Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Classification Of Material Surfaces Using The Polarization Of Specular Highlights

Recently there has been interest, in computer vision research, in the segmentation of images based upon the actual material makeup of the objects or object parts that constitute image regions. The idea is to identify image characteristics which can be used to predict the material properties of objects that are being imaged. A majority of object surfaces can be simply classified according to their basic electrical properties; metal objects (e.g. Aluminum, Copper) conduct electricity rather well while dielectric objects (e.g. Rubber, Plastic, Ceramic) conduct electricity poorly. Distinguishing image regions according to whether they correspond to metal or dielectric material can provide important information for scene understanding especially in industrial machine vision. One such major application is circuit board inspection where the presence of dielectric or metal material in the wrong place can cause trouble. A previous approach to the problem of identifying metal or dielectric material in images is based upon careful spectral (i.e. color) analysis of reflected light from material objects. This paper presents a technique for identifying the material properties of objects in an image using a polarizing lens (i.e. Polaroid filter). Two images of the same scene are taken with a polarizing lens placed in front of a camera in two different respective orientations. Effectively these two images represent two linearly independent polarization components of the reflected light. It is shown that when the linearly independent components of polarization are taken parallel and perpendicular with respect to the plane in which specular rays travel that dielectric objects can be distinguished from metallic objects when specular highlights are present. In particular the two polarization components are very similar at specular highlights on metals while the two polarization components for specular highlights on dielectrics are very different, the perpendicular component having much larger magnitude than the parallel component. This is shown to hold regardless of whether the surface is polished or rough. Results for coated surfaces will be presented at a future date.
Voronoi Random Fields: Extracting Topological Structure of Indoor Environments via Place Labeling

The ability to build maps of indoor environments is extremely important for autonomous mobile robots. In this paper we introduce Voronoi random fields (VRFs), a novel technique for mapping the topological structure of indoor environments. Our maps describe environments in terms of their spatial layout along with information about the different places and their connectivity. To build these maps, we extract a Voronoi graph from an occupancy grid map generated with a laser range-finder, and then represent each point on the Voronoi graph as a node of a conditional random field, which is a discriminatively trained graphical model. The resulting VRF estimates the label of each node, integrating features from both the map and the Voronoi topology. The labels provide a segmentation of an environment, with the different segments corresponding to rooms, hallways, or doorways. Experiments using different maps show that our technique is able to label unknown environments based on parameters learned from other environments.
High-performance computing for computational biology of the heart

This thesis describes the development of Beatbox — a simulation environment for computational biology of the heart. Beatbox aims to provide an adaptable, approachable simulation tool and an extensible framework with which High Performance Computing may be harnessed by researchers. Beatbox is built upon the QUI software package, which is studied in Chapter 2. The chapter discusses QUI’s functionality and common patterns of use, and describes its underlying software architecture, in particular its extensibility through the addition of new software modules called ‘devices’. The chapter summarises good practice for device developers in the Laws of Devices. Chapter 3 discusses the parallel architecture of Beatbox and its implementation for distributed memory clusters. The chapter discusses strategies for domain decomposition, halo swapping and introduces an efficient method for exchange of data with diagonal neighbours called Magic Corners. The development of Beatbox’s parallel Input/Output facilities is detailed, and its impact on scaling performance discussed. The chapter discusses the way in which parallelism can be hidden from the user, even while permitting the runtime execution user-defined functions. The chapter goes on to show how QUI’s extensibility can be continued in a parallel environment by providing implicit parallelism for devices and defining Laws of Parallel Devices to guide third-party developers. Beatbox’s parallel performance is evaluated and discussed. Chapter 4 describes the extension of Beatbox to simulate anatomically realistic tissue geometry. Representation of irregular geometries is described, along with associated user controls. A technique to compute no-flux boundary conditions on irregular boundaries is introduced. The Laws of Devices are further developed to include irregular geometries. Finally, parallel performance of anatomically realistic meshes is evaluated.
Etude des méthodes d’évaluation employées par les analystes financiers lors des introductions sur le Second Marché de la Bourse de Paris

The study reported here focused on determining what methods financial analysts use for the valuation of Initial Public Offerings. The conclusion is that practices have moved with the times and that “real” considerations are more and more often used to obtain the market value of the firm. The study is undertaken on a sample of 209 French companies introduced on the second market between January 1991 and December 2000.
Androgen Receptor Activation in Castration-Recurrent Prostate Cancer: The Role of Src-Family and Ack1 Tyrosine Kinases

There is growing appreciation that castration-recurrent prostate cancer (CR-CaP) is driven by the continued expression of androgen receptor (AR). AR activation in CR-CaP through various mechanisms, including AR overexpression, expression of AR splice variants or mutants, increased expression of co-regulator proteins, and by post-translational modification, allows for the induction of AR-regulated genes in response to very low levels of tissue-expressed, so-called intracrine androgens, resulting in pathways that mediate CaP proliferation, anti-apoptosis and oncogenic aggressiveness. The current review focuses on the role played by Src-family (SFK) and Ack1 non-receptor tyrosine kinases in activating AR through direct phosphorylation, respectively, on tyrosines 534 or 267, and how these modifications facilitate progression to CR-CaP. The fact that SFK and Ack1 are central mediators for multiple growth factor receptor signaling pathways that become activated in CR-CaP, especially in the context of metastatic growth in the bone, has contributed to recent therapeutic trials using SFK/Ack1 inhibitors in monotherapy or in combination with antagonists of the AR activation axis.
Degrees of Freedom of Uplink–Downlink Multiantenna Cellular Networks

An uplink-downlink two-cell cellular network is studied in which the first base station (BS) with M<sub>1</sub> antennas receives independent messages from its N<sub>1</sub> serving users, while the second BS with M<sub>2</sub> antennas transmits independent messages to its N<sub>2</sub> serving users. That is, the first and second cells operate as uplink and downlink, respectively. Each user is assumed to have a single antenna. Under this uplink-downlink setting, the sum degrees of freedom (DoFs) is completely characterized as the minimum of (N<sub>1</sub>N<sub>2</sub> + min(M<sub>1</sub>, N<sub>1</sub>)(N<sub>1</sub> - N<sub>2</sub>)<sup>+</sup> + min(M<sub>2</sub>, N<sub>2</sub>)(N<sub>2</sub> - N<sub>1</sub>)<sup>+</sup>)/ max(N<sub>1</sub>, N<sub>2</sub>), M<sub>1</sub> + N<sub>2</sub>, M<sub>2</sub> + N<sub>1</sub>, max(M<sub>1</sub>, M<sub>2</sub>), and max(N<sub>1</sub>, N<sub>2</sub>), where a<sup>+</sup> denotes max(0, a). The result demonstrates that, for a broad class of network configurations, operating one of the two cells as uplink and the other cell as downlink can strictly improve the sum DoF compared with the conventional uplink or downlink operation, in which both cells operate as either uplink or downlink. The DoF gain from such uplink-downlink operation is further shown to be achievable for heterogeneous cellular networks having hotspots and with delayed channel state information.
Analysis and Performance Evaluation of a K-Symbol Pilot Assisted Channel Estimator using Linear Interpolation for OFDM Systems

In this work, the performance of a novel linear interpolator scheme that uses K successive orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols is examined. The estimator collects K successive OFDM symbols to create a virtual super symbol (VSS) with K-P pilots using P pilots from each OFDM symbol. The (K - 1) middot P pilots are shifted in frequency in such way that in the VSS their distance is divided by K compared to standard symbols. Successive least squares (SLS) channel estimation through linear interpolation is performed by using more than one symbol in the LS estimator introducing the weight channel change (WCC) factor that represents the change of the wireless channel between the successive symbols used. A novel analysis deriving exact expressions for the mean square error (MSE) as a function of pilot spacing, channel statistics and WCC for an OFDM system where data subcarriers also exist before the first and after the last pilot is given. The MSE and the bit error rate (BER) of the estimator are characterized by the number and distance of the pilots, the Doppler spread and the WCC factor. Simulations show the effect of each factor on MSE and BER performance.
Social support as a moderator of functional disability's effect on depressive feelings in early rheumatoid arthritis: a four-year prospective study.

OBJECTIVE To examine associations of depressive feelings with disease-related variables and explore the moderating effect of social support on depressive feelings in individuals with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) prospectively over 4 years. METHOD Data were collected annually over 4 years. The sample consisted of 124 individuals with diagnosed RA (85.5% women; mean age 47.9 years; mean disease duration 22.2 months). The strength of cross-sectional and prospective associations of sociodemographic, disease-related variables and the direct and moderating effects of social support on depression were tested using correlations, multilevel models, and hierarchical linear regressions. RESULTS The study showed that emotional support moderated the influence of functional disability on depressive feelings in individuals with RA. This was not detected for instrumental support. Further prospective associations between functional status, marital status, and depressive feelings were also found. Overall, the strongest association was found between initial depressive feelings and depressive feelings over time. CONCLUSIONS Initial depression seemed to be a risk factor in explaining later depressive feelings, but emotional support might be prospectively beneficial, especially for individuals with higher levels of disability. Early detection of individuals at risk for depression and providing interventions aimed at the specific functions of social support might help to decrease mental health problems.
Personality in adulthood

Now in a revised and expanded second edition, this influential work argues for the enduring stability of personality across adult development. It also offers a highly accessible introduction to the five-factor model of personality. Critically reviewing different theories of personality and adult development, the authors explain the logic behind the scientific assessment of personality, present a comprehensive model of trait structure, and examine patterns of trait stability and change after age 30, incorporating data from ongoing cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. The second edition has been updated throughout with the authors' new findings, ideas, and interpretations, and includes a new chapter on cross-cultural research. It culminates in an additional new chapter that presents a comprehensive theory of personality grounded in the five-factor model.
How to estimate GFR in children.

The reference method to determine glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in children is the inulin clearance. Similarly, Cr51-EDTA, iohexol and iothalamate can be used as exogenous GFR markers [1,2]. Exogenous markers are expensive and rather impractical. Creatinine is by far the most commonly used biochemical marker of renal function. The commonest principle for assaying creatinine is the Jaffe reaction [3]. Since Jaffe only observed a complexation between picric acid and creatinine in alkaline environment and never described an analytical method, variation amongst ‘Jaffe method’ recipes is broad [4]. The analytical bias of current creatinine methods (due to interference by pseudochromogens and calibration differences) is still disappointing: the compensated Jaffe method shows a small positive bias, whereas a major positive bias is observed for the dry chemistry and the uncompensated Jaffe methods [5]. Interlaboratory variation for creatinine is still unacceptably high; recent studies have reported median method group variation coefficients of 6.4% at a concentration of 80μmol/L [6]. Such variation leads to an unacceptable variation in the estimation of kidney function in young children and infants. Equations to estimate GFR require knowledge of the calibration of the serum creatinine assay [7].
Genome Silencing and Elimination: Insights from a “Selfish” B Chromosome

B chromosomes are non-essential components of numerous plant and animal genomes. Because many of these “extra” chromosomes enhance their own transmission in ways that are detrimental to the rest of the genome, they can be thought of as genome parasites. An extreme example is a paternally inherited B chromosome known as paternal sex ratio (PSR), which is found in natural populations of the jewel wasp Nasonia vitripennis. In order to ensure its own propagation, PSR severely biases the wasp sex ratio by converting diploid female-destined embryos into transmitting haploid males. This action occurs at the expense of the other paternally inherited chromosomes, which fail to resolve during the first round of division and are thus eliminated. Recent work has revealed that paternal genome elimination by PSR occurs through the disruption of a number of specific histone post-translational modifications, suggesting a central role for chromatin regulation in this phenomenon. In this review, we describe these recent advances in the light of older ones and in the context of what is currently understood about the molecular mechanisms of targeted genome silencing and elimination in other systems.
Quick Preparation of Moisture-Saturated Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Plastics and Their Accelerated Ageing Tests Using Heat and Moisture

A quick method involving the control of heat and water vapor pressure for preparing moisture-saturated carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRP, 8 unidirectional prepreg layers, 1.5 mm thickness, epoxy resin) has been developed. The moisture-saturated CFRP sample was obtained at 120 °C and 0.2 MPa water vapor in 72 h by this method using a sterilizer (autoclave). The bending strength and viscoelastic properties measured by a dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) remained unchanged during repetitive saturation and drying steps. No degradation and molecular structural change occurred. Furthermore an accelerated ageing test with two ageing factors, i.e., heat and moisture was developed and performed at 140–160 °C and 0.36–0.62 MPa water vapor pressure by using a sealed pressure-proof stainless steel vessel (autoclave). The bending strength of the sample decreased from 1107 to 319 MPa at 160 °C and 0.63 MPa water vapor pressure in 9 days. Degraded samples were analyzed by DMA. The degree of degradation for samples was analyzed by DMA. CFRP and degraded CFRP samples were analyzed by using a surface and interfacial cutting analysis system (SAICAS) and an electron probe micro-analyzer (EPMA) equipped in a scanning electron microscope.
Mutual Injection Pulling Between Oscillators

This paper proposes a theory for the behavior of free-running or phase-locked oscillators that experience mutual injection pulling. The timeand frequency-domain responses are derived for each case and the profile of the resulting sidebands is calculated analytically. Experimental results obtained for two 1-GHz CMOS PLLs that are resistively coupled on-chip are presented
Search Your Mobile Sketch: Improving the Ratio of Interaction to Information on Mobile Devices

A mobile device’s small interaction space and undersized keyboard can sometimes make textual input difficult and impractical. Many mobile devices are predisposed for sketching as they come with a stylus or touch-screen capabilities, and sketched icons are a natural way to label objects on such a device. In this paper we present a sketch recognition overlay in Google Maps that allows users to search for location markers based on simple graphics and hand-drawn symbols. Author Keywords
Social undermining and well‐being: the role of communal orientation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to test whether communal orientation is a moderator of the relationship between the experience of social undermining in project groups and both group member well‐being and group‐directed citizenship behaviours.Design/methodology/approach – A survey was carried out of 184 student nurses from a Canadian university working in 41 groups in the local community on projects designed to deliver care to specific populations. Student nurses worked in project groups for ten weeks. They completed two surveys: one approximately two weeks into group membership; and the other approximately six weeks later.Findings – As predicted, and controlling for survey one well‐being, student nurses who experienced social undermining early in the life of their group reported poorer well‐being at the end of their group membership than their counterparts. Furthermore, communal orientation moderated this relationship, in that this relationship only existed for those individuals high in communal or.
THE MOTIVIC DGA

The main goal of this paper is to associate to each smooth quasi-projective scheme X over any field an E∞ differential graded algebra whose cohomology groups are the higher Chow groups of X. Modulo torsion, this provides a strictly commutative differential graded algebra. Such a construction is currently known only for the case X itself is a field. Needless to say there are several applications of this result, some of which are considered here: for example, we are able to construct a category of relative mixed Tate-motives associated to any such scheme under the hypothesis that the DGA we obtain is connected. We also show that this holds for all smooth linear projective varieties over a field k, if the Beilinson-Soulé vanishing condition holds for the field. We also establish certain cohomology operations on mod-p motivic cohomology by this procedure.
Project Risk Management Using the Project Risk FMEA

Abstract: Identifying and mitigating project risks are crucial steps in managing successful projects. This article proposes the extension of the Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) format to quantify and analyze project risks. The new technique is labeled the project risk FMEA (RFMEA). The RFMEA is a modification of the well-known process, product, and service FMEA technique. In order to use the FMEA format for projects, the detection value of the standard FMEA is modified slightly for use in the project environment. The new approach is illustrated in a case study from the electronics industry. By adding the detection value to the risk quantification process, another measure beyond the typical risk score is made available to the project team. The benefits of the RFMEA include an increased focus on the most imminent risks, prioritizing risk contingency planning, improved team participation in the risk management process, and development of improved risk controls.
Editorial: Presenting and Representing Research in Sport & Tourism

The previous issue of Journal of Sport & Tourism (JS&T, Vol. 11, No. 1) highlighted a number of issues related to the development of research focusing on the relationship between sport and tourism. Among the issues raised were concerns relating to the building of a body (or bodies) of knowledge in the area, the embedding of primary research in appropriate theory, and the need for methodological and epistemological diversity. In particular, the potential of a geographic approach to research in sport and tourism was highlighted, and issues associated with the way imagery is used to develop and promote cities and destinations was discussed. This issue develops further some of these themes, and in introducing the papers contained herein, it seems that ideas associated with the presentation and representation of research in sport and tourism might provide a useful introduction to the issue. One of the issues of concern raised in JS&T 11(1) was the need to locate current research within its intellectual heritage, and this can often be related to the way in which research is presented. Often, the discussion of relevant literature in research papers can be little more than a descriptive ‘tour’ of previous research in the relevant area, with little comment being made on the respective merits of such research (Wood, 2000) or on how previous research has developed over time as particular studies inform each other. Many literature reviews can read as though all previous studies have been conducted in a ‘time vortex’ and, as such, the relationship between previous studies as the research enterprise as a whole develops over time is not discussed. Of course, this is not true of all research, and the first paper in this issue, ‘Towards Social Leverage of Sports Events’ by Laurence Chalip presents a clear intellectual heritage of the issues discussed. Chalip has been one of the leading authors advocating a move from an ‘impacts’ to a ‘leveraging’ approach to the analysis of sports events (Chalip, 2004; Chalip & Leyns, 2002), and this provides the intellectual heritage for the issues discussed in his paper in this issue. The paper discusses the relevance of analysing social leverage alongside the more widely discussed economic leverage of sport events, and suggests that, with proper consideration of the processes that can lead to social leverage, economic benefits may also be leveraged as a result. The consideration of social leverage is suggested as a progression from the measurement of social impacts. However, unlike the measurement of economic impacts of Journal of Sport & Tourism Vol. 11, No. 2, May 2006, pp. 105–108