Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Virtual View Specification and Synthesis in Free Viewpoint Television Application

In conventional TV, users can get only a single view of a real 3D world. The view is determined not by a user but by the camera position during acquisition. Free viewpoint television (FTV) is a new concept which aims at giving viewers the flexibility to select a novel viewpoint by employing multiple video streams as the input. Current proposed solutions for FTV include those based on ray-space sampling and interpolation. Most existing work makes the assumption that the cameras are calibrated. Moreover, virtual view specification is done in ways that would not be practical for actual use (e.g., some methods specify the virtual view by a rotation matrix and a translation vector). This paper proposes a framework for FTV based on image-based rendering, complete with key algorithms for color-based segmentation and correspondence, and multiple-image-based virtual view synthesis from uncalibrated cameras. Moreover, we propose an intuitive approach to specifying the virtual viewpoint, based on any two views chosen by the user. This makes the specification of the virtual view very intuitive and thus practical for the FTV application. Experiments with real video streams were performed to validate the proposed approaches.
An Evaluation of the Challenges and Prospects of Micro and Small Scale Enterprises Development in Nigeria

Micro and small scale enterprises have been accepted worldwide as instrument of economic growth and development. No wonder that government, particularly in the developing countries has made tremendous efforts and establish policies to enhance the capacity of micro and small scale enterprises (MSEs). However, despite government institutional and policies support to enhancing the capacity of small and medium scale enterprises, small and medium scale enterprises has fallen short of expectations. This, then, generated serious concern and skepticism on whether SMEs can bring about economic growth and national developments in Nigeria. SMEs are faced with significant challenges that compromise their ability to function and to contribute optimally to the economy. This study examines the challenges and prospects of micro and small scale enterprises development in Nigeria. Most business enterprises in Nigeria by classification are grouped under micro and small scale enterprises, hence, the scope of study. This study was conducted in Lagos State, South Western Nigeria with the use of questionnaire and interview to gather relevant data that was statistically analyzed. The phenomenal growth of small and medium enterprise in Nigeria is mainly due to the people’s quest to be self employed and not because it is easy to establish or manage. Financial constraints and Lack of management skill hamper the efficient performance of micro and small scale enterprises in Nigeria. In view of this, we recommend that government and other non-governmental organization should regularly organize seminars for potential and actual small and medium enterprise operators on how to plan, organize, direct and control their businesses, and that micro, small and medium enterprises operators’ should device effective marketing strategies and good management customers relations at all times.
Energy metabolism and animal personality

In this paper we show how animal personality could explain some of the large inter-individual variation in resting metabolic rate (MR) and explore methodological and functional linkages between personality and energetics. Personality will introduce variability in resting MR measures because individuals consistently differ in their stress response, exploration or activity levels, all of which influence MR measurements made with respirometry and the doubly-labelled water technique. Physiologists try to exclude these behavioural influences from resting MR measurements, but animal personality research indicates that these attempts are unlikely to be successful. For example, because reactive animals "freeze" when submitted to a stress, their MR could be classified as "resting" because of immobility when in fact they are highly stressed with an elevated MR. More importantly, recent research demonstrating that behavioural responses to novel and highly artificial stimuli are correlated with both behaviour and fitness under more natural circumstances calls into question the wisdom of excluding these behavioural influences on MR measurements. The reason that intra-specific variation in resting MR are so weakly correlated with daily energy expenditure (DEE) and fitness, may be that the latter two measures fully incorporate personality while the former partially excludes its influence. Because activity, exploration, boldness and aggressiveness are energetically costly, personality and metabolism should be correlated and physiological constraints may underlie behavioural syndromes. We show how physiological ecologists can better examine behavioural linkages between personality and metabolism, as required to better understand the physiological correlates of personality and the evolutionary consequences of metabolic variability.
Impact of Retransmission Mechanism on SIP Overload: Stability Condition and Overload Control

SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) has been widely adopted as a signaling protocol to establish, modify and terminate media sessions between end-users in the Internet. SIP introduces a retransmission mechanism to ensure the reliability of its real-time message delivery. However, retransmission can make server overload worse, leading to server crashes in SIP-based carrier networks (e.g. Skype). In order to study the impact of retransmission mechanism on SIP overload, in this paper, we create a discrete time fluid model to describe the queuing dynamics of an overloaded SIP server. Then we derive a sufficient stability condition that a SIP server can handle the overload effectively under the retransmission mechanism. Fluid model allows us to run fluid-based Matlab simulation directly to evaluate the overload performance. Event-driven OPNET simulation was also conducted to validate our fluid model. Our simulation results demonstrate that: (1) the sufficient stability bound is quite tight. The bound indicates that effective CPU utilization as low as 20% can still lead to an unstable system after a short period of demand burst or a temporary server slowdown. Resource over-provisioning is not a viable solution to the server crash problem; (2) by satisfying the stability condition, the initial queue size introduced by a transient overload can avoid a system crash. Such stability condition can help the operator to determine whether and when to activate overload control mechanism in case of heavy load. A simple overload control solution is also proposed.
A weight method of decoding the (23, 12, 7) Golay code using reduced table lookup

In this paper, a weight method with using a reduced lookup table is developed to decode the three possible errors in (23, 12, 7) Golay code. The reduced lookup table consists of syndrome patterns and corresponding error patterns which only have one and two errors occurred in the message block of the received codeword. The useful proposed algorithm makes use of the properties of cyclic codes, weight of syndrome, and reduced lookup table. It often results in a significant reduction in the memory requirements comparing to the traditional lookup table. This weight algorithm together with a reduced table lookup makes a fast and low complexity of the table lookup decoding algorithm. Moreover, a computer simulation shows that such a novel method is a much faster algorithm in software than the traditional full lookup table searching algorithm.
Integrating Community-Based Interventions to Reverse the Convergent TB/HIV Epidemics in Rural South Africa

The WHO recommends integrating interventions to address the devastating TB/HIV co-epidemics in South Africa, yet integration has been poorly implemented and TB/HIV control efforts need strengthening. Identifying infected individuals is particularly difficult in rural settings. We used mathematical modeling to predict the impact of community-based, integrated TB/HIV case finding and additional control strategies on South Africa’s TB/HIV epidemics. We developed a model incorporating TB and HIV transmission to evaluate the effectiveness of integrating TB and HIV interventions in rural South Africa over 10 years. We modeled the impact of a novel screening program that integrates case finding for TB and HIV in the community, comparing it to status quo and recommended TB/HIV control strategies, including GeneXpert, MDR-TB treatment decentralization, improved first-line TB treatment cure rate, isoniazid preventive therapy, and expanded ART. Combining recommended interventions averted 27% of expected TB cases (95% CI 18–40%) 18% HIV (95% CI 13–24%), 60% MDR-TB (95% CI 34–83%), 69% XDR-TB (95% CI 34–90%), and 16% TB/HIV deaths (95% CI 12–29). Supplementing these interventions with annual community-based TB/HIV case finding averted a further 17% of TB cases (44% total; 95% CI 31–56%), 5% HIV (23% total; 95% CI 17–29%), 8% MDR-TB (68% total; 95% CI 40–88%), 4% XDR-TB (73% total; 95% CI 38–91%), and 8% TB/HIV deaths (24% total; 95% CI 16–39%). In addition to increasing screening frequency, we found that improving TB symptom questionnaire sensitivity, second-line TB treatment delays, default before initiating TB treatment or ART, and second-line TB drug efficacy were significantly associated with even greater reductions in TB and HIV cases. TB/HIV epidemics in South Africa were most effectively curtailed by simultaneously implementing interventions that integrated community-based TB/HIV control strategies and targeted drug-resistant TB. Strengthening existing TB and HIV treatment programs is needed to further reduce disease incidence.
A resilient routing approach for Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

This paper presents a resilient routing algorithm that is more suitable for a Mobile Ad Hoc Network (MANET) with node quick moving or node sparse, than traditional routing algorithms such as Ad-hoc On-demand Distance Vector (AODV) routing. Since AODV routing in MANETs is known for its advantageous properties, the proposed routing algorithm is based on the AODV, and called RAODV (Resilient AODV). In the route discovery phase, it differs from AODV, which only establishes one routing path from a source node to the destination node, whereas RAODV establishes as many routes as possible. Thus, when the primary route breaks, the node can immediately adopt an alternative route without further route research effort. If no possible alternative route exists, the node will transmit the route break information backward to instruct the previous node on the reverse route to select an alternative one, and so on. The proposed RAODV can reduce the number of route rediscovery procedures, and thus improve the packet loss rate and transmission delay, especially in sparse MANETs. Simulator ns2 was used to evaluate the performance of RAODV. In some cases, the proposed RAODV was able to reduce the packet loss rate by 72.61% compared to traditional AODV.
Anatomy of a grammatical tone

“Induced Creaky Tone (ICT)” is a grammatical tone in Burmese. It is the result of a process by which Low or High tone is changed into Creaky tone. This alternation is multifunctional, and one of its functions is possessor marking. This paper demonstrates several well-distinguished conditions of different nature and different domain for this tonal alternation. ICT is primarily induced by syntax, varies due to pragmatic factors, occurs only on the shared right boundary of phrases and stem forms, and its phonological condition has a domain stretching to the left boundary of the prosodic word. A comprehensive account of such conditions provides the basis for a grammatical analysis which tests the theoretical options for representing a tonal morpheme in the morpho-syntactic structure of a sentence. It also sheds light on other issues such as the interfaces between phonology and grammar, and between tonal morphology and tonal syntax.
Separating Control Software from Routers

Control software in routers has gotten increasingly complex today. Further, since the control software runs in every router, managing a large network of routers is complex and expensive. In this paper, we propose that the control software be hosted in a few control element servers remotely from the forwarding elements (routers). This reduces the software complexity in numerous forwarding elements, thus increasing the overall reliability of the network. In order to achieve this, we describe the design and implementation of two protocols: 1) Dyna-BIND that allows the forwarding elements to dynamically bind to control elements and 2) ForCES that allows the control elements to control the forwarding elements. Furthermore, we argue using several examples that the separation and logical centralization of control plane software in this architecture enables easier deployment of new services
Improving Osteogenesis Activity on BMP-2-Immobilized PCL Fibers Modified by the γ-Ray Irradiation Technique

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the ability of BMP-2-immobilized polycaprolactone (PCL) fibers modified using the γ-ray irradiation technique to induce the osteogenic differentiation of MG-63 cells. Poly acrylic acid (AAc) was grafted onto the PCL fibers by the γ-ray irradiation technique. BMP-2 was then subsequently immobilized onto the AAc-PCL fibers (BMP-2/AAc-PCL). PCL and surface-modified PCL fibers was characterized by evaluation with a scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and contact angle. The biological activity of the PCL and surface-modified PCL fibers were characterized by alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, calcium deposition, and the mRNA expression of osteocalcin and osteopontin in MG-63 cells. Successfully grafted AAc and PCL fibers with immobilized BMP-2 were confirmed by XPS results. The results of the contact angle showed that BMP-2/AAc-PCL fibers have more hydrophilic properties in comparison to PCL fibers. The ALP activity, calcium deposition, and gene expressions of MG-63 cells grown on BMP-2/AAc-PCL fibers showed greatly induced osteogenic differentiation in comparison to the PCL fibers. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that BMP-2/AAc-PCL fibers have the potential to effectively induce the osteogenic differentiation of MG-63 cells.
The Middle Grades: Putting all Students on Track for College.

Underserved students (low-income, underrepresented minority, or first generation to attend college) do not attend college at the same rate as their white, middle-, or upper-income peers, and research suggests that this discrepancy is due in large part to the lack of opportunity for underserved students beginning in middle school. This briefing paper is intended to help middle grades principals and teachers close the opportunity gap for underserved students. The paper first explores the critical relationship between middle school and postsecondary success, noting that the challenge for parents and school personnel is to help students see the connection between thinking they want to go to college and learning how to prepare for college entrance. Next, the paper details school characteristics contributing to the opportunity gap for undererved students: lower teacher expectations, less effective instructional strategies, less counseling contact, and fewer college preparatory classes after transition to high school. The paper then presents effective middle school practices that benefit underserved students: support for all students, including interdisciplinary teaching, small group advisory programs, and varied instructional techniques that incorporate active engagement and exploration; interventions for underserved students, which include changing instructional structures and strategies, incorporating linguistic and cultural materials into existing curricula, expanding support programs, and helping parents of underserved students. Finally, the paper looks at the prospect of building school capacity for personalizing instruction, increasing student support and student achievement, and eliminating biases in relation to underserved studen-E.s. (Contains 41 references.) (HTH) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. R
A Hybrid Program Model for Object-Oriented Reverse Engineering

A commonly used strategy to address the scalability challenge in object-oriented reverse engineering is to synthesize coarse-grained representations, such as package diagrams. However, the traditional coarse-grained representations are poorly suited to object-oriented program comprehension as they can be difficult to map to the domain object models, contain little real detail, and provide few clues to the design decisions made during development. In this paper, we propose a hybrid model of object-oriented software that blends the use of classes and entities at different levels of granularity. Each coarse-grained entity represents a set of software objects, and contains the complete static description of the objects it represents. This hybrid model allows maintainers to understand objects as independent units, and focus on the their external properties and their interrelationships at different levels of granularity. We show the usefulness of the hybrid model to program comprehension by means of an exploratory case study.
The effect of amplitude on the period of solitary waves

The amplitude of solitary waves significantly affec ts the properties of the waves by changing their degree of nonlinearity. The period of solitar y waves e.g. decreases nonlinearly with amplitude. Observations of solitary waves propagati ng under similar stratification conditions, but with different amplitudes, were compared to ide ntify how the wave period depends on wave amplitude under field conditions. In addition, we employed the Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) equation and the Dubreil-Jacotin-Long (DJL) equation to simulate the dependence of solitary wave period on amplitude. The amplitude dependence of period simulated by the DJL model is in good agreement with the field observati ons whereas the KdV simulations are only accurate within the lower range of amplitudes of so litary waves occurring in the field.
Switch architecture for optical burst switching networks

We present a new switch architecture for optical burst switching networks that utilizes the just-in-time signaling protocol. Signaling is done out of band, with signaling messages undergoing electrooptical (EO) conversion at every hop while data, on the other hand, travels transparently through the configured path. The switch was implemented and deployed in advanced technology demonstration network (ATDNet); it is capable of processing 2.88 Gbps of signaling messages traffic on an Altera FPGA.
Clarifying Differences Among Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction Scale Variants: Is the Artery Half Open or Half Closed?

Background and Purpose— Although thrombolysis in cerebral infarction (TICI) 2b/3 has been regarded as a successful angiographic outcome, the definition or subclassification of TICI 2 has differed between the original (o-TICI) and modified TICI (m-TICI). We sought to compare interobserver variability for both scores and analyze the subgroups of the TICI 2. Methods— Five readers interpreted angiographies independently using a 6-point scale as follows: grade 0, no antegrade flow; grade 1, flow past the initial occlusion without tissue reperfusion; grade 2, partial reperfusion in <50% of the affected territory; grade 3, partial reperfusion in 50% to 66%; grade 4, partial reperfusion in ≥67%; grade 5, complete perfusion. Readings using this scale were then converted into o-TICI and m-TICI score. Statistical analysis was performed according to TICI 2 subgroups. Results— Interobserver agreement was good for the o-TICI and m-TICI scores (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.73 and 0.67, respectively). Our grade 3 (partial perfusion with 50% to 66%) occupied 19% of total readings, which would have been classified as grade 2a in o-TICI, but as 2b in m-TICI. The m-TICI was more likely to predict good clinical outcome than o-TICI (odds ratio, 2.01 versus 1.63, in reads with TICI 2b/3 versus 0/2a). Conclusions— Both TICI scales showed good agreement among readers. However, the variability in partial perfusion thresholds leads to different grading in ≈20% of cases and may result in significantly different rates of accurate outcome prediction.
Evaluating Uncertain Income Streams in Incomplete Markets

Many real options models base their arguments upon the assumption that securities markets are complete to apply the risk-neutral valuation technique. However, when incomplete markets exist or alternatively the investor’s preferences are not risk-neutral, there may exist no unique no-arbitrage price of income streams. We present a general dynamic programming framework in a discrete-time fashion to solve various optimization problems such as maximizing the expected utility over wealth, consumptions, and consumptions-wealth for evaluating uncertain income streams. We then prove that two approaches to certainty equivalent, the buying price and the selling price, are exactly equal in the exponential utility, given the same risk preference. This equality implies that the certainty equivalent is the fair price of income streams. This framework also suggests that investment behavior, autonomous consumption and expected utility are affected by income streams while investor’s marginal propensity to consume is not. We provide numerical techniques for decomposing a large amount of income streams into smaller residuals for convenient computation. The most important insight from the techniques is that certainty equivalent converges to a unique value in complete markets while certainty equivalent falls between an interval of values in incomplete markets. Also, we introduce a method applying the correlation coefficient to measure the degree of market incompleteness. From the presented examples, we demonstrate how the framework can be applied to evaluate an investment opportunity as well as real options. Finally, we exhibit how to generate the distributions of terminal wealth under the optimal trading strategy by simulating the random paths on the decision tree.
The Allocation of Parental Rights and Responsibilities - the Position in England and Wales

This author explores the evolution of English child law prior to and after enactment of the Children Act of 1989. He describes the mixture of common law and statute that preceded the Act and explains that developments emerged on an ad hoc basis, predominantly in terms of remedies rather than rights. He then explains the provisions of the 1989 Act and the impact of its goals to gather together all the law relating to the care and upbringing of children and the provision of social services for them and to provide a consistent set of legal remedies available in all courts and all proceedings.