Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Virtual people: capturing human models to populate virtual worlds

A new technique is introduced for automatically building recognisable moving 3D models of individual people. Realistic modelling of people is essential for advanced multimedia, augmented reality and immersive virtual reality. Current systems for whole-body model capture are based on active 3D sensing to measure the shape of the body surface. Such systems are prohibitively expensive and do not enable capture of high-quality photo-realistic colour. This results in geometrically accurate but unrealistic human models. The goal of this research is to achieve automatic low cost modelling of people suitable for personalised avatars to populate virtual worlds. A model based approach is presented for automatic reconstruction of recognisable avatars from a set of low cost colour images of a person taken from four orthogonal views. A generic 3D human model represents both the human shape and kinematic joint structure. The shape of a specific person is captured by mapping 2D silhouette information from the orthogonal view colour images onto the generic 3D model. Colour texture mapping is achieved by projecting the set of images onto the deformed 3D model. This results in the capture of a recognisable 3D facsimile of an individual person suitable for articulated movement in a virtual world. The system is low cost, requires single shot capture, is reliable for large variations in shape and size and can cope with clothing of moderate complexity.
Geography of Protest: Places of Demonstration in Buenos Aires and Seoul

Demonstrations shape the urban landscape and affect the normal functions of a city. They disrupt traffic, make marginalized people and neglected areas visible in city centers, and challenge élite designs of urban landscape both visually and functionally. Demonstrations question élite norms by using city space in nonconformist ways for making claims, and by charging places with demonstrators' own meanings. Differences between Buenos Aires and Seoul show that historically developed conventions and symbolic readings of city space matter in the strategic choice of places to protest. Yet most demonstration sites belong to the same major categories. Demonstrators may gather outside governmental buildings to communicate with the authorities; at centers of commercial activity to appeal to the public; to places that link them historically, culturally or morally with symbolically important events; or at places connected with a particular grievance. Along with local traditions, an internationally shared demonstration culture determines what kinds of places are suitable for demonstrations.
Detection of Cortical Microbleeds in Postmortem Brains of Patients with Lewy Body Dementia: A 7.0-Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study with Neuropathological Correlates

Background: It is unclear whether associated cerebrovascular pathology contributes to the clinical spectrum of Lewy body dementia (LBD). Summary: The present postmortem 7.0-tesla MRI study investigates the anatomical distribution of cortical microbleeds (CoMBs) in LBD brains with and without associated Alzheimer's disease (AD) and cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). CoMBs predominated in the frontal section of the LBD brains and were associated to severe white matter lesions. No differences were observed when LBD brains with and without AD and CAA were compared. Key Messages: In LBD, there is a specific distribution of CoMBs that is different from that in other neurodegenerative diseases. The increase of frontal CoMBs is not due to the frequently associated AD and CAA features but due to the LBD itself.
NEW CYTOCHROME P450 2D6*56 ALLELE IDENTIFIED BY GENOTYPE/PHENOTYPE ANALYSIS OF CRYOPRESERVED HUMAN HEPATOCYTES

Genotype/phenotype analysis with human hepatocytes has identified a new inactive CYP2D6 allele, CYP2D6*56. Cryopreserved human hepatocytes from 51 livers were evaluated for CYP2D6 activity with dextromethorphan as the probe substrate. Hepatocyte lots that lacked CYP2D6 activity were further evaluated for CYP2D6 expression and known genetic variations, including CYP2D6*2, *3, *4, *5, *6, *7, *8, *9, *10, *11, *14, *15, *17, *18, *19, *20, *25, *26, *29, *30, *35, *40, *41, *43, and various multiple copy CYP2D6 alleles (*1xn, *2xn, and *4xn) by the AmpliChip CYP450 prototype microarray (Roche Molecular Systems, Inc., Branchburg, NJ). Two discrepancies were uncovered between the CYP2D6 genotype and activity by this approach. In one sample, a previously unreported 3201C 224 T transition in exon 7 resulted in Arg344(CGA) being replaced by a stop codon (TGA), resulting in a CYP2D6 enzyme lacking the terminal 153 amino acids. This allele was given the designation of CYP2D6*56 and the GenBank accession number DQ282162. The lack of CYP2D6 activity in cryopreserved hepatocytes and microsomes found in the second sample, despite a normal level of CYP2D6 expression and a genotype (*10/*1) predictive of normal CYP2D6 activity, was attributed to enzyme inactivation by an unknown metabolite. The identification and characterization of the CYP2D6*56 allele indicates that commercial cryopreserved human hepatocytes may provide a valuable means to rapidly identify genetic variations with functional relevance. This integrated approach of identifying alleles and examining allele relationships to gene expression and function could be of tremendous value to understanding the mechanism responsible for functional differences in gene variation. The commercial availability of human cryopreserved hepatocytes also makes this potential readily available to any who are interested in it, not just those with access to private liver banks.
Geography and public policy: constructions of neoliberalism

Iraq now has a new tax code. The US-appointed head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, L. Paul Bremer, announced in October 2003 that the new tax regime would be 'admirably straightforward'; it would be based on a 15% maximum rate for both corporate and individual taxation. This imposition was greeted as 'extremely good news' by flat-tax advocates like Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform, who opined that this 'might be a hint to the rest of us . Somehow, it's easier when you start from scratch' (quoted in Washington Post, 2 November 2003: Al). Starting from scratch is rarely an option, of course, for most neoliberal tax reformers, who can only gaze in envy at what has been achieved in flat-tax states like Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Ukraine, Hong Kong and now Iraq. But, of course, the process of reform was helped along by systemic ruptures in the domestic political economies of this curious collection of vanguard states. Even in the neoliberal heartlands, like the United States, progress towards such totemic domestic policy objectives can be slow. For all the concerted efforts of the Republican right, libertarian groups and corporate-funded think tanks, the project of dismantling the progressive tax code, and the 'social state' within which it is typically coupled, has been a couple of decades or more in the making, and it is far from complete (see Hall et al., 1996; Greider, 2003). It is, nevertheless, a project with a clearly articulated ultimate objective, even if its endpoint remains a distant goal. For neoliberal reformers, the discursive construction of such starkly utopian destinations the market society and all that it implies plays an important role in rallying the troops, bolstering convictions and aligning short-term tactics with long-term goals. As Norquist has elsewhere explained, 'I don't want to abolish government, I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub' (quoted on National Public Radio, 25 May 2001).
Processing and localization of Dengue virus type 2 polyprotein precursor NS3-NS4A-NS4B-NS5

Processing of dengue virus type 2 polyprotein precursor NS3-NS4A-NS4B-NS5 could be mediated by the catalytically active NS3 protease domain and NS2B in trans at the dibasic sites NS3-NS4A and NS4B-NS5. Subcellular localization of the unprocessed precursor NS3-NS4A-NS4B-NS5 showed that it was confined to a distinct subcellular organelle in the cytoplasm, which was distinct from the distribution of the mature NS5.
Probabilistic Background Modelling for Sports Video Segmentation

This paper introduces a segmentation algorithm based on the probabilistic modelling of the background color using a Lambertian formulation of the scene’s appearance. Central in our formulation is the computation of the degree of light visibility at the scene location depicted by each pixel. Because our approach specifically models the formation of shadows, segmentation results are of high accuracy. The quality of our results is further boosted by utilizing key observations about scene appearance. A qualitative and quantitative evaluation indicates that the proposed method performs better than commonly used segmentation algorithms, both for sports as well as for generic datasets.
Comparative evaluation of shear bond strength of composite resin bonded to acid etched or Nd:Yag lased enamel.

AIMS In vitro evaluation of the shear bond strength of composite resin bonded to enamel which is pretreated using acid etchant or pulsed Nd:YAG. Qualitative morphological changes in enamel surfaces were observed under a scanning electron microscope (SEM). MATERIALS AND METHODS 60 extracted human teeth were divided in two groups of 30 each (Groups A and B). In Group A, prepared surface of enamel was etched using 35% phosphoric acid (Scotchbond, 3M). In Group B, enamel was surface treated by a surgical Nd:YAG laser beam (Medilas 4060 Fibertom) at 0.8 W, 10 Hz, for 10 s with 80 mJ/pulse power. Bonding agent (single bond dental adhesive, 3M) was applied over the test areas on 20 samples of Groups A and B each, and light cured. Composite resin (Z 100, 3M) was applied onto the test areas as a 3 mm diameter cylinder, and light cured. The samples were tested for shear bond strength. Remaining 10 samples from each group were observed under SEM for morphological changes. RESULTS The mean shear bond strength was 20.00 MPa (± 1.93) and 13.28 MPa (±1.97) for Group A and B, respectively. The difference in mean values was statistically significant between Groups A and B (P<0.001). Under SEM, Group A showed typical honeycomb appearance and Group B showed bubble-like cavities. CONCLUSIONS In enamel, acid etch technique showed higher shear bond strength.
Targeting platelet receptors in thrombotic and thrombo-inflammatory disorders

Summary Platelet activation at sites of vascular injury is critical for the formation of a hemostatic plug which limits excessive blood loss, but also represents a major pathomechanism of ischemic cardio- and cerebrovascular diseases. Although currently available antiplatelet therapies have proved beneficial in preventing the recurrence of vascular events, their adverse effects on primary hemostasis emphasize the necessity to identify and characterize novel pharmacological targets for platelet inhibition. Increasing experimental evidence has suggested that several major platelet surface receptors which regulate initial steps of platelet adhesion and activation may become promising new targets for anti-platelet drugs due to their involvement in thrombotic and thrombo-inflammatory signaling cascades. This review summarizes recent developments in understanding the function of glycoprotein (GP)Ib, GPVI and the C-type lectin-like receptor 2 (CLEC-2) in hemostasis, arterial thrombosis and thrombo-inflammation and will discuss the suitability of the receptors as novel targets to treat these diseases in humans.
Choosing phenomenology as a guiding philosophy for nursing research.

AIM To provide an overview of important methodological considerations that nurse researchers need to adhere to when choosing phenomenology as a guiding philosophy and research method. BACKGROUND Phenomenology is a major philosophy and research method in the humanities, human sciences and arts disciplines with a central goal of describing people's experiences. However, many nurse researchers continue to grapple with methodological issues related to their choice of phenomenological method. DATA SOURCES The author conducted online and manual searches of relevant research books and electronic databases. REVIEW METHODS Using an integrative method, peer-reviewed research and discussion papers published between January 1990 and December 2011 and listed in the CINAHL, Science Direct, PubMed and Google Scholar databases were reviewed. In addition, textbooks that addressed research methodologies such as phenomenology were used. DISCUSSION Although phenomenology is widely used today to broaden understanding of human phenomena relevant to nursing practice, nurse researchers often fail to adhere to acceptable scientific and phenomenological standards. Cognisant of these challenges, researchers are expected to indicate in their work the focus of their investigations, designs, and approaches to collecting and analysing data. They are also expected to present their findings in an evocative and expressive manner. CONCLUSIONS Choosing phenomenology requires researchers to understand it as a philosophy, including basic assumptions and tenets of phenomenology as a research method. This awareness enables researchers, especially novices, to make important methodological decisions, particularly those necessary to indicate the study's scientific rigour and phenomenological validity. IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH/PRACTICE This paper adds to the discussion of phenomenology as a guiding philosophy for nursing research. It aims to guide new researchers on important methodological decisions they need to make to safeguard their study's scientific rigour and phenomenological validity.
Syntagmatic segment errors in non-native speech

A corpus of Dutch English is examined for the occurrence of segment substitutions and exchanges, with a view to establishing the structural conditions which are conducive to the syntagmatic association and interaction of segments to produce errors. Analysis of the data reveals the presence of a number of phonological constraints which (a) account for the positions in the string at which segments interact; (b) determine the types of segments that interact; and (c) determine the form relative to each other that interacting segments take in the produced foreign language utterance. While the positions at which segments interact, the features which appear to be present in segmental interactions, and the resulting form of interacting segments relative to each other may be related to universal phonological properties and characteristics of syntagmatic structure, the general types of segments that interact to produce error are constrained by cross-linguistic phonemic differences between the native and foreign language. The results of the analysis are shown to shed light on (i) the nature of phonological representation; (ii) the relationship between linguistic competence and performance descriptions; (Hi) the relationship between native language and foreign language speech production; and (iv) the description of segmental variation in foreign language speech. 1. It is an apparent characteristic of all but the most 'near-native' levels of foreign language (FL) speech that utterances are relatively free — at least in qualitative terms — of a number of the types of native language (NL) segmental speech errors that have been identified in the 'slip of the tongue' literature (cf. e.g. Fromkin 1973; Shattuck-Hufnagel 1979). For instance, 'classical' Spoonerisms of the type You've hissed my mystery lectures for You've missed my history lectures would seem to be extremely rare in non-native speech, whereas more typical for non-native English, Linguistics 22 (1984), 481 -505. 0024-3949/84/0022-0481 $2.00
Presentation Software in the College Classroom: Don't Forget the Instructor

Past research on the effects of presentation software has relied on small samples and experienced instructors. My research used a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest design to evaluate the impact of PowerPoint® on student learning, satisfaction, and engagement in an introductory psychology course taught by graduate student instructors. Results showed several main effects of instructor but virtually no effects of PowerPoint, although there was a significant instructor by PowerPoint interaction on perceived learning and interest in psychology. PowerPoint reduced perceived learning for one instructor, but increased interest in psychology for another. The results are a reminder that good teaching depends more on the instructor than the technology.
NRC Publications Archive Archives des publications du CNRC

: In the apparel industry, an important challenge is to produce garments that fit various populations well. However, repeated studies of customers’ levels of satisfaction indicate that this is often not the case. The following questions come to mind. What, then, are the typical body profiles of a population? Are there significant differences between populations, and if so, which body measurements need special care when e.g. designing garments for Italian females? Within a population, would it be possible to identify the measurements that are of importance for different sizes and genders? Furthermore, assume that we have access to an accurate anthropometric database. Would there be a way to guide the data mining process to discover only those body measurements that are of the most interest for apparel designers? This paper describes our results when addressing these questions. To this end, we explore a database, containing anthropometric measurements and 3-D body scans, of samples of the North American, Italian and Dutch populations. Our results show that we accurately discover the relevant subsets of body measurements, through the use of objective interestingness measures-based feature selection and feature extraction, for the various body sizes within each population and gender.
The inhibitory effect of tobacco smoke compound on ciliary activity.

The embryo chicken trachea was used as an in vitro model to study the ciliotoxicity of the volatile part of the particulate phase of cigarette smoke condensate (CSC). We also report on the ciliotoxicity of 11 phenols belonging to the semi-volatile fraction. The particulate phase of CSC was divided into a semi-volatile (SV) and a non-volatile (NV) fraction. The toxicity of CSC, SV and NV was approximately the same, giving ciliostasis within 21-28 minutes at a concentration of 1 mg/ml. The SV-fraction, constituting 12 percent of the particulate phase, was further divided into 4 subfractions: acids, phenols, bases and neutrals. The neutral fraction was significantly (p less than 0.001) more toxic than any of the other fractions, giving ciliostasis after 17 minutes at a concentration of 1 mg/ml. Least toxic was the basic fraction, mainly consisting of nicotine. At a concentration of 3 mg/ml, the mean value for ciliostasis was 64 minutes. From the investigation of phenols it was found that alkylated phenols were more ciliotoxic than phenol. The toxicity was enhanced with increasing chain-length of the substituent, i.e. with increasing lipophilicity.
The analysis of the mobile payment management system based on the customers' consumption

Mobile payment is one of the key businesses in the future of China's telecommunications industry, in which some cities already have a pilot. In the early development stage of this business, the obtaining of the consumer behavior is an important basis for the development and promotion of the business strategy. The mobile payment management system in this article offers some key dimensions of consumption as an analytical basis, providing the right positioning for mobile customers and merchants as well as various types of information access and analysis channels for the operators, both of which will support and promote the development of related businesses.
Physiological Characteristics of Incoming Freshmen Field Players in a Men’s Division I Collegiate Soccer Team

Freshmen college soccer players will have lower training ages than their experienced teammates (sophomores, juniors, seniors). How this is reflected in field test performance is not known. Freshmen (n = 7) and experienced (n = 10) male field soccer players from the same Division I school completed soccer-specific tests to identify potential differences in incoming freshmen. Testing included: vertical jump (VJ), standing broad jump, and triple hop (TH); 30-m sprint, (0–5, 5–10, 0–10, and 0–30 m intervals); 505 change-of-direction test; Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 2 (YYIRT2); and 6 × 30-m sprints to measure repeated-sprint ability. A MANOVA with Bonferroni post hoc was conducted on the performance test data, and effect sizes and z-scores were calculated from the results for magnitude-based inference. There were no significant between-group differences in the performance tests. There were moderate effects for the differences in VJ height, left-leg TH, 0–5, 0–10 and 0–30 m sprint intervals, and YYIRT2 (d = 0.63–1.18), with experienced players being superior. According to z-score data, freshmen had meaningful differences below the squad mean in the 30-m sprint, YYIRT2, and jump tests. Freshmen soccer players may need to develop linear speed, high-intensity running, and jump performance upon entering a collegiate program.
Using Mass Media Campaigns to Reduce Youth Tobacco Use: A Review

Objective. This review synthesizes the published literature on using mass media campaigns to reduce youth tobacco use, with particular focus on effects within population subgroups and the relative effectiveness of campaign characteristics. Data Source. A search of PubMed and PsycINFO conducted in March of 2014 yielded 397 studies with 34 suitable for inclusion. Study Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria. Included were quantitative studies that evaluate an antitobacco media campaign intended to influence youth cognitions or behavior or explore the relative effectiveness of campaign characteristics among youth. Data Extraction. An automated search and assessment of suitability for inclusion was done. Data Synthesis. Study outcomes were compared and synthesized. Results. Antitobacco media campaigns can be effective across racial/ethnic populations, although the size of the campaign effect may differ by race/ethnicity. Evidence is insufficient to determine whether campaign outcomes differ by socioeconomic status (SES) and population density. Youth are more likely to recall and think about advertising that includes personal testimonials; a surprising narrative; and intense images, sound, and editing. Evidence in support of using a health consequences message theme is mixed; an industry manipulation theme may be effective in combination with a health consequences message. Research is insufficient to determine whether advertising with a secondhand smoke or social norms theme influences youth tobacco use. Conclusion. Our recommendation is to develop antitobacco campaigns designed to reach all at-risk youth, which can be effective across racial/ethnic populations. Research priorities include assessing campaign influence among lower SES and rural youth, disentangling the effects of message characteristics, and assessing the degree to which this body of evidence may have changed as a result of changes in youth culture and communication technology.