Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Color Management for VR Production

Virtual reality offers a new way of telling stories and engaging audiences. To create appealing content for this new imaging modality, content production and post-production workflows need to be adapted or completely rethought. One key aspect for ensuring image quality and preservation of the director's intent throughout the production workflow is color management. In this paper, we review color managed workflows for (post) production and explore the challenges that arise for ensuring color accuracy in VR. We focus on the display end of the imaging pipeline, presenting a workflow for characterizing and calibrating VR devices. Our workflow is evaluated on several key VR devices, allowing us to compare their display characteristics and calibration quality.
Mapping the self: challenges of insider research in a riot-affected city and strategies to improve data quality

Ethnic riots in India rarely lead to convictions of perpetrators and redress for victims. By implication, antagonisms prevail years after violence has ceased and victims often find themselves sharing everyday spaces with their attackers. The task of identifying the risk factors leading to ethnic violence as well as the nuances of coexistence for individuals ridden with memories of violence and prejudice is rife with methodological and ethical challenges. Concerns surrounding data quality are enhanced when the researcher is also an insider. In a study spanning 26 months (undertaken between 2010 and 2015), I examine the challenges of an insider researcher in the context of Hindu–Muslim violence that occurred in Gujarat in 2002, and offer techniques to improve data quality. Strategies include the cross-verification of sources within official data; interviewing respondents in group and individual settings to address the attitudinal fallacy; and employing respondent-empowered cognitive maps. I argue that visual data, such as cognitive maps, enable a better understanding of abstract social concepts and also facilitate a balance between distance and involvement for the insider researcher.
The 1998-1999 Pollino (Southern Apennines, Italy) seismic crisis: tomography of a sequence

In 1998-1999 a seismic sequence occurred in the Southern Apennines, after the moderate size (mb=5.0) 9th September 1998 Pollino earthquake. It lasted about 14 months and was clearly localized to the sole north-west area of the main shock epicenter. Its peculiarity consisted in sudden changes of activity from a series of normal faults with Apenninic (NW-SE) trend and transfer, presumably strike slip, faults with Antiapenninic (NE-SW) and E-W trend. The complexity of the behavior and the different orientations of the activated systems suggest that the area acts as a hinge between the NW-SE trending Southern Apennines and the locally N-S trending Calabrian Arc.
P12 -Out-of-plane Translatory MEMS Actuator with Extraordinary Large Stroke for Optical Path Length Modulation in Miniaturized FTIR Spectrometers

A translatory MOEMS actuator with extraordinary large stroke – especially developed for fast optical path length modulation in miniaturized FTIR-spectrometers is presen¬ted. A precise translational out-of-plane oscillation at 500 Hz with large stroke of up to 1.2 mm is realized by means of a new suspension design of the comparative large mirror plate with 19.6 mm2 aperture using four pantographs. The MOEMS device is driven electro statically resonant and is manufactured in a CMOS compatible SOI process. Up to ± 600 μm amplitude (typically 1mm stroke) has been measured in vacuum of 30 Pa and 50 V driving voltage for an optimized pantograph design enabling reduced gas damping and higher driving efficiency.
Efficient Ring-Opening Polymerization and Copolymerization of ε-Caprolactone and ω-Pentadecalactone Catalyzed by Candida antartica Lipase B

In this paper, Novozyme-435-catalyzed ω-pentadecalactone and ω-pentadecalactone/e-caprolactone polymerizations were investigated. Novozyme-435-catalyzed ω-pentadecalactone polymerizations were studied in bulk and at ω-pentadecalactone-to-toluene ratios from 1:1 to 1:10 (wt/vol). By carrying out polymerizations with ω-pentadecalactone to toluene 1:1 wt/vol instead of in bulk, the monomer conversion (32 to 90%) and product Mn (22 × 103 to 86 × 103 g/mol) increased. Effects of reaction temperature on monomer conversion and product molecular weights also were studied. ω-Pentadecalactone polymerization at 90 °C in toluene (1:2 ω-pentadecalactone to toluene wt/vol) resulted in the fastest kinetics thus far reported for lipase-catalyzed polyester production. However, reduction of the polymerization temperature from 90 to 55 °C gave polypentadecalactone with increased Mn (66 × 103 to 81 × 103 g/mol). Novozyme-435-catalyzed ω-pentadecalactone/e-caprolactone copolymerizations conducted at 70 °C in toluene occurred .
Electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) for biological analysis and food characterization: a review

Abstract. Electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), in which a sinusoidal test voltage or current is applied to the sample under test to measure its impedance over a suitable frequency range, is a powerful technique to investigate the electrical properties of a large variety of materials. In practice, the measured impedance spectra, usually fitted with an equivalent electrical model, represent an electrical fingerprint of the sample providing an insight into its properties and behavior. EIS is used in a broad range of applications as a quick and easily automated technique to characterize solid, liquid, semiliquid, organic as well as inorganic materials. This paper presents an updated review of EIS main implementations and applications.
BML: A High-performance, Low-cost Gradient Synchronization Algorithm for DML Training

In distributed machine learning (DML), the network performance between machines significantly impacts the speed of iterative training. In this paper we propose BML, a new gradient synchronization algorithm with higher network performance and lower network cost than the current practice. BML runs on BCube network, instead of using the traditional Fat-Tree topology. BML algorithm is designed in such a way that, compared to the parameter server (PS) algorithm on a Fat-Tree network connecting the same number of server machines, BML achieves theoretically 1/k of the gradient synchronization time, with k/5 of switches (the typical number of k is 2∼4). Experiments of LeNet-5 and VGG-19 benchmarks on a testbed with 9 dual-GPU servers show that, BML reduces the job completion time of DML training by up to 56.4%.
The Gamma : Programing tools for transparent data journalism

Data journalism encourages reader interaction. This is often done through simple user interfaces. For more advanced readers, there is typically a download with the raw data behind the visualization. However, there is an interesting gap between the two. What if the reader wants to change a parameter of a visualization that is not exposed through the user interface? What if they want to re-create the same visualization, but using data from a different source? We believe that the fundamental reason for this inflexibility is the fact that accessing data and building interactive visualizations is a difficult programming problem. As a result, data journalists use a wide range of tools, often involving manual steps, which makes it hard to publish the entire process as a reproducible program. In this paper, we present The Gamma, a project that reduces the number of steps needed to link a data source to an end-user visualization. The Gamma uses programming language techniques to make data sources easier to access and to automatically build user interfaces that let readers modify parameters of visualizations. But behind the visualization and the user interface, there is full source code, which makes reports transparent, more reproducible and more accountable.
Attracted but Unsatisfied: The Effects of Sensational Content on Television Consumption Choices

This article investigates experimentally the effects of sensational content on viewing choices and satisfaction in television consumption. The authors found that the presence of verbal violence in one program causes subjects to watch more of that program. However, subjects do not experience higher satisfaction with the program. In addition, they report lower satisfaction with the overall viewing experience. These findings are robust to the use of different program types for the experimental manipulation. Overall, the results pose a challenge to the use of audience figures as a measure of enjoyment or satisfaction.
Trends and variability in extreme precipitation indices over Maghreb countries

Abstract. Maghreb countries are highly vulnerable to extreme hydrological events, such as floods and droughts, driven by the strong variability of precipitation. While several studies have analyzed the presence of trends in precipitation records for the Euro-Mediterranean basin, this study provides a regional assessment of trends on its southernmost shores. A database of 22 stations located in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia with between 33 and 59 yr of daily precipitation records is considered. The change points and trends are analyzed for eleven climate indices, describing several features of the precipitation regime. The issue of conducting multiple hypothesis tests is addressed through the implementation of a false discovery rate procedure. The spatial and interannual variability of the precipitation indices at the different stations are analyzed and compared with large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns, including the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), western Mediterranean Oscillation (WEMO), Mediterranean Oscillation (MO) and El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Results show a strong tendency towards a decrease of precipitation totals and wet days together with an increase in the duration of dry periods, mainly for Morocco and western Algeria. On the other hand, only a few significant trends are detected for heavy precipitation indices. The NAO and MO patterns are well correlated with precipitation indices describing precipitation amounts, the number of dry days and the length of wet and dry periods, whereas heavy precipitation indices exhibit a strong spatial variability and are only moderately correlated with large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns.
Musical minds : experience induced changes in music processing revealed by electrical neuroimaging and behavioural approaches

Dans la musique tonale occidentale, les phrases musicales se terminent par une resultante specifique, hautement attendue. Nous avons realise diverses etudes sur le traitement d'irregularites musicales syntaxiques en fonction de l'experience musicale. Les reponses comportementales ont demontre que des enfants tout-venants manifestent deja des 6 ans des connaissances implicites de la syntaxe musicale. Pourtant, l'identification de violations harmoniques subtiles dans un contexte musical complexe s'avere difficile pour des enfants frequentant l'ecole primaire ainsi que pour des adultes sans formation musicale. Ces violations fines sont parfaitement identifiees par des musiciens professionnels et evoquent chez eux des reponses electroencephalographiques selectives rapides et intenses. Grâce a des analyses statistiques des sources presumees de ces reponses electroencephalographiques, une dynamique specifique de ces activations cerebrales adaptatives chez les musiciens experts a pu etre mise en evidence dans des aires temporales mediales droites, insulaires, frontales et parietales.
Epigenetic Tumor Response to Hypoxia: An Epimutation Pattern and a Method of Multi Targeted Epigenetic Therapy (MTET)

In most cases, cancer develops as a result of non-inheritable somatic mutations (epimutations), acquired by the individual adult cell, during the evolution of the cell, and propagated into an expanding clone of progeny of the cells by natural selection [1]. The role of microenvironment in selection for such acquired mutations, or epimutations, is a focus of scientific research in carcinogenesis [2]. Here we describe a defective DNA response to hypoxia due to epigenetic aberrancies, in cancer cellular biology [3]. We also summarize a literature review on hypoxia mediated epigenetic responses, and its role in carcinogenesis and metastasis. Further, we review a novel method of treating hypoxic solid tumors with a combination of epigenetic modifiers with both in vitro and in vivo results in human, translating to an improved prognosis and clinical outcome. We propose that this approach both independently and synergistically (with the current standard of care) can provide an improved outcome.
Fabrication at wafer level of miniaturized gas sensors based on SnO2 nanorods deposited by PECVD and gas sensing characteristics

SnO2 nanorods were successfully deposited on 3 ̋ Si/SiO2 wafers by inductively coupled plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) and a wafer-level patterning of nanorods layer for miniaturized solid state gas sensor fabrication were performed. Uniform needle-shaped SnO2 nanorods in situ grown were obtained under catalystand high temperature treatment-free growth condition. These nanorods have an average diameter between 5 and 15 nm and a length of 160–300 nm. The SnO2-nanorods based gas sensors were tested towards NH3 and CH3OH and gas sensing tests show remarkable response, showing promising and repeatable results compared with the SnO2 thin films gas sensors.
Increased Serum Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF) Levels in Patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) or Progressive Sarcoidosis

Background: Endogenous Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF) is required for self-repair of injured liver, kidneys and lungs. It also exerts a regenerative effect on epithelium. HGF can inhibit both the initiation and progression of lung fibrosis in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). However available literature data on the role of HGF in sarcoidosis are scarce and conflicting. The aim of our study was to estimate and compare the serum concentrations of HGF both in patients with IPF and sarcoidosis and in healthy controls. Material and methods: In 43 patients with sarcoidosis, 17 patients with IPF and 20 healthy controls serum HGF concentrations were measured using multiplex bead based sandwich immunoassay. Results: In patients with IPF mean concentrations of HGF (1286.2 ± 238.3 pg/ml) were significantly higher than in controls (819.8 ± 61.0 pg/ml, p<0.05), but not significantly higher than in sarcoidosis patients (990.0 ± 52.2 pg/ ml). In all patients with sarcoidosis the mean levels of HGF did not differ significantly from levels obtained in control group. However, the mean levels of HGF in 18 patients with progressive sarcoidosis (1260.7 ± 83.7 pg/ml) were significantly higher (p<0.001) than in 25 patients with non-active, stable sarcoidosis (802.7 ± 34.8 pg/ml) and controls (p<0.05). Conclusion: The role of serum HGF as a potential biomarker in sarcoidosis needs further explorations to answer the question if increased HGF serum levels can predict deterioration of the disease or reflect lung epithelial injury by granulomatous inflammation.
Benchmarking global supply chains: the power of the ‘ethical audit’ regime

Abstract This article critically investigates the growing power and effectiveness of the ‘ethical’ compliance audit regime. Over the last decade, audits have evolved from a tool for companies to track internal organisational performance into a transnational governing mechanism to measure and strengthen corporate accountability globally and shape corporate responsibility norms. Drawing on original interviews, we assess the effectiveness of supply chain benchmarks and audits in promoting environmental and social improvements in global retail supply chains. Two principal arguments emerge from our analysis. First, that audits can be best understood as a productive form of power, which codifies and legitimates retail corporations’ poor social and environmental records, and shapes state approaches to supply chain governance. Second, that growing public and government trust in audit metrics ends up concealing real problems in global supply chains. Retailers are, in fact, auditing only small portions of supply chains, omitting the portions of supply chains where labour and environmental abuse are most likely to take place. Furthermore, the audit regime tends to address labour and environmental issues very unevenly, since ‘people’ are more difficult to classify and verify through numbers than capital and product quality.
Research on Self-Configuration Technology for Survivability Enhancement Based on SDN

In recent years, SDN has become the network technology which the academic and industry most concerned about following cloud computing. Compared with the traditional network, SDN forwards the network control plane and data plane separation, and implements programming control centralized. At first, based on the brief introduction of SDN basic definitions and concept, this paper described the architecture and key technologies of SDN, and a survivability enhancement self-configuration technology based SDN was proposed, which was implemented by the combination of SDN, network virtualization and cloud computing, finally outlined the challenges encountered in the development process of SDN.
Alternating bursts of low energy ions and electrons near the substorm onset

The substorm associated behavior of the low en- ergy particles (30 eV-28.5 keV) near the earthward edge of the plasma sheet is examined using data from CRRES during the late growth and early expansion phases of a substorm on 12 March 1991 and their significance for the substorm on- set mechanism is discussed. In this substorm, the CRRES was located on L 6.3 and 20 westward of the substorm onset and observed the sequence of the alternating bursts of the low energy ions and electrons. The bursts of the 0.633- 9.6 keV ions occurred 1-2 min before the (7.31-21.7 keV) electron bursts. The first ion burst happened 2 min before the substorm onset, at the moment of weak brightening of the most equatorial pre-breakup arc near the latitude 62 . The alternation of the ion and electron bursts may be a signature of a drift-Alfv ´ en ballooning instability on the inner edge of the plasma sheet near substorm onset.
EFFECTS OF JEWISH-ITALIAN CONSUMER ANIMOSITY TOWARDS ARAB PRODUCTS: THE ROLE OF PERSONALITY

Wars or politic hostility between nations can lead consumers to modify their behavior, reducing consumption of goods made in hostile countries. In particular, events concerning the Second Intifada (2000) can be related to the decreasing sales of Arab goods occurred in recent years. This phenomenon can be explained through Animosity, defined as “the remnants of antipathy related to previous or ongoing military, political or economic events towards current or former enemies” (Shoham et al. 2007, p. 93). This paper has the aim to analyze antecedents and effects of animosity of Jewish-Italian consumers towards Arab products and comparing results obtained in the study of Shoham et al. (2006) in Israel with those obtained in Italy, considering also the role of their personality traits. A nine-section questionnaire, containing different scales, was administered to a sample of Jewish-Italian consumers (i.e., “Jews of the Diaspora”). In spite of their animosity towards Arab goods, they are not dogmatic and buy these products, if these are perceived as being of high quality. This is a result of their utilitarian personality, measured by the Big Five Factors and Utilitarism/Hedonism high-order meta-traits. In presence of strong animosity, companies have to accurately consider entry strategies, product strategy and communication strategy in foreign markets. This is the first study considering animosity of Jewish-Italian consumers, one of the most ancient Jewish communities. Furthermore, it is the first analysis which considers simultaneously animosity and consumers’ personality traits, showing the interesting result that utilitarian personality trait prevails on animosity attitude.
Medication Use in Older Adult Drivers: AAA LongRoad Study

This research brief utilized data from the AAA Longitudinal Research on Aging Drivers (LongROAD) study to examine the amount and types of medications used by older drivers. Many medications such as antihistamines, narcotic analgesics, central nervous system (CNS) drugs, muscle relaxants and tricyclic antidepressants have been associated with increased crash risk. 1,2 We found high medication usage, with 97% of participants taking at least one medication; the median number reported taken was seven. In this study, medication usage was categorized by class and type in the cohort of older drivers enrolled in LongROAD. The most frequently used types of medication were cardiovascular medications, CNS agents, electrolyte pills, hormones and vitamins. Usage varied by age, gender and ethnicity.
Monitoring and analysis of ocean swell fields from space: New methods for routine observations

[1] Satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) observations can provide a global view of ocean swell fields when using a specific ‘‘wave mode’’ sampling. A methodology is presented to routinely derive integral properties of the longer-wavelength (swell) portion of the wave spectrum from SAR level 2 products and both monitor and predict their evolution across ocean basins. SAR-derived estimates of swell height and energy-weighted peak period and direction are validated against buoy observations, and the peak directions are used to project the peak periods in one dimension along the corresponding great circle route, both forward and back in time, using the peak period group velocity. The resulting real-time data set of great circle–projected peak periods produces two-dimensional maps that can be used to monitor and predict the spatial extent and temporal evolution of individual ocean swell fields as they propagate from their source region to distant coastlines. The result is found to be consistent with the dispersive arrival of peak swell periods at a midocean buoy. The simple great circle propagation method cannot project the swell heights in space like the peak periods, because energy evolution along a great circle is a function of the source storm characteristics and the unknown swell dissipation rate. A more general geometric optics model is thus proposed for the far field of the storms. This model is applied here to determine the attenuation over long distances. For one of the largest recorded storms, observations of 15 s period swells are consistent with a constant dissipation rate that corresponds to a 3300 km e-folding scale for the energy. In this case, swell dissipation is a significant term in the wave energy balance at global scales.
Simulation and analysis of exotic non-specular phenomena

When coupled modes are excited in a multilayered structure, the profile of the reflected beam presents exotic characteristics like unexpectedly large lateral shifts or beam enlargment. These results are surprising because they are not accounted for by classical approaches (Artmann's formula or Tamir's description of the reflected beam's profile). Studying such situations requires reliable numerical tools - that is why our programmes are published with this paper. Such tools can be used to understand the behaviour of any multi-layered structure.