Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
11.2: Distinguished Paper: VCMaster3D: A New Fourier Optics Viewing Angle Instrument for Characterization of Autostereoscopic 3D Displays.

We introduce a new way to characterize auto‐stereoscopic 3D displays using multi‐location viewing angle measurements and calculation of 3D properties in the observer space. We show that a measurement with a very high angular resolution and low parasitic light is needed. A new Fourier optics instrument dedicated to this application is introduced that exhibits a practical angular resolution better than 0.03° for an aperture angle of 50° and a very low level of parasitic light. The specific problem of geometric compensation of 3D displays is examined using multi‐locations measurements from different displays.
Trends in evaporation and Bowen Ratio on urbanizing watersheds in eastern United States

Long‐term trends in annual evaporation and watershed Bowen ratio were studied on 51 eastern United States watersheds which had experienced an estimated 0–58% urban/residential development between 1920 and 1990. Annual watershed evaporation was estimated as the difference between annual streamflow and average watershed precipitation, corrected for watershed elevation effects and gage catch error. Annual watershed Bowen ratios were estimated using spatially and temporally averaged net radiation values and annual evaporation. Significant (α = 0.1) positive trends in annual watershed Bowen ratio and negative trends in evaporation were found for 12 and 10 watersheds, respectively, of 28 watersheds with >2% urban/residential development and only 2 and 3 watersheds, respectively, of 23 watersheds with <2% development. Trend results lead to estimates of the overall change in water and energy balances which were separately related to the percentage change in urban/residential area for all 51 watersheds. These regional relationships, linking watershed hydrology, energy exchange, and land use changes, showed significant decreases in watershed evaporation and significant increases in sensible heating of the atmosphere with increased urban/residential development on watersheds in the eastern United States. At 100% urbanization the regional relationships predicted a decrease in annual evaporation of 22 cm and an increase in the sensible heating of the atmosphere of 13 W/m2.
Crater ellipticity in hypervelocity impacts on metals

The change in crater shape of hypervelocity impacts as a function of impact angle has been studied for impacts at 2 and 5 km s−1 of millimeter-sized spherical projectiles of cellulose acetate, aluminum and stainless steel impacting aluminum, and stainless steel, and lead targets. The variation in crater depth, length, and diameter with impact angle is presented and discussed. While the main dependence on impact angle is found to be of a cos θ nature, cases are found where the magnitude of the dependence changes at discrete angles of impact. This is interpreted as evidence of disruption of the projectile affecting the final size of the crater. Crater depth is found to depend on (cos θ)n, where n is strongly dependent on the projectile density and not the traditionally assumed constant value of two-thirds. For aluminum impacting aluminum at 5 km s−1, n is found to be near unity. Reproducing the criteria used in analysis of crater shape in published work for the Long Duration Exposure Facility satellite yields a mean density for small particles in Low Earth Orbit of 3400 kg m−3. Normal incidence impacts of non-spherical projectiles have also been studied and found to yield irregularly shaped craters, which can appear as oblique angle impacts of spheres. No sensible cuts on crater measurements permit clean separation of these two types of impacts.
Experimental analysis of occupant feedback based model predictive control for thermal comfort and energy optimization

In current centralized building climate control, occupants do not have much opportunity to intervene the automated control system. This study explores the benefit of using thermal comfort feedback from occupants in the model predictive control (MPC) design based on a novel dynamic thermal sensation (DTS) model. This DTS model based MPC was evaluated in chamber experiments. A hierarchical structure for thermal control was adopted in the chamber experiments. At the high level, an MPC controller calculates the optimal supply air temperature of the chamber heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, using the feedback of occupants' votes on thermal sensation. At the low level, the actual supply air temperature is controlled by the chiller/heater using a PI control to achieve the optimal set point. This DTS-based MPC was also compared to an MPC designed based on the Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) model for thermal sensation. The experiment results demonstrated that the DTS-based MPC using occupant feedback allows significant energy saving while maintaining occupant thermal comfort compared to the PMV-based MPC.
Il cohousing e la sottile linea tra spazio pubblico e spazio privato: the community project

L’obiettivo dell’articolo e analizzare il fenomeno del cohousing riferito alle categorie di spazio pubblico e spazio privato. Si focalizza, in particolare, sull’influenza che tale modello abitativo esercita nella definizione del significato di "pubblico" e "privato" e sugli effetti prodotti nel contesto in cui prende forma. Si considerano due prospettive da cui affrontare la tematica: una interna che definisce i rapporti tra la dimensione e privata e quella pubblica dei membri rispetto alla comunita; una esterna che analizza i rapporti della comunita con l’ambiente circostante. Il cohousing e uno spazio ibrido, "semi-pubblico" (o "semi-privato") che puo assumere i caratteri dello spazio pubblico quando si apre all’esterno ed e accessibile a "tutti"; quelli dello spazio privato quando si chiude in se stesso in una forma che appare parzialmente "auto-segregante". E proposto un caso-studio inglese, The Community Project, che mostra alcuni limiti e possibilita di circoscrivere tale nuova forma dell’abitare nella dimensione pubblica o privata.
Detection of activities of daily living impairment in Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment using information and communication technology

Background One of the key clinical features of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is impairment in daily functioning. Patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) also commonly have mild problems performing complex tasks. Information and communication technology (ICT), particularly techniques involving imaging and video processing, is of interest in order to improve assessment. The overall aim of this study is to demonstrate that it is possible using a video monitoring system to obtain a quantifiable assessment of instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) in AD and in MCI. Methods The aim of the study is to propose a daily activity scenario (DAS) score that detects functional impairment using ICTs in AD and MCI compared with normal control group (NC). Sixty-four participants over 65 years old were included: 16 AD matched with 10 NC for protocol 1 (P1) and 19 MCI matched with 19 NC for protocol 2 (P2). Each participant was asked to undertake a set of daily tasks in the setting of a “smart home” equipped with two video cameras and everyday objects for use in activities of daily living (8 IADLs for P1 and 11 for P2, plus 4 temporal execution constraints). The DAS score was then computed from quantitative and qualitative parameters collected from video recordings. Results In P1, the DAS score differentiated AD (DASAD,P1 = 0.47, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.38–0.56) from NC (DASNC,P1 = 0.71, 95% CI 0.68–0.74). In P2, the DAS score differentiated MCI (DASMCI,P2 = 0.11, 95% CI 0.05–0.16) and NC (DASNC,P2 = 0.36, 95% CI 0.26–0.45). Conclusion In conclusion, this study outlines the interest of a novel tool coming from the ICT world for the assessment of functional impairment in AD and MCI. The derived DAS scores provide a pragmatic, ecological, objective measurement which may improve the prediction of future dementia, be used as an outcome measurement in clinical trials and lead to earlier therapeutic intervention.
An Evaluation of Statistical Post-Editing Systems Applied to RBMT and SMT Systems

Statistical post-editing (SPE) of the output produced by rule-based MT (RBMT) systems has been reported to produce extraordinary BLEU (and other automatic evaluation) score improvements. SPE has also been applied to the output of statistical MT (SMT) systems, albeit with more mixed results. We present a statistical post-editing pipeline and evaluate the outputs using automatic and human evaluation techniques, comparing the two SPE pipeline systems (RBMT + SPE and SMT + SPE) with the pure RBMT and SMT system, in an SPE scenario that uses independently existing bitext data, rather than manually corrected first stage MT output, as its training data. Our results show that although automatic evaluation metrics favour the pure SMT system, human evaluators prefer the output provided by the statistically post-edited RBMT system.
John von Neumann Institute for Computing Parallel Program / Component Adaptivity Management

c © 2006 by John von Neumann Institute for Computing Permission to make digital or hard copies of portions of this work for personal or classroom use is granted provided that the copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. To copy otherwise requires prior specific permission by the publisher mentioned above.
Spread of cochlear excitation during stimulation with pulsed infrared radiation: inferior colliculus measurements

Infrared neural stimulation (INS) has received considerable attention over the last few years. It provides an alternative method to artificially stimulate neurons without electrical current or the introduction of exogenous chromophores. One of the primary benefits of INS could be the improved spatial selectivity when compared with electrical stimulation. In the present study, we have evaluated the spatial selectivity of INS in the acutely damaged cochlea of guinea pigs and compared it to stimulation with acoustic tone pips in normal-hearing animals. The radiation was delivered via a 200 µm diameter optical fiber, which was inserted through a cochleostomy into the scala tympani of the basal cochlear turn. The stimulated section along the cochlear spiral ganglion was estimated from the neural responses recorded from the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (ICC). ICC responses were recorded in response to cochlear INS using a multichannel penetrating electrode array. Spatial tuning curves (STCs) were constructed from the responses. For INS, approximately 55% of the activation profiles showed a single maximum, ∼22% had two maxima and ∼13% had multiple maxima. The remaining 10% of the profiles occurred at the limits of the electrode array and could not be classified. The majority of ICC STCs indicated that the spread of activation evoked by optical stimuli is comparable to that produced by acoustic tone pips.
Concurrency and Communication in Hardware Simulators

This paper describes models for concurrency and interpartition communication in a hardware logic simulator implemented using multiprocessors. Software simulation data from production VLSI chips were analyzed in the context of a multiprocessor environment to obtain experimental values for concurrency and communication. The VLSI chips were randomly partitioned in the above experiments. The concurrency observed is significantly lower than the maximum achievable theoretically. This effect was more pronounced for circuits with lower activity. The effect of different simulators (unit and multiple delay), on concurrency and communication, is explained. Finally, a partitioning heuristic whose objective is to enhance concurrency and minimize communication is proposed. It makes use of the circuit topology and the delay information in a simulation database.
Decadal variability of northern northeast Brazil rainfall and its relation to tropical sea surface temperature and global sea level pressure anomalies

[1] Decadal (9-14 year) relations of the northern northeastern Brazil (NEB) rainfall to the sea surface temperature (SST) in the 60°N-30°S oceanic sector and to the global sea level pressure (SLP) anomalies are investigated for the 1871-1991 period. Indices are defined for the precipitation and for the SST anomalies in the tropical North Atlantic (TNA), in the tropical South Atlantic (TSA), and in the eastern equatorial Pacific (T-TNA, T-TSA, and T-NINO indices, respectively). An index is also defined for the SLP anomalies in the North Atlantic Oscillation region (P-NAO index). These indices and the SST and SLP anomaly time series are filtered for the decadal scale using the continuous wavelet transform. The filtered time series are then subjected to the correlation and partial correlation analyses. The results indicate that the decadal variations of the northern NEB rainfall might be independently linked to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO)/ NAO/TNA decadal relations or to the SST decadal variations in the TSA. This is a new result not discussed before. The northern NEB rainfall linkage to the PDO/NAO/TNA relations is indicative that the relationship of the SLP variations in the NAO region and the NEB rainfall proposed in a work during the 1970s is part of the decadal climate variability that connects the PDO in the tropical Pacific to the NEB rainfall through the Northern Hemisphere extratropical atmosphere.
MR features of diseases involving bilateral middle cerebellar peduncles.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Distribution of lesions or involvement of specific anatomic sites can suggest the diagnosis of disease. The purpose of this study was to investigate what diseases affect both middle cerebellar peduncles (MCPs) and to evaluate other MR features for differential diagnosis. METHODS MR findings of 27 patients (14 male and 13 female; age range, 4-77 years [mean, 48.5 years]) with bilateral MCP lesions were retrospectively studied. RESULTS Neurodegenerative diseases were the most frequent diagnoses (n = 11 [41%]: sporadic olivopontocerebellar atrophy, eight; Shy-Drager syndrome, one; spinocerebellar ataxia, two). Also included were metabolic diseases (n = 6 [22%]: adrenoleukodystrophy, two; Wilson disease, two; cirrhosis of the liver, one; and hypoglycemia, one); cerebrovascular diseases, including posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (n = 3 [11%]: infarction, one; hypertensive encephalopathy, one; cyclosporin-A encephalopathy, one), demyelinating and inflammatory diseases (n = 4 [15%]: multiple sclerosis, one; acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, one; Behçet disease, one; and HIV encephalopathy, one), and neoplasms (n = 3 [11%]: lymphoma, one; glioma, one; meningeal carcinomatosis, one). All patients showed symmetrical T2 hyperintensity in both MCPs, except for one with malignant lymphoma. Marked atrophy in the posterior fossa was characteristically seen in neurodegenerative diseases. Enlargement of the pons was observed in hypertensive encephalopathy and neoplasms but absent in meningeal carcinomatosis. Lesions were restricted in the posterior fossa in eight patients with neurodegenerative diseases and one with brain stem glioma. Other patients had supratentorial lesions. CONCLUSION Symmetricity of MCP lesions, morphologic change of the posterior fossa structures, and distribution of other lesions are helpful in the differential diagnosis.
Selective Isolation of Trypsin Inhibitor and Lectin from Soybean Whey by Chitosan/Tripolyphosphate/Genipin Co-Crosslinked Beads

Selective isolation of Kunitz trypsin inhibitor (KTI) and lectin from soybean whey solutions by different types of chitosan beads was investigated. The chitosan beads were co-crosslinked with tripolyphosphate/genipin in solutions at pH 5, 7 or 9 (CB5, CB7, CB9). The maximum adsorption ratios of chitosan beads to KTI and lectin were observed at pH 4.4 and 5.4, respectively; highly selective separation was also demonstrated at these pHs. The adsorption ratios increased with temperature, rising between 5 and 25 °C. CB9 produced the best adsorption ratio, followed by CB7 then CB5. The critical interaction governing absorption of chitosan beads to KTI and lectin could be hydrogen bonding. At pH 9, KTI and lectin desorbed efficiently from CB7 with desorption ratios of 80.9% and 81.4%, respectively. The desorption was most likely caused predominantly by electrostatic repulsion. KTI and lectin can effectively be selectively isolated from soybean whey using this novel separation technique.
Linear functional observers with guaranteed ε-convergence for discrete time-delay systems with input/output disturbances

ABSTRACT The problem of designing linear functional observers for discrete time-delay systems with unknown-but-bounded disturbances in both the plant and the output is considered for the first time in this paper. A novel approach to design a minimum-order observer is proposed to guarantee that the observer error is ε-convergent, which means that the estimate converges robustly within an ε-bound of the true state. Conditions for the existence of this observer are first derived. Then, by utilising an extended Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional and the free-weighting matrix technique, a sufficient condition for ε-convergence of the observer error system is given. This condition is presented in terms of linear matrix inequalities with two parameters needed to be tuned, so that it can be efficiently solved by incorporating a two-dimensional search method into convex optimisation algorithms to obtain the smallest possible value for ε. Three numerical examples, including the well-known single-link flexible joint robotic system, are given to illustrate the feasibility and effectiveness of our results.
Volumetric Intravascular Ultrasound Analysis of Paclitaxel-Eluting and Bare Metal Stents in Acute Myocardial Infarction: The Harmonizing Outcomes With Revascularization and Stents in Acute Myocardial Infarction Intravascular Ultrasound Substudy

Background— Vascular responses to drug-eluting stents in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction are unknown. In the prospective, multicenter Harmonizing Outcomes With Revascularization and Stents in Acute Myocardial Infarction (HORIZONS-AMI) trial, patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction within 12 hours of symptom onset were randomized 3:1 to TAXUS EXPRESS paclitaxel-eluting stents (PES) or EXPRESS bare metal stents (BMS). Methods and Results— A formal intravascular ultrasound substudy enrolled 464 patients with baseline and 13-month follow-up imaging at 36 centers. Overall, 446 lesions in 402 patients were suitable for standard qualitative and quantitative analyses, which were performed at an independent blinded core laboratory. The primary prespecified end point was the in-stent percent net volume obstruction at follow-up. Median stent length measured 23.4 mm (first and third quartiles, 18.5 and 31.9 mm). PES compared with BMS significantly reduced 13-month percent net volume obstruction (6.5% [first and third quartiles, 2.2% and 10.8%] versus 15.6% [first and third quartiles, 7.2% and 28.8%]; P<0.0001). PES compared with BMS also resulted in more late-acquired stent malapposition (29.6% versus 7.9%; P=0.0005) resulting from positive vessel remodeling. Plaque and/or thrombus protrusion through stent struts was initially present in 70.4% of PES and 64.8% of BMS; all resolved during follow-up. New aneurysm formation, stent fracture, and subclinical thrombus were uncommon, although seen only in PES. Conclusions— PES compared with BMS significantly reduce neointimal hyperplasia in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction but also result in a high frequency of late-acquired stent malapposition as a result of positive vessel remodeling. Ongoing long-term follow-up is required to establish the clinical significance of these findings. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: http://www.clinicaltrials. gov. Unique identifier: NCT00433966.
Large-scale mass transports, water mass formation, and diffusivities estimated from World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) hydrographic data

[1] A global inversion is used to estimate the oceanic mass transports and vertical diffusivities based on a subset of hydrographic data from the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) and Java Australia Dynamic Experiment. The analysis is based on the linear inverse “box” model of Ganachaud and Wunsch [2000] that consistently combines the transoceanic sections. A globally consistent solution is obtained for a depth-independent adjustment to the thermal wind field, the freshwater flux divergences, the Ekman transport, and the advective and diffusive dianeutral fluxes between layers. A detailed error budget permits calculation of statistical uncertainties, taking into account both the nonresolved part of the solution and the systematic errors due to the temporal oceanic variability. The horizontal structure of the transports for different density classes is analyzed regionally. During the WOCE period (1985–1996), net meridional transports are estimated, with 16 ± 2 Sv (106 m3/s) of North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) being produced in the northern North Atlantic, moving southward, entraining Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW), and Antarctic Intermediate Water increasing in volume transport to 23 ± 3 Sv at 30°S. In the Southern Ocean, 21 ± 6 Sv of bottom water was formed from lower Circumpolar Deep Water, which corresponds approximately to the lower NADW density range. Bottom water inflows (NADW + AABW mixture) to the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans are estimated at 6 ± 1.3, 11 ± 4, and 7 ± 2 Sv, respectively. In the Indian and Pacific Oceans this water returns southward at deep and intermediate levels. Property anomaly conservation constraints permit estimation of dianeutral diffusivities in deep layers, with a global average of 3.7 ± 0.7 cm2s−1 north of 30°S.
Single-molecule Michaelis-Menten equations.

This paper summarizes our present theoretical understanding of single-molecule kinetics associated with the Michaelis-Menten mechanism of enzymatic reactions. Single-molecule enzymatic turnover experiments typically measure the probability density f(t) of the stochastic waiting time t for individual turnovers. While f(t) can be reconciled with ensemble kinetics, it contains more information than the ensemble data; in particular, it provides crucial information on dynamic disorder, the apparent fluctuation of the catalytic rates due to the interconversion among the enzyme's conformers with different catalytic rate constants. In the presence of dynamic disorder, f(t) exhibits a highly stretched multiexponential decay at high substrate concentrations and a monoexponential decay at low substrate concentrations. We derive a single-molecule Michaelis-Menten equation for the reciprocal of the first moment of f(t), 1/, which shows a hyperbolic dependence on the substrate concentration [S], similar to the ensemble enzymatic velocity. We prove that this single-molecule Michaelis-Menten equation holds under many conditions, in particular when the intercoversion rates among different enzyme conformers are slower than the catalytic rate. However, unlike the conventional interpretation, the apparent catalytic rate constant and the apparent Michaelis constant in this single-molecule Michaelis-Menten equation are complicated functions of the catalytic rate constants of individual conformers. We also suggest that the randomness parameter r, defined as <(t - )2> / t2, can serve as an indicator for dynamic disorder in the catalytic step of the enzymatic reaction, as it becomes larger than unity at high substrate concentrations in the presence of dynamic disorder.