Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The conservation and display of a Japanese helmet

A Japanese urushi1 helmet and crest from the 16th century were prepared for exhibition at the Royal Armouries Museum. Both objects presented complex issues concerning cleaning for aesthetic reasons and the restoration of missing areas. To assess the degree of lacquer deterioration and to develop an appropriate cleaning solution a number or low-tech analytical methods, including UV light and pH measurement were used. One side of the crest was partially missing and Japanese and Western restoration techniques were researched in order to develop ideas for loss compensation. The fragile condition of the lacquer and thin, fl exible nature of the object found that contemporary Japanese and common Western methods of restoration were inappropriate. Instead, a detachable, self-supporting painted mild steel sheet was used to recreate the crest’s silhouette.
Acceptance- and mindfulness-based interventions for the treatment of chronic pain: a meta-analytic review

Abstract The number of acceptance- and mindfulness-based interventions for chronic pain, such as acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), increased in recent years. Therefore an update is warranted of our former systematic review and meta-analysis of studies that reported effects on the mental and physical health of chronic pain patients. Pubmed, EMBASE, PsycInfo and Cochrane were searched for eligible studies. Current meta-analysis only included randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Studies were rated for quality. Mean quality did not improve in recent years. Pooled standardized mean differences using the random-effect model were calculated to represent the average intervention effect and, to perform subgroup analyses. Outcome measures were pain intensity, depression, anxiety, pain interference, disability and quality of life. Included were twenty-five RCTs totaling 1285 patients with chronic pain, in which we compared acceptance- and mindfulness-based interventions to the waitlist, (medical) treatment-as-usual, and education or support control groups. Effect sizes ranged from small (on all outcome measures except anxiety and pain interference) to moderate (on anxiety and pain interference) at post-treatment and from small (on pain intensity and disability) to large (on pain interference) at follow-up. ACT showed significantly higher effects on depression and anxiety than MBSR and MBCT. Studies’ quality, attrition rate, type of pain and control group, did not moderate the effects of acceptance- and mindfulness-based interventions. Current acceptance- and mindfulness-based interventions, while not superior to traditional cognitive behavioral treatments, can be good alternatives.
Impact of personalized review summaries on buying decisions: An experimental study

This study evaluates the impact of personalization of review summaries on consumers’ cognitive efforts and buying decision. Following an experimental procedure we tested four hypotheses pertaining to online buyers’ decision process. Our results show that personalized review summary significantly reduces the information processing effort and information requirements of those who received personalized review summaries as compared to those who did not. This study thus contributes to e-commerce literature on online buyer behavior and recommender systems strategy.
Three-Dimensional Virtual Model of the Human Temporal Bone: A Stand-Alone, Downloadable Teaching Tool

Objective: To develop a three-dimensional virtual model of a human temporal bone based on serial histologic sections. Background: The three-dimensional anatomy of the human temporal bone is complex, and learning it is a challenge for students in basic science and in clinical medicine. Methods: Every fifth histologic section from a normal 14-year-old male was digitized and imported into a general purpose three-dimensional rendering and analysis software package called Amira (version 3.1). The sections were aligned, and anatomic structures of interest were segmented. Results: The three-dimensional model is a surface rendering of these structures of interest, which currently includes the bone and air spaces of the temporal bone; the perilymph and endolymph spaces; the sensory epithelia of the cochlear and vestibular labyrinths; the ossicles and tympanic membrane; the middle ear muscles; the carotid artery; and the cochlear, vestibular, and facial nerves. For each structure, the surface transparency can be individually controlled, thereby revealing the three-dimensional relations between surface landmarks and underlying structures. The three-dimensional surface model can also be "sliced open" at any section and the appropriate raw histologic image superimposed on the cleavage plane. The image stack can also be resectioned in any arbitrary plane. Conclusion: This model is a powerful teaching tool for learning the complex anatomy of the human temporal bone and for relating the two-dimensional morphology seen in a histologic section to the three-dimensional anatomy. The model can be downloaded from the Eaton-Peabody Laboratory web site, packaged within a cross-platform freeware three-dimensional viewer, which allows full rotation and transparency control.
Reducing complexity in 3D colored meshes with multi-scale color saliency

Research on the mesh simplification algorithm has been very active in the past years. The color features are very important and can be perceived by human observers. Nevertheless, these features are ignored by most simplification methods. For this reason, this paper presents the salient color features preserving mesh simplification method. First, the multiscale method for the estimation of the color saliency of 3D colored meshes is proposed. Then, the mesh simplification process based on the salient color features is presented. Finally, the experiment results show that the salient color features could be detected efficiently and this color saliency can improve the preservation of salient color features during the mesh simplification.
Ultimate bounds and regions of attraction for two-inverter microgrids with primary and secondary frequency control loops

In this paper we study frequency stabilisation in inverter-based microgrid systems with primary droop controller and three types of secondary control strategies. Particularising the microgrid to the case of two inverter buses, we propose structured models for which frequency regulation, ultimate bounds and an estimate of the region of attraction associated with the ultimate bound set are obtained in closed-form analytical expressions.
The meaning profiles of anxiety and depression: similarities and differences in two age groups

ABSTRACT The distinctiveness of anxiety and depression is discussed concerning their nature, definitions, uses, manifestations and determinants. The objective was to examine the difference and similarity of anxiety and depression by applying the psychosemantic approach, which is a theory and methodology based on analysing the cognitive processes applied in communicating meanings. In Study 1, there were 760 participants of both genders, 23–31 years old. They were administered the Meanings Test, which yields the respondent’s meaning profile, and one of seven anxiety scales or one of three depression scales. Significant correlations between the meaning profiles and the anxiety or depression scales were summarised and compared. In Study 2, there were 78 individuals over 65 years old who were administered the Meanings Test plus an anxiety or depression scale. The findings for anxiety and depression were compared within and across age groups. The results yielded two distinct meaning profiles for anxiety and depression in the two age groups. The anxiety profile indicated more focusing on one’s internal world. whereas the depression profile indicated focusing both on the personal and the interpersonally shared reality. The conclusion was that anxiety and depression are different constructs that need to be considered as separate theoretically and practically.
Real-time control of an SSVEP-actuated remote-controlled car

In this study, an steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP) — based brain computer interface (BCI) has been developed to wirelessly handle a remote-controlled car. Three flickers, flickering at distinct frequencies (13 Hz, 14 Hz, and 15 Hz), were displayed on a liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor to induce user's SSVEPs, which were used control three movement functions (forward, leftward, rightward) of the remote-control car. Users gazed at one chosen flicker at one time to generate particular SSVEP, and the SSVEP was then recognized to activate a desired movement function of the remote-control car. With the provision of front scenes, captured from a CCD camera mounted on the remote-control car, subjects were able to generate desired SSVEPs to guide the remote-control car to a designated place. In this study, all participants were requested to guide the remote-control car to pass an S-shaped path. The EEG measurements utilized only one bipolar channel placed at Oz position (Oz(+)), with reference electrode at the right mastoid (Oz(-)). The acquired EEG signals were segmented into one-second epochs. Gazed-targets were then detected by a matched filter detector (MFD), which comprises a MF demodulator and an amplitude detector. The proposed system has been tested in two volunteers, and the mean accuracy and mean information transfer rate (ITR) were 92.69% and 49.79 bits/min, respectively.
Phase vocoder done right

The phase vocoder (PV) is a widely spread technique for processing audio signals. It employs a short-time Fourier transform (STFT) analysis-modify-synthesis loop and is typically used for time-scaling of signals by means of using different time steps for STFT analysis and synthesis. The main challenge of PV used for that purpose is the correction of the STFT phase. In this paper, we introduce a novel method for phase correction based on phase gradient estimation and its integration. The method does not require explicit peak picking and tracking nor does it require detection of transients and their separate treatment. Yet, the method does not suffer from the typical phase vocoder artifacts even for extreme time stretching factors.
A 10b 20MS/s SAR ADC with a low-power and area-efficient DAC-compensated reference

Reference drivers for charge-redistribution SAR ADCs require significant area and/or power. In this work, a low-power and area-efficient passive reference-voltage driving scheme for charge-redistribution SAR ADCs is proposed. An on-chip decoupling capacitor is pre-charged to a reference voltage during tracking phase and utilized to drive the DAC passively during conversion. The reference-voltage drops during the conversion due to passive charge sharing, causing non-binary DAC switching steps. This is corrected by calculating the charge consumption of critical switching steps and compensating this with a compensation DAC. This scheme with 3b compensation is utilized in a 10b 20MS/s SAR ADC fabricated in 65nm CMOS. With a near-Nyquist input tone, the compensation improves the SNDR by 2.7dB and the SFDR by 11.6dB compared to the uncompensated ADC, achieving 55.4dB SNDR and 68.2dB SFDR. The FoM is 15.7fJ/conv. -step including the reference-voltage driver. Moreover, thanks to the compensation, the decoupling capacitor can be reduced to save chip area.
Morphological plasticity in a native freshwater fish from semiarid Australia in response to variable water flows

Abstract In fishes, alterations to the natural flow regime are associated with divergence in body shape morphology compared with individuals from unaltered habitats. However, it is unclear whether this morphological divergence is attributable to evolutionary responses to modified flows, or is a result of phenotypic plasticity. Fishes inhabiting arid regions are ideal candidates for studying morphological plasticity as they are frequently exposed to extreme natural hydrological variability. We examined the effect of early exposure to flows on the development of body shape morphology in the western rainbowfish (Melanotaenia australis), a freshwater fish that is native to semiarid northwest Australia. Wild fish were collected from a region (the Hamersley Ranges) where fish in some habitats are subject to altered water flows due to mining activity. The offspring of wild‐caught fish were reared in replicated fast‐flow or slow‐flow channels, and geometric morphometric analyses were used to evaluate variation in fish body shape following 3, 6, 9, and 12 months of exposure. Water flows influenced fish morphology after 6 and 9 months of flow exposure, with fish in fast‐flow environments displaying a more robust body shape than those in slow‐flow habitats. No effect of flow exposure was observed at 3 and 12 months. Fishes also showed significant morphological variation within flow treatments, perhaps due to subtle differences in water flow among the replicate channels. Our findings suggest that early exposure to water flows can induce shifts in body shape morphology in arid zone freshwater fishes. Morphological plasticity may act to buffer arid zone populations from the impacts of anthropogenic activities, but further studies are required to link body shape plasticity with behavioral performance in habitats with modified flows.
Evaluation of LTE link-level performance with closed loop spatial multiplexing in a realistic urban macro environment

Mobile networks based on Long-Term Evolution (LTE) are currently being deployed to meet the rapid growth of mobile data traffic. In this paper we study the performance of LTE considering realistic channel data. The channel measurements were gathered in an urban macro cell scenario. While we focused on the behavior of the feedback control parameter as rank indicator, precoding matrix indicator and channel quality indicator we selected the close loop spatial multiplexing of LTE in the single user setup as transmission mode understudy. Four antenna configurations 2×2 and 4×4 with single and dual polarization are compared. The results show that the availability of high rank indicator values is very low for the single compared to the dual polarization cases. Furthermore dual outperforms single polarization at SNRs higher than 15 and 5 dB for the 2×2 and 4×4 configurations.
A Fault Injection Analysis of Linux Operating on an FPGA-Embedded Platform

An FPGA-based Linux test-bed was constructed for the purpose of measuring its sensitivity to single-event upsets. The test-bed consists of two ML410 Xilinx development boards connected using a 124-pin custom connector board. The Design Under Test (DUT) consists of the "hard core" PowerPC, running the Linux OS and several peripherals implemented in "soft" (programmable) logic. Faults were injected via the Internal Configuration Access Port (ICAP). The experiments performed here demonstrate that the Linux-based system was sensitive to 199,584 or about 1.4 percent of all tested bits. Each sensitive bit in the bit-stream is mapped to the resource and user-module to which it configures. A density metric for comparing the reliability of modules within the system is presented. Using this density metric, we found that the most sensitive user module in the design was the PowerPC's direct connections to the DDR2 memory controller.
Practical considerations for enhanced-resolution coil-wrapped Distributed Temperature Sensing

Fibre optic distributed temperature sensing (DTS) is widely applied in Earth sciences. Many applications require a spatial resolution higher than that provided by the DTS instrument. Measurements at these higher resolutions can be achieved with a fibre optic cable helically wrapped on a cylinder. The effect of the probe construction, such as its material, shape, and diameter, on the performance has been poorly understood. In this article, we study data sets obtained from a laboratory experiment using different cable and construction diameters, and three field experiments using different construction characteristics. This study shows that the construction material, shape, diameter, and cable attachment method can have a significant influence on DTS temperature measurements. We present a qualitative and quantitative approximation of errors introduced through the choice of auxiliary construction, influence of solar radiation, coil diameter, and cable attachment method. Our results provide insight into factors that influence DTS measurements, and we present a number of solutions to minimize these errors. These practical considerations allow designers of future DTS measurement set-ups to improve their environmental temperature measurements.
Selection of Peptides Targeting the Human Sperm Surface Using Random Peptide Phage Display Identify Ligands Homologous to ZP3

Abstract Analysis of the surface architecture of human spermatozoa is a necessary step in the development of new approaches to contraception and resolving the causes of human infertility. In this study we have utilized phage display technology to identify peptides that bind with high affinity to the surface of human spermatozoa. Fifteen- and twelve-mer random peptide phage display libraries were screened against paraformaldehyde-fixed spermatozoa and a number of sperm-binding peptides were identified. One peptide, M6, displayed a high level of affinity for the sperm surface and showed sequence homology with a dominant human ZP3 epitope (hZP 25–33). This peptide bound preferentially to the equatorial and post acrosomal domains of the sperm head and exhibited contraceptive activity by virtue of its capacity to impair the fusion of acrosome-reacted spermatozoa with the vitelline membrane of the oocyte. A similar form of contraceptive activity was also observed within an unrelated peptide, K6, derived from screening the 12-mer library. These results indicate that phage display technology is a powerful tool for developing reagents capable of targeting the human sperm surface, providing insights into the composition of this structure and the identity of targets susceptible to contraceptive attack and pathological disruption.
Coping with a life event in bipolar disorder: ambulatory measurement, signalling and early treatment

Disruption of the biological rhythm in patients with bipolar disorder is a known risk factor for a switch in mood. This case study describes how modern techniques using ambulatory assessment of sleep parameters can help in signalling a mood switch and start early treatment. We studied a 40-year-old woman with bipolar disorder experiencing a life event while wearing an actigraph to measure sleep-wake parameters. The night after the life event the woman had sleep later and shorter sleep duration. Adequate response of both the woman and the treating psychiatrist resulted in two normal nights with the use of 1 mg lorazepam, possibly preventing further mood disturbances. Ambulatory assessment of the biological rhythm can function as an add-on to regular signalling plans for prevention of episodes in patients with bipolar disorder. More research should be conducted to validate clinical applicability, proper protocols and to understand underlying mechanisms.
Lightning Interception on Elevated Building

Lightning protection air terminals are placed on structures and other grounded objects with the purpose of capturing the lightning stroke. A well estimation of the lateral protection distance is crucial in predicting the protection area of the lightning rod. This paper focus on a 3-D numerical modelling of lightning attachment based on physical phenomena leading to the formation and the development of the positive upward discharges. The application of our physical model was made for rods on earthed structures. Our model takes into account the real nature of the protected area. The influence of the edges and the corners of the structure on the LPS is investigated. The purpose of our 3D model is to present numerical predictions in order to ensure an efficient lightning protection system.
Learning from WorldCom: Implications for Fraud Detection through Continuous Assurance

The recent rash of corporate frauds and malfeasance has intensified the focus on continuous assurance as a viable enterprise risk‐management tool. In line with this focus, the current study revisits the WorldCom fraud and explores the feasibility of implementing continuous assurance over key‐event‐transaction data as a means of facilitating early detection of the main fraud activities that occurred. There are three main objectives of the research. The first is to examine the key methods of fraud executed by WorldCom's management in order to design a continuous assurance model that would have provided the analytic monitoring necessary for early detection of the fraudulent transactions. The second objective is to provide a blueprint for the integration of the prescribed continuous assurance model in an SAP environment as a means of demonstrating the feasibility of such a continuous assurance strategy. The third objective is to explore the complexity derived from the use of multiple‐legacy systems as a means.
Just Sort It! A Simple and Effective Approach to Active Preference Learning

We address the problem of learning a ranking by using adaptively chosen pairwise comparisons. Our goal is to recover the ranking accurately but to sample the comparisons sparingly. If all comparison outcomes are consistent with the ranking, the optimal solution is to use an efficient sorting algorithm, such as Quicksort. But how do sorting algorithms behave if some comparison outcomes are inconsistent with the ranking? We give favorable guarantees for Quicksort for the popular Bradley-Terry model, under natural assumptions on the parameters. Furthermore, we empirically demonstrate that sorting algorithms lead to a very simple and effective active learning strategy: repeatedly sort the items. This strategy performs as well as state-of-the-art methods (and much better than random sampling) at a minuscule fraction of the computational cost.
Multi Directional Conductive Metal Detection Robot Control

As technology is growing there is a considerable demand on machine interface to the controlling system. Robotics is an era where mechanical structures are powered by interfacing personal computers with the improved software tools. Hyperlink is a standalone program to interact with the devices remotely interfaced with the personal computers. Wireless communication is also a supporting mechanism to regulate the direction and movement of the robotic machines. This paper aims to direct the conductive metal finding robot in all eight directions. An IR sensor assembly is used to position the robot to move with defined angle. Concentric coil type metal detector is used to pinpoint the targeted metal. Offset Quadrature phase shift keyed modulation stream (OQPSK) with 2.4 G Hz is used for transmitting the information to the remote control section of the robot. The mechanical load calculations are estimated to design the robot. The developed model is best suited on uneven surfaces.
Will Serverless End the Dominance of Linux in the Cloud?

From the inception of the cloud, running multi-tenant workloads has put strain on the Linux kernel's abstractions. After years of having its abstractions bypassed via virtualization, the kernel has responded with a native container abstraction that is eagerly being applied in the cloud. In this paper, we point out that history is repeating itself: with the introduction of serverless computing, even the native container abstraction is ill-suited. We show that bypassing the kernel with unikernels can yield at least a factor of 6 better latency and throughput. Facing a more complex kernel than ever and a relatively undemanding computing model, we must revisit the question of whether the kernel should try to adapt, we should continue bypassing the kernel, or if it is finally time to try a new native OS for this important future cloud workload.