Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An optimal video-surveillance approach for HDR videos tone mapping

Recently, a new type of camera, which allows the recording of almost the entire range of luminosity of the acquired scene, has been introduced to the market. The produced High Dynamic Range images (HDRi), can simplify some video-surveillance tasks, such as object detection, recognition and tracking, since they can simultaneously capture the visual scene content of both dark and bright areas. Applications where lighting conditions cannot be controlled can greatly benefit from the adoption of HDR cameras. For example, the achievement of a good and constant visual quality of images is one of the key aspects in video-surveillance applications, because it allows to robustly detect salient events in the captured scenes. However, the use of HDR images in traditional video-surveillance systems requires the reduction of their dynamic range appropriately, by applying a tone mapping operator. In this paper a fast method for tone mapping HDR videos, which combines the benefits of both local and global operators, is presented. It is applied in the context of object detection and tracking. It also enhances the visual quality of the image in all light conditions, which facilitated surveillance tasks for both human and automatic operators.
A benchmark-based performance model for memory-bound HPC applications

The increasing computation capability of servers comes with a dramatic increase of their complexity through many cores, multiple levels of caches and NUMA architectures. Exploiting the computing power is increasingly harder and programmers need ways to understand the performance behavior. We present an innovative approach for predicting the performance of memory-bound multi-threaded applications. It relies on micro-benchmarks and a compositional model, combining measures of micro-benchmarks in order to model larger codes. Our memory model takes into account cache sizes and cache coherence protocols, having a large impact on performance of multi-threaded codes. Applying this model to real world HPC kernels shows that it can predict their performance with good accuracy, helping taking optimization decisions to increase application's performance.
Takagi–Sugeno Fuzzy Control for Semi-Active Vehicle Suspension With a Magnetorheological Damper and Experimental Validation

Much research has gone into developing advanced control algorithms for semi-active suspension. Experimental validation of these control algorithms is critical for their practical applications. This paper investigates a state-observer-based Takagi–Sugeno fuzzy controller (SOTSFC) design for a semi-active quarter-car suspension installed with a magnetorheological (MR) damper and provides proof of the effectiveness of the proposed controller. To conduct the test, a quarter-car test rig and control system hardware were used. Then, a new MR damper was designed and built to fit with the test rig. After that, the SOTSFC for the quarter-car test rig was developed. Finally, several tests were conducted on the quarter-car suspension in order to investigate the real effect of the SOTSFC. It was then compared with the use of a skyhook controller to demonstrate its benefits.
The Subventricular Zone Continues to Generate Corpus Callosum and Rostral Migratory Stream Astroglia in Normal Adult Mice

Astrocytes are the most abundant cells in the CNS, and have many essential functions, including maintenance of blood–brain barrier integrity, and CNS water, ion, and glutamate homeostasis. Mammalian astrogliogenesis has generally been considered to be completed soon after birth, and to be reactivated in later life only under pathological circumstances. Here, by using genetic fate-mapping, we demonstrate that new corpus callosum astrocytes are continuously generated from nestin+ subventricular zone (SVZ) neural progenitor cells (NPCs) in normal adult mice. These nestin fate-mapped corpus callosum astrocytes are uniformly postmitotic, express glutamate receptors, and form aquaporin-4+ perivascular endfeet. The entry of new astrocytes from the SVZ into the corpus callosum appears to be balanced by astroglial apoptosis, because overall numbers of corpus callosum astrocytes remain constant during normal adulthood. Nestin fate-mapped astrocytes also flow anteriorly from the SVZ in association with the rostral migratory stream, but do not penetrate into the deeper layers of the olfactory bulb. Production of new astrocytes from nestin+ NPCs is absent in the normal adult cortex, striatum, and spinal cord. Our study is the first to demonstrate ongoing SVZ astrogliogenesis in the normal adult mammalian forebrain.
Watching the FIFA World Cup 2010 in England: the sojourner perspective

Recent years have seen an emergence of a varied academic literature focused on the football fan, with a wealth of studies exploring issues such as hooliganism, fan behaviour and fan identification. No research, however, has documented the experiences and perspectives of the international sojourner, who follows the televised tournament far away from the home country. This paper offers a contribution to the literature on fandom by focusing on the experiences of becoming a temporary fan among a sample of nine international students in England during the period of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It shows the importance of the tournament for students away from their home nation, acting as a point of celebration and as a means of bringing sojourners of the same nationality together to support their team. It reveals how the tournament offered escape from stress, became a focal point for social interaction, provided the opportunity for recreation of home, and for the reinforcement of feelings of national identity.
Guilty in whose eyes? University students' perceptions of cheating and plagiarism in academic work and assessment

ABSTRACT The little published work on cheating and plagiarism amongst students in higher education has, almost without exception, used questionnaire techniques which take for granted a shared understanding of the issues involved. The work reports the use of a qualitative methodology which attempts to discover the student perception of cheating and plagiarism without presupposing that students start from the same premises as academics. Prominent among the findings are the following: (a) there is a strong moral basis to students' views, which focus on such values as friendship, interpersonal trust and good learning. This means that some punishable behaviour can be regarded as justifiable and some officially approved behaviour can be felt to be dubious; (b) the notion of plagiarism is regarded as extremely unclear—some students have a fear that they might well plagiarise unwittingly in writing what they genuinely take to be their own ideas; and (c) factors such as alienation from the university due to lack o.
Influence of the refractive index cladding on guided modes in a negative-index slab waveguide

This paper tackles the wave propagation along a slab waveguide composed of a left handed material (LHM) and surrounded by conventional media. We predict that such a waveguide can support symmetric modes in such a symmetric structure. We study the dispersion relation of found modes and the associated energy flow. The effect of refractive index cladding is investigated on dispersion curves and energy flow. We numerically show that the characteristic modes of the energy flow and the domain of the existence of the mode are significantly changed and can be controlled by varying the refractive index of the linear medium.
Performance of hybrid hopfield neural networks with EM algorithms for multiuser detection in ultra-wide-band communication systems

An adaptive receiver is proposed for direct-sequence ultra-wideband (DS-UWB) multiple access communication systems to suppress both multiple access interference (MAI) and inter-symbol interference (ISI). Due to high complexity of the optimum multiuser detector (MUD), suboptimal multiuser detectors with less complexity and reasonable performance have received considerable attention. In this contribution, a Hopfield neural network (HNN)-aided MUD is proposed for employment in DS-UWB system, which is capable of achieving a similar performance to that attained by its optimum MUD-aided counterpart at a significantly lower complexity, especially at high user loads. Furthermore, the performance of the proposed HNN-aided system can be further improved if the proposed electromagnetism-like method (EM) assisted HNN (EMHNN) MUD is employed. We demonstrate that the EMHNN aided system is capable of reducing the bit error rate (BER) by up to four orders of magnitude in comparison to the suboptimal MUDs and the MUDs based on the HNN.
Foundational, Compositional (Co)datatypes for Higher-Order Logic: Category Theory Applied to Theorem Proving

Interactive theorem provers based on higher-order logic (HOL) traditionally follow the definitional approach, reducing high-level specifications to logical primitives. This also applies to the support for datatype definitions. However, the internal datatype construction used in HOL4, HOL Light, and Isabelle/HOL is fundamentally noncompositional, limiting its efficiency and flexibility, and it does not cater for codatatypes. We present a fully modular framework for constructing (co)datatypes in HOL, with support for mixed mutual and nested (co)recursion. Mixed (co)recursion enables type definitions involving both datatypes and codatatypes, such as the type of finitely branching trees of possibly infinite depth. Our framework draws heavily from category theory. The key notion is that of a bounded natural functor---an enriched type constructor satisfying specific properties preserved by interesting categorical operations. Our ideas are implemented as a definitional package in Isabelle, addressing a frequent request from users.
Electric Vehicles Network with Nomadic Portable Charging Stations

A novel concept of portable charging station networks to serve Electric Vehicles is described. An optimum charging station deployment method is explained, and its performance has been simulated for single highway, two intersecting highways, and Manhattan-like grid traffic models. Outage probability and service waiting delay performances are evaluated. Impact of the number PCSs and the ratio of EVs to PCSs in the service area on outage probability and waiting delay are studied. The gained insights will be used in extending this pioneer step to a stochastic framework with more realistic traffic models.
Critics’ use of satire against the auditing profession: a short historical note

At a time when the auditing profession faces mounting criticism in the wake of corporate and professional scandals, it is not unusual to read caustic commentary in the press. This is not a new phenomenon. The nineteenth century auditing profession had to face similar criticism from the media, but practitioners then had to deal with a weapon more effective than mere prose, satire. This short historical note captures some of the more amusing yet hard‐hitting attacks on the profession. We can only hope that this form of critical writing makes a come‐back.
Vitamin D-related genetic variation, plasma vitamin D, and risk of lethal prostate cancer: a prospective nested case-control study.

BACKGROUND The association of vitamin D status with prostate cancer is controversial; no association has been observed for overall incidence, but there is a potential link with lethal disease. METHODS We assessed prediagnostic 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels in plasma, variation in vitamin D-related genes, and risk of lethal prostate cancer using a prospective case-control study nested within the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. We included 1260 men who were diagnosed with prostate cancer after providing a blood sample in 1993-1995 and 1331 control subjects. Men with prostate cancer were followed through March 2011 for lethal outcomes (n = 114). We selected 97 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genomic regions with high linkage disequilibrium (tagSNPs) to represent common genetic variation among seven vitamin D-related genes (CYP27A1, CYP2R1, CYP27B1, GC, CYP24A1, RXRA, and VDR). We used a logistic kernel machine test to assess whether multimarker SNP sets in seven vitamin D pathway-related genes were collectively associated with prostate cancer. Tests for statistical significance were two-sided. RESULTS Higher 25(OH)D levels were associated with a 57% reduction in the risk of lethal prostate cancer (highest vs lowest quartile: odds ratio = 0.43, 95% confidence interval = 0.24 to 0.76). This finding did not vary by time from blood collection to diagnosis. We found no statistically significant association of plasma 25(OH)D levels with overall prostate cancer. Pathway analyses found that the set of SNPs that included all seven genes (P = .008) as well as sets of SNPs that included VDR (P = .01) and CYP27A1 (P = .02) were associated with risk of lethal prostate cancer. CONCLUSION In this prospective study, plasma 25(OH)D levels and common variation among several vitamin D-related genes were associated with lethal prostate cancer risk, suggesting that vitamin D is relevant for lethal prostate cancer.
Construção e validação de um instrumento de avaliação do desempenho docente

The evaluation of college professors by student has been studied extensively. Much effort has been invested in devising evaluation forms and criteria. Many studies have questioned and reflected about problems, biases and possible benefits accrued form evaluating professors. Through this study a scale was developed. Its psychometric properties were identified in two phases. In the first phase, 37 assertives related to professor´s performance were developed. The results of this phase indicated the convenience of reducing the number of assertive. This was done using statistical techniques. In the second phase, in the application of the scale, satisfactory indexes of precision and consistency were found. The factorial analysis indicated the existence of two factors , also reliable, suggesting that the instrument has good validity. Further studies to confer bigger amplitude to the instrument are suggested.
Body Mass Index 50 kg/m2 and Beyond: Perioperative Care of Pregnant Women With Superobesity Undergoing Cesarean Delivery.

Importance Superobesity, defined as body mass index 50 kg/m2 or greater, is the fastest-growing obesity group in the United States. Currently, 2% of pregnant women in the United States are superobese, and 50% will deliver via cesarean delivery. Objective To review evidence of perioperative care during cesarean delivery among superobese women. Evidence Acquisition We performed an evidence-based review of maternal and neonatal risks of cesarean delivery and of intraoperative management and immediate postpartum care of superobese pregnant women. We also reviewed bariatric and general literature surgery on perioperative care of superobese patients. Results There is limited information to direct evidence-based care of superobese women who undergo cesarean delivery. Superobese women have a 30% to 50% risk of wound complications, a 20% risk of neonatal intensive care unit admission, and a 1% to 2% risk of maternal intensive care unit admission. Preoperative discussion with superobese women should include a review of maternal and fetal risks associated with cesarean delivery, as well as operative options including skin incision. Preoperative cefazolin with a 3-g dose, chlorhexidine skin preparation, and availability of adequate personnel for patient transfers are important evidence-directed approaches to reducing maternal and personnel morbidity. Postoperatively, early ambulation and chemical prophylaxis are reasonable, although there is a lack of evidence as to whether these measures prevent thromboembolic complications. Conclusions Superobese women are at increased risk of cesarean delivery and resultant complications. Most evidence-directed recommendations for perioperative care are extrapolated from studies of obese women undergoing bariatric surgery. As the prevalence of reproductive-age women with superobesity increases, studies directed at this high-risk population are urgently need.
THE RATIONAL USE OF ANTIBIOTICS AND IN RELATION TO ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE

When antimicrobials are used there is always a risk that the selection of antimicrobial resistance will occur. Some bacterial species appear to develop resistance more quickly than others, such as Escherichia coli and some antimicrobials have resistance developed quite easily against them e.g. the tetracyclines. The first approach is to avoid or reduce the use of antimicrobials by using high health (specific pathogen free (SPF) animals, employing disease eradication or vaccination programmes where possible and using management and hygiene strategies to reduce infectious challenge. When forced to use antimicrobials, optimum programmes of use must be employed to reduce the opportunities for resistance development. Making sure the right organism is being treated, by culturing and antimicrobial susceptibility testing, using knowledge of effective drug concentrations to kill the organism in the target tissues or fluids. Understanding the pharmacokinetics of the antimicrobials is essential and relating these to the pharmacodynamic effect on the bacteria to achieve not only a clinical cure but also a bacterial cure. Going beyond the mutant selection window, also helps to improve the long term clinical effect of an antimicrobial and reduces the development of resistance. This paper looks at strategies to help reduce resistance development in pig production by the use of pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic integration and application.
Creative Thinking Ability: Domain Generality and Specificity

The relationship between domain-general and domain-specific creative thinking ability was examined in 3 studies using structural equation modeling. Learning disability, ethnicity, gender, and age/grade were included in the model to test their differential effects on general and specific creative thinking. In Study 1 (N = 130), learning disability, grade (high school, college), and gender were included in the model in addition to the 2 latent variables (general and specific creative thinking ability). In Study 2, with elementary students (N = 108), ethnicity, grade (4th, 5th, and 6th graders), and gender were included. In Study 3, with preschool children (N = 71), age and gender were included. In all 3 studies, domain-general and domain-specific creative thinking ability were found to be distinguishable yet related, and the former had a causal effect on the latter. Age/grade level, gender, ethnicity, and learning disability status discriminated the 2 constructs—general and specific creative thinking ability. We concluded that different life experiences (schooling and culture) may have stronger impacts on domain-specific creative thinking than domain-general creative thinking.
Importance of Central Retinal Sensitivity for Prediction of Visual Acuity after Intravitreal Bevacizumb in Eyes with Macular Edema Associated with Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion

Objective To determine whether the baseline retinal sensitivity can predict the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at 1 month after intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) in eyes with macular edema (ME) associated with a branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO). Subjects and Methods We evaluated 16 eyes of 16 patients who had ME associated with a BRVO. The mean ± standard deviation age was 69.1 ± 8.9 years, and all had a single IVB injection. The BCVA, central macular thickness (CMT), integrity of the ellipsoid zone (EZ) of the photoreceptors, and retinal sensitivity were determined before (baseline) and at 1 day, 1 week, and 1 month following the IVB. The average threshold retinal sensitivity (AT) within the central 10° was determined by Macular Integrity Assessment. The correlations between the BCVA at 1 month and the CMT, integrity of the EZ, and AT at each visit were determined. Results One month after IVB, the BCVA improved significantly from 0.56 ± 0.27 logMAR units to 0.32 ± 0.28 logMAR units, and the CMT from 611.4 ± 209.3 μm to 258.7 ± 64.0 μm (P <0.05). The AT improved significantly from 17.9 ± 5.3 dB to 21.2 ± 5.0 dB (P <0.05). At 1 day after the treatment, both the integrity of the EZ (r = 0.59) and the retinal sensitivity (r = 0.76) were moderately correlated with the BCVA at 1 month. Conclusion These results indicate that both the integrity of the EZ and the AT at 1 day after the IVB can predict the BCVA after treatment for ME associated with BRVO. There is a possibility that these parameters will predict the effectiveness of IVB for each case.
Ghost imaging protocol with intense correlated fields for efficient encryption

E. Puddu, I. P. Degiovanni, A. Andreoni, M. Bondani, and S. Castelletto Dipartimento di Fisica e Matematica, Università degli Studi dell’Insubria and Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto Nazionale per la Fisica della Materia (C.N.R.-I.N.F.M.), Via Valleggio, 11 22100 Como, Italy Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica, Strada delle Cacce 91 10135 Torino (Italy) National Laboratory for Ultrafast and Ultraintense Optical Science C.N. R. -I.N. F.M. , Via Valleggio, 11 22100 Como, Italy Physics School, Melbourne University, Victoria, Australia (Dated: May 27, 2008)
Deindividuation, self-awareness, and disinhibition.

Assessed whether lack of self-awareness and conscious planning, group unity, and disinhibited behavior occurred together in deindividuating settings as predicted by E. Diener's (1979) theory of deindividuation. The characteristics and effects of group-induced deindividuation with non-socially-induce
Noisy cooperative intermittent processes: From blinking quantum dots to human consciousness

We study the superposition of a non-Poisson renewal process with the presence of a superimposed Poisson noise. The non-Poisson renewals mark the passage between meta-stable states in system with self-organization. We propose methods to measure the amount of information due to the two independent processes independently, and we see that a superficial study based on the survival probabilities yield stretched-exponential relaxations. Our method is in fact able to unravel the inverse-power law relaxation of the isolated non-Poisson processes, even when noise is present. We provide examples of this behavior in system of diverse nature, from blinking nano-crystals to weak turbulence. Finally we focus our discussion on events extracted from human electroencephalograms, and we discuss their connection with emerging properties of integrated neural dynamics, i.e. consciousness.
Four letters in the genetic alphabet: a frozen evolutionary optimum?

Piccirilli et al. (Nature,Lond. 343, 33—37 (1990)) have shown experimentally that the replicatable introduction of new base pairs into the genetic alphabet is chemically feasible. The fact that our current genetic alphabet uses only two base pairs can be explained provided that this basic feature of organisms became fixed in an RNA world utilizing ribozymes rather than protein enzymes. The fitness of such riboorganisms is determined by two factors: replication fidelity and overall catalytic efficiency (basic metabolic or growth rate). Replication fidelity is shown to decrease roughly exponentially, and catalytic efficiency is shown to increase with diminishing returns, with the number of letters for a fixed genome length; hence their product, i.e. fitness, gives rise to a set of values with an optimum. Under a wide range of parameter values the optimum rests at two base pairs in our genetic alphabet can also be rationalized. This optimum is considered frozen, as currently the dominant catalysts are proteins rather than RNAs.
Hierarchical fault modeling for analog and mixed-signal circuits

Presents a comprehensive approach, based on functional error characterization, for modeling faults in analog and mixed-signal circuits. A case study based on a CMOS and an nMOS operational amplifier is discussed, and a full listing of derived behavioral fault models is presented. These fault models are then mapped to the faulty behavior at the macro-circuit level. <<ETX>>