Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ICT-TR-01-2012 : Measurement-Based Synthesis of Facial Microgeometry

We present a technique for generating microstructure-level facial geometry by augmenting a mesostructure-level facial scan with detail synthesized from a set of exemplar skin patches scanned at much higher resolution. We use constrained texture synthesis based on image analogies to increase the resolution of the facial scan in a way that is consistent with the scanned mesostructure. We digitize the exemplar patches with a polarization-based computational illumination technique which considers specular reflection and single scattering. The recorded microstructure patches can be used to synthesize full-facial microstructure detail for either the same subject or to a different subject. We show that the technique allows for greater realism in facial renderings including more accurate reproduction of skin’s specular roughness and anisotropic reflection effects.
Tailor-made RNAi knockdown against triplet repeat disease-causing alleles

Nucleotide variations, including SNPs, in the coding regions of disease genes are important targets for RNAi treatment, which is a promising medical treatment for intractable diseases such as triplet repeat diseases. However, the identification of such nucleotide variations and the design of siRNAs conferring disease allele-specific RNAi are quite difficult. In this study we developed a pull-down method to rapidly identify coding SNP (cSNP) haplotypes of triple repeat, disease-causing alleles, and we demonstrated disease allele-specific RNAi that targeted cSNP sites in mutant Huntingtin alleles, each of which possessed a different cSNP haplotype. Therefore, the methods presented here allow for allele-specific RNAi knockdown against disease-causing alleles by using siRNAs specific to disease-linked cSNP haplotypes, and advanced progress toward tailor-made RNAi treatments for triplet repeat diseases.
Virtual Libraries and Education in Virtual Worlds: Twenty-First Century Library Services

As the use of the Internet and time spent on the Internet by individuals grows, and the use of virtual worlds like Active Worlds and Second Life increases, the library needs to have an interactive place and role in these worlds as well as a bricks and mortar space. This article provides an overview of what some libraries are doing in these worlds, especially on a collaborative library project in Second Life that was set up by two of the authors, Bell and Pope. The authors discuss and share successes and challenges with the project, how libraries are very relevant in these worlds, and how they can create partnerships with educators.
Assessment360: A Promising Assessment Technique for Preservice Teacher Education

The call for preservice teachers to exercise reflective practices has echoed through U.S. education policy and research for a number of years and is evident in U.S. preservice teaching standards. As a result, educator preparation programs are challenged to design learning experiences and assessments that foster reflection skills. This study describes a promising assessment technique, named Assessment360, which can be implemented during coursework to prepare future teachers to be reflective practitioners. Assessment360 is a formative assessment technique in which students reflect on the content of a quiz individually and collaboratively in order to develop a deeper and more integrated understanding of the material. Thirty-one preservice education students enrolled in an undergraduate educational psychology course participated in this research. Results of the questionnaire suggested participation in Assessment360 potentially (a) fostered reflection, (b) encouraged peer interaction and learning (i.e., collaboration), and (c) promoted timely and frequent feedback. Implications and significance are discussed.
Perimeter and plug effects in deep sub-micron polysilicon emitter bipolar transistors

The scaling limits of nonplanar polysilicon emitters are studied by fabricating and measuring NPN transistors with emitter depths between 10 nm and 25 nm, with emitter widths down to 0.2 &mu;m, and with an epitaxial base as narrow as 50 nm. Excellent device characteristics can be achieved for an emitter depth of 25 nm. Transistors with shallower emitters are degraded by an arsenic depletion at the emitter perimeter and by plugging of the polysilicon in very narrow emitters. The dopant depletion at the perimeter for wide and plugged emitters has been verified by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) measurements. Additional rapid thermal annealing (RTA) gives more uniform dopant distribution and a nondegraded transistor with a 0.2 &mu;m-wide, 20 nm-deep poly emitter. It is thought desirable to scale down the emitter poly thickness, to reduce the emitter topography, or to use in situ doping in order to overcome the perimeter and plug effects in very narrow bipolar transistors
New results in dissipativity of uncontrollable systems and Lyapunov functions

Dissipative systems have played an important role in the analysis and synthesis of dynamical systems. The commonly used definition of dissipativity often requires an assumption on the controllability of the system. However, it is very natural to think of Lyapunov functions as storage functions for autonomous systems with power supplied to the system equal to zero. We use a definition of dissipativity that is slightly different (and less often used in the literature) to study a linear, time-invariant, possibly uncontrollable dynamical system. This paper contains various results in the context of uncontrollable dissipative systems that smoothly bridge the gap between storage functions for controllable dissipative systems and Lyapunov functions for autonomous systems. We provide a necessary and sufficient condition for an uncontrollable system to be strictly dissipative with respect to a supply rate under the assumption that the uncontrollable poles are not “mixed”; i.e., no pair of uncontrollable poles is symmetric about the imaginary axis: this condition is known to be related to the solvability of a Lyapunov equation. We show that for an uncontrollable system the set of storage functions is unbounded, and that the unboundedness arises precisely due to the set of Lyapunov functions for an autonomous linear system being unbounded. Further, we show that stabilizability of a system results in this unbounded set becoming bounded from below. Positivity of storage functions is known to be very important for stability considerations because the maximum stored energy that can be drawn out is bounded when the storage function is positive. In this paper we establish the link between stabilizability of an uncontrollable system and existence of positive definite storage functions. In the context of autonomous systems, we prove that the Lyapunov operator is onto if and only if its image has observable symmetric rank one matrices.
CD8α2 CD11b+ Dendritic Cells Present Exogenous Virus-like Particles to CD8+ T Cells and Subsequently Express CD8α and CD205 Molecules

Recombinant porcine parvovirus virus-like particles (PPV-VLPs) are particulate exogenous antigens that induce a strong, specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) response in the absence of adjuvant. In the present report, we demonstrate in vivo that dendritic cells (DCs) present PPV-VLPs to CD8+ T cells after intracellular processing. PPV-VLPs are captured by DCs with a high efficacy, which results in the delivery of these exogenous antigens to 50% of the whole spleen DC population. In vivo, a few hours after injection, PPV-VLPs are presented exclusively to CD8+ T cells by CD8α− DCs, whereas 15 hours later they are presented mainly by CD8α+ DCs. After PPV-VLPs processing, a fraction of CD11b+ DCs undergo phenotypic changes, i.e., the up-regulation of CD8α and CD205 and the loss of CD4 molecules on their surface. The failure to detect mRNA coding for CD8α in CD11b+ DCs suggests that CD8α expression by these cells is not due to de novo synthesis. In recombination-activating gene knockout mice (Rag−/−), CD11b+ DCs did not express CD8α and PPV-VLPs presentation by CD8α+ DCs was severely diminished. These results indicate that both CD8α− and CD8α+ DCs play an important role in the induction of CTL responses by exogenous antigens, such as VLP.
Evolution of vertebrate retinal photoreception

Recent findings shed light on the steps underlying the evolution of vertebrate photoreceptors and retina. Vertebrate ciliary photoreceptors are not as wholly distinct from invertebrate rhabdomeric photoreceptors as is sometimes thought. Recent information on the phylogenies of ciliary and rhabdomeric opsins has helped in constructing the likely routes followed during evolution. Clues to the factors that led the early vertebrate retina to become invaginated can be obtained by combining recent knowledge about the origin of the pathway for dark re-isomerization of retinoids with knowledge of the inability of ciliary opsins to undergo photoreversal, along with consideration of the constraints imposed under the very low light levels in the deep ocean. Investigation of the origin of cell classes in the vertebrate retina provides support for the notion that cones, rods and bipolar cells all originated from a primordial ciliary photoreceptor, whereas ganglion cells, amacrine cells and horizontal cells all originated from rhabdomeric photoreceptors. Knowledge of the molecular differences between cones and rods, together with knowledge of the scotopic signalling pathway, provides an understanding of the evolution of rods and of the rods' retinal circuitry. Accordingly, it has been possible to propose a plausible scenario for the sequence of evolutionary steps that led to the emergence of vertebrate photoreceptors and retina.
Aggressive Metastatic Translocation Renal Carcinoma in a 23-year-old Man

Translocation renal carcinomas are a rare subtype of renal cell carcinoma that typically occurs in young patients, especially those who have received prior chemotherapy. We present the case of a 23-year-old man with abdominal pain, nausea vomiting and neck swelling. Contrast enhanced computed tomography (CECT) of the neck, chest, abdomen and pelvis showed extensive left supraclavicular adenopathy, as well as extensive retroperitoneal adenopathy, displacing the pancreas superiorly, as well as encasing the aorta.
A system of abnormal behaviour detection in aerial surveillance

Aerial Video-Surveillance systems are being more and more used in security applications. The analysis and detection of abnormal behaviours in a aerial sequence has progressively drawn the attention in the field of public area security, since it allows filtering out a large number of useless information, which guarantees the high efficiency in the security protection, and save a lot of human and material resources. We present in this paper an intelligent video-surveillance framework for abnormal behaviour detection in aerial video surveillance. This framework is attended to be able to achieve real-time alarming, in public areas. This architecture takes into consideration four main challenges: behaviour understanding in public area, aerial video challenges, unstable video and contextual-based adaptability to recognize the active context of the scene.
Resource competition and adaptive radiation in a microbial microcosm

Theory predicts that competition for shared resources in a monomorphic population generates divergent selection for adaptation to alternative resources. Experimental tests of this hypothesis are scarce. We selected populations of the bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens in spatially homogeneous microcosms containing a complex mixture of resources. Initially, all populations consisted of two isogenic clones. The outcome of selection was the evolution of a diverse community of genotypes within each population. Sympatric genotypes exhibited differentiation in metabolic traits related to resource acquisition and frequency-dependent trade-offs in competitive ability, as we would expect if different genotypes consumed different resources. These results are consistent with the hypothesis of adaptive radiation driven by resource competition. Reconciling the results of this study with those of earlier experiments provides a new interpretation of the ecological causes of adaptive radiation in microbial microcosms.
Visual Face Tracking: A Coarse-to-Fine Target State Estimation

Keypoint-based methods are used in visual tracking applications. These methods often model the target as a collection of keypoint descriptors. Target localization on subsequent frames is thus a complex task that involves detecting keypoints, computing descriptors, matching features, and checking match consistency to update the reference model adequately and avoid tracker drifts. This work aims to boost keypoint tracking efficiency while reducing complexity by a coarse-to-fine state estimation to track human faces. In this context, we present a novel face tracking algorithm combining color distribution and keypoints to model the target. Our tracking strategy is based on a color model to predict a coarse state where the target search should be performed using keypoints. The fine estimation of the target state is then made by matching candidate keypoints with those of a reference appearance model that evolves during the tracking procedure. Qualitative and quantitative evaluations conducted on a number of challenging video clips demonstrate the validity of the proposed method and its competitiveness with state of the art trackers.
Improving Energy Efficiency and Reducing Code Size with RISC-V Compressed

Delivering the instruction stream can be the largest source of energy consumption in a processor, yet loosely-encoded RISC instruction sets are wasteful of instruction bandwidth. Aiming to improve the performance and energy efficiency of the RISC-V ISA, this thesis proposes RISC-V Compressed (RVC), a variable-length instruction set extension. RVC is a superset of the RISC-V ISA, encoding the most frequent instructions in half the size of a RISCV instruction; the remaining functionality is still accessible with full-length instructions. RVC programs are 25% smaller than RISC-V programs, fetch 25% fewer instruction bits than RISCV programs, and incur fewer instruction cache misses. Its code size is competitive with other compressed RISCs. RVC is expected to improve the performance and energy per operation of RISC-V.
LIETUVIŠKOJI ZIMBARDO LAIKO PERSPEKTYVOS KLAUSIMYNO (ZTPI) VERSIJA

Straipsnyje pristatoma Zimbardo laiko perspektyvos klausimyno (ZTPI) lietuviskoji versija ir jos psichometrinės charakteristikos. Atlikti keturi tyrimai (1529 dalyviai) siekiant įvertinti konstrukto bei konvergentinį validumą ir kitas psichometrines charakteristikas. Patvirtinanciosios faktorinės analizės metu gauti tokie tinkamumo indeksai: chi kvadratas = 3262,546; df = 1474; p < 0,001; chi kvardatas / df = 2,216; RMSEA = 0,044; CFI = 0,666; TLI = 0,651, jie yra priimtini, isskyrus CFI ir TLI reiksmes. Visos gautos subskalių Cronbacho alpha reiksmės virsijo 0,7, isskyrus pozityvios praeities subskale. Pozityvios praeities subskalės Cronbacho alpha koeficiento reiksmė lygi 0,634. Atlikto tyrimo rezultatai rodo, kad lietuviska ZTPI versija pasižymi nors ir neidealiomis, bet priimtinomis psichometrinėmis charakteristikomis ir esmingai nesiskiria nuo originalo ir kitose salyse darytų adaptacijų. Pagrindiniai žodžiai: laiko perspektyva, ZTPI, lietuviska ZTPI versija. The Lithuanian Version of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI) Audronė Liniauskaitė, Antanas Kairys Summary The article presents the process of adaptation of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZPTI) in Lithuania and the psychometric characteristics of the Lithuanian ZTPI version. To assess the construct and its convergent validity, as well as other psychometric characteristics, four studies with the participation of 1529 respondents were conducted. By means of confirmatory factor analysis, the following goodness of fit indices were obtained: Chi-square = 3262.546; df = 1474; p < 0.001; Chi-square/df = 2.216; RMSEA = 0.044; CFI = 0.666; TLI = 0.651. All of them were acceptable, except for the values of CFI and TLI. All the obtained subscale Cronbach alpha values exceeded 0.7, with the exception of Past Positive. The value of the Past Positive Cronbach‘s alpha coefficient was 0.634. The findings of the study have shown quite acceptable psychometric characteristics of the Lithuanian ZTPI version which does not essentially differ from the original or its adaptations in other countries. Key words: time perspective, ZTPI, Lithuanian ZPTI version.
Matrilysin (Matrix Metalloproteinase-7) Expression in Human Junctional Epithelium

Matrilysin is a matrix metalloproteinase expressed in exocrine and mucosal epithelium in many human tissues. Immunohistochemical staining showed that matrilysin is expressed in suprabasal cells of junctional epithelium facing the teeth and in epithelial cell rests of Malassez. No matrilysin expression was seen in the periodontal pocket tissue. In a tissue culture model mimicking junctional epithelium, matrilysin expression was also observed in suprabasal epithelial cells. Of 13 anaerobic oral bacterial species tested, F. nucleatum, F. necrophorum, P. endodontalis, and P. denticola stimulated matrilysin expression in porcine periodontal ligament epithelial cells from 2.5- to 5.7-fold, compared with untreated cells. The enzyme was localized in intracytoplasmic vesicles that also reacted with antibodies against lysosomal membrane protein h-lamp-1. The results indicate that matrilysin may play an important role in the normal physiology of junctional epithelium.
Estudio conductual y fisiológico de la conducta agonística tras el traslado de seis grupos de Monos Rhesus

There is considerable interest in the study of stress and aggression in primates as a model for their interpretation in humans. Despite methodological and interpretational problems associated with behavioural and physiological measurement and definition, a considerable body of literature exists on these phenomena in primates. In the course of reviewing this literature we examine examples of many of the sources of variation in stress and aggression, including species identity, sex, age, breeding and social status, individual temperament, background, learning and resource distribution. This is followed by an examination of the interaction between stress and aggression before reviewing the most important areas in which changes in both stress and aggression are measured. In particular we examine those studies covering social aspects of an animal’s life, specifically relating to social isolation, crowding as well as group formation, composition and instability. This review reveals the complex and often contradictory nature of relationships, not just between an animal’s physiology and its behaviour, but between its stress status and display or receipt of aggression. q 2005 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Maximum-Variance Total Variation Denoising for Interpretable Spatial Smoothing

We consider the problem of spatial regression where interpretability of the model is a high priority. Such problems appear frequently in a diverse set of fields from climatology to epidemiology to predictive policing. For cognitive, logistical, and organizational reasons, humans tend to infer regions or neighborhoods of constant value, often with sharp discontinuities between regions, and then assign resources on a per-region basis. Automating this smoothing process presents a unique challenge for spatial smoothing algorithms, which tend to assume stationarity and smoothness everywhere. To address this problem, we propose Maximum Variance Total Variation (MVTV) denoising, a novel method for interpretable nonlinear spatial regression. MVTV divides the feature space into blocks of constant value and smooths the value of all blocks jointly via a convex optimization routine. Our method is fully data-adaptive and incorporates highly robust routines for tuning all hyperparameters automatically. We compare our approach against the existing CART and CRISP methods via both a complexity-accuracy tradeoff metric and a human study, demonstrating that that MVTV is a more powerful and interpretable method.
ÖRGÜT-ÇEVRE İLİŞKİSİNDE YENİ PERSPEKTİF ARAYIŞI: DİNAMİK ÖRGÜTSEL ÇEVRE VE ÖRGÜTSEL DOKU

Bu calismada, orgut-cevre iliskisini aciklamada, kurumsalci kuram, kaynak bagimliligi kurami ve nufus ekolojisi kurami sentezlenmeye calisilmistir. Sentezleme cabasinin bir sonucu olarak kuramlarin tek baslarina orgut-cevre iliskisini aciklamada onemli eksiklikleri bulundugu, bir arada dusunulduklerinde de orgut-cevre iliskisine tek yonlu ve disaridan baktiklari icin tam anlamiyla aciklayici olamadiklari gorulmustur. Bu konudaki eksikligi gidermek ve orgut-cevre iliskisine baska bir perspektiften, yani orgutun icerisinden bakmak amaciyla dinamik orgutsel cevre ve orgutsel doku kavramlari onerilmis ve tartisilmistir. Bu kavramlarin, orgut-cevre iliskisini aciklamaya yardimci olacagi sonucuna varilmistir.
The Ethical Implications of an Elite Press

Newspaper publishers are well into the process of bifurcating what once was a single mass-market product. Particularly for larger papers, website versions are taking over the mass-market role, while remaining print products are moving toward targeting a much smaller and more elite readership. This article explores theoretical and ethical issues raised by such a two-tiered newspaper structure and suggests directions for empirical study. Broadly, concerns center on the widening knowledge gap between print and online newspaper readers and its implications for civic discourse and democratic vitality. More narrowly, issues encompass a potential bifurcation of normative standards, including diverging markers of credibility, accuracy, and privacy.
A fast, easy circumcision procedure combining a CO2 laser and cyanoacrylate adhesive: a non-randomized comparative trial

ABSTRACT Background Circumcision is performed as a routine operation in many countries, more commonly for religious and cultural reasons than for indicated conditions, such as phimosis and balanitis. There are many techniques available, and recently electrocautery and both Nd:YAG and CO2 lasers, instead of blades, have been used for skin and mucosal incisions. However, the infection risk in circumcisions performed using a CO2 laser was 10% higher. There are also reports of sutureless procedures using cyanoacrylate, but these have higher risks of hematoma and hemorrhage. We combined a CO2 laser and cyanoacrylate to shorten the operation time and to decrease bleeding complications. Materials and Methods : Circumcisions were performed under general anesthesia with CO2 laser and cyanoacrylate combination in 75 6–9-year-old boys between May 2013 and August 2014 only for religious reasons. As a control, we compared them retrospectively with 75 age-matched patients who were circumcised using the conventional guillotine method in our clinic. Results No hematomas, bleeding, or wound infections were observed. One wound dehiscence (1.33%) occurred during the early postoperative period and healed without any additional procedures. The median operating time was 7 (range 6–9) minutes. The conventional guillotine group comprised one hematoma (1.3%), two wound dehiscences (2.6%), and two hemorrhages (2.6%), and the median operating time was 22 (range 20–26) minutes. The difference in surgical time was significant (p<0.001), with no significant difference in the rate of complications between the two groups. Conclusion The combined CO2 laser and cyanoacrylate procedure not only decreased the operating time markedly, but also eliminated the disadvantages associated with each individual procedure alone.