Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reeectance Based Object Recognition 1

Neighboring points on a smoothly curved surface have similar surface orientations and illumination conditions. Therefore, their brightness values can be used to compute the ratio of their re ectance coe cients. Based on this observation, we develop an algorithm that estimates a re ectance ratio for each region in an image with respect to its background. The algorithm is e cient as it computes ratios for all image regions in just two raster scans. The region re ectance ratio represents a physical property that is invariant to illumination and imaging parameters. Several experiments are conducted to demonstrate the accuracy and robustness of ratio invariant. The ratio invariant is used to recognize objects from a single brightness image of a scene. Object models are automatically acquired and represented using a hash table. Recognition and pose estimation algorithms are presented that use the ratio estimates of scene regions as well as their geometric properties to index the hash table. The result is a hypothesis for the existence of an object in the image. This hypothesis is veri ed using the ratios and locations of other regions in the scene. This approach to recognition is e ective for objects with printed characters and pictures. Recognition experiments are conducted on images with illumination variations, occlusions, and shadows. The paper is concluded with a discussion on the simultaneous use of re ectance and geometry for visual perception.
BEST OF BOTH WORLDS? ASSOCIATION BETWEEN OUTCROSSING AND PARASITE LOADS IN A SELFING FISH

Mixed‐mating strategies (i.e., intermediate levels of self‐fertilization and outcrossing in hermaphrodites) are relatively common in plants and animals, but why self‐fertilization (selfing) rates vary so much in nature has proved difficult to explain. We tested the hypothesis that parasites help maintain mixed‐mating using a partially selfing fish (Kryptolebias marmoratus) as a model. We show that outcrossed progeny in the wild are genetically more diverse and less susceptible to multiple parasite infections than their selfed counterparts. Given that outcrossing in K. marmoratus can only be attained by male‐hermaphrodite matings, our data provide an explanation for the coexistence of males and hermaphrodites in androdioecious species where hermaphrodites are unable to outcross among themselves. Moreover, our study provides evidence that parasites contribute to maintaining mixed‐mating in a natural animal population.
SC-Web-CS: Suply Chain Web-centric Systems

This paper proposes a generic framework, SC-webCS, for the development of next generation web-centric supply chain management systems. The framework builds on our previously developed Multi-Resolution Collaborative Architecture (MRCA) that supports multiple collaborative interfaces for effective human/system interaction within an underlying open-system framework. Its implementation is supported by a distributed information management system (DIMS), built on a powerful communication platform with adaptive capabilities, and with a new and efficient type of coordination and communication infrastructure which supports multi-agent collaboration. Some implementation issues are also discussed in details.
Comparative Study on Feature Selection and Fusion Schemes for Emotion Recognition from Speech

The automatic analysis of speech to detect affective states may improve the way users interact with electronic devices. However, the analysis only at the acoustic level could be not enough to determine the emotion of a user in a realistic scenario. In this paper we analyzed the spontaneous speech recordings of the FAU Aibo Corpus at the acoustic and linguistic levels to extract two sets of features. The acoustic set was reduced by a greedy procedure selecting the most relevant features to optimize the learning stage. We compared two versions of this greedy selection algorithm by performing the search of the relevant features forwards and backwards. We experimented with three classification approaches: Naive-Bayes, a support vector machine and a logistic model tree, and two fusion schemes: decision-level fusion, merging the hard-decisions of the acoustic and linguistic classifiers by means of a decision tree; and featurelevel fusion, concatenating both sets of features before the learning stage. Despite the low performance achieved by the linguistic data, a dramatic improvement was achieved after its combination with the acoustic information, improving the results achieved by this second modality on its own. The results achieved by the classifiers using the parameters merged at feature level outperformed the classification results of the decision-level fusion scheme, despite the simplicity of the scheme. Moreover, the extremely reduced set of acoustic features obtained by the greedy forward search selection algorithm improved the results provided by the full set.
Interference Control In Elderly Bilinguals: Appearances Can Be Misleading

Bilingualism has been associated with successful aging. In particular, research on the cognitive advantages of bilingualism suggests that it can enhance control over interference and help delay the onset of dementia signs. However, the evidence on the so-called cognitive advantage is not unanimous; furthermore, little is known about the neural basis of this supposed cognitive advantage in bilingual as opposed to monolingual elderly populations. In this study, elderly bilingual and monolingual participants performed a visuospatial interference control task during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning. Response times and accuracy rates were calculated for congruent and incongruent conditions of the Simon task, and the neurofunctional correlates of performance on the Simon task were examined. The results showed equivalent performance on the Simon task across groups but different underlying neural substrates in the two groups. With incongruent trials, monolinguals activated the right middle frontal gyrus, whereas bilinguals relied upon the left inferior parietal lobule. These results show that elderly bilinguals and monolinguals have equivalent interference control abilities, but relay on different neural substrates. Thus, while monolinguals show a classical PASA (posterior–anterior shift in aging) effect, recruiting frontal areas, bilinguals activate visuospatial processing alone and thus do not show this posterior–anterior shift. Moreover, a modulation of frontal activity with task-dynamic control of interference, observed in the elderly bilingual group alone, suggests that elderly bilinguals deal with interference control without recruiting a circuit that is particularly vulnerable to aging.
Genetics of Spermatogenic Failure

Spermatogenesis is an ongoing developmental process in adult testes that requires the coordinated expression of many genes. The genetic causes of spermatogenic failure in men remain largely unknown, though abnormalities in the sex chromosomes constitute a significant portion of them. In this review, we focus on 3 disorders that involve the sex chromosomes and are often screened in infertility clinics. These are Klinefelter syndrome, Y chromosome microdeletion, and XX male syndrome. We describe their prevalence, the associated phenotypes, and the molecular mechanisms underlying the disorders and discuss the difficulties in identifying the causal genes contributing to the spermatogenic defects. Currently, there are no effective therapies for the spermatogenic failure in the patients, and conception through assisted reproductive technology bears the risk of passing genetic abnormalities to the next generation.
A role for Bruton's tyrosine kinase in B cell antigen receptor-mediated activation of phospholipase C-gamma 2

Defects in the gene encoding Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk) result in a disease called X-linked agammaglobulinemia, in which there is a profound decrease of mature B cells due to a block in B cell development. Recent studies have shown that Btk is tyrosine phosphorylated and activated upon B cell antigen receptor (BCR) stimulation. To elucidate the functions of this kinase, we examined BCR signaling of DT40 B cells deficient in Btk. Tyrosine phosphorylation of phospholipase C (PLC)-gamma 2 upon receptor stimulation was significantly reduced in the mutant cells, leading to the loss of both BCR-coupled phosphatidylinositol hydrolysis and calcium mobilization. Pleckstrin homology and Src-homology 2 domains of Btk were required for PLC-gamma 2 activation. Since Syk is also required for the BCR-induced PLC-gamma 2 activation, our findings indicate that PLC-gamma 2 activation is regulated by Btk and Syk through their concerted actions.
Degrees of Random Sets Degrees of Random Sets

An explicit recursion-theoretic definition of a random sequence or random set of natural numbers was given by Martin-Löf in 1966. Other approaches leading to the notions of n-randomness and weak n-randomness have been presented by Solovay, Chaitin, and Kurtz. We investigate the properties of n-random and weakly n-random sequences with an emphasis on the structure of their Turing degrees. After an introduction and summary, in Chapter II we present several equivalent definitions of n-randomness and weak n-randomness including a new definition in terms of a forcing relation analogous to the characterization of n-generic sequences in terms of Cohen forcing. We also prove that, as conjectured by Kurtz, weak n-randomness is indeed strictly weaker than n-randomness. Chapter III is concerned with intrinsic properties of n-random sequences. The main results are that an (n + 1)-random sequence A satisfies the condition A (n) ≡ T A ⊕ 0 (n) (strengthening a result due originally to Sacks) and that n-random sequences satisfy a number of strong independence properties, e.g., if A ⊕ B is n-random then A is n-random relative to B. It follows that any countable distributive lattice can be embedded in the 2-random degrees. We also prove that, surprisingly, this independence property fails for weak n-randomness. In Chapter IV we consider a number of known measure-theoretic results of the form " almost every degree has property P " , and use the hierarchy of n-randomness to analyze " how much " randomness is needed for a given property to hold. We obtain fairly sharp results for most of the known properties. For example, Kurtz showed that a.e. degree has a 1-generic predecessor and is relatively r.e. We analyze both proofs to show that 2-randomness is sufficient. That 1-randomness is not enough follows from a new " basis " theorem: every nonempty Π 0 1-class contains a member with no relatively r.e. predecessor. The notion of " almost every " degree and the explicit definitions of randomness we use depend on the measure employed. We conclude by proving a series of results concerning the invariance of the n-random degrees with respect to changes in this measure. iv Biographical Sketch Steven M. Kautz was born in San Francisco, California in 1954 and grew up in the formerly pleasant region near there now known as Silicon Valley. Although he began high school with honest intentions, he spent the second half of his sophomore year …
13C-NMR. Spectroscopy of naturally occurring substances. XLV. Iboga alkaloids.

The carbon shifts of the Iboga-type alkaloids catharanthine, voacangine, coronaridine, ibogaine, dihydrocatharanthine and epiibogamine were recorded and correlated with the conformation of the natural bases. A 13C-NMR. analysis of heyneanine determined its C(19) configuration and a similar study of epiheyneanine proved its structure.
A Lunar Field Geologist ’ s Perspective 30 Years Later : Shocking Revelations About the Moon , Mars and Earth

A number of conventional hypotheses relative to the Moon and the terrestrial planets deserve both questioning and unconventional thought based on the profound advances in planetary research in recent years. For example, elemental and isotopic data on the lower mantle of the Moon suggest that lunar origin by Giant Impact is unlikely. The apparent existence of a relatively undifferentiated lunar lower mantle indicates that all the terrestrial planets began with a cool chondritic proto-core on the order of 1200 km in radius. The proto-core of Mars may have been catastrophically displaced upwards by metallic core formation and its remnants may reside beneath the Southern Uplands. The terrestrial equivalents of the very large lunar basins, such as South Pole-Aitken and Procellarum, may have seeded the first continents through differentiation of thick, hydrous melt sheets, resulting in the late stage crystallization of zircons 4.4-4.2 billion years ago. Sampling of impact glasses indicating an apparent lunar cataclysm ~3.85 billion years ago may have been biased by late, young large basin-forming impacts that resurfaced the crust. Clay minerals probably were the dominant mineral species at the surfaces of the Earth and Mars during the periods of intense impact activity prior to 3.8 b.y. and may have been critical catalysts to the formation of complex organic molecules. Mars appears to have had both early and late oceans due to two major episodes of intense volcanic activity, the oldest triggered by metallic core formation and the youngest by remelting of the Martian mantle. And finally, the Martian water-ice boundary in the crust is probably the most stable, long-lived ecological niche for simple life forms.
Multi-Objective Parameter Optimization for Cross-Sectional Deformation of Double-Ridged Rectangular Tube in Rotary Draw Bending by Using Response Surface Methodology and NSGA-II

Cross-sectional deformation of double-ridged rectangular tube (DRRT) inevitably occurs due to the inhomogeneous deformation induced by external boundary conditions in rotary draw bending (RDB). Unreasonable factor combination would aggravate the cross-sectional deformation of DRRT. So, a powerful and efficient method combining Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and Non-Sorted Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) was proposed to optimize the factors to control the cross-sectional deformation of DRRT in RDB. Firstly, an orthogonal experiment was used to screen out the important factors. It was obtained that three factors—clearance between DRRT and mandrel, clearance between DRRT and bending die, and boosting of pressure die—have an important influence on the cross-sectional deformation of DRRT. It can also be observed that the variation trend of flange sagging (FS) is always consistent with that of space deformation between ridges (SDR) with the changing of factors. RSM based on a Box-Behnken design was then used to establish response surface models. The proposed response surface models were used to analyze the relationship of the important parameters to the responses, such as space deformation between ridges, and width deformation of outer and inner ridge grooves (WDO and WDI). Finally, multi-objective parameter optimization for the cross-sectional deformation of DRRT in RDB was performed by using the established model and NSGA-II algorithm. The interaction of responses was revealed and the value range of each response in the space of Pareto optimal solutions was determined. It can be observed that there is always an evident conflict between SDR and WDO in the space of Pareto optimal solutions. By using this optimization method, the absolute values of SDR and WDI were significantly reduced—by 13.17% and 17.97%, respectively—compared with those before optimization, while WDO just increase only a little.
Micromanaging the Classification of Colon Cancer: The Role of the microRNAome

Recent advances in our understanding of the microRNAome (miRNAome) have provided further insights into the molecular pathogenesis of colorectal cancer and shown a potential role for miRNAs in distinguishing molecular subtypes. The mucosa-adenoma-carcinoma model can now integrate miRNAs into the known genetic alterations that drive the progression of colorectal neoplasia. Clin Cancer Res; 17(23); 7207–9. ©2011 AACR.
The Playground Experiment: Task-Independent Development of a Curious Robot

This paper presents the mechanism of Intelligent Adaptive Curiosity. This is an intrinsic motivation system which pushes the robot towards situations in which it maximizes its learning progress. It makes the robot focus on situations which are neither too predictable nor too unpredictable. This mechanism is a source of autonomous mental development for the robot: the complexity of its activities autonomously increases and a developmental sequence appears without being manually constructed. We test this motivation system on a real robot which evolves on a baby playmat with objects that it can learn to manipulate. We show that it first spends time in situations which are easy to learn, then shifts progressively its attention to situations of increasing difficulty, avoiding situations in which nothing can be learnt.
Probabilistic Analysis of Mean-Field Games

The purpose of this paper is to provide a complete probabilistic analysis of a large class of stochastic differential games with mean field interactions. We implement the Mean-Field Game strategy developed analytically by Lasry and Lions in a purely probabilistic framework, relying on tailor-made forms of the stochastic maximum principle. While we assume that the state dynamics are affine in the states and the controls, and the costs are convex, our assumptions on the nature of the dependence of all the coefficients upon the statistical distribution of the states of the individual players remains of a rather general nature. Our probabilistic approach calls for the solution of systems of forward-backward stochastic differential equations of a McKean--Vlasov type for which no existence result is known, and for which we prove existence and regularity of the corresponding value function. Finally, we prove that a solution of the Mean-Field Game problem as formulated by Lasry and Lions, does indeed provide appr.
Repair of Cleft Lip with Nonsurgical Correction of Nasal Deformity in the Early Neonatal Period

Auricular cartilage is soft and plastic at birth, so that congenital auricular deformities can easily be corrected nonsurgically in the early neonatal period. However, as the infant grows older, the flexibility of the auricle decreases. Alar cartilage exhibits the same elasticity as auricular cartilage in the early neonate. When a cleft lip is repaired, typically when the infant is about 3 months of age, it becomes difficult to correct the nasal deformity without surgical intervention. However, based on our experience, there is a fair possibility of correcting the cleft lip nasal deformity with a nonsurgical procedure in the early neonatal period. We performed cleft lip repair accompanied by nonsurgical correction of the nasal deformity in 44 neonates aged 2 to 7 days. A special retainer was placed in the affected nostril for 3 months. Following observation of 31 infants for 12 months or longer, their nasal shapes and symmetry were considered superior to those conventionally operated on at about 3 months of age. Except for one nasal infection, there were no complications.
Performance Evaluation of a Distributed MPC Strategy Applied to the Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor

The search of more robust solutions for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) process control has motivated the development of complex modeling and control techniques for such systems. In this work the performance of a distributed controller (Distributed Model Predictive Control DMPC) versus a centralized solution (Model Predictive Control, MPC) are compared when faults in sensors and actuators occur. Preliminary results show that for faults in actuators the distributed solution has a better response but it requires more calculation time.
[Examination and evaluation of lipopolysaccharide binding protein in serum of patients with chronic hepatitis, severe hepatitis].

OBJECTIVE To observe the variability of lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP) in patients with chronic hepatitis and severe hepatitis. METHODS Using ELISA the authors detected the serum LBP of 71 patients including 16 with chronic hepatitis, 15 with post hepatitis cirrhosis, 12 with severe hepatitis and 17 healthy controls. RESULTS The serum LBP of chronic liver disease group was 35 166.25 micrograms/L, which was higher than that of healthy control group (18 590.00 micrograms/L). The serum LBP of chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis patients was higher than that of severe hepatitis cases. These differences were significant. The serum LBP had positive correlation with prothrombin activity (PTA) (r =0.395 8,P <0.01), while it had no significant correlation with serum ALT and total bilirubin levels (r =0.164 5,0.189 4, respectively, P <0.05). CONCLUSIONS Serum LBP could be used as an index for predicting liver function compensation.
Actors and publish/subscribe: an efficient approach to scalable distribution in data centers

Data center applications are required to be fault-tolerant and self-healing, and at the same time to scale dynamically with the number of available hardware resources. Highly efficient task distribution is crucial for such services that require low latency and high availability. This paper introduces pub/sub actors as a paradigm to build distributed data center applications without a single point of failure. Our approach does not actively distribute tasks, but uses group communication and an orchestration protocol. Requests are received by a group of potential servers, but only processed by one of them. We present a key-value store using libcppa as a case study of promising performance.
Direct mitogenic effect of ionophore A23187 on isolated human T helper lymphocytes

The Ca2+ ionophore A23187 induces only a weak mitogenic response in cultures of unfractionated mononuclear leukocytes from human blood. When a comitogen, 12‐O‐tetradecanoyl‐phorbol‐13‐acetate, which by itself is nonmitogenic, is added, a greatly increased cell proliferation is obtained. Highly purified T lymphocytes respond by proliferation to A23187 alone. Studies on functional subsets of T cells, fractionated by using the monoclonal antibodies OKT4/OKT8, revealed that A21387 is a strong mitogen for pure T helper cells (T4+). This suggests that increased cytosolic Ca2+ directly triggers a proliferative response in T helper cells with no apparent need for accessory cells.
Object-causally ordered group protocol for distributed multimedia systems

In distributed applications like teleconferences, a group of multiple processes are cooperating, where messages exchanged among the processes are required to be causally delivered. The processes are exchanging different kinds of multimedia objects in addition to traditional text data. The multimedia objects are longer than traditional messages and are structured. We discuss new types of causally precedent relations among multimedia objects transmitted in the network. We discuss a protocol to causally deliver multimedia objects in a group of processes. We also show the evaluation of the protocol.
Homogeneous condensation in n-pentanol/helium mixtures in a nucleation pulse expansion wave tube

Disclaimer This document contains a student thesis (bachelor's or master's), as authored by a student at Eindhoven University of Technology. Student theses are made available in the TU/e repository upon obtaining the required degree. The grade received is not published on the document as presented in the repository. The required complexity or quality of research of student theses may vary by program, and the required minimum study period may vary in duration.