Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diving Deeper into Volume Style Transfer

The Pando Thrower is a weapon of great importance in Disney’s "Strange World. " The explosive Pando fuel mixture is expelled with turbulent, fluid-like motion, with branching arcs of lightning and the electrifying presence of high energy particles. During effects development, previous stylization methods were improved and expanded to enable the combination of distinctly different natural phenomena into a single fantastical effect. In this talk, we present our use of Neural Style Transfer (NST) to reshape volume simulations into lightning-laced electrical reactions.
Interactive GPU-based Decimation of Large Meshes

Remeshing and decimation algorithms are crucial for rendering levels of details on large geometry, as well as preparing meshes for the micro-mesh feature introduced with NVIDIA Ada generation. While remeshing is usually a time-consuming process running on a single or few CPU threads, we present a novel approach to the edge-collapse algorithm designed towards parallel, lock-free GPU decimation, allowing for interactive remeshing of large meshes.
Class imbalance should not throw you off balance: Choosing classifiers and performance metrics for brain decoding with imbalanced data

Machine learning (ML) is becoming a standard tool in neuroscience and neuroimaging research. Yet, because it is such a powerful tool, the appropriate application of ML requires a sound understanding of its subtleties and limitations. In particular, applying ML to datasets with imbalanced classes, which are very common in neuroscience, can have severe consequences if not adequately addressed. With the neuroscience machine-learning
Comparison of self-esteem and depression among fertile and infertile women in a low resource setting

Abstract This study aimed to explore the effect of infertility on self-esteem and depression, and to identify the sociodemographic and infertility characteristics associated with self-esteem and depression among infertile women in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Self-esteem and depression were assessed in 100 infertile women and 100 women seeking family planning (controls) using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), respectively. Infertile women had significantly lower RSES score (19.4 ± 4.5 vs. 20.7 ± 4.4, p=.038) and higher PHQ-9 score (5.1 ± 4.1 vs. 3.8 ± 3.5, p=.023) compared to controls. Among infertile women, marital status, being remarried, duration of infertility, and RSES score were associated with PHQ-9 score on simple linear regression. On multiple linear regression analysis, the RSES score had a negative association with the PHQ-9 score (β= −0.32, p<.001). In conclusion, infertile women have lower self-esteem and higher depression scores. Mental health screening and management should be an integral part of care administered to infertile women. Impact Statement What is already known on this subject? Infertility is a global health problem with negative effects on the mental health and quality of life of couples, especially women. What the results of this study add? Infertile women have lower self-esteem and higher depression scores. The prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD) is higher among infertile women. Longer duration of infertility, older age, ≤6 years of formal education, and low self-esteem are significant associations of MDD among infertile women. What the implications are of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? Mental health screening and management should be included in the care given to women undergoing evaluation and treatment for infertility. Larger community-based studies evaluating other aspects of mental health among infertile couples are encouraged.
Development of an integrated hydro-environmental model and its application to a macro-tidal estuary

A two-dimensional depth-integrated hydro-environmental model has been refined to predict the hydrodynamic characteristics, solute and sediment transport processes and the fate and transport of trace metals in estuarine and coastal waters. The mathematical basis of the governing equations for the hydrodynamic processes and solute and mass transport is first discussed in detail. Then the discretization of the hydrodynamic and transport equations is introduced, with particular attention being paid to simulating the moving boundary, or flooding and drying, problem. A new implicit method is developed to simulate the interaction between surface and ground water flows, in which the governing equations for these two types of flows are discretized in the same form. This method has shown to be particularly suited for dealing with the moving boundary problem. The sediment transport model is then introduced, with the key coefficients used in the model being discussed in detail. The trace metal transport model is refined based on the concept of total trace metal transport, including both dissolved and particulate metals. In order to verify the trace metal transport model, two new test cases are designed and the corresponding analytical solutions are derived. In this study model verification has been undertaken systematically for each process sub-model, as well as the integrated model. Analytical solutions, experimental data and field survey data are used in the model verification. Numerical tests show that: a) the linked surface water and groundwater flow method is efficient and accurate, b) the new analytical solutions are useful to verify numerical models and c) all of the sub-process models are capable of providing accurate and reliable results. The integrated hydro-environment model is applied to a practical case study to estimate the residence time and the behaviour of trace metals in a macro-tidal estuary, namely the Mersey Estuary, located in the north-western England. It has been found that: a) the integrated model is able to give reasonably accurate predictions for the flow field and salinity, sediment and trace metal concentration distributions for an estuary with complex geometry and bathymetry and, b) generally, the average residence time for the whole Mersey Estuary is affected more by the tidal level change than the river discharge. However, if the tidal range is small, then the freshwater discharge can significantly affect the average residence time. Because of the sorption and de-sorption processes, trace metals have shown to be more difficult to be flushed out of the estuary, thus they will have a long term impact on the aquatic environment of the estuary.
Flow of a second grade fluid through constricted tube using integral method

The steady flow of a second grade fluid through constricted tube for mild stenosis is modeled and analyzed theoretically. The governing equations are simplified by implying an order-of-magnitude analysis. Based on Karman Pohlhausen procedure polynomial solution for velocity profile is presented. Expressions for pressure gradient, shear stress, separation and reattachment points are also calculated. The effects of nondimensional parameters emerging in the model on the velocity profile, shear stress, pressure gradient are discussed and depicted graphically. The effect of non-Newtonian parameter on velocity profile, wall shear stress and pressure gradient is also analyzed. It is found that the Reynolds number strongly effect the wall shear stress, separation and reattachment points.
Routing in Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks

An ad-hoc network is a collection of wireless mobile hosts forming a temporary network without any centralized administration or established infrastructure. In this paper, we study Routing in Mobile Ad-hoc networks(MANETs). Routing in these networks is significantly different and face a whole new set of problems from routing in traditional networks. We survey existing and previous routing protocols for MANETs and discuss current trends in MANETs research.
Improved artificial bee colony algorithm and its application in data clustering

Artificial Bee Colony (ABC), as a new swarm intelligence based method, suffers from low precision and efficiency in solving optimization problems. Inspired by the improved strategies of Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), we have proposed some modification on the original ABC iteration equation. In this paper, inertial weight is added on the first item which balances the local and the global searching processes. The contractive parameter is also introduced to the second item instead of the random number, which shows the nonlinear descending characteristic and has contractive effect on the search space of the algorithm. Furthermore, an additional random disturbance item is added to the renewal equation of the basic ABC algorithm, which helps the algorithm continue to search in the later iteration stage and continually increases its accuracy. The new improved ABC (IABC) method is firstly used in benchmark function optimization to test the performance and then it is applied to data clustering analysis of the DNA microarray gene expression data and PPI data sets. The simulation results show that the IABC is more effective than the state-of-the-art methods.
CELL & GENE THERAPY INSIGHTS

Viral vectors are required as gene delivery vehicles for cell and gene therapies that provide transformative options for previously intractable human diseases, including diverse genetic, immunologic, neurodegen - erative, ocular, cardiovascular diseases, as well as cancer with notable commercial progress in the latter. Robust and cost-effective viral vector manufacturing presents a core challenge in commercialization of cell and gene therapies. In this article, we assess the suitability of current viral vector manufacturing technologies for upstream processing to respond to the anticipated surge in demand. Our focus is on adeno-associated virus (AAV) and lentiviral vectors (LV) and the dominant cell type used for manufacturing, human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cell lines. We leverage the outcomes of a conference workshop, literature and expert opinions to conclude that, although we expect to see a mix of production technologies in viral vector manufacturing: i) suspension-based upstream processes will become the industry standard; ii) a trend towards contin - uous bioprocessing approaches will transform the field in the next years as these production modes hold the promise of significantly reducing manufacturing costs.
Statistica Sinica Preprint No : SS-2017-0225

Analysis of sample survey data often requires adjustments for missing values in the variables of interest. Standard adjustments based on item imputation or on propensity weighting factors rely on the availability of auxiliary variables for both responding and non-responding units. Their application can be challenging when the auxiliary variables are numerous and are themselves subject to incompletedata problems. This paper shows how classification and regression trees and forests can overcome these difficulties and compares them with likelihood methods in terms of bias and mean squared error. The development centers on a component of income data from the U.S. Consumer Expenditure Survey, which has a relatively high rate of item missingness. Classification trees and forests are used to model the unit-level propensity for item missingness in the income component. Regression trees and forests are used to model the conditional mean of the income component. The methods are then used to estimate the mean of the income component, adjusted for item nonresponse. Thirteen methods for estimating a population mean are compared in simulation experiments. The results show that if the number of auxiliary variables with missing values is not small, or if they have substantial missingness rates, likelihood methods can be impracticable or inapplicable. Tree and forest methods are always applicable, are relatively fast, and have higher efficiency than likelihood methods under real-data situations with incomplete-data patterns similar to those in the abovementioned survey. Their efficiency loss under parametric conditions most favorable to likelihood methods is observed to be between 10–25%.
Perfect trees and bit-reversal permutations

One well known algorithm is the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). An efficient iterative version of the FFT algorithm performs as a first step a bit-reversal permutation of the input list. The bit-reversal permutation swaps elements whose indices have binary representations that are the reverse of each other. Using an amortized approach, this operation can be made to run in linear time on a random-access machine. An intriguing question is whether a linear-time implementation is also feasible on a pointer machine, that is, in a purely functional setting. We show that the answer to this question is in the affirmative. In deriving a solution, we employ several advanced programming language concepts such as nested datatypes, associated fold and unfold operators, rank-2 types and polymorphic recursion.
Enhancing reinforcement learning with metacognitive monitoring and control for improved perturbation tolerance

In this study, we investigated the perturbation tolerance of reinforcement learning(cid:151)that is, its ability to recover from unexpected changes. We found that the perturbation tolerance of reinforcement learners was negatively correlated with the degree of the perturbation, and that using relatively simple metacognitive monitoring and control components could signi(cid:2)cantly improve its perturbation tolerance.
The Measure of a Man : Associations between Digit Ratio and Disordered Eating in Males April

There are pronounced sex differences in eating disorders, such that 9 of 10 people with an eating disorder are female. Explanations for this discrepancy are varied. Some researchers utilize sociocultural theories to explicate these differences and posit that they are the result of culture-driven factors, such as the glorification of an unrealistically thin body ideal for females in Western societies. Other theories highlight the role of biology, and hold that gonadal hormones may play an important role in influencing the sex differences. However, most agree that eating disorders develop from a complex interplay between cultural, environmental, and genetic and other biological factors. Although males account for 10–15% of all bulimic and anorexic patients, this rate appears to be increasing. Given this increase it is important to enhance our understanding of the development of eating disorders in men, especially because men are often neglected in eating disorders research. The purpose of the this study was to investigate potential biological correlates of attitudes about eating and body shape by utilizing a marker of prenatal testosterone exposure and measurement scales designed specifically for men. Testosterone is an organizing hormone and is pivotal for the masculinization of the body; it is required for the development and organization of genitalia, the brain, and other organ systems in men. Moreover, prenatal testosterone exposure also influences cognition (e.g., mental rotation ability) and behavior (e.g., athletic ability). Importantly, multiple animal studies have found that prenatal testosterone exposure ‘‘masculinizes’’ eating, such that animals receiving testosterone neonatally tend to eat more and weigh more. A recent study conducted on human twins found that greater prenatal testosterone exposure led to less disordered eating in both men and women. Specifically, males from male–male twin pairs had less disordered eating than the male twin from a male– female twin pair, and the female from a female– male twin pair had less disordered eating than females from female–female twin pairs. Sharing a prenatal environment with a male cotwin is believed lead to increased levels of testosterone in the prenatal environment. Thus, the authors Accepted 3 July 2009
The matching method for treatment evaluation with selective participation and ineligibles

The matching method for treatment evaluation does not balance selective unobserved differences between treated and non-treated. We derive a simple correction term if there is an instrument that shifts the treatment probability to ∗Cef.up, Faculty of Economics at the University of Porto; IFS and IZA. Address: IFS, 7 Ridgmount Street, London WC1E 7AE, UK. monica d@ifs.org. uk †University of Tokyo. ‡Alexander von Humboldt Professor of Econometrics and Empirical Economics, University of Mannheim; VU University Amsterdam, IFAU-Uppsala, CEPR, IZA, and IFS.
Cost Model : Work , Span and Parallelism

In this class, we will overview various parallel programming technology developed. One of the technology we will examine closely is Cilk, a C/C++ based concurrency platform. Before we overview the development and implementation of Cilk, we shall first overview a brief history of Cilk technology to account for where the major concepts originate. Cilk technology has developed and evolved over more than 15 years since its origin at MIT. The text under this subheading is partially abstracted from the “Cilk” entry in Encyclopedia of Distributed Computing [14] with the author’s consent. I invite interested readers to go through the original entry for a more complete review of the history. Cilk (pronounced “silk”) is a linguistic and runtime technology for algorithmic multithreaded programming originally developed at MIT. The philosophy behind Cilk is that a programmer should concentrate on structuring her or his program to expose parallelism and exploit locality, leaving Cilk’s runtime system with the responsibility of scheduling the computation to run efficiently on a given platform. The Cilk runtime system takes care of details like load balancing, synchronization, and communication protocols. Cilk is algorithmic in that the runtime system guarantees efficient and predictable performance. Important milestones in Cilk technology include the original Cilk-1 [2, 1, 11],1 Cilk-5 [7, 18, 5, 17], and the commercial Cilk++ [15] by Cilk Arts. The first implementation of Cilk, Cilk-1, arose from three separate projects at MIT in 1993. The first project was theoretical work [3, 4] on scheduling multithreaded applications. The second was StarTech [10, 12, 13], a parallel chess program built to run on the Thinking Machines Corporation’s Connection Machine Model CM-5 Supercomputer [16]. The third project was PCM/Threaded-C [8], a C-based package for scheduling continuation-passing-style threads on the CM-5. In April 1994 the three projects were combined and christened Cilk. Cilk-1 is a general-purpose runtime system that incorporated a provably efficient work-stealing scheduler. While it provided a provably efficient runtime support, it offered little linguistic support.
XVI CONGRESSO BRASILEIRO DE ENGENHARIA MECÂNICA 16th BRAZILIAN CONGRESS OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING VISUAL SERVO CONTROL OF NONHOLONOMIC MOBILE ROBOTS

This work describes the application of the visual servoing of a mobile robot having as input the image from a camera mounted on a pan-tilt. The solution is based on the so called Interaction Matrix (IM). The velocities of the image features parameters are utilized to compute control signals for the robot actuators without any state reconstruction or camera calibration schemes. The paper also presents a study about the influence of the DOFs added by the pan-tilt on the maneuverability of the robotics ensemble, in two case studies: i) the pan and robot steering motions shares the same rotation axis. ii) the rotation axis for pan motion and robot are different. Experiments were done with a Nomad 200 mobile robot with a B W CCD camera and a pan-tilt. This methodology finds application in several real scenarios, like trajectory tracking, parking and docking of AGVs. We are also investigating the application of the methodology for the automatic landing of an aerial unmanned vehicle.
Paleomagnetic study of the Central Andes with special reference to the Bolivian orocline

Paleomagnetic studies were done on more than 600 oriented rock samples collected from the Central Andes between northern Peru and the northernmost Chile. Samples are composed of both volcanic and sedimentary rocks and range in their ages from Jurassic to Quaternary. Paleomagnetic studies of these rock formations revealed post-Cretaceous counterclockwise rotation of the Peruvian Andes and the northernmost Chile with respect to the South American platform. A significant correlation was noted between the rotation angles and the strike of the Andean structural trend and is interpreted as the consequence of the coherent rotation of the whole Peruvian Andes as a block. On the other hand, paleomagnetic results of Chilean and Argentine Andes are compatible with platform data. These results confirm that the Central Andes were oroclinally bent giving rise to the AricaSanta Cruz deflection at the Peru-Chile border. One Neogene dike swarm in central Peru showed about a half of the rotation of the Cretaceous rocks. If this counterclockwise rotation is the resuIt of the large area rotation as suggested from the Mesozoic data, it gives constraints to the timing of this oroclinal bending, that is, a half amount of the bending still occurred after Late Miocene time. Such recent rapid bending of the Central Andes is considered to give rise to various tectonic features not only in the Andean Cordillera itself but also in the surrounding area such as South American foreland and the subducting Nazca plate. As the possible cause of the bending, it is speculated that the collision of some unsubductable mass to South America stopped the receding oceanic trench and formed the bending axis.
Recruitment The Relationship Between Early Recruitment-Related Activities and the Application Decisions of New Labor-Market Entrants: A Brand Equity Approach to Recruitment

We used theory and research from the marketing literature on customer-based brand equity to predict how positive exposure to four early recruitment-related activities—publicity, sponsorships, word-of-mouth endorsements, and advertising—may affect the application decisions of engineering students. Similar to prior marketing findings, our results suggested that early recruitment-related activities were related to intentions and decisions indirectly through two dimensions of employer brand image: general attitudes toward the company and perceived job attributes. The relationships between word-of-mouth endorsements and the two dimensions of brand image were particularly strong. In addition, we found that early recruitment-related activities interacted with one another such that employer brand image was stronger when firms used publicity in conjunction with other early recruitment-related activities.
Models With Nominal Rigidities

First, we very briefly review some rules of expectation/forecast. Many economic behavioral relationships require expectations or forecasts of future values of variables (endogenous/exogenous or both). We just saw one example of it in the previous lecture the New Keynesian Phillips curvecurrent inflation depends on future inflation and real marginal cost. Similarly, when we buy share we take into account future dividend and capital gains. Decision to make an investment depends on expected future return. Thus, we frequently encounter behavioral relationships in economics which involve forward-looking elements. Of course, future values of variables are mostly unobservable. Then in order to make forecasts, we need some rules. First assumption that we make is that agents have rational expectation. What does rational expectation mean? It basically means that agents make optimal forecasts given the information and they know the true structure of economy and true behavioral relationships, i.e., they know how economy works. They make forecasts as statisticians do. Let us take an example. Suppose that random variable, yt, evolves over time as follows: