Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pose invariant method for emotion recognition from 3D images

Information about the emotional state of a person can be inferred from facial expressions. Emotion recognition has become an active research area in recent years in various fields such as Human Robot Interaction (HRI), medicine, intelligent vehicle, etc., The challenges in emotion recognition from images with pose variations, motivates researchers to explore further. In this paper, we have proposed a method based on geometric features, considering images of 7 yaw angles (-45°,-30°,-15°,0°,+15°,+30°,+45°) from BU3DFE database. Most of the work that has been reported considered only positive yaw angles. In this work, we have included both positive and negative yaw angles. In the proposed method, feature extraction is carried out by concatenating distance and angle vectors between the feature points, and classification is performed using neural network. The results obtained for images with pose variations are encouraging and comparable with literature where work has been performed on pitch and yaw angles. Using our proposed method non-frontal views achieve similar accuracy when compared to frontal view thus making it pose invariant. The proposed method may be implemented for pitch and yaw angles in future.
[Detection of periodontal pathogens in coronary atherosclerotic plaques].

OBJECTIVE To explore the possible correlation between coronary heart disease and periodontitis. METHODS Subgingival plaque samples and coronary atherosclerotic plaques were harvested from a total of 31 patients with periodontitis who scheduled for coronary artery bypass surgery. The bacteria DNA was obtained from subgingival plaque samples and coronary atherosclerotic plaques using the chelex-100 method. The extracted DNA was examined using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. RESULTS In coronary atherosclerotic plaques samples from the 31 patients, Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg, 38.7%), Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (Aa, 0%), Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn, 22.6%), Prevotella intermedia (Pi, 12.9%), Bacteroides forsythus (Bf, 38.7%) were detected. The concordant presence of the same periodontal bacteria DNA in subgingival plaques and in coronary atherosclerotic plaques in the same patient was Pg 5 (16.1%), Aa 0 (0%), Pi 2 (6.5%), Fn 4 (12.9%) and Bf 8 (25.8%). CONCLUSIONS The presence of periodontal bacteria DNA in coronary atherosclerotic plaques could indicate that periodontal pathogenic bacteria may play a role in the coronary heart disease process.
A Bidirectional Light Field ‐ Hologram Transform

In this paper, we propose a novel framework to represent visual information. Extending the notion of conventional image‐based rendering, our framework makes joint use of both light fields and holograms as complementary representations. We demonstrate how light fields can be transformed into holograms, and vice versa. By exploiting the advantages of either representation, our proposed dual representation and processing pipeline is able to overcome the limitations inherent to light fields and holograms alone. We show various examples from synthetic and real light fields to digital holograms demonstrating advantages of either representation, such as speckle‐free images, ghosting‐free images, aliasing‐free recording, natural light recording, aperture‐dependent effects and real‐time rendering which can all be achieved using the same framework. Capturing holograms under white light illumination is one promising application for future work.
Process and RTP equipment design for Cu(In,Ga)Se2 layer formation using in-situ XRD techniques

Centrotherm photovoltaics AG is one of the first turn-key supplier of fabrication lines for the production of whole Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS)-based thin-film modules of a size of ∼1.5m2. The core-technologies for CIGS-absorber layer formation were developed in centrotherms research & development center in Blaubeuren (Germany) and represent a completely new approach, not reported in literature before. While the utilized sputter deposition of the Molybdenum back-contact and the Cu(Ga,In) metallic precursor stack is a well-proved and easy scalable deposition technique, the newly introduced techniques of an atmospheric Selenium-deposition and subsequent repid thermal processing in an atmospheric through-type furnace offer new perspectives for the economical success of CIGS-thin-film photovoltaics, since they overcome the scaling problems and long process times commonly associated with conventional PVD and vacuum-based techniques.
Wavelet Transform Techniques for Image Resolution Enhancement: A Study

Images are being used in many fields of research. One of the major issues of images is their resolution. In this paper we are studying different image resolution enhancement techniques that use Wavelet Transform (WT). Basis functions of the WT are small waves located in different times. They are obtained using scaling and translation of a scaling function and wavelet function Therefore, the WT is localized in both time and frequency. In this paper we are comparing different image resolution enhancement techniques those using Wavelet Transform.
Selection of minimum transmit power for network connectivity in Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks

This paper investigates the minimum transmit power required to ensure network connectivity in a Vehicular Ad Hoc Network (VANET). As opposed to the conventional graph theoretic approach, in this paper, the network connectivity problem is analyzed according to a physical layer based quality of service (QOS) constraint. Under this approach, a multi-hop path joining a pair of vehicles in the network is considered to be connected, if and only if the average route bit error rate corresponding to this path is less than or equal to a tolerable limit. The analytical results for the minimum transmit power are corroborated by extensive simulation studies.
A distance to dose difference tool for estimating the required spatial accuracy of a displacement vector field.

PURPOSE To introduce a tool, termed distance to dose difference (DTD), which estimates the required spatial accuracy of displacement vector fields (DVFs) used for mapping four dimensional dose values. METHODS Dose mapping maps dose values from an irradiated geometry to a reference geometry. DVF errors result in dose being mapped from the wrong spatial location in the irradiated geometry, with a dose error equal to the dose difference between the error-free and sampled spatial locations. The DTD, defined as the distance to observe a given dose difference in the irradiated geometry, quantifies the permitted DVF error to ensure a prespecified desired dose mapping accuracy is achieved. To demonstrate the DTD, a treatment plan is generated with a 5 mm internal target volume-to-planning target volume margin for an intensity modulated radiation therapy lung patient. The DTD is evaluated for mapping dose from the end of inhale image with a dose error tolerance of 3.30 Gy, which equals 5% of the 66 Gy prescription dose. The DTD is loaded into the treatment planning system to visualize positional dependencies of permissible DVF errors overlaid on the patient's anatomy and DTD-volume-histograms are generated. RESULTS DTD values vary with location in the patient anatomy. For the test case, DTD analysis indicates that accurate DVFs (approximately 1 mm) are required in high dose gradient regions while large DVF errors (>20 mm) are acceptable in low dose gradient regions. Within the clinical target volume (CTV), tolerated DVF uncertainties range from 1 to 12 mm, depending on location. Ninety percent of the CTV volume had DTD values less than 4 mm. CONCLUSIONS The DVF spatial accuracy required to meet a dose mapping accuracy tolerance depends on the spatial location within the dose distribution. For dose mapping, DVFs accuracy must be highest in dose gradient regions, while less accurate DVFs can be tolerated in uniform dose regions. The DTD tool provides a useful first estimate of DVF required spatial accuracy.
Optimal load shedding for radial distribution system using improved gravitational search algorithm

The most important perils for power system security are cascading failures and blackouts during contingency situations. In order to reduce the risk of cascaded outages and blackout, load shedding has been considered as a preventive scheme. This paper presents a novel application of the heuristic optimization algorithm, improved gravitational search algorithm (IGSA) to find an optimal load shedding strategy for radial distribution systems during an overload contingency. Overload contingency in the radial distribution systems without and with installed distributed generations (DGs) are the two cases considered in this paper. The proposed method has been tested on IEEE 33-bus radial distribution system. The feasibility of the proposed algorithm has been validated with results reported using Genetic Algorithm (GA) in terms of quality of the solution over realistic test systems considered.
Bending and creasing virtual paper

We developed a mathematical model to simulate the bending and creasing behavior of paper-like sheets. This model permits interactive deformation of a surface remaining isometric to a plane rectangular sheet. It exhibits some important characteristics of paper behavior, such as the appearance of creases for some shapes of the boundary. Accurately simulating the detailed behavior of paper creases would involve several complex tasks, like employing mechanical shell modeling with possible boundary layer phenomena and studying the dynamics of buckling, or considering paper's plasticity. We do not discuss these difficult problems, instead simply analyzing the creasing phenomenon as a transition between two kinds of applicable surfaces. <<ETX>>
Total testosterone and DHEAS levels as predictors of androgen-secreting neoplasms: a populational study.

Androgen excess affects between 2% and 10% of women. While the majority of these patients suffer from polycystic ovary syndrome, a few present with an androgen-secreting neoplasm. An elevated circulating total testosterone level and dehydroepiandiosterone sulfate (DHEAS) level have been proposed as screening methods for detecting ovarian and adrenal androgen-secreting neoplasms, respectively. To determine the predictive value of these tests for androgen-secreting tumors in a population of consecutive hyperandrogenic patients, we studied 478 consecutive untreated hyperandrogenic patients presenting over a ten-year period (1987-97). All had at least two of the following features: (1) oligomenorrhea (i.e. cycles > 35 days or < 8 cycles/year), (2) hyperandrogenemia (i.e. a total or free testosterone, or DHEAS > 95th percentile of controls), or (3) hirsutism (i.e. a modified Ferriman-Gallwey score > or = 6). None of these patients had a prior diagnosis of an androgen-secreting neoplasm. Basal levels of testosterone and DHEAS were determined in all patients, with transvaginal sonography and an adrenal computed tomography scan in select individuals. Of the 478 patients included, 65% had hirsutism and oligomenorrhea; 20% had hyperandrogenic oligomenorrhea; and 15% had hirsutism and hyperandrogenemia, without overt oligomenorrhea. Overall, 11 (2.3%) patients had a total testosterone > 8.7 nmol/l (250 ng/dl), of which one actually had an androgen-secreting neoplasm (i.e. true-positive). This postmenopausal patient presented with rapidly progressive virilization, and demonstrated an ovarian hilar cell tumor at surgery. The calculated sensitivity of an elevated testosterone level (> 8.67 nmol/l) for a neoplasm was 100% (1/1), the specificity was 98% (467/477), and the negative predictive value was 100% (467/467), but the positive predictive value was only 9% (1/11). Ten subjects had DHEAS levels > 16.3 mumol/l (6000 ng/ml), and none was diagnosed with an adrenocortical tumor. Although the sensitivity and positive predictive value of a high DHEAS for a neoplasm could not be calculated due to the absence of a test case, the specificity was 98% (468/478) and the negative predictive value was 100% (468/468). These data suggest that the measurement of testosterone and DHEAS is not a cost-effective method of screening for these tumors, due to the low frequency of the disorder and the fact that clinical evaluation alone is often sufficient screening.
The nucleotide exchange factors of Hsp70 molecular chaperones

Molecular chaperones of the Hsp70 family form an important hub in the cellular protein folding networks in bacteria and eukaryotes, connecting translation with the downstream machineries of protein folding and degradation. The Hsp70 folding cycle is driven by two types of cochaperones: J-domain proteins stimulate ATP hydrolysis by Hsp70, while nucleotide exchange factors (NEFs) promote replacement of Hsp70-bound ADP with ATP. Bacteria and organelles of bacterial origin have only one known NEF type for Hsp70, GrpE. In contrast, a large diversity of Hsp70 NEFs has been discovered in the eukaryotic cell. These NEFs belong to the Hsp110/Grp170, HspBP1/Sil1, and BAG domain protein families. In this short review we compare the structures and molecular mechanisms of nucleotide exchange factors for Hsp70 and discuss how these cochaperones contribute to protein folding and quality control in the cell.
Retrospect and Prospect of Studies of Teacher Efficacy in China

Teacher efficacy is a powerful variable in educational and psychological studies. And it aroused much attention and interest from Chinese scholars in the past decade, which led to an accumulation of documents in this field. Following an introduction of efficacy studies in the west, the article reviews the brief history of those in China, summarizing the main achievements into four aspects. With an eye on the future development of researches on teacher efficacy in China, some directions are suggested by the author simultaneously.
Triangulation of uniform particle systems: its application to the implicit surface texturing

Particle systems, as originally presented by Witkin and Heckbert[WH94], offer an elegant solution to sample implicit surfaces of arbitrary genus, while providing an extremely regular distribution of samples over the surface. In this paper, we present an efficient technique that uses particle systems to rapidly generate a triangular mesh over an implicit surface, where each triangle is almost equilateral. The major advantage of such a triangulation is that it minimizes the deformations between the mesh and the underlying implicit surface. We exploit this property by using few triangular texture samples mapped in a non-periodic fashion as presented by Neyret and Cani[NC99]. The result is a pattern-based texturing method that maps homogeneous non-periodic textures to arbitrary implicit surfaces, with almost no deformation.
IntracellularCalciumRegulationbyBurstDischarge DeterminesBidirectionalLong-TermSynapticPlasticityat theCerebellumInputStage

) regulate the induction of long-term synaptic plasticity (Mulkey and Malenka, 1992; Artola andSinger, 1993), a modification of synaptic strength thought to bethe basis for learning and memory in the brain (Bliss and Col-lingridge, 1993; Malenka and Nicoll, 1999; Bliss et al., 2003). Atglutamatergic synapses, [Ca
The Effects of Telephone-Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Stress Management on Inflammation and Symptoms in Myalgic Enchephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Computational Immunology Approach

of a dissertation at the University of Miami Dissertation supervised by Professor Michael H. Antoni. No. of pages in text. (78) Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a multi-systemic and unpredictable medical illness for which effective treatments are lacking. A number of studies have documented immune dysregulation in this patient population, and past research has demonstrated the benefits of stress management training on immune functioning. Due to unpredictable and often severe symptoms, patients with ME/CFS have reported difficulties in attending appointments outside of the home. In consideration of these difficulties, this patient population may particularly benefit from therapeutic services available from one's own home. This study aimed to examine the impact of telephone-delivered CBSM on inflammation and symptoms in individuals with ME/CFS. In order to determine the relationships between cytokine network coexpression patterns and CFS symptoms, the first study examined the presence of cytokine network coexpression patterns and symptom patterns in 215 women diagnosed with ME/CFS. Principal component analyses of 16 cytokines demonstrated a two-component solution in which the first component was characterized primarily by the presence of pro-inflammatory and Th1 cytokines, while the second component was primarily characterized by absence of pro-inflammatory and Th1 cytokines and presence of anti-inflammatory IL-13. Examination of 20 common ME/CFS symptoms revealed three distinct clusters of ME/CFS symptoms: Fatigue/Sleep Impairments, Pain/Neurological Impairments and Immune/Gastrointestinal Impairments. Attempts to model cytokine components and symptom clusters together revealed that while cytokines shared a substantial amount of variability with one another and the variables within each symptom cluster were highly correlated with one another, there were few direct pathways, or " links " between the cytokines and symptoms. Direct relationships were observed between IL-1α and the symptoms chills and sinus or nasal symptoms, IL-6 and the symptom of severe headaches, IL-17 and the symptom problems getting to sleep or problems waking up early in the morning, and IFN-γ and the symptom eyes extremely sensitive to light. In a second study, longitudinal differences in cytokines and symptoms were examined between participants who received telephone-delivered CBSM (N = 53) and participants who received a telephone-delivered health promotion program (N = 40) as part of a randomized controlled trial. No group by time effects were detected in changes in cytokines or symptoms over a 9-month follow-up, which may have been due to both the use of a stronger control condition and a weaker intervention, as group CBSM participants may have had …
Cognitive Penetration and Nonconceptual Content 1

This paper seeks to establish whether the cognitive penetration of experience is compatible with experience having nonconceptual content. Cognitive penetration occurs when one’s beliefs or desires affect one’s perceptual experience in a particular way. I examine two different models of cognitive penetration and four different accounts of the distinction between conceptual and nonconceptual content. I argue that one model of cognitive penetration—“classic” cognitive penetration—is compatible with only one of the accounts of nonconceptual content that I identify. I then consider the other model of cognitive penetration—cognitive penetration “lite”. I provide reasons to think that this is compatible with three accounts of nonconceptual content. Moreover, I argue that the account of nonconceptual content that it is not compatible with is a spurious notion of nonconceptual content that ought to be abandoned. Thus, I claim that cognitive penetration lite is compatible with all reasonable specifications of nonconceptual content.
Interstitial fluid flow induces myofibroblast differentiation and collagen alignment in vitro

The differentiation of fibroblasts to contractile myofibroblasts, which is characterized by de novo expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), is crucial for wound healing and a hallmark of tissue scarring and fibrosis. These processes often follow inflammatory events, particularly in soft tissues such as skin, lung and liver. Although inflammatory cells and damaged epithelium can release transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), which largely mediates myofibroblast differentiation, the biophysical environment of inflammation and tissue regeneration, namely increased interstitial flow owing to vessel hyperpermeability and/or angiogenesis, may also play a role. We demonstrate that low levels of interstitial (3D) flow induce fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation as well as collagen alignment and fibroblast proliferation, all in the absence of exogenous mediators. These effects were associated with TGF-β1 induction, and could be eliminated with TGF-β1 blocking antibodies. Furthermore, α1β1 integrin was seen to play an important role in the specific response to flow, as its inhibition prevented fibroblast differentiation and subsequent collagen alignment but did not block their ability to contract the gel in a separate floating gel assay. This study suggests that the biophysical environment that often precedes fibrosis, such as swelling, increased microvascular permeability and increased lymphatic drainage – all which involve interstitial fluid flow – may itself play an important role in fibrogenesis.
An end-to-end Web services-based infrastructure for biomedical applications

Services-oriented architectures hold a lot of promise for grid-enabling scientific applications. In recent times, Web services have gained wide-spread acceptance in the grid community as the standard way of exposing application functionality to end-users. Web services-based architectures provide accessibility via a multitude of clients, and the ability to enable composition of data and applications in novel ways for facilitating innovation across scientific disciplines. However, issues of diverse data formats and styles which hinder interoperability and integration must be addressed. Providing Web service wrappers for legacy applications alleviates many problems because of the exchange of strongly typed data, defined and validated using XML schemas, that can be used by workflow tools for application integration. In this paper, we describe the end-to-end architecture of such a system for biomedical applications that are part of the National Biomedical Computation Resource (NBCR). We present the technical challenges in setting up such an infrastructure, and discuss in detail the back-end resource management, application services, user-interfaces, and the security infrastructure for the same. We also evaluate our prototype infrastructure, discuss some of its shortcomings, and the future work that may be required to address them.
QUALIDADE PERCEBIDA DOS SERVIÇOS DE HIGIENIZAÇÃO EM UM HOSPITAL TOCANTINENSE

Objective: To measure the quality of cleaning services at a hospital in the microregion of the Parrot's Beak in Tocantins State from the customer perception. Method: The methodology used in this study is a descriptive - exploratory, qualitative and quantitative approach, followed bibliographic design, observation, documentary and field. We used the servqual scale through the dimensions (tangibilidades, security, reliability, sensitivity and empathy ), applied to the City Hospital patients Araguatins - TO. Results: The study revealed that of the 60 patients studied, highlight satisfactory results as regards the hygiene of the study hospital services. The research presents as positives, the staff work in uniform and clean and meet deadlines established by the Hospital, as well as treating patients with promptness and attention. As negative points , showed the necessity of conducting employee training. Final Thoughts: Wait - that the results of this study bring contributions of quality cleaning services for public hospitals.