Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nonlinear robust velocity estimation of vehicles from a snowfall traffic scene

Discusses a robust velocity estimation method for moving vehicles in road traffic image sequences under snowy and misty weather conditions. In such environments, it is difficult to detect the velocity of vehicles because of discontinuities, occlusions, noise, and brightness variations. It should also be noted that falling snow results in indefinite shapes and motion, which occludes the region of interest. In order to estimate and recognize moving vehicles in images, a two-stage method has been proposed. Firstly, a non-linear smoothing is applied based on an anisotropic diffusion method. Secondly, a minimization of an objective function with movements and photometric variations is carried out. The fitting residual error in the function is reduced by a nonlinear robust function in discontinuity regions. Thus the velocity of moving vehicles can be estimated, stably and robustly, even in low contrast images. To verify this, a simple recognition experiment is performed to estimate the number of moving vehicles in images. The high recognition rate shows the validity and power of the proposed scheme.
Multilayered mouse preosteoblast MC3T3‐E1 sheets harvested from temperature‐responsive poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide‐co‐acrylamide) grafted culture surface for cell sheet engineering

A novel temperature-responsive tissue culture surface was prepared using ultraviolet irradiation to graft poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylamide) (PNIAM-co-AM) onto commercial tissue culture surfaces. The physical properties of the grafted surfaces were confirmed by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, contact angle measurement, and Atomic Force Microscopy. The grafted surface was also tested and shown to be nontoxic using mouse preosteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells. The cells grew as successfully on the grafted surface as those on ungrafted surface. When the temperature was reduced from 37 to 10°C for 30 min, followed by 20°C for 60 min, the confluent cells could be detached as a continuous sheet. A histological examination showed that the harvested cell sheet preserved tight junctions and extracellular matrix proteins, allowing the sheet to adhere to other cell sheets as multilayers. The resulting multilayered sheets were in good condition, as indicated by the LIVE/DEAD stain. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013
A Scalable Image Snippet Extraction Framework for Integration with Search Engines

Search result visualization is a task performed by search engines that enables users to find their desired documents, in an effective and efficient manner. Image based summary or best images of a web document, displayed as a part of the visualization process, has become indispensable, as a human perceives images instantaneously. But, selection of the best image increases latency in search result generation, and workload for the search process. In this paper, we propose and implement a search framework by integrating text and image search engines that increases the speed of extracting a representative image of a web document. Text associated with an image, image area and position are incorporated with the ranking function that finds the image snippet. By comparison, we show that our framework significantly improves over the existing ones in terms of time complexity, while maintaining the quality of image based summaries.
Randomized trial of trauma-focused group therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder: results from a department of veterans affairs cooperative study.

BACKGROUND Department of Veterans Affairs Cooperative Study 420 is a randomized clinical trial of 2 methods of group psychotherapy for treating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in male Vietnam veterans. METHODS Vietnam veterans (360 men) were randomly assigned to receive trauma-focused group psychotherapy or a present-centered comparison treatment that avoided trauma focus. Treatment was provided weekly to groups of 6 members for 30 weeks, followed by 5 monthly booster sessions. Severity of PTSD was the primary outcome. Additional measures were other psychiatric symptoms, functional status, quality of life, physical health, and service utilization. Follow-up assessments were conducted at the end of treatment (7 months) and at the end of the booster sessions (12 months); 325 individuals participated in 1 or both assessments. Additional follow-up for PTSD severity was performed in a subset of participants at 18 and 24 months. RESULTS Although posttreatment assessments of PTSD severity and other measures were significantly improved from baseline, intention-to-treat analyses found no overall differences between therapy groups on any outcome. Analyses of data from participants who received an adequate dose of treatment suggested that trauma-focused group therapy reduced avoidance and numbing and, possibly, PTSD symptoms. Dropout from treatment was higher in trauma-focused group treatment. Average improvement was modest in both treatments, although approximately 40% of participants showed clinically significant change. CONCLUSIONS This study did not find a treatment effect for trauma-focused group therapy. The difference between the effectiveness and adequate dose findings suggests the possible value of methods to enhance the delivery of cognitive-behavioral treatments in clinical practice settings.
Internet-Based Visualization of Basin Boundaries for Three-Dimensional Dynamical Systems

One a pplication of surface-oriented visualization of volume data is the c onstruction of surfaces between two different regions of the volume (e.g. iso-surfaces). For some a pplications, a binary subdivision of the volume is not sufficient, for instance for the representation of basin boundaries in the phase space of dynamical systems. Basins describe regions with the same long-time behaviour. An extension of the known Marching Cubes algorithm is introduced, which works both with binary and g enerally classified (at least t hree different classifications within a ce ll) data sets. For faster surface c onstruction the original l ook-up table of the Marching Cubes algorithm i s used. The algorithm supports both progressive refinement of surfaces by binary subdivision of data cells and smooth transitions between models, which are differently refined. The adaptive subdivision depends on the local properties of the surface. Binary subdivision for refinement of regions leads to a coarse representation of the surface, therefore the vertices of the triangles are relocated after the surface construction depending on the classifications of adjacent cells, in order to smooth the surface.
Premotor Cortex Is Sensitive to Auditory–Visual Congruence for Biological Motion

The auditory and visual perception systems have developed special processing strategies for ecologically valid motion stimuli, utilizing some of the statistical properties of the real world. A well-known example is the perception of biological motion, for example, the perception of a human walker. The aim of the current study was to identify the cortical network involved in the integration of auditory and visual biological motion signals. We first determined the cortical regions of auditory and visual coactivation (Experiment 1); a conjunction analysis based on unimodal brain activations identified four regions: middle temporal area, inferior parietal lobule, ventral premotor cortex, and cerebellum. The brain activations arising from bimodal motion stimuli (Experiment 2) were then analyzed within these regions of coactivation. Auditory footsteps were presented concurrently with either an intact visual point-light walker (biological motion) or a scrambled point-light walker; auditory and visual motion in depth (walking direction) could either be congruent or incongruent. Our main finding is that motion incongruency (across modalities) increases the activity in the ventral premotor cortex, but only if the visual point-light walker is intact. Our results extend our current knowledge by providing new evidence consistent with the idea that the premotor area assimilates information across the auditory and visual modalities by comparing the incoming sensory input with an internal representation.
Silicon Nanoparticles More Efficiently Alleviate Arsenate Toxicity than Silicon in Maize Cultiver and Hybrid Differing in Arsenate Tolerance

Though role of silicon (Si) in alleviation of various abiotic stresses is well known; however, role of silicon nanoparticles (SiNp) in mitigation of abiotic stresses is still not known. Therefore, hydroponic experiments were conducted to investigate if SiNPs are more effective than Si in mitigation of arsenate (AsV; 25 and 50 µM) toxicity in maize cultivar and hybrid differing in AsV tolerance. Under AsV stress, reduction in growth was accompanied by enhanced level of As and oxidative stress. AsV inhibited activities of antioxidant enzymes like ascorbate peroxidase, glutathione reductase and dehydroascorbate reductase (except superoxide dismutase). The redox status of ascorbate and glutathione was disturbed by AsV as indicated by a steep decline in their reduced/oxidized ratios. However, addition of Si and SiNp ameliorates AsV toxicity in maize. Si and SiNp both could reduce AsV toxicity in maize cultivar and hybrid, which could be related with decreased accumulation of As and oxidative stress, and enhanced components of the ascorbate-glutathione cycle (AsA-GSH cycle). But lowering in the accumulation of As and oxidative stress markers, and enhancement in components of the AsA-GSH cycle was prominent in SiNp fed seedlings under AsV stress. The results also showed that SiNp are more effective in reducing AsV toxicity than Si, which is due to their greater availability to seedlings. Comparing responses of cultivar and hybrid, maize cultivar shows more resistance against AsV than hybrid.
Beyond the Radio: Illuminating the Higher Layers of Mobile Networks

Cellular network performance is often viewed as primarily dominated by the radio technology. However, reality proves more complex: mobile operators deploy and configure their networks in different ways, and sometimes establish network sharing agreements with other mobile carriers. Moreover, regulators have encouraged newer operational models such as Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) to promote competition. In this paper we draw upon data collected by the ICSI Netalyzr app for Android to characterize how operational decisions, such as network configurations, business models, and relationships between operators introduce diversity in service quality and affect user security and privacy. We delve in detail beyond the radio link and into network configuration and business relationships in six countries. We identify the widespread use of transparent middleboxes such as HTTP and DNS proxies, analyzing how they actively modify user traffic, compromise user privacy, and potentially undermine user security. In addition, we identify network sharing agreements between operators, highlighting the implications of roaming and characterizing the properties of MVNOs, including that a majority are simply rebranded versions of major operators. More broadly, our findings highlight the importance of considering higher-layer relationships when seeking to analyze mobile traffic in a sound fashion.
Multichannel Techniques for Motion Artifacts Removal from Electrocardiographic Signals

Electrocardiographic (ECG) signals are affected by several kinds of artifacts, that may hide vital signs of interest. Motion artifacts, due to the motion of the electrodes in relation to patient skin, are particularly frequent in bioelectrical signals acquired by wearable systems. In this paper we propose different approaches in order to get rid of motion confounds. The first approach we follow starts from measuring electrode motion provided by an accelerometer placed on the electrode and use this measurement in an adaptive filtering system to remove the noise present in the ECG. The second approach is based on independent component analysis methods applied to multichannel ECG recordings; we propose to use both instantaneous model and a frequency domain implementation of the convolutive model that accounts for different paths of the source signals to the electrodes
Ubiquitous learning environment: An adaptive teaching system using ubiquitous technology

Education has undergone major changes in recent years, with the development of digital information transfer, storage and communication methods having a significant effect. This development has allowed for access to global communications and the number of resources available to today's students at all levels of schooling. After the initial impact of computers and their applications in education, the introduction of e-learning and m-learning epitomised the constant transformations that were occurring in education. Now, the assimilation of ubiquitous computing in education marks another great step forward, with Ubiquitous Learning (u-learning) emerging through the concept of ubiquitous computing. It is reported to be both pervasive and persistent, allowing students to access education flexibly, calmly and seamlessly. U-learning has the potential to revolutionise education and remove many of the physical constraints of traditional learning. Furthermore, the integration of adaptive learning with ubiquitous computing and u-learning may offer great innovation in the delivery of education, allowing for personalisation and customisation to student needs.
Special gender issues in psychiatry

Abstract: Significant gender differences exist in the course, manifestation and treatment of mental illness. Regardless of specific diagnosis age is one of the key factors in gender differences. Such differences between the sexes exist not only concerning origin and perpetuation of specific psychiatric diseases, they are also available and notable in specific fields of pharmacological and psychotherapeutically treatment. That review should sensitize clinicians for their responsibility to provide individualized, optimally effective, gender-specific care to patients suffering from mental diseases in some special topics. It should be a short overview considering some important gender details illustrated in concern with the epidemiological background, the symptoms and general used psychiatric treatment strategies of some frequent psychiatric diagnoses.
Remaking the Guatemalan Midwife: Health Care Reform and Midwifery Training Programs in Highland Guatemala

Midwifery practice and identity in Guatemala is constantly being transformed because midwives must negotiate their practices in response to changing international and national health care agendas and processes. Recently, the Guatemalan government implemented the Sistema Integral de Atención en Salud (SIAS). Framed by neoliberal processes and global reproductive health paradigms, SIAS is designed to attain the reproductive health goals outlined in the 1996 Peace Accords by reducing maternal and infant mortality rates. As the primary birthing specialists in rural areas, midwives are essential to this task. A central focus of SIAS is incorporating midwives into the national health care system through midwifery training programs. Drawing on observations of midwifery training programs and interviews with midwives in the municipality of San Martín Jilotepeque, I argue that the incorporation of midwives into SIAS is redefining the position by establishing a new model of recruitment to the role, education, and practice and authority.
Spectroscopic investigation of the far-infrared properties of liquid crystals

Liquid crystals are one of the most promising base materials for switchable devices at THz frequencies. Therefore, a precise understanding of the optical parameters is crucial. Here, we present the refractive indices and absorption coefficients for 5 CB and an isothiocyanate terminated liquid crystal over a broad frequency range from 0.3 THz to 15 THz.
Hybridization can facilitate species invasions, even without enhancing local adaptation

Significance Species colonizations frequently occur in regions already occupied by other species of the same genus, or by other genotypes of the same species. When hybrid genotypes become more invasive than their parents, improved local adaptation is inevitably assumed. Here, we show that there is another way that hybridization could facilitate invasions, by temporarily overcoming pollen limitation when populations are small. We verify this conclusion using two contemporary sequential invaders, a plant analog of the Neanderthal–modern human system. Our findings indicate that it may be misleading to assume that all cases of invasive hybrids result from enhanced phenotypic suitability. Our hypothesis may be even more relevant to animal species because, unlike plants, animals can rarely escape mate limitation by self-fertilization. The founding population in most new species introductions, or at the leading edge of an ongoing invasion, is likely to be small. Severe Allee effects—reductions in individual fitness at low population density—may then result in a failure of the species to colonize, even if the habitat could support a much larger population. Using a simulation model for plant populations that incorporates demography, mating systems, quantitative genetics, and pollinators, we show that Allee effects can potentially be overcome by transient hybridization with a resident species or an earlier colonizer. This mechanism does not require the invocation of adaptive changes usually attributed to invasions following hybridization. We verify our result in a case study of sequential invasions by two plant species where the outcrosser Cakile maritima has replaced an earlier, inbreeding, colonizer Cakile edentula (Brassicaceae). Observed historical rates of replacement are consistent with model predictions from hybrid-alleviated Allee effects in outcrossers, although other causes cannot be ruled out.
Sleep disturbance in family caregivers of children who depend on medical technology: A systematic review.

PURPOSE Society relies on family caregivers of children who depend on medical technology (e.g. mechanical ventilation), to provide highly skilled and vigilant care in their homes 24 hours per day. Sleep disturbance is among the most common complaints of these caregivers. The purpose of this review is to systematically examine studies reporting on sleep outcomes in family caregivers of technology dependent children. METHODS All relevant databases were systematically searched: MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and CINAHL. Given the heterogeneity of the studies, a qualitative analysis was completed and thus results of this review are presented as a narrative. RESULTS Thirteen studies were retrieved that met eligibility criteria for inclusion. All of the studies reported on family caregivers of children with medical complexity living at home. Moreover, all of the studies relied entirely on self-report, not objective sleep measures. No intervention studies were found. Sleep disturbance was found to be common (51-100%) along with caregiver reports of poor sleep quality. Sleep quantity was seldom measured, but was found in the few studies that did, to be approximately 6 hours, or less than recommendations for optimal health and daytime function. Multiple caregiver, child and environmental factors were also identified that may negatively influence caregiver sleep, health and daytime function. CONCLUSION Findings of this review suggest that family caregivers of children with medical complexity who depend on medical technology achieve poor sleep quality and quantity that may place them at risk of the negative consequences of sleep deprivation. Recommendations for practice include that health care providers routinely assess for sleep disturbance in this vulnerable population. The review also suggests that studies using objective sleep measurement are needed to more fully characterize sleep and inform the development of targeted interventions to promote sleep in family caregivers of technology dependent children.
Improved HT Object Detection Algorithm Based on Canny Edge Operator

According to the problem of low positioning accuracy of the existing line detection algorithm and multiple response problem of the single edge detection, this paper presents an improved Hough transform based on Canny operator object detection algorithm which uses the characters of the line segment object from the commonly used edge detection operator to find the best comprehensive properties of the operator. The algorithm can effectively remove the interference of noise, solved the calculation accuracy and computation speed between the optimal matching problems, and effectively solve the problem of multiple peak detection and false peak problem, improve the line segment detection robustness. Experimental results show the algorithm robustness to image noise has been improved, can get the better results.
SUGAR TRANSPORT IN A PSYCHROPHILIC YEAST

Cirillo, Vincent P. (Seton Hall College of Medicine and Dentistry, Jersey City, N.J.), Peter O. Wilkins, and Joseph Anton. Sugar transport in a psychrophilic yeast. J. Bacteriol. 86:1259–1264. 1963. —The mechanism and temperature characteristic for sugar transport were compared in a psychrophilic and a mesophilic yeast. Between 0 and 10 C, glucose utilization, glucosamine accumulation, and sorbose transport showed a very high temperature characteristic in the mesophile (μ = 50,000) compared with the psychrophile (μ = 12,000). Hexokinase activity in cell-free extracts from both yeasts, however, showed the same low temperature characteristic (μ = 15,000). Although the temperature characteristic for sugar transport was markedly different for the mesophile and the psychrophile, sugar transport in both yeasts met the criteria for carrier-mediated facilitated diffusion.
The impact of Miocene atmospheric carbon dioxide fluctuations on climate and the evolution of terrestrial ecosystems

The Miocene is characterized by a series of key climatic events that led to the founding of the late Cenozoic icehouse mode and the dawn of modern biota. The processes that caused these developments, and particularly the role of atmospheric CO2 as a forcing factor, are poorly understood. Here we present a CO2 record based on stomatal frequency data from multiple tree species. Our data show striking CO2 fluctuations of ≈600–300 parts per million by volume (ppmv). Periods of low CO2 are contemporaneous with major glaciations, whereas elevated CO2 of 500 ppmv coincides with the climatic optimum in the Miocene. Our data point to a long-term coupling between atmospheric CO2 and climate. Major changes in Miocene terrestrial ecosystems, such as the expansion of grasslands and radiations among terrestrial herbivores such as horses, can be linked to these marked fluctuations in CO2.
MacWilliams' Identity for metrics determined by directed graphs

Considering metrics based on finite directed graph, introduced by Etzion and Firer, we characterize the graphs such that every linear code admits a G-canonical decomposition. This decomposition will play an important role in this work, since it will be the main tool to give a sufficient condition for a finite directed graph to satisfy both the MacWilliams Identity and the MacWilliams Extension Property.
A General Sixth Order Geometric Partial Differential Equation and Its Application in Surface Modeling ?

In computer aided geometric design and computer graphics, high quality fair surfaces with G2 smoothness are sometimes required. In this paper we derive a general sixth order geometric partial differential equation from minimizing a curvature integral functional. The obtained equation is used to solve several surface modeling problems such as free-form surface design, surface blending and N-side hole filling, with G2 boundary constraints. We solve the equation numerically using a generalized divided difference method, where a quadratic fitting scheme is adopted to discretize several used geometric differential operators consistently. The experiments show that the proposed method is efficient and yields high quality surfaces.