Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Authentication of Fingerprint Biometrics Acquired using a cellphone Camera: a Review

Over the past decade, there have been dramatic increases in the usage of mobile phones in the world. Currently available smart mobile phones are capable of storing enormous amounts of personal information/data. The smart mobile phone is also capable of connecting to other devices, with the help of different applications. Consequently, with these connections comes the requirement of security to protect personal information. Nowadays, in many applications, a biometric fingerprint recognition system has been embedded as a primary security measure. To enable a biometric fingerprint recognition system in smart mobile phones, without any additional costs, a built-in high performance camera can be utilized. The camera can capture the fingerprint image and generate biometric traits that qualify the biometric fingerprint authentication approach. However, the images acquired by a mobile phone are entirely different from the images obtained by dedicated fingerprint sensors. In this paper, we present the current trend in biometric fingerprint authentication techniques using mobile phones and explore some of the future possibilities in this field.
Predicting the jitter of PLL-DLL Based frequency synthesizers

Phase Lock Loop (PLL) and Delay Locked Loops (DLLs) are major analog circuits used for many different communication applications such as frequency synthesizer, radio, computer, clock generation and recovery, global positioning system etc. This paper developed a methodical approach to calculate jitter of the PLL and DLL. The methodological nature of our approach would manifest itself in the development of a clear step-by-step procedure for the design of the constituent components of the same. Finally, jitter of DLL has been reduced by proposed technique.
The validity of violence risk estimates: An issue of item performance.

Typically, research conducted on the cross-validation or generalization of risk assessment schemes focuses on the aggregate score accuracy of the schemes within the new sample or population. Often overlooked when the schemes are examined in their aggregate form is the performance of the individual items. This study looks at the association between the items of the HCR-20 (C. D. Webster, K. S. Eaves, D. Douglas, & S. D. Wintrup, 1995) and the Violence Risk Appraisal Guide (VRAG;C. D. Webster, G. T. Harris, M. E. Rice, C. Cormier, & V. L. Quinsey, 1994) and violent recidivism in a sample of predominantly violent offenders. The results show that a number of the items from each scale do not distinguish between violent recidivists and nonrecidivists and that the presence of these items potentially reduces the predictive accuracy of the instruments. In addition, the inclusion of items that do not discriminate between recidivists and nonrecidivists potentially undermines the validity of the risk assessment process. Discussion centers on the application of prediction schemes and their individual risk factors in forensic practice.
Evaluation of Diffusion Tensor Imaging–Based Tractography of the Corticospinal Tract: A Correlative Study With Intraoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Direct Electrical Subcortical Stimulation

Background The accuracy of intraoperative diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)–based tractography of the corticospinal tract (CST) is crucial for its use in neurosurgical planning and its implementation in image-guided surgery. To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest prospective correlative study of the intraoperative DTI tractography of the CST and intraoperative direct electrical subcortical stimulation (DESS) of the CST, with application of intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (iMR). Objective To evaluate intraoperatively acquired DTI-based tractography of the CST in correlation with DESS. Methods Twenty patients with gliomas (grades II-IV) adjacent to the CST were included in this prospective study. Bilateral DTI tractography of the CST was performed pre- and intraoperatively with application of 1.5-T iMRI and the results correlated and compared with the prevailing gold standard of DESS. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were considered to quantify the correlation of DTI tractography with DESS. The intensity of DESS was correlated with the distance from the CST. Moreover, the tissue quality of stimulation points at the wall of the resection cavity was evaluated with 5-aminolevulinic acid. The clinical and volumetric outcomes at postoperative and follow-up periods were also analyzed. Results The mean ± SD age of the patients was 54.9 ± 12 years. A total of 40 CSTs were reconstructed and 36 stimulations were included at 20 pathological CSTs, resulting in 18 true-positive, 5 false-positive, and 13 true-negative responses. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of DTI tractography to localize the CST were 100%, 72%, 78%, and 100%, respectively. DTI-based tractography correlated well at 86% of DESSs, and a linear correlation was detected between the intensity of DESS and the distance. All of the patients improved clinically, and the mean extent of resection was 97.2%. 5-Aminolevulinic acid was valuable in visualizing tumor infiltration in the false-positive cases, suggesting an infiltration of the CST at stimulation points. Conclusion CST visualization in the iMRI setting appears to have a high sensitivity in accurately localizing the area of the CST adjacent to the resection cavity in glioma surgery. More prospective studies with a large sample size are needed to further support the results.
Evaluation of Rex Shunts

The purpose of the Rex shunt is to restore normal blood flow to a hemodynamically compromised liver that is otherwise normal. It has proven to be an effective treatment for children with extrahepatic portal vein thrombosis as in the case presented. The shunt allows blood from the superior mesenteric vein to bypass the obstructed extrahepatic portal vein and enter the liver through the still patent left portal vein. The operation is successful in more than 90% of patients. The name “Rex shunt” is derived from the location in the liver in which the shunt is placed, the area between segments three and four of the left lobe of the liver.
Systematic Variation Normalization in Microarray Data to Get Gene Expression Comparison Unbiased

Normalization removes or minimizes the biases of systematic variation that exists in experimental data sets. This study presents a systematic variation normalization (SVN) procedure for removing systematic variation in two channel microarray gene expression data. Based on an analysis of how systematic variation contributes to variability in microarray data sets, our normalization procedure includes background subtraction determined from the distribution of pixel intensity values from each data acquisition channel and log conversion, linear or non-linear regression, restoration or transformation, and multiarray normalization. In the case when a non-linear regression is required, an empirical polynomial approximation approach is used. Either the high terminated points or their averaged values in the distributions of the pixel intensity values observed in control channels may be used for rescaling multiarray datasets. These pre-processing steps remove systematic variation in the data attributable to variability in microarray slides, assay-batches, the array process, or experimenters. Biologically meaningful comparisons of gene expression patterns between control and test channels or among multiple arrays are therefore unbiased using normalized but not unnormalized datasets.
A Dimensionless Fit Measure for Phylogenetic Distance Trees

We present a dimensionless fit index for phylogenetic trees that have been constructed from distance matrices. It is designed to measure the quality of the fit of the data to a tree in absolute terms, independent of linear transformations on the distance matrix. The index can be used as an absolute measure to evaluate how well a set of data fits to a tree, or as a relative measure to compare different methods that are expected to produce the same tree. The usefulness of the index is demonstrated in three examples.
Broadband OPCPA pumped by ultra-narrowband gaseous iodine laser

Amplification of femtosecond pulses using an ultra-narrowband gaseous pulse laser was demonstrated for the first time. A single-shot sub-nanosecond iodine photodissociation laser with a bandwidth of 20 pm was used as a driver in an allstage OPCPA. An externally triggerable OPO tuned to laser line of 1315.24 nm was used in the front end of the iodine laser. Frequency tripled beam at 438 nm was used to pump parametric amplifiers, LBO and KDP crystals. The signal pulses from a Ti:sapphire laser at the central wavelength of 800 nm with a bandwidth of 70 nm (FWHM) were stretched from 12.5 fs to 250 ps and amplified by a factor of 2×108. The amplified pulses of typical bandwidth of 50 nm were compressed down to 27 fs. The output power of 0.5 TW was achieved. An optimized amplifier chain and addition of a third nonlinear crystal would enable to generate femtosecond pulses of several terawatts. The broadband pulses at 800 nm central wavelength were amplified in the KDP crystal for the first time, due to the suitable wavelength of the pump pulses. Availability of large aperture KDP crystals promises the generation of petawatt beam at kJ iodine laser facilities.
Unmet Needs for the Treatment of Moderate-to-Severe or Hospitalized Community-Acquired Pneumonia

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality, especially among patients >65 years old, those with comorbidities, and patients requiring hospital admission. For hospitalized patients with moderate/severe CAP, the bacterial etiology can be expansive, although Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and atypical pathogens are identified most commonly. The appearance of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus as a cause of severe CAP is concerning. Patient risk stratification and consideration of the most likely pathogens, coupled with knowledge of geographic susceptibility patterns, is essential to the empiric therapeutic decision process. New recommendations from the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the American Thoracic Society (IDSA/ATS), which provide empiric antimicrobial guidelines for CAP, suggest the use of “correct-spectrum” coverage, thereby reducing development of antimicrobial resistance and maintaining efficacy for newer classes of drugs. Despite unresolved controversies in the care of patients with moderate/severe CAP, few new antimicrobials are available to manage this potentially fatal condition.
Role of Pgrmc1 in estrogen maintenance of meiotic arrest in zebrafish oocytes through Gper/Egfr.

The regulation of receptor trafficking to the cell surface and its effect on responses of target cells to growth factors and hormones remain poorly understood. Initial evidence has been recently obtained using cancer cells that surface expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is dependent on its association with progesterone receptor membrane component 1 (PGRMC1). Estrogen inhibition of oocyte maturation (OM) in zebrafish is mediated through G-protein-coupled estrogen membrane receptor 1 (Gper1) and involves activation of Egfr. Therefore, in this study, the potential roles of Pgrmc1 in the cell surface expression and functions of Egfr in normal cells were investigated in this in vitro OM model of Egfr action using an inhibitor of PGMRC1 signaling, AG205. A single ∼60 kDa protein band, which corresponds to the size of the Pgrmc1 dimer, was detected on plasma membranes of fully grown oocytes by western blotting. Co-treatment with the PGRMC1 inhibitor AG205 (20 μM) blocked the inhibitory effects of 100 nM estradiol-17β and the GPER agonist, G-1, on spontaneous maturation of denuded zebrafish oocytes. Moreover, reversal of these estrogen effects on OM by the EGFR inhibitors AG1478 and AG825 (50 μM) was prevented by co-incubation with the PGRMC1 inhibitor. Inhibition of Pgrmc1 signaling with AG205 also caused a decrease in Egfr-dependent signaling and Egfr expression on oocyte cell membranes. These results indicate that maintenance of Pgrmc1 signaling is required for Egfr expression on zebrafish oocyte cell membranes and for conserving the functions of Egfr in maintaining meiotic arrest through estrogen activation of Gper.
Acsm’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 6th Edition

ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 6th Edition Author: ACSM, Bibliographic Data: (ISBN: 0-683-30355-4, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2000, $29.95) 13 chapters, 368 pages, Contributors, spiral bound cover Audiences: Exercise Specialists, Sports Medicine Specialists Subjects
Lactisole inhibits the glucose-sensing receptor T1R3 expressed in mouse pancreatic β-cells.

Glucose activates the glucose-sensing receptor T1R3 and facilitates its own metabolism in pancreatic β-cells. An inhibitor of this receptor would be helpful in elucidating the physiological function of the glucose-sensing receptor. The present study was conducted to examine whether or not lactisole can be used as an inhibitor of the glucose-sensing receptor. In MIN6 cells, in a dose-dependent manner, lactisole inhibited insulin secretion induced by sweeteners, acesulfame-K, sucralose and glycyrrhizin. The IC50 was ∼4 mmol/l. Lactisole attenuated the elevation of cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]c) evoked by sucralose and acesulfame-K but did not affect the elevation of intracellular cAMP concentration ([cAMP]c) induced by these sweeteners. Lactisole also inhibited the action of glucose in MIN6 cells. Thus, lactisole significantly reduced elevations of intracellular [NADH] and intracellular [ATP] induced by glucose, and also inhibited glucose-induced insulin secretion. To further examine the effect of lactisole on T1R3, we prepared HEK293 cells stably expressing mouse T1R3. In these cells, sucralose elevated both [Ca2+]c and [cAMP]c. Lactisole attenuated the sucralose-induced increase in [Ca2+]c but did not affect the elevation of [cAMP]c. Finally, lactisole inhibited insulin secretion induced by a high concentration of glucose in mouse islets. These results indicate that the mouse glucose-sensing receptor was inhibited by lactisole. Lactisole may be useful in assessing the role of the glucose-sensing receptor in mouse pancreatic β-cells.
The Acrobot® System for Robotic MIS Total Knee and Uni-Condylar Arthroplasty

The concept of the Acrobot® system is described. The technical details of the complete system are then outlined, including the pre-operative planner which incorporates 3D CT models together with CAD models of prostheses that can be used to plan the leg alignment, position the prostheses, plan the shape of the cuts required and generate the regions within which cuts must be constrained. The robotic system is also described, together with the methods for locating and clamping the patient. An outline is given of the means by which the preoperative model is registered or aligned to the intra-operative position of the patient and of the robot, without the need for fiducial markers. Post-operative results are given, for both total knee replacement and also for the more recent clinical trials using a minimally invasive robotic procedure for uni-condylar arthroplasty.
Efficient Inverse Kinematics Computation Based on Reachability Analysis

In this work we show how precomputed reachability information can be used to efficiently solve complex inverse kinematics (IK) problems such as bimanual grasping or re-grasping for humanoid robots. We present an integrated approach which generates collision-free IK solutions in cluttered environments while handling multiple potential grasping configurations for an object. Therefore, the spatial reachability of the robot's workspace is efficiently encoded by discretized data structures and sampling-based techniques are used to handle arbitrary kinematic chains. The algorithms are employed for single-handed and bimanual grasping tasks with fixed robot base position and methods are developed that allow to efficiently incorporate the search for suitable robot locations. The approach is evaluated in different scenarios with the humanoid robot ARMAR-III.
Can the Social robot Probo Help children with autism to Identify Situation-Based Emotions? A Series of Single Case Experiments

Children with autism spectrum disorders have difficulties in identifying situation-based emotions, which is a fundamental ability for mind reading. Social robots received increased attention as assisting tools for improving the social and emotional skills of children with autism. This study investigates whether the social robot Probo can help children with autism spectrum disorders to enhance their performance in identifying situation-based emotions. Three participants (age between 5 and 6) diagnozed with autism spectrum disorders were included in a single case AB experimental design, with intersubjects replications. The results show that children's performance improved with moderate to large effect sizes in identifying both sadness and happiness. Based on these results, we intend to perform more extensive investigations regarding the effectiveness of robot assisted therapy in improving social-emotional abilities for children with autism spectrum disorders.
Compliance Control and Human-Robot Interaction: Part 1 - Survey

Compliance control is highly relevant to human safety in human–robot interaction (HRI). This paper presents a review of various compliance control techniques. The paper is aimed to provide a good background knowledge for new researchers and highlight the current hot issues in compliance control research. Active compliance, passive compliance, adaptive and reinforcement learning-based compliance control techniques are discussed. This paper provides a comprehensive literature survey of compliance control keeping in view physical human robot interaction (pHRI) e.g., passing an object, such as a cup, between a human and a robot. Compliance control may eventually provide an immediate and effective layer of safety by avoiding pushing, pulling or clamping in pHRI. Emerging areas such as soft robotics, which exploit the deformability of biomaterial as well as hybrid approaches which combine active and passive compliance are also highlighted.
Human Action Recognition Based on Normalized Interest Points and Super-Interest Points

Visual-based human action recognition is currently one of the most active research topics in computer vision. The feature representation directly has a crucial impact on the performance of the recognition. Feature representation based on bag-of-words is popular in current research, but the spatial and temporal relationship among these features is usually discarded. In order to solve this issue, a novel feature representation based on normalized interest points is proposed and utilized to recognize the human actions. The novel representation is called super-interest point. The novelty of the proposed feature is that the spatial-temporal correlation between the interest points and human body can be directly added to the representation without considering scale and location variance of the points by introducing normalized points clustering. The novelty concerns three tasks. First, to solve the diversity of human location and scale, interest points are normalized based on the normalization of the human region. Second, to obtain the spatial-temporal correlation among the interest points, the normalized points with similar spatial and temporal distance are constructed to a super-interest point by using three-dimensional clustering algorithm. Finally, by describing the appearance characteristic of the super-interest points and location relationship among the super-interest points, a new feature representation is gained. The proposed representation formation sets up the relationship among local features and human figure. Experiments on Weizmann, KTH, and UCF sports dataset demonstrate that the proposed feature is effective for human action recognition.
Neural stem cells: balancing self-renewal with differentiation

Stem cells are captivating because they have the potential to make multiple cell types yet maintain their undifferentiated state. Recent studies of Drosophila and mammalian neural stem cells have shed light on how stem cells regulate self-renewal versus differentiation and have revealed the proteins, processes and pathways that all converge to regulate neural progenitor self-renewal. If we can better understand how stem cells balance self-renewal versus differentiation, we will significantly advance our knowledge of embryogenesis, cancer biology and brain evolution, as well as the use of stem cells for therapeutic purposes.
Designing Reservoirs for 1/t Decoherence of a Qubit

Anomalous decoherence in the Jaynes-Cummings model emerges for a certain class of bosonic reservoirs, described by spectral densities with a band gap edge frequency coinciding with the qubit transition frequency. The special reservoirs are piecewise similar to those usually adopted in quantum optics, i.e., sub-ohmic at low frequencies and inverse power laws at high frequencies. The exact dynamics of the qubit is described analytically through Fox H-functions. Over estimated long time scales, decoherence results in inverse power laws with powers decreasing continuously to unity, according to the particular choice of the special reservoir. The engineering reservoir approach is a new way of strongly delaying the decoherence process with possible applications to quantum technologies, due to the simple form of the designed reservoirs.
Life-cycle-generation-specific developmental processes are modified in the immediate upright mutant of the brown alga Ectocarpus siliculosus

Development of the sporophyte and gametophyte generations of the brown alga E. siliculosus involves two different patterns of early development, which begin with either a symmetric or an asymmetric division of the initial cell, respectively. A mutant, immediate upright (imm), was isolated that exhibited several characteristics typical of the gametophyte during the early development of the sporophyte generation. Genetic analyses showed that imm is a recessive, single-locus Mendelian factor and analysis of gene expression in this mutant indicated that the regulation of a number of life-cycle-regulated genes is specifically modified in imm mutant sporophytes. Thus, IMM appears to be a regulatory locus that controls part of the sporophyte-specific developmental programme, the mutant exhibiting partial homeotic conversion of the sporophyte into the gametophyte, a phenomenon that has not been described previously.
Blastocyst lineage formation, early embryonic asymmetries and axis patterning in the mouse

The investigation into lineage allocation and early asymmetries in the pre- and peri-implantation mouse embryo is gaining momentum. As we review here, new insights have been gained into the cellular and molecular events that lead to the establishment of the three lineages of the blastocyst, to the determination of the origin and the fates of the visceral endoderm in the peri-implantation mouse embryo, and to the generation of cellular and molecular activities that accompany the emergence of asymmetries in the pre-gastrulation embryo. We also discuss the continuing debate that surrounds the relative impacts of early lineage bias versus the stochastic allocation of cells with respect to the events that pattern the blastocyst and initiate its later asymmetries.