Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Avoiding Collisions Between Aircraft: State of the Art and Requirements for UAVs operating in Civilian Airspace

In this paper we consider the ability of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to operate safely in civilian airspace. This ability is increasingly important as UAVs proliferate and their usage spreads to non-military applications. According to regulatory requirements by the FAA and others this capability must demonstrate a level of performance that meets or exceeds that of an equivalent human pilot without the use of cooperative communication with other aircraft or prior knowledge of the flight plans. We survey the state of the art in systems, sensors and algorithms that have been investigated for use in ‘Sense and Avoid’ applications and then examine both basic and derived requirements for systems suited for deployment on small UAVs.
Evaporation of Accretion Disks around Black Holes: The Disk-Corona Transition and the Connection to the Advection-dominated Accretion Flow

We apply the disk-corona evaporation model (Meyer & Meyer-Hofmeister) originally derived for dwarf novae to black hole systems. This model describes the transition of a thin cool outer disk to a hot coronal flow. The mass accretion rate determines the location of this transition. For a number of well-studied black hole binaries, we take the mass flow rates derived from a fit of the advection-dominated accretion flow (ADAF) model to the observed spectra (for a review, see Narayan, Mahadevan, & Quataert) and determine where the transition of accretion via a cool disk to a coronal flow/ADAF would be located for these rates. We compare this with the observed location of the inner disk edge, as estimated from the maximum velocity of the Hα emission line. We find that the transition caused by evaporation agrees with this determination in stellar disks. We also show that the ADAF and the "thin outer disk + corona" are compatible in terms of the physics in the transition region.
Comparison of phenomenological and biophysical cardiac models coupled with heterogenous structures for prediction of electrical activation sequence

The electrical activation sequence of the ventricles follows a complex pattern which ensures an efficient contraction and subsequent blood pumping. Today, electrical therapies are often used to correct those behaviors, although a-priori it is unknown how the activation sequence will change. In this paper, we study changes in the activation pattern using electrical simulations based on both phenomenological and biophysical models. The complex electrophysiological modeling takes into account the cell specific ion kinetic and reaction-diffusion equations for tissue propagation, whereas the simple modeling is based on Eikonal equation. The computational model includes the specialized electrical structures in the ventricles. Simulation outcomes were compared by looking at the local activation times (LAT) and following total activation time (TAT). Results show that the inclusion of a biophysically based conduction system on a phenomenological model reduces the differences with fully biophysical models, requiring short computational times.
Comparison of Genetic Variants in Cancer-Related Genes between Chinese Hui and Han Populations

Background The Chinese Hui population, as the second largest minority ethnic group in China, may have a different genetic background from Han people because of its unique demographic history. In this study, we aimed to identify genetic differences between Han and Hui Chinese from the Ningxia region of China by comparing eighteen single nucleotide polymorphisms in cancer-related genes. Methods DNA samples were collected from 99 Hui and 145 Han people from the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in China, and SNPs were detected using an improved multiplex ligase detection reaction method. Genotyping data from six 1000 Genomes Project population samples (99 Utah residents with northern and western European ancestry (CEU), 107 Toscani in Italy (TSI), 108 Yoruba in Ibadan (YRI), 61 of African ancestry in the southwestern US (ASW), 103 Han Chinese in Beijing (CHB), and 104 Japanese in Tokyo (JPT)) were also included in this study. Differences in the distribution of alleles among the populations were assessed using χ2 tests, and FST was used to measure the degree of population differentiation. Results We found that the genetic diversity of many SNPs in cancer-related genes in the Hui Chinese in Ningxia was different from that in the Han Chinese in Ningxia. For example, the allele frequencies of four SNPs (rs13361707, rs2274223, rs465498, and rs753955) showed different genetic distributions (p<0.05) between Chinese Ningxia Han and Chinese Ningxia Hui. Five SNPs (rs730506, rs13361707, rs2274223, rs465498 and rs753955) had different FST values (FST >0.000) between the Hui and Han populations. Conclusions These results suggest that some SNPs associated with cancer-related genes vary among different Chinese ethnic groups. We suggest that population differences should be carefully considered in evaluating cancer risk and prognosis as well as the efficacy of cancer therapy.
Investigating the Influence of Alcohol on Eyewitness Memory

Whilst many eyewitness factors have been researched, one issue that has been largely overlooked until very recently is witness intoxication. Police officers in study 1 of this thesis, however, indicated that intoxicated witnesses are a common occurrence. With so little research there are no specific guidelines for the Criminal Justice System detailing the capabilities of intoxicated witnesses. To understand the abilities of these individuals, this thesis tested the theory currently underpinning intoxicated witness research: Alcohol Myopia Theory (AMT). This theory considers alcohol to particularly impair the recall of low, as opposed to high, salience details. Within this thesis, in contrast to previous research, but consistent with AMT, salience was determined by spatial location and semantic meaning, as opposed to information type or centrality. At low (MBAC=.06%) to moderate (MBAC=.09%) levels of intoxication, recall was not impaired when memory was assessed through free recall or a true/false recognition test. At higher intoxication levels (MBAC=.14%; study 3; a field study), contrary to the propositions of AMT, alcohol was only seen to impair free recall completeness, with high rather than low salience details suffering the greater deficit. In seeking to improve the recall of highly intoxicated witnesses, study 4 (a field study) adopted a modified Enhanced Cognitive Interview (ECI) procedure, applying the report everything and mental reinstatement of context mnemonics. The ECI, improved the correct recall, accuracy and completeness of moderately (MBAC=.05%) and severely intoxicated (MBAC=.14%) witnesses. With this thesis indicating that low to moderate intoxication levels are not particularly detrimental to recall, study 5 looked at juror perceptions of intoxicated witness credibility. The knowledge that the witness was intoxicated, rather than the actual testimony, resulted in poorer credibility ratings. In light of this thesis’ findings it is argued that AMT does not account for alcohols effect on eyewitness recall, but high levels of intoxication impair recall completeness but not accuracy. Based on this thesis it is recommended that police officers are provided with clear guidelines on how to deal with intoxicated witnesses, including interviewing with the ECI, even in the modified form. In addition, it is recommended that all parties in the judicial process be educated on the limited effect moderate intoxication has on witness recall, and that severe intoxication impairs recall completeness but not accuracy.
Relative Positioning of Stroke-Based Clustering: a New Approach to Online Handwritten Devanagari Character Recognition

In this paper, we propose a new scheme for Devanagari natural handwritten character recognition. It is primarily based on spatial similarity-based stroke clustering. A feature of a stroke consists of a string of pen-tip positions and directions at every pen-tip position along the trajectory. It uses the dynamic time warping algorithm to align handwritten strokes with stored stroke templates and determine their similarity. Experiments are carried out with the help of 25 native writers and a recognition rate of approximately 95% is achieved. Our recognizer is robust to a large range of writing style and handles variation in the number of strokes, their order, shapes and sizes and similarities among classes.
International Environmental Agreements as Two-Level Games The influence of political pressure on quotas chosen in international environmental agreements

The influence of political pressure on quotas chosen in international environmental agreements Preliminary version, do not quote without permission Abstract This paper analyzes a situation in which countries that are exposed to symmetric in cost-and benefits from abatement are negotiating a quota of incremental abatement. The negotiation process is modeled as a stage game. Further, it is assumed that an agreement will only be ratified by country with a certain probabilty which increases, due to higher political pressure, with the number of signatories. We propose a way how the quota can be chosen for a given set of signatories if net benefits of either the signatories or aggregated net benefits are to be maximized. It turns out that the incremental abatement is only small compared to the efficient abatement level and that the benefits from cooperation can sometimes be higher if not all negotiating countries cooperate. As an extention, we analyze how negotiation outcome is affected if a negotiator loses face if a signed agreement is not ratified by his country's parliament.
Quantitative Prediction of Human Pharmacokinetics for mAbs Exhibiting Target-Mediated Disposition

Prediction of human pharmacokinetics (PK) can be challenging for monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) exhibiting target-mediated drug disposition (TMDD). In this study, we performed a quantitative analysis of a diverse set of six mAbs exhibiting TMDD to explore translational rules that can be utilized to predict human PK. A TMDD model with rapid-binding approximation was utilized to fit PK and PD (i.e., free and/or total target levels) data, and average absolute fold error (AAFE) was calculated for each model parameter. Based on the comparative analysis, translational rules were developed and applied to a test antibody not included in the original analysis. AAFE of less than two-fold was observed between monkey and human for baseline target levels (R0), body-weight (BW) normalized central elimination rate (Kel/BW−0.25) and central volume (Vc/BW1.0). AAFE of less than three-fold was estimated for the binding affinity constant (KD). The other four parameters, i.e., complex turnover rate (Kint), target turnover rate (Kdeg), central to peripheral distribution rate constant (Kpt) and peripheral to central rate constant (Ktp) were poorly correlated between monkey and human. The projected human PK of test antibody based on the translation rules was in good agreement with the observed nonlinear PK. In conclusion, we recommend a TMDD model-based prediction approach that integrates in vitro human biomeasures and in vivo preclinical data using translation rules developed in this study.
Parallel Biological Sequence Comparison on Heterogeneous High Performance Computing Platforms with BSP++

Biological Sequence Comparison is an important operation in Bioinformatics that is often used to relate organisms. Smith and Waterman proposed an exact algorithm (SW) that compares two sequences in quadratic time and space. Due to high computing and memory requirements, SW is usually executed on HPC platforms such as multicore clusters and CellBEs. Since HPC architectures exhibit very different hardware characteristics, porting an application between them is an error-prone time-consuming task. BSP++ is an implementation of BSP that aims to reduce the effort to write parallel code. In this paper, we propose and evaluate a parallel BSP++ strategy to execute SW in multiple platforms like MPI, OpenMP, MPI/OpenMP, CellBE and MPI/CellBE. The results obtained with real DNA sequences show that the performance of our versions is comparable to the ones in the literature, evidencing the appropriateness and flexibility of our approach.
Non-intubated thoracoscopic surgery using internal intercostal nerve block, vagal block and targeted sedation.

OBJECTIVES Thoracoscopic surgery using internal intercostal nerve block, vagal block and targeted sedation without endotracheal intubation is a promising technique for selected patients, but little is known about its feasibility and safety. METHODS We evaluated 109 patients with lung (105), mediastinal (3) or pleural (1) tumours treated using non-intubated thoracoscopic surgery. Internal, intercostal nerve block was performed at the T3-T8 intercostal level and vagal block was performed adjacent to the vagus nerve at the level of the lower trachea for right-sided operations and at the level of the aortopulmonary window for left-sided operations. Sedation was performed with propofol infusion to achieve a bispectral index value between 40 and 60. RESULTS Thoracoscopic lobectomy was performed in 43 patients, wedge resection in 50, segmentectomy in 12 and mediastinal or pleural tumour excision in 4. Three patients (2.8%) required conversion to intubated one-lung ventilation because of vigorous mediastinal movement and dense diaphragmatic adhesions. Anaesthetic induction and operation had a median duration of 10.0 and 127.0 min, respectively. Operative complications developed in 13 patients with air leaks for more than 3 days and 1 patient required transfusion of blood products. The median postoperative chest drainage and hospital stay were 2.0 and 4.0 days, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Non-intubated thoracoscopic surgery using internal intercostal nerve block, vagal block and targeted sedation is technically feasible and safe in surgical treatment of lung, mediastinal and pleural tumours in selected patients.
Varying kernel‐extent gridding reconstruction for undersampled variable‐density spirals

Nonuniform, non‐Cartesian k‐space trajectories enable fast scanning with reduced motion and flow artifacts. In such cases, the data are usually convolved with a kernel and resampled onto a Cartesian grid before reconstruction. For trajectories such as undersampled variable‐density spirals, the mainlobe width of the kernel for undersampled high spatial frequencies has to be larger to limit the amount of aliasing energy. Continuously varying the kernel extent is time consuming. By dividing k‐space into several annuli and using appropriate mainlobe widths for each, the aliasing energy and noise can be reduced at the expense of lower resolution towards the edge of the field of view (FOV). Resolution can instead be preserved at the center of the FOV, which is expected to be free of artifacts, without any artifact reduction. The image reconstructed from each annulus can be deapodized separately. The method can be applied to most k‐space trajectories used in MRI. Magn Reson Med, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Hippo: An enhancement of pipeline-aware in-memory caching for HDFS

In the age of big data, distributed computing frameworks tend to coexist and collaborate in pipeline using one scheduler. While a variety of techniques for reducing I/O latency have been proposed, these are rarely specific for the whole pipeline performance. This paper proposes memory management logic called “Hippo” which targets distributed systems and in particular “pipelined” applications that might span differing big data frameworks. Though individual frameworks may have internal memory management primitives, Hippo proposes to make a generic framework that works agnostic of these highlevel operations. To increase the hit ratio of in-memory cache, this paper discusses the granularity of caching and how Hippo leverages the job dependency graph to make memory retention and pre-fetching decisions. Our evaluations demonstrate that job dependency is essential to improve the cache performance and a global cache policy maker, in most cases, significantly outperforms explicit caching by users.
KONSEP TOLERANSI BERAGAMA DALAM TAFSIR AL-QUR’AN TEMATIK KARYA TIM DEPARTEMEN AGAMA REPUBLIK INDONESIA

In a decade of post-reformation era, the religious life has been nuanced with the vast existence of radical-fundamental movements that underscore the non-compromised mode of action and tend to legalize violence pursuing their aims in Indonesia. At the same time, it is urgent to note the release of The Thematic Exegesis (Tafsir) of Al-Qur’an: The Inter-religious Relationship as the implementation of RPJMN 2004-2009 by the Ministry of Religious affairs the Republic of Indonesia. The issue of the exegesis serves as the benchmark of various Tafsir of either in a too-literal or a too-liberal one appeared in Indonesia. The issue is then the relationship between the condition of religious life in Indonesia and The Thematic Exegesis of AlQur’an: The Inter-religious Relationship as the government type of Tafsir. This research uses a critical discourse analysis in that it implements Teun A. van Dijk’s model of discourse analysis focused on three dimensional constructions of discourse: text, social cognition, and social context. To sum up, the concepts of religious tolerance offered in the exegesis are the principles of religious freedom, the tolerance of religious other, and the harmonious principle. Those three concepts of religious tolerance are a government version as it is imbued in the Exegesis produced by the government. This underlines the relationship of the Exegesis as a product of knowledge and power.
National identity in the contemporary Baltics: comparative quantitative analysis

ABSTRACT This paper is about contemporary national identity attitudes in the three Baltic states as ethnic democracies. It presents the results of a quantitative comparative study using data from the International Social Survey Program, collected in 2013. The parameters of comparison include the perceived importance of various national identity criteria and the pride in a nation’s achievements in various spheres. The results show that Baltic national identity focuses not on ethnic homogeneity, but on commitment and loyalty, to reflect upon the current situation more than the historical past, and to have the potential for the integration of ethnic minority members.
Towards more effective utilization of computer systems

Globally, vast infrastructures of Information Technology (IT) equipment are deployed. Much of this infrastructure is under utilized to ensure acceptable response times. This results in less than ideal use of the capital investment used to purchase the IT equipment. To improve the sustainability of IT, we focus on increasing the effective utilization of computer systems. Our results show that computer systems running delay-sensitive (e.g., Web) workloads can be more effectively utilized while still maintaining adequate (e.g., mean or upper percentile) response times. In particular, these computer systems can simultaneously support delay-tolerant workloads, to increase the value of work done by a computer system over time.
Development of a collagen-based model for testing nanoparticle drug delivery to tumors

vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Dr.Susan Thomas for providing me with the opportunity to work in her lab and offering her support in the work I did. In addition, I would like to also thank the members of the Thomas lab, especially Alex Schudel, in offering their technical expertise and encouragement. Finally, Andrew Shaw was very helpful in helping me troubleshoot through the imaging process.
Should I stay or should I go? An experimental study on voter responses to pre‐electoral coalitions

Pre-electoral coalitions (PECs) are one of the most often used methods to coor- dinate entry into the electoral market. Party elites, however, do not know how voters will respond to the coalition formation at the polls. In this article, the authors report on an experimental study among 1,255 Belgian students. In order to study voter responses to the formation of PECs,respondents were presented with two ballots:one with individual parties (party vote condition) and one with coalitions (coalition vote condition). The aim of this experiment is to predict under what conditions party supporters will follow their initially preferred party into the coalition and vote for the PEC, and under what conditions they would desert the PEC at the polls.The decision whether to follow the coalition or not can be traced back to four considerations: dislike of the coalition partner; ideological congruence between coalition partners; size of the initially preferred party; and being attracted to a specific high-profile candidate. (Dis)liking the coalition partner is independent from the ideological congruence between the two coalition partners. The study's results also show support for an adjustment effect, as respondents became more loyal toward cartels over the course of the 2003-2005 observation period.
α-Defensin 1-3 And α-Defensin 4 as Predictive Markers of Imatinib Resistance and Relapse in CML Patients

Objective: Imatinib mesylate is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor used as first line treatment in chronic myeloid leukaemia. Despite a remarkable effectiveness, treatment failure cases have been reported in 20 percent of CML patients. The identification of biomarkers which can predict the response to imatinib is our point of interest. Methods: Gene expression profiling microarray was carried out on secondary imatinib resistant patients. Longitudinal studies were performed on imatinib treated responder/resistant patients. Then, Q-RT/PCR studies were realized on patients prior imatinib initiation. Results: For imatinib responder patients, we observed a strong and lasting decrease of α-defensin 1-3 and α-defensin 4 expression. For relapse patients, we observed a dramatic increase of α-defensin 1-3 and α-defensin 4 expression before BCR-ABL transcript increase. Moreover, before imatinib initiation, α-defensin 1-3 and α-defensin 4 expression was significantly lower in the resistant group than in the responder group. Conclusion The variation of expression of α-defensin 1-3 and α-defensin 4 in peripheral blood is associated with imatinib resistance and may reflect an adequate immune control of the disease. Monitoring of α-defensin 1-3 and α-defensin 4 could be helpful to predict the patients who are not going to respond to the treatment.
Adaptive Time Misalignment Compensation in Envelope Tracking Amplifiers

This paper considers the compensation of time misalignment between RF and envelope signals of envelope tracking (ET) amplifier. In particular, we propose methods to compensate the time misalignment and compare them to a previously presented method. Our simulation results indicate that the proposed methods give very accurate timing estimates. In the presence of optimal predistorter, we achieve with 90 percent probability adjacent channel power (ACP) level of -80 dB. With adaptive predistorters, we cannot see any degradation of ACP comparing to case of ideal timing. On the other hand, the proposed methods give roughly 10 dB better ACP than the previously presented method.