Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Large Field and High Resolution: Detecting Needle in Haystack

The growing use of convolutional neural networks (CNN) for a broad range of visual tasks, including tasks involving fine details, raises the problem of applying such networks to a large field of view, since the amount of computations increases significantly with the number of pixels. To deal effectively with this difficulty, we develop and compare methods of using CNNs for the task of small target localization in natural images, given a limited "budget" of samples to form an image. Inspired in part by human vision, we develop and compare variable sampling schemes, with peak resolution at the center and decreasing resolution with eccentricity, applied iteratively by re-centering the image at the previous predicted target location. The results indicate that variable resolution models significantly outperform constant resolution models. Surprisingly, variable resolution models and in particular multi-channel models, outperform the optimal, "budget-free" full-resolution model, using only 5\% of the samples.
Stationarity in the Realizations of the Causal Rate-Distortion Function for One-Sided Stationary Sources

This paper derives novel results on the characterization of the the causal information rate-distortion function (IRDF) $R_{c}^{it}(D)$ for arbitrarily-distributed one-sided stationary $\kappa$-th order Markov source x(1),x(2),. It is first shown that Gorbunov and Pinsker's results on the stationarity of the realizations to the causal IRDF (stated for two-sided stationary sources) do not apply to the commonly used family of asymptotic average single-letter (AASL) distortion criteria. Moreover, we show that, in general, a reconstruction sequence cannot be both jointly stationary with a one-sided stationary source sequence and causally related to it. This implies that, in general, the causal IRDF for one-sided stationary sources cannot be realized by a stationary distribution. However, we prove that for an arbitrarily distributed one-sided stationary source and a large class of distortion criteria (including AASL), the search for $R_{c}^{it}(D)$ can be restricted to distributions which yield the output sequence y(1), y(2),. jointly stationary with the source after $\kappa$ samples. Finally, we improve the definition of the stationary causal IRDF $\overline{R}_{c}^{it}(D)$ previously introduced by Derpich and {\O}stergaard for two-sided Markovian stationary sources and show that $\overline{R}_{c}^{it}(D)$ for a two-sided source . ,x(-1),x(0),x(1),. equals $R_{c}^{it}(D)$ for the associated one-sided source x(1), x(2),. This implies that, for the Gaussian quadratic case, the practical zero-delay encoder-decoder pairs proposed by Derpich and {\O}stergaard for approaching $R_{c}^{it}(D)$ achieve an operational data rate which exceeds $R_{c}^{it}(D)$ by less than $1+0.5 \log_2(2 \pi e /12) \simeq 1.254$ bits per sample.
Ideas from Developmental Robotics and Embodied AI on the Questions of Ethics in Robots

Advances in Artificial Intelligence and robotics are currently questioning the ethical framework of their applications to deal with potential drifts, as well as the way in which these algorithms learn because they will have a strong impact on the behavior of robots and the type of robots. interactions with people. We would like to highlight some principles and ideas from cognitive neuroscience and development sciences based on the importance of the body for intelligence, contrary to the theory of the all-brain or all- algorithm, to represent the world and interacting with others, and their current applications in embodied AI and developmental robotics to propose models of architectures and mechanisms for agency, representation of the body, recognition of the intention of others, predictive coding, active inference, the role of feedback and error, imitation, artificial curiosity and contextual learning. We will explain how these are important for the design of autonomous systems and beyond what they can tell us for the ethics of systems.
Biosensors using Photonic Crystal Fibres

In this book, we present the unique properties of Hollow-Core Photonic Crystal Fibres (HC-PCFs) for sensing applications in terms of viscosity detection and DNA sensing using a special poly(ethylene) glycol (PEGDA) hydrogel. Thus, we report the characterisation of light propagation within HC-PCFs and the development of a selective filling process with the investigation of a new viscometer device, and a new device for DNA sensing development, and also the chemical process for hydrogel growth was adapted to the fibres. By combining HC-PCFs with the hydrogel we enable 3D volumetric sample grow inside the HC-PCFs, further increasing the interaction between the sample and the optical signal. We also discussed the hydrogel influence on the guidance properties of the HC-PCF; analysed and detected immobilised labelled DNA sample within the hydrogel using the fluorescence techniques. In addition, the suspended-core optical fibres are investigated in terms of integration with the hydrogel and DNA sensing. I hope that the presented work would help working with Photonic Crystal Fibres and simplified understanding of properties of these fibres.
Mechanistic Basis of pH-Dependent 5-Flucytosine Resistance in Aspergillus fumigatus

ABSTRACT The antifungal drug 5-flucytosine (5FC), a derivative of the nucleobase cytosine, is licensed for the treatment of fungal diseases; however, it is rarely used as a monotherapeutic to treat Aspergillus infection. Despite being potent against other fungal pathogens, 5FC has limited activity against Aspergillus fumigatus when standard in vitro assays are used to determine susceptibility. However, in modified in vitro assays where the pH is set to pH 5, the activity of 5FC increases significantly. Here we provide evidence that fcyB, a gene that encodes a purine-cytosine permease orthologous to known 5FC importers, is downregulated at pH 7 and is the primary factor responsible for the low efficacy of 5FC at pH 7. We also uncover two transcriptional regulators that are responsible for the repression of fcyB and, consequently, mediators of 5FC resistance, the CCAAT binding complex (CBC) and the pH regulatory protein PacC. We propose that the activity of 5FC might be enhanced by the perturbation of factors that repress fcyB expression, such as PacC or other components of the pH-sensing machinery.
Hope, Ethnic Pride, and Academic Achievement: Positive Psychology and Latino Youth

Previous studies have found that hope has beneficial effects in athletics, academics, physical health, and mental well being in majority populations. Given the challenges Latino youth face in the United States, ethnic identity and hope may be a powerful buffer from these negative stressors. The current study aimed to identify whether chronic levels of hope related to academic performance, whether an ethnic pride manipulation altered state hope levels, and whether there was a link between ethnic identity and chronic hope among a sample of Latino youth. Results indicated that GPA and chronic hope levels were not related, a manipulation to boost ethic pride increased state hope, and that ethnic identity was related to chronic levels of hope. The findings suggest that ethnic identity is an important contributor to hope levels.
lity of unmet user needs : Effects Assessing qua of need statement characteristics

We demonstrate a front-end, user-centered method to prioritize unmet needs previously generated from large groups. Several hypotheses were tested: (1) Needs submitted first will be less likely to be high quality than needs submitted after a sustained period of time; (2) Semantically similar need statements will be rated as equivalent in quality; (3) Need statements will be rated as higher quality if a detailed description of the need context was available. Over 20 000 ratings for 1697 statements across three common product areas were analyzed. The results showed needs that first come to mind are not lower quality than needs that come to mind later and can inform early design phases to balance indepth research and size of user groups. 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Blood concentration of prilocaine and lidocaine after the use of topical anesthesia (Oraqix® ) in lacerated wounds.

BACKGROUND/AIM Soft tissue injuries have been reported as being sutured using only topical anesthesia applied in the laceration wound. The objective of this study was to assess the pharmacokinetic profile of components of Oraqix® (2.5% prilocaine and 2.5% lidocaine) when applied in a laceration as compared to intact skin application in the mouse. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 200 BALB/c male mice were used in this study. The mice were divided into three groups: group A: shaved and laceration group (80 mice); B: shaved and intact skin group (80 mice); and C: control group (shaved, no treatment; 40 mice) which underwent the same procedures but without application of Oraqix® . Blood samples were collected over 90 min. Plasma sample analysis employing liquid chromatography coupled with the tandem mass spectrometric (LC-MS/MS) method was used to determine plasma concentrations of lidocaine and prilocaine. Pharmacokinetic analysis of mouse plasma concentrations was carried out by standard non-compartmental methods. RESULTS Absorption of both lidocaine and prilocaine was rapid. Cmax and AUC values of lidocaine were significantly increased by fourfold and twofold, respectively, in lacerated mouse skin compared to intact skin. Similarly, prilocaine's Cmax and AUC values were also increased by 2.5-fold and fourfold, respectively, in lacerated skin compared to intact skin. CONCLUSION When Oraqix® was applied directly into the skin laceration, the plasma concentration of lidocaine and prilocaine was significantly increased as compared to when applied on intact skin. The present study, albeit in mice, indicates that the plasma levels of lidocaine and prilocaine can reach very high levels when the thermosetting gel Oraqix® is placed directly in wounds.
Association of Whole-Body Computed Tomography With Mortality Risk in Children With Blunt Trauma

Importance Although several studies have demonstrated an improvement in mortality for injured adults who receive whole-body computed tomography (WBCT), it is unclear whether children experience the same benefit. Objective To determine whether emergent WBCT is associated with lower mortality among children with blunt trauma compared with a selective CT approach. Design, Setting, and Participants A retrospective, multicenter cohort study was conducted from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2014, using data from the National Trauma Data Bank on children aged 6 months to 14 years with blunt trauma who received an emergent CT scan in the first 2 hours after emergency department arrival. Data analysis was conducted from February 2 to December 29, 2017. Exposures Patients were classified as having WBCT if they received CT head, CT chest, and CT abdomen/pelvis scans in the first 2 hours and as having a selective CT if they did not receive all 3 scans. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality in the 7 days after ED arrival. To adjust for potential confounding, propensity score weighting was used. Subgroup analyses were performed for those with the highest mortality risk (ie, occupants and pedestrians involved in motor vehicle crashes, children with a Glasgow Coma Scale score lower than 9, children with hypotension, and those admitted to the intensive care unit). Results Of the 42 912 children included in the study (median age [interquartile range], 9 [5-12] years; 27 861 [64.9%] boys), 8757 (20.4%) received a WBCT. Overall, 405 (0.9%) children died within 7 days. After adjusting for the propensity score, children who received WBCT had no significant difference in mortality compared with those who received selective CT (absolute risk difference, −0.2%; 95% CI, −0.6% to 0.1%). All subgroup analyses similarly showed no significant association between WBCT and mortality. Conclusions and Relevance Among children with blunt trauma, WBCT, compared with a selective CT approach, was not associated with lower mortality. These findings do not support the routine use of WBCT for children with blunt trauma.
Latency Aware IPv6 Packet Delivery Scheme over IEEE 802.15.4 Based Battery-Free Wireless Sensor Networks

Battery-Free Wireless Sensor Networks (BF-WSNs) have become increasingly useful for many applications and how to ensure timely information exchange between nodes in IP networks and those in BF-WSNs is indispensable. The 6LoWPAN protocol is usually used to deliver IPv6 packets over IEEE 802.15. 4 based WSNs, and has resolved the size mismatching problem between IPv6 packets and 802.15. 4 Medium Access Control (MAC) frames by using packet fragmentation scheme to break an IPv6 packet into multiple small pieces with each fitted into a single 802.15. 4 MAC frame. Unfortunately, IPv6 packets in BF-WSNs may suffer from intolerable delay for timely reassembling back to IPv6 packets. In this paper, we present a Latency Aware IPv6 Packet Delivery (LAID) scheme to reduce such IPv6 packet latency while maintaining high packet delivery ratio. Our LAID considers charging time, data rate, and the Maximum Number of Transmission Trials (MNTT) used in the IEEE 802.15. 4 MAC layer so that the minimum latency can be achieved by optimizing the pairing of data rate and MNTT. In addition, we apply network coding to improve packet delivery reliability. Our analysis shows that the proposed LAID significantly outperforms existing schemes with fixed data rates in terms of IPv6 packet latency.
Towards a Test Specification Language for Information Systems: Focus on Data Entity and State Machine Tests

This paper introduces the TSL language (short name for “Test Specification Language”) that intends to improve the test specification of information systems in a systematic, rigorous and consistent way. TSL specifications are produced from close requirement specifications expressed in the RSL language (Requirements Specification Language). Both RSL and TSL support human-readable executable specifications closer to natural language than models usually used in model-based testing approaches. TSL includes several constructs logically arranged into views according to multiple testing engineering strategies, commonly found in the information systems domain, such as: data entity tests and state machine tests, all of them produced from equivalent requirement specification in RSL. A case study is also presented to illustrate the proposed approach.
Real-time gaze estimation via pupil center tracking

Abstract Automatic gaze estimation not based on commercial and expensive eye tracking hardware solutions can enable several applications in the fields of human computer interaction (HCI) and human behavior analysis. It is therefore not surprising that several related techniques and methods have been investigated in recent years. However, very few camera-based systems proposed in the literature are both real-time and robust. In this work, we propose a real-time user-calibration-free gaze estimation system that does not need person-dependent calibration, can deal with illumination changes and head pose variations, and can work with a wide range of distances from the camera. Our solution is based on a 3-D appearance-based method that processes the images from a built-in laptop camera. Real-time performance is obtained by combining head pose information with geometrical eye features to train a machine learning algorithm. Our method has been validated on a data set of images of users in natural environments, and shows promising results. The possibility of a real-time implementation, combined with the good quality of gaze tracking, make this system suitable for various HCI applications.
The Sertoli cell: Novel clinical potentiality

The Sertoli cell is important for endocrine and paracrine control of spermatogenesis. Functions attributed to Sertoli cells are: (1) supportive and trophic functions for the cells of the seminiferous epithelium, (2) transport of mature spermatids towards the lumen of seminiferous tubules, (3) secretion of androgen binding protein, (4) production of substances with endocrine or paracrine action for spermatogenesis control and (5) interaction with intertubular endocrine Leydig cells. Inhibin B and anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) are glycoproteins belonging to the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) superfamily; they are produced almost exclusively by the Sertoli cells and have been proposed as direct markers of their function and indirect markers of spermatogenesis. Serum inhibin B and AMH concentrations seem to constitute additional diagnostic parameters in male subfertility as they reflect Sertoli cell function. Stimulated concentrations of serum inhibin B and AMH do not add clinically relevant information in subfertile men compared to basal concentrations of these hormones. Serum inhibin B and AMH concentrations correlate with testicular histology/cytology but are not superior to FSH as predictors of the presence of sperm in testicular sperm extraction (TESE)/fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy in men with azoospermia.
The Effects of PPAR Stimulation on Cardiac Metabolic Pathways in Barth Syndrome Mice

Aim: Tafazzin knockdown (TazKD) in mice is widely used to create an experimental model of Barth syndrome (BTHS) that exhibits dilated cardiomyopathy and impaired exercise capacity. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are a group of nuclear receptor proteins that play essential roles as transcription factors in the regulation of carbohydrate, lipid, and protein metabolism. We hypothesized that the activation of PPAR signaling with PPAR agonist bezafibrate (BF) may ameliorate impaired cardiac and skeletal muscle function in TazKD mice. This study examined the effects of BF on cardiac function, exercise capacity, and metabolic status in the heart of TazKD mice. Additionally, we elucidated the impact of PPAR activation on molecular pathways in TazKD hearts. Methods: BF (0.05% w/w) was given to TazKD mice with rodent chow. Cardiac function in wild type-, TazKD-, and BF-treated TazKD mice was evaluated by echocardiography. Exercise capacity was evaluated by exercising mice on the treadmill until exhaustion. The impact of BF on metabolic pathways was evaluated by analyzing the total transcriptome of the heart by RNA sequencing. Results: The uptake of BF during a 4-month period at a clinically relevant dose effectively protected the cardiac left ventricular systolic function in TazKD mice. BF alone did not improve the exercise capacity however, in combination with everyday voluntary running on the running wheel BF significantly ameliorated the impaired exercise capacity in TazKD mice. Analysis of cardiac transcriptome revealed that BF upregulated PPAR downstream target genes involved in a wide spectrum of metabolic (energy and protein) pathways as well as chromatin modification and RNA processing. In addition, the Ostn gene, which encodes the metabolic hormone musclin, is highly induced in TazKD myocardium and human failing hearts, likely as a compensatory response to diminished bioenergetic homeostasis in cardiomyocytes. Conclusion: The PPAR agonist BF at a clinically relevant dose has the therapeutic potential to attenuate cardiac dysfunction, and possibly exercise intolerance in BTHS. The role of musclin in the failing heart should be further investigated.
Creation of Electrical Spin Injectors for Silicon Spintronics: Achievements and Prospects

Literature data on the effective electrical injectors of electron spin for silicon spintronics and stages of the investigation of corresponding magnetic tunnel contacts are reviewed up to 2015 year and a consideration of the current state of the research is given. Different structures for the spin injection, materials and possible applications in silicon spintronics are considered and also possible future research directions are outlined.
When Not to Comment: Questions and Tradeoffs with API Documentation for C++ Projects

Without usable and accurate documentation of how to use an API, developers can find themselves deterred from reusing relevant code. In C++, one place developers can find documentation is in a header file. When information is missing, they may look at the corresponding implementation code. To understand what's missing from C++ API documentation and the factors influencing whether it will be fixed, we conducted a mixed-methods study involving two experience sampling surveys with hundreds of developers at the moment they visited implementation code, interviews with 18 of those developers, and interviews with 8 API maintainers. In many cases, updating documentation may provide only limited value for developers, while requiring effort maintainers don't want to invest. We identify a set of questions maintainers and tool developers should consider when improving API-level documentation.
A Precise Marketing Algorithm Based on Topic Community for New Media Platform

New media platforms, including the network community, microblogging, WeChat, live show platform, have become the main platforms and channels for information dissemination and diffusion, at the same time, these platforms are also favored by the majority of merchants, and how to use these new media platforms for precise marketing is an urgent problem. This paper proposes a precise marketing algorithm based on topic community discovery, which can use the link relation between user and user and the user generated content to determine the user's community division, then the merchants can put different advertising content for different topic community. The algorithm uses the LDA algorithm to analyze the text information in the user-generated content, and analyzes the link relation between the user and the user through the classical community discovery method, and combines the community structure to discover the network structure. These topic communities are the basis of network precise marketing. Extensive experiments are done using real world data, which prove that the algorithm proposed in this paper can effectively use the user topic and user link relationship to find the topic community, thus providing the basis for precise marketing.