Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Polyvictimization and Adolescent Health and Well-Being in Ethiopia: The Mediating Role of Resilience

Interpersonal violence is a pervasive experience affecting one billion children and adolescents annually, resulting in adverse health and well-being outcomes. Evidence suggests that polyvictimization, the experience of multiple forms of violence, is associated with more harmful consequences for adolescents than experiencing individual types of violence, although data from low-and middle-income countries are limited. This study analyzed data on over 4100 adolescents from the Gender and Adolescence, Global Evidence Study in Ethiopia to examine the association between polyvictimization and adolescent mental and physical health and the mediating role of resilience using linear regression and path analysis. We hypothesized that adolescents experiencing polyvictimization would experience worse mental and physical health than those experiencing no types or individual types of victimization, and that resilience would mediate these relationships. Half of sampled girls and over half of boys experienced polyvictimization. Among both sexes, polyvictimization was associated with worse mental but not worse physical health. Resilience mediated the association between polyvictimization and mental health among girls only. Strengthening resilience among girls may be an effective avenue for mitigating polyvictimization’s negative mental health effects, but additional research and programming for preventing and identifying polyvictimized adolescents and linking them to care is needed.
Conception et optimisation de canaux de détection à base de photodiodes à avalanche (SPADs) pour le comptage de photons pour la tomographie optique diffuse

This dissertation showcases the improvements suggested for the di use optical tomography scanner of the TomOptUS group at Université de Sherbrooke. Di use optical tomography is an imaging modality that uses near infrared light (650 950 nm) to image small animals such as mice in depth (> 1 cm). This technique is very interesting for pharmacology or oncology where it can be used to track medicine or the progress of pathology. It also decreases the number of necessary sacri ces since it is a non-invasive technique. The temporal progress of the object under consideration can, in that case, be acquired with ease. This technique can also be used with uorescent agents to track di erent objects of interest in the animal. This scanner works in time domain where the time of ight of individual photons that propagated through the subject is registered to reconstruct the laser pulse via time-correlated single photon counting with an ultra-fast laser source. The current scanner uses 7 no-contact detection channels positioned in a ring around the subject. This number of channels is too low to obtain a satisfying acquisition time. It was determined that the limiting factor is the need to mechanically rotate the channels around the subject to obtain the necessary angular coverage. To reduce the acquisition time, it was suggested to increase the number of detection channels to 32 or even 64. However, the current channels use photomultiplier tubes which are too bulky to be used with such a high density of detectors. Single photon avalanche diodes have been considered to replace them because of their relative small size, excellent temporal resolution, and better quantum e ciency. These characteristics make them especially e cient for photon counting. These photodiodes, however, have a photosensitive surface with a very small diameter compared to the photomultiplier tubes (25 100 μm compared to ≈ 1 cm for photomultiplier tubes). This reduces the photon count rate, lowers the signal to noise ratio, and makes the alignment di cult. The goal of this project is to optimize the design of new detection channels that use these single photon avalanche diodes. A primary analysis of the parameters and constraints on the system was rst conducted to pinpoint the optimal parameters. Several optical designs are then presented and analyzed. These channels can achieved a maximum photon count rate with the use of immersion lenses. These immersion lenses act as optical concentrators and achieve a concentration ratio of ≈ n2 which is ≈ 4 in our case. This translates to an increase in the
Depression detection using virtual avatar communication and eye tracking

Globally, depression is one of the most common mental health issues. Therefore, finding an effective way to detect mental health problems is an important subject for study in human-machine interactions. In order to examine the potential in using a virtual avatar communication and eye tracking system to identify people as being with or without depression symptoms, this study has devised three research aims; 1) to understand the effect of different types of interviewers on eye gaze patterns, 2) to clarify the effect of neutral conversation topics on eye gaze, and 3) to compare eye gaze patterns between people with or without depression. Twenty-seven participants - fifteen in the control group and twelve in the depression symptoms group - were involved in this study and they were asked to talk to both a virtual avatar and human interviewers. Gaze patterns were recorded by an eye tracking device during both types of interaction. The experiment results indicated significant differences in eye movements between the control group and depression symptoms group. Moreover, larger gaze distribution was observed when people with depression symptoms were discussing neutral conversation topics rather than those without depression.
A Deep-Learning Approach to Driver Drowsiness Detection

Drowsy driving is a widespread cause of traffic accidents, especially on highways. It has become an essential task to seek an understanding of the situation in order to be able to take immediate remedial actions to detect driver drowsiness and enhance road safety. To address the issue of road safety, the proposed model offers a method for evaluating the level of driver fatigue based on changes in a driver’s eyeball movement using a convolutional neural network (CNN). Further, with the help of CNN and VGG16 models, facial sleepiness expressions were detected and classified into four categories (open, closed, yawning, and no yawning). Subsequently, a dataset of 2900 images of eye conditions associated with driver sleepiness was used to test the models, which include a different range of features such as gender, age, head position, and illumination. The results of the devolved models show a high degree of accountability, whereas the CNN model achieved an accuracy rate of 97%, a precision of 99%, and recall and F-score values of 99%. The VGG16 model reached an accuracy rate of 74%. This is a considerable contrast between the state-of-the-art methods in the literature for similar problems.
Interneuron odyssey: molecular mechanisms of tangential migration

Cortical GABAergic interneurons are critical components of neural networks. They provide local and long-range inhibition and help coordinate network activities involved in various brain functions, including signal processing, learning, memory and adaptative responses. Disruption of cortical GABAergic interneuron migration thus induces profound deficits in neural network organization and function, and results in a variety of neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders including epilepsy, intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia. It is thus of paramount importance to elucidate the specific mechanisms that govern the migration of interneurons to clarify some of the underlying disease mechanisms. GABAergic interneurons destined to populate the cortex arise from multipotent ventral progenitor cells located in the ganglionic eminences and pre-optic area. Post-mitotic interneurons exit their place of origin in the ventral forebrain and migrate dorsally using defined migratory streams to reach the cortical plate, which they enter through radial migration before dispersing to settle in their final laminar allocation. While migrating, cortical interneurons constantly change their morphology through the dynamic remodeling of actomyosin and microtubule cytoskeleton as they detect and integrate extracellular guidance cues generated by neuronal and non-neuronal sources distributed along their migratory routes. These processes ensure proper distribution of GABAergic interneurons across cortical areas and lamina, supporting the development of adequate network connectivity and brain function. This short review summarizes current knowledge on the cellular and molecular mechanisms controlling cortical GABAergic interneuron migration, with a focus on tangential migration, and addresses potential avenues for cell-based interneuron progenitor transplants in the treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders and epilepsy.
A Narcissism/Vanity Distinction? Reassessing Vanity Using a Modern Model of Narcissism Based on Pride, Empathy, and Social Behaviors

The primary purpose of this study is to evaluate the role of vanity in its longstanding theoretical association with narcissism. This is particularly germane, as the conceptualization and measurement of narcissism have evolved in recent years. This is observed in the development of spectrum and/or dimensional models of narcissism, concomitant with the conceptual developments of vanity that have emerged since its original inclusion in the Narcissism Personality Inventory. Specifically, our research question evaluated whether vanity remains as traditionally construed, i.e., as a facet of narcissism, or is better conceptualized as a distinct construct separated from the earlier models of narcissism and therefore provide novel implications in understanding personality and social behavior. Based on the traits of pride, empathy, and several social behavior variables, it was hypothesized that a differentiation between narcissism and vanity would be observed. The participants were 441 undergraduate students from a large public midwestern university who participated in a self-report online survey. Correlation and regression analyses were conducted. The results revealed that the characterization of vanity is limited to pride and an absence of empathy and social behavior. Findings reaffirm behavior patterns of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism regarding selflessness, image management, and sensitivity to others. The core motivations of vanity are explicated as based on social comparison theory to assess one’s subjective and/or objective value though it is not characterized as a “social” trait or by social behavior, in contrast to how narcissism is characterized. Based on our findings and an improved understanding of the narcissism model, we conclude that vanity is more closely related to the grandiose dimension of narcissism and discuss how the underlying motivations of vanity improve our understanding of grandiose narcissism. We discuss the implications that these findings provide to the developing, modern conceptualizations of narcissism and affirm and expand our understanding of vanity in personality.
$IA(MP)^{2}$: Framework for Online Motion Planning Using Interaction-Aware Motion Predictions in Complex Driving Situations

Motion planning is a process of constant negotiation with the rest of the traffic agents and is highly conditioned by their movement prediction. Indeed, an incorrect prediction could cause the motion planning algorithm to adopt overly conservative or reckless behaviors that can eventually become a dangerous driving situation. This article presents a framework integrating motion planning and interaction-aware motion prediction algorithms, which interact with each other and are able to run in real-time on complex areas such as roundabouts or intersections. The proposed motion prediction strategy generates a multi-modal probabilistic estimation of the future positions and intentions of the surrounding vehicles by taking into account traffic rules, vehicle interaction, road geometry and the reference trajectory of the ego-vehicle; the resulting predictions are fed into a sampling-based maneuver and trajectory planning algorithm that identifies the possible collision points for every generated trajectory candidate and acts accordingly. This framework enables the automated driving system to have a more agile behavior than other strategies that use more simplistic motion prediction models and where the planning stage does not provide feedback. The approach has been successfully evaluated and compared with a state-of-art approach in highly-interactive scenarios generated from public datasets and real-world situations in a software-in-the-loop simulation system.
Global and convective stability of horizontal convection

The current study seeks to identify the mechanism responsible for the instability leading to unsteady flow in horizontal convective flow. A one-dimensional (1D) linear stability analysis algorithm is developed which linearises the momentum and energy equations under the Boussinesq approximation, and is applied to vertical velocity and temperature profiles extracted from computed two-dimensional flow solutions. It is demonstrated that a Rayleigh–Bénard type transverse roll instability within the thermal layer ultimately leads to formation of plumes and consequently gives rise to unsteady flow in horizontal convection.
A Cost-Effective Instrument of Distributed Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy for Hyperscanning Real-World Interactions

With the aim of hyperscanning real-world interactions using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) technology, a distributed wearable multimodule system is implemented in this study, enabling synchronous measurement of multiple subjects, wireless host–slave connections, and lower power consumption. In order to achieve an integrated characteristic of miniaturization, movement freedom, high cost-effectiveness, and hemodynamics profiling, the system is structured as a network of distributed fibreless optode modules, with each equipped with ten dual-wavelength light emitting diodes and four monolithic silicon photodiodes with an on-chip transimpedance amplifier. On-line digital lock-in detection based on a multiperiodic reference-weighted counting algorithm is performed in each slave to separate the signals from the different source–detector combinations as well as the wavelengths. Phantom and breath-holding experiments are designed to assess the fundamental performances of the implemented system, and validate the good raw signal quality with the static measurement fluctuation of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${< }2{\%}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, dynamic optical range of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${>}72$ </tex-math></inline-formula> dB, and variation coefficient of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${\sim }5.39$ </tex-math></inline-formula>%, as ten channels work simultaneously, as well as the feasible sensitivity for detecting task-evoked activation. Finally, the dynamic interbrain synchrony is explored by simultaneously measuring the hemodynamic responses of two subjects while they played a cooperation game. This preliminary task-oriented experiment suggests that the proposed system has the capability of distilling the interbrain activation patterns with acceptable temporal resolution and bears high potential toward fNIRS-based social neuroimaging in the real world.
Coconut Water: A Sports Drink Alternative?

Coconut water is used as an alternative to conventional sports drinks for hydration during endurance cycling; however, evidence supporting its use is limited. This study determined if drinking coconut water compared to a sports drink altered cycling performance and physiology. In a randomized crossover trial, 19 experienced male (n = 15) and female (n = 4) cyclists (age 30 ± 9 years, body mass 79 ± 11 kg, V˙O2 peak 55 ± 8 mL·kg−1·min−1) completed two experimental trials, consuming either a commercially available sports drink or iso-calorific coconut water during 90 min of sub-maximal cycling at 70% of their peak power output, followed by a simulated, variable gradient, 20 km time trial. Blood glucose, lactate, sweat loss, and heart rate were monitored throughout the 90 min of sub-maximal cycling, as well as the time trial performance (seconds) and average power (watts). A repeated measures analysis of variance and effect sizes (Cohen’s d) analysis were applied. There were no significant differences (p ≥ 0.05) between the treatments for any of the measured physiological or performance variables. Additionally, the effect size analysis showed only trivial (d ≤ 0.2) differences between the treatments for all the measured variables, except blood glucose, which was lower in the coconut water trial compared to the sports drink trial (d = 0.31). Consuming coconut water had a similar effect on the cycling time trial performance and the physiological responses to consuming a commercially available sports drink.
Slovenian folk-pop music as a place and nation making strategy between heritage and popular culture

ABSTRACT Cultural heritage tourism partly depends on authorized heritage definitions, and partly on complex bottom-up processes of heritage identification, interpretation, and communication. This paper addresses the ways in which music, when understood as intangible heritage, may be used for place making and nation branding purposes, and the dynamic between these two processes, as seen from the perspective of cultural and heritage tourism workers. To analyze this dynamic, we focus on the genre of Slovenian folk-pop music. Invented in the 1950s, it has since then become the prevalent (popular) musical element of the Slovenian cultural landscape, while its variants have also, and in parallel to ‘national’ characterization of the genre, been appropriated in various local contexts. We trace how Slovenian folk pop simultaneously partakes in the construction of the country’s national brand and in local place making strategies of heritage promotion, deployed by national, regional, and local stakeholders. We draw on an extensive literature review, document analysis, and interviews with folk-pop festival organizers. Based on this initial mapping of the major stakeholders, we propose a classification of folk-pop music festivals that accounts for the different ways in which folk pop is used as an instrument of heritage tourism, place making, nation branding, and entertainment industries.
Longitudinal trajectories of memory among middle-aged and older people with hearing loss: the influence of cochlear implant use on cognitive functioning

Introduction Cochlear implants (CI) are the gold standard intervention for severe to profound hearing loss, a known modifiable risk factor for dementia. However, it remains unknown whether CI use might prevent the age-related cognitive decline. Recent studies are encouraging but are limited, mainly by short follow-up periods and, for ethical reasons, lack of appropriate control groups. Further, as age-related cognitive decline is multifaceted and not linear, other statistical approaches have to be evaluated. Materials and methods Immediate and delayed recall as measures of cognitive function were assessed in 75 newly implanted CI users (mean age 65.41 years ± 9.19) for up to 5 years (mean 4.5 ± 0.5) of CI use and compared to 8,077 subjects of the same age range from two longitudinal cohort studies, the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and the English Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSA). Linear and quadratic changes in cognitive trajectories were analyzed in detail using mixed growth models, considering possible confounders. Results For CI users, the linear time slope showed a significant improvement in the specific domains (recall and delayed recall) over time. The quadratic time slope clearly indicated that the predicted change after CI provision followed an inverted U-shape with a predicted decline 2 years after CI provision. In the hearing-impaired group, a significant decline over time was found, with steeper declines early on and the tendency to flatten out in the follow-up. Conclusion Cochlear implant use seems to boost cognitive trajectories in the first years after implantation. However, long-term prevention of dementia seems to need far more than restoration of hearing loss.
Community Deception From a Node-Centric Perspective

Community deception is about concealing the members of a community <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mathscr {C}$</tex-math></inline-formula> within a community structure (set of communities) discovered by a community detection algorithm. This issue has only been studied from an edge-centric standpoint. This article introduces <monospace>nDec</monospace>, a node-centric community deception approach that can directly influence where <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mathscr {C}$</tex-math></inline-formula>’s members are placed. Indeed, <monospace>nDec</monospace> considers how nodes can be moved between communities and analyzes the most profitable <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mathscr {C}$</tex-math></inline-formula>’s node removals and additions. <monospace>nDec</monospace> is built around a node-centric view optimization function based on modularity, a well-known cluster quality metric. We discovered that rather than blindly minimizing modularity as edge-centric approaches do, it is possible to devise a strategy appealing to detection algorithms while improving the level of concealment of <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mathscr {C}$</tex-math></inline-formula>. Based on a thorough evaluation and comparison with the state-of-the-art, we conclude that node-centric deception provides a more comprehensive and flexible strategy than the edge-centric state-of-the-art.
OICR: Classification and Evaluation of Image Content-Aware Retargeting Techniques

—With the development of portable digital devices equipped with different resolutions and sizes, the issue of image retargeting has become a subject of active research in the field of image processing. Recently, salient research efforts have been done in fields of image content-aware resizing. A review of the previously proposed techniques indicates that there are diverse techniques for resizing images and eliminating distortions caused by different resizing scenarios. A wide range of image content-aware retargeting issues and a wide range of techniques make it difficult to compare and accurately assess the techniques. Accordingly, this article proposes an opinion-based framework used an image content-aware retargeting (OICR) techniques to explore the techniques more precisely. In the proposed framework OICR, at first the techniques are classified based on the used opinion. Then the techniques are evaluated based on some proposed appropriate functional criteria. The use of the proposed framework is useful for the suitable selection of image content-aware retargeting techniques, and it provides a more accurate comparison between techniques and improves the efficiency of methods.