Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Integration of Image Segmentation Maps using Region and Edge Information

We present an algorithm that integrates multiple region segmentation maps and edge maps. It operates independently of image sources and specific region-segmentation or edge-detection techniques. User-specified weights and the arbitrary mixing of region/edge maps are allowed. The integration algorithm enables multiple edge detection/region segmentation modules to work in parallel as front ends. The solution procedure consists of three steps. A maximum likelihood estimator provides initial solutions to the positions of edge pixels from various inputs. An iterative procedure using only local information (without edge tracing) then minimizes the contour curvature. Finally, regions are merged to guarantee that each region is large and compact. The channel-resolution width controls the spatial scope of the initial estimation and contour smoothing to facilitate multiscale processing. Experimental results are demonstrated using data from different types of sensors and processing techniques. The results show an improvement over individual inputs and a strong resemblance to human-generated segmentation. >
Synthesis and properties of collagen-g-poly(sodium acrylate-co-2-hydroxyethylacrylate) superabsorbent hydrogels

Novel biopolymer-based superabsorbent hydrogels were prepared by grafting crosslinked poly(acrylic acid-co-2-hydroxyethyl acrylate) (PAA-co-PHEA) chains onto collagen backbones through a free radical polymerization method. The graft copolymerization reaction was carried out in a homogeneous medium and in the presence of ammonium persulfate (APS) as initiator and N,N '-methylene bisacrylamide (MBA) as crosslinker. A proposed mechanism for collagen-g-(PAA-co-PHEA) formation was suggested and the hydrogel structure was confirmed using FTIR spectroscopy and TGA thermal analysis. Moreover, the morphology of the samples was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The effect of concentration of MBA as well as AA/HEA weight ratio on the swelling capacity of the hydrogel was also studied. Furthermore, the water absorbency of hydrogels was measured in solutions with pH ranging 1 to 13. The collagen-based hydrogel exhibited a pH-responsive character, so that a swelling-deswelling pulsatile behavior was recorded at pHs 2 and 8. Preliminary swelling and deswelling behaviors of the hydrogels were also studied. Additionally, the hydrogels exhibited salt-sensitivity and cation exchange properties.
Large scale optimization by differential evolution with landscape modality detection and a diversity archive

In this study, the performance of Differential Evolution with landscape modality detection and a diversity archive (LMDEa) is reported on the set of benchmark functions provided for the CEC2012 Special Session on Large Scale Global Optimization. In Differential Evolution (DE), large population size, which is much larger than the number of decision variables in problem to be solved, is adopted in order to keep the diversity of search. However, it is difficult to adopt such large size to solve large scaled optimization problems because the population size will become too large and the search efficiency will degrade. In this study, we propose to solve large scale optimization problems using small population size and a large archive for diversity. Also, we propose simple control of scaling factor by observing landscape modality of search points in order to keep diversity. The landscape of a problem to be optimized is often unknown and the landscape is changing dynamically while the search process proceeds. In LMDEa, some points on a line connecting the centroid of search points and a search point are sampled. When the objective values of the sampled points are changed decreasingly and then increasingly, it is thought that one valley exists. If there exists only one valley, the landscape is unimodal and small scaling factor is adopted. Otherwise, large scaling factor is adopted. Also, the sampled points realize global search in the region spanned by all search points and realize local search near the best search point. The effect of the proposed method is shown by solving the benchmark functions.
Totgesagte leben länger: Warum das Fernsehen als Wahlkampfmedium durch das Internet nicht verdängt, sondern nur ergänzt wird

Resume : L’article met en exergue l’importance de l’Internet dans les campagnes electorales en favorisant l’hypothese que l’Internet ne peut pas remplacer la television en tant que media de masse privilegie. Le potentiel de l’Internet et celui de la television dans les campagnes electorales sont particuliers. Par consequent, la these defendue consiste a ce que la television represente le complement de l’Internet, mais non son substitut. Mots-cles : television, internet, communication, campagnes electorales, media de masse Abstract: The article shows that the internet has become more and more important for election campaigns, but cannot replace television as (central) mass medium for campaigning. It is argued that that potential of the internet and the potential of television for election campaigns is completely different. As a consequence, television is substantially complemented, but not substituted by the internet. Keywords: television, Internet, communication, election campaigns, mass media
An ultrasonic method for noninvasive estimation of vascular impedance to an absolute level: in vitro validation of the relationship between impedance and phase velocity

Vascular impedance is a quantity that characterizes the properties of the vascular bed. Assuming Newtonian fluid, laminar flow and linear system, impedance is related to phase velocity. The agreement between theoretical relationship and measured data is evaluated in an in vitro study. The setup consist of a computer-controlled flow generator, a variable fluid impedance and a measuring section. Phase velocity is calculated from multiple recorded vessel pulsations detected by ultrasonic pulse-echo technique. The reference impedance is calculated from simultaneously measured high-fidelity pressure and flow data. The impedance is analyzed in the range of 1-40 Hz with 1-Hz resolution. The evaluation of the noninvasive ultrasonic technique is focused on the resonance frequencies and the characteristic impedance. No significant difference (p>0.05) is found in the resonance frequencies nor in the characteristic impedance. However, the impedance below 5 Hz is underestimated and the extension of the measuring section causes spatial averaging effects with reduced frequency resolution.
Cigarette Cravings, Impulsivity, and the Brain

Craving is a core feature of tobacco use disorder as well as a significant predictor of smoking relapse. Studies have shown that appetitive smoking-related stimuli (e.g., someone smoking) trigger significant cravings in smokers impede their self-control capacities and promote drug seeking behavior. In this review, we begin by an overview of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies investigating the neural correlates of smokers to appetitive smoking cues. The literature reveals a complex and vastly distributed neuronal network underlying smokers’ craving response that recruits regions involved in self-referential processing, planning/regulatory processes, emotional responding, attentional biases, and automatic conducts. We then selectively review important factors contributing to the heterogeneity of results that significantly limit the implications of these findings, namely between- (abstinence, smoking expectancies, and self-regulation) and within-studies factors (severity of smoking dependence, sex-differences, motivation to quit, and genetic factors). Remarkably, we found that little to no attention has been devoted to examine the influence of personality traits on the neural correlates of cigarette cravings in fMRI studies. Impulsivity has been linked with craving and relapse in substance and tobacco use, which prompted our research team to examine the influence of impulsivity on cigarette cravings in an fMRI study. We found that the influence of impulsivity on cigarette cravings was mediated by fronto-cingulate mechanisms. Given the high prevalence of cigarette smoking in several psychiatric disorders that are characterized by significant levels of impulsivity, we conclude by identifying psychiatric patients as a target population whose tobacco-smoking habits deserve further behavioral and neuro-imaging investigation.
Anatomy, histology, and pathology of the cardiac conduction system—part V

Although morphologic findings in many of the cardiac arrhythmias of acute and chronic disease have been elusive, the correlates of heart block (particularly atrioventricular block) are abundant. Pathologic features of sinoatrial, atrioventricular, and bundle‐branch block are reviewed. Lev and Lenegre diseases (idiopathic bilateral bundle‐branch fibrosis) are also reviewed.
Local Protein Synthesis Mediates a Rapid Increase in Dendritic Elongation Factor 1A after Induction of Late Long-Term Potentiation

The maintenance of long-term potentiation (LTP) requires a brief period of accelerated protein synthesis soon after synaptic stimulation, suggesting that an early phase of enhanced translation contributes to stable LTP. The mechanism regulating protein synthesis and the location and identities of mRNAs translated are not well understood. Here, we show in acute brain slices that the induction of protein synthesis-dependent hippocampal LTP increases the expression of elongation factor 1A (eEF1A), the mRNA of which contains a 5′ terminal oligopyrimidine tract. This effect is blocked by rapamycin, indicating that the increase in EF1A expression is mediated by the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. We find that mRNA for eEF1A is present in pyramidal cell dendrites and that the LTP-associated increase in eEF1A expression was intact in dendrites that had been severed from their cell bodies before stimulation. eEF1A levels increased within 5 min after stimulation in a translation-dependent manner, and this effect remained stable for 3 h. These results suggest a mechanism whereby synaptic stimulation, by signaling through the mTOR pathway, produces an increase in dendritic translational capacity that contributes to LTP maintenance.
Inhibition of NMDARs in the Nucleus Reticularis of the Thalamus Produces Delta Frequency Bursting

Injection of NMDAR antagonist into the thalamus can produce delta frequency EEG oscillations in the thalamocortical system. It is surprising that an antagonist of an excitatory neurotransmitter should trigger such activity, and the mechanism is unknown. One hypothesis is that the antagonist blocks excitation of GABAergic cells, thus producing disinhibition. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the effect of NMDAR antagonist (APV) on cells of the nucleus reticularis (nRT) in rat brain slices, a thalamic nucleus that can serve as a pacemaker for thalamocortical delta oscillations and that is composed entirely of GABAergic neurons. We found, unexpectedly, that nRT cells are hyperpolarized by APV. This occurs because these cells have an unusual form of NMDAR (probably NR2C) that contributes inward current at resting potential in response to ambient glutamate. The hyperpolarization produced by APV is sufficient to deinactivate T-type calcium channels, and these trigger rhythmic bursting at delta frequency. The APV-induced delta frequency bursting is abolished by dopamine D2 receptor antagonist, indicating that dopamine and NMDAR antagonist work synergistically to stimulate delta frequency bursting. Our results have significant implications concerning the electrophysiological basis of schizophrenia and bring together the NMDAR hypofunction, dopamine, and GABA theories of the disease. Our results suggest that NMDAR hypofunction and dopamine work synergistically on the GABAergic cells of the nRT to generate the delta frequency EEG oscillations, a thalamocortical dysrhythmia (TCD) in the awake state that is an established abnormality in schizophrenia.
Interacting Goals And Their Use

Current means-end analysis problem solvers are not capable of solving problems which have certain kinds of goal interaction. The goal interaction problem is described and an example given on a block stacking task. Finally, mention is made of a method of using the information gained by the discovery of goal interactions to guide the search for a problem solution.
Recognition of dynamic patterns in DC-DC switching converters

Techniques are presented for analyzing the dynamic patterns of power flow in high-frequency DC-DC switching power converters. Emphasis is placed on exploring methods for developing reduced-order models of power electronic circuits for simulation and state-space averaging. Tools from selective modal analysis are used to develop the dynamic pattern recognition algorithm that facilitates the classification of circuit modules. The algorithm is intended for the analysis of converters derived from the canonical switching call, i.e., the buck, boost, and flyback converters. <<ETX>>
Quantifying drivers of population dynamics for a migratory bird throughout the annual cycle

Worldwide, migratory species are undergoing rapid declines but understanding the factors driving these declines is hindered by missing information about migratory connectivity and the lack of data to quantify environmental processes across the annual cycle. Here, we combined range-wide information about migratory connectivity with global remote-sensing data to quantify the relative importance of breeding and non-breeding environmental processes to persistent long-term population declines of a migratory songbird, the wood thrush (Hylocichla mustelina). Consistent with theoretical predictions about population limitation of migratory birds, our results suggest that habitat loss and climate have contributed to the observed declines in wood thrush breeding abundance, yet the relative importance of breeding versus non-breeding factors is population-specific. For example, high-abundance core breeding populations appear to be more limited by habitat loss, whereas low-abundance, peripheral populations appear to be limited by climate-driven seasonal interactions. Further, our analysis indicates that the relative impact of breeding habitat loss is at least three to six times greater than the impact of equivalent non-breeding habitat loss and therefore the steepest regional declines have likely been driven by the loss of breeding habitat. These results underscore the need for population-specific conservation strategies implemented throughout the annual cycle to reverse long-term declines.
The Value of cw-Doppler Ultrasonography and DSA in the Diagnosis of Extra- and Intracranial Stenosis - a Comparison with Intraoperative Findings

The use of cw-Doppler sonography and digital subtraction angiography (DSA) for diagnosis of cerebro-vascular insufficiency (CVI) was evaluated in a retrospective study. 113 findings obtained by DSA and 315 findings obtained by cw-Doppler sonography were compared to the corresponding intraoperative finding. Furthermore, we examined the incidence of accompanying intracranial stenoses of the carotid artery. The impact of these stenoses on the CVI stage was analyzed by means of 200 transcranial Doppler sonographic studies. Cw-Doppler sonography (sensitivity: 95%) was clearly superior to DSA (sensitivity: 70%) for diagnosis of high grade and subtotal stenoses of the internal carotid artery (ICA). Sensitivity of both methods was insufficient for diagnosis of low grade stenoses (cw-Doppler: 50%, DSA 25%). Analysis of 200 transcranial Doppler sonographic studies did not reveal pathologic changes of intracranial vessels in 67% of all cases. This finding did not depend on the condition of the extracranial vessels and did also not depend on the CVI stage. Additionally, there was no correlation between the incidence and degree of intracranial stenoses and the CVI stage or the degree of stenosis of the ICA. These results support the view that Doppler sonography is the method of choice for diagnosis of high grade stenoses of the carotid artery. The use of DSA is limited to cases in which kinking or occlusion is suspected. Additional intracranial changes did not correlate with the CVI stage.
Adenosine A2 Receptor Presence and Synergy with Cholinergic Stimulation in Rabbit Lacrimal Gland

Purpose: Secretion from the lacrimal gland is an important part of the well-being of the eye, and a central part in the search for treatment of dry eye syndrome. Adenosine has stimulatory effects on the lacrimal gland, and can potentiate the effect of the cholinergic agonist carbachol (Cch). The aim of the present study is to investigate the presence of the adenosine A2 receptor subtypes A2A and A2B in the rabbit lacrimal gland, and to characterize their role in regulated acinar cell secretion. Methods: Expression of the receptors was investigated using reverse transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR) and immunofluorescence, and secretion effects were studied using a secretion assay in isolated lacrimal gland acinar cells. Results: Presence of both receptors was detected by RT-PCR and immunofluorescence. The secretion assay revealed a minor effect of stimulation of the A2 receptors, and a strong synergistic effect with the cholinergic agonist Cch. The synergistic effect was significantly reduced by the A2B antagonist PSB 1115, but not by the A2A antagonist SCH 58261, indicating that A2B is the receptor responsible for this potentiation. Conclusions: The study reveals the presence of the adenosine A2 receptor subtypes as well as a role for them in lacrimal gland secretion, and especially in the synergy with purinergic and cholinergic stimulation.
Press "ONE" for English: Language Policy, Public Opinion, and American Identity

"Press 'One' for English" examines how Americans form opinions on language policy issues such as declaring English the official language, printing documents in multiple languages, and bilingual education. Deborah Schildkraut shows that people's conceptions of American national identity play an integral role in shaping their views. Using insights from American political thought and intellectual history, she highlights several components of that identity and shows how they are brought to bear on debates about language. Her analysis expands the range of factors typically thought to explain attitudes in such policy areas, emphasizing in particular the role that civic republicanism's call for active and responsible citizenship plays in shaping opinion on language issues.Using focus groups and survey data, Schildkraut develops a model of public conceptions of what it means to be American and demonstrates the complex ways in which people draw on these conceptions when forming and explaining their views. In so doing she illustrates how focus group methodology can help yield vital new insights into opinion formation. With the rise in the use of ballot initiatives to implement language policies, understanding opinion formation in this policy area has become imperative. This book enhances our understanding of this increasingly pressing concern, and points the way toward humane, effective, and broadly popular language policies that address the realities of American demographics in the twenty-first century while staying true to the nation's most revered values.
1,1′-Binaphthyl-2,2′-diyl benzylphosphoramidate

In the title compound, C27H20NO3P, the P atom exhibits a somewhat distorted PNO3 tetrahedral geometry, with the O—P—O angle for the binaphthyl fragment being 102.82 (6)°. The dihedral angle between the naphthyl ring systems is 59.00 (2)°. In the crystal, inversion dimers linked by pairs of N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds generate R 2 2(8) loops.
Modeling Multi-mode D2D Communications in LTE

In this work we propose a roadmap towards the analytical understanding of Device-to-Device (D2D) communications in LTE-A networks. Various D2D solutions have been proposed, which include inband and outband D2D transmission modes, each of which exhibits different pros and cons in terms of complexity, interference, and spectral efficiency achieved. We go beyond traditional mode optimization and mode-selection schemes. Specifically, we formulate a general problem for the joint per-user mode selection, connection activation and resource scheduling of connections.
Reconhecimento de Expressões Faciais de Emoções: Padronização de Imagens do Teste de Conhecimento Emocional

Emotions play a significant role in human interaction and facial expressions are very important route to communicate emotion. The aims of the present study were to provide standards of the 83 photographs with facial expressions of basic emotions that compose the Emotion Matching Task (EMT) for the Brazilian population and compare the results with the standards obtained for the North-American sample, analyzing cultural similarities and differences. The subjects of this study were 80 undergraduate students from Salvador (Bahia, Brazil). Each photograph, presented sequentially through visual projection, was judged in terms of the emotion that best matched the facial expression. The results showed a good agreement level in the judgment of the photographs. The Brazilian and North-American samples judged 95.2% of the images as expressing the same emotion. The present study corroborates the hypothesis on the universality of basic emotions, provides standardized images or the use of the EMT in the Brazilian population and reveals cultural differences in the intensity judgment of emotional expressions.
Call Admission Control Policy for Integration of Voice/Data Traffic in Cellular Mobile Networks

In integrated voice/data cellular mobile networks, the most important consideration is to utilize the resources in an efficient way and maintain the required quality of service (QoS). In this paper, we proposed a new call admission control scheme for improving efficiency of resource utilization. Proposed scheme restricts the new and handoff voice and data calls arrived to system by finding the optimal threshold number of new and handoff voice and data calls allowed in system according to admission criters such as maximum data response time, voice and data blocking and dropping probabilities. From the numerical analysis, we observed that required call-level QoS for both voice and data calls is provided and upper bound of data response time is guaranteed to data calls. Also taking the required minimum bandwith need of voice calls in different values, we evaluated the performance improvements of data calls.