Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Single-frame Image Denoising and Inpainting Using Gaussian Mixtures

This paper proposes a patch-based method to address two of the core problems in image processing: denoising and inpainting. The approach is based on a Gaussian mixture model estimated exclusively from the observed image via the expectation-maximization algorithm, based on which the minimum mean squared error estimate is computed in closed form. The results show that this simple method is able to perform on the same level as other state-of-the-art algorithms.
A SOA Based Domain-Specific Chinese QA System

With the blast of information available on the web and the relevant documents set returned by search engineer can not meet the user’s needs, the question answer system research is promoted. In this paper, we introduce the structure of Question Answer system based on SOA, define the structure of the dictionary of Keywords and searching template, the word segmentation algorithm based on the dictionary of keyword, the storage of searching template and the algorithm of template matching. On the foundation, we implement a QA system for Railway domain application, the experimental result show that QA system based on techniques we employed has high accuracy and recognition rate.
CAPMAuction: Reputation indexed auction model for resource allocation in Grid computing

Computational Grids are a promising platform for executing large-scale resource intensive applications. However, resource management and scheduling in the Grid environment is a complex undertaking as resources are geographically distributed, heterogeneous in nature, owned by different organizations with their own policies, have different access and cost models, and have dynamically varying loads and availability. Dynamic pricing and good level of Pareto optimality make auctions more attractive for resource allocation over other economic models. The Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) holds the equilibrium relationship between the expected return and risk on an investment. In this context, it is worthwhile to investigate the communication demand or complexity of auction protocols in Economy Grid environments. This work proposes CAPM Auction for resource allocation in Grid environment.
Maize myosins: diversity, localization, and function.

This first analysis of monocotyledon myosin genes showed that at least five genes, one of which was probably spliced to yield two isoforms, were expressed in maize (Zea mays L.). The complete coding sequence of ZMM1 was determined, as were most of the sequences of two other myosin cDNAs (ZMM2 and ZMM3). ZMM1 and ZMM2 belonged to myosin class XI while ZMM3 was in class VIII. ZMM1 was abundantly expressed in leaves, roots, coleoptiles, and stems. ZMM3 showed a similar distribution but was expressed poorly in pollen. ZMM2 was predominantly expressed in seeds and may be part of a suite of cytoskeletal proteins in reproductive tissues. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that the origin of myosin classes VIII and XI predated that of angiosperms. Immunofluorescence studies using M11L1, a myosin XI antibody specific for the exposed loop 1 head region of myosin, indicated that myosin XI occurred in the cytoplasm of all root tip cells. The highest concentration of myosin XI was in the differentiating epidermal cells. In dividing cells, myosin XI was present near the cytokinetic apparatus at approximately the same concentration seen in other portions of the cytoplasm. Western blot analysis of subcellular fractions indicated that myosin XI was concentrated in mitochondria and low-density membranes.
Plant Responses to Vegetation Proximity: A Whole Life Avoiding Shade

In high density of vegetation, plants detect neighbors by perceiving changes in light quality through phytochrome photoreceptors. Close vegetation proximity might result in competition for resources, such as light. To face this challenge, plants have evolved two alternative strategies: to either tolerate or avoid shade. Shade-avoiding species generally adapt their development by inducing hypocotyl, stem, and petiole elongation, apical dominance and flowering, and decreasing leaf expansion and yield, a set of responses collectively known as the shade avoidance syndrome (SAS). The SAS responses have been mostly studied at the seedling stage, centered on the increase of hypocotyl elongation. After compiling the main findings about SAS responses in seedlings, this review is focused on the response to shade at adult stages of development, such as petioles of adult leaves, and the little information available on the SAS responses in reproductive tissues. We discuss these responses based on the knowledge about the molecular mechanisms and components with a role in regulating the SAS response of the hypocotyls of Arabidopsis thaliana. The transcriptional networks involved in this process, as well as the communication among the tissues that perceive the shade and the ones that respond to this stimulus will also be briefly commented.
Cancelling Flash Illusory Line Motion by Cancelling the Attentional Gradient and a Consideration of Consciousness

Illusory line motion (ILM) refers to the perception of motion in a line that is, in fact, presented in full at one time. One form of this illusion (flashILM) occurs when the line is presented between two objects following a brief luminance change in one of them and flashILM is thought to result from exogenous attention being captured by the flash. Exogenous attention fades with increasing delays, which predicts that flashILM should show a similar temporal pattern. Exogenous attention appears to follow flashILM to become more or less equally distributed along the line.The current study examines flashILM in order to test these predictions derived from the attentional explanation for flashILM and the results were consistent with them. The discussion then concludes with an exploratory analysis approach concerning states of consciousness and decision making and suggests a possible role for attention.
A comparison of post operative pain and hospital stay between Lichtenstein’s repair and Laparoscopic Transabdominal Preperitoneal (TAPP) repair of inguinal hernia: A randomized controlled trial

Objective: To compare the open Lichtenstein repair and laparoscopic mesh repair for direct inguinal hernias in terms of immediate post operative pain and length of hospital stay. Methods: This randomized control trial was conducted at Benazir Bhutto Hospital Rawalpindi from January 2009 to June 2010. All patients presenting in the surgical OPD with direct inguinal hernia, ASA I/II, were randomly divided in two equal groups. Group-I, patients underwent Lichtenstein’s repair and Group-II had hernioplasty by laparoscopic method (TAPP). Post operative pain intensity assessed by VAS and hospital stay measured in hours. Results: A total 60 patients of direct inguinal hernia were studied. The mean age was 61.48±7. The range of postoperative pain experienced was 5.55 as per VAS among all patients. In group-I (open hernioplasty) majority of patients (53.33%, n=16) experience severe type of pain where as in group-II, moderate severity of pain was reported by large number of patients (63.34%, n=19). The mean post operative pain intensity as per VAS was 6.23 in group-I and 4.43 in group-II patients. The mean length of hospital stay was slightly less (35.10 hrs) in group-I as compared to group-II (38.70 hrs). Conclusion: There is definitely less post operative pain after laparoscopic repair but hospital stay is same in both the procedures but laparoscopic procedure does increase the cost.
Bilateral Symmetry of Human Carotid Artery Atherosclerosis

Background and Purpose— Atherosclerosis is a principal cause of stroke and myocardial infarction. The carotid arteries provide a site at which progression of atherosclerosis can be monitored reproducibly and noninvasively. This study was conducted to determine the similarity of atherosclerotic plaques in the left and right carotid arteries. This question was explored with the use of perfusion-fixed cadaveric carotid arteries and 2 noninvasive clinical imaging techniques, MRI and electron-beam CT. Methods— Fifty pairs of carotid arteries from cadaveric donors (aged 48 to 98 years) were imaged with MRI and electron-beam CT. Thirty-eight of the pairs met the criteria for rigorous analysis. Carotid artery wall volumes were measured from the MRI images, and calcification scores were computed from the electron-beam CT images. Results— Total wall volumes of the left (972.5±241.6 mm3) and right (1016.3±275.0 mm3) carotid arteries were moderately correlated (concordance correlation coefficient [rc]=0.71). Calcification scores were highly correlated, with rc=0.95 for the Agatston scores and rc=0.94 for the calcium volume scores. Conclusions— Total wall volume and plaque calcification in the left and right human carotid arteries are substantially similar. These results suggest that atherosclerosis of the human carotid arteries is generally a bilaterally symmetrical disease. This evidence of symmetry suggests that diagnostic information about atherosclerotic plaque in one carotid artery can be used to infer information about the composition and volume of atherosclerotic plaque in the contralateral artery.
Knowledge-based help systems

Our research goals are to understand the nature of, construct and evaluate intelligent interfaces as knowledge-based systems. In this paper we demonstrate the need for help systems as an essential part of human-computer communication. Help strategies are based on a model of the task (to understand what the user is doing or which goals he/she1 wants to achieve) and a model of the user (to guarantee that these systems are non-intrusive and that they pay attention to the needs of individual users). We illustrate that passive and active help systems have to be constructed as knowledge-based systems. Two operational systems (PASSIVIST and ACTIVIST) are described to show the usefulness of this approach.
Experience from applying RIM to educational ERP development

Developing a complex system requires partitioning the target system into several subsystems. It is generally difficult to define each subsystem's scope and functional requirements as well as data dependencies among subsystems. Requirements Integration Model (RIM), which consists of a workflow model and a work procedure, can provide specific guidelines and techniques to increase quality of requirements obtained under a time constraint. We have applied the technique to the implementation of the educational system for the Department of Computer Engineering at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. Experiences from this case study have shown that the model can assist developers to clearly specify functional requirements for each subsystem and to identify data dependencies among subsystems.
A Case Study of Two Taiwanese Students with Hearing Loss Navigating the English as a Foreign Language Requirement at Their University

Many institutions of higher education (IHE) students in Taiwan now need to meet the English proficiency requirement to earn their higher education degrees. In this case study, I intended to a) provide the opportunity for IHE students with hearing loss in Taiwan to share their opinions, thoughts, and experiences of learning English as a foreign language in higher education institutes; and b) understand how English as a foreign language policies and educational practices contribute to create opportunities and barriers for IHE students with hearing loss. The research question I intended to examine was “what are the perceptions of the lived experiences of students with hearing loss in a Taiwanese IHE within the policy environment of English as a gatekeeper? ” The focuses of the study were a) how do Taiwanese IHE students with hearing loss perceive their experiences learning English as a foreign language in IHEs; and b) how do the current policies and educational practices related to learning English as a foreign language serve to construct barriers and opportunities for IHE students with hearing loss?
Heliospheric modulation of galactic cosmic rays during grand solar minima: Past and future variations

Galactic cosmic ray flux at Earth is modulated by the heliospheric magnetic field. Heliospheric modulation potential, Φ, during grand solar minima is investigated using an open solar flux (OSF) model with OSF source based on sunspot number, R, and OSF loss on heliospheric current sheet inclination. Changing dominance between source and loss means Φ varies in‐ (anti‐) phase with R during strong (weak) cycles, in agreement with Φ estimates from ice core records of10Be concentration, which are in‐phase during most of the last 300 years, but anti‐phase during the Maunder Minimum. Model results suggest “flat” OSF cycles, such as solar cycle 20 result from OSF source and loss terms temporarily balancing throughout the cycle. Thus even if solar activity continues to decline steadily, the long‐term drop in OSF through SC21 to SC23 may plateau during SC24, though reemerge in SC25 with the inverted phase relation.
IT management of Chinese firms: Quantitative analysis by using survey data

This paper presents quantitative analysis of IT use, management, and organization at Chinese firms, based on the ldquoInternational Comparative Survey of Firmspsila IT Strategiesrdquo conducted by the Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI). The results of analysis show that Chinese firms have achieved remarkable progress with regards to the ability of IT to support business and strategies, and they have a clear comprehension of information resources and realize the importance of IT in some degree. However, we cannot find significant impact of IT use on firm profitability. This may be due to the fact that application of IT in Chinese firms is still in transition from the IT support stage of development, and further efforts for improving IT management are needed.
Hybrid relaying and jamming for Physical layer security improvement in two-way relay networks

Cooperative relaying and jamming are two efficient schemes to improve the Physical-layer security of a wireless transmission in the presence of multiple eavesdroppers. In this paper, we consider their cooperation in the context of AF-based two-way relay. We propose a hybrid cooperative relaying and jamming mechanism to enhance the security of a two-way relay network, where all the intermediate nodes not only adopt distributed beamforming but also jam the eavesdroppers to maximize the sum secrecy rate of the two terminals. We give the closed form solution of jamming weight vector and present the optimal relay beamforming scheme as well as an efficient algorithm to compute the optimal beamforming matrix based on convex optimization techniques. Simulations show that the proposed scheme greatly improves the security of the two-way relay network.
New Wave of Businesses: Brick to Click Approach in Malaysia

Having been born into a technologically advanced, wireless internet society, today's younger generation or the Millennial, is in a better position to be nurtured as the new age online businesses. They are well educated, self absorbed, have a strong sense of independence and highly motivated toward their perception of success. As such, the Millennial generation rushes forward with their marketing strategies to start businesses using social media to reach out their existing and potential consumers. While there have been numerous studies about traditional businesses, there has been little academic research focused on Millennial and which skills needed to become online businesses This paper proposed to measure the association between social media analytical skills and online businesses competencies within the Millennial generation. A questionnaire was used whose respondents were 100 online businesses among Millennial. It is hoped that this study will significantly contribute to a higher success rate in new start ups of online businesses for the Millennial generation. This study will not only enable for further advance the knowledge of Millennial but also to identify key aspects of online businesses competency in digital technologies.
Challenges and Enablers of Deprescribing: A General Practitioner Perspective

Aims Deprescribing is the process of reducing or discontinuing medicines that are unnecessary or deemed to be harmful. We aimed to investigate general practitioner (GP) perceived challenges to deprescribing in residential care and the possible enablers that support GPs to implement deprescribing. Methods A qualitative study was undertaken using semi-structured, face-to-face interviews from two cities in New Zealand and a purpose-developed pilot-tested interview schedule. Interviews were recorded with permission and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were read and re-read and themes were identified with iterative building of a coding list until all data was accounted for. Interviews continued until saturation of ideas occurred. Analysis was carried out with the assistance of a Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) and constant comparison techniques. Several themes were identified. Challenges and enablers of deprescribing were determined based on participants’ answers. Results Ten GPs agreed to participate. Four themes were identified to define the issues around prescribing for older people, from the GPs’ perspectives. Theme 1, the ‘recognition of the problem’, discusses the difficulties involved with prescribing for older people. Theme 2 outlines the identified behaviour change factors relevant to the problem. Deprescribing challenges were drawn from these factors and summarised in Theme 3 under three major headings; ‘prescribing factors’, ‘social influences’ and ‘policy and processes’. Deprescribing enablers, based on the opinions and professional experience of GPs, were retrieved and summarised in Theme 4. Conclusion The process of deprescribing is laced with many challenges for GPs. The uncertainty of research evidence in older people and social factors such as specialists’ and nurses’ influences were among the major challenges identified. Deprescribing enablers encompassed support for GPs’ awareness and knowledge, improvement of communication between multiple prescribers, adequate reimbursement and pharmacists being involved in the multidisciplinary team.
Possibilities of Psychological Intervention on Social Networks

Abstract Introduction: Nowadays we are looking for help and answers to our questions more and more often on the Internet. People use social networks to search for communities or groups whose members experience similar difficulties. These are often online groups that focus on psychological problems, domestic violence, etc. Members receive instant feedback and at the same time, due to the online disinhibition effect, they do not feel the fear, shame or worries they would feel in personal contact (Griffiths, 2005). The content of such self-help groups is not always helpful, but may rather induce pathological behaviour. However, the group administrator can influence the atmosphere in the group and its content itself (Niwa & Mandrusiak, 2012). Purpose: The purpose of this research was to find a space to perform professional psychological interventions inside online self-help groups on social networks. The concept of a field worker was used in this research. The field worker offers helping services to clients in an environment natural to them and where the worker can provide the client with emergency help during the crisis and prevent other clients from offering risk advices (Ambrózová, Vitálošová, & Labáth, 2006). Methods: We have conducted qualitative research using the method of content-frequency analysis. The sample for this study consisted of 10 closed online self-help groups focusing on topics such as depression, anxiety disorder, domestic violence, self-injurious and suicidal thoughts and tendencies, etc. For the purpose of this research we created an online group moderated by professionals, focusing on similar topics of mental disorders. Conclusions: The research results indicated that group members exchanged useful information (35.43%), described their current difficulties they were experiencing (32.33%), shared their own experiences (10.53%), and also published information on what had helped them manage the difficult feelings and situations they had been experiencing (6.39%). However, we also identified risky statements and threatening recommendations in posts and comments. Based on the results, we outlined the possibilities of online field worker interventions and described techniques of interventions that the professional can use for the benefit of group members.
Examining the impact birth order and age has on personality and satisfaction with life

The aim of this study was to examine the impact birth order has on personality and satisfaction with life between two generations, millennials (18-39 years of age) and generation X (40+ years of age). Participants (n = 101) completed a survey which included two questionnaires, The Big Five Inventory and The Satisfaction With Life Scale. Analysis of the data found that there was no significant difference between birth order and the psychological variables that were examined. It was found that extraversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness positively correlated with satisfaction with life and neuroticism negatively correlated with satisfaction with life. No age differences were found in relation to satisfaction with life. Future research on the topic of birthorder could consider the environmental factors that impact on development along with these variables in order to find more definitive results.
A virtual structure approach to formation control of unicycle mobile robots using mutual coupling

In this article, the formation control problem for unicycle mobile robots is studied. A distributed virtual structure control strategy with mutual coupling between the robots is proposed. The rationale behind the introduction of the coupling terms is the fact that these introduce additional robustness of the formation with respect to perturbations as compared to typical leader–follower approaches. The applicability of the proposed approach is shown in simulations and experiments with a group of wirelessly controlled mobile robots.
Solution of Fuzzy Maximal Flow Network Problem Based on Generalized Trapezoidal Fuzzy Numbers with Rank and Mode

Network-flow problems can be solved by several methods. Labeling techniques can be used to solve wide variety of network problems. A new algorithm to find the fuzzy maximal flow between source and sink was proposed by Kumar et el. [19]. They have represented normal triangular fuzzy numbers as network flow. It is not possible to restrict the membership function to the normal form and proposed the concept of generalized fuzzy numbers in many cases [8]. Generalized trapezoidal fuzzy numbers for solving the maximal flow network problems have been used by Kumar [21]. In this paper, we have modified the existing algorithm to find fuzzy maximal network flow between source and sink for generalized trapezoidal fuzzy number. Ranking and mode function to find the highest flow for maximum flow path of generalized trapezoidal fuzzy number has been applied. A numerical example has been solved by the proposed algorithm and the other results are discussed. Mathematica programs have been applied for various arithmetic operations.
Finding a maximum linearly dependent set of vectors

1 Preliminaries 2 1.1 Vector spaces . 2 1.2 Complexity of optimization problems . 2 1.2. 1 Single-objective optimization problems . 2 1.2. 2 Multi-objective optimization problems . 2 1.3 Parameterized complexity . 3 1.4 Largest low-rank subset problem . 4