Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Temporal tagging of attended objects

Complex organisms in a complex world need sensors that provide the information necessary to cope with any situation they are likely to encounter. Because circumstances vary widely, at any given time the sensory periphery therefore provides much more data than is needed and can be processed in detail by the central nervous system. Selective attention is the triage process of extracting the most relevant sensory information and suppressing the remainder. In a recent issue of PNAS, through an ingenious psychophysical experiment, Bauer et al. (1) provide insight into the mechanisms underlying this cognitive function.
Carbon nanotube-based non-cryogenic cooled spectrum IR detectors

Carbon nanotube (CNT) has been found to be one of the promising materials for efficient detection and used in different nanoelectronic devices due to its unique electrical properties. Recently, the applications of nanostructural material to infrared (IR) sensors are considered. Our group has developed non cryogenic cool and multiple spectrums optical sensors using single CNT and demonstrated the good sensitivity of CNT to the infrared light in different ranges. In this paper, design, fabrication and experimental result of the CNT-based optical sensor were described. The results indicated the band gap of CNTs can be tuned by electrical breakdown process, resulting multiple spectrum sensors can be developed by controlling the band gap of CNTs. Moreover, the CNT-based optical sensor detected the near-IR (NIR) signal and middle-wave IR (MWIR) signal in room temperature environment, the temperature dependency of the sensors has been studied.
Analysis of cell behavior on micropatterned surfaces by image processing algorithms

With the recent developments in medicine and biology experiments a large amount of data is gathered in the form of multimedia elements (images, videos). Many algorithms have been developed and adapted based on the system of interest, and often the most challenging feature of the images may be used to facilitate a better analysis of the image. Herein, we developed an image analysis algorithm for quantification of cellular shape and size on micropatterned surfaces (gelatin) as a means to predict their phenotypic behavior. We have two conditions: i) individual dispersal of the cells on the surfaces, and ii) the clustering of cells in small and large patches. The analysis of the former condition, that includes counting and determining of the cells' area, relies on successful segmentation. In the second setting where clustering of cells is favoured, individual cell segmentation and counting becomes more challenging and we determine the relative area that is covered by the cells. Direct image processing techniques can provide a reasonable qualitative picture of the behavior of the cells that sit on the regularly micropatterned surfaces that create a challenging background for the segmentation. Employing filters in both spatial and frequency (reciprocal) domain enabled a better quantitative analysis of the cell behavior. Our method uses the periodic repetition of the patterns to distinguish the cellular features from the topography of the substrate, which can be generalized for the analysis of cellular metrics on micropatterned surfaces.
Three-Dimensional Ordered-Subset Expectation Maximization Iterative Protocol for Evaluation of Left Ventricular Volumes and Function by Quantitative Gated SPECT: A Dynamic Phantom Study

The purposes of this study were to characterize the performance of a 3-dimensional (3D) ordered-subset expectation maximization (OSEM) algorithm in the quantification of left ventricular (LV) function with 99mTc-labeled agent gated SPECT (G-SPECT), the QGS program, and a beating-heart phantom and to optimize the reconstruction parameters for clinical applications. Methods: A G-SPECT image of a dynamic heart phantom simulating the beating left ventricle was acquired. The exact volumes of the phantom were known and were as follows: end-diastolic volume (EDV) of 112 mL, end-systolic volume (ESV) of 37 mL, and stroke volume (SV) of 75 mL; these volumes produced an LV ejection fraction (LVEF) of 67%. Tomographic reconstructions were obtained after 10–20 iterations (I) with 4, 8, and 16 subsets (S) at full width at half maximum (FWHM) gaussian postprocessing filter cutoff values of 8–15 mm. The QGS program was used for quantitative measurements. Results: Measured values ranged from 72 to 92 mL for EDV, from 18 to 32 mL for ESV, and from 54 to 63 mL for SV, and the calculated LVEF ranged from 65% to 76%. Overall, the combination of 10 I, 8 S, and a cutoff filter value of 10 mm produced the most accurate results. The plot of the measures with respect to the expectation maximization–equivalent iterations (I × S product) revealed a bell-shaped curve for the LV volumes and a reverse distribution for the LVEF, with the best results in the intermediate range. In particular, FWHM cutoff values exceeding 10 mm affected the estimation of the LV volumes. Conclusion: The QGS program is able to correctly calculate the LVEF when used in association with an optimized 3D OSEM algorithm (8 S, 10 I, and FWHM of 10 mm) but underestimates the LV volumes. However, various combinations of technical parameters, including a limited range of I and S (80–160 expectation maximization–equivalent iterations) and low cutoff values (≤10 mm) for the gaussian postprocessing filter, produced results with similar accuracies and without clinically relevant differences in the LV volumes and the estimated LVEF.
Ontology-Mediated Queries with Closed Predicates

In the context of ontology-based data access with description logics (DLs), we study ontology-mediated queries in which selected predicates can be closed (OMQCs). In particular, we contribute to the classification of the data complexity of such queries in several relevant DLs. For the case where only concept names can be closed, we tightly link this question to the complexity of surjective CSPs. When also role names can be closed, we show that a full complexity classification is equivalent to classifying the complexity of all problems in CONP, thus currently out of reach. We also identify a class of OMQCs based on ontologies formulated in DL-LiteR that are guaranteed to be tractable and even FO-rewritable.
Atropos: A Disk Array Volume Manager for Orchestrated Use of Disks

The Atropos logical volume manager allows applications to exploit characteristics of its underlying collection of disks. It stripes data in track-sized units and explicitly exposes the boundaries, allowing applications to maximize efficiency for sequential access patterns even when they share the array. Further, it supports efficient diagonal access to blocks on adjacent tracks, allowing applications to orchestrate the layout and access to twodimensional data structures, such as relational database tables, to maximize performance for both row-based and column-based accesses.
Colonial vs. planktonic type of growth: mathematical modeling of microbial dynamics on surfaces and in liquid, semi-liquid and solid foods

Predictive models are mathematical expressions that describe the growth, survival, inactivation, or biochemical processes of foodborne bacteria. During processing of contaminated raw materials and food preparation, bacteria are entrapped into the food residues, potentially transferred to the equipment surfaces (abiotic or inert surfaces) or cross-contaminate other foods (biotic surfaces). Growth of bacterial cells can either occur planktonically in liquid or immobilized as colonies. Colonies are on the surface or confined in the interior (submerged colonies) of structured foods. For low initial levels of bacterial population leading to large colonies, the immobilized growth differs from planktonic growth due to physical constrains and to diffusion limitations within the structured foods. Indeed, cells in colonies experience substrate starvation and/or stresses from the accumulation of toxic metabolites such as lactic acid. Furthermore, the micro-architecture of foods also influences the rate and extent of growth. The micro-architecture is determined by (i) the non-aqueous phase with the distribution and size of oil particles and the pore size of the network when proteins or gelling agent are solidified, and by (ii) the available aqueous phase within which bacteria may swarm or swim. As a consequence, the micro-environment of bacterial cells when they grow in colonies might greatly differs from that when they grow planktonically. The broth-based data used for modeling (lag time and generation time, the growth rate, and population level) are poorly transferable to solid foods. It may lead to an over-estimation or under-estimation of the predicted population compared to the observed population in food. If the growth prediction concerns pathogen bacteria, it is a major importance for the safety of foods to improve the knowledge on immobilized growth. In this review, the different types of models are presented taking into account the stochastic behavior of single cells in the growth of a bacterial population. Finally, the recent advances in the rules controlling different modes of growth, as well as the methodological approaches for monitoring and modeling such growth are detailed.
An Ultrathin Forming-Free $\hbox{HfO}_{x}$  Resistance Memory With Excellent Electrical Performance

Abstract-A forming-free 3-nm-thick HfOx, resistive memory device is demonstrated. The percolation threshold of insulatingto-conductive transition in the ultrathin HfOx, can be lowered by using the Ti capping layer with an adequate post metal annealing. By the reaction between Ti and HfOx,, oxygen ions are depleted from the oxide, and conductive percolative paths, which consist of charged oxygen vacancies, are formed. Without any forming step, the memory can operate with stable bipolar resistance switching by initial positive or negative voltage sweep. Possible scenarios of switching mechanism for the initial state of the device with different sweep directions are proposed. This forming-free device also exhibits an on/off ratio of about ten and excellent memory performances, including high speed (~10 ns), low operation voltages (<; 1.2 V), robust endurance (> 106 cycles), good nonvolatile property (500 min at 85 °C), and 2-b switching per cell.
Hospital Characteristics Associated With Colonization of Water Systems by Legionella and Risk of Nosocomial Legionnaires' Disease: A Cohort Study of 15 Hospitals

Abstract Objective: To investigate an increase in reports of legionnaires' disease by multiple hospitals in San Antonio, Texas, and to study risk factors for nosocomial transmission of legionnaires' disease and determinants for Legionella colonization of hospital hot-water systems. Setting: The 16 largest hospitals in the cities of San Antonio, Temple, and Austin, Texas. Design: Review of laboratory databases to identify patients with legionnaires' disease in the 3 years prior to the investigation and to determine the number of diagnostic tests for Legionella performed; measurement of hot-water temperature and chlorine concentration and culture of potable water for Legionella. Exact univariate calculations, Poisson regression, and linear regression were used to determine factors associated with water-system colonization and transmission of Legionella. Results: Twelve cases of nosocomial legionnaires' disease were identified; eight of these occurred in 1996. The rise in cases occurred shortly after physicians started requesting Legionella urinary antigen tests. Hospitals that frequently used Legionella urinary antigen tests tended to detect more cases of legionnaires' disease. Legionella was isolated from the water systems of 11 of 12 hospitals in San Antonio; the 12th had just experienced an outbreak of legionnaires' disease and had implemented control measures. Nosocomial legionellosis cases probably occurred in 5 hospitals. The number of nosocomial legionnaires' disease cases in each hospital correlated better with the proportion of water-system sites that tested positive for Legionella (P=.07) than with the concentration of Legionella bacteria in water samples (P=.23). Hospitals in municipalities where the water treatment plant used monochloramine as a residual disinfectant (n=4) and the hospital that had implemented control measures were Legionella-free. The hot-water systems of all other hospitals (n=11) were colonized with Legionella. These were all supplied with municipal drinking water that contained free chlorine as a residual disinfectant. In these contaminated hospitals, the proportion of sites testing positive was inversely correlated with free residual chlorine concentration (P=.01). In all hospitals, hot-water temperatures were too low to inhibit Legionella growth. Conclusions: The increase in reporting of nosocomial legionnaires' disease was attributable to increased use of urinary antigen tests; prior cases may have gone unrecognized. Risk of legionnaires' disease in hospital patients was better predicted by the proportion of water-system sites testing positive for Legionella than by the measured concentration of Legionella bacteria. Use of monochloramine by municipalities for residual drinking water disinfection may help prevent legionnaires' disease.
A Free Market Architecture for Distributed Control of a Multirobot System

The coordination of a large group of robots to solve a specified task is a difficult problem. Centralized approaches can be computationally intractable, brittle, and unresponsive to change. Distributed approaches are not as prone to these problems, but they can be highly sub-optimal. This work introduces a novel economic approach for coordinating robots based on the free market system. The free market approach defines revenue and cost functions across the possible plans for executing a specified task. The task is accomplished by dividing it into sub-tasks and allowing the robots to bid and negotiate to carry out these sub-tasks. Cooperation and competition emerge as the robots execute the task while trying to maximize their personal profits. Initial simulation results indicate the approach is successful at producing effective global plans for a team of several robots performing an interior sensing task.
HaTS: large-scale in-product measurement of user attitudes & experiences with happiness tracking surveys

With the rise of Web-based applications, it is both important and feasible for human-computer interaction practitioners to measure a product's user experience. While quantifying user attitudes at a small scale has been heavily studied, in this industry case study, we detail best Happiness Tracking Surveys (HaTS) for collecting attitudinal data at a large scale directly in the product and over time. This method was developed at Google to track attitudes and open-ended feedback over time, and to characterize products' user bases. This case study of HaTS goes beyond the design of the questionnaire to also suggest best practices for appropriate sampling, invitation techniques, and its data analysis. HaTS has been deployed successfully across dozens of Google's products to measure progress towards product goals and to inform product decisions; its sensitivity to product changes has been demonstrated widely. We are confident that teams in other organizations will be able to embrace HaTS as well, and, if necessary, adapt it for their unique needs.
Non-parallel voice conversion using i-vector PLDA: towards unifying speaker verification and transformation

Text-independent speaker verification (recognizing speakers regardless of content) and non-parallel voice conversion (transforming voice identities without requiring content-matched training utterances) are related problems. We adopt i-vector method to voice conversion. An i-vector is a fixed-dimensional representation of a speech utterance that enables treating voice conversion in utterance domain, as opposed to frame domain. The high dimensionality (800) and small number of training utterances (24) necessitates using prior information of speakers. We adopt probabilistic linear discriminant analysis (PLDA) for voice conversion. The proposed approach requires neither parallel utterances, transcriptions nor time alignment procedures at any stage.
Urinary Podocytes in Primary Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis

Background/Aim: Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is a common cause of nephrotic syndrome. Although the pathogenesis is not known, recent studies suggest that FSGS may be a podocyte disease. The aim of this study was to look for podocyte injury in this disease, using measurements of urinary podocytes. Methods: We examined the first morning urine of the day collected from 71 patients (45 men and 26 women, median age and range 11.2 and 3–29 years) diagnosed as having nephrotic syndrome. Freshly voided urine samples were examined by immunofluorescence labeling using monoclonal antibodies against human podocalyxin. Renal histological examinations were performed in 58 of the 71 patients: 28 had minimal-change disease, 20 had FSGS, and 10 had membranous nephropathy. Results: Median and range of urinary podocytes measured were 0.2 and 0–40.8 cells/ml for 71 patients with nephrotic syndrome and 0 and 0–0.8 cells/ml for normal healthy control subjects (n = 200). Patients with FSGS had significantly higher levels of urinary podocytes (median and range 1.3 and 0–40.8 cells/ml) than those with minimal-change disease (median and range 0 and 0–6.9 cells/m; p = 0.003) or membranous nephropathy (median and range 0 and 0–1.4 cells/ml; p = 0.02). Conclusions: The urinary excretion of podocytes is significantly higher in patients with FSGS as compared with those having membranous nephropathy or minimal-change disease. These findings suggest that podocyte injury and loss in the urine may have an important role in the pathogenesis of FSGS.
Using CTL formulae as component abstraction in a design and verification flow

In the context of component-based design, the verification of global properties (involving several components) is difficult to achieve, due to combinatorial explosion problem, while the verification of each component is easier to perform. Following the idea of [24], we propose to build an abstraction of a component already verified, starting from a subset of its specification described as CTL formulae. This abstraction replaces the concrete component and alleviates the state-space explosion problem for checking global properties expressed in ACTL.
Immunity to coccidiosis: stages of the life-cycle of Eimeria maxima which induce, and are affected by, the response of the host

Summary An attempt was made to determine the relative importance of the different life-cycle stages of Eimeria maxima in the induction of immunity and also those stages most affected by the immune response of the host. In one experiment the life-cycle was controlled by chemotherapy but in all other experiments partial life-cycles were induced by transfers of infected mucosa between hosts. The results indicated that the second generation schizont stage is probably that most concerned in the induction of protective immunity and that sexual stages are most susceptible to immune inhibition. After initial inhibition in the immune host the earlier asexual stages were able to resume development when transferred to a susceptible host. The longer the period of exposure to the immune environment, the less able was the parasite to recover.
Transmissibility of Atypical Scrapie in Ovine Transgenic Mice: Major Effects of Host Prion Protein Expression and Donor Prion Genotype

Atypical scrapie or Nor98 has been identified as a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) that is clearly distinguishable from classical scrapie and BSE, notably regarding the biochemical features of the protease-resistant prion protein PrPres and the genetic factors involved in susceptibility to the disease. In this study we transmitted the disease from a series of 12 French atypical scrapie isolates in a transgenic mouse model (TgOvPrP4) overexpressing in the brain ∼0.25, 1.5 or 6× the levels of the PrPARQ ovine prion protein under the control of the neuron-specific enolase promoter. We used an approach based on serum PrPc measurements that appeared to reflect the different PrPc expression levels in the central nervous system. We found that transmission of atypical scrapie, much more than in classical scrapie or BSE, was strongly influenced by the PrPc expression levels of TgOvPrP4 inoculated mice. Whereas TgOvPrP4 mice overexpressing ∼6× the normal PrPc level died after a survival periods of 400 days, those with ∼1.5× the normal PrPc level died at around 700 days. The transmission of atypical scrapie in TgOvPrP4 mouse line was also strongly influenced by the prnp genotypes of the animal source of atypical scrapie. Isolates carrying the AF141RQ or AHQ alleles, associated with increased disease susceptibility in the natural host, showed a higher transmissibility in TgOvPrP4 mice. The biochemical analysis of PrPres in TgOvPrP4 mouse brains showed a fully conserved pattern, compared to that in the natural host, with three distinct PrPres products. Our results throw light on the transmission features of atypical scrapie and suggest that the risk of transmission is intrinsically lower than that of classical scrapie or BSE, especially in relation to the expression level of the prion protein.
HERMITIAN TRANSFORM APPROACH IN CLASSIFICATION OF ECG SIGNALS

The continuous Hermite functions have been used for continuous signal approximations for some time. Vectors called discrete Hermite functions are presented in this paper that model digital signals in a similar way, often with excellent compression capabilities. When used in conjunction with ANNs (artifical neural networks) Hermite founctions can effectively reduce computational load and provides faster classification. In this work we purpose a method for classification of ECG signals using Hermite basis functions.
Reconfiguration on nowhere dense graph classes

Let $\mathcal{Q}$ be a vertex subset problem on graphs. In a reconfiguration variant of $\mathcal{Q}$ we are given a graph $G$ and two feasible solutions $S_s, S_t\subseteq V(G)$ of $\mathcal{Q}$ with $|S_s|=|S_t|=k$. The problem is to determine whether there exists a sequence $S_1,\ldots,S_n$ of feasible solutions, where $S_1=S_s$, $S_n=S_t$, $|S_i|\leq k\pm 1$, and each $S_{i+1}$ results from $S_i$, $1\leq i<n$, by the addition or removal of a single vertex.We prove that for every nowhere dense class of graphs and for every integer $r\geq 1$ there exists a polynomial $p_r$ such that the reconfiguration variants of the distance-$r$ independent set problem and the distance-$r$ dominating set problem admit kernels of size $p_r(k)$. If $k$ is equal to the size of a minimum distance-$r$ dominating set, then for any fixed $\epsilon>0$ we even obtain a kernel of almost linear size $\mathcal{O}(k^{1+\epsilon})$. We then prove that if a class $\mathcal{C}$ is somewhere dense and closed under taking subgraphs, then for some value of $r\geq 1$ the reconfiguration variants of the above problems on $\mathcal{C}$ are $\mathsf{W}[1]$-hard (and in particular we cannot expect the existence of kernelization algorithms). Hence our results show that the limit of tractability for the reconfiguration variants of the distance-$r$ independent set problem and distance-$r$ dominating set problem on subgraph closed graph classes lies exactly on the boundary between nowhere denseness and somewhere denseness.