Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Shape2Pose

As 3D acquisition devices and modeling tools become widely available there is a growing need for automatic algorithms that analyze the semantics and functionality of digitized shapes. Most recent research has focused on analyzing geometric structures of shapes. Our work is motivated by the observation that a majority of man-made shapes are designed to be used by people. Thus, in order to fully understand their semantics, one needs to answer a fundamental question: "how do people interact with these objects? " As an initial step towards this goal, we offer a novel algorithm for automatically predicting a static pose that a person would need to adopt in order to use an object. Specifically, given an input 3D shape, the goal of our analysis is to predict a corresponding human pose, including contact points and kinematic parameters. This is especially challenging for man-made objects that commonly exhibit a lot of variance in their geometric structure. We address this challenge by observing that contact points usually share consistent local geometric features related to the anthropometric properties of corresponding parts and that human body is subject to kinematic constraints and priors. Accordingly, our method effectively combines local region classification and global kinematically-constrained search to successfully predict poses for various objects. We also evaluate our algorithm on six diverse collections of 3D polygonal models (chairs, gym equipment, cockpits, carts, bicycles, and bipedal devices) containing a total of 147 models. Finally, we demonstrate that the poses predicted by our algorithm can be used in several shape analysis problems, such as establishing correspondences between objects, detecting salient regions, finding informative viewpoints, and retrieving functionally-similar shapes.
Category Fluency Test: Normative data for English- and Spanish-speaking elderly

Category fluency tasks are an important component of neuropsychological assessment, especially when evaluating for dementia syndromes. The growth in the number of Spanish-speaking elderly in the United States has increased the need for appropriate neuropsychological measures and normative data for this population. This study provides norms for English and Spanish speakers, over the age of 50, on 3 frequently used measures of category fluency: animals, vegetables, and fruits. In addition, it examines the impact of age, education, gender, language, and depressed mood on total fluency scores and on scores on each of these fluency measures. A sample of 702 cognitively intact elderly, 424 English speakers, and 278 Spanish speakers, participated in the study. Normative data are provided stratified by language, age, education, and gender. Results evidence that regardless of the primary language of the examinee, age, education, and gender are the strongest predictors of total category fluency scores, with gender being the best predictor of performance after adjusting for age and education. English and Spanish speakers obtained similar scores on animal and fruit fluency, but English speakers generated more vegetable exemplars than Spanish speakers. Results also indicate that different fluency measures are affected by various factors to different degrees. (JINS, 2000, 6, 760–769.)
Relationship between ROS production, apoptosis and DNA denaturation in spermatozoa from patients examined for infertility.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to examine the role of apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in inducing DNA damage in ejaculated spermatozoa. METHODS We examined ejaculated spermatozoa from 31 patients examined for infertility and 19 healthy donors for apoptosis, production of ROS and DNA damage using annexin V binding, chemiluminescence assay and sperm chromatin structure assay. RESULTS The percentage of spermatozoa that underwent apoptosis in the whole ejaculate and mature fraction was higher in the patients than in the donors (P<0.001 and P=0.009, respectively). Levels of ROS in the whole ejaculate and immature fraction were higher in the patients than in the donors (P=0.002 and P=0.009). Apoptosis was significantly correlated with ROS within patients in the whole ejaculate [r (95% confidence interval)=0.53 (0.19-0.86)] and in the mature [0.71 (0.39-1.00)] and immature spermatozoa [0.75 (0.45-1.00)]. Only apoptosis and the DNA fragmentation index (DFI) were significantly correlated within patients in the whole ejaculate [0.57 (0.18-0.97)]. CONCLUSIONS DNA damage may be induced by oxidative assault. Apoptosis may not contribute significantly to the DNA damage.
On the origin of thermality

It is well-known that a small system weakly coupled to a large energy bath in a total microcanonical ensemble will find itself in an (approximately) thermal state and, recently, it has been shown that, if the total state is, instead, a random pure state with energy in a narrow range, then the small system will still be approximately thermal with a high probability (wrt `Haar measure'). We ask what conditions are required for something resembling these 'traditional' and 'modern' thermality results to still hold when system and energy bath are of comparable size. In Part 1, we show that, for given system and energy-bath densities of states, s_S(e) and s_B(e), thermality does not hold in general, as we illustrate when both increase as powers of energy, but that it does hold in certain approximate senses, in both traditional and modern frameworks, when both grow as exp(be) or as exp(qe^2) and we calculate the system entropy in these cases. In their 'modern' version, our results rely on new quantities, which we introduce and call the S and B 'modapprox' density operators, which, we claim, will, with high probability, give a close approximation to the reduced density operator for the system and energy bath when the total state of system plus energy bath is a random pure state with energy in a narrow range. In Part 2 we clarify the meaning of these modapprox density operators and give arguments for our claim. The prime examples of non-small thermal systems are quantum black holes. Here and in two companion papers, we argue that current string-theoretic derivations of black hole entropy and thermal properties are incomplete and, on the question of information loss, inconclusive. However, we argue that these deficiencies are remedied with a modified scenario which relies on the modern strand of our methods and results here and is based on our previous 'matter-gravity entanglement hypothesis'.
Formal Homotopy Quantum Field Theories, I: Formal Maps and Crossed C-algebras.

Homotopy Quantum Field Theories (HQFTs) were introduced by the second author to extend the ideas and methods of Topological Quantum Field Theories to closed d-manifolds endowed with extra structure in the form of homotopy classes of maps into a given ‘target’ space, B. For d = 1, classifications of HQFTs in terms of algebraic structures are known when B is a K(G,1) and also when it is simply connected. Here we study general HQFTs with d = 1 and target a general 2-type, giving a common generalisation of the classifying algebraic structures for the two cases previously known. The algebraic models for 2-types that we use are crossed modules, C, and we introduce a notion of formal C-map, which extends the usual lattice-type constructions to this setting. This leads to a classification of ‘formal’ 2-dimensional HQFTs with target C, in terms of crossed C-algebras. A. M. S. Classification: Primary: 18G50. Secondary: 55P99, 57R56, 81T45.
A Modulation Transfer Function Compensation for the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) Based on the Wiener Filter

The modulation transfer function (MTF) is a widely used indicator in assessments of remote-sensing image quality. This MTF method is also used to restore information to a standard value to compensate for image degradation caused by atmospheric or satellite jitter effects. In this study, we evaluated MTF values as an image quality indicator for the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI). GOCI was launched in 2010 to monitor the ocean and coastal areas of the Korean peninsula. We evaluated in-orbit MTF value based on the GOCI image having a 500-m spatial resolution in the first time. The pulse method was selected to estimate a point spread function (PSF) with an optimal natural target such as a Seamangeum Seawall. Finally, image restoration was performed with a Wiener filter (WF) to calculate the PSF value required for the optimal regularization parameter. After application of the WF to the target image, MTF value is improved 35.06%, and the compensated image shows more sharpness comparing with the original image.
Large Scale Cooperative Multiagent System Based on Semantic P2P Network

Multiagent plays an important role in various applications. As the Internet becomes prerequisite of human life, large scale Multiagent systems on the Internet become more and more important. However, large scale multiagent systems encounter many big issues such as scalability and inter-operability. This paper presents a different approach of large scale multiagent system based on semantic P2P Network&#x2013;Virtual Hierarchical Tree Grid Organizations (VIRGO) in mathematic terms. Other than unstructured and DHT-based structured P2P networks, VIRGO keeps the semantic meanings of the nodes according to their roles in the communities. In VIRGO approach, the agents are identified as domain names classified by the semantic meaning of roles in the organizations. The agents construct the VIRGO network by joining the virtual groups with the same names as their domains. We proof by mathematics that in this approach each agent has a path to communicate with any other agent and the performance is effective as maxim in hops less than log (N), where N is total number of agents. The performance bottleneck of tree-like topology can be avoided by cache policies. Here, we also introduce a SQL-like language for inter-operation among agents. As an illustration example, cooperative e-Business based on VIRGO in which lots of enterprisers are formed into vertical virtual organizations is described.
Assessing Mastery Through Psychotherapy: Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of the Mastery Scale

Objectives: Considering the importance of assessing the range of phenomena that can change in psychodynamic therapy, and lack of appropriate assessment scale in Persian language, the present study assessed the reliability of the Persian mastery scale. The mastery scale is a comprehensive research tool for assessing a patient’s mastery of transference-related interpersonal conﬂicts during the treatment process. Methods: After preparing the Persian version of the mastery scale through the forward-backward translation process, a sample of 36 relationship episodes was rated by three independent judges. Data were collected in Mashhad, Iran in 2015. The psychometric properties of the instrument, including inter-rater reliability and test-retest analysis were assessed. Results: The test-retest correlations of the 3 judges were (0.80, 0.91 and 0.95), highly signiﬁcant at P < 0.0001 and the inter-rater reliability indicated a good level of agreement (The ICC (3, 3) 0.84, 95% CI [0.72, 0.90]). Conclusions: ThecurrentstudyhasprovidedevidencethatthePersianmasteryscaleisareliableinstrumentforassessingchanges in inner capacities and resources through psychodynamic treatments. However, further studies are required to investigate the validity of this scale.
A Heuristic Feature Combination Selection Method in Fusion Detection of JPEG Stegoimages

The traditional technology of JPEG image steganography blind detection is implemented by a single feature or the fusion of two features. There has been no published research yet considering how to select a superior feature combination to achieve better detection performance. Here we get ideas from Hoffmann trees, put forward a superior feature combination selection method based on treelike structure, which selects correlation coefficient of canonical correlation analysis as its heuristic factor. In the method we try to fuse two feature combinations which have the least correlation coefficient every time, and remain the feature combination with higher accuracy rate. Finally, the superior feature combination can be obtained in the way. Experiments indicate that our method can get a feature combination which holds better fusion performance in limited computing complexity condition when we deal with steganography blind detection for JPEG images.
A Collective Household Model of Time Allocation - a Comparison of Native Dutch and Immigrant Households in the Netherlands

Although the number of immigrant households in the Netherlands is substantial, the labor supply choices of this group are usually neglected in empirical studies because these households are usually under-sampled. We use a stratified sample of Turkish, Surinamese/Antillean and Dutch households that enables us to discuss how two-earner households allocate their time to different activities. In order to do so, we empirically estimate a collective household labor supply model. The main findings are that: (1) Leisure and household income are the most important variables in the utility function of the male; (2) Leisure, total household production and total household production interacted with family size are important variables in the utility function of the female. The latter two are especially important for Turkish and Surinamese/Antillean females; (3) The utility of Turkish and Dutch males weighs slightly more than the utility of the partner in the household utility function. For Surinamese/Antillean families we find the opposite; (4) Utility weighting depends on the presence of children and on the hourly wage rates of both partners; (5) The labor supply curve is forward bending for both male and female in terms of their own wage. The labor supply curve is backward bending for both male and female in terms of the partner’s wage. We find this for all household types; (6) The presence of (more) children reduces the hours of labor supplied by women and increases the number of hours supplied by men.
eParticipation as an information ecology: a micro-scale examination of two cases in Helsinki

In this paper, I propose to address eParticipation as an Information Ecology (Nardi & O'Day, 1999). By examining the micro-scale level of two cases of eParticipation as Information Ecologies, I identify microlevel technological building blocks and the artful integrations performed by actors whose role is often not enough emphasized. HCI research in the area of eParticipation should acknowledge the role of these actors in order to design eParticipation with and for them.
Experiences and coping resources of the suicide negotiation staff at the Van Staden's Bridge

The Van Staden’s Bridge has claimed 67 lives since its construction on 11 November 1971. A team of police officials, trained as negotiators who deal with suicide and hostage negotiation, are involved with the task of convincing suicidal persons who turn to the bridge to take their own lives, not to resort to suicide. They are responsible for persuading at least three people per week to reconisider suicide at this notorious bridge. The goal of this study was to explore and describe the experiences and coping resources of the SAPS suicide negotiation staff at the Van Staden’s Bridge, Thornhill, Port Elizabeth. A mixed methods study combining both the quantitative and qualitative approaches was implemented. An exploratory-descriptive design was used, because the topic is still a relatively under-researched area in South Africa. Two data collection measures, that is, the Coping Resources Inventory (CRI) and semi-structured interviewing were employed. The researcher conducted a pilot study to enhance the trustworthiness of the study. Non-probability, purposive sampling was employed to obtain research participants from the research population (suicide negotiation team), consisting of 12 members. Eight members participated voluntary in the quantitative data collection and of these a total of five participated in the qualitative research interviews. Six themes emerged from the results of the in-depth, semi-structured interviews: (1) experiences of SAPS suicide negotiators, (2) aspects that hinder the negotiation process, (3) characteristics of a negotiator, (4) important aspects of the negotiation process, (5) coping mechanisms of SAPS negotiators and (6) recommendations for rendering support to SAPS negotiators. The results from the CRI suggested that the participants have average coping resources with the cognitive domain being the lowest and both the social and physical domains being the highest. The limitations and the value of the study were outlined and finally, recommendations for future research were made.
Transgenic Sugarcane Resistant to Sorghum mosaic virus Based on Coat Protein Gene Silencing by RNA Interference

As one of the critical diseases of sugarcane, sugarcane mosaic disease can lead to serious decline in stalk yield and sucrose content. It is mainly caused by Potyvirus sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV) and/or Sorghum mosaic virus (SrMV), with additional differences in viral strains. RNA interference (RNAi) is a novel strategy for producing viral resistant plants. In this study, based on multiple sequence alignment conducted on genomic sequences of different strains and isolates of SrMV, the conserved region of coat protein (CP) genes was selected as the target gene and the interference sequence with size of 423 bp in length was obtained through PCR amplification. The RNAi vector pGII00-HACP with an expression cassette containing both hairpin interference sequence and cp4-epsps herbicide-tolerant gene was transferred to sugarcane cultivar ROC22 via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. After herbicide screening, PCR molecular identification, and artificial inoculation challenge, anti-SrMV positive transgenic lines were successfully obtained. SrMV resistance rate of the transgenic lines with the interference sequence was 87.5% based on SrMV challenge by artificial inoculation. The genetically modified SrMV-resistant lines of cultivar ROC22 provide resistant germplasm for breeding lines and can also serve as resistant lines having the same genetic background for study of resistance mechanisms.
Production and Characterization of Keratinolytic Protease from New Wool-Degrading Bacillus Species Isolated from Egyptian Ecosystem

Novel keratin-degrading bacteria were isolated from sand soil samples collected from Minia Governorate, Egypt. In this study, the isolates were identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens MA20 and Bacillus subtilis MA21 based on morphological and biochemical characteristics as well as 16S rRNA gene sequencing. B. amyloliquefaciens MA20 and B. subtilis MA21 produced alkaline keratinolytic serine protease when cultivated in mineral medium containing 1% of wool straight off sheep as sole carbon and nitrogen source. The two strains were observed to degrade wool completely to powder at pH 7 and 37°C within 5 days. Under these conditions the maximum activity of proteases produced by B. amyloliquefaciens MA20 and B. subtilis MA21 was 922 and 814 U/ml, respectively. The proteases exhibited optimum temperature and pH at 60°C and 9, respectively. However, the keratinolytic proteases were stable in broad range of temperature and pH values towards casein Hammerstein. Furthermore the protease inhibitor studies indicated that the produced proteases belong to serine protease because of their sensitivity to PMSF while they were inhibited partially in presence of EDTA. The two proteases are stable in most of the used organic solvents and enhanced by metals suggesting their potential use in biotechnological applications such as wool industry.
Building an Ecologically valid, Large-scale Diagram to Help Developers Stay Oriented in Their Code

This paper presents the creation, deployment, and evaluation of a large-scale, spatially-stable, paper-based visualization of a software system. The visualization was created for a single team, who were involved systematically in its initial design and subsequent design iterations. The evaluation indicates that the visualization supported the "onboarding" scenario but otherwise failed to realize the research team's expectations. We present several lessons learned, and cautions to future research into large-scale, spatially-stable visualizations of software systems.
Rapid Synchrotron Flares from BL Lacertae Detected by ASCA and RXTE

We report the variable X-ray emission from BL Lacertae detected in the ASCA ToO observation conducted during the EGRET and RXTE pointings, coincident with the 1997 July outburst. The source showed a historically high state of X-ray, optical, and γ-ray emission, with its 2-10 keV flux peaking at ~3.3 × 10-11 ergs cm-2 s-1. This is more than 3 times higher than the value measured by ASCA in 1995. We detected two rapid flares that occurred only in the soft X-ray band, while the hard X-ray flux also increased, but decayed with a much longer timescale. Together with the requirement of a very steep and varying power law dominating the soft X-ray band in addition to the hard power law, we suggest that both the high-energy end of the synchrotron spectrum and the hard inverse Compton spectrum were visible in this source during the outburst. We discuss the possible origins of the observed variability timescales, and interpret the short timescales of the soft X-ray variability as reflecting the size of the emission region.
Mobile Robot Navigation on Partially Known Maps using a Fast A ∗ Algorithm Version

Mobile robot navigation in total or partially unknown environments is still an open problem. The path planning algorithms lack completeness and/or performance. Thus, there is the need for complete (i.e., the algorithm determines in finite time either a solution or correctly reports that there is none) and performance (i.e., with low computational complexity) oriented algorithms which need to perform efficiently in real scenarios. In this paper, we evaluate the efficiency of two versions of the A∗ algorithm for mobile robot navigation inside indoor environments with the help of two software applications and the Pioneer 2DX robot. We demonstrate that an improved version of the A∗ algorithm which we call the fast A∗ algorithm can be successfully used for indoor mobile robot navigation. We evaluated the A∗ algorithm first, by implementing the algorithms in source code and by testing them on a simulator and second, by comparing two operation modes of the fast A∗ algorithm w.r. t. path planning efficiency (i.e., completness) and performance (i.e., time need to complete the path traversing) for indoor navigation with the Pioneer 2DX robot. The results obtained with the fast A∗ algorithm are promising and we think that this results can be further improved by tweaking the algorithm and by using an advanced sensor fusion approach (i.e., combine the inputs of multiple robot sensors) for better dealing with partially known environments.
Context dependent modulation of value processing in the human brain

Table of Contents Acknowledgements I Table of Contents II Zusammenfassung III Summary IV List of original publication V List of abbreviations VI 1\. Introduction 1 1.1 General Overview 1 1.2 Reward and reinforcement learning 4 1.3 Neural representation of reward 6 1.4 Brain mechanisms of context dependent reward processing 7 2\. Methods: Model‐based FMRI and effective connectivity 11 2.1 Model‐based FMRI 11 2.2 Psycho‐physiological interaction analysis with FMRI data 14 3\. Experiments: Neural mechanisms underlying context‐dependent modulation of reward processing 17 3.1 Value impacts valuation 17 3.2 Adaptive coding of reward prediction errors 22 4\. Conclusions and future directions 24 5\. Reference List 30 Supplements 37 A Curriculum Vitae 38 B Publication 41 C Eidesstattliche Erklarung 44 D Research articles 45