Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reaching livability: designing accessible cities for all

While sustainability dominates the discourse in urban theory and practice, a growing literature has recognized the importance of liveability in city-making. Livability is the sum of factors that contribute to a city's quality of life. One significant factor is access to services and goods for pedestrians, an aspect of planning that scholars and planners have long neglected. Accessible amenities fulfil a city’s function and are an essential component of ‘good urban form’: a material and ethical morphology of the city that privileges compactness and mixed land uses to integrate amenities and people. Cities around the world, especially those in North America, face challenges that stem from sprawling urban forms. As a result, constrains to access for the pedestrian abound. Importantly, this phenomenon exists beyond global and globalizing cities. Indeed, while the literature focuses on larger cities, there is an increasing need to explore and understand the fate of medium and smaller cities. This study contributes to the small city scholarship by offering a descriptive assessment of access to amenities in a mid-size Canadian city, St. John’s (NL), through an analysis of census and business microdata between 2006 and 2010. I argue that given St. John’s urban form (low-density, disconnected streets, low mix use, car-friendly), access to amenities is low across the metropolitan region. My findings have several significant results: first, the average minimum distances to amenities exceed the established walking standard of 500m across the St. John’s metropolitan area; second, there is a mismatch of population to amenity across the region; third, vulnerable demographic groups like the young and the elderly who are in higher need of amenities typically enjoy better access than others; and fourth, accessibility is better where urban form is more compact. Finally, I conclude that accessibility in St. John's is spatially unequal, but fairly equitable, and that areas with higher accessibility are concentrated in old City of St. John's.
On the continuity of bending

We examine the dependence of the deformation obtained by bending quasi-Fuchsian structures on the bending lamination. We show that when we consider bending quasi-Fuchsian structures on a closed surface, the conditions obtained by Epstein and Marden to relate weak convergence of arbitrary laminations to the convergence of bending cocycles are not necessary. Bending may not be continuous on the set of all measured laminations. However we show that if we restrict our attention to laminations with non negative real and imaginary parts then the deformation depends continuously on the lamination. AMS Classification 30F40; 32G15
Candidate sentence selection for language learning exercises: from a comprehensive framework to an empirical evaluation

We present a framework and its implementation relying on Natural Language Processing methods, which aims at the identification of exercise item candidates from corpora. The hybrid system combining heuristics and machine learning methods includes a number of relevant selection criteria. We focus on two fundamental aspects: linguistic complexity and the dependence of the extracted sentences on their original context. Previous work on exercise generation addressed these two criteria only to a limited extent, and a refined overall candidate sentence selection framework appears also to be lacking. In addition to a detailed description of the system, we present the results of an empirical evaluation conducted with language teachers and learners which indicate the usefulness of the system for educational purposes. We have integrated our system into a freely available online learning platform.
Flexible Instrumentation for Software Dynamic Translation

Software dynamic translators have been used for many purposes, such as dynamic code optimization, profiling, and security. Many of these applications need to instrument a program’s binary code to gather run-time information about the program. Such instrumentation is varied, with different software dynamic translator applications requiring different kinds of information. Hence, there is a need for a flexible mechanism for information gathering and instrumentation in software dynamic translators. In this paper, we describe our approach to providing flexible instrumentation. We also experimentally evaluate our approach and investigate its overhead and demonstrate its flexibility for different software dynamic translation
Orientation selectivity in visual cortex by fluctuation-controlled criticality

Within a large-scale neuronal network model of macaque primary visual cortex, we examined how intrinsic dynamic fluctuations in synaptic currents modify the effect of strong recurrent excitation on orientation selectivity. Previously, we showed that, using a strong network inhibition countered by feedforward and recurrent excitation, the cortical model reproduced many observed properties of simple and complex cells. However, that network’s complex cells were poorly selective for orientation, and increasing cortical self-excitation led to network instabilities and unrealistically high firing rates. Here, we show that a sparsity of connections in the network produces large, intrinsic fluctuations in the cortico-cortical conductances that can stabilize the network and that there is a critical level of fluctuations (controllable by sparsity) that allows strong cortical gain and the emergence of orientation-selective complex cells. The resultant sparse network also shows near contrast invariance in its selectivity and, in agreement with recent experiments, has extracellular tuning properties that are similar in pinwheel center and iso-orientation regions, whereas intracellular conductances show positional dependencies. Varying the strength of synaptic fluctuations by adjusting the sparsity of network connectivity, we identified a transition between the dynamics of bistability and without bistability. In a network with strong recurrent excitation, this transition is characterized by a near hysteretic behavior and a rapid rise of network firing rates as the synaptic drive or stimulus input is increased. We discuss the connection between this transition and orientation selectivity in our model of primary visual cortex.
Pulmonary Disease Caused by Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria

Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) include more than 160 ubiquitous, environmental, acid-fast-staining bacterial species, some of which may cause disease in humans. Chronic pulmonary infection is the most common clinical manifestation. Although patients suffering from chronic lung diseases are particularly susceptible to NTM pulmonary disease, many affected patients have no apparent risk factors. Host and pathogen factors leading to NTM pulmonary disease are not well understood and preventive therapies are lacking. NTM isolation and pulmonary disease are reported to rise in frequency in Europe as well as in other parts of the world. Differentiation between contamination, infection, and disease remains challenging. Treatment of NTM pulmonary disease is arduous, lengthy, and costly. Correlations between results of in vitro antibiotic susceptibility testing and clinical treatment outcomes are only evident for the Mycobacterium avium complex, M. kansasii, and some rapidly growing mycobacteria. We describe the epidemiology of NTM pulmonary disease as well as emerging NTM pathogens and their geographical distribution in non-cystic fibrosis patients in Europe. We also review recent innovations for the diagnosis of NTM pulmonary disease, summarize treatment recommendations, and identify future research priorities to improve the management of patients affected by NTM pulmonary disease.
Temperature and CAPE dependence of rainfall extremes in the eastern United States

We analyze how extreme rainfall intensities in the Eastern United States depend on temperature T, dew point temperature Td, and convective available potential energy CAPE, in addition to geographic sub‐region, season, and averaging duration. When using data for the entire year, rainfall intensity has a quasi Clausius‐Clapeyron (CC) dependence on T, with super‐CC slope in a limited temperature range and a maximum around 25°C. While general, these features vary with averaging duration, season, the quantile of rainfall intensity, and to some extent geographic sub‐region. By using Td and CAPE as regressors, we separate the effects of temperature on rainfall extremes via increased atmospheric water content and via enhanced atmospheric convection. The two contributions have comparable magnitudes, pointing at the need to consider both Td and atmospheric stability parameters when assessing the impact of climate change on rainfall extremes.
On the frequency-dependence of electrical soil properties and their influence on ground-penetrating radar

Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) is sensitive to changes of electrical soil properties. These properties can become strongly frequency-dependent, even so they are considered constant in many applications. Analysis of radargrams provided evidence that radar waves propagating in moist loamy and clayey soils underlie strong absorption and dispersion effects. The energy absorption together with the wavelet distortion can reach a degree that even shallow buried objects, as for instance in case of landmine or utility detection, cannot be detected by GPR. In this context, the question on the physical origin and extent of individual dielectric relaxation and conduction mechanisms arose and how they affect GPR. In addition, the demand for a prognosis facility emerged to predict the GPR performance with respect to the soil. As the topic has barely been analyzed in the past, the study aims to fill this gap using a combination of field measurements, extensive laboratory investigations and numerical simulations with a variety of soils. To address the causes of absorption and dispersion, electrical properties of soils in the GPR frequency range were analyzed using dielectric spectroscopy. The different electrical loss-mechanisms were separated from each other by fitting a generalized dielectric response model to the data. It was found that the effective permittivity of most soils can be split into i) a dielectric relaxation of free water molecules at microwave frequency, ii) a very broadband distribution of relaxations attributed to relaxations at the interface of the multiphase system, which spans across several orders of magnitude, iii) and a constant dc-conductivity term. The very broadband distribution of low-frequency relaxations showed severe impact on GPR especially in moist clayey soils. In order to resolve the relaxation parameters of that process, the high-frequency dielectric spectroscopy data were combined with low-frequency Spectral Induced Polarization (SIP). A new dielectric model was developed that enabled to accurately explain the extraordinary large spectrum. The combined permittivity and conductivity model (CPCM) showed that the broadband interfacial relaxations can be described using two Cole-Cole relaxation models: one model with relaxation frequencies between 2 and 40 MHz, which was partially attributed to the relaxation of physically bound and hydrated water at the mineral-water interfaces, and one model with a broad relaxation time distribution and relaxation frequencies between 100 kHz and 16 MHz, which was attributed to spatial relaxations of the Maxwell-Wagner type together with the counterion relaxations in the electrical double layer (EDL).
Resilient Supervisory Control of Autonomous Intersections in the Presence of Sensor Attacks

Cyber-physical systems (CPS), such as autonomous vehicles crossing an intersection, are vulnerable to cyber-attacks and their safety-critical nature makes them a target for malicious adversaries. This paper studies the problem of supervisory control of autonomous intersections in the presence of sensor attacks. Sensor attacks are performed when an adversary gains access to the transmission channel and corrupts the measurements before they are received by the decision-making unit. We show that the supervisory control system is vulnerable to sensor attacks that can cause collision or deadlock among vehicles. To improve the system resilience, we introduce a detector in the control architecture and focus on stealthy attacks that cannot be detected but are capable of compromising safety. We then present a resilient supervisory control system that is safe, non-deadlocking, and maximally permissive, despite the presence of disturbances, uncontrolled vehicles, and sensor attacks. Finally, we demonstrate how the resilient supervisor works by considering illustrative examples.
Reinitiation of the Boreal Summer Intraseasonal Oscillation in the Tropical Indian Ocean *

The characteristic features of the boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation (BSISO) during its reinitiation period are studied using NCEP–NCAR reanalysis. Based on these observations and with the aid of an anomalous atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM), a possible mechanism responsible for the BSISO reinitiation is elucidated. The western equatorial Indian Ocean along the eastern African coast tends to be a key region for the phase transition of the BSISO from an enhanced to suppressed convective phase, or vise versa. The major precursory feature associated with reinitiation of suppressed convection is found in the divergence and reduced specific humidity in the boundary layer. Numerical experiments indicate that the low-level divergence is caused by the cold horizontal temperature advection and associated adiabatic warming (descending motion) in situ. The summer mean state is found to be important for the cold horizontal temperature advection through the modulation of a Gill-type response to an intraseasonal oscillation (ISO) heating in the eastern equatorial Indian Ocean. The results in this study suggest a selfsustained paradigm in the Indian Ocean for the BSISO; that is, the BSISO could be a basinwide phenomenon instead of a global circumstance system as hypothesized for the boreal winter ISO (i.e., the Madden– Julian oscillation).
Covariance-guided landmine detection and discrimination using ground-penetrating radar data

ABSTRACT Ground penetrating Radar (GPR) can detect and deliver the response signal from any buried kind of object like plastic or metallic landmines, stones, and wood sticks. It delivers three kinds of data: Ascan, Bscan, and Cscan. However, it cannot discriminate between landmines and inoffensive objects or ‘clutter. ’ One-class classification is an alternative to detect landmines, especially, as landmines features data are unbalanced. In this article, we investigate the effectiveness of the Covariance-guided One-Class Support Vector Machine (COSVM) to detect, discriminate, and locate landmines efficiently. In fact, compared to existing one-class classifiers, the COSVM has the advantage of emphasizing low variance directions. Moreover, we will compare the one-class classification to multiclass classification to tease out the advantage of the former over the latter as data are unbalanced. Our method consists of extracting Ascan GPR data. Extracted features are used as an input for COSVM to discriminate between landmines and clutter. We provide an extensive evaluation of our detection method compared to other methods based on relevant state of the art one-class and multiclass classifiers, on the well-known MACADAM database. Our experimental results show clearly the superiority of using COSVM in landmine detection and localization.
Living Up to Expectations: Computing Expert Responses

In cooperative man-machine interaction, it is necessary but not sufficient for a system to respond truthfully and informatively to a user's question. In particular, if the system has reason to believe that its planned response might mislead the user, then it must block that conclusion by modifying its response. This paper focusses on identifying and avoiding potentially misleading responses by acknowledging types of "informing behavior" usually expected of an expert. We attempt to give a formal account of several types of assertions that should be included in response to questions concerning the achievement of some goal (in addition to the simple answer), lest the questioner otherwise be misled.
Role of Neutrophils in Invasive Aspergillosis▿

Invasive aspergillosis is a disease of immune-compromised hosts. Most commonly, disease follows inhalation of airborne conidia (spores), which germinate in the lung and then grow as hyphae (9). The increasing incidence of this disease over the past several decades has enhanced interest in understanding the mechanisms by which disease is prevented in the normal host and methods for immune modulation that can protect susceptible hosts (18). Neutrophils long have been considered a key cell population for host defense against Aspergillus fumigatus. Their relevance for protection against invasive aspergillosis was inferred in early descriptions of this disease because of its occurrence in neutropenic patients (27), as well as in those with defective neutrophil function, such as those with chronic granulomatous disease (6). The ability of neutrophils to contribute to damaging host responses also has been recognized in patients with immune reconstitution inflammatory syndromes and in animal models (1, 4, 25). Neutrophils have been viewed as exerting their effector functions primarily against hyphae, the form in which the organism grows in tissue, resulting in direct destruction, with additional damage caused by vascular invasion and resulting infarction. In this issue, Bonnett et al. offer intriguing evidence that neutrophils also may have a novel effect on conidia during invasive pulmonary disease (3).
Adiponectin in youth: relationship to visceral adiposity, insulin sensitivity, and beta-cell function.

OBJECTIVE Adiponectin is an adipose tissue protein that enhances insulin sensitivity and has antiatherogenic properties. The present study investigated the relationship of adiponectin levels in adolescents to 1) obesity and body fat distribution and 2) insulin sensitivity and the components of syndrome X. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Twenty-three normal-weight and 26 obese adolescents had fasting adiponectin, lipid profile, and proinsulin measurements performed. Hepatic and peripheral insulin sensitivity were assessed with constant-rate [6,6-(2)H(2)]glucose infusion and a 3-h hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp, respectively. Body composition was evaluated by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue were measured by computed tomography scan at the L(4)-L(5) level. RESULTS Obese adolescents had approximately 50% lower adiponectin than normal-weight adolescents. Moreover, obese adolescents with high (111.8 +/- 9.3 cm(2)) versus low (55.4 +/- 2.1 cm(2)) VAT had lower adiponectin levels (6.2 +/- 0.9 vs. 9.0 +/- 1.0 microg/ml, P = 0.05). Plasma adiponectin correlated positively with peripheral and hepatic insulin sensitivity (r = 0.67, P < 0.001 and r = 0.54, P < 0.001, respectively) and HDL (r = 0.52, P < 0.001) and negatively with fasting proinsulin and the proinsulin-to-insulin ratio (r = -0.64, P < 0.001 and r = -0.43, P = 0.003, respectively). In a multiple regression analysis, adiponectin, independently and together with BMI, explained 73% (R(2) = 0.73, P < 0.001) of the variance in insulin sensitivity. Adiponectin, but not adiposity, was the significant independent determinant of the proinsulin-to-insulin ratio (R(2) = 0.18, P = 0.008) and of HDL (R(2) = 0.45, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS In summary, hypoadiponectinemia in youth is a strong and independent correlate of insulin resistance, beta-cell dysfunction, visceral adiposity, and syndrome X. The antidiabetogenic and antiatherogenic properties of adiponectin are evident early in life and compromised in youth-onset obesity.
Half-Duplex Base Station with Adaptive Scheduling of the in-Band Uplink-Receptions and Downlink-Transmissions

In this paper, we propose a novel reception/transmission scheme for half-duplex base stations (BSs). In particular, we propose a half-duplex BS that employes in-band uplink-receptions from user 1 and downlink-transmissions to user 2, which occur in different time slots. Furthermore, we propose optimal adaptive scheduling of the in-band uplink-receptions and downlink-transmissions of the BS such that the uplink-downlink rate/throughput region is maximized and the outage probabilities of the uplink and downlink channels are minimized. Practically, this results in selecting whether in a given time slot the BS should receive from user 1 or transmit to user 2 based on the qualities of the in-band uplink-reception and downlink-transmission channels. Compared to the performance achieved with a conventional full-duplex division (FDD) base station, two main gains can be highlighted: 1) Increased uplink-downlink rate/throughput region; 2) Doubling of the diversity gain of both the uplink and downlink channels.
Report of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute working group on the translation of cardiovascular molecular imaging.

Imaging has become an indispensable tool in cardiovascular research, clinical trials, and medical practice. Traditional imaging modalities provide primarily anatomic as well as some physiological information. The emerging field of molecular imaging aims to expand beyond these traditional targets to visualize specific biochemical structures or biological processes. Platforms under exploration for molecular imaging include ultrasound, single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), positron emission tomography (PET), computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and optical techniques, such as fluorescence-mediated tomography (FMT) and catheter-based sensors. Ultimately, molecular imaging may allow clinicians to reach beyond anatomy to visualize the expression and activity of particular molecules, cells, or functions that influence disease progression, outcome, and/or responsiveness to therapeutics. The last 3 decades have seen explosive growth in the application of cardiovascular molecular imaging, as demonstrated by a recent PubMed search (Figure). Despite basic science advances, translation into clinically available agents and techniques has lagged. In September 2009 the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) convened a working group of experts in the fields of molecular imaging and cardiovascular disease to assess the current state of molecular imaging and its application to cardiovascular diseases, to identify areas where cardiovascular molecular imaging was likely to have an impact, to explore barriers to the translation of molecular imaging toward clinical application, and to inform the NHLBI on national priorities for the promotion of translation of cardiovascular molecular imaging. Here, we summarize state-of-the-art technologies, their challenges, clinical needs, and specific recommendations of the working group. Figure. Cardiovascular molecular imaging publications from 1987 to 2010. The Scopus database was searched for the terms “molecular” and “imaging” in the title or abstract, and the results obtained were then restricted further by searching on “cardiovascular. ” The results obtained from the restricted search were then checked manually to include only original research articles …
Visual aids in 3D point selection experiments

We present a study investigating the influence of visual aids on 3D point selection tasks. In a Fitts' law pointing experiment, we compared the effects of texturing, highlighting targets upon being touched, and the presence of support cylinders intended to eliminate floating targets. Results of the study indicate that texturing and support cylinders did not significantly influence performance. Enabling target highlighting increased movement speed, while decreasing error rate. Pointing throughput was unaffected by this speed-accuracy tradeoff. Highlighting also eliminated significant differences between selection coordinate depth deviation and the deviation in the two orthogonal axes.