Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neuroimaging Measures as Endophenotypes in Alzheimer's Disease

Late onset Alzheimer's disease (AD) is moderately to highly heritable. Apolipoprotein E allele ε4 (APOE4) has been replicated consistently as an AD risk factor over many studies, and recently confirmed variants in other genes such as CLU, CR1, and PICALM each increase the lifetime risk of AD. However, much of the heritability of AD remains unexplained. AD is a complex disease that is diagnosed largely through neuropsychological testing, though neuroimaging measures may be more sensitive for detecting the incipient disease stages. Difficulties in early diagnosis and variable environmental contributions to the disease can obscure genetic relationships in traditional case-control genetic studies. Neuroimaging measures may be used as endophenotypes for AD, offering a reliable, objective tool to search for possible genetic risk factors. Imaging measures might also clarify the specific mechanisms by which proposed risk factors influence the brain.
On demand cloud computing performance analysis with low cost for QoS application

In last decayed a big revolution has been done in the communication and network industry and in presence scenario cloud computing has been playing a significant role for last one year. Since user or client preferred flexibility to acquired any network on the basis of bandwidth, QoS (Quality of service) and Cost i.e. cost should be proportional to demand and uses of data. In this paper we have given how we can minimize the cost with better solution by the help of cloud computing. We have proposed architecture frame work solution with for Video on demand, voice and data as a service. The goal of this paper is performance comparison analysis with low cost with different QoS. We have highlighted the components of the framework and discussed preliminary implementation with OPNET Modeler 14.5.
A case study on algorithm discovery from proofs: The insert function on binary trees

We present a proof-based automatic synthesis experiment in the context of sorting binary trees, namely the synthesis of the function which inserts an element in a sorted binary tree at the appropriate place. The algorithm is automatically extracted from the automatically produced proof of the conjecture which expresses the existence of the desired output for each appropriate input of the function. This is a case study that completes previous experiments conducted with the purpose of finding and illustrating general and domain specific inference rules and strategies for efficiently producing proofs from which the desired algorithms can be extracted. The construction of the necessary theory, of the provers, and the experiment itself are performed in the Theorema system.
Development of Biofeedback Mechanisms in a Procedural Environment Using Biometric Sensors

Before the computer age, games were played in the physical world where players would have to interact with real objects and each other, triggering a series of emotions. Nowadays, the computer games have become one of the most popular forms of entertainment due to their high-level of attraction and accessibility. However, the game industry is always trying to find new ways of making games more interactive and exciting in order to attract new players, and one of the recent trends on the area of human-computer interaction is Biofeedback. The goal of this dissertation is to study different approaches on the use of indirect biofeedback within videogames, with the purpose of creating a better human-computer interaction, and provide a more appealing and immersive user experience. For this, we focused on the development of a framework capable of testing different indirect biofeedback models within a specified game, in order to assess the effect of each of these variations on the user experience. This framework is game independent, with the intention of being used on further studies.
Early Transition for Fully Adaptive Routing Algorithms in On-Chip Interconnection Networks

Interconnection networks have become prevalent not only in massively parallel processing systems, but also in chip multiprocessors. Unlike off-chip interconnection networks, limited available resources in on-chip interconnection networks mandate to choose simple routing algorithms which, in turn, provide low throughput. Fully adaptive routing algorithms improve throughput, but need escape channels for a deadlock recovery technique resulting in low utilization. To improve utilization, we propose an early transition scheme where packets are transferred to the escape channels earlier, before the normal channels are full. Our evaluation results using a cycle-accurate network simulator show that our proposed scheme improves network throughput up to 12% in a concentrated mesh, compared to Duato’s fully adaptive routing algorithm. Because the proposed scheme has better utilization in the escape channels, the early transition scheme is less sensitive to the ratio of the escape channels to the total channels.
Partitioning the Input Domain for Classification

We explore an approach to use simple classification models to solve complex problems by partitioning the input domain into smaller regions that are more amenable to the classifier. For this purpose weinvestigate two variants of partitioning based on energy, as measured by the variance. We argue that restricting the energy of the input domain limits the complexity of the problem. Therefore, our method directly controls the energy in each partition. The partitioning methods and several classifiers are evaluated on a road detection application. Our results indicate that partitioning improves the performance of a linear Support Vector Machine and a classifier which considers the average label in each partition, to match the performance of a more sophisticated Neural Network classifier.
Sentiment Classification using Language Models and Sentence Position

In this project, I aim to develop a sentiment classification system which classifies a given document as having either positive or negative sentiment. I build up on the previous work done in this area by Pang, Lee and Vaithyanathan (EMNLP 2002). I use techniques such as classifying individual sentences which provide a significant improvement over what they have been able to achieve previously. I also use in my project some of the suggestions they provided as future directions in their original work. I provide a set of simple but significant features that can be added to the baseline model in order to improve performance.
A 2-GHz GaAs HBT RF Pulsewidth Modulator

RF pulsewidth modulation (PWM) has been proposed as an efficiency improving technique for power amplifiers (PAs) handling varying envelope signals. The core idea is to modulate the varying envelope into a square-wave signal such that the width of each pulse is varied according to the envelope, and any phase information is contained in the timing of the pulses. The square wave signal can give a theoretical efficiency of 100% for the subsequent PA. Such a system differs significantly from a conventional up-conversion and PA and, therefore, a significant design challenge results. The first important step is to generate the PWM signal. This paper demonstrates a functional modulator for Universal Mobile Telecommunications System operating at 2 GHz. The modulator is designed in a GaAs HBT process and uses low-frequency feedback combined with predistortion to obtain a high spectral purity. Measurements show a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System PWM signal with more than 10-dB margin to the modulation mask and an error vector magnitude of less than 1.5% rms (requirement: 17.5%).
Basic analog circuits with a-GIZO thin-film transistors: Modeling and simulation

This paper addresses a modeling and simulation methodology for analog circuit design with amorphous-GIZO thin-film transistors (TFTs). To reach an effective circuit design flow, with commercially available tools, a TFT model has been first developed with an artificial neural network (ANN). Multilayer perceptron with backpropagation algorithm has been adopted to model the static behavior of the TFT devices, for different aspect ratios. The model was then implemented in Verilog-A, to allow a quick instantiation in circuit. Simulations using Cadence Spectre are performed to validate the model. On a second phase, simulation results of basic analog circuits, with this ANN model, are verified against the actual functional results, namely an adder, subtractor, and current mirror circuit. Results demonstrate not only the ANN model accuracy and compatibility with dc and transient analysis, but also show the a-GIZO TFT capability to perform analog operations.
Iterative methods by SPD and small subspace solvers for nonsymmetric or idefinite problems

This paper is devoted to a class of iterative methods for solving nonsymmetric or indeenite problems that are dominated by some SPD (symmetric positive deenite) problems. The algorithm is based on a direct solver for the original equation restricted on a small subspace and a given iterative method for the SPD equation. It is shown that any convergent iterative method for the SPD problem will give rise to an algorithm that converges with a comparable rate if the small subspace is properly chosen. Furthermore a number of preconditioners that can be used with GMRES type methods are also obtained.
Effect of sodium ascorbate on the bond strength of all-in-one adhesive systems to NaOCl-treated dentin

Background Ascorbic acid and its salts are low-toxicity products, which are routinely used in food industries as antioxidants. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of 10% sodium ascorbate on the bond strength of two all-in-one adhesive systems to NaOCl-treated dentin. Material and Methods After exposing the dentin on the facial surface of 90 sound human premolars and mounting in an acrylic resin mold, the exposed dentin surfaces were polished with 600-grit SiC paper under running water. Then the samples were randomly divided into 6 groups of 15. Groups 1 and 4 were the controls, in which no surface preparation was carried out. In groups 2 and 5 the dentin surfaces were treated with 5.25% NaOCl alone for 10 minutes and in groups 3 and 6 with 5.25% NaOCl for 10 minutes followed by 10% sodium ascorbate for 10 minutes. Then composite resin cylinders, measuring 2 mm in diameter and 2 mm in height, were bonded on the dentin surfaces in groups 1, 2 and 3 with Clearfil S3 Bond and in groups 4, 5 and 6 with Adper Easy One adhesive systems according to manufacturers’ instructions. The samples were stored in distilled water for 24 hours at 37°C and then thermocycled. Finally, the samples underwent shear bond strength test in a universal testing machine at a strain rate of 1 mm/min. Data were analyzed with two-way ANOVA and post hoc Tukey tests at α=0.05. Results The differences between groups 1 and 2 (P=0.01), 1 and 5 (P=0.003). 1 and 6 (P=0.03) and 4 and 5 (P=0.03) were statistically significant. Two-by-two comparisons did not reveal any significant difference between other groups (P>0.05). Conclusions Use of 10% sodium ascorbate for 10 minutes restored the decreased bond strength of the adhesive systems to that of the control groups. Key words:Sodium ascorbate, adhesive systems, all-in-one, bond strength, sodium hypochlorite.
Ponycom: the Mobile Future of a Virtual Community

This paper presents a mobile handheld device, called “Ponycom”, for virtual community access and communication purposes. The research approach is user centred, i.e. the needs and requirements of a specific user group, namely the members of virtual stables, are examined. Based on the results, a design concept of a dedicated mobile handheld device for active members of virtual stables is presented. Two cycles of design iterations are described; the first is based on the content and activity analysis of the virtual stables and contextual inquiry, and the second cycle utilizes user participation in the format of story-writing.
Relational selves as self-affirmational resources q

Three studies examined the self-affirmational role of relational selves, or aspects of the self in relation to significant others. The overriding hypothesis was that individuals who view relational selfaspects as core to their identity are particularly likely to use them as self-affirmational resources in the face of threat. Supporting this, threat was especially likely to lead individuals for whom relationships are highly self-defining to spontaneously refer to relational self-aspects in a subsequent, self-relevant task. Moreover, spontaneous and induced relational self-affirmations in response to threat were especially esteem-repairing for such individuals. Together, these findings carve out a much-needed role for relational self-aspects in the self-affirmation literature, and dovetail with mounting appreciation of the far-ranging impact of significant others on the self-system. 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Disease persistence and apparent competition in a three-host community: an empirical and analytical study of large-scale, wild populations

Summary 1. We investigated the effects of three types of host on the persistence of a tick-borne virus, using the grouse‐hare‐deer‐tick‐louping ill virus system of upland Britain. Each host differed in its interaction with the vector and pathogen. Grouse amplify virus only, deer amplify vector only and hares amplify both. Grouse alone suffer high virusinduced mortality. 2. An analytical model of the system was parameterized using empirical data from two wild populations with different community structures. By changing relative host densities we examined the conditions under which the virus would persist and considered the possibility of parasite-mediated competition between hosts. 3. Although deer alone and grouse alone were unable to maintain louping ill virus, a deer‐grouse community usually allowed virus persistence because grouse transmitted virus while deer maintained the tick population. Since virus reduces grouse populations this is a type of apparent competition, and is unusual because deer do not amplify the virus.
Shape from Focus / Defocus

Imaging systems, such as eyes or video-cameras, produce a representation of the world through a map from the three-dimensional environment onto a two-dimensional one. If we are interested in interaction with the surrounding world, a necessary condition is to retrieve the spatial information lost in the imaging process. In order to do that, one can, for example, rely on prior assumptions on the scene and use pictorial information such as shading, texture, cast shadows, edge blur etc.; unfortunately all pictorial cues are intrinsically ambiguous in that prior assumptions cannot be validated using the data. Instead of relying on prior assumptions, one can try to retrieve spatial information by looking at different images of the same scene taken, for instance, from different viewpoints (parallax), such as in stereo and motion. As an alternative to changing the position of the imaging device, one could change its geometry. For instance, one can take different photographs of the same scene with a different lens aperture or focal length. Similarly, in the eye one can change the shape of the lens by acting on the lens muscles. The problem of reconstructing shape from a number of images taken with different imaging geometry (focal length for example) is called shape from defocus; while the problem of reconstructing shape from a controlled search over geometric parameters through the collected images, is called shape from focus. Once formalized, shape from focus/defocus is a problem known by different names in different communities: in signal processing it is “blind deconvolution” or “deblurring”, in communications and information theory “source separation”, in image processing “restoration”, in tomography “inverse scattering”.
BEAT DETECTION USING PLP

We report here about our submission to both the Beat Tracking and the Tempo Estimation tasks for the MIREX 2010 evaluations. Our submission consists of an adaptation of the technique presented at ISMIR 2009 by Peter Grosche and Meinard Müller [1]. Assuming that most of the music the system is going to deal with will belong to pop-rock genres, we further add some post-processing techniques in which the tempo is considered to be relatively steady along the song.
A Hybrid Video Coder Based on H.264 with Matching Pursuits

We present a novel video coding system based on the motion compensation and estimation model of H.264 and a hybrid wavelet/matching pursuits image coder for residual frames. After wavelet pretransformation, a high performance matching pursuits codebook is used to find a series of atoms which are coded by the MERGE coder. The combination of these two techniques produces a highly embedded data stream that can be easily truncated at any desired point. Optimum settings of some key parameters are investigated and a series of experiments are performed. The system works very efficiently and can outperform H.264 at low and medium bit rates
On the definition of the word “segmental”

Textbooks in phonology often specify a distinction between segmental features (e.g., place and manner of articulation) vs. suprasegmental features (stress and phrasing). The distinction between segmental and suprasegmental features is useful even in autosegmental models like Articulatory Phonology, because it distinguishes between features shared by the different instantiations of a phoneme vs. those not so shared. In a model like Articulatory Phonology, however, there is no requirement that a segmental feature should be synchronous with the other features of the same segment. Classification results are provided from Levantine Arabic, showing that features of the primary articulator of a fricative are acoustically signaled during frication, but that features of the secondary articulator are signaled during the preceding and following vowels, suggesting that the definition of the word “segmental” should not require synchronous implementation.
An Auction Theory Based Algorithm for Throughput Maximizing Scheduling in Centralized Cognitive Radio Networks

In this letter we propose an auction theory based algorithm for throughput maximizing scheduling in centralized cognitive radio networks (CRN). In the considered CRN scheme, a centralized base station coordinates the assignment of frequencies and time slots to cognitive users with multiple antennas. Our proposed algorithm uses first-price sealed bid auction mechanism in which frequency and time slot pairs are considered as the auctioned resources and cognitive users are the bidders. The experimental results show that our computationally efficient algorithm yields very close throughput performance to the optimization software CPLEX values.
Numerical Simulation of the Dynamics of the Tube of a Water Jet Drill

Directional drilling with water jet is an increasingly utilized technique in oil industry. However, prediction of the dynamics of water jet drilling tubes is difficult because of the multiplicity of interacting and often complex phenomena that govern their behaviour. Indeed, This highly nonlinear dynamic problem involves fluid structure interaction, dynamic instability and unilateral contact. Simulation tools help improve understanding of the behaviour of jet-drilling systems and thereby make it possible to achieve higher performance in terms of working length of the tube or jet speed. In the present work a numerical model is developed to simulate the dynamic behaviour of a water jet-drilling tube, in the time domain, by taking these phenomena into account.
Se p 20 03 Perturbations of the Symmetric Exclusion Process ∗

One of the fundamental issues concerning particle systems is classifying the invariant measures I and giving properties of those measures for different processes. For the exclusion process with symmetric kernel p(x, y) = p(y, x), I has been completely studied. This paper gives results concerning I for exclusion processes where p(x, y) = p(y, x) except for finitely many x, y ∈ S and p(x, y) corresponds to a transient Markov chain on S.
Reconstituted Keratin Biomaterial with Enhanced Ductility

Nowadays the waste from protein fibres represents an important renewable source for a new generation of biomaterials and promising competitors for carbohydrate based biomaterials. Regenerated keratin biomaterials are biodegradable in vivo and in vitro, biocompatible, and support cell attachment and proliferation; however, their major drawback has been their weak mechanical properties such as ductility. The following study was conducted in an attempt to improve the ductility of reconstituted keratin films obtained from Australian merino wool fibres. Keratin was extracted from wool fibres according to an established protocol proposed by Yamauchi, and then dialyzed and desalted by multiple diafiltration wash cycles. The resulting keratin film was transparent, biodegradable, and, opposite to its predecessors, mechanically durable, possessing a Young modulus about 12.5 MPa with 35% extensibility. The polypeptide chains were found to rearrange themselves in the β-sheet state in this keratin film, which was shown to be semi-crystalline. This film, unlike its predecessors, did not support human cell proliferation. These properties of the diafiltered keratin film have led us to think that diafiltration resulted in producing a totally new keratin film, which is envisaged to find applications in various areas.
Towards a Practice of Systemic Change — Acknowledging Social Complexity in Project Management

The Anthropocene calls for systemic change which requires much more than good ideas, stakeholder activism and self-organization. Successful change is managed in the form of a project. However, project management itself needs to learn to cope with the systemic complexity of the real world, especially with social complexity. Hence, this paper explores the paradox of reintroducing complexity within a discipline that has professionalized the reduction of complexity. Acknowledging the inevitability of the social aspects in human activity systems, this paper suggests decomposing social complexity along a political and a cultural perspective. This has methodological implications and practical consequences. First, the political stakeholder analysis is enriched with a systemic and ecological view. Second, cultures are interpreted along the lines of meaning-creation and sensemaking, exploring the stories which are the world to us. Thus, navigating systemic change finally embarks on the concept of next practice, promoting a path forward, step by step. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.