Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Predicting the gaze depth in head-mounted displays using multiple feature regression

Head-mounted displays (HMDs) with integrated eye trackers have opened up a new realm for gaze-contingent rendering. The accurate estimation of gaze depth is essential when modeling the optical capabilities of the eye. Most recently multifocal displays are gaining importance, requiring focus estimates to control displays or lenses. Deriving the gaze depth solely by sampling the scene's depth at the point-of-regard fails for complex or thin objects as eye tracking is suffering from inaccuracies. Gaze depth measures using the eye's vergence only provide an accurate depth estimate for the first meter. In this work, we combine vergence measures and multiple depth measures into feature sets. This data is used to train a regression model to deliver improved estimates. We present a study showing that using multiple features allows for an accurate estimation of the focused depth (MSE<0.1m) over a wide range (first 6m).
TMbarrier: Speculative Barriers Using Hardware Transactional Memory

Barrier is a very common synchronization method used in parallel programming. Barriers are used typically to enforce a partial thread execution order, since there may be dependences between code sections before and after the barrier. This work proposes TMbarrier, a new design of a barrier intended to be used in transactional applications. TMbarrier allows threads to continue executing speculatively after the barrier assuming that there are not dependences with safe threads that have not yet reached the barrier. Our design leverages transactional memory (TM) (specifically, the implementation offered by the IBM POWER8 processor) to hold the speculative updates and to detect possible conflicts between speculative and safe threads. Despite the limitations of the best-effort hardware TM implementation present in current processors, experiments show a reduction in wasted time due to synchronization compared to standard barriers.
Gaze Direction based Mobile Application for Quadriplegia Wheelchair Control System

People with quadriplegia recruit the interest of researchers in introducing automated movement systems for adopted special purpose wheelchairs. These systems were introduced for easing the movement of such type of disabled people independently. This paper proposed a comprehensive control system that can control the movement of Quadriplegia wheelchairs using gaze direction and blink detection. The presented system includes two main parts. The first part consists of a smartphone that applies the propose gaze direction detection based mobile application. It then sends the direction commands to the second part via Wi-Fi connection. The second part is a prototype representing the quadriplegia wheelchair that contains robotic car (two-wheel driving car), Raspberry Pi III and ultrasound sensors. The gaze direction commands, sent from the smartphone, are received by the Raspberry Pi for processing and producing the control signals. The ultrasound sensors are fixed at the front and back of the car for performing the emergency stop when obstacles are detected. The proposed system is based on gaze tracking and direction detection without the requirement of calibration with additional sensors and instruments. The obtained results show the superior performance of the proposed system that proves the claim of authors. The accuracy ratio is ranged between 66% and 82% depending on the environment (indoor and outdoor) and surrounding lighting as well as the smart phone type.
Interactive Visual Grounding of Referring Expressions for Human-Robot Interaction

This paper presents INGRESS, a robot system that follows human natural language instructions to pick and place everyday objects. The core issue here is the grounding of referring expressions: infer objects and their relationships from input images and language expressions. INGRESS allows for unconstrained object categories and unconstrained language expressions. Further, it asks questions to disambiguate referring expressions interactively. To achieve these, we take the approach of grounding by generation and propose a two-stage neural network model for grounding. The first stage uses a neural network to generate visual descriptions of objects, compares them with the input language expression, and identifies a set of candidate objects. The second stage uses another neural network to examine all pairwise relations between the candidates and infers the most likely referred object. The same neural networks are used for both grounding and question generation for disambiguation. Experiments show that INGRESS outperformed a state-of-the-art method on the RefCOCO dataset and in robot experiments with humans.
Using Internet search data to examine the relationship between anti-Muslim and pro-ISIS sentiment in U.S. counties

Internet search data reveal an association between anti-Muslim and pro-ISIS searches in U.S. counties. Recent terrorist attacks by first- and second-generation immigrants in the United States and Europe indicate that radicalization may result from the failure of ethnic integration—or the rise of intergroup prejudice in communities where “home-grown” extremists are raised. Yet, these community-level drivers are notoriously difficult to study because public opinion surveys provide biased measures of both prejudice and radicalization. We examine the relationship between anti-Muslim and pro-ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) Internet searches in 3099 U.S. counties between 2014 and 2016 using instrumental variable models that control for various community-level factors associated with radicalization. We find that anti-Muslim searches are strongly associated with pro-ISIS searches—particularly in communities with high levels of poverty and ethnic homogeneity. Although more research is needed to verify the causal nature of this relationship, this finding suggests that minority groups may be more susceptible to radicalization if they experience discrimination in settings where they are isolated and therefore highly visible—or in communities where they compete with majority groups for limited financial resources. We evaluate the validity of our findings using several other data sources and discuss the implications of our findings for the study of terrorism and intergroup relations, as well as immigration and counterterrorism policies.
Intermetallic Compound and Void Kinetics Extraction From Resistance Evolution in Copper Pillars During Electromigration Stress Tests

Die-to-wafer interconnections such as copper pillars play a vital role in order to enable 3-D integration. This interconnection type allows increasing the density of interconnects but the occurrence of defects, especially intermetallic compounds (IMC) and Kirkendall voids, may reduce the lifetime at elevated operating conditions. This paper investigates the physical degradation mechanisms in copper pillars and micro-bumps, caused by IMC and void formation during stress tests such as electromigration (EM) and high temperature storage. The resistance evolution of the tested interconnections motivated the derivation of a novel analytical model to separate the resistance increases caused by IMC growth and void formation. This allows the real time monitoring of changes in the kinetics, which gives a better understanding of the underlying physics and of the failure mechanisms. In order to validate the model, an additional test series on copper pillars under EM stress with varying conditions is conducted and the model is applied on the monitored resistance evolution. The different stress conditions allowed the extraction of the IMC formation activation energy, which is compared against parameter extraction using classical mean time to failure analysis as well as material parameters of IMC growth that are already reported in the literature.
Mobile Momentary Assessment and Biobehavioral Feedback for Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes : Feasibility and Engagement Patterns

Background: Integration of momentary contextual and psychosocial factors within self-management feedback may provide more specific, engaging, and personalized targets for problem solving. Methods: Forty-four youth ages 13–19 with type 1 diabetes (T1D) were provided a Bluetooth meter and completed the 30-day protocol. Participants were randomized to ‘‘app + meter’’ or ‘‘meter-only’’ groups. App + meter participants completed mealtime and bedtime assessment each day. Assessments focused on psychosocial and contextual information relevant for self-management. Graphical feedback integrated self-monitored blood glucose (SMBG), insulin, and Bluetooth-transmitted blood glucose data with the psychosocial and contextual data. App + meter participants completed an interview to identify data patterns. Results: The median number of momentary assessments per participant was 80.0 (range 32–120) with 2.60 per day. By 2 weeks participants had an average of 40.77 (SD 12.23) assessments. Dose–response analyses indicated that the number of app assessments submitted were significantly related to higher mean daily SMBG (r = -0.44, P < 0.05) and to lower% missed mealtime SMBG (r = -0.47, P < 0.01). Number of feedback viewing sessions was also significantly related to a lower% missed mealtime SMBG (r = -0.44, P < 0.05). Controlling for baseline variables, mixed-effects analyses did not indicate group · time differences in mean daily SMBG. Engagement analyses resulted in three trajectory groups distinguished by assessment frequencies and rates of decline. Engagement group membership was significantly related to gender, mean daily SMBG, and HbA1c values. Conclusions: Momentary assessment combined with device data provided a feasible means to provide novel personalized biobehavioral feedback for adolescents with T1D. A 2-week protocol provided sufficient data for self-management problem identification. In addition to feedback, more intensive intervention may need to be integrated for those patients with the lowest self-management at baseline.
Performance and Energy Consumption Analysis of Coprocessors Using Different Programming Models

The optimization of the relation between performance and energy consumption is a strong requirement mainly in high performance environments. The top 10 Green500 supercomputers use accelerators/coprocessors as primary approach to increase the performance while reducing energy consumption. This paper presents a study on the main factors that impact this relationship, evaluating and comparing Intel programming models on an Intel Xeon Phi coprocessor architecture. The methodology applied in this work consists of evaluating performance and energy consumption on execution scenarios using Linpack and HPL 2.1 benchmarks. These scenarios consider various environment parameters and execution on the Intel host, offload and native programming models. Experimental results indicate that the host and offload models are more efficient in the performance per energy consumption relationship with shared memory and distributed memory, whereas the native model demonstrated better efficiency in energy consumption.
Radioprotective Effects of Dermatan Sulfate in a Preclinical Model of Oral Mucositis—Targeting Inflammation, Hypoxia and Junction Proteins without Stimulating Proliferation

Oral mucositis is the most frequently occurring early side effect of head-and-neck cancer radiotherapy. Systemic dermatan sulfate (DS) treatment revealed a significant radioprotective potential in a preclinical model of oral mucositis. This study was initiated to elucidate the mechanistic effects of DS in the same model. Irradiation comprised daily fractionated irradiation (5 × 3 Gy/week) over two weeks, either alone (IR) or in combination with daily dermatan sulfate treatment of 4 mg/kg (IR + DS). Groups of mice (n = 5) were sacrificed every second day over the course of 14 days in both experimental arms, their tongues excised and evaluated. The response to irradiation with and without DS was analyzed on a morphological (cell numbers, epithelial thickness) as well as on a functional (proliferation and expression of inflammation, hypoxia and epithelial junction markers) level. The mucoprotective activity of DS can be attributed to a combination of various effects, comprising increased expression of epithelial junctions, reduced inflammation and reduced hypoxia. No DS-mediated effect on proliferation was observed. DS demonstrated a significant mucositis-ameliorating activity and could provide a promising strategy for mucositis treatment, based on targeting specific, radiation-induced, mucositis-associated signaling without stimulating proliferation.
Facial Micro-Expressions Grand Challenge 2018 Summary

This paper summarises the Facial Micro-Expression Grand Challenge (MEGC 2018) held in conjunction with the 13th IEEE Conference on Automatic Face and Gesture Recognition (FG) 2018. In this workshop, we aim to stimulate new ideas and techniques for facial micro-expression analysis by proposing a new cross-database challenge. Two state-of-the-art datasets, CASME II and SAMM, are used to validate the performance of existing and new algorithms. Also, the challenge advocates the recognition of micro-expressions based on AU-centric objective classes rather than emotional classes. We present a summary and analysis of the baseline results using LBP-TOP, HOOF and 3DHOG, together with results from the challenge submissions.
Generation of Obligation and Prohibition Dilemmas Using Knowledge Models

Under the project MacCoy Critical, we would like to train individuals, in virtual environments, to handle critical situations such as dilemmas. These latter refer to situations where there is no "good" solution. In other words, situations that lead to negative consequences whichever choice is made. Our objective is to develop a Scenario Orchestration System that generates dilemma situations dynamically without having to write them beforehand. The approach consists in using Knowledge Models to extract necessary properties for dilemmas to emerge. In this article we present this approach and expose a proof of concept of the generation process.
Sample 2-D playing field for vehicle motion control

Equation Chapter 1 Section 1 The potential is a scalar field whose negative gradient is a vector field of conservative forces. Consider a planar field of play having some targets and some obstacles. A sample 2-D playing field is shown in Figure 1.1-1. The targets or goals are endowed with attractive potentials and the obstacles with repulsive potentials. From the potentials, one computes the associated forces. At any point ) , ( y x in the plane, the sum of forces at that point gives a net force produced by all the targets and all the obstacles. The net force as a function of position is a vector force field that represents the resultant force obtained by summing the effects of the attraction force of the target and the repulsion forces of the obstacles
Demografía empresarial en Espana: tendencias y regularidades

El tejido empresarial es el pilar sobre el que se asienta la capacidad innovadora y el crecimiento de los paises. Por ello, conocer las caracteristicas de la demografia empresarial en Espana es fundamental para entender las dificultades que tienen las empresas para incrementar su productividad y su tamano. Este trabajo pretende contribuir a este conocimiento mediante la actualizacion de la informacion y la revision de la literatura disponible sobre algunos de los aspectos mas relevantes de esta demografia.
Hemidesmus indicus (L.) R. Br. extract inhibits the early step of herpes simplex type 1 and type 2 replication.

Herpes simplex virus types 1 (HSV-1) and 2 (HSV-2) cause several clinically relevant syndromes in both adults and neonates. Despite the availability of efficient anti-HSV agents, the search for new therapeutic approaches is highly encouraged due to the increasing drug resistance of virus strains. Medicinal plants represent a source of potential bioactive compounds. In this context we evaluated the anti-herpetic activity of Hemidesmus indicus (L.) R. Br. , a plant widely used in traditional Indian medicine. The hydroalcoholic extract prepared from roots was characterized by NMR and HPLC analysis and assayed in vitro by CPE reduction and virus infectivity assays to define its anti-viral effect. The extract's mechanism of action was investigated by virucidal and time-of-addition assays and by in vitro α-glucosidase inhibitory assay. The extract exhibited a remarkable anti-herpetic activity at 100 mg/mL, at non-cytotoxic concentration, through multiple mechanisms: it reduced the infectivity of viral particles released from infected cells possibly through its anti-ER α-glucosidase inhibitory activity and it inhibited the beginning stage of HSV infection acting as a virucide agent and/or preventing virus attachment to the host cell surface.
Effect of Melatonin on Rat Heart Mitochondria in Acute Heart Failure in Aged Rats

Excessive generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in mitochondria and the opening of the nonselective mitochondrial permeability transition pore are important factors that promote cardiac pathologies and dysfunction. The hormone melatonin (MEL) is known to improve the functional state of mitochondria via an antioxidant effect. Here, the effect of MEL administration on heart mitochondria from aged rats with acute cardiac failure caused by isoprenaline hydrochloride (ISO) was studied. A histological analysis revealed that chronic intake of MEL diminished the age-dependent changes in the structure of muscle fibers of the left ventricle, muscle fiber swelling, and injury zones characteristic of acute cardiac failure caused by ISO. In acute heart failure, the respiratory control index (RCI) and the Ca2+ retention capacity in isolated rat heart mitochondria (RHM) were reduced by 30% and 40%, respectively, and mitochondrial swelling increased by 34%. MEL administration abolished the effect of ISO. MEL partially prevented ISO-induced changes at the subunit level of respiratory complexes III and V and drastically decreased the expression of complex I subunit NDUFB8 both in control RHM and in RHM treated with ISO, which led to the inhibition of ROS production. MEL prevents the mitochondrial dysfunction associated with heart failure caused by ISO. It was shown that the level of 2′,3′-cyclicnucleotide-3′-phosphodiasterase (CNPase), which is capable of protecting cells in aging, increased in acute heart failure. MEL also retained the CNPase content in RHM both in control experiments and after ISO-induced heart damage. We concluded that an increase in the CNPase level promotes cardioprotection.
Tailoring the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics and the Association for Molecular Pathology Guidelines for the Interpretation of Sequenced Variants in the FBN1 Gene for Marfan Syndrome: Proposal for a Disease- and Gene-Specific Guideline

Background: The introduction of next-generation sequencing techniques has substantially increased the identification of new genetic variants and hence the necessity of accurate variant interpretation. In 2015, the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics and the Association for Molecular Pathology proposed new variant interpretation guidelines. Gene-specific characteristics were, however, not considered, sometimes leading to inconsistent variant interpretation. Methods: To allow a more uniform interpretation of variants in the FBN1 (fibrillin-1) gene, causing Marfan syndrome, we tailored these guidelines to this gene and disease. We adapted 15 of the 28 general criteria and classified 713 FBN1 variants previously identified in our laboratory as causal mutation or variant of uncertain significance according to these adapted guidelines. We then compared the agreement between previous methods and the adapted American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics and the Association for Molecular Pathology criteria. Results: Agreement between the methods was 86.4% (K-alpha, 0.6). Application of the tailored guidelines resulted in an increased number of variants of uncertain significance (14.5% to 24.2%). Of the 85 variants that were downscaled to likely benign or variant of uncertain significance, 59.7% were missense variants outside a well-established functional site. Available clinical- or segregation data, necessary to further classify these types of variants, were in many cases insufficient to aid the classification. Conclusions: Our study shows that classification of variants remains challenging and may change over time. Currently, a higher level of evidence is necessary to classify a variant as pathogenic. Gene-specific guidelines may be useful to allow a more precise and uniform interpretation of the variants to accurately support clinical decision-making.
A Guide through the Construction of a Groupware for Efficient Knowledge Management

The main idea in this article is that groupware benefits organizational memory because it focuses on communication and coordination, but is inadequate for an efficient knowledge management. It has to be completed by a model for exchange structuring in order to improve dialog quality and to enable a conversation classification that would not be simply chronological. Our aim is to build a groupware (MEMO-Net) enriched with such a model. This model (DIPA), which uses and simplifies the concepts of Problem-Solving methods, comes from a review of existing Design Rationale formalisms that gave rise to the ABRICo formalism
Correlation between gaze and hovers during decision-making interaction

Taps only consist of a small part of the manual input when interacting with touch-enabled surfaces. Indeed, how the hand behaves in the hovering space is informative of what the user intends to do. In this article, we present a data collection related to hand and eye motion. We tailored a kiosk-like system to record participants' gaze and hand movements. We specifically designed a memory game to detect the decision-making process users may face. Our data collection comprises of 177 trials from 71 participants. Based on a hand movement classification, we extracted 16588 hovers. We study the gaze behaviour during hovers, and we found out that the distance between gaze and hand depends on the target's location on the screen. We also showed how indecision can be deducted from this distance.
Similar soil microbial community structure across different environments after long‐term succession: evidence from volcanoes of different ages

Soil microbes play critical roles in global biogeochemical cycles, but their succession patterns across long temporal scales have rarely been studied. In this study, soil samples were collected from three volcanoes in Wudalianchi, northeastern China: Laoheishan (LH, approximately 240 years old), Dongjiaodebushan (DJ, 0.45–0.6 million years old), and Nangelaqiushan (NG, 0.8–1.3 million years old). For each volcano, both southern (S) and northern (N) slope aspects were sampled. Soil microbial communities were analyzed using phospholipid fatty acid analysis (PLFA). The results showed that soil properties and microbial biomass changed perceptibly among different volcanoes and different slope aspects. Almost all of the detected soil nutrient contents of LH were lowest, and total microbial biomass of LH was 40 and 36% lower than those of NG and DJ, respectively. LH was significantly different from NG and DJ in soil microbial community structure with a higher relative abundance of fungi and a lower relative abundance of actinomycetes and bacteria. However, for the two ancient volcanoes (NG and DJ), soil microbial community structures were highly similar among different ages and different slope aspects. No difference was detected in any of the measured microbial indices, including richness, evenness, Shannon's diversity, Simpson's diversity and the relative abundance of different microbial groups. The results indicated that while soil microbial biomass may change across different soil environments after long‐term succession, soil microbial community structure can remain relatively stable. The results further indicated that soil microbes may show different successional patterns in different stages of succession.