Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Implementation of 3d Point Clouds Segmentation Based on Plane Growing Method

In the recent years we can observe growing demand for the extraction of physical objects from 3D spatial information. Segmentation is the first step of point cloud interpretation which further allows object modeling. This paper presents an implementation of an automatic tool for 3D data segmentation. The segmentation algorithm is based on the plane growing approach, which uses least squares plane estimation and point connectivity provided by the k-nearest neighbours search. Two refinement parameters are required, angle and distance thresholds. In order to avoid a loss of information caused by data resampling, presented software works on raw 3D data.
Discrimination of metastatic cervical lymph nodes with diffusion-weighted MR imaging in patients with head and neck cancer.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Metastasis to the regional cervical lymph nodes may be associated with alterations in water diffusivity and microcirculation of the node. We tested whether diffusion-weighted MR imaging could discriminate metastatic nodes. METHODS Diffusion-weighted echo-planar and T1- and T2-weighted MR imaging sequences were performed on histologically proved metastatic cervical lymph nodes (25 nodes), benign lymphadenopathy (25 nodes), and nodal lymphomas (five nodes). The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) was calculated by using two b factors (500 and 1000 s/mm(2)). RESULTS The ADC was significantly greater in metastatic lymph nodes (0.410 +/- 0.105 x 10(-3) mm(2)/s, P <. 01) than in benign lymphadenopathy (0.302 +/- 0.062 x 10(-3) mm(2)/s). Nodal lymphomas showed even lower levels of the ADC (0.223 +/- 0.056 x 10(-3) mm(2)/s). ADC criteria for metastatic nodes (>/= 0.400 x 10(-3) mm(2)/s) yielded a moderate negative predictive value (71%) and high positive predictive value (93%). Receiver operating characteristic analysis demonstrated that the criteria of abnormal signal intensity on T1- or T2-weighted images (A(z) = 0.8437 +/- 0.0230) and ADC (A(z) = 0.8440 +/- 0.0538) provided similar levels of diagnostic ability in differentiating metastatic nodes. The ADC from metastatic nodes from highly or moderately differentiated cancers (0.440 +/- 0.020 x 10(-3) mm(2)/s, P <. 01) was significantly greater than that from poorly differentiated cancers (0.356 +/- 0.042 x 10(-3) mm(2)/s). CONCLUSION Diffusion-weighted imaging is useful in discriminating metastatic nodes.
Joint Transceiver Design for Iterative FDE

This paper considers the wideband single-carrier transmission through frequency-selective wireless channels with a quality-of-service (QoS) requirement. Power allocation at the transmitter and iterative frequency domain equalization (FDE) at the receiver are jointly designed to achieve the target QoS with minimum transmission power consumption. The joint transceiver design is based on a novel evolutional analysis framework for iterative FDE without the aid of decoding during the iterative processing. It introduces a set of QoS and quality-of-convergence (QoC) constraints, which recast the design problem into a convex and structured joint QoS/QoC constrained power allocation problem. Thanks to the underlying sparsity in the mathematical structure of the problem, a specific interior-point method (IPM) solver is developed, which significantly reduces the computational complexity, as compared to the generic solvers. A duality gap analysis is then applied to show that the performance gap between the numerical algorithms and the theoretical optimum can be controlled by adjusting its key parameters, which, in turn, determines the convergence behavior of the iterative solver. Extensive simulation results are given to support the mathematical development of the problem.
Complexity of Bisimilarity between BPA and BPP

We consider the problem of deciding bisimilarity between a BPA process and a BPP process. This problem is known to be decidable, but no complexity bound has been provided so far. Our aim is to clarify the precise complexity and some related questions. In this short submission we present some preliminary results in this direction. In particular we present a necessary and sufficient condition for a BPP process to be bisimilar with some BPA process, which can be checked in polynomial space. In the positive case, (a modification of) the algorithm can transform the given BPP process into a special normal form (of exponential size) which can be easily converted into an equivalent BPA process. In this way, the problem of bisimilarity between BPA and BPP can be reduced to the problem of bisimilarity over BPA, which is known to be solvable in double exponential time.
ENHANCING THE PERFORMANCE OF ELASTIC GRAPH MATCHING FOR FACE AUTHENTICATION BY USING SUPPORT VECTOR MACHINES

In this paper, a novel method for enhancing the performance of elastic graph matching in face authentication is proposed.The starting point is to weigh the local matching errors at the nodes of an elastic graph according to their discriminatory power. We propose a novel approach to discriminant analysis that re-formulates Fisher’s Linear Dis criminant ratio to a quadratic optimization problem subject to inequality constraints by combining statistical pa ttern recognition and support vector machines. The method is applied to frontal face authentication on the database of the European Union research project M2VTS. Experimental results indicate that the performance of morphological dynamic link architecture, a variant of elastic graph match ing, is highly improved by using the proposed weighting technique.
Compact Metamaterial-Based Substrate-Integrated Luneburg Lens Antenna

A compact and small electric-size aperture directive broadband Luneburg lens antenna is presented. The substrate-integrated lens antenna is based on embedding a Vivaldi antenna source inside a parallel-plate waveguide to illuminate a Luneburg lens operating in X-band. The focusing condition of the lens, requiring a gradient refractive index, is achieved through the use of complementary nonresonant metamaterial structures. Numerical simulations are performed to determine the suitable unit cells geometry with respect to the wave launcher inserted into the parallel-plate waveguide. A prototype fabricated using standard printed circuit board techniques has been measured in an anechoic chamber. The electric field distribution inside the antenna system has also been explored using a two-dimensional near-field microwave scanning setup. A good qualitative agreement is observed between simulations and experiments. It has been shown from both far- and near-field measurements that the proposed planar antenna presents good focusing properties.
Malassezia Yeasts: How Many Species Infect Humans and Animals?

Malassezia species are lipophilic yeasts that are members of the normal mycobiota of the skin and mucosal sites of a variety of homeothermic animals. They are also among the few basidiomycetous fungi, such as some Cryptococcus spp. , Rhodotorula spp. , and Trichosporon spp. , that can produce disease in man and animals. However, in contrast with these other species, which are quite often involved in disseminated infections in immunosuppressed patients, Malassezia yeasts are associated mainly with certain skin diseases [1]. This special lipophilic group of yeasts is unique among the fungi. Phylogenetically, they form a well-defined cluster of skinliving yeasts, surrounded by plant pathogens and phylloplaneinhabiting fungi (e.g., Ustilago, Tilletiopsis). However, the taxonomic position of the genus Malassezia in the classes of the phylum Basidiomycota is not yet totally well defined. Moreover, the sexual form of these yeasts is still unknown. Recently, a region corresponding to the mating type locus (MAT) has been identified for these yeasts, and it has been suggested that if there is an extant sexual cycle for some of these yeasts that it is more likely to be bipolar, with just two mating types, rather than tetrapolar, with many mating types [2]. In the last higher-level fungal phylogenetic classification revision [3], the monophyletic genus Malassezia was the only genus included in the order Malasseziales, which has an uncertain taxonomic position in the subphylum Ustilagomycotina (e.g., smut fungi). Very recently, the class Malasseziomycetes has been proposed to accommodate these fungi (2013, provided from an anonymous reviewer; unreferenced). They are taxonomically distant to the orders which include the other commented pathogenic basidiomycetous yeasts of the genera Cryptococcus (Filobasidiales) and Trichosporon in Agaricomycotina (e.g., mushrooms) and of the polyphyletic genus Rhodotorula (Sporidiobolales and Cystobasidiales) in Pucciniomycotina (e.g., rust fungi).
AIOLOS: mobile middleware for adaptive offloading

As the popularity of smartphones and tablets increases, the mobile platform is becoming a very important target for application developers. Despite recent advances in mobile hardware, most mobile devices still fall short to execute complex multimedia applications such as image processing. Cyber foraging is a well known computing technique to enhance the capabilities of mobile devices, where the mobile device offloads parts of the application to a nearby discovered server in the network. In this poster, we present AIOLOS: a mobile middleware system for adaptive offloading that identifies candidate methods for offloading to the application developer. We present a model taking into account server resources and network state to decide at runtime whether or not the method execution should be offloaded. A prototype implementation of the middleware on the Android mobile platform is presented and evaluated using a real life application scenario.
A Study on the Change of Empathy:Aiming to Form Empathy Producing Convivial Relationships

The purpose of this study was to investigate the actual of the changing empathy in Physical Education classes referencing Davis's Interpersonal Reactivity Index. It is important to form empathy creating the relationship with others in the future Physical Education classes. We must investigate the construction of the common measure originally in Physical Education classes from emotional side and cognitive side. As a result of analyzing a variety of competitive sports classes, it was made clear that there were some differences in empathy. Furthermore, characteristic patterns of empathy form were identified. As a conclusion, it was understood that the attitude of putting oneself in a partner's shoes is important for the formation of empathy. Regarding future study methods, it is planned 1) to reexamine a questionnaire which includes measurement items for the purpose of considering actual instruction in Physical Education classes, and 2) to show and verify concrete learning processes of empathy.
Contradictory location of the black woman passport academic : embrace, alienation and vulnerability : part 2 : being and belonging in South African higher education : the voices of black women academics

This article is a narration of two black women's experiences and perceptions of inclusion and/or exclusion within the academy arising out of their identity as 'passport academics'. The inter-relation of nationality, ethnicity and race as identity markers creates power dynamics that lead to conflicting and competing expectations depending on whose discourse holds sway. The competing expectations form the nexus of the contradictory location leading to an identity crisis of a particular kind. Using an auto-ethnographic approach, the authors describe critical incidences in the course of social and academic relationships within the university which were interpreted as instances of 'othering'. Alternate perceptions and feelings of embrace, alienation, and vulnerability by both black women 'passport academics' and black women South African academics are described. These reveal complex identity issues in which, sadly, black academics' feelings of affirmation are still seen through the eyes of their white academic colleagues. The irony is that colleagues of different racial categories originating from the same foreign country are often perceived and labelled differently as either 'outsiders' or 'insiders'. It is interesting how the apparent invisibility of one racial category affords people the privilege of global citizenship, while the visibility of blackness opens people to the scrutiny of national origins. What also emerges is that current discourses of transformation and diversity within the university seem to be struggling under the weight of a nationalistic turn. The authors conclude by suggesting that recovering the 'academic' rather than projecting nationality might be more productive and beneficial to all.
Gateway Products in the DSLR Camera Market : Dynamic Demand , Consumer Learning and Switching Costs Job Market

In markets for new technology goods, consumers face uncertainty about their own usage and valuation of the products. In addition, consumers face switching costs among brands. Using a unique dataset that tracks individual DSLR camera ownership history, I find that low-end DSLR cameras are gateway products. In addition, consumers who repurchase are more likely to buy high-end cameras from the same brand as their initial purchases. Combining individual camera ownership data with aggregate sales data, I develop and estimate a dynamic demand model that incorporates consumer learning and switching costs. The estimation reveals that two consumer types, “enthusiastic” and “neutral” consumers, differ greatly in their valuation of high-end cameras expost. Enthusiastic consumers’ repurchases are crucial for the sales of high-end DSLR cameras. The estimated demand model implies a dynamic complementary relationship between highand low-end products that are produced by the same firm. Supply-side simulations imply that firms have incentives to invest in their customer bases using low-end products and to harvest the resolved uncertainty of valuation and switching costs using high-end products. ∗Department of Economics, Boston University. Email: jxli@bu.edu. I am grateful to my dissertation committee, Marc Rysman, Hiroaki Kaido, Albert Ma and Francesco Decarolis for their guidance and support. I thank Alessandro Gavazza, Ben Shiller, Calvin Luscombe, Daniele Paserman, Fan Zhuo, Glen Weyl, Johannes Schmieder, Jordi Jaumandreu, Kevin Lang, Mark Shepard, Michael Manove, Randall Ellis, Samuel Bazzi and Yufeng Huang for comments and suggestions. I thank Matthew O’Keefe and Qijun Zhang for sharing industry knowledge and reports. All errors in the paper are my own.
Onset of adolescent eating disorders: population based cohort study over 3 years

Abstract Objective: To study the predictors of new eating disorders in an adolescent cohort. Design: Cohort study over 3 years with six waves. Subjects: Students, initially aged 14-15 years, from 44 secondary schools in the state of Victoria, Australia. Outcome measures: Weight (kg), height (cm), dieting (adolescent dieting scale), psychiatric morbidity (revised clinical interview schedule), and eating disorder (branched eating disorders test). Eating disorder (partial syndrome) was defined when a subject met two criteria for either anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV). Results: At the start of the study, 3.3% (29/888) of female subjects and 0.3% (2/811) of male subjects had partial syndromes of eating disorders. The rate of development of new eating disorder per 1000 person years of observation was 21.8 in female subjects and 6.0 in male subjects. Female subjects who dieted at a severe level were 18 times more likely to develop an eating disorder than those who did not diet, and female subjects who dieted at a moderate level were five times more likely to develop an eating disorder than those who did not diet. Psychiatric morbidity predicted the onset of eating disorder independently of dieting status so that those subjects in the highest morbidity category had an almost sevenfold increased risk of developing an eating disorder. After adjustment for earlier dieting and psychiatric morbidity, body mass index, extent of exercise, and sex were not predictive of new eating disorders. Conclusions: Dieting is the most important predictor of new eating disorders. Differences in the incidence of eating disorders between sexes were largely accounted for by the high rates of earlier dieting and psychiatric morbidity in the female subjects. In adolescents, controlling weight by exercise rather than diet restriction seems to carry less risk of development of eating disorders. Key messages Adolescent females who diet at a severe level are 18 times more likely to develop an eating disorder than those who do not diet, and those who diet at a moderate level are five times more likely to develop an eating disorder High levels of psychiatric morbidity in females increase the risk of developing eating disorders by sevenfold Around two thirds of new cases of eating disorder arise in females who have dieted moderately The predominance of eating disorders in females is largely explained by the higher rates of earlier dieting and psychiatric morbidity Daily exercise seems to be a less risky strategy for controlling weight in adolescents
The ρ-Operator : Enabling Querying for Semantic Associations on the Semantic Web

Semantic Associations are a class of complex relationships between entities that capture a connectivity of entities or a pattern of entities and relationships between them based on a specific notion of an isomorphism called ρ-isomorphism. In an RDF graph data model, they may represented as sequences (i.e. paths) between entities, networks of sequences, or a subgraph containing ρ-isomorphic sequences. Capturing such relationships based on their structural properties, allows us to define them as types that may be returned as results of a query. Such a capability, while lacking in most RDF query languages, is essential in supporting many of the tasks found in analytical domains such as national security and business intelligence. In these domains, investigative tasks are often focused on detecting such complex associations that may be buried deep in the data. This paper presents a formalization of Semantic Associations for the RDF data model. It also shows how querying for such relationships may be enabled on the Semantic Web, through the use of an operator ρ. Finally, it discusses two approaches for implementing the ρ operator. One of the approaches is based on building upon current RDF query languages, allowing the reuse of existing infrastructure.
Effect of behavioural-educational intervention on sleep for primiparous women and their infants in early postpartum: multisite randomised controlled trial

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of a behavioural-educational sleep intervention delivered in the early postpartum in improving maternal and infant sleep. Design Randomised controlled trial. Setting Postpartum units of two university affiliated hospitals. Participants 246 primiparous women and their infants randomised while in hospital with an internet based randomisation service to intervention (n=123) or usual care (n=123) groups. Interventions The behavioural-educational sleep intervention included a 45-60 minute meeting with a nurse to discuss sleep information and strategies to promote maternal and infant sleep, a 20 page booklet with the content discussed, and phone contacts at one, two, and four weeks postpartum to reinforce information, provide support, and problem solve. The usual care group received calls at weeks one, two, and four to maintain contact without provision of advice. Main outcome measures Primary outcome was maternal nocturnal (9 pm to 9 am) sleep (minutes) and secondary outcome was longest stretch of infant nocturnal sleep (minutes) measured at six and 12 weeks postpartum by actigraphy. Other outcomes measured at six and 12 weeks were number of maternal and infant night time awakenings by actigraphy, fatigue visual analogue scale, general sleep disturbance scale, and Edinburgh postnatal depression scale. Rates of exclusive breast feeding were measured at 12 weeks postpartum only. Results All women who completed any outcome measures at six or 12 weeks were included in analysis. Sleep outcomes were completed at one or both of six and 12 weeks postpartum for 215 of 246 (87%) women (110/123 intervention and 105/123 usual care). Longitudinal mixed effects model analyses indicated no significant differences between the groups on any of the outcomes. The estimated mean difference in maternal nocturnal sleep between the intervention and usual care groups was 5.97 minutes (95% confidence interval −7.55 to 19.5 minutes, P=0.39). No differences in any outcomes were noted based on the specific nurse delivering the intervention or the number of phone contacts received. Conclusion A behavioural-educational intervention delivered in the early postpartum, in hospital, and in the first weeks at home, was ineffective in improving maternal and infant sleep or other health outcomes in the first months postpartum. Trial registration ISRCT No 13501166.
An introduction to diffusion maps

This paper describes a mathematical technique [1] for dealing with dimensionality reduction. Given data in a high-dimensional space, we show how to find parameters that describe the lower-dimensional structures of which it is comprised. Unlike other popular methods such as Principle Component Analysis and Multi-dimensional Scaling, diffusion maps are non-linear and focus on discovering the underlying manifold (lower-dimensional constrained “surface” upon which the data is embedded). By integrating local similarities at different scales, a global description of the data-set is obtained. In comparisons, it is shown that the technique is robust to noise perturbation and is computationally inexpensive. Illustrative examples and an open implementation are given.
Spectrum Sensing for Cognitive Ultra-wideband Based on Fractal Dimensions

Band the merits of cognitive ultra-wideband (CUWB) and fractal dimensions together, this paper presented a spectrum sensing method employing the difference of fractal box dimension and information dimension between noise and primary signals through taking double threshold strategy. For the purpose of meeting the need of spectrum sensing in CUWB, this method selects information dimension as the recognition characteristic parameter to recognize signal modulation mode. Simulation results show that the spectrum sensing method based on fractal dimensions is not sensitive to the noise and has a good sensing performance with low computational complexity, and it is able to realize modulation recognition effectively, as a whole, the method is fit for CUWB system.