Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Securing Life: The Emerging Practices of Biosecurity

In this paper we review recent social science work on the issue of biosecurity and suggest ways in which geographers and social scientists can approach and intervene in current biosecurity practices. Our argument is that it is both useful and necessary to locate and intervene at sites where the ordering of biomatters is open to doubt and/or contestation. We pitch discourses of biological immanence and emergence against forms of social science thinking which tend to trace overarching logics or seemingly unstoppable forces in matters of power and politics. While acknowledging the import of both literatures, our aim is to engage with the fraught empirical practicalities of making biomatters secure in order to bring to the fore the ways in which life matters are patterned by any number of processes and the ways in which these patterns are always conditional on sociomaterial contingencies.
Using the GPU for fast symmetry-based dense stereo matching in high resolution images

SymStereo is a new algorithm used for stereo estimation. Instead of measuring photo-similarity, it proposes novel cost functions that measure symmetry for evaluating the likelihood of two pixels being a match. In this work we propose a parallel approach of the LogN matching cost variant of SymStereo capable of processing pairs of images in real-time for depth estimation. The power of the graphics processing units utilized allows exploring more efficiently the bank of log-Gabor wavelets developed to analyze symmetry, in the spectral domain. We analyze tradeoffs and propose different parameter-izations of the signal processing algorithm to accommodate image size, dimension of the filter bank, number of wavelets and also the number of disparities that controls the space density of the estimation, and still process up to 53 frames per second (fps) for images with size 288 × 384 and up to 3 fps for 768 × 1024 images.
Research and teaching with police: a canadian example

La contribution des psychologues au developpement des programmes d'etudes et a la formation de l'Academie de Police de British Columbia est analysee d'une maniere critique. Deux themes de recherche ont ete poursuivis en collaboration avec des stagiaires de cette institution. Un ensemble d'etudes a demontre la valeur de la formation des policiers lorsqu'ils interviennent dans des conflits familiaux. Le deuxieme groupe d'etudes a examine les effets de la formation et de l'experience au point de vue de la capacite des policiers en tant que temoins oculaires. Les policiers avec formation ont surpasses leurs collegues sans formation vis-a-vis de la qualite des temoignages et de leur quantite
Influence of aeration on hydrophobic organic contaminant distribution and diffusive flux in estuarine sediments.

Dredging operations, resuspension events during storms, and bioturbation alter the oxic state of estuarine sediments and induce changes in the composition of dissolved and particle-associated natural organic matter. These changes may alter the distribution of hydrophobic organic chemicals (HOCs) in sediments and their diffusive flux across the sediment-water interface. In this study, the impact of aerating anoxic sediments on the distribution and diffusive flux of a model HOC, 2,2',4,4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl (TeCB), was investigated. Anoxic estuarine sediments collected from three sites along a salinity gradient were used to determine site-specific apparent sorption coefficients for porewater dissolved organic carbon (Kpwdoc) and sediment organic carbon (Koc) under anoxic and oxic conditions. A two-compartment sediment flux model was employed to examine the diffusive flux of TeCB under both oxic states. Aeration of anoxic porewaters resulted in significant decreases in porewater dissolved organic matter (DOMpw) aromaticity as indicated by declines in molar absorptivity at 254 nm (p < 0.005). Aeration also resulted in a 9-13% decrease in DOMpw concentration (p < 0.005) at the two sites exhibiting lower ionic strengths; the high ionic strength site did not exhibit a significant change in DOMpw concentration (p > 0.10). The impact of aeration on TeCB distribution and diffusive flux appeared to be site-specific. Aeration of anoxic sediments induced a significant 1.4 log unit reduction in Kpwdoc at the lowest ionic strength site (p < 0.0005), while sediments from the intermediate ionic strength site exhibited a significant 0.6 log unit increase (p < 0.005). No significant change in sorption to DOMpw was observed for the high ionic strength site (p > 0.10). The sediment displaying the drop in Kpwdoc also exhibited a significant 0.4 log unit drop in Koc (p < 0.01), while the other two sites did not exhibit significant aeration-induced changes in sorption to particle-associated organic matter (p > 0.10). No significant change in diffusive flux was observed for two sites (p > 0.10), while a significant 89-110 mg m(-2) yr(-1) increase in diffusive flux was observed at the low ionic strength site (p < 0.10). This latter result represented approximately a doubling in diffusive flux. In the systems studied, facilitation of TeCB transport across the sediment-water interface by organic colloids did not appear important.
Instrumental Variable Methods for the Estimation of Test Score Reliability

The method of Instrumental Variables is suggested as an alternative to traditional methods for estimating the reliability of mental test scores which avoids certain drawbacks of these methods. The consistency and efficiency of the instrumental variable method are examined empirically using data from the British National Child Development Study in an analysis of 16 year, 11 year and 7 year old scores on tests of mathematics and reading.
Prediction of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality with central haemodynamics: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIMS To calculate robust quantitative estimates on the predictive value of central pressures and derived central haemodynamic indices for cardiovascular (CV) outcomes and all-cause mortality by meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. METHODS AND RESULTS We meta-analysed 11 longitudinal studies that had employed measures of central haemodynamics and had followed 5648 subjects for a mean follow-up of 45 months. The age- and risk-factor-adjusted pooled relative risk (RR) of total CV events was 1.088 (95% CI 1.040-1.139) for a 10 mmHg increase of central systolic pressure, 1.137 (95% CI 1.063-1.215) for a 10 mmHg increase of central pulse pressure (PP), and 1.318 (95% CI 1.093-1.588) for a 10% absolute increase of central augmentation index (AIx). Furthermore, we found that a 10% increase of central AIx was associated with a RR of 1.384 (95% CI 1.192-1.606) for all-cause mortality. When compared with brachial PP, central PP was associated with marginally but not significantly higher RR of clinical events (P = 0.057). CONCLUSION Central haemodynamic indexes are independent predictors of future CV events and all-cause mortality. Augmentation index predicts clinical events independently of peripheral pressures, while central PP has a marginally but not significantly (P = 0.057) better predictive ability when compared with peripheral PP.
Reliabilities and Validities of the Mood Questionnaire

Scales were constructed for a 40-item mood questionnaire administered to a sample of 1140 Navy recruits. The questionnaire was shown to be similar to others in content and reliabilities. Construct, concurrent and predictive validities of the scales with several criteria in a number of testing situations are also presented. The findings emphasize the usefulness of this questionnaire as a criterion measure or as a predictor of objective behavioral criteria under field-testing conditions.
Some Exact Solutions of a Heat Wave Type of a Nonlinear Heat Equation

The exact solutions of the nonlinear heat (porous medium) equation are constructed. We obtain a new class of the heat wave type solutions the construction of which is reduced to the Cauchy problems for nonlinear second order differential equations with a singularity. For these problems we prove a new existence and uniqueness theorem in the class of analytic functions. A special case of the heat wave front is considered in details. The results of numerical experiments are presented and discussed.
CSF neurofilament light chain reflects corticospinal tract degeneration in ALS

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is sensitive to white matter tract pathology. A core signature involving the corticospinal tracts (CSTs) has been identified in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Raised neurofilament light chain protein (NfL) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is thought to reflect axonal damage in a range of neurological disorders. The relationship between these two measures was explored.
High Dimensional Rank Tests for Sphericity

Sphericity test plays a key role in many statistical problems. We propose Spearman's rho-type rank test and Kendall's tau-type rank test for sphericity in the high dimensional settings. We show that these two tests are equivalent. Thanks to the "blessing of dimension", we do not need to estimate any nuisance parameters. Without estimating the location parameter, we can allow the dimension to be arbitrary large. Asymptotic normality of these two tests are also established under elliptical distributions. Simulations demonstrate that they are very robust and efficient in a wide range of settings.
Laser scanning based diagonal of the deployed region localization scheme for wireless sensor networks

we formally describe, simulate and evaluate a novel localization algorithm, called laser-scan in this paper. The scheme uses an assistant-aware mobile device with the band of laser scanning and sends identity signal to obtain the locations of sensor nodes based the diagonal of the deployed region movement. We demonstrate that a high accuracy in localization can be achieved without the aid of expensive hardware on the sensor nodes, as required by other localization systems. The experiment shows that the scheme's localization precision arrives to sub-meter and saves energy.
Secrecy in MIMO Networks With No Eavesdropper CSIT

We consider two fundamental multi-user channel models: the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wiretap channel with one helper (WTH) and the MIMO multiple access wiretap (MAC-WT) channel. In each case, the eavesdropper has <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$K$ </tex-math></inline-formula> antennas while the remaining terminals have <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$N$ </tex-math></inline-formula> antennas each. We consider a fast fading channel where the channel state information (CSI) of the legitimate receiver is available at the transmitters but no CSI at the transmitters (CSIT) is available for the eavesdropper’s channel. We determine the optimal sum secure degrees of freedom (s.d.o.f.) for each channel model for the regime <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$K\leq N$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, and show that in this regime, the MAC-WT channel reduces to the WTH in the absence of eavesdropper CSIT. For the regime <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$N\leq K\leq 2N$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, we obtain the optimal <italic>linear</italic> s.d. o.f. , and show that the MAC-WT channel and the WTH have the same optimal s.d. o.f. when restricted to linear encoding strategies. In the absence of any such restrictions, we provide an upper bound for the sum s.d. o.f. of the MAC-WT channel in the regime <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$N\leq K\leq 2N$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. Our results show that unlike in the single-input single-output case, there is loss of s.d. o.f. for even the WTH due to lack of eavesdropper CSIT when <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$K\geq N$ </tex-math></inline-formula>.
The Predictive Power of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development and the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test in a Relatively Constant Environment.

RAMEY, CRAIG T. ; CAMPBELL, FRANCES A. ; and NICHOLSON, JANET E. The Predictive Power of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development and the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test in a Relatively Constant Environment. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1973, 44, 790-795. 24 children who were enrolled in a day-care center were followed longitudinally until they were 36 months of age. The Bayley Scales of Infant Development, the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale, and the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities (ITPA) were administered at periodic intervals. Results indicated that the Mental Development Index became more predictive over time; whereas the Psychomotor Development Index became progressively less predictive. These results were obtained both for Stanford-Binet performance and for the ITPA. Generally, predictions were much higher than those previously reported and are interpreted with reference to a relatively constant environment hypothesis.
Negative-voting and class ranking based on local discriminant embedding for image retrieval

In this paper, we propose a novel image retrieval system by using negative-voting and class ranking schemes to find similar images for a query image. In our approach, the image features are projected onto a new feature space that maximizes the precision of image retrieval. The system involves learning a projection matrix for local discriminant embedding, generating class ordering distribution from a negative-voting scheme, and providing image ranking based on class ranking comparison. The evaluation of mean average precision (mAP) on the Holidays dataset shows that the proposed system outperforms the existing retrieval systems. Our methodology significantly improves the image retrieval accuracy by combining the idea of negative-voting and class ranking under the local discriminant embedding framework.
Comparative analysis of periodic state saving techniques in time warp simulators

Checkpointing in a time warp synchronized parallel simulator is a necessary and potentially expensive operation. In the simple case, a time warp simulator checkpoints every /spl chi/ events, for some fired value /spl chi/. For larger values of /spl chi/, the simulator requires less overhead for saving the state, but incurs an increased latency during rollback. Thus, the problem is to balance the time to save states against the time to coast forward upon rollback. Unfortunately, a static determination of an optimal value for /spl chi/ is very difficult and can vary widely, even between closely related instances of a time warp simulator. Furthermore, the optimal checkpoint interval may actually vary over the lifetime of the simulation. To address these problems, several investigators have proposed dynamically adjusting the checkpoint interval /spl chi/ as the simulation progresses. This paper analyzes three previous techniques for dynamically sizing checkpoint intervals and presents a new, heuristic algorithm for this purpose. All four techniques are implemented in a common application domain (digital system simulation from VHDL descriptions) and a direct comparison between the algorithms is performed. The results show a significant difference in the performance of the implemented algorithms. However, in virtually all cases, the dynamic algorithms performed near or better than the best static value. Furthermore, the best algorithms performed as much as 12% better than the best static value. <<ETX>>
Exemplar and abstraction models of perceived group variability and stereotypicality.

Models of cognitive categorization processes are used to analyze two manifestations of perceived out-group homogeneity: People perceive out-groups to be (1) less variable and (2) more stereotypic than in-groups with respect to individual features such as friendliness. Four categorization models are considered: the simple prototype and category density models, which assume that knowledge of categories is represented by category properties that are abstracted on-line; and the generalized context and multi-trace memory models, which assume that knowledge of categories is represented by memory traces regarding exemplars of the category. These models are used to interpret three potential causal mechanisms: greater attention to individuating attributes of in-group members, exposure to a greater number of in-group members, and exposure to a higher proportion of second-hand exemplars of out-groups. The exemplar models provide a more complete explanation of the variability, stereotypicality, and shapes of perceive.
Effects of the Olive-Derived Polyphenol Oleuropein on Human Health

The use of the products derived from the olive tree on human health dates back centuries. In several civilizations, the olive tree had and still has a very strong cultural and religious symbolism. Notably, the official seal and emblem of the World Health Organization features the rod of Asclepius over a world map surrounded by olive tree branches, chosen as a symbol of peace and health. Recently, accumulating experimental, clinical and epidemiological data have provided support to the traditional beliefs of the beneficial effect provided by olive derivates. In particular, the polyphenols present in olive leaves, olives, virgin (unrefined) olive oil and olive mill waste are potent antioxidant and radical scavengers with anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory properties. Here, we review the positive impact on human health of oleuropein, the most prevalent polyphenol present in olives. In addition, we provide data collected in our laboratory on the role of oleuropein in counteracting lipid accumulation in a mouse model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Lectures on complex geometry, Calabi-Yau manifolds and toric geometry

These are introductory lecture notes on complex geometry, Calabi-Yau manifolds and toric geometry. We first define basic concepts of complex and Kahler geometry. We then proceed with an analysis of various definitions of Calabi-Yau manifolds. The last section provides a short introduction to toric geometry, aimed at constructing Calabi-Yau manifolds in two different ways: as hypersurfaces in toric varieties and as local toric Calabi-Yau threefolds. These lecture notes supplement a mini-course that was given by the author at the Modave Summer School in Mathematical Physics 2005, and at CERN in 2007.
Trial Results of 5G New Air Interface Technologies

This paper presents field trial results of innovative air interface technologies: sparse code multiple access (SCMA), filtered orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (f-OFDM), and massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO). To confirm the improvement of the promising technologies, the counterparts in long term evolution (LTE) are selected as the comparison baseline. For each technology, detailed parameter configurations and deployment scenarios are addressed at first, then precise test procedures are described, finally, extensive analysis are provided to testify the high spectral efficiency, flexibility and system capacity introduced by the new technologies. According to the trial results, SCMA can achieve $3$ times connection number and throughput than SC-FDMA in uplink, and $90\%$ throughput gains over OFDMA in downlink. Waveform f-OFDM is validated to support flexible resources allocation thus avoiding asynchronous transmission in both uplink and downlink. The large number of antennas in Massive MIMO accommodates more user and offers around $10$ times throughput than single user scenario in downlink.
'White Woman's Country': Ethel Tawse Jollie and the Making of White Rhodesia

Until recently, the role of European women in the expansion and consolidation of the British colonial empire has been largely ignored by both historians and women's studies scholars. This is an analysis of one such woman who played a leading role in the development of the British Empire in south‐central Africa, Ethel Tawse Jollie (1875–1950), formerly Ethel Colquhoun. In partnership with her first husband, Archibald Ross Colquhoun, explorer, writer and Cecil Rhodes's first Administrator of Mashonaland, she became steeped in the philosophy of the Edwardian ‘Radical Right’, the post Anglo‐Boer War reaction to imperial decline, and she played a prominent role in the opposition to the women's suffrage campaign before the Great War. As a member of the Legislative Council of Southern Rhodesia, she became the first woman parliamentarian in the British overseas empire. She was a prolific writer on imperial affairs and a leading intellectual of her political generation and, as the founder and principal organiser o.
Peripheral Blood Cell Signatures of Plasmodium falciparum Infection during Pregnancy

Sequestration of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes in placental intervillous spaces causes inflammation and pathology. Knowledge of the profiles of immune cells associated with the physiopathology of pregnancy-associated malaria (PAM) is scarce. We conducted a longitudinal, prospective study, both in Benin and Tanzania, including ∼1000 pregnant women in each site with systematic follow-up at scheduled antenatal visits until delivery. We used ex vivo flow cytometry to identify peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) profiles that are associated with PAM and anaemia, determining the phenotypic composition and activation status of PBMC in selected sub-groups with and without PAM both at inclusion and at delivery in a total of 302 women. Both at inclusion and at delivery PAM was associated with significantly increased frequencies both of B cells overall and of activated B cells. Infection-related profiles were otherwise quite distinct at the two different time-points. At inclusion, PAM was associated with anaemia, with an increased frequency of immature monocytes and with a decreased frequency of regulatory T cells (Treg). At delivery, infected women presented with significantly fewer plasmacytoid dendritic cells (DC), more myeloid DC expressing low levels of HLA-DR, and more effector T cells (Teff) compared to uninfected women. Independent associations with an increased risk of anaemia were found for altered antigen-presenting cell frequencies at inclusion, but for an increased frequency of Teff at delivery. Our findings emphasize the prominent role played by B cells during PAM whenever it arises during pregnancy, whilst also revealing signature changes in other circulating cell types that, we conclude, primarily reflect the relative duration of the infections. Thus, the acute, recently-acquired infections present at delivery were marked by changes in DC and Teff frequencies, contrasting with infections at inclusion, considered chronic in nature, that were characterized by an abundance of immature monocytes and a paucity of Treg in PBMC.
The Impact of England's National Curriculum and Assessment System on Classroom Practice: Potential Lessons for American Reformers

Today many American educational reformers and policymakers are beginning to embrace a new reform strategy for improving our schools, a strategy that emphasizes results rather than inputs or the redistribution of power. Key components of this strategy include the creation of "world-class" standards, curriculum frameworks, and "voluntary" national tests. Reforms similar to these are already in place in England. The 1988 British Education Reform Act provided for the creation of a national curriculum and national assessment system. This article describes the British experience with these reforms and identifies potential lessons for American reformers.
Two-dimensional state-space digital filters with minimum frequency-weighted l2-sensitivity under l2-scaling constraints

The minimization problem of frequency-weighted l2-sensitivity subject to l2-scaling constraints is formulated for two-dimensional (2-D) state-space digital filters described by the Roesser model. It is shown that the Fornasini-Marchesini second model can be readily imbedded in the Roesser model. An iterative method is developed to solve the constrained optimization problem. This method converts the problem into an unconstrained optimization formulation by using linear-algebraic techniques and solves it by applying an efficient quasi-Newton algorithm. A case study is presented to illustrate the utility of the proposed technique.