Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identification of Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy using texture Segmentation

In this study, it is proposed fast texture segmentation of detection of proliferative diabetic retinopathy. proliferative diabetic retinopathy is characterized by the revascularization on the optic disc or on the retinal area or both, as a result of diabetes mellitus. It may leads to the blindness if it is not detected and treated in proper time. This study proposes a novel method to detect the vessel growth on the optic disc using texture segmentation. The vessels that grow on the optic disc as a result of proliferative diabetic retinopathy will be more convoluted than the normal vessel. The segmentation of the optic disc is made using the texture descriptors. Next, the segmentation of blood vessel is made by Ridge strength and Watershed Transformation. Fifteen features which represent the shape, gradient of the vessel are calculated. The calculated features are separated using a hyperplane to classify it as normal or abnormal by support vector machine classifier. We have observed a sensitivity and specificity of 88.89 and 91.3%.
Send Orders of Reprints at Reprints@benthamscience.net Mechanical Quantification of Local Bone Quality in the Humeral Head: a Feasibility Study

Objectives: Surgical treatment of proximal humerus fractures can be challenging due to osteoporosis. The weak bone stock makes stable implant anchorage difficult, which can result in low primary stability. Accordingly, significant failure rates, even with modern locking plates, are reported in the literature. Intraoperative knowledge of local bone quality could be helpful in improving results. This study evaluates the feasibility of local bone quality quantification using breakaway torque measurements. Materials and Methods: A torque measurement tool (DensiProbe™) was developed to determine local resistance to breakaway offered by the cancellous bone in the humeral head to quantify local bone quality. The tool was adapted to a standard locking plate (PHILOS, Synthes), allowing measurement in the positions of the six humeral head screws, as provided by the aiming device of the plate. Two hundred and seventy measurements were performed in 44 fresh cadaveric human humeri. Results: Handling of the tool was straight forward and provided reproducible results for the six different positions. The method allows discrimination between the respective positions with statistical significance, and thus provides reliable information on the local distribution of bone quality within the humeral head. Discussion: This study introduces a new method using breakaway torque to determine local bone quality within the humeral head in real time. Because DensiProbe is adapted to a standard locking plate, there is the potential for intraoperative application. The information provided could enable the surgeon to improve fixation of osteoporotic proximal humerus fractures.
Extracting deep social relationships from photos

Hidden within the relative location of tags in images is a relational model that can identify how close two individuals are, or, the affinity of a person to an object or a brand. Based on this model we can 1) better understand the relationship between users/tags, 2) find photos where a user is pictured but not tagged in, and 3) enable searching “inside” images by clicking on any location within an image to start a search. This paper proposes a method of modeling the relationship between objects based on their spatial arrangement in a set of tagged images. Based on the relative coordinates of each object tag, we compute a joint relativity between each tag pair, generate a social relationship graph and propose an efficient image search method using the joint Relativity graph. We evaluated our approach with real world data from Facebook, showing a direct relationship between the number of tagged photos and the amount of information obtained from these photos, and an average correlation coefficient of 0.8 between user-generated relativity scores and those obtained by our algorithm.
On the Comparative Performance of Parallel Algorithms on Small GPU / CUDA Clusters

CUDA programmed GPUs are rapidly becoming a major choice in high performance computing and there are a growing number of applications which are being ported to the CUDA platform. However much less research has been carried out to evaluate the performance when CUDA is integrated with other parallel programming paradigms. We have developed a general purpose matrix multiplication algorithm and a Conjugate Gradient algorithm using CUDA and MPI. In this approach, MPI works as the data distributing mechanism between the GPU nodes and CUDA as the main computing engine. This enables the programmer to connect GPU nodes via high speed Ethernet without special technologies and also it helps the programmer to see the separate GPU nodes as they are and execute different components of a program in several GPU nodes.
Towards a Complete Classical Music Companion

We present a system that listens to music on-line and almost instantly identifies the piece the performers are playing and the exact position in the musical score. This is achieved via a combination of a state-of-the-art audio-to-note transcription algorithm and a novel symbolic fingerprinting method. The speed and precision of the system are evaluated in systematic experiments with a large corpus of classical music recordings. The results indicate extremely fast and accurate recognition performance — a level of performance, in fact, that even human experts in classical music will find hard to match.
Interactive effects of menarcheal status and dating on dieting and disordered eating among adolescent girls

The effects of menarcheal status and opposite-sex socializing (mixed-sex social activity, dating, and noncoital sexual involvement with boyfriends) on dieting and disordered eating among early adolescent girls are examined. In all, 89 12- and 13-year-old girls reported their menarcheal status, dieting behaviors and attitudes, and involvement in dating and other heterosocial activities. Girls who are more involved in mixed-sex social activities are more likely to exhibit disordered eating tendencies, and this effect is stronger among girls who have experienced menarche. Also, girls who are dating and are more physically involved with boyfriends are more likely to report dieting and disordered eating than are their peers. An interaction between dating and menarcheal status was observed in the prediction of dieting and disordered eating, with dating more strongly linked to dieting and disordered eating among girls who have recently experienced menarche.
On Overfitting Avoidance as Bias

In supervising learning it is commonly believed that penalizing complex functions help one avoid ``overfitting'' functions to data, and therefore improves generalization. It is also commonly believed that cross-validation is an effective way to choose amongst algorithms for fitting functions to data. In a recent paper, Schaffer (1993) presents experimental evidence disputing these claims. The current paper consists of a formal analysis of these contentions of Schaffer's. It proves that his contentions are valid, although some of his experiments must be interpreted with caution.
Assessing the Loran Cycle Confidence Algorithm

In 2002, Peterson, et. al. proposed using redundant signal measurements to provide the necessary confidence that the cycles are identified correctly. The proposal used a weighted sum squared error (WSSE) statistic as a metric to determine if the correct cycle on every signal used has been selected with adequate probability. The method increases availability by using redundant information to provide a better estimate of cycle confidence.
Transmitter Optimization in Slow Fading MISO Wiretap Channel

In this paper, we consider the transmitter optimization problem in slow fading multiple-input-single-output (MISO) wiretap channel. The source transmits a secret message intended for $K$ users in the presence of $J$ non-colluding eavesdroppers, and operates under a total power constraint. The channels between the source and all users and eavesdroppers are assumed to be slow fading, and only statistical channel state information (CSI) is known at the source. For a given code rate and secrecy rate pair of the wiretap code, denoted by $(R_{D}, R_{s})$, we define the non-outage event as the joint event of the link information rates to $K$ users be greater than or equal to $R_{D}$ and the link information rates to $J$ eavesdroppers be less than or equal to $(R_{D} - R_{s})$. We minimize the transmit power subject to the total power constraint and satisfying the probability of the non-outage event to be greater than or equal to a desired threshold $(1-\epsilon)$.
Statistical Learning by Imitation of Competing Constraints in Joint Space and Task Space

We present a probabilistic architecture for solving generically the problem of extracting the task constraints through a programming by demonstration framework and for generalizing the acquired knowledge to various situations. In previous work, we proposed an approach based on Gaussian mixture regression to find a controller for the robot reproducing the statistical characteristics of a movement in joint space and in task space through Lagrange optimization. In this paper, we develop an alternative procedure to handle simultaneously constraints in joint space and in task space by combining directly the probabilistic representation of the task constraints with a solution to Jacobian-based inverse kinematics. The method is validated in manipulation tasks with two 5-d.o. f. Katana robotic arms displacing a set of objects.
Modelling the mid-Pliocene Warm Period climate with the IPSL coupled model and its atmospheric component LMDZ5A

Abstract. This paper describes the experimental design and model results of the climate simulations of the mid-Pliocene Warm Period (mPWP, ca. 3.3–3 Ma) using the Institut Pierre Simon Laplace model (IPSLCM5A), in the framework of the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project (PlioMIP). We use the IPSL atmosphere ocean general circulation model (AOGCM), and its atmospheric component alone (AGCM), to simulate the climate of the mPWP. Boundary conditions such as sea surface temperatures (SSTs), topography, ice-sheet extent and vegetation are derived from the ones imposed by the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project (PlioMIP), described in Haywood et al. (2010, 2011). We first describe the IPSL model main features, and then give a full description of the boundary conditions used for atmospheric model and coupled model experiments. The climatic outputs of the mPWP simulations are detailed and compared to the corresponding control simulations. The simulated warming relative to the control simulation is 1.94 °C in the atmospheric and 2.07 °C in the coupled model experiments. In both experiments, warming is larger at high latitudes. Mechanisms governing the simulated precipitation patterns are different in the coupled model than in the atmospheric model alone, because of the reduced gradients in imposed SSTs, which impacts the Hadley and Walker circulations. In addition, a sensitivity test to the change of land-sea mask in the atmospheric model, representing a sea-level change from present-day to 25 m higher during the mid-Pliocene, is described. We find that surface temperature differences can be large (several degrees Celsius) but are restricted to the areas that were changed from ocean to land or vice versa. In terms of precipitation, impact on polar regions is minor although the change in land-sea mask is significant in these areas.
Temporally Diverse Firing Patterns in Olfactory Receptor Neurons Underlie Spatiotemporal Neural Codes for Odors

Odorants are represented as spatiotemporal patterns of spikes in neurons of the antennal lobe (AL; insects) and olfactory bulb (OB; vertebrates). These response patterns have been thought to arise primarily from interactions within the AL/OB, an idea supported, in part, by the assumption that olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) respond to odorants with simple firing patterns. However, activating the AL directly with simple pulses of current evoked responses in AL neurons that were much less diverse, complex, and enduring than responses elicited by odorants. Similarly, models of the AL driven by simplistic inputs generated relatively simple output. How then are dynamic neural codes for odors generated? Consistent with recent results from several other species, our recordings from locust ORNs showed a great diversity of temporal structure. Furthermore, we found that, viewed as a population, many response features of ORNs were remarkably similar to those observed within the AL. Using a set of computational models constrained by our electrophysiological recordings, we found that the temporal heterogeneity of responses of ORNs critically underlies the generation of spatiotemporal odor codes in the AL. A test then performed in vivo confirmed that, given temporally homogeneous input, the AL cannot create diverse spatiotemporal patterns on its own; however, given temporally heterogeneous input, the AL generated realistic firing patterns. Finally, given the temporally structured input provided by ORNs, we clarified several separate, additional contributions of the AL to olfactory information processing. Thus, our results demonstrate the origin and subsequent reformatting of spatiotemporal neural codes for odors.
Two light-dependent conductances in Lima rhabdomeric photoreceptors

Light-dependent membrane currents were recorded from solitary Lima photoreceptors with the whole-cell clamp technique. Light stimulation from a holding voltage near the cell's resting potential evokes a transient inward current graded with light intensity, accompanied by an increase in membrane conductance. While the photocurrent elicited by dim flashes decays smoothly, at higher stimulus intensities two kinetically distinct components become visible. Superfusion with TEA or intracellular perfusion with Cs do not eliminate this phenomenon, indicating that it is not due to the activation of the Ca-sensitive K channels that are present in these cells. The relative amplitude of the late component vs. the early peak of the light response is significantly more pronounced at -60 mV than at -40 mV. At low light intensities the reversal potential of the photocurrent is around 0 mV, but with brighter lights no single reversal potential is found; rather, a biphasic response with an inward and an outward component can be seen within a certain range of membrane voltages. Light adaptation through repetitive stimulation with bright flashes diminishes the amplitude of the early but not the late phase of the photocurrent. These observations can be accounted for by postulating two separate light- dependent conductances with different ionic selectivity, kinetics, and light sensitivity. The light response is also shown to interact with some of the voltage-sensitive conductances: activation of the Ca current by a brief conditioning prepulse is capable of attenuating the photocurrent evoked by a subsequent test flash. Thus, Ca channels in these cells may not only shape the photoresponse, but also participate in the process of light adaptation.
Indian Comics Industry in the Blockchain Realm

Blockchain technologies promise efficient transactions, more trade account-ability, and increased/direct payment for the creative industry may revolutionize value exchange and IP management Patrickson, B. (2021). The Indian comics Industry lacks a technology solution to help small publishers and independent writers. Traditional comics cannot help small publishers and creators succeed. Online comic book stores are comparable. Online comic shops provide creators and publishers with more accessible point-of-sale systems. Despite their many benefits, small/new publishers or individual authors struggle with business models or tools. Inaction threatens the worldwide comic book market. Direct licensing and artistic work administration require unique software to expand global talent pools, increase customer access and brand recognition, and worldwide comics and goods distribution. Give small/new businesses industry data. Set high criteria for collaboration, production, and revenue. Until then, marketing software must consider the 4Ps: Product - User-friendly. Affordable Price, Place - Wide availability. Promotion - It is Eco friendly and safe. The main point seems terrible. Small/new publishers and creators in this industry have huge development potential. Large comic publishers or corporate links may dominate the solutions above, but they must remain open and uninfluenced. A dominant party could withhold resources from other market participants, preventing them from abandoning traditional production and distribution methods. This study examined the potential negative economic change in the comic book industry production, distribution, and licensing resources that do not coordinate. Small publishers, artists, and comic book customers suffer from the economy Blockchain's potential requires a global paradigm shift and organized software tools.
Testing the efficacy of computer-generated cartoons

Reports experiments which examined how well full cartoons of famous faces could be recognised, compared with grey-level images, and assessed the separate contribution played by each of the 'valledges' and 'threshold' components. The results show that full cartoon drawings produced by the Pearson and Robinson (1985) operator are identified almost as accurately as grey-level images, but neither the 'valledge' nor the 'threshold' components alone were as well identified as the full cartoons. This finding is in line with previous work, and supports the suggestion that separate contributions to recognition may be made by components of 'line' and 'mass'. It may be by the inclusion of valleys, edges and dark areas (cf. 'line' and 'mass') that the Pearson and Robinson operator is successful in creating natural, recognisable cartoons. Further experiments on the effect of negating different components of the cartoon are described. >
A Study on Weed Detection Based on Improved Yolo v5

Currently, weeds in agricultural fields are one of the most common and serious biological threats to agricultural production. These weeds have a strong ability to reproduce, and they directly or indirectly affect crop yield and quality by competing with crops for nutrients, causing crop diseases, and attracting noxious insects, thus bringing great losses to agricultural production. In this aspect of weed detection Zhai et al. proposed a crop row recognition algorithm based on Census transform, and the experiment was only carried out on the cotton field video with simple background, and its correct rate was 92.58%. However, the algorithm requires a higher experimental environment because it did not go to the actual cotton field environment for detection.2021, Kaijing Li et al. proposed a YOLOv3 cotton field weed detection algorithm based on YOLOv3 for the complex cotton field environment in Xinjiang, and took the weeds near the cotton seedling during the moving process as the detection target, and trained the improved YOLOv3 network model through the improvement of the feature extraction network. Although there is some success, the accuracy of weed detection is still not high in complex situations. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a new model yolo v5-ct based on Yolo v5 by introducing the cbam module and the Transformer encoder module in the backbone feature extraction network, which improves the prominence of weeds in complex farmland backgrounds and strengthens the network's focus on weeds. The experimental results show that in relatively complex environments, the yolo v5-ct model effectively improves the problem of low weed recognition accuracy in complex environments.
An error analysis of probabilistic fibre tracking methods: average curves optimization

Fibre tractography using diffusion tensor imaging is a promising method for estimating the pathways of white matter tracts in the human brain. The success of fibre tracking methods ultimately depends upon the accuracy of the fibre tracking algorithms and the quality of the data. Uncertainty and its representation have an important role to play in fibre tractography methods to infer useful information from real world noisy diffusion weighted data. Probabilistic fibre tracking approaches have received considerable interest recently for resolving orientational uncertainties. In this study, an average curves approach was used to investigate the impact of SNR and tensor field geometry on the accuracy of three different types of probabilistic tracking algorithms. The accuracy was assessed using simulated data and a range of tract geometries. The average curves representations were employed to represent the optimal fibre path of probabilistic tracking curves. The results are compared with streamline tracking on both simulated and in vivo data.
Vascular Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease: Is There a Difference?

Dementia is a syndrome that can be caused by a number of progressive disorders that affect memory, thinking, behaviour and the ability to perform everyday activities, with increasing loss of function. Dementia mainly affects older people; after age 65, the likelihood of developing dementia roughly doubles every five years (Alzheimer’s Association, 2011; Wimo & Prince, 2010). Patients with dementia usually survive 7-10 years after onset of symptoms, placing a tremendous burden not only on caregivers, but also on society (Alzheimer’s Association, 2010; Wimo et al., 2010).
Urinary tract infection in renal transplant recipients

Introduction: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is the commonest bacterial infection occurring in renal transplant recipients, and it is associated with significant morbidity. This study aimed to assess the characteristics of all UTI episodes diagnosed in renal transplant patients who attended regularly for follow up in the nephrology department of National Heart Center, Tripoli, Libya. Methods: Data were collected by retrospective review of patients' medical records. UTI was defined as a urine culture containing more than 105 colonies/ml and pyuria (10 leukocytes /HPF). Results: Out of a total of 112 kidney transplant patients, UTI was diagnosed in 33 patients (29.5%). The mean age of affected patients was 43±20 years with a range of 20-63 years. Most of the episodes (72%) occurred during the first 3 months after transplantation, and 60.6% of affected patients had more than one episode of infection. A larger proportion of females were affected than males (40.8% versus 20.6% respectively, P=0.02). No significant difference was detected in the proportion of affected patients whether the donor was live-unrelated or live-related (32.3% versus 28.4% respectively, P=0.43). The commonest causative microorganism was E. coli (38.7%), followed by klebsiella (25.8%), Staphylococcus (25.8%), and others (9.7%). The commonest drug used for treatment was ciprofloxacin (51.6%), followed by amoxicillin-clavulinic acid (22.6%), meropenem (12.9%), and others (12.9%). Conclusion: The prevalence of UTI in our cohort of patients is similar to that reported by others. The commonest causative agent was E. coli, and ciprofloxacin was the most commonly used drug. Keywords: Kidney transplant recipients; Libya; Urinary tract infections