Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Management of DPMO Metrics Reduces the Cost of PCB Assembly

Manufacturers can use DPMO metrics to reduce the cost of PCB assembly with fewer resources. DPMO data can be used for predicting the fault spectrum on future products, quoting new business, setting quality targets for manufacturing, defining test strategies, predicting yields, or estimating shipped quality levels. Manufacturers can input DPMO and BOM data into cost calculator tools to estimate manufacturing costs. When combined with a few site-specific assumptions about labor rates and test strategy, roughly 80% of PCB assembly costs fall into place once there is a clear definition of the DPMO. In this way, manufacturers can determine targets for both in-process quality and financial profit and loss. Tools are now available to the industry that make use of DPMO data for strategic decision making applications. Use case examples are shown.
Application of expressive TTS synthesis in an advanced ECA system

The research project COMPANIONS aims at developing an advanced embodied conversational agent (ECA). This ECA is used in two scenarios and two languages (English and Czech), and it requires a TTS system being able to generate very natural expressive and emotional speech output. This paper describes application issues of two such systems within the ECA, introduces approaches to expressive speech handling in unit selection methods, and discusses similarities and differences between these systems and approaches.
Molecular mechanism governing ratio-dependent transcription regulation in the ccdAB operon

Abstract Bacteria can become transiently tolerant to several classes of antibiotics. This phenomenon known as persistence is regulated by small genetic elements called toxin–antitoxin modules with intricate yet often poorly understood self-regulatory features. Here, we describe the structures of molecular complexes and interactions that drive the transcription regulation of the ccdAB toxin–antitoxin module. Low specificity and affinity of the antitoxin CcdA2 for individual binding sites on the operator are enhanced by the toxin CcdB2, which bridges the CcdA2 dimers. This results in a unique extended repressing complex that spirals around the operator and presents equally spaced DNA binding sites. The multivalency of binding sites induces a digital on-off switch for transcription, regulated by the toxin:antitoxin ratio. The ratio at which this switch occurs is modulated by non-specific interactions with the excess chromosomal DNA. Altogether, we present the molecular mechanisms underlying the ratio-dependent transcriptional regulation of the ccdAB operon.
Chromosomal imbalances in lymphoid tumors of the orbit.

PURPOSE To identify chromosomal gains and losses in lymphoid tumors of the orbit and to examine whether such abnormalities are related to orbital presentation, disease severity, or risk for recurrent disease. METHODS Biopsy specimens from 26 patients were examined by histomorphologic and immunohistochemical analysis. Lymphomas were classified according to the Revised European-American Lymphoma Classification. Chromosomal imbalances were detected by high-resolution comparative genomic hybridization (CGH). Clinical data were obtained by retrospective evaluation of medical records. RESULTS Chromosomal imbalances were detected in 0 of 6 patients with idiopathic orbital inflammation, 0 of 2 with benign reactive lymphoid hyperplasia, 3 of 3 with highly malignant diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, 4 of 10 with marginal zone B-cell lymphoma, 0 of 1 with chronic lymphatic leukemia lymphoma, and 1 of 4 with immunocytoma. Among the low-grade malignancies, chromosomal imbalances were seen in 1 of 9 at stage IAE, 2 of 3 at stage IIE, and 2 of 3 at stage IVE. Chromosomal imbalances were observed in all primary tumors from the five patients that later developed recurrent disease. In 14 of 23 imbalances with intrachromosomal breaks outside the centromere region, the breaks were present at bands with known fragile sites. No chromosomal imbalances specific for orbital presentation were detected. CONCLUSIONS Chromosomal imbalances were seen mainly in orbital lymphomas that were either highly malignant or at an advanced stage. CGH analysis of orbital lymphomas could be prognostically relevant, but further studies are required to confirm this notion.
The First Step of Adenovirus Type 2 Disassembly Occurs at the Cell Surface, Independently of Endocytosis and Escape to the Cytosol

ABSTRACT Disassembly is a key event of virus entry into cells. Here, we have investigated cellular requirements for the first step of adenovirus type 2 (Ad2) disassembly, the release of the fibers. Although fiber release coincides temporally with virus uptake, fiber release is not required for Ad2 endocytosis. It is, however, inhibited by actin-disrupting agents or soluble RGD peptides, which interfere with integrin-dependent endocytosis of Ad2. Fiber release occurs at the cell surface. Actin stabilization with jasplakinolide blocks Ad2 entry at extended cell surface invaginations and efficiently promotes fiber release, indicating that fiber release and virus endocytosis are independent events. Fiber release is not sufficient for Ad2 escape from endosomes, since inhibition of protein kinase C (PKC) prevents Ad2 escape from endosomes but does not affect virus internalization or fiber release. PKC-inhibited cells accumulate Ad2 in small vesicles near the cell periphery, indicating that PKC is also required for membrane trafficking of virus. Taken together, our data show that fiber release from incoming Ad2 requires integrins and filamentous actin. Together with correct subcellular transport of Ad2-containing endosomes, fiber release is essential for efficient delivery of virus to the cytosol. We speculate that fiber release at the surface might extend the host range of Ad2 since it is associated with the separation of a small fraction of incoming virus from the target cells.
An intelligent tropical cyclone eye fix system using motion field analysis

Tropical cyclones (TCs) are weather systems with vast destructive power Accurate location of their circulation centers, or "eyes", is thus important to forecasters. However, the eye fix process is often done manually in practice. While multiple factors are considered in the process, with subjective elements in these methods, forecasters could disagree. This paper describes a TC eye fix system that uses a novel motion field structure analysis method. It can handle TCs without well-defined structure that are partially out of the image. The system also adapts user inputs and past results to improve its accuracy. Implemented on a commodity desktop computer, the system can process about 5 images per minute, giving an average error of about 0.16 degrees in latitude/longitude on Mercator projected map for TCs that are completely inside the radar image. This is well within the relative error of about 0.3-0.4 degrees given by different TC warning centers. This TC eye fix system is useful in giving an objective TC center location in contrast to traditional manual analysis
Remote host fault detecting for fiber to the home passive optical network

The remote host fault detecting for FTTH-PON using web-based is demonstrated. Our solution works on a standard local area network (LAN) using a specially designed hardware interfaced with a microcontroller integrated Ethernet. The status of optical line is automatically updated to a web server which can access by remote host via internet or LAN, with the specification available a complete system can be made with 24 man-hours
A Feature Matching Algorithm Based on an Illumination and Affine Invariant for Aerial Image Registration

This paper presents a new feature matching algorithm for registering aerial images with large illumination distortion, similar patterns, affine transformation and low overlapping areas. In this algorithm, affine invariant regions are obtained by a K-NN graph and its corresponding adjacent graph. Then an illumination and affine invariant called Illumination Invariant MultiScale Autoconvolution (IIMSA), which is the combination of MSA and MultiScale Retinex (MSR), is defined to describe the triangle regions. Based on the IIMSA, outliers are removed by a self-adaptive feature matching strategy. The performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated by registering both visible and thermal infrared (thermal-IR) images. Compared with MSA, the accuracy of the proposed algorithm is highly improved. Copyright © 2014 IFSA Publishing, S. L.
The Revolting Self : Perspectives on the Psychological, Social, and Clinical Implications of Self-Directed Disgust

Self-disgust (viewing the self as an object of abhorrence) is somewhat of a novel subject for psychological research and theory, yet its significance is increasingly being recognised in the clinical domain. This edited collection of articles represents the first scholarly attempt to engage comprehensively with the concept of self-directed disgust as a potentially discrete and important psychological phenomenon. The present work is unique in addressing the idea of self-disgust in-depth, using novel empirical research, academic review, social commentary, and informed theorising. It includes chapters from pioneers in the field of psychology, and other selected authorities who can see the potential of using self-disgust to inform their own areas of expertise. The volume features contributions from a distinguished array of scholars and practising clinicians, including international leaders in areas such as cognition and emotion, psychological therapy, mental health research, and health and clinical psychology. This collection of papers offers a stimulating and timely investigation of that which the authors refer to as “the revolting self”; it is an invaluable handbook for all those academics and clinicians who want to understand and explore the concept of self-disgust further.
Gravi++: Interactive Information Visualization to Explore Highly Structured Temporal Data

Tracking and comparing psychotherapeutic data derived from question- naires involves a number of highly structured, time-oriented parameters. Descriptive and other statistical methods are only suited for partial analysis. Therefore, we created a novel spring-based interactive Information Visualization method for analysing these data more in-depth. With our method the user is able to find new predictors for a pos- itive or negative course of the therapy due to the combination of various visualization and interaction methods.
Achieving sub-adiabatic energy dissipation by varying VBS

This paper proposes a new method of reducing the energy dissipation below that of quasi-adiabatic circuit. Adiabatic logic style is proving to be an attractive solution for low power digital design. Many researchers have introduced different adiabatic logic styles in last few years and proved that these are better than CMOS as far as power dissipation is concerned. In this paper, we present control circuits for sub-adiabatic energy dissipation and show that the energy dissipation of the quasi-adiabatic circuit can be further reduced if we control bulk-to-source voltage, VBS appropriately. All the inverter circuits are designed using 180nm technology in Cadence design environment.
Are Three Items Sufficient to Measure Sense of Coherence?: Evidence From Nonclinical and Clinical Samples

The present study aimed at evaluating if the three-item sense of coherence (SOC) scale developed by Lundberg and Nystrom Peck (1995) can be effectively used for research purpose in both nonclinical and clinical samples. To provide evidence that it represents adequately the measured construct we tested its validity in a nonclinical (N = 658) and clinical sample (N = 764 patients with cancer). Results obtained in the nonclinical sample attested a positive relation of SOC – as measured by the three-item SOC scale – with Antonovsky’s 13-item and 29-item SOC scales (convergent validity), and with dispositional optimism, sense of mastery, anxiety, and depression symptoms (concurrent validity). Results obtained in the clinical sample confirmed the criterion validity of the scale attesting the positive role of SOC – as measured by the three-item SOC scale – on the person’s capacity to respond to illness and treatment. The current study provides evidence that the three-item SOC scale is a valid, low-loading, and time-saving instrument for research purposes on large sample.
Discovering trajectories that lead to borderline personality disorder

Dissertacao de mestrado em Psicologia Clinica e da Saude ( Intervencoes Cognitivo-Comportamentais nas Perturbacoes Psicologicas e da Saude), apresentada a Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciencias da Educacao da Universidade de Coimbra
Polar Coding for Fading Channels: Binary and Exponential Channel Cases

This work presents a polar coding scheme for fading channels, focusing primarily on fading binary symmetric and additive exponential noise channels. For fading binary symmetric channels, a hierarchical coding scheme is presented, utilizing polar coding both over channel uses and over fading blocks. The receiver uses its channel state information (CSI) to distinguish states, thus constructing an overlay erasure channel over the underlying fading channels. By using this scheme, the capacity of a fading binary symmetric channel is achieved without CSI at the transmitter. Noting that a fading AWGN channel with BPSK modulation and demodulation corresponds to a fading binary symmetric channel, this result covers a fairly large set of practically relevant channel settings. For fading additive exponential noise channels, expansion coding is used in conjunction to polar codes. Expansion coding transforms the continuous-valued channel to multiple (independent) discrete-valued ones. For each level after expansion, the approach described previously for fading binary symmetric channels is used. Both theoretical analysis and numerical results are presented, showing that the proposed coding scheme approaches the capacity in the high SNR regime. Overall, utilizing polar codes in this (hierarchical) fashion enables coding without CSI at the transmitter, while approaching the capacity with low complexity.
Cloud Client Prediction Models for Cloud Resource Provisioning in a Multitier Web Application Environment

In order to meet Service Level Agreement (SLA) requirements, efficient scaling of Virtual Machine (VM) resources must be provisioned few minutes ahead due to the VM boot-up time. One way to proactively provision resources is by predicting future resource demands. In this research, we have developed and evaluated cloud client prediction models for TPC-W benchmark web application using three machine learning techniques: Support Vector Machine (SVM), Neural Networks (NN) and Linear Regression (LR). We included the SLA metrics for Response Time and Throughput to the prediction model with the aim of providing the client with a more robust scaling decision choice. Our results show that Support Vector Machine provides the best prediction model.
Organizational Change Perspectives on Software Process Improvement

Many software organizations have engaged in Software Process Improvement (SPI) and experienced the challenges related to managing such complex organizational change efforts. As a result, there is an increasing body of research investigating change management in SPI. To provide an overview of what we know and don’t know about SPI as organizational change, this paper addresses the following question: What are the dominant perspectives on SPI as organizational change in the literature and how is this knowledge presented and published? All journals on the AIS ranking list were screened to identify relevant articles and Gareth Morgan’s organizational metaphors (1996) were used to analyze this literature considering the following dimensions of each article: organizational perspective (metaphor), knowledge orientation (normative versus descriptive), theoretical emphasis (high versus low), main audience (practitioner versus academic), geographical origin (Scandinavia, the Americas, Europe, or the Asia-Pacific), and publication level (high versus low ranked journal). The review demonstrates that the literature on SPI as organizational change is firmly grounded in both theory and practice, and Scandinavia and the Americas are the main contributors to this research. The distribution of articles across Morgan’s metaphors is uneven and reveals knowledge gaps that present new avenues for research. The current literature offers important insights into organizational change in SPI from machine, organism, and brain perspectives. Practitioners may use these articles as a guide to SPI insights relevant to their improvement initiatives. In contrast, the impact of culture, dominance, psychic prison, flux and transformation, and politics in SPI have only received scant attention. We argue that these perspectives offer important insights into the challenges involved in managing change in SPI. Researchers are therefore advised to engage in new SPI research based on one or more of these perspectives. Overall, the paper provides a roadmap to help identify insights and specific articles related to SPI as organizational change.
A Comparative Study of Three New OO Methods

Abstract In this paper we will compare and contrast some of the newer methods with some of theestablished methods in the field of object-oriented software engineering. The methods re-viewed are Solution-Based Modelling, Business Object Notation and Object BehaviourAnalysis. The new methods offer new solutions and ideas to issues such as object identi-fication from scenarios, traceability supporting techniques, criteria for phase completionand method support for reliability. Although all these contributions, we identified someissues, particular design for dynamic binding, that still have to be taken into account in anobject-oriented method. 1. Introduction The past years have seen the emergence of quite a number of different methods for object-oriented development. Although many of them have now been applied and tested on manyreal-world projects from which experience reports have been published, the softwaremanager is still facing a daunting task when he is to select the best method for his organ-isation. Furthermore, the area is still evolving and new methods continue to appear everyyear. A major problem is that terminology and style of presentation make the methodslook more different than they really are, thereby obscuring the truly differentiating issues.In this paper we will evaluate some recently published object-oriented methods and high-light those features which are truly innovative contributions. The methods which havebeen studied are [Gol92], [Ner93],[Rub 92].
Tumor-Derived G-CSF Facilitates Neoplastic Growth through a Granulocytic Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cell-Dependent Mechanism

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) are induced under diverse pathologic conditions, including neoplasia, and suppress innate and adaptive immunity. While the mechanisms by which MDSC mediate immunosuppression are well-characterized, details on how they develop remain less understood. This is complicated further by the fact that MDSC comprise multiple myeloid cell types, namely monocytes and granulocytes, reflecting diverse stages of differentiation and the proportion of these subpopulations vary among different neoplastic models. Thus, it is thought that the type and quantities of inflammatory mediators generated during neoplasia dictate the composition of the resultant MDSC response. Although much interest has been devoted to monocytic MDSC biology, a fundamental gap remains in our understanding of the derivation of granulocytic MDSC. In settings of heightened granulocytic MDSC responses, we hypothesized that inappropriate production of G-CSF is a key initiator of granulocytic MDSC accumulation. We observed abundant amounts of G-CSF in vivo, which correlated with robust granulocytic MDSC responses in multiple tumor models. Using G-CSF loss- and gain-of-function approaches, we demonstrated for the first time that: 1) abrogating G-CSF production significantly diminished granulocytic MDSC accumulation and tumor growth; 2) ectopically over-expressing G-CSF in G-CSF-negative tumors significantly augmented granulocytic MDSC accumulation and tumor growth; and 3) treatment of naïve healthy mice with recombinant G-CSF protein elicited granulocytic-like MDSC remarkably similar to those induced under tumor-bearing conditions. Collectively, we demonstrated that tumor-derived G-CSF enhances tumor growth through granulocytic MDSC-dependent mechanisms. These findings provide us with novel insights into MDSC subset development and potentially new biomarkers or targets for cancer therapy.
Analysing structure within tasks in user-centred design

The key factor in satisfying human expectation lies in identifying what the user wants to achieve. This could be in the abstract form of a mission or a more tangible and identifying form of a task or an activity. This paper presents two notions. The first notion is acknowledging that the task or activity performed has a significant focus when designing for context-sensitive and mobile systems. The second notion argues that the identification of the degree of structure within an activity can inform the level of probing and exploring required when acquiring contextual information. We outline the structure spectrum deduced from our research studies in this paper.
Contour tracking for rotoscoping based on trajectories of feature points

Rotoscoping is the generic term for methods that consist in defining the contour of a moving object in the frames of a video in order to apply a local processing. It is usually performed manually and frame by frame in the cinema industry. Semi-automatic algorithms have been proposed to reduce the load of this task. However they classically use contour-based information and consequently lack robustness in the presence of occlusions. We propose a rotoscoping method based on tracking in both the forward and backward directions. Each tracking relies on a motion estimation performed in group of pictures. Motion is estimated from temporal trajectories of region-based feature points by minimizing the entropy of the residual. The use of trajectories brings robustness to time-variant statistics due to occlusions and the use of entropy brings robustness to outliers. The proposed method seems accurate and allows to cope with large object occlusions. This work was partly supported by “Le Conseil Régional Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur”, France.
Innovation or Inconsistency? Framing Colorectal Cancer Guidelines to Improve Public Perceptions of Updated Screening Recommendations

Effectively communicating how findings from population science inform patient-level decision-making about cancer prevention remains a challenge. Despite the substantial benefits associated with early detection of colorectal cancer, patient compliance with screening guidelines is suboptimal. One potential barrier to compliance is the language used by organizations to frame screening recommendations. Drawing on theory and research on verbal immediacy, the current study examines whether linguistically framing screening messages as being temporally immediate makes them more effective than non-immediate messages for encouraging people to adopt state-of-science screening recommendations. An online message design experiment was conducted with a sample of older adults (N = 305). Results show temporally immediate frames are more effective at increasing behavioral intention to follow updated screening guidelines than temporally non-immediate frames. In addition, both response efficacy of a screening modality and perceived susceptibility to cancer moderate the relationship between message strategy and intention to screen.