Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Performance Evaluation of Shape and Texture Based Methods for Vein Recognition

This paper gives fair comparisons of shape and texture based methods for vein recognition. The shape of the back of hand contains information that is capable of authenticating the identity of an individual. In this paper, two kinds of shape matching method are used, which are based on Hausdorff distance and Line Edge Mapping(LEM) methods. The vein image also contains valuable texture information, and Gabor wavelet is exploited to extract the discriminative feature. In order to evaluate the system performance, a dataset of 100 persons of different ages above 16 and of different gender, each has 5 images per person is used. Experimental results show that Hausdorff, LEM and Gabor based methods achieved 58%, 66%, 80% individually.
Perceptions of Class and Party in Voting Behavior: 1952

Political differences among people are not a matter of chance; they are significantly related to such interdependent variables as party identification, issue orientation, and candidate preference. The national sample survey of 1,614 respondents conducted by the Survey Research Center during the 1952 presidential election gives us a sound basis for investigating this phenomenon: 1,200 of the respondents were classified as “middle class” or “working class. ” Of the 389 middle class people, 69 per cent said they preferred the Republican candidate, but only 43 per cent of the 811 working class people expressed this preference (Table I).
Zufrieden - kritisch - distanziert: Einstellungen junger Deutscher in West und Ost zur Demokratie

War die Zufriedenheit mit dem Alltag der Demokratie in der Anfangseuphorie des Vereinigungsprozesses — insbesondere in den neuen Bundeslandern — relativ gros, so erlitt sie bald deutliche Einbusen. Die 90er Jahre liesen erkennen, dass die Unterstutzung fur die Idee der Demokratie nachlasst, wenn die Diskrepanz zwischen Ideal und Realitat im politischen Alltag zu gros wird. Dies ist eines der zentralen Ergebnisse des replikativen DJI-Jugendsurveys. Das Autorenteam stellt deshalb die Frage in den Mittelpunkt, wie es mit der Akzeptanz des demokratischen Systems und seiner Verfahrensregeln bei der jungen Generation bestellt ist. Die Antworten hierauf zeigen, dass die Urteile abhangig sind von unterschiedlichen Lebenslagen und den daraus resultierenden Beurteilungen gesellschaftlicher Verhaltnisse. Wie gut sich das demokratische System im ersten Jahrzehnt des vereinigten Deutschlands bewahrt hat, findet aus der Sicht der heranwachsenden Generation deshalb unterschiedliche Antworten: „Zufriedene Demokraten“ einerseits, „kritische Demokraten“ und „Distanzierte“ andererseits — mit den fur West und Ost spezifischen Auspragungen.
High-dynamic-range binary pixel processing using non-destructive reads and variable oversampling and thresholds

We present a binary image sensor architecture that employs spatial and temporal oversampling and novel signal processing. Our method is based on a mathematical theory of repeated conditional sampling from Poisson distributions. Previous work on binary sampling requires either a pixel reset after each sampling, or feedback proportional to the sampled signal to linearize the sensor response. Our method allows design of sensor response by variation in sampling period length, thresholds and conditional or non-conditional reset. Our sensor architecture supports wide dynamic range, and a low-light sensitivity limited only by the fundamental silicon-process-dependent pixel sensitivity.
Performance Evaluation Protocol for Video Scene Detection Algorithms

In this paper, we address the problem of performance evaluation (PE) of video scene detection algorithms. An objective and comprehensive protocol for performance evaluation and comparison of different scene detection algorithms is proposed. Unlike traditional precision-recall measures, the proposed PE measures treat false alarms unequally, and take the extent of incorrectness of the wrongly detected scene boundaries into consideration, which can generate more accurate and more reasonable PE results. The protocol has been applied not only on comparing different scene detection algorithms but also on determining the most appropriate thresholds for a given scene detection algorithm.
Heme Oxygenase Induction Confers Cellular Adaptive Response against Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes-induced Cytotoxicity in A549 Cell

Carbon nanotubes currently attract intense attention for various biomedical applications due to their large surface areas, high electrical conductivity, and excellent strength. However, these attractive properties of nanomaterials are also the main factors for their potential toxicity. The present study was undertaken to determine the toxicity exhibited by multi- walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) in A549 lung epithelial cells. Treatment with increasing doses of MWCNT decreased the cell viability. The glutathione concentration decreased and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) increased in a dose- and time- dependent manner, suggesting that the cytotoxicity on A549 cells was due to oxidative stress. Expression of heme oxygenase (HO)-l, a redox regulator and heat shock protein, increased with dose after MWCNT treatment. Pretreated with zinc protoporphyrin IX (ZnPP IX), a competitive HO inhibitor, underwent cell viability decrease and ROS accumulation increase to a greater extent than cells with MWCNT treatment alone, but these effects were reversed by co-treatment with bilirubin, a product of HO catalysis. Taken together, these findings suggest that MWCNT induce oxidative stress and HO-1 expression in A549 cells, and HO-1 induction may confer a cellular adaptive response against MWCNT-induced cytotoxicity.
Polarization Rotating Frequency Selective Surface Based on Substrate Integrated Waveguide Technology

A novel frequency selective surface based on substrate integrated waveguide technology (SIW) is proposed and studied theoretically and experimentally. Its primary function is the selection of a linear polarization of an incident wave and its 90-degree rotation in a given frequency band. The proposed structure is based on an SIW cavity, coupled to the input and output by two orthogonal slots, and is designed using a simulation code based on the method of moments boundary integral-resonant mode expansion method, especially developed for the accurate characterization of FSS structures. Moreover, a complete design procedure for the proposed structure and a parametric study of its performance are presented. Finally, in order to verify the proposed structure, a prototype is designed at an operation frequency of 35 GHz, exhibiting a relative bandwidth of 9.1% and an impedance matching of better than -11 dB with a maximum insertion loss of 0.2 dB in the passband. Its performance is investigated in detail including the analysis of non-orthogonal incidence angles.
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Soldiers’ Experiences of Being Married and Serving in the British Army

ABSTRACT Research suggests certain aspects of military life, especially operational deployments, may negatively impact military marriages. However, much of this research is from the United States and uses deductive quantitative methods. Qualitative research investigating the lived experiences of forming and maintaining marriages was conducted with six male U.K. Army personnel. Semistructured interviews were analyzed, using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, identifying five themes, each representing different dilemmas the soldiers’ had to balance to maintain successful marriages and Army careers. These five themes are best understood as practical, emotional, and cultural dilemmas that can be alleviated with practical and emotional methods; such factors could be used to build resilience in soldier’s marriages. These possible resilience factors could shape the content of interventions to increase resiliency in military marriages.
Sound‐Driven Piezoelectric Nanowire‐Based Nanogenerators

Thus, sound power can be used for various novel applications including mobile phones that can be charged during conversations and sound-insulating walls near highways that generate electricity from the sound of passing vehicles. The latter development would have the additional benefi t of reducing noise levels near highways by absorbing the sound energy of vehicles. Here, we report the fi rst power-generating performance of sound-driven nanogenerators based on piezoelectric ZnO nanowires. Figure 1a and b show a schematic diagram of an integrated nanogenerator with piezoelectric ZnO nanowires and a crosssectional fi eld-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) image of vertically well-aligned ZnO nanowire arrays (acting as a piezoelectric active layer), respectively. The nanowires were grown using a thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) system via a vapor-liquid-solid mechanism on an n-type GaN thin fi lm (acting as a bottom electrode)-deposited sapphire substrate. [ 14 ] It was found that there are no additional peaks other than (0002) and (0004) peaks of ZnO in X-ray diffraction measurements (not shown), indicating good alignment of the ZnO nanowires along the c -axis direction on GaN. A palladium gold (PdAu)coated polyethersulfone (PES) substrate were used as both a top electrode and a vibration plate and placed above the ZnO nanowire arrays. The integrated device was then sealed at the edges to prevent physical and chemical damage. The average length and diameter of the ZnO nanowires were ∼ 10 µ m and ∼ 150 nm, respectively. The integrated nanogenerator was then connected to a measurement system.
A compact printed hook‐shaped monopole antenna for 2.4/5‐GHz wlan applications

This paper proposes a compact printed hook‐shaped monopole antenna for 2.4/5‐GHz WLAN applications. The designed antenna has a compact size with dimensions 26 × 10 × 1 mm3. The impedance bandwidth (VSWR < 2) of the proposed antenna is about 170 MHz (2.32–2.49 GHz) for 2.4‐GHz (Bluetooth) bands and 4500 MHz (4.4–8.9 GHz) for the 5‐GHz (WLAN) bands. The radiation patterns are nearly omnidirectional, which is similar to typical those of monopole antenna. The maximum measured radiation gains are 1.45 dBi at 2.43 GHz and 3.37 dBi at 5.8 GHz, respectively. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 48: 327–329, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.21340
Bayesian trend filtering: adaptive temporal smoothing with shrinkage priors

We present a locally-adaptive nonparametric curve fitting method that we call Bayesian trend filtering. The method operates within a fully Bayesian framework and uses shrinkage priors to induce sparsity in order-k differences in the latent trend function, providing a combination of local adaptation and global control. Using a scale mixture of normals representation of shrinkage priors, we make explicit connections between our Bayesian trend filtering and kth order Gaussian Markov random field smoothing. We use Hamiltonian Monte Carlo to approximate the posterior distribution of model parameters because this method provides superior performance in the presence of the high dimensionality and strong parameter correlations exhibited by our models. We compare the performance of three prior formulations using simulated data and find the horseshoe prior provides the best compromise between bias and precision. We apply Bayesian trend filtering to two benchmark data examples frequently used to test nonparametric methods. We find that this method is flexible enough to accommodate a variety of data generating models and offers the adaptive properties and computational efficiency to make it a useful addition to the Bayesian nonparametric toolbox.
The Within-List Distributed Practice Effect: More Evidence for the Inattention Hypothesis

In a paired-associate memory task, subjects recalled lists containing critical pairs that were repeated twice at lags of 0, 3, and 8 intervening events. For independent groups, the lists were presented visually at either a 1.3-sec or 4-sec rate of presentation. The results indicated a clear massed practicedistributed practice (MP-DP) effect at the slow presentation rate, which was eliminated at the faster presentation rate. These data support the prediction from the inattention hypothesis that when subjects are forced to fully attend to both occurrences of a massed repetition, there will be no attenuation of attention and, therefore, the MP-DP effect will be eliminated. Although previous findings had failed to find an effect of rate using visual presentation, the results of this experiment suggest they may not have used a sufficiently demanding task.
INTERACTIVE LINKS BETWEEN RELATIONAL AGGRESSION, THEORY OF MIND, AND MORAL DISENGAGEMENT AMONG EARLY ADOLESCENTS

The aim of this study was to investigate possible interactive links between theory of mind (ToM), moral disengagement and relational aggression, using a moderated mediation analysis, with gender as a moderator, in a sample of 120 Greek preadolescents. Results indicated that relational aggression was significantly positively associated with moral disengagement and negatively with ToM. Moderated mediation analyses indicated that boys with deficient ToM were more likely to morally disengage from their actions which in turn resulted in relational aggression, while poor ToM was directly linked to relational aggression only for preadolescent girls. Moral disengagement had a direct effect on relational aggression only for boys, while ToM was found to partially mediate the relationship between moral disengagement and relational aggression only for girls. The results emphasize that the co-morbid effects of socio-cognitive factors should be taken into consideration when relational aggression is explored.
Growth of the two layers of the chick sclera is modulated reciprocally by visual conditions.

PURPOSE Although visual deprivation causes increased ocular elongation and myopia in both birds and mammals, changes in sclera appear to be in opposite directions. Because avian sclera has a cartilaginous layer as well as the fibrous layer found in mammals, we examined whether the scleral responses to various visual manipulations differ between the two layers. METHODS To produce increases in ocular elongation and myopia, monocular diffusers or negative lenses were fitted to eyes. Conversely, to produce decreases in ocular elongation, diffusers were removed (restoring normal vision) or monocular positive lenses were fitted. Scleral layers were then dissected apart, and incorporation of labeled precursors into glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), DNA, and protein was assessed. Tissue coculture experiments were used to assess humoral interactions between scleral layers and with the choroid. RESULTS In the cartilaginous layers, the incorporation of label into proteoglycans and DNA was significantly higher in eyes elongating faster than normal because of wearing diffusers or negative lenses and significantly lower than normal in eyes elongating slower than normal because of removal of the diffuser or wearing positive lenses. In the fibrous layers, the reverse was the case. Coculturing cartilaginous sclera from normal eyes with fibrous sclera from myopic or recovering eyes produced the same increase or decrease in sulfate incorporation into GAGs in the cartilaginous layer as though the tissue measured was from the animal providing the conditioning tissue. Coculturing with choroid, especially from recovering eyes, also inhibited cartilaginous sclera. CONCLUSIONS The fibrous layer of the avian sclera shows changes in sulfate incorporation into GAGs during deprivation and recovery from deprivation in the same direction as does the mammalian sclera, whereas the cartilaginous layer changes in the opposite direction. The responses of the cartilaginous layer may be controlled by the fibrous layer, although they are influenced by the choroid as well.
Fungal communities in the garden chamber soils of leaf‐cutting ants

Leaf‐cutting ants modify the properties of the soil adjacent to their nests. Here, we examined whether such an ant‐altered environment impacts the belowground fungal communities. Fungal diversity and community structure of soil from the fungus garden chambers of Atta sexdens rubropilosa and Atta bisphaerica, two widespread leaf‐cutting ants in Brazil, were determined and compared with non‐nest soils. Culture‐dependent methods revealed similar species richness but different community compositions between both types of soils. Penicillium janthinellum and Trichoderma spirale were the prevalent isolates in fungus chamber soils and non‐nest soils, respectively. In contrast to cultivation methods, analyses of clone libraries based on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region indicated that richness of operational taxonomic units significantly differed between soils of the fungus chamber and non‐nest soils. FastUnifrac analyses based on ITS sequences further revealed a clear distinction in the community structure between both types of soils. Plectania milleri and an uncultured Clavariaceae fungus were prevalent in fungus chamber soils and non‐nest soils, respectively. FastUnifrac analyses also revealed that fungal community structures of soil from the garden chambers markedly differed among ant species. Our findings suggest that leaf‐cutting ants affect fungal communities in the soil from the fungus chamber in comparison to non‐nest soils.
Hemodynamic response to exercise after beta-adrenergic blockade with propranolol in patients with mitral valve obstruction.

Propranolol (P) . 13 mg. /kg. was given to seven patients with mitral valve obstruction the changes in resting and exercise hemodynamics were followed by means of combined right and left heart catheterization. Changes were variable. At rest there was a decrease in heart rate of 10 beats/min. with no consistent change in stroke volume, cardiac output, left ventricular systolic (LVS) or left atrial (LA) pressure after P. Mean left ventricular end-diastolic (LVED) pressure was increased 3 mm. , mean pulmonary artery (PA) pressure was increased 4 mm. , and mean mitral valve gradient was reduced 3 mm. Hg by P. During exercise, mean LVS pressure was decreased 31 mm. , mean LVED pressure increased 3 mm. , mean LA pressure decreased 3 mm. , and mean mitral valve gradient was reduced 5 mm. Hg after P. Mean exercise PA pressure was unchanged, cardiac output was reduced 0.9 1. /min., and mean heart rate was reduced 37 beats/min., while stroke volume increased 3 ml. /beat after P. Exercise pulmonary vascular resistance was increased from 6.1 to 8.2 units by P. Despite a slower heart rate, the diastolic filling period was not increased. P has no place in the treatment of the majority of patients with mitral stenosis because it further reduces cardiac performance below normal.
Functional circuits mediating sensorimotor integration: Quantitative comparisons of projections from rodent barrel cortex to primary motor cortex, neostriatum, superior colliculus, and the pons

Motor performance depends on somatosensory feedback, and consistent with this finding, primary somatosensory (SI) cortex projects to several regions involved in motor control. Although the pathways mediating sensorimotor integration are known, few studies have compared their projection patterns. Therefore, in each animal, we injected two anterograde tracers into SI barrel cortex and compared the relative density and spatial extent of the labeled projections to the primary motor (MI) cortex, neostriatum, superior colliculus, and basal pons. Quantitative analysis revealed that these projections terminated most extensively in the neostriatum, to a lesser extent in MI cortex, and innervated the least amount of neuropil in the superior colliculus and pontine nuclei. Tracer overlap in the pontine nuclei was significantly higher than in the other three brains regions, and was strongly correlated with overlap in the superior colliculus, presumably because some projections to these two brain regions represent collaterals of the same neurons. The density of labeled varicosities was highest in the pons and lowest in MI. As a proportion of total labeling, densely packed clusters of labeled terminals were most prevalent in the pons, less prevalent in neostriatum and superior colliculus, and least prevalent in MI cortex. These results are consistent with physiological evidence indicating strong coherence between SI barrel cortex and the cerebellum during whisking behavior. J. Comp. Neurol. 488:82–100, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Doğu Anadolu'da yeni açilan bir üniversitenin öğrencilerinde kaygi düzeylerinin sağlik, sosyal ve demografik faktörler ile ilişkisi The relationship between anxiety level and health, social and demographical factors in the students of a newly established university in Eastern Anatolia

Objectives: This study is carried out to determine possible anxiety levels and related factors in Tunceli University students. Materials and methods: Totally 604 students receiving education from Tunceli University included. Field work of the study is done in May, 2010. A questionnaire including a group of questions about socio-demographical features, health, social and demographical factors, and about continuous anxiety that are thought to be related to anxiety is made under direct supervision to the students. Results: 52.2% of the students are men and 47.8 % are women, and the average age of them is 21.38±3.59 years. The students’ average point of state anxiety inventory is found to be 43.37±10.46 and continuous anxiety inventory 45.17±8.79. According to our results if the students parent’s monthly income is less, started to study in the department of the university unwillingly, had sheltering problems at the beginning of the university, expressed that they had chronic diseases, evaluated their health conditions as bad, feel ambiguous or desperate about finding a job after graduation and described their char acters as introverted had higher anxiety scores (p 0.05). Conclusion: Continuous anxiety level of the university students was found at a significant level and affected by several variables. It is thought that counseling and intervention units, particularly for related factors, will be useful.
Droppings From Captive Coturnix coturnix (Galliformes: Phasianidae) as a Fly Breeding Resource

ABSTRACT. The aim of this study was to describe the fauna of flies associated with captive Coturnix coturnix (L.) (Galliformes: Phasianidae) droppings. Samples of 150 g of quail droppings were exposed in the quail house for 48 h in plastic containers to promote eventual access of flies, and then placed in emergence traps. The number of adults and species emerging was recorded daily. This procedure was carried out in spring 2008 and spring and autumn 2009. In total, 2,138 adults belonging to Muscidae, Calliphoridae, Piophilidae, Phoridae, Fanniidae, and Milichiidae families were collected. The most numerous family was Muscidae (representing >82% of the total specimens), with Musca domestica L. being the most abundant species followed by Ophyra aenescens (Wiedemann) (both Diptera: Muscidae). Quail breeding should include adequate droppings management policies to avoid potential sanitary issues related to fly production.