engineering to Computer Networks with Software Defined Networking

The software defined networking paradigm becomes more and more important and frequently used in area of computer networks. It allows to run software that manages the whole network. This software becomes more complicated in order to provide new functionality that was impossible to imagine before. It requires better performance, better reliability and security, better resource utilization that will be possible only by using advanced software engineering techniques (distributed and high availability systems, synchronization, optimized Linux kernel, validation techniques, and etc).
SYNERGY: Rethinking Secure-Memory Design for Error-Correcting Memories

Building trusted data-centers requires resilient memories which are protected from both adversarial attacks and errors. Unfortunately, the state-of-the-art memory security solutions incur considerable performance overheads due to accesses for security metadata like Message Authentication Codes (MACs). At the same time, commercial secure memory solutions tend to be designed oblivious to the presence of memory reliability mechanisms (such as ECC-DIMMs), that provide tolerance to memory errors. Fortunately, ECC-DIMMs possess an additional chip for providing error correction codes (ECC), that is accessed in parallel with data, which can be harnessed for security optimizations. If we can re-purpose the ECC-chip to store some metadata useful for security and reliability, it can prove beneficial to both. To this end, this paper proposes Synergy, a reliability-security co-design that improves performance of secure execution while providing strong reliability for systems with 9-chip ECC-DIMMs. Synergy uses the insight that MACs being capable of detecting data tampering are also useful for detecting memory errors. Therefore, MACs are best suited for being placed inside the ECC chip, to be accessed in parallel with each data access. By co-locating MAC and Data, Synergy is able to avoid a separate memory access for MAC and thereby reduce the overall memory traffic for secure memory systems. Furthermore, Synergy is able to tolerate 1 chip failure out of 9 chips by using a parity that is constructed over 9 chips (8 Data and 1 MAC), which is used for reconstructing the data of the failed chip. For memory intensive workloads, Synergy provides a speedup of 20% and reduces system Energy Delay Product by 31% compared to a secure memory baseline with ECC-DIMMs. At the same time, Synergy increases reliability by 185x compared to ECC-DIMMs that provide Single-Error Correction, Double-Error Detection (SECDED) capability. Synergy uses commercial ECC-DIMMs and does not incur any additional hardware overheads or reduction of security.
A prospective Japanese study of the association between personality and the progression of lung cancer.

OBJECTIVE To examine predictive values for the effect of the "Type 1" (hopeless and emotion-suppressive, cancer prone), "Type 4" (autonomous, healthy), and "Type 5" (rational/antiemotional, cancer prone) personalities proposed by Grossarth-Maticek on the prognosis of lung cancer patients. METHODS 68 lung cancer patients were scored on the Types 1, 4, and 5 personality scales of the Short Interpersonal Reactions Inventory and were followed until the date of death or were censored at a maximum of 5.7 years after entry. RESULTS The stage at diagnosis tended to be higher in patients with a high Type 1 or a low Type 4 score. A univariate Cox proportional hazards model showed that a high tendency toward Type 1 or Type 5 was related to an increased hazard of death. Adjustment for age, performance status, and stage, however, attenuated the relation to Type 1, leaving only Type 5 as a significantly related personality factor. CONCLUSION A high Type 5 tendency may predict poor survival in lung cancer patients, whereas Types 1 and 4 may not be independent predictors.
Predictors of unwanted exposure to online pornography and online sexual solicitation of youth

This study examined factors associated with the unwanted exposure to online pornography and unwanted online sexual solicitation victimization and perpetration of youth in Taiwan. A total of 2315 students from 26 high schools were assessed in the 10th grade, with follow-up performed in the 11th grade. Self-administered questionnaires were collected. Multivariate analysis results indicated that higher levels of online game use, pornography media exposure, Internet risk behaviors, depression, and cyberbullying experiences predicted online sexual solicitation victimization, while higher levels of Internet chat room use, pornography media exposure, Internet risk behaviors, cyberbullying experiences, and offline sexual harassment predicted online sexual solicitation perpetration.
The CORAL deductive database system

CORAL [4, 5] is a deductive database system that supports a powerful declarative query language. The language supports general Horn clause logic programs, extended with SQL-style groupiug, set-generation, aud negation. Programs can be organized into independently optimiied modules, and users can provide optimization hints in the form of high-level annotations. The system supports a wide variety of optimizw tion techniques. There is art interface to C++ that enables programs to be written in a combination of imperative and declarative styles; C++ code can be called from declarative programs, and vice versa. A notable feature of the CORAL system is that it is extensible. In particular, new data types can be defined, and new relation and index implementations can be added. An interface to the EXODUS storage manager [2] provides support for disk-resident data, transactions and crash-recovery.
Optical, physical, and chemical properties of tar balls observed during the Yosemite Aerosol Characterization Study

[1] The Yosemite Aerosol Characterization Study of summer 2002 (YACS) occurred during an active fire season in the western United States and provided an opportunity to investigate many unresolved issues related to the radiative effects of biomass burning aerosols. Single particle analysis was performed on field-collected aerosol samples using an array of electron microscopy techniques. Amorphous carbon spheres, or “tar balls,” were present in samples collected during episodes of high particle light scattering coefficients that occurred during the peak of a smoke/haze event. The highest concentrations of light-absorbing carbon from a dual-wavelength aethalometer (λ = 370 and 880 nm) occurred during periods when the particles were predominantly tar balls, indicating they do absorb light in the UV and near-IR range of the solar spectrum. Closure experiments of mass concentrations and light scattering coefficients during periods dominated by tar balls did not require any distinct assumptions of organic carbon molecular weight correction factors, density, or refractive index compared to periods dominated by other types of organic carbon aerosols. Measurements of the hygroscopic behavior of tar balls using an environmental SEM indicate that tar balls do not exhibit deliquescence but do uptake some water at high (∼83%) relative humidity. The ability of tar balls to efficiently scatter and absorb light and to absorb water has important implications for their role in regional haze and climate forcing.
Towards vision-based control of cable-driven parallel robots

This paper deals with the vision-based control of cable-driven parallel robots. First, a 3D pose visual servoing is proposed, where the end-effector pose is indirectly measured and used for regulation. This method is illustrated and validated on a cable-driven parallel robot prototype. Second, to take into account the dynamics of the platform and using a Cartesian pose and velocity estimator, a vision-based computed torque control is developed and validated in simulation.
Telehealth Interventions Delivering Home-based Support Group Videoconferencing: Systematic Review

Background Group therapy and education and support sessions are used within health care across a range of disciplines such as chronic disease self-management and psychotherapy interventions. However, there are barriers that constrain group attendance, such as mobility, time, and distance. Using videoconferencing may overcome known barriers and improve the accessibility of group-based interventions. Objective The aim of this study was to review the literature to determine the feasibility, acceptability, effectiveness, and implementation of health professional–led group videoconferencing to provide education or social support or both, into the home setting. Methods Electronic databases were searched using predefined search terms for primary interventions for patient education and/or social support. The quality of studies was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. We developed an analysis framework using hierarchical terms feasibility, acceptability, effectiveness, and implementation, which were informed by subheadings. Results Of the 1634 records identified, 17 were included in this review. Home-based groups by videoconferencing are feasible even for those with limited digital literacy. Overall acceptability was high with access from the home highly valued and little concern of privacy issues. Some participants reported preferring face-to-face groups. Good information technology (IT) support and training is required for facilitators and participants. Communication can be adapted for the Web environment and would be enhanced by clear communication strategies and protocols. A range of improved outcomes were reported but because of the heterogeneity of studies, comparison of these across studies was not possible. There was a trend for improvement in mental health outcomes. Benefits highlighted in the qualitative data included engaging with others with similar problems; improved accessibility to groups; and development of health knowledge, insights, and skills. Videoconference groups were able to replicate group processes such as bonding and cohesiveness. Similar outcomes were reported for those comparing face-to-face groups and videoconference groups. Conclusions Groups delivered by videoconference are feasible and potentially can improve the accessibility of group interventions. This may be particularly useful for those who live in rural areas, have limited mobility, are socially isolated, or fear meeting new people. Outcomes are similar to in-person groups, but future research on facilitation process in videoconferencing-mediated groups and large-scale studies are required to develop the evidence base.
Exploiting Concurrent Wake-Up Transmissions Using Beat Frequencies

Wake-up receivers are the natural choice for wireless sensor networks because of their ultra-low power consumption and their ability to provide communications on demand. A downside of ultra-low power wake-up receivers is their low sensitivity caused by the passive demodulation of the carrier signal. In this article, we present a novel communication scheme by exploiting purposefully-interfering out-of-tune signals of two or more wireless sensor nodes, which produce the wake-up signal as the beat frequency of superposed carriers. Additionally, we introduce a communication algorithm and a flooding protocol based on this approach. Our experiments show that our approach increases the received signal strength up to 3 dB, improving communication robustness and reliability. Furthermore, we demonstrate the feasibility of our newly-developed protocols by means of an outdoor experiment and an indoor setup consisting of several nodes. The flooding algorithm achieves almost a 100% wake-up rate in less than 20 ms.
Chinmo prevents transformer alternative splicing to maintain male sex identity

Reproduction in sexually dimorphic animals relies on successful gamete production, executed by the germline and aided by somatic support cells. Somatic sex identity in Drosophila is instructed by sex-specific isoforms of the DMRT1 ortholog Doublesex (Dsx). Female-specific expression of Sex-lethal (Sxl) causes alternative splicing of transformer (tra) to the female isoform traF. In turn, TraF alternatively splices dsx to the female isoform dsxF. Loss of the transcriptional repressor Chinmo in male somatic stem cells (CySCs) of the testis causes them to “feminize”, resembling female somatic stem cells in the ovary. This somatic sex transformation causes a collapse of germline differentiation and male infertility. We demonstrate this feminization occurs by transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of traF. We find that chinmo-deficient CySCs upregulate tra mRNA as well as transcripts encoding tra-splice factors Virilizer (Vir) and Female lethal (2)d (Fl(2)d). traF splicing in chinmo-deficient CySCs leads to the production of DsxF at the expense of the male isoform DsxM, and both TraF and DsxF are required for CySC sex transformation. Surprisingly, CySC feminization upon loss of chinmo does not require Sxl but does require Vir and Fl(2)d. Consistent with this, we show that both Vir and Fl(2)d are required for tra alternative splicing in the female somatic gonad. Our work reveals the need for transcriptional regulation of tra in adult male stem cells and highlights a previously unobserved Sxl-independent mechanism of traF production in vivo. In sum, transcriptional control of the sex determination hierarchy by Chinmo is critical for sex maintenance in sexually dimorphic tissues and is vital in the preservation of fertility.
The relationship between vocabulary and short-term memory measures in monolingual and bilingual speakers

Previous studies have indicated that bilingualism may influence the efficiency of lexical access in adults. The goals of this research were (1) to compare bilingual and monolingual adults on their native-language vocabulary performance, and (2) to examine the relationship between short-term memory skills and vocabulary performance in monolinguals and bilinguals. In Experiment 1, English-speaking monolingual adults and simultaneous English–Spanish bilingual adults were administered measures of receptive English vocabulary and of phonological short-term memory. In Experiment 2, monolingual adults were compared to sequential English–Spanish bilinguals, and were administered the same measures as in Experiment 1, as well as a measure of expressive English vocabulary. Analyses revealed comparable levels of performance on the vocabulary and the short-term memory measures in the monolingual and the bilingual groups across both experiments. There was a stronger effect of digit-span in the bilingual group than in the monolingual group, with high-span bilinguals outperforming low-span bilinguals on vocabulary measures. Findings indicate that bilingual speakers may rely on short-term memory resources to support word retrieval in their native language more than monolingual speakers.
Movements, abundance, age composition and growth of bass, Dicentrarchus labrax, in the Severn Estuary and inner Bristol Channel

The movements, abundance, age composition and growth of bass, Dicentrarchus labrax (L.), in the Severn Estuary and inner Bristol Channel have been described from regular samples offish taken from power-station intake screens between 1972 and 1977. Bass began to move into the estuary during late August or September and reached peak abundance between September and early November. The tendency for fish to move seawards in the late autumn and winter may be related to declining water temperatures in the estuary. Likewise, differences in abundance between years appear to be related to annual differences in temperature. Although the populations were dominated by the 0 + age class, successively decreasing numbers of the next four age classes and occasional 5 + fish were also present. Respective mean standard lengths of bass in the estuary at the end of their first to fifth years of life were approximately 65 mm (≡ 4·5 g), 130 mm (≡ 37·9 g), 190 mm (≡ 121·1 g), 250 mm (≡ 280·4 g) and 290 mm (≡ 441.5 g). Growth occurred predominantly between May and September, with the mean standard length of 1 + fish increasing from approximately 65 mm (≡ 4·5 g) to 130 mm (≡ 37·9 g).
Evaluation of the antinociceptive properties from Indigofera tinctoria leaves extracts

The analgesic activity the ethanol extract of Indigofera tinctoria Linn. (Fabaceae) leaves (EEIT) was investigated in chemical models of nociception in mice. EEIT at doses of 100 200 and 400mg/kg p.o produced an inhibition of 21.71%, 42.62% and 72.38%, of the abdominal writhes induced by acetic acid in mice. In the formalin test, the administration of 100,200 and 400mg/kg p.o had no effects in the first phase (0–5 min) but produced a dose-dependent analgesic effect on the second phase (15–40 min) with inhibitions of the licking time of 26.62%, 46.5% and 60.07%, respectively. In hot plate method, EEIT at the dose of 400mg/kg showed the mild analgesic and EEIT 100 and 200 mg/kg showed non significant analgesic effect due to peripheral analgesic activity. Based on the results of this study, we suggest that the peripheral analgesic effect of Indigofera tinctoria may be attributed to inhibition of prostaglandin release and other mediators involved. Further studies are needed to evaluate the mechanism of action of the analgesic activity of the Indigofera tinctoria.