Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ionized nebulae surrounding brightest cluster galaxies

We present integral field spectroscopic observations of six emission-line nebulae that surround the central galaxy of cool core clusters. Qualitatively similar nebulae are observed in cool core clusters even when the dynamics and possibly formation and excitation source are different. Evidence for a nearby secondary galaxy disturbing a nebula, as well as active galactic nucleus-and starburst-driven outflows are presented as possible formation mechanisms. One nebula has a rotational velocity of the same amplitude as the underlying molecular reservoir, which implies that the excitation or formation of a nebula does not require any disturbance of the molecular reservoir within the central galaxy. Bulk flows and velocity shears of a few hundred km s- 1 are seen across all nebulae. The majority lack any ordered rotation, their configurations are not stable so the nebulae must be constantly reshaping, dispersing and reforming. The dimmer nebulae are cospatial with dust features whilst the more luminous are not. Significant variation in the ionization state of the gas is seen in all nebulae through the non-uniform [N II]/Hα ratio. There is no correlation between the line ratio and Ha surface brightness, but regions with excess blue or ultraviolet (UV) light have lower line ratios. This implies that UV from massive, young stars act in combination with an underlying heating source that produces the observed low-ionization spectra.
Decoding With Expected Length and Threshold Approximated (DELTA): A Near-ML Scheme for Multiple-Input–Multiple-Output Systems

In this paper, we propose a near maximum likelihood (ML) scheme for the decoding of multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) systems. By employing the metric-first search method, Schnorr-Euchner enumeration, and branch-length thresholds in a single frame systematically, the proposed technique provides efficiency that is higher than those of other conventional near-ML decoding schemes. From simulation results, it is confirmed that the proposed scheme has computational complexity lower than those of other near-ML decoders while maintaining the bit error rate (BER) very close to the ML performance. The proposed scheme, in addition, possesses the capability of allowing flexible tradeoffs between the computational complexity and BER performance.
Design of Nudge-based Interventions for Increasing Vegetable Intake in Emerging Adults within On-Campus Dining Sites

DESIGN OF NUDGE-BASED INTERVENTIONS FOR INCREASING VEGETABLE INTAKE IN EMERGING ADULTS WITHIN ON-CAMPUS DINING SITES Simone Holligan Advisor: Dr. Paula Brauer University of Guelph, 2017 A sequential exploratory mixed-methods approach was used to explore the eating behaviours of emerging adults in on-campus dining locations. The major aim was the development of nudge interventions to increase vegetable intake within this population group. Nudge interventions are here defined as the design of options that alter people’s behaviour in a foreseeable manner without forbidding options or imposing significant economic consequences. This study involved two phases. The first phase was the Your Meals, Your Choice Photovoice study which investigated the factors influencing the selection and purchasing of meals by undergraduate students in the on-campus dining environment. Emergent themes clustered within three major categories related to the university institution, the food service provider, and at the level of the individual. The second phase of this study was the Your Meals, Your Style online survey, designed based on major themes from the Your Meals, Your Choice study. This survey identified the menu choices most selected, as well as the food stations and cafeterias most frequented by undergraduates on campus. Heuristic factors were identified that indicated how students streamline their decision-making processes in terms of selection and purchasing of meals for consumption. Specifically, the majority of students tended to purchase lunch options while on campus and frequented cafeterias that were centrally located. Of the lunch options, customizable and portable ‘one-unit’ meals such as sandwiches, pitas, wraps, and pizza were most frequently selected. Preferred vegetable additions and substitutions for modifying current menu offerings were mainly of the cruciferous (e.g., broccoli, cauliflower, and kale) and yellow/orange categories (e.g., carrots and tomatoes). Moreover, factors influencing undergraduate meal choices aligned with a worldview of desiring a socially-responsible lifestyle, specifically in wanting to be better informed about the meals they choose to consume. Through consultation with the Department of Hospitality Services, results from this series of studies were used to develop preliminary nudge interventions for increasing vegetable intake in the local undergraduate population.
Functional contacts with a range of splicing proteins suggest a central role for Brr2p in the dynamic control of the order of events in spliceosomes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Mapping of functional protein interactions will help in understanding conformational rearrangements that occur within large complexes like spliceosomes. Because the U5 snRNP plays a central role in pre-mRNA splicing, we undertook exhaustive two-hybrid screening with Brr2p, Prp8p, and other U5 snRNP-associated proteins. DExH-box protein Brr2p interacted specifically with five splicing factors: Prp8p, DEAH-box protein Prp16p, U1 snRNP protein Snp1p, second-step factor Slu7p, and U4/U6.U5 tri-snRNP protein Snu66p, which is required for splicing at low temperatures. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments confirmed direct or indirect interactions of Prp16p, Prp8p, Snu66p, and Snp1p with Brr2p and led us to propose that Brr2p mediates the recruitment of Prp16p to the spliceosome. We provide evidence that the prp8-1 allele disrupts an interaction with Brr2p, and we propose that Prp8p modulates U4/U6 snRNA duplex unwinding through another interaction with Brr2p. The interactions of Brr2p with a wide range of proteins suggest a particular function for the C-terminal half, bringing forward the hypothesis that, apart from U4/U6 duplex unwinding, Brr2p promotes other RNA rearrangements, acting synergistically with other spliceosomal proteins, including the structurally related Prp2p and Prp16p. Overall, these protein interaction studies shed light on how splicing factors regulate the order of events in the large spliceosome complex.
Attitude of academic staff in Nigerian tertiary educational institutions to student evaluation of instruction (SEI): A case study of Cross River State University

This study was designed to assess the attitude of academic staff in Nigerian tertiary educational institutions to student evaluation of instruction (SEI) and to find out the variable factors that influenced the expressed attitude of members of the academic staff, using Cross River State University as a case study. The study was a survey and so a questionnaire was used as instrument for data collection. Academic staff in Cross River State University was sampled for the study, using a proportional stratified and simple random technique to select 600 academic staff that took part in the study. Four hypotheses were tested using t-test and ANOVA. The findings were as follows: (i) Cross River State University academic staff displayed a significantly positive attitude to SEI, irrespective of the purposes to be served by the evaluation; although the attitude was more positive under formative than summative purposes; (ii) staff of the Faculties of Education and Arts displayed a significantly more positive attitude than staff from Science-based disciplines. It was concluded that Cross River State University academic staff are the same as their counterparts abroad where faculty evaluation in general and SEI in particular have become part of the school system. It was therefore, recommended that faculty evaluation should be introduced in our tertiary institutions as a way of enhancing the quality of teaching at that level of our education. Key words: Attitude, student evaluation of instruction, faculty evaluation, instructor evaluation, instructional effectiveness, quality teaching
Coded Cooperation with Permutation and Block Encoding for Wireless Networks

A novel coded cooperation scheme based on the intersection of interleaved block codes is proposed for multisource multi-relay networks. Specifically, the multiple source data are jointly encoded and forwarded to the destination by multiple cooperative relays while the sources and relays have low complexity. In this way, a distributed coding scheme with permutation and block encoding is constructed to achieve diversity and coding gains simultaneously. The scheme can achieve significant performance gain over direct transmission and fit for cooperative networks with different number of sources or relays.
A bandwidth dependent smoothing algorithm for interactive video streaming in UMTS systems

In the recent past, a growing number of services, such VBR video transmission, have been implemented in UMTS cellular systems. In such a context, to reduce the high bit rate variability of VBR streams, several smoothing techniques, performed at server side, have been developed. They regularize the bit rate of transmitted data maintaining, at the same time, a constant video quality at receiving side. In this paper, a novel smoothing algorithm, the Buffer Dependent Smoothing Algorithm (BDSA), has been developed and analyzed. It schedules VBR video data, taking into account both the feedback information on the real residual free buffer size coming from the client terminal, and the available bandwidth information. Numerical results show the BDSA effectiveness, in terms of losses, if compared with the classical smoothing algorithms known by literature.
Household Food Insecurity and Early Childhood Health and Cognitive Development Among Children of Immigrants

Food insecurity is negatively related to child development and health. In this study, we use Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Birth Cohort data to assess the cognitive and health consequences of household food insecurity for children of immigrants compared with children of native-born parents. Results suggest that children of immigrants from food insecure households fare worse than their native peers from food insecure households in health but not in cognitive skills after child and maternal demographic characteristics are taken into account. The remaining health disparity between children in food insecure immigrant households and children in food insecure nonimmigrant households is explained away by immigrant risk and protective factors. Having parents with strong mental health and living in two-parent families partially offset the negative health consequences associated with food insecurity. However, compared with food insecure nonimmigrant children, low socioeconomic risk may exacerbate the negative health consequences of food insecurity among children of immigrants.
Learners' and Teachers' Perceptions of Learning Analytics (LA): A Case Study of Southampton Solent University (SSU).

This paper depicts a perceptual picture of learning analytics based on the understanding of learners and teachers at the SSU as a case study. The existing literature covers technical challenges of learning analytics (LA) and how it creates better social construct for enhanced learning support, however, there has not been adequate research on whether learners and teachers understand the significance of LA and how they can utilise it for enhancement of learning and teaching. This qualitative study helps to shape understanding of an LA initiative based on one university, but with implications for other universities. Shared stakeholders’ understanding of LA with an institutional strategic priority supported by a collaborative delivery would ensure a successful implementation of LA.
An Interventional Study Comparing the Memory Retention of Verbal & Pictorial Materials among MMMC Students

Aims: To compare the effectiveness of pictorial against verbal materials in memory retention among medical students. Study Design: Crossover randomized controlled trial. Study: This study was April 2016. Methodology: 38 right-handed medical students of Melaka-Manipal Medical College were volunteers and participants were divided into two groups equally via simple random sampling. One group of participants were to recall pictures shown first followed by words while the other group of participants were to recall words first followed by pictures. All the pictures and words shown were of everyday objects. Data were analysed using Epi Info version 7. Results: There was a significant difference of memory retention between pictures and words (P-value =; p < 0.05) and of memory accuracy (P-value; p < 0.05). For memory retention, both groups were found to have higher scores for pictures than words as both groups obtained a mean score of 11.3 and 13.4 respectively for the pictures and 9.7 and 11.1 respectively for words. For memory accuracy, pictures were found to be recalled better than words as the mean scores for the pictures are higher than words in both groups. Conclusion: Information in the form of pictures should be more utilized in medical schools so that medical students can have better memory retention which in turn will lead to better academic performances.
Intrusion detection techniques in mobile ad hoc and wireless sensor networks

Mobile ad hoc networks and wireless sensor networks have promised a wide variety of applications. However, they are often deployed in potentially adverse or even hostile environments. Therefore, they cannot be readily deployed without first addressing security challenges. Intrusion detection systems provide a necessary layer of in-depth protection for wired networks. However, relatively little research has been performed about intrusion detection in the areas of mobile ad hoc networks and wireless sensor networks. In this article, first we briefly introduce mobile ad hoc networks and wireless sensor networks and their security concerns. Then, we focus on their intrusion detection capabilities. Specifically, we present the challenge of constructing intrusion detection systems for mobile ad hoc networks and wireless sensor networks, survey the existing intrusion detection techniques, and indicate important future research directions.
Printed antenna for DSRC systems with omnidirectional circular polarization

Emerging vehicular communications are a key to combat several mobility issues, like road safety and efficiency. Dedicated short range communications (DSRC) is a wireless technology, operating at 5.9GHz, designed for automotive use. To operate, this technology has two types of devices, one for vehicles and another for roadside. This paper presents the design of an antenna for the vehicle unit of the DSRC system. High bandwidth, omnidirectional radiation pattern with circular polarization and reduced dimensions make this antenna particularly suitable for this application.
Intelligence physique dans l'habitat

Les solutions d'habitat intelligent existantes adoptent une approche logique, qui s'appuie sur une instrumentation lourde de l'environnement et sur des techniques complexes qui analysent de grandes quantites de donnees brutes. Nous proposons d'adopter une approche physique, ou les informations sont portees directement par les entites du monde physique et les traitements sont declenches par des echanges significatifs d'information. Cet article rappelle les concepts d'habitat intelligent et d'ubiquite numerique, analyse les points faibles des approches logiques et introduit l'approche physique, illustrant un premier prototype qui demontre sa faisabilite.
Towards quantifying the amount of uncollected garbage through image analysis

Civic authorities in many Indian cities have a tough time in garbage collection and as a result there is a pile up of garbage in the cities. In order to manage the situation, it is first required to be able to quantify the issue. In this paper, we address the problem of quantification of garbage in a dump using a two step approach. In the first step, we build a mobile application that allows citizens to capture images of garbage and upload them to a server. In the second step, back-end performs analysis on these images to estimate the amount of garbage using computer vision techniques. Our approach to volume estimation uses multiple images of the same dump (provided by the mobile application) from different perspectives, segments the dump from the background, reconstructs a three dimensional view of the dump and then estimates its volume. Using our novel pipeline, our experiments indicate that with 8 different perspectives, we are able to achieve an accuracy of about 85 % for estimating the volume.
A Advanced Telerobotic Control System for a Mobile Robot with Multisensor Feedback

This paper presents an advanced telerobotic control system for a mobile robot with multisensor feedback. A telecontrol concept for various degrees of cooperation between a human operator and a mobile robot is described. With multisensor on-board the robot at the remote site can adjust its path while continuously accepting commands from the human operator. Interactive modelling that allows the modelling of an unknown environment and makes landmarks known to the robot is introduced. A graphical user interface and a 3-D animation system are important elements in the teleoperation, they are integrated in this system to help the operator by task analysis, oo-line teaching and on-line monitoring. Experiments performed with the mobile robot PRIAMOS are discussed.
Worm Propagation Modeling Based on Two-Factor Model

Worms can spread in an automated fashion and can flood the internet in a very short time. It has become one of the major threats to the security of the Internet. A new worm model that simulates the ongoing worm activities on the Internet will greatly contribute to the security management of modern networks. In this paper we propose a new worm model that accounts for the levels of locality. Based on the two-factor model, we derive a stratified two-factor model called ETwo-Factor model. The advantage of this model is an improved two-factor model to simulate the worm propagation on the stratified network. Simulations and numerical solutions of the ETwo-Factor model can reflect the worm propagation (such as Code Red II) better than other previous models do.
Contribution of diffusion tensor MR imaging in detecting cerebral microstructural changes in adults with neurofibromatosis type 1.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE After an early progression of signal intensity changes in T2-weighted MR images, also known as "neurofibromatosis bright objects," in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1), there is a tendency toward regression or even disappearance in early adulthood. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether adult patients with NF-1 exhibit generalized microstructural alterations even in normal-appearing brain regions. MATERIALS AND METHODS Conventional and diffusion tensor MR imaging of the brain was obtained in 10 adult patients with NF-1 and 10 age-matched healthy volunteers. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA) were measured in brain stem, basal ganglia, thalamus, corpus callosum, and frontal and parietooccipital white matter regions. RESULTS Significantly increased ADC and decreased FA values were found in all regions of interest and in all patients with NF-1, irrespective of their scholastic achievement and subsequent professional performance, compared with control subjects (P < .001). There were no significant correlations with the age (P > .1) or with the lateralization between brain hemispheres (P > .05). CONCLUSION Diffusion tensor imaging reveals globally elevated FA and decreased ADC values in the mature brains of patients with NF-1, which is most likely a consequence of diffuse and basic alterations in cerebral microstructure that result from the underlying gene mutation.
Calibration of panoramic catadioptric sensors made easier

We present a new method to calibrate panoramic catadioptric sensors. While many methods exist for planar cameras, it is not the case for panoramic catadioptric sensors. The aim of the proposed calibration is not to estimate the mirror surface parameters which can be known very accurately, but to estimate the intrinsic parameters of the CCD camera and the pose parameters of the CCD camera with respect to the mirror Unless a telecentric lens is used, this pose must be estimated, particularly for sensors that have a unique effective view point. The developed method is based on the original and simple idea that the mirror external and internal boundaries can be used as a 3D calibration pattern. The improvement introduced by our approach is demonstrated on synthetic experiments with incorrectly aligned sensors and validation tests on real images are described. The proposed technique opens new ways for better designed catadioptric sensors where self-calibration can be easily performed in real-time in a completely autonomous way. In particular this should allow to avoid errors due to vibrations one can notice when using catadioptric sensors in practical situations.
Ultra-Low Overhead Dynamic Watermarking on Scan Design for Hard IP Protection

Unlike conventional legal means, digital watermark enables an effective self-protection mechanism for Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) designers to protect their intellectual property (IP). However, existing watermarking techniques come with unpredictable and often high design and performance overhead, which makes them impractical. In this paper, we propose an ultra-low overhead watermarking scheme to protect hard IPs, the dominating form of commercial IPs. Our approach is based on the observation that an optimized scan design uses two complementary connections between two adjacent scan cells. Such scan design flexibility in the selection of local connection styles provides a vehicle to embed watermarking constraints. It can conveniently be implemented by local rewiring and/or introducing dummy scan cells. The test vectors will be changed accordingly to reflect the watermarked connection styles in order to guarantee the test coverage. This approach offers two unique features: 1) ultra-low overhead and 2) easy detectability. First, because the scan chain order is maintained and these changes are local, the proposed watermarking technique will introduce ultra-low overhead in terms of area, power, and speed. Next, watermark can be extracted from the test vectors and/or the corresponding scan output. Experimental results validate that the performance overhead is negligible (almost zero on the most cases) and the watermark is resilient to various possible attacks.
Asymptotic Cramér-Rao Bound for Noise-Compensated Autoregressive Analysis

Noise-compensated autoregressive (AR) analysis is a problem insufficiently explored with regard to the accuracy of the estimate. This paper studies comprehensively the lower limit of the estimation variance, presenting the asymptotic Cramér-Rao bound (CRB) for Gaussian processes and additive Gaussian noise. This novel result is obtained by using a frequency-domain perspective of the problem as well as an unusual parametrization of an AR model. The Wiener filter rule appears as the distinctive building element in the Fisher information matrix. The theoretical analysis is validated numerically, showing that the proposed CRB is attained by competitive ad hoc estimation methods under a variety of Gaussian color noise and realistic scenarios.