Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Complexity-distortion tradeoffs in image and video compression

In this thesis we investigate variable complexity algorithms. The complexities of these algorithms are input-dependent, i.e., the type of input determines the complexity required to complete the operation. The key idea is to enable the algorithm to classify the inputs so that unnecessary operations can be pruned. The goal of the design of the variable complexity algorithm is to minimize the average complexity over all possible input types, including the cost of classifying the inputs. We study two of the fundamental operations in standard image/video compression, namely, the discrete cosine transform (DCT) and motion estimation (ME). We first explore variable complexity in inverse DCT by testing for zero inputs. The test structure can also be optimized for minimal total complexity for a given inputs statistics. In this case, the larger the number of zero coefficients, i.e., the coarser the quantization stepsize, the greater the complexity reduction. As a consequence, tradeoffs between complexity and distortion can be achieved. For direct DCT we propose a variable complexity fast approximation algorithm. The variable complexity part computes only DCT coefficients that will not be quantized to zeros according to the classification results (in addition the quantizer can benefit from this information by by-passing its operations for zero coefficients). The classification structure can also be optimized for a given input statistics. On the other hand, the fast approximation part approximates the DCT coefficients with much less complexity. The complexity can be scaled, i.e., it allows more complexity reduction at lower quality coding, and can be made quantization-dependent to keep the distortion degradation at a certain level. In video coding, ME is the part of the encoder that requires the most complexity and therefore achieving significant complexity reduction in ME has always been a goal in video coding research. We propose two fast algorithms based on fast distance metric computation or fast matching approaches. Both of our algorithms allow computational scalability in distance computation with graceful degradation in the overall image quality. The first algorithm exploits hypothesis testing in fast metric computation whereas the second algorithm uses thresholds obtained from partial distances in hierarchical candidate elimination. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
Emerging risk of Dirofilaria spp. infection in shelter dogs in southern Italy

In southern Italy, the number of autochthonous cases of Dirofilaria immitis in dogs has increased considerably. This also occurs in the Campania region, particularly in coastal areas, where infections with D. immitis and Dirofilaria repens have been reported more frequently. Therefore the aim of the present study was to better investigate the occurrence of Dirofilaria spp. in a local dog shelter in Castel Volturno (Campania region, southern Italy). Briefly, a total of 260 blood samples were analysed for identification of microfilariae (mff) and detection of Dirofilaria immitis antigen. Dogs were classified according to their age (1–3 years; 4–6 years; 7–11 years; > 11 years) and length of stay in the shelter at the time of sampling (dogs that entered in the shelter in the last 4 months; dogs housed in the shelter for more than 4 months up to 2 years; dogs housed for more than 2 years). The modified Knott’s test revealed that 195 dogs (75.0%) were positive for circulating mff of Dirofilaria spp. Specifically, 104/260 (40.0%) dogs were positive for D. immitis and 91/260 (35.0%) were positive for D. repens. In addition, 72/260 (27.7%) dogs had both D. immitis and D. repens mff. Antigen testing revealed that 78/260 (30.0%) dogs were positive for D. immitis. However, 26/104 (25.0%) of the dogs with D. immitis mff were antigen-negative. The overall k concordance between the modified Knott’s test and the antigenic test was ≤0.2 (poor) (p = 0.000). The results of the logistic regression model showed a significant association between Dirofilaria exposure and the period of time the dogs had spent in the shelter at the time of sampling. Dogs housed in the shelter for 4 months (group 1) and between 4 months and 2 years (group 2) had higher Dirofilaria positivity than dogs in group 3 (housed for more than 2 years) (80.4% vs. 79.6% vs. 62.4%, respectively). Moreover, male dogs and older dogs (between 7 and 11 years of age) were more likely to be infected with Dirofilaria spp.
Translation of Experimental Findings from Animal to Human Biology: Identification of Neuronal Mineralocorticoid and Glucocorticoid Receptors in a Sectioned Main Nerve Trunk of the Leg

The activation of the mineralocorticoid (MR) and glucocorticoid (GR) receptors on peripheral sensory neurons seems to modify pain perception through both direct non-genomic and indirect genomic pathways. These distinct subpopulations of sensory neurons are not known for peripheral human nerves. Therefore, we examined MR and GR on subpopulations of sensory neurons in sectioned human and rat peripheral nerves. Real-time PCR (RT-PCR) and double immunofluorescence confocal analysis of MR and GR with the neuronal markers PGP9.5, neurofilament 200 (NF200), and the potential pain signaling molecules CGRP, Nav1.8, and TRPV1 were performed in human and rat nerve tissue. We evaluated mechanical hyperalgesia after intrathecal administration of GR and MR agonists. We isolated MR- and GR-specific mRNA from human peripheral nerves using RT-PCR. Our double immunofluorescence analysis showed that the majority of GR colocalized with NF200 positive, myelinated, mechanoreceptive A-fibers and, to a lesser extent, with peripheral peptidergic CGRP-immunoreactive sensory nerve fibers in humans and rats. However, the majority of MR colocalized with CGRP in rat as well as human nerve tissue. Importantly, there was an abundant colocalization of MR with the pain signaling molecules TRPV1, CGRP, and Nav1.8 in human as well as rat nerve tissue. The intrathecal application of the GR agonist reduced, and intrathecal administration of an MR agonist increased, mechanical hyperalgesia in rats. Altogether, these findings support a translational approach in mammals that aims to explain the modulation of sensory information through MR and GR activation. Our findings show a significant overlap between humans and rats in MR and GR expression in peripheral sensory neurons.
Optimal Primary Frequency Reserve Provision by an Aggregator Considering Nonlinear Unit Dynamics

Power system operators are increasingly procuring frequency regulation reserves from distributed energy resources via aggregators. Provision of the frequency regulation services by the aggregators can be studied from different aspects and by using different models, ranging from very-short-run to long-term scheduling models. By developing a methodology for ensuring the operational model's compliance with the dynamic constraints, this article bridges the gap between economic studies of the aggregator's frequency containment reserve market participation on the one hand and the distributed energy resources' dynamic response on the other. The article presents a mixed-integer linear program for the aggregator's portfolio management that incorporates constraints of individual units' fast dynamics, and validates them via dynamic simulations. The results demonstrate the importance of including reserve activation constraints when modelling storage technologies and settling time constraints when modelling conventional units.
Global Optimization of the Nonconvex Containership Design Problem Using the Reformulation-Linearization Technique

(ABSTRACT) The containership design problem involves optimizing a nonconvex objective function over a design space that is restricted by a set of constraints defined in terms of nonconvex functions. An application of standard nonlinear optimization methods to such a problem can at best attain a local optimum that need not be a global optimum. This thesis investigates the application of alternative modeling, approximation, and global optimization techniques for developing a multidisciplinary approach to the containership design problem. The problem involves five design variables, which prioritized according to their relative importance in the model are: design draft, depth at side, speed, overall length, and maximum beam. Five constraints are imposed on the design, viz., an equality constraint to enforce the balance between the weight and the displacement, a linear inequality constraint on the length to depth ratio that is implied by the lightship weight formulation for the design to be acceptable, an inequality constraint on the metacentric height to ensure that the design satisfies the Coast Guard wind heel criterion, an inequality on the freeboard to ensure the minimum required freeboard governed by the code of federal regulations for freeboard (46 CFR 42), and an inequality constraint on the rolling period to ensure that the design satisfies the minimum required rolling period criterion. The objective function employed is the required freight rate, expressed in dollars per metric ton per nautical mile in order to recover annualized construction and operational costs. The model also accommodates various practical issues in a manner suitable to improve its representability. For example, it takes into account the discrete container stowage issue. The carrying capacity (number of containers) is expressed as a continuous function of the principal dimensions by using a linear response surface fit that in turn makes the objective function continuous. The weight-displacement balance is maintained by including draft as a design variable and imposing an equality constraint on the weight and displacement rather than introducing an internal loop to calculate draft at each iteration. This speeds up the optimization process. Also, the weight is formulated independent of the draft to ensure independence of the weight and the displacement, which simplifies the optimization process. The time for loading and unloading containers at a given port is a function of the number of cranes available. The number of cranes is formulated as a iii function of the l ength of the ship, and the resulting expression …
High-Gain Modified Antipodal Vivaldi Antenna for Ultra-Wideband Applications

In this paper, the design of a high gain modified antipodal Vivaldi antenna (HG-MAVA) for ultra-wideband applications is presented. The proposed antenna designed on a low-cost FR4 substrate with a thickness of 1.6mm was realized by incorporating a combination of exponential slot edge corrugation on the radiating flare and a high permittivity dielectric director in the flare aperture of a conventional antipodal Vivaldi antenna (CAVA). Compared to the CAVA, the proposed antenna extends the lower end frequency limit of the CAVA to 2.15 GHz. Improvement in realized gain is also achieved throughout the 2.15 GHz to more than 11 GHz operating frequency band of the proposed antenna with the highest improvement of 1.61 dBi at 7 GHz. The surface current distribution and the radiation pattern of the proposed antenna were studied to further characterize the performance of the antenna.
New calculation techniques and precision physics in high energy colliders

In this thesis we have studied, tested, and developed the four dimensional regularization/renormalization (FDR) scheme, a novel approach to the calculation of radiative corrections in perturbative quantum field theory (pQFT), a task that is primarily hindered by the presence of unphysical infinities emerging from loop and phase space integration. Unlike the methods traditionally used to cope with this problem, in FDR the subtraction of the ultraviolet (UV) divergences is built in the definition of a new loop integral, made finite at the integrand level, and without ever modifying the Lagrangian. The method is fully four-dimensional, and it automatically preserves gauge invariance, as we have verified by calculating the one-loop amplitude for H → γγ in arbitrary gauge. By studying the gluonic corrections to the top-loop induced H → γγ process, we have also shown that FDR is particularly convenient when applied to two-loop calculations, as it avoids a great deal of the work that in dimensional regularization (DR) is induced by "/" terms. Infrared (IR) singularities in virtual and final state real radiation can also be cured in the same framework; the matching and cancellation of this type of divergence in inclusive observables was also studied, by reviewing the analytic calculation of the next-to-leading-order (NLO) decay rate for H → gg, and by applying to this same process some FDR-based numerical Monte Carlo (MC) methods.
Accuracy assessment of the latest generations of MODIS burned area products for mapping fire scars on a regional scale over Campos Amazônicos Savanna Enclave (Brazilian Amazon)

Abstract. This article aims to analyze the accuracy of the latest versions of burned area (BA) products derived from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) series (MCD45A1 v051, MCD64A1 v051, and MCD64A1 v006), quantifying their progression in the annual/seasonal mapping of fire scars on a regional scale over tropical savanna environments. To this end, a validation was processed comparing each product with a BA reference covering the period of 2001 to 2016, available for one of the largest savanna vegetation enclaves located in the southern Brazilian Amazon, the Campos Amazônicos Savanna Enclave. Three indices derived from cross-tabulated error matrices were used in the comparison [commission error, omission error (Oe), and Dice coefficient]. Pareto boundaries were also computed to explore the influence of the spatial resolution of the MODIS products on detecting BAs. The overall assessment found a clear decrease in Oes, varying from 0.797 and 0.499 in the MCD45A1 v051 and MCD64A1 v051, respectively, to a value of 0.280 in the MCD64A1 v006. Improvements obtained with MCD64A1 v006 in the middle and late dry season periods were significant. The results validate the higher performance of MCD64A1 v006 and confirm it as a useful instrument for the regional mapping of BAs over tropical savanna areas.
Review of Linear and Nonlinear Current Control Techniques for PWM Three-Phase VSC Converters

The aim of this paper is to present a review of recently used current control techniques for three-phase voltagesource pulse width modulated converters. Various techniques, different in concept, have been described in two main groups: linear and nonlinear. The first includes proportional integral stationary and synchronous) and state feedback controllers, and predictive techniques with constant switching frequency. The second comprises bang-bang (hysteresis, delta modulation) controllers and predictive controllers with on-line optimization. New trends in the current control—neural networks and fuzzylogicbased controllers—are discussed, as well. Selected oscilloscopes accompany the presentation in order to illustrate properties of the described controller groups. Keywords— AC motor drives, current control, inverters, power filters, pulse width modulation, switch-mode rectifiers.
Comparison of The Effectiveness of Campylobacter Growth Ability in Culture Media Added Supplements Lysed Sheep's Blood with Lysed Cow's Blood in Chicken Meat Samples

Blood is a good growth medium for bacteria by preventing the accumulation of toxic oxygen (peroxide and superoxide) and increasing the growth ability of these bacteria. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of lysed sheep blood and lysed cow blood as a substitute for lysed horse blood on Campylobacter growth media, as well as evaluate the growth of Campylobacter from chicken meat samples on culture media supplemented with lysed sheep blood and lysed cow blood compared to the media cultures using lysed horse blood supplements. The concentration of lysed sheep blood, lysed cow blood, and lysed horse blood used was 5% each. The chicken meat samples used in this study were 30 samples. Based on the results, 14 samples of C. jejuni bacteria showed the ability to grow up to 107 and 16 samples up to 106. In the media added with lysed cow blood supplement only one sample was able to grow up to 106, 17 samples grew up to 105, and 12 samples grew up to 104. These results statistically used the one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test indicating a significant difference significant (P0.05). Further tests using post hoc least significance different (LSD) showed a comparison of the average growth in lysed horse blood, lysed sheep blood, and lysed cow blood significantly different (P 0.05), while the average value of each treatment was the addition of lysed horse blood supplements, lysed sheep blood, and cow blood consecutive lysis was 8.551 ± 0.340, 7.117 ± 0.544, and 5.265 ± 0.548. The addition of lysed sheep blood and lysed cow blood to bolton broth media in this study can be used for C. jejuni isolation. However, the blood of lysed sheep had a higher effectiveness in the ability to grow C. jejuni, which was close to the ability to grow with the addition of lysed horse blood as a control, compared to the addition of lysed cow blood.
A Study of Preconditioned Jacobian-Free Newton-Krylov Discontinuous Galerkin Method for Compressible Flows on 3D Hexahedral Grids

Storage requirement and computational efficiency have always been challenges for the efficient implementation of discontinuous Galerkin (DG)methods for real life applications. In this paper, a fully implicit Jacobian-Free Newton-Krylov (JFNK) method is developed in the context of DG discretizations for the three-dimensional compressible Euler and Navier-Stokes equations. Compared with the Jacobian-based methods, the Jacobian-Free approach saves the storage for the Jacobian matrix which can be of great importance for DG methods. Three types of preconditioners are investigated in which the block diagonal preconditioner requires the least storage, while the block LU-SGS and ILU0 preconditioners require more storage but are more computationally efficient. An implicit time-stepping strategy is adopted for the stability of the current solver,which is based upon a hexahedral spatialmesh and the nonlinear solver package Kinsol is used to improve the computational efficiency and robustness. Numerical results demonstrate that the preconditioned JFNK-DG solver can substantially reduce the storage requirement compared with the Jacobian based method without significantly compromising accuracy or efficiency. Furthermore, as a good compromise between efficiency and storage requirement, the ILU0 preconditioner shows the best choice of the preconditioners presented.
Predictor-corrector finite-difference lattice Boltzmann schemes

Predictor-corrector finite-difference lattice Boltzmann schemes are proposed. An approach with separate approximation of spatial derivatives in the advective term of kinetic equations and an approach when this term is replaced by a single finite difference are considered. Explicit finite-difference schemes are used at both the stages of the computation process. The lid-driven cavity flow problem and the Taylor — Green problem are solved numerically in a wide range of the Reynolds number. It is shown that the proposed schemes allow a larger time step compared to well-known upwind schemes. Mathematics Subject Classification: 76-04; 76M10; 65N30
Perception of Teachers of English Towards Boys in English Lessons in Secondary Schools in Uganda: Implication on Students’ Performance

The study investigated why boys perform poorly in the English language in secondary schools, with a focus on schools in Uganda. The specific objective was: to establish the perception of teachers of English towards boys in English lessons in Uganda. An explanatory case study research design was adopted, and 20 study participants were included in this study. Purposive sampling techniques were used to reach the respondents and the primary data was collected using interview guides, observation checklist and document analysis. Findings revealed that teachers of the English language perceive boys as not cooperative in class; they are stubborn, disturbing, and much disorganised with low interest in the subject. Findings further revealed that some teachers are supportive and accommodative whereas some are cold-hearted towards them. The administrators also said that the performance of boys in the English language has been deteriorating for the last four years since 2018 when it comes to the UCE results. It was recommended that Teachers need to improve their pedagogical approaches in order to interest boys in English Language subjects. Boys need to be trained in better ways in which they can read the English language and be independent thinkers than always following their peers. In addition, Boys in secondary schools need to change their attitude and feeling towards the English language and take it as a serious subject like other subjects. Developing a positive perception and attitude towards the subject will enable them to improve their grades. Further still, boys should not perceive the English language as a subject for only girls because there are male teachers of the English language and doing it perfectly well with ease.
Fengyun-3E Low Light Observation and Nighttime Lights Product

The payload MEdium Resolution Spectral Imager–low light (MERSI-LL) of Fengyun-3E (FY-3E) equipped with a low-light band (LLB) first enabled the FY series satellite to detect low lights at night. Due to the early morning orbit of FY-3E, MERSI-LL/LLB only obtains nighttime observations in one hemisphere during the winter half-year, and nighttime observations are only found at high latitudes for the ascending orbit (at dusk) and globally covered for the descending orbit (at dawn). Using MERSI-LL/LLB data, we developed FY nighttime lights (FY-NTLs) product for socioeconomic use. Publicly released FY-NTL data include monthly and annual products for both ascending and descending orbits, which are composited from multitemporal MERSI-LL/LLB data after quality control. At present, the quality control procedure consists of moonlit data identification, stray light removal, cloud screening, and natural illumination exclusion. The absolute radiometric accuracy of FY-NTL degraded in the stray light removal process, and the comparison results with VIIRS NTL suggested that FY-NTL may bear a negative bias. Nonetheless, FY-NTL first images global NTLs at dawn and provides us with an opportunity to study city lights in different periods of the night.
Enhanced p-type conduction in GaN and AlGaN by Mg-δ-doping

Mg-δ-doping in GaN and AlGaN epilayers has been investigated by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. It was demonstrated through electrical, optical, and structural studies that Mg-δ-doping improves not only p-type conduction, but also the overall quality of p-type GaN and AlGaN epilayers. A twofold (fivefold) enhancement in lateral (vertical) p-type conduction have been achieved for GaN and AlGaN epilayers. It is argued that the observed dislocation density reduction (of about one order of magnitude) is due to the growth interruption in the Mg-δ-doping duration that partially terminates the dislocation propagation in the growth direction. Furthermore, Mg-δ-doping also reduces Mg impurity self-compensation and enhances hole concentrations in Mg-δ-doped GaN or AlGaN.