Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Modified Directional Weighted Median Filter using second order difference based detection for impulse noise removal

This paper proposes a method for impulse noise removal using a Modified Directional Weighted Median Filter (MDWM). The proposed approach has two phases. In the first phase, corrupted pixels are identified using second order difference based detector. In the second phase, MDWM is applied to remove noise. MDWM is an improved directional weighted median filter, which replaces only the corrupted pixels in the image, leaving uncorrupted pixels unchanged. The corrupted pixel is replaced by the median of the pixel values in all the four main directions in a window. These pixels are associated with a weight value for median calculation. Here, maximum weights are assigned to the pixels in the direction with minimum deviation. The proposed method had been tested on benchmark images. Experimental results show the superiority of the proposed method in terms of PSNR, IEF, SSIM and IQI for a few iterations.
A Model of Functional Brain Connectivity and Background Noise as a Biomarker for Cognitive Phenotypes: Application to Autism

We present an efficient approach to discriminate between typical and atypical brains from macroscopic neural dynamics recorded as magnetoencephalograms (MEG). Our approach is based on the fact that spontaneous brain activity can be accurately described with stochastic dynamics, as a multivariate Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process (mOUP). By fitting the data to a mOUP we obtain: 1) the functional connectivity matrix, corresponding to the drift operator, and 2) the traces of background stochastic activity (noise) driving the brain. We applied this method to investigate functional connectivity and background noise in juvenile patients (n = 9) with Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and compared them to age-matched juvenile control subjects (n = 10). Our analysis reveals significant alterations in both functional brain connectivity and background noise in ASD patients. The dominant connectivity change in ASD relative to control shows enhanced functional excitation from occipital to frontal areas along a parasagittal axis. Background noise in ASD patients is spatially correlated over wide areas, as opposed to control, where areas driven by correlated noise form smaller patches. An analysis of the spatial complexity reveals that it is significantly lower in ASD subjects. Although the detailed physiological mechanisms underlying these alterations cannot be determined from macroscopic brain recordings, we speculate that enhanced occipital-frontal excitation may result from changes in white matter density in ASD, as suggested in previous studies. We also venture that long-range spatial correlations in the background noise may result from less specificity (or more promiscuity) of thalamo-cortical projections. All the calculations involved in our analysis are highly efficient and outperform other algorithms to discriminate typical and atypical brains with a comparable level of accuracy. Altogether our results demonstrate a promising potential of our approach as an efficient biomarker for altered brain dynamics associated with a cognitive phenotype.
Evolutionary Multiobjective Optimization: A Sho rt Survey of the State-of-the-art

Many r eal-life problems have a natural representation in the framework of multiobjective optimization. Evolutionary algorithms are generally considered one of the most successful methods for solving the multiobjective optimization problems. In this paper we present state-of-the-art multiobjective evolutionary algorithms and briefly discuss their advantages and disadvantages. In the last section we suggest some possibilities for future research in this area.
RECURSOS INFORMACIONAIS E A ATUAÇÃO DOS PROFISSIONAIS NO MERCADO DE COMUNICAÇÃO DIGITAL

Para se manterem competitivos, gerando solucoes menos onerosas e que estejam em consonância com as expectativas de seus stakeholders, os publicitarios que atuam com marketing digital buscam informacoes em publicacoes especificas da area. No entanto, ha ainda a necessidade de entender como esses profissionais avaliam os recursos informacionais. Sob a luz da Visao Baseada em Recursos (VBR) e entendendo a importância de legitimidade organizacional, objetivou-se entender como os recursos informacionais, tais como publicacoes especializadas, sao utilizados nas empresas para conferi-las vantagem competitiva. Para isso, foram realizadas entrevistas estruturadas com quinze publicitarios de marketing digital de medias e grandes agencias do Parana com atuacao local e nacional. Ademais, foi realizado um estudo do conteudo e uma analise especifica da relevância do relatorio The SoDA Report, concluindo que seu valor esta ligado a questao da legitimidade que ele confere as agencias que os utilizam. A fim de analisar as informacoes contidas nas publicacoes, considerou-se o quanto elas sao valiosas, raras, inimitaveis e organizacionalmente exploraveis (VRIO). Enfim, foi identificado que esses recursos informacionais atendem ao criterio VRIO a medida que derivem de uma fonte confiavel e que sejam relevantes. Esse artigo amplia a literatura da VBR ao mostrar em que medida os recursos informacionais sao valorizados, principalmente ao conferir legitimidade, o que e indispensavel em um mercado dinâmico.
Terry Smith Free-Hand 3D Reconstruction in Real-Time Pin # 1234567 Research Proposal My Recent Progress in Research Activities Related to the Proposal

I have extensive experience in image-based methods for scene reconstruction. Prior to my employment at UBC, my doctoral and post-doctoral work has been heavily focused on the areas of image-based representation of objects, imaged-based reconstruction of geometry from image data, and virtual and augmented reality. In the area of image-based modeling, I have been working with voxel coloring techniques, stereo correspondence algorithms, and visual hull shading techniques. My experience in virtual and augmented reality systems stem from my time as a consultant for Zaxel Systems Incorporated, a pioneering company in the area of virtual reality systems. During the summer of ’02, I also had the privilege of working with the creators of the ARToolkit – a software library for creating augmented reality applications – at the University of Washington’s Human Interface Technology Lab. I have also taught graduatelevel courses on image-based techniques in computer graphics at Stony Brook University in New York. My publications include an accepted submission to SIGGRAPH ’01. I believe that my combined experience allow me to contribute novel insight into the field of computer graphics, part icularly in the areas of image-based techniques, and virtual and augmented reality.
Hemispheric contributions for processing pitch and speech rate cues to emotion: fMRI data

To determine the neural mechanisms involved in vocal emotion processing, the current study employed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the neural structures engaged in processing acoustic cues to infer emotional meaning. Two critical acoustic cues – pitch and speech rate – were systematically manipulated and presented in a discrimination task. Results confirmed that a bilateral network constituting frontal and temporal regions is engaged when discriminating vocal emotion expressions; however, we observed greater sensitivity to pitch cues in the right mid superior temporal gyrus/sulcus (STG/STS), whereas activation in both left and right mid STG/STS was observed for speech rate processing.
Robust Digital Image Watermarking Based on Video Wavelet Transform

In this paper, we introduce a 3D wavelet transform based robust watermark casting scheme against shearing attack for digital images. Based on the characteristics of the image theory and human visual system, the proposed method make use of the there-dimensional video wavelet transform to split the image to a sense of image videos and the watermark is adaptively weighed to the different positions of the middle frequency region. The method makes use of the characteristics of image two-dimensional wavelet transform and the person's sense of vision and shows excellent advantage against shearing attack. The method could show the watermark clearly when half of the image has been cut. Experimental results show this method excellent robustness for image shearing. The goal of this paper is to achieve robust digital image watermark against shearing. The algorithm achieves the robustness to the shearing attacks.
Automatic Arabic Text Clustering using K-means and K-mediods

In this study we have implemented the Kmeans and Kmediods algorithms in order to make a practical comparison between them. The system was tested using a manual set of clusters that consists from 242 predefined clustering documents. The results showed a good indication about using them especially for Kmediods. The average precision and recall for Kmeans compared with Kmediods are 0. 56, 0. 52, 0. 69 and 0. 60 respectively. we have also extract feature set of keywords in order to improve the performance, the result illustrates that two algorithms can be applied to Arabic text, a sufficient number of examples for each category, the selection of the feature space, the training data set used and the value of K can enormously affect the accuracy of clustering
A novel five-level SPWM Inverter system for dual-fed induction motor drive

In this paper, a new five-level inverter system for dual-fed induction motor drive is described. The dual-fed structure is realized by opening the neutral-point of the conventional squirrel cage induction motor. The five-level inversion is obtained by feeding the dual-fed induction motor with four-level inverter from one end and two-level inverter from the other end. The four-level inverter used in this proposed topology is obtained by connecting three 2-level inverters with equal DC link voltage in cascade. This inverter scheme does not experience neutral point fluctuations and uses a lesser number of DC sources compared to the series H-bridge topology. A multilevel carrier based Sinusoidal Pulse Width Modulation is implemented for the proposed drive where a progressive discrete DC bias depending upon the speed range is given to the reference wave to reduce the inverter switchings.
Seasonal Patterns of Fine Root Production and Turnover in a Mature Rubber Tree (Hevea brasiliensis Müll. Arg.) Stand- Differentiation with Soil Depth and Implications for Soil Carbon Stocks

Fine root dynamics is a main driver of soil carbon stocks, particularly in tropical forests, yet major uncertainties still surround estimates of fine root production and turnover. This lack of knowledge is largely due to the fact that studying root dynamics in situ, particularly deep in the soil, remains highly challenging. We explored the interactions between fine root dynamics, soil depth, and rainfall in mature rubber trees (Hevea brasiliensis Müll. Arg.) exposed to sub-optimal edaphic and climatic conditions. A root observation access well was installed in northern Thailand to monitor root dynamics along a 4.5 m deep soil profile. Image-based measurements of root elongation and lifespan of individual roots were carried out at monthly intervals over 3 years. Soil depth was found to have a significant effect on root turnover. Surprisingly, root turnover increased with soil depth and root half-life was 16, 6–8, and only 4 months at 0.5, 1.0, 2.5, and 3.0 m deep, respectively (with the exception of roots at 4.5 m which had a half-life similar to that found between depths of 1.0 and 2.5 m). Within the first two meters of the soil profile, the highest rates of root emergence occurred about 3 months after the onset of the rainy season, while deeper in the soil, root emergence was not linked to the rainfall pattern. Root emergence was limited during leaf flushing (between March and May), particularly within the first two meters of the profile. Between soil depths of 0.5 and 2.0 m, root mortality appeared independent of variations in root emergence, but below 2.0 m, peaks in root emergence and death were synchronized. Shallow parts of the root system were more responsive to rainfall than their deeper counterparts. Increased root emergence in deep soil toward the onset of the dry season could correspond to a drought acclimation mechanism, with the relative importance of deep water capture increasing once rainfall ceased. The considerable soil depth regularly explored by fine roots, even though significantly less than in surface layers in terms of root length density and biomass, will impact strongly the evaluation of soil carbon stocks.
Views from Inside the Net: How Websites Affect Young Adults' Political Interest

We use multiple methods to examine how individual websites affect political interest (i.e., citizens’ willingness to pay attention to politics at the expense of other endeavors). Our model clarifies necessary conditions for a website to increase political interest. A survey then reveals age-related and site-specific interest changes that are consistent with the model's logic. Respondents of all ages report greater political interest after viewing sites that they rate as effective and efficient than they do after viewing other sites. Age-related interest effects occur because young and old disagree about which sites have these desired attributes. This work makes two contributions: our methods offer a template for understanding the influence of participatory appeals while our finding can help political entrepreneurs engage young adults more effectively.
Performance Comparision of Wavelet Threshold Estimators for ECG Signal Denoising

In recent years ECG signal plays an important role in the primary diagnosis and survival analysis of heart diseases. The presence of parasite interference signals could cause serious problems in the registration of the ECG signals. In recent years wavelet thresholding becomes most preferred technique for the removal of these noises. However, the critical problem is computation of proper threshold value. A number of threshold estimators are proposed in the literature. In this paper, we have evaluated the performance of some of the most promising threshold estimators for the denoising of ECG signal.
The wisdom of ignorant crowds: Predicting sport outcomes by mere recognition

The collective recognition heuristic is a simple forecasting heuristic that bets on the fact that people’s recognition knowledge of names is a proxy for their competitiveness: In sports, it predicts that the better-known team or player wins a game. We present two studies on the predictive power of recognition in forecasting soccer games (World Cup 2006 and UEFA Euro 2008) and analyze previously published results. The performance of the collective recognition heuristic is compared to two benchmarks: predictions based on official rankings and aggregated betting odds. Across three soccer and two tennis tournaments, the predictions based on recognition performed similar to those based on rankings; when compared with betting odds, the heuristic fared reasonably well. Forecasts based on rankings—but not on betting odds—were improved by incorporating collective recognition information. We discuss the use of recognition for forecasting in sports and conclude that aggregating across individual ignorance spawns collective wisdom.
Impact of a children's health insurance program on newly enrolled children.

CONTEXT Although there is considerable interest in decreasing the number of US children who do not have health insurance, there is little information on the effect that health insurance has on children and their families. OBJECTIVE To determine the impact of children's health insurance programs on access to health care and on other aspects of the lives of the children and their families. DESIGN A before-after design with a control group. The families of newly enrolled children were interviewed by telephone using an identical survey instrument at baseline, at 6 months, and at 12 months after enrollment into the program. A second group of families of newly enrolled children were interviewed 12 months after the initial interviews to form a comparison sample. SETTING The 29 counties of western Pennsylvania, an area with a population of 4.1 million people. SUBJECTS A total of 887 families of newly enrolled children were randomly selected to be interviewed; 88.3% agreed to participate. Of these, 659 (84%) responded to all 3 interviews. The study population consists of 1031 newly enrolled children. The children were further classified into those who were continuously enrolled in the programs. The 330 comparison families had 460 newly enrolled children. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The following access measures were examined: whether the child had a usual source of medical or dental care; the number of physician visits, emergency department visits, and dentist visits; and whether the child had experienced unmet need, delayed care, or both for 6 types of care. Other indicators were restrictions on the child's usual activities and the impact of being insured or uninsured on the families. RESULTS Access to health care services after enrollment in the program improved: at 12 months after enrollment, 99% of the children had a regular source of medical care, and 85% had a regular dentist, up from 89% and 60%, respectively, at baseline. The proportion of children reporting any unmet need or delayed care in the past 6 months decreased from 57% at baseline to 16% at 12 months. The proportion of children seeing a physician increased from 59% to 64%, while the proportion visiting an emergency department decreased from 22% to 17%. Since the comparison children were similar to the newly enrolled children at enrollment into the insurance programs, these findings can be attributed to the program. Restrictions on childhood activities because of lack of health insurance were eliminated. Parents reported that having health insurance reduced the amount of family stress, enabled children to get the care they needed, and eased family burdens. CONCLUSIONS Extending health insurance to uninsured children had a major positive impact on children and their families. In western Pennsylvania, health insurance did not lead to excessive utilization but to more appropriate utilization.
Affect Recognition in Learning Scenarios: Matching Facial- and BCI-Based Values

The ability of a learning system to infer a student's affects has become highly relevant to be able to adjust its pedagogical strategies. Several methods have been used to infer affects. One of the most recognized for its reliability is face-based affect recognition. Another emerging one involves the use of brain-computer interfaces. In this paper we compare those strategies and explore if, to a great extent, it is possible to infer the values of one source from the other source.
An Evaluation of Behavioral Skills Training On the Implementation of Peer-Mediated Discrete Trial Training

ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . iii DEDICATION . iv LIST OF TABLES . viii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS . ix CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION . 1 Discrete Trial Training . 3 Behavioral Skills Training . 6 DTT in School Settings . 9 Peer-mediated Interventions . 13 Peer-mediated DTT . 19 Purpose of the Present Study . 21 Research Questions . 21 CHAPTER II METHOD . 23 Participants and Setting. 23 Materials . 24 DTT Training Protocol . 24 Behavior Intervention Rating Scale (BIRS) . 25 Acceptance Scale for Kindergartners (ASK) . 25 vi Dependent Measures . 26 Intervention Integrity . 26 Correct/Independent Responding. 27 Interobserver Agreement (IOA) . 28 Procedural Integrity . 29 Experimental Design . 30 Multiple Stimulus Without Replacement (MSWO) . 30 Baseline . 32 Intervention . 33 Generalization Probes . 33 Data Analysis . 34 CHAPTER III RESULTS . 36 Effects of behavioral skills training on intervention integrity . 36 Intervention Integrity, Gwen . 37 Intervention Integrity, Adrianne . 37 Intervention Integrity, Tony . 38 Effects of peer-mediated DTT on correct/independent responding . 40 Correct/independent responding, Tom. 40 Treatment Acceptability. 43 Acceptance of Students with Disabilities . 44 vii CHAPTER IV – DISCUSSION. 45 Limitations . 49 Conclusion . 51 APPENDIX A – PARENTAL PERMISSION DOCUMENT 1 . 53 APPENDIX B – ASSENT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY . 59 APPENDIX C – PARENTAL PERMISSION DOCUMENT 2 . 62 APPENDIX D – PEER TUTORING PROTOCOL . 68 APPENDIX E – BEHAVIORAL SKILLS TRAINING PROCEDURAL INTEGRITY FORM . 70 APPENDIX F – PEER TUTORING DATA SHEET . 71 APPENDIX G – DISCRETE TRIAL TEACHING EVALUATION RATING FORM . 72 APPENDIX H – BEHAVIOR INTERVENTION RATING SCALE (BIRS) . 73 APPENDIX I – ACCEPTANCE SCALE FOR KINDERGARTNERS (ASK) . 79 APPENDIX J – IRB Approval Letter . 81 REFERENCES . 82
Intervening to Strengthen Intimate Relationships: Moderators and Mediators in Three Randomized Controlled Trials

Author(s): Williamson, Hannah Camille | Advisor(s): Bradbury, Thomas N | Abstract: Although intimate relationships are a rewarding experience for many, others struggle to maintain healthy and lasting partnerships. This is especially true of couples living with low-incomes, who experience adverse relationship outcomes, such as divorce and dissatisfaction, at a disproportionate rate. Despite the need for effective interventions to prevent negative outcomes for lower-income couples and their families, the existing literature is equivocal on the most effective ways to intervene. Using data taken from three randomized controlled trials, the three studies in this dissertation project serve to test existing models of intervention, focusing on enhancing our knowledge of how these interventions operate and for whom they work best. Study 1 examines whether intervention effects vary systematically as a function of risk in three theoretically distinct preventive programs. Results indicate that treatment effects varied as a function of risk, and more so with variables capturing relational risk factors than individual risk factors. High-risk couples (e.g., couples with lower levels of baseline commitment and satisfaction) tended to decline less rapidly in satisfaction than low-risk couples following treatment. Study 2 examines whether intervention effects on relationship satisfaction are mediated by observational assessments of relationship communication and whether any such effects are moderated by couples’ pretreatment risk. Results indicate that couples who received the intervention reported higher average satisfaction at 30 months than control couples, regardless of their level of pretreatment risk, but only higher risk couples experienced an improvement in observed communication. Contrary to prediction, treatment effects on satisfaction were not mediated by improvements in communication. Finally, Study 3 examines the effects of job-related and school-related interventions on 3-year marriage rates, and whether relational or financial factors mediate this effect. Results indicate that marriage rates decreased, from 17% to 10%, among couples in which men participated in school-related interventions. Mediation analyses indicate that school-related interventions reduce the amount of time men spend with their child and the amount of money they contribute to their household, reducing marriage rates in turn. Together, these studies help refine our understanding of how to best improve relationship outcomes through preventive programs.