Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Perceptual Illusion of Empty Space Can Create a Perceptual Illusion of Levitation

A recent analysis of magic tricks suggests the existence of a perceptual illusion where the space hidden behind an occluding object is experienced as empty in a strangely compelling way. Here, we show that this illusion of absence is not just a trivial consequence of the lack of retinal stimulation but rather the result of an active process of perceptual construction. The results of a simple experiment show that this perceptual illusion of absence can in turn trigger perceptual processes which generate an immediate perceptual impression of levitation via a percept–percept coupling. This suggests that magical illusions of levitation are partially driven by an immediate perceptual impression of floating in thin air. The perceptual mechanisms underlying the illusion of absence are hitherto unknown, but our results provide support for a potential explanation based on the generic view principle.
Ultra-Low-Voltage CMOS Crystal Oscillators

In this paper, 32 kHz crystal oscillators operating with only 60 mV supply are presented. Two implementations based on a Schmitt trigger circuit for two different crystals were designed and experimentally characterized. The circuits require 45 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{m}\,\,\times74\,\,\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and 78 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{m}\,\,\times83\,\,\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, respectively, within a 130 nm CMOS process. The power consumptions of the oscillators are 2.26 nW and 15 nW and the temperature stabilities attained are 62 ppm (25-62°C) and 50 ppm (5-62°C), respectively. The dependence on the supply voltage of the current consumption, fractional frequency, start-up time and oscillation amplitude were measured. The Allan deviation is 30 ppb for both oscillators.
The Study on the Effectiveness and Satisfaction of the ‘Disaster Safety and On-Site Emergency Management’ weekend course in the High School-University affiliated career experience activities

[Abstract] This study investigates the satisfaction of students who participated in ‘Disaster Safety and On-Site Emergency Management’ weekend course, the high school-university affiliated program, to provide the basic data on university’s major linked program developing and teaching methods. 98 high school students attended the courses at D General high school and B University in North Jeonlla Province. Among the participants, 52%(51 students) were sophomores, while 56.1%(55 students) were male and 43.9%(43 students) were female. The collected data was analyzed by using the SPSS statistics version 21.0 program. 80.6%(79 students) among the participants chose the weekend course program by themselves, 85.7%(84 students) were with clear motivation and goal, and 42.9%(42 students) answered “so interested studying Emergency at a college in the future” The most important reasons to choose this program are as follows: score 4.68 for ‘the degree to which the useful program for youth’, score 4.58 for ‘the leader’s expertise’, and score 4.53 for ‘reflecting the opinion of youth. ’ After the program’s experience, the ‘certificate for cardiopulmonary resuscitation’ was the most important and the most satisfactory with score 4.78 and score 4.83 respectively. As the university career program using various job experience can be a meaningful experience that enhance the level of career status and career decisions of high school students, this program will strengthen the affiliation between high school and university curriculum and establish the sufficient national social system environment
Tailoring the Hole Mobility in SnO Films by Modulating the Growth Thermodynamics and Kinetics

Obtaining semiconducting properties that meet practical standards for p-type transparent oxide semiconductors is challenging due to the balance between the defects that generate hole and electron carriers. Here, we demonstrate that modulating the individual thermodynamic and kinetic conditions during the growth of p-type oxide SnO films are beneficial in tailoring their semiconducting properties. By tuning the growth temperature and laser fluence for pulsed laser deposition, the hole carrier density dramatically changes from approximately 4×1016 cm-3 to 6×1018 cm-3 at room temperature. The room-temperature hole mobility (μ) strongly depends on the carrier density (n), and their relationship is like a “volcano-shaped” curve. This suggests the competition between several scattering sources, such as the ionized impurity scattering (μ ∝ n-1), and grain boundary and/or dislocation scattering (μ ∝ n0.5) for higher and lower n, respectively. The hole mobility is enhanced to approximately 21 cm2V-1s-1 at room tem.
Development and implementation of the ECHO model in a school setting to address youth electronic cigarette use in Kansas: A protocol

Introduction Schools remain at the frontlines of addressing issues, such as e-cigarette use, that impact students. Despite e-cigarette use remaining a significant public health concern in the U.S., schools have limited resources (e.g., staff, capacity, programming) to address it, especially in rural and frontier areas. This ECHO Pilot Project aimed to build capacity and equip schools and school staff in the state of Kansas to address high rates of youth e-cigarette use by providing prevention support and information on best practices for e-cigarette cessation. Methods and analysis The pilot used the established Project ECHO model to disseminate evidence-based strategies for e-cigarette prevention and cessation among youth to schools across Kansas. The pilot selected 20 interdisciplinary school teams representing both rural and urban middle and high schools across the state to participate in seven ECHO sessions. ECHO sessions proceeded throughout Fall 2021, with the final session in Spring 2022. School participants completed pre-post surveys as well as component-specific surveys following each ECHO session. In addition, each school team created an individualized action plan to comprehensively address e-cigarette use at their school based on the information provided throughout the ECHO. Survey data, school tobacco/nicotine policies, and action plans will be analyzed to assess process and final outcomes. Discussion If successful, this pilot will demonstrate that the ECHO model is an effective platform for building school staff knowledge and skills to implement evidence-based strategies in both urban and rural settings. It is anticipated that the pilot will build capacity and equip schools and school staff to address high rates of youth e-cigarette use by providing support for school-based prevention programs and referrals for e-cigarette cessation which will lessen the burden of nicotine-related problems in Kansas schools and communities. Finally, the pilot will provide evidence that the ECHO model can be successfully and equitably applied in a school setting and may be a viable method for addressing other public health-related issues faced by schools.
Continuous Absenteeism among Teachers Living with HIV/AIDS: Perceptions of School Principals

Abstract Education is an indispensable tool for total economic emancipation in Africa and elsewhere. Thus, it is a great cause for concern that teachers, who are the main drivers of education, are so strongly affected by HIV/AIDS. A large part of the profound impact of HIV/AIDS is felt in education and threatens the quality of education. The study reported on examined how principals are managing the challenges caused by absenteeism among teachers living with HIV/AIDS. A narrative inquiry design situated in the qualitative research approach was used together with narrative interviews to elicit qualitative data. The study was embedded within the social constructivist paradigm. Transformational leadership and ethics of care formed the theoretical framework of the study. The qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the data. The key findings reveal how principals maintain quality of instructional effectiveness through substituting sick and absent teachers using a relief system. They also support, empower and advise teachers. Principals should be provided with support from the Department of Education (DoE) to replace teachers timeously before teaching and learning are disrupted.
Protein translation paradox: Implications in translational regulation of aging

Protein translation is an essential cellular process playing key roles in growth and development. Protein translation declines over the course of age in multiple animal species, including nematodes, fruit flies, mice, rats, and even humans. In all these species, protein translation transiently peaks in early adulthood with a subsequent drop over the course of age. Conversely, lifelong reductions in protein translation have been found to extend lifespan and healthspan in multiple animal models. These findings raise the protein synthesis paradox: age-related declines in protein synthesis should be detrimental, but life-long reductions in protein translation paradoxically slow down aging and prolong lifespan. This article discusses the nature of this paradox and complies an extensive body of work demonstrating protein translation as a modulator of lifespan and healthspan.
Gimnasio de simulación quirúrgica: una herramienta educacional factible de entrenamiento continuo. Experiencia de un centro universitario

Introducción: Adquirir competencias en cirugía laparoscópica requiere completar largas curvas de aprendizaje que son susceptibles de acortarse mediante el entrenamiento simulado. Sin embargo, las instancias de formación de este tipo suelen ser breves, esporádicas y poco costo-efectivas. Como ocurre en otras disciplinas, contar con un formato de entrenamiento continuo a modo de "gimnasio" permitiría mejorar la adquisición de habilidades. Objetivos: Describir la implementación de un gimnasio quirúrgico donde realizar programas de aprendizaje laparoscópico dirigidos a profesionales laparoscopistas. material y métodos: Estudio descriptivo. Se implementó un espacio físico donde realizar entrenamiento tutorizado por instructores expertos en educación médica y laparoscopia. Se ofrecieron a los alumnos cuatro cursos de simulación para el desarrollo de habilidades básicas y avanzadas de laparoscopia y la posibilidad de asistir a entrenar bajo su propia disponibilidad de tiempo. Resultados: En siete años se han formado 435 personas en laparoscopia, todas ellas en laparoscopia básica, 240 en laparoscopia avanzada, 62 en el módulo de laparoscopia esofagogástrica y bariátrica (EGB) y 11 en laparoscopia hepatobiliar y pancreática (HBP). La evaluación por parte de los asistentes externos como residentes es positiva. Conclusiones: El establecimiento de un gimnasio de simulación para el desarrollo y mantenimiento de habilidades quirúrgicas es una opción factible y atractiva para residentes y cirujanos. AbstrAct
Computer Assisted Cervical Cytology

Automation and emerging information technologies are being adopted by cytology laboratories around the world to augment Pap test screening and improve diagnostic accuracy. Informatics, the application of computers and information systems to information management, is therefore essential for the successful operation of the cytopathology laboratory. This chapter describes how laboratory information management systems can be used to achieve an automated and seamless workflow process. The utilization of software, electronic databases and spreadsheets to perform necessary quality control measures will be discussed. The emerging role of computer assisted screening and application of digital imaging to the field of cervical cytology will be described, including telecytology and virtual microscopy. Finally, this chapter will reflect on the impact of online cytology resources and the emerging role of digital image cytometry.
The Fate of Accessory Minerals and Key Trace Elements During Anatexis and Magma Extraction

Granite genesis and crustal evolution are closely associated with partial melting in the lower or middle crust and extraction of granite magmas to upper crustal levels. This is generally thought to be the leading mechanism by which the upper continental crust became enriched in incompatible components such as the heat-producing elements U and Th through time. However, field evidence from anatectic terrains, the source rocks of granite magmas, raises doubt about the efficiency of this process. Leucosomes and associated leucogranites, representative of melts in such terrains, are often depleted in U, Th and REE compared to their source and therefore unable to enrich the upper crust in these elements. This paper demonstrates using anatectic turbidites exposed on Kangaroo Island that accessory minerals, the main hosts of U, Th and REE, become preferentially concentrated in the melanosomes, effectively removing these elements from the melt. Whole rock geochemistry and detailed petrography suggests that (1) peraluminous melts dissolve only small fractions of monazite and xenotime, because efficient apatite dissolution saturates melt early in phosphorous; and (2) local melt–host reaction emerging from melt migration may cause melt to crystallize in the magma extraction channelways in or close to the magma source region. Crystallization causes oversaturation of the magma triggering crystallization and capture of accessory minerals in the growing biotite-rich selvedge rather than in the melt channel itself. Crystallization of accessory minerals away from the leucosome explains the apparent under-saturation of elements hosted by these accessory minerals in the leucosome and leucogranites. While intense reworking of thick piles of turbidites, common in accretionary orogens, reflect important processes of crustal formation, the fate of accessory phases and the key elements they control, such as the heat producing elements U and Th, are strongly dependent on the interaction between melt and surrounding solids during segregation and extraction.
Neurobiological Effects of Context on Emotion Regulation

The ability to regulate emotions is a critical feature of healthy psychological functioning. It is therefore essential to understand under what conditions different emotion regulation strategies may or may not be effective. Neurobiological evidence suggests that certain contexts, including acute psychological stress and sleep deprivation, may impair emotion regulation ability. However, there is little data on the causal effects of these contexts on emotion regulation processing. In this dissertation, I present three studies that examine the neurobiological effects of stress and sleep deprivation on two emotion regulation strategies: cognitive reappraisal and affect labeling. In Paper 1, we induced acute psychosocial stress and measured its impact (relative to a control manipulation) on emotional responding during a cognitive reappraisal task while participants underwent fMRI. Findings revealed no evidence that stress modulated the effects of cognitive reappraisal on subjective or physiological measures of emotional responding. Modest effects of stress on reappraisal-related neural activation were observed in the prefrontal cortex and amygdala, but these relationships were statistically fragile. These findings were extended in Paper 2, in which we tested the effects of one night of total sleep deprivation on the same cognitive reappraisal task. Once again, results showed no evidence that the context manipulation (this time sleep deprivation) affected subjective, physiological, or neural responses to cognitive reappraisal. However, it was not the case that these null effects generalized to all types of
MASS: Microphone Array Speech Simulator in Room Acoustic Environment for Multi-Channel Speech Coding and Enhancement

Multi-channel speech coding and enhancement is an indispensable technology in speech communication. In order to verify the effectiveness of multi-channel speech coding and enhancement methods in the research and development, a microphone array speech simulator (MASS) used in room acoustic environment is proposed. The proposed MASS is the improvement and extension of the existing multi-channel speech simulator. It aims to simulate clean speech, noisy speech, clean speech with reverberation, noisy speech with reverberation, and noise signals by microphone array used for multi-channel coding and enhancement of speech signal in room acoustic environment. The experimental results of the multi-channel speech coding and enhancement prove that the MASS could well simulate the signals used in real room acoustic environment and can be applied to the research of the related fields.
Radio Network Planning towards 5G mmWave Standalone Small-Cell Architectures

The 5G radio networks have introduced major changes in terms of service requirements and bandwidth allocation compared to cellular networks to date and hence, they have made the fundamental radio planning problem even more complex. In this work, the focus is on providing a generic analysis for this problem with the help of a proper multi-objective optimization algorithm that considers the main constraints of coverage, capacity and cost for high-capacity scenarios that range from dense to ultra-dense mmWave 5G standalone small-cell network deployments. The results produced based on the above analysis demonstrate that the denser the small-cell deployment, the higher the area throughput, and that a sectored microcell configuration can double the throughput for ultra-dense networks compared to dense networks. Furthermore, dense 5G networks can actually have cell radii below 400 m and down to 120 m for the ultra-dense sectored network that also reached spectral efficiency 9.5 bps/Hz/Km2 with no MIMO or beamforming.
Predictive Systems: Role of Feature Selection in Prediction of Heart Disease

As per recent trends heart disease has become the major factor for untimely deaths. There are huge amounts of clinical data available from biomedical devices and various applications used by hospitals. Artificial Intelligence is rigorously being used in predicting conditions of heart patients. This is mainly achieved by machine learning where a model is trained with sample cases and is then used for prediction of the ailment as per data available from clinical tests of the patient. This paper focuses in analyzing the accuracy of various classification algorithms, when they are supervised by set of features. Feature selection plays an important role in eliminating redundant and irrelevant features and reduces the training cost and time of the predictive models. The classification algorithms, which have been analyzed include Naive Bayes, Random Forest, Extra Trees and Logistic regression which have been provided with selected features using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and Ridge regression. The accuracy of the classifiers shows remarkable improvement after using feature selection. The prediction has improved on an average by 33.3% using Lasso regression as compared to 30.73% using ridge regression.
AGA-SVR-based selection of feature subsets and optimization of parameter in regional soil salinization monitoring

ABSTRACT Salinization is a major eco-environmental threat in arid and semi-arid regions. Machine learning combined with salinization-related factors extracted from satellite images and Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data to monitor salinization is popular in recent years. The hyper-parameters referring to the parameters prior to fitting the model to the data and the features referring to the factors used for model establishment are vital to modelling accuracy, while the optimization of the above two was not given enough attention. In this study, we proposed a novel approach for simultaneously identifying the input features and hyper-parameters of Support Vector Regression (SVR) based on Adaptive Genetic Algorithm (AGA) for quantitative assessment of salinization in Weigan-Kuqa river delta oasis (Wei-Ku oasis), Sangong River Basin, and Qitai oasis of Xinjiang. First, a total of 41 salinization-related factors of 7 categories were extracted from Landsat 5 TM and DEM data. In each sub-region, the Pearson’s correlation analysis was developed between Soil Salt Content (SSC) and salinization-related factors, and the factors significantly correlated with SSC were arranged in descending order of absolute correlation coefficient to form the Candidate Feature Variables (CFVs). The ration of Coefficient of Determination (R2) and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) multiplied by 1000 was considered as the fitness function of Genetic Algorithm (GA) and AGA. The CFVs and hyper-parameters were combined together and binary coded, then brought into the AGA and GA for simultaneous feature selection and hyper-parameters optimization of SVR, and established salinization monitoring models (AGA-SVR, GA-SVR). In order to highlight the importance of identifying the input features and hyper-parameter to modelling accuracy, the GS-SVR with all the CFVs as input was established using Grid Search (GS) algorithm to optimize the hyper-parameters. Finally, the salinization maps predicted by three models were compared. The results showed that the sensitivity of salinization-related factors to SSC varied with regions, and 25, 16, 24 salinization-related factors were selected as CFVs in Wei-Ku oasis, Sangong River Basin, and Qitai oasis, respectively. Compared with GS-SVR, the GA-SVR and AGA-SVR got more accurate salinization monitoring with fewer features as input, and fitness generated by AGA-SVR increased by 25.968% in Wei-Ku oasis, 25.159% in Sangong River Basin, 27.568% in Qitai oasis, respectively. Both nature and human factors lead to salinization. The difference of Land Surface Temperature (LST) was the main contributor of different salinization between Wei-Ku oasis of southern Xinjiang and the other two sub-regions of northern Xinjiang. The differences in soil texture, irrigation methods, and livestock carrying capacity were the main factors resulting in differences of salinization in Qitai oasis and Sangong River Basin. Our study shows that the proposed approach can provide technical support for accurate salinization monitoring.
Contracting Blowback?: The Use of Violence by Private Security Companies and Insurgents during the Iraq War

Abstract This article assesses the influence of Private Security Companies’ (PSCs’) violence against insurgents and noncombatants on the frequency of insurgent attacks against PSCs during the 2004 to 2009 period of the Iraq War. It finds that PSC violence may have exerted fairly weak influence on short-term variations in the frequency with which insurgents attacked the firms. It also finds that variations in the frequency of insurgent attacks against PSCs may have been at least partly a side-effect of variations in the overall frequency of insurgent violence in Iraq that were, in turn, driven by events that were beyond the firms’ control.