Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
VHDL description of a synthetizable and reconfigurable real-time stereo vision processor

This paper describes a reconfigurable digital architecture to compute dense disparity maps at video-rate for stereo vision. The processor architecture is described in synthetizable VHDL and, by means of the reconfigurability, the hardware requirements are optimized for different image resolutions and matching scenarios. To have a configurable description of a stereo processor provides the entity to design hardware stereo matching systems, implementing by incremental design disparity consistence algorithms, multi-stereo correlations or multi-scale algorithms. The results of the hardware synthesis of this code have being implemented in several reconfigurable devices. We show the results of the synthesis and its implementation cost in logic elements and delays.
An ancestral axial twist explains the contralateral forebrain and the optic chiasm in vertebrates

Among the best-known facts of the brain are the contralateral visual, auditory, sensational, and motor mappings in the forebrain. How and why did these evolve? The few theories to this question provide functional answers, such as better networks for visuomotor control. However, these theories contradict the data, as discussed here. Instead we propose that a 90-deg turn on the left side evolved in a common ancestor of all vertebrates. Compensatory migrations of the tissues during development restore body symmetry. Eyes, nostrils and forebrain compensate in the direction of the turn, whereas more caudal structures migrate in the opposite direction. As a result of these opposite migrations the forebrain becomes crossed and inverted with respect to the rest of the nervous system. We show that such compensatory migratory movements can indeed be observed in the zebrafish (Danio rerio) and the chick (Gallus gallus). With a model we show how the axial twist hypothesis predicts that an optic chiasm should develop on the ventral side of the brain, whereas the olfactory tract should be uncrossed. In addition, the hypothesis explains the decussation of the trochlear nerve, why olfaction is non-crossed, why the cerebellar hemispheres represent the ipsilateral bodyside, why in sharks the forebrain halves each represent the ipsilateral eye, why the heart and other inner organs are asymmetric in the body. Due to the poor fossil record, the possible evolutionary scenarios remain speculative. Molecular evidence does support the hypothesis. The findings may shed new insight on the problematic structure of the forebrain.
Merchants' Replies to Customer Reviews in Online Malls: The Role of Positive Reviews

It is common to see merchants reply to customer reviews in online malls. While extant research generally investigates the effects of merchants’ replies to negative reviews, the role of positive reviews remains a rather neglected factor in extant studies. In order to better reflect the real conditions in online malls, this study examines the role of positive reviews in the context of merchants’ online review response in two aspects. Firstly, we examine whether responding to positive reviews influences merchants’ sales by using the panel data collected from taobao.com. Secondly, little attention has been paid to whether the exhibition of positive reviews influences the effectiveness of merchants’ responses to negative reviews. Our study extends extant studies by introducing the moderating effect of the percentage of positive reviews. The exhibition of positive reviews is closely related to the generation of positive word-of-mouth and a high percentage of positive reviews can improve customers’ perceived credibility of the merchant. Therefore, if merchants gain a high degree of consumers’ trust, their responses are generally more effective and influence the sales more significantly.
BEST PRACTICE No 185 Cytological and molecular diagnosis of lymphoma

With the advances in molecular pathology, the cell as a morphological and functional unit has become essential in the diagnosis of lymphoma. Conventional staining, preparation, and interpretation of cells, as seen in fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC), often used as a first line investigation of lymphadenopathy, is being supplemented with an array of immunocytochemical and molecular analyses, aimed not only at a more precise disease definition, but also at recognising factors that can predict prognosis and response to treatment. Accepting the pitfalls of conventional cytomorphology, this review looks at molecular changes characteristic to particular lymphomas and explores the currently available technology for their detection, with particular reference to cytological material. Future protocols for the diagnosis and management of patients with lymphadenopathy should include FNAC as an initial investigation, followed by immunocytochemistry and molecular investigations. Tissue biopsy, the conventional method of diagnosis, may be avoided in selected cases.
Measuring data warehousing success: an empirical investigation applying the DeLone and McLean model

The purpose of this study is to examine the factors that affect data warehousing success. The DeLone and McLean (1992) original model has been used as a backbone to construct an evaluation instrument which has been operationalised using data warehousing and IS success literature review and an exploratory case study conducted in a large European financial company. Two contextual variables: user participation and user involvement are introduced in the model and their roles on individual impacts of the data warehouse are tested. Our results confirm the determining power of information quality and user satisfaction as antecedents to the system use. Concerning the roles played by the contextual factors, only the direct effect of user involvement on individual impacts is supported.
Adaptive robust speech processing based on acoustic noise estimation and classification

The paper presents an adaptive system for speech signal processing in the presence of loud background noise. The validity of the approach is confirmed by implementing a classification system for voiced and unvoiced (V/UV) speech frames. Genetic algorithms were used to select the parameters that offer the best V/UV classification in the presence of 4 different types of background noise and with 5 different SNRs. 20 neural network-based classification systems were then implemented, chosen dynamically frame by frame according to the output of a background noise recognition system and an SNR estimation system. The system was implemented and the tests performed using the TIMIT speech corpus and its phonetic classification. The results were compared with a non-adaptive classification system and the 3 V/UV detectors adopted by three important: LPClO, ITU-T G. 723.1 and ETSI AMR. In all cases the adaptive V/UV classifier clearly outperformed the others, confirming the validity of the adaptive approach
A Guide to Merleau-Ponty's Phenomenology of Perception

This guide is based upon the belief that the best source for discovering what Merleau-Ponty has to say is what he, himself, says. But the European style of writing and the dialectical form of argument present major obstacles for the first time reader of this book. This guide attempts to overcome these problems by providing the reader with the necessary background, explanations of how the chapters of the book fit together, maps of the structure of the arguments of each chapter, a glossary of technical philosophical and psychological terms, and a useful bibliography. These things do not replace nor are they an alternative to reading the Phenomenology of Perception. However, A Guide to Merleau-Ponty's Phenomenology of Perception, aims to provide the first time reader with the basic tools necessary for reading this important work.
Effect of dutasteride on the risk of prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND We conducted a study to determine whether dutasteride reduces the risk of incident prostate cancer, as detected on biopsy, among men who are at increased risk for the disease. METHODS In this 4-year, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study, we compared dutasteride, at a dose of 0.5 mg daily, with placebo. Men were eligible for inclusion in the study if they were 50 to 75 years of age, had a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level of 2.5 to 10.0 ng per milliliter, and had had one negative prostate biopsy (6 to 12 cores) within 6 months before enrollment. Subjects underwent a 10-core transrectal ultrasound-guided biopsy at 2 and 4 years. RESULTS Among 6729 men who underwent a biopsy or prostate surgery, cancer was detected in 659 of the 3305 men in the dutasteride group, as compared with 858 of the 3424 men in the placebo group, representing a relative risk reduction with dutasteride of 22.8% (95% confidence interval, 15.2 to 29.8) over the 4-year study period (P<0.001). Overall, in years 1 through 4, among the 6706 men who underwent a needle biopsy, there were 220 tumors with a Gleason score of 7 to 10 among 3299 men in the dutasteride group and 233 among 3407 men in the placebo group (P=0.81). During years 3 and 4, there were 12 tumors with a Gleason score of 8 to 10 in the dutasteride group, as compared with only 1 in the placebo group (P=0.003). Dutasteride therapy, as compared with placebo, resulted in a reduction in the rate of acute urinary retention (1.6% vs. 6.7%, a 77.3% relative reduction). The incidence of adverse events was similar to that in studies of dutasteride therapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia, except that in our study, as compared with previous studies, the relative incidence of the composite category of cardiac failure was higher in the dutasteride group than in the placebo group (0.7% [30 men] vs. 0.4% [16 men], P=0.03). CONCLUSIONS Over the course of the 4-year study period, dutasteride reduced the risk of incident prostate cancer detected on biopsy and improved the outcomes related to benign prostatic hyperplasia. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00056407.)
Current Concepts in the Treatment of Sports Concussions.

The management of patients with sports-related concussion (SRC) is comprehensive and includes preseason planning, education, initial evaluation, postinjury assessment, disposition, return-to-play decisions, and consideration of long-term brain health. Several recent publications have addressed sports concussion management using the best available evidence, and we review them here. The diagnosis and management of sports concussion have evolved over the past several decades, and with a greater understanding of the importance of both short- and long-term sequelae, there has been a clear trend toward recognizing and treating these brain injuries more cautiously and developing a proactive approach to management and return-to-play decision making. Although each of these used different methodologies in their review of the literature, their conclusions are fairly consistent, providing basic guidelines for contemporary approaches to management of SRC. Although many questions remain unanswered, there are several areas of agreement including the importance of education, preseason assessment, the benefit and utility of a standardized multimodal assessment on the sidelines, individualized treatment and return-to-play protocols, and the benefit of a multidisciplinary team in managing complicated injuries. This paper reviews these current sports concussion guidelines and the best available evidence that guides current management of SRC.
Minimum-latency aggregation scheduling in multihop wireless networks

Minimum-latency aggregation schedule (MLAS) in synchronous multihop wireless networks seeks a shortest schedule for data aggregation subject to the interference constraint. In this paper, we study MLAS under the protocol interference model in which each node has a unit communication radius and an interference radius ρ ≥ 1. All known aggregation schedules assumed ρ = 1, and the best-known aggregation latency with ρ = 1 is 23<i>R</i> + Δ - 18 where <i>R</i> and Δ are the radius and maximum degree of the communication topology respectfully. In this paper, we first construct three aggregations schedules with ρ = 1 of latency 15<i>R</i> + Δ - 4, 2<i>R</i> + <i>O</i>(log <i>R</i>) + Δ and (1 + <i>O</i>(log <i>R</i>/3√<i>R</i>)) <i>R</i> + Δ respectively. Then, we obtain two aggregation schedules with ρ > 1 by expanding the first two aggregation schedules with ρ = 1. Both aggregation schedules with ρ > 1 have latency within constant factors of the minimum aggregation latency.
Maximum likelihood and lower bounds in system identification with non-Gaussian inputs

We consider the problem of estimating the parameters of an unknown discrete linear system driven by a sequence of independent identically distributed (i.i.d.) random variables whose probability density function (PDF) may be non-Gaussian. We assume a general system structure that may contain causal and noncausal poles and zeros. The parameters characterizing the input PDF may also be unknown. We derive an asymptotic expression for the Cramer-Rao lower bound, and show that it is the highest (worst) in the Gaussian case, indicating that the estimation accuracy can only be improved when the input PDF is non-Gaussian. It is further shown that the asymptotic error variance in estimating the system parameters is unaffected by lack of knowledge of the PDF parameters, and vice verse. Computationally efficient gradient-based algorithms for finding the maximum likelihood estimate of the unknown system and PDF parameters, which incorporate backward filtering for the identification of non-causal parameters, are presented. The dual problem of blind deconvolution/equalization is considered, and asymptotically attainable lower bounds on the equalization performance are derived. These bounds imply that it is preferable to work with compact equalizer structures characterized by a small number of parameters as the attainable performance depend only on the total number of equalizer parameters. >
ACTIVE FAULT TOLERANT CONTROL OF THE CONTINUOS-TIME SYSTEMS

Reformulated principle for designing the observer-based regonfiguration control in the continuos-time linear MIMO systems is treated in this paper. Based on the linear matrix inequalities the problem addressed can be indicated as the approach giving the sufficient conditions to design the stable estimator and controller with the on-line based fault estimation and accommodation support. The system model based numerical example is presented in the paper to illustrate properties of the proposed design method.
Analysis of Plug-in Hybrid Electrical Vehicle admission control in the smart grid

In the power grid, efficient coordination among electricity generation, transmission, distribution and consumption processes call for integration of the advances in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to the physical components of the grid. The need for coordination and control becomes even more pronounced when the additional loads of the Plug-In Hybrid Electrical Vehicles (PHEVs) are considered. PHEVs are anticipated to be widely adopted in the following years, and this will increase the load on the power grid since the batteries of the PHEVs will be charged mostly from the grid supplied power. In this case, avoiding mismatch between generation and consumption is one aspect of the problem, whereas to avoid overloading the distribution system components, e.g. transformers, is another equally important challenge. In this paper, we consider an architecture where the status of the grid is monitored by the utility and translated into an amount of provisioned energy for each distribution system serviced by a substation. The substation employs an admission control mechanism for the PHEV charge demands based on the provisioned energy amount. We provide the theoretical analysis of this admission control scheme by calculating the blocking probability of the PHEV demands. We also propose a mechanism to reduce the load without increasing the blocking probability. We introduce an activity factor in the model and show that it can be used to reduce the load. We show by theoretical analysis and simulations that our PHEV admission control mechanism decreases the overall load in the system, and hence increases the resilience of the smart grid. Meanwhile, we show that load reduction can be implemented without increasing the blocking probability, thus customer satisfaction is not degraded.
Treatment challenges and investigational opportunities in autoimmune hepatitis

New drugs and advances in molecular biology afford opportunities to upgrade the treatment of autoimmune hepatitis. The aims of this study were to define treatment problems, identify possible solutions, and stimulate investigations to improve patient care. A clinical subcommittee of the International Autoimmune Hepatitis Group reviewed current management difficulties and proposed corrective actions. The assessment of new front‐line and salvage therapies for adults and children were given top priority. Cyclosporine and mycophenolate mofetil were endorsed as drugs worthy of rigorous study in severe disease, and budesonide was endorsed for study as front‐line therapy in mild disease. Diagnostic criteria and treatment regimens for children required codification, and pharmacokinetic studies were encouraged to develop optimal dosing schedules based on therapeutic ranges. Collaborative efforts were proposed to help understand racial, geographical, and genetic factors affecting outcome and to establish definitions and therapies for variant syndromes and graft dysfunction after transplantation. The development of experimental animal models was deemed essential for the study of site‐specific molecular interventions, and gene therapy was endorsed as a means of bolstering reparative processes. In conclusion, evolving pharmacological and technical advances promise to improve the treatment of autoimmune hepatitis, and investigations of these advances are timely, feasible, and necessary. (HEPATOLOGY 2005;41:207–215.)
Novel insights into pancreatic β-cell glucolipotoxicity from real-time functional analysis of mitochondrial energy metabolism in INS-1 E insulinoma cells

High circulating glucose and non-esterified (free) fatty acid levels can cause pancreatic β-cell failure. The molecular mechanisms of this β-cell glucolipotoxicity are yet to be established conclusively. In the present paper we report on the involvement of mitochondrial dysfunction in fatty-acid-induced β-cell failure. We have used state-of-the-art extracellular flux technology to functionally probe mitochondrial energy metabolism in intact INS-1E insulinoma cells in real-time. We show that 24-h palmitate exposure at high glucose attenuates the glucosesensitivity of mitochondrial respiration and lowers coupling efficiency of glucose-stimulated oxidative phosphorylation. These mitochondrial defects coincide with an increased level of ROS (reactive oxygen species), impaired GSIS (glucose-stimulated insulin secretion) and decreased cell viability. Palmitate lowers absolute glucose-stimulated respiration coupled to ATP synthesis, but does not affect mitochondrial proton leak. Palmitate is not toxic when administered at low glucose unless fatty acid βoxidation is inhibited. Palmitoleate, on the other hand, does not affect mitochondrial respiration, ROS levels, GSIS or cell viability. Although palmitoleate protects against the palmitateinduced ROS increase and cell viability loss, it does not protect against respiratory and insulin secretory defects. We conclude that mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to fatty-acid-induced GSIS impairment, and that glucolipotoxic cell viability and GSIS phenotypes are mechanistically distinct.
Gender and emotion: An interdisciplinary perspective.

Contents: Chiara Fiorentini: Gender and Emotion Expression, Experience, Physiology and Well-Being: A Psychological Perspective - Ralph Erich Schmidt/Martial Van Der Linden: Gender and Impulsivity: A Psychopathological Perspective - Christian M. Brodbeck/Giorgia Silani: Gender and Social Emotions: A Review of the Neuroscientific Literature on Empathy and its Link to Psychopathy, Antisocial Behavior and Alexithymia - Tatjana Aue/Patrik Vuilleumier: Gender and the Affective Brain: Neuroscientific Perspectives - Gaetan Cousin/Marianne Schmid Mast: Gender and Nonverbal Expression of Emotions - Eva Ranehill/Anne Boschini: Gender Differences in Risk Aversions: The Role of Emotions - Raffaele Rodogno: Gender and Shame: A Philosophical Perspective - Delphine Eggel: Gender and Emotion: An Anthropological and Historico-Religious Approach (Mesopotamia, Egypt, Ancient Judaism, Greece, and Rome).
[K-ras mutation predictive significance in platinum based chemotherapeutic protocols in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer].

BACKGROUND/AIM K-ras oncogene is mutated in about 20% of lung cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate the predictive significance for therapeutic response of K-ras mutations in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. METHODS Bronchial aspirate samples were assessed prior to platinum-based chemotherapy start in 39 patients with stage IIIb or IV NSCLC. K-ras mutations at codons 12 and 13 were analyzed by single strand conformation polymorphisam (SSCP) and allele specific oligonucleozide hybridisation of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of the patient's DNA present in bronchial aspirate. After two cycles of chemotherapy the patients were subjected to response evaluation. RESULTS Of 39 patients 10 (25.5%) demonstrated K-ras mutations, while 29 (74.4%) patients had not. There were no significant differences between these two groups of patients with respect to baseline patient caracteristics. Partial response to the therapy had 16 (41%), no changes 14 (36%), and progressive disease 9 (23%) patients. There was a tendency to higher response rate for patients without K-ras mutations versus those with mutations, but not statistically significant (p = 0.14). CONCLUSION There was no significant predictive value for therapeutic response of K-ras mutations for advanced non-small cell lung cancer.
Poplar Lignin Decomposition by Gram-Negative Aerobic Bacteria

Eleven gram-negative aerobic bacteria (Pseudomonadaceae and Neisseriaceae) out of 122 soil isolates were selected for their ability to assimilate poplar dioxane lignin without a cosubstrate. Dioxane lignin and milled wood lignin degradation rates ranged between 20 and 40% of initial content after 7 days in mineral medium, as determined by a loss of absorbance at 280 nm; 10 strains could degrade in situ lignin, as evidenced by the decrease of the acetyl bromide lignin content of microtome wood sections. No degradation of wood polysaccharides was detected. Lignin biodegradation by Pseudomonas 106 was confirmed by 14CO2 release from labeled poplar wood, although in lower yields compared with results obtained through chemical analysis based on acetyl bromide residual lignin determination.
Visual odometry and scene matching integrated navigation system in UAV

Based on the real-time image sequence of airborne, a novel vision-based integrated navigation method of UAV which combined the relative and absolute navigation algorithms is proposed. Visual odometry is used as the relative algorithm in order to estimate the position of UAV by the derived homography matrix between two consecutive images. RANSAC algorithm is working to remove mismatching points. To eliminate the serious error accumulation of visual odometry and to improve the positioning accuracy and reliability, absolute method based on scene matching using FREAK descriptor is introduced and to build an integrated navigation system. By the data collected by semi-physical simulation software, the method is tested. The data indicates that the proposed method can achieve relatively high position accuracy and can act as an effective navigation method in UAV navigation system.