Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Semi-dense visual SLAM on mobile devices

In this Master’s Thesis a visual SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) system for a monocular camera is developed based on a novel visual odometry system [16], which is able to run in real-time on current-generation Android smartphones. In contrast to traditional approaches, the proposed system uses dense image alignment with the Lucas-Kanade method to estimate relative video frame poses based on estimated semi-dense depth maps. Due to using a monocular color or grayscale camera only, the estimated scale of the scene may drift in addition to translational and rotational drift. The system therefore estimates loop closures as similarity transforms in the Sim(3) group, i.e. consisting of relative position, orientation and also scale. The base components of the odometry system are pose tracking and mapping for estimating depth maps. The SLAM system adds keyframe selection to keep a sparse set of good frames in memory, constraint search with pose-based and appearance-based candidate finding for building up a pose graph, and optimization to refine frame poses based on the pose graph constraints. Real-time operation on Android devices is achieved by operating on a lower image resolution and SIMD optimization with the NEON instruction set used in assembler code. For demonstrating the capabilities of the system, a VR (virtual reality) and an AR (augmented reality) demo were implemented for Android devices. The latter takes advantage of the semi-dense depth maps estimated by the system by allowing simulated objects to collide with the real scene. In evaluations with real and synthetic benchmark sequences, the numerical accuracy of the system is shown. Additionally, especially the ability to cope with large scale changes is shown in a qualitative way by tests with further sequences.
BARREIRAS À INOVAÇÃO E A CONTRIBUIÇÃO DA PERSPECTIVA INSTITUCIONAL: UM ESTUDO DE MÚLTIPLOS CASOS DOI: 10.5585/rai.v5i1.136

The cadence imposed on the organizations by the context in which they are inserted, as well as the competitive structure in which they dispute their markets, oblige them to look for ways to innovate and to differentiate from their competitors, in order to maintain solid and competitive. On the other hand, there are several factors that contribute to the organizations to become more homogenous. In this context, this study aims to observe, analyse and discuss the materialization of barriers to the adoption of innovations and the main opportunities underlying the road transport of passengers sector, considering the interpretation of three strategic actors of companies from this sector in the state of Parana. A theoretical referential is analysed and adopted. The methodology consista in a descriptive and exploratory case study. The conclusion is that the way in which each organization, taking its leaders considerations, interpret the same identified barriers differs significantly in certain aspect, as well as these barriers are differently understood as opportunities inside this economic sector, a fact that can be, to some extent, attributed to the differences in the interpretive schemes and the referential context of each case.
Surface-area determination by adsorption of nitrogen from nitrogen-helium mixtures

A new apparatus and technique, in which vac uum pumps and assoc iated eq uipm ent are not required, have been developed for t he determinatiolJ of the adso rption of nitrogen from mixt ures with he lium for use in t he determinat ion of surface area. The sample is heated initiall y in a stream of helium. The adsorpt ion of he lium is negligible at the temperatu res concerned. The gas mixture is cycled repeatedl y over the adsorbent until no flll'th el' change in pressure is observed. Temperature equi libration is attained rapidly. It is shown t hat t hermomolecular pressure differences are neg ligible under the conditions of t he experiment . Surface-area determinations by t he s implified technique are in good agreement with resul ts obtained by t he con ventional volumetric method when the same adsorbents a re used with various residual helium pressures .
Antidiabetic and Antioxidant Properties of Copper Nanoparticles Synthesized by Medicinal Plant Dioscorea bulbifera

Background: Biological route for synthesis of copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) with therapeutic potential is a major challenge. In this study, CuNPs were synthesized by D. bulbifera tuber extract (DBTE) which were further evaluated for antidiabetic and free radical scavenging activity. Methods: CuNPs synthesized by DBTE were characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering. CuNPs were checked for α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition along with interaction studies employing fluroscence spectroscopy, circular dichroism spectroscopy and computational docking. DPPH, nitric oxide and superoxide radical scavenging activities of CuNPs were also checked. Results: Spherical monodispersed CuNPs were synthesized within 5 h that was indicated by a colour change from pale blue to brown. Majority of the nanoparticles synthesized were found to be between 12 to 16 nm as showed in DLS which grew till a final size of 86 to 126 nm as indicated in TEM. Bioreduced CuNPs showed 38.70 ± 1.45% and 34.72 ± 1.22% inhibition against porcine and murine pancreatic amylase, respectively with an uncompetitive mode that was further confirmed by docking studies. Fluorescence spectroscopy confirmed the interaction of CuNPs to the enzyme via Trp residues while CD spectra indicated the structural and conformational changes on binding of CuNPs to the enzyme. CuNPs exhibited 99.09 ± 0.15% inhibition against α-glucosidase while 90.67 ± 0.33% inhibition against murine intestinal glucosidase, respectively. CuNPs showed 40.81 ± 1.44%, 79.06 ± 1.02% and 48.39 ± 1.46% scavenging activity against DPPH, nitric oxide and superoxide radicals respectively. Conclusion: D.bulbifera tuber extract mediated bioreduction is most rapid route to synthesize novel CuNPs with promising antidiabetic and antioxidant properties. This is the first detailed report which provides intense scientific rationale for the use of CuNPs as nanomedicine for efficient control of T2DM and oxidative stress.
New axion and hidden photon constraints from a solar data global fit

We present a new statistical analysis that combines helioseismology (sound speed, surface helium and convective radius) and solar neutrino observations (the 8B and 7Be fluxes) to place upper limits to the properties of non standard weakly interacting particles. Our analysis includes theoretical and observational errors, accounts for tensions between input parameters of solar models and can be easily extended to include other observational constraints. We present two applications to test the method: the well studied case of axions and axion-like particles and the more novel case of low mass hidden photons. For axions we obtain an upper limit at 3σ for the axion-photon coupling constant of gaγ < 4.1 · 10−10 GeV−1. For hidden photons we obtain the most restrictive upper limit available accross a wide range of masses for the product of the kinetic mixing and mass of χ m < 1.8 ⋅ 10−12 eV at 3σ. Both cases improve the previous solar constraints based on the Standard Solar Models showing the power of using a global statistical approach.
Earnings Inequality And Income Redistribution Through Social Security Job market paper

Despite increasing earnings inequality and aging population, Social Security replacement rates in the U.S. have not been changed since 1977. In this paper, I ask what an optimal Social Security policy might look like in 2017. Using a general equilibrium overlapping generations model with heterogeneous agents and incomplete markets, I recover the Pareto weights consistent with the Social Security Amendments of 1977. I find that the government in 1977 must have put a large weight on the young and middle-aged workers, with the largest weight on the middle-aged with medium earnings records. Applying the same weights in 2017, the optimal Social Security policy differs substantially from the current system. Conversely, assuming the existing policy is optimal throughout the period, the changes in the implied Pareto weights during 1977-2017 reveal a shift from favoring young and middle-aged workers with medium income to favoring earnings-rich households.
Iterative Solution of Mesh Constrained Optimal Control Problems with Two-Level Mesh Approximations of Parabolic State Equation

We consider a linear-quadratical optimal control problem of a system governed by parabolic equation with distributed in right-hand side control and control and state constraints. We construct a mesh approximation of this problem using different two-level approximations of the state equation, ADI and fractional steps approximations in time among others. Iterative solution methods are investigated for all constructed approximations of the optimal control problem. Their implementation can be carried out in parallel manner.
Direct Synthesis of Mesoporous Sulfated Silica-Zirconia Catalysts with High Catalytic Activity for Biodiesel via Esterification

A solid acid material of high loading of sulfated zirconia on mesoporous silica SBA-15 has been successfully synthesized by a direct-synthesis under strong acidic condition. The materials were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption−desorption, UV−visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ICP-mass, and NH3 temperature-programmed-desorption (TPD). The zirconia content and well-ordered mesostructure of SiO2−SZ are controllable by tuning the molar ratios of sulfate to zirconia and silica to zirconia. UV−visible spectra and TEM observations confirm the incorporation of zirconium (IV) onto the mesoporoes framework. Acidity is enhanced in comparison with unsupported sulfated zirconia. Much improved catalytic performance under mild temperature condition in the esterification of lauric acid and palmitic acid with the direct-synthesis SiO2−SZ catalyst was observed as compared to un-supported SZ. The good catalytic performance of the sulfated silica-zirconia .
Double-Bagging Ensemble Using WAVE

A classification ensemble method aggregates different classifiers obtained from training data to classify new data points. Voting algorithms are typical tools to summarize the outputs of each classifier in an ensemble. WAVE, proposed by Kim et al. (2011), is a new weight-adjusted voting algorithm for ensembles of classifiers with an optimal weight vector. In this study, when constructing an ensemble, we applied the WAVE algorithm on the double-bagging method (Hothorn and Lausen, 2003) to observe if any significant improvement can be achieved on performance. The results showed that double-bagging using WAVE algorithm performs better than other ensemble methods that employ plurality voting. In addition, double-bagging with WAVE algorithm is comparable with the random forest ensemble method when the ensemble size is large.
Stability analysis and saturation control for nonlinear positive Markovian jump systems with randomly occurring actuator faults

This article investigates the stability analysis and control design of a class of nonlinear positive Markovian jump systems with randomly occurring actuator faults and saturation. It is assumed that the actuator faults of each subsystem are varying and governed by a Markovian process. The nonlinear term is located in a sector. First, sufficient conditions for stochastic stability of the underlying systems are established using a stochastic copositive Lyapunov function. Then, a family of reliable L1‐gain controller is proposed for nonlinear positive Markovian jump systems with actuator faults and saturation in terms of a matrix decomposition technique. Under the designed controllers, the closed‐loop systems are positive and stochastically stable with an L1‐gain performance. An optimization method is presented to estimate the maximum domain of attraction. Furthermore, the obtained results are developed for general Markovian jump systems. Finally, numerical examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed techniques.
High-density excitation effect on photoluminescence in ZnO nanoparticles

In this study, photoluminescence (PL) under high excitation intensity as a function of crystalline size was systematically investigated through ZnO nanocrystalline films prepared by spin-coating a colloidal solution of ZnO nanoparticles obtained using the microemulsion method. Annealing of the films at 723, 633, and 593 K allowed us to tune the crystalline radius R. PL studies distinguished different regimes of crystalline size according to the ratio of R to the effective Bohr radius aB(R/aB). For the sample annealed at 723 K (R/aB=7.2), the peak of stimulated emission due to the exciton-exciton collisions appeared on the low-energy side of the exciton emission with an increase in excitation intensity. A further increase in excitation intensity eventually resulted in the occurrence of an electron-hole plasma (EHP) accompanied by consequent band gap renormalization, which indicates that high excitation intensity provokes the dissociation of excitons. For the sample annealed at 633 K (R/aB=4.7), the stimula.
Does monetary policy affect bank risk

We investigate the effect of relatively loose monetary policy on bank risk through a large panel including quarterly information from listed banks operating in the European Union and the United States. We find evidence suggesting that relatively low levels of interest rates over an extended period of time contributed to an increase in bank risk. This result holds for a wide range of measures of risk, as well as macroeconomic and institutional controls including the intensity of supervision, securitization activity, and bank competition. The results suggest that monetary policy is not neutral from a financial stability perspective.
A new approach to extract reference currents for multilevel shunt active filter in three phase systems

In this article, we present a new study of technique to extract reference currents for three-level shunt active filter controlling by fuzzy logic. The APFs is realized using three phase voltage and the carrier-based PWM strategy. A new technique for identifying reference currents will be developed. It is based on concordia method using multi-variable filter, and makes the total or selective extraction harmonic currents of references, and by consequence making their compensations, total or selective. The results of digital simulation in the Matlab-Simulink environment of a system of power to thyristor outputs on an inductive load show well the effectiveness of this new technique of extraction of the harmonics of reference.
A six-month duration, follow-up study of Haemogregarina bigemina at Foz do Douro, North Portugal, between ten and twenty years on

Haemogregarina bigemina infections were examined in the intertidal fish, Lipophrys pholis, at Foz do Douro, near Porto, North Portugal, over a period of six months between February and July, 2003. Prevalence of infection was 98.6% and intensity varied from 1-8% of erythrocytes parasitized. When tested statistically, intensity of infection was not related to host length, and intensity of infection for each parasitic stage varied significantly over the 6 months. Trophozoites were most common in March, suggesting that this might be a period of transmission. However, in the absence of annual intensity data and details of likely vector distribution, this observation is unconfirmed. Comparison of results with data reported between 10 and 20 years previously at the same site indicates that the characteristics of the haemogregarine infection have remained almost unchanged in this period.
The Effect of Endurance Exercise Training on the Expression of Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) and Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) Genes of the Cerebellum in Diabetic Rat

Objective: Few studies have been conducted on variations of the central nervous system of diabetic patients and much fewer investigations done on the cerebellum of diabetes patients. The current research aims to investigate the effect of endurance training on neurotrophic factors affecting the cerebellum in the diabetic rat. Materials and Methods: This study is experimental.Twenty Wistar rat were randomly allocated in four groups including: (1) control (n=5), (2) diabetic exercise (n=5), (3) healthy-control (n=5), (4) and exercise-healthy (n=5). Diabetes were induced by intraperitoneal Streptozotocin injection. The endurance exercise training was performed at moderate intensity for six weeks. Expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) genes were measured using the Real-Time PCR method in the cerebellum of the rat. Two-way ANOVA test was used for comparing the means of expression of genes between groups. All statistical analyses were done using SPSS 22 software. Results: A significant increase was observed in the expression of NGF (from 1.03±0.11 to 1.61±0.24; P-value≤ 0.05) and BDNF (from 1.59±0.06 to 3.24±0.46; P-value≤ 0.05) genes in male rats with experimental diabetes and healthy subjects after six weeks endurance training. Conclusion: Endurance training may be helpful for diabetic patients by increasing the neurotrophic factors and thereby preventing diabetes-related neural complications.
Rural poverty and soil degradation: some evidences from a land reform settlement in the brazilian State of Goiás.

In different continents there is a paradigm of a vicious circle of poverty and natural resource degradation. However, there are cases where this may not be true. Thus, the central objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between rural poverty and soil degradation in land reform settlement in the Brazilian Center West region. Therefore, farmers were interviewed and data was analyzed through an econometric analysis of the probit model. Our hypothesis was that environmental degradation can worse the rural poverty in the farm enterprises. The binary and dependent variable was the adoption of natural resource saving practices like agroforestry systems and crop rotation. As independent variables that explain the probability to occur (y=1 or y=0) we considered the total (farm and nonfarm) income, the total herd size of cattle, the land ownership and the education level of farmers (years of school visit). We expected positive signs for all estimated coefficients in the probit model, i.e. the higher the values of independent variables the more likely the conservation practices to be adopted. The estimated model was significant at 5% level. The independent variables explain 50.41% of the variation in the probability of adoption of crop rotation in the farms. Three of the independent variables had negative signs: total income, herd size and land ownership, meaning that increasing the values of those variables decrease the probability of the adoption of conservation practices. This result evidences an opposite relationship between rural poverty and environmental degradation. On the other side, the education level of farmers was positively related to the likeness of adoption of soil conservation practices. Thus, there was no relationship between rural poverty and soil degradation. However, there is a clear positive relationship between the education level of farmers and the likeness of adoption of natural resource conservation practices.
A Hybrid Optoelectronic Sensor Platform with an Integrated Solution‐Processed Organic Photodiode

Hybrid systems, unifying printed electronics with silicon‐based technology, can be seen as a driving force for future sensor development. Especially interesting are sensing elements based on printed devices in combination with silicon‐based high‐performance electronics for data acquisition and communication. In this work, a hybrid system integrating a solution‐processed organic photodiode in a silicon‐based system environment, which enables flexible device measurement and application‐driven development, is presented. For performance evaluation of the integrated organic photodiode, the measurements are compared to a silicon‐based counterpart. Therefore, the steady state response of the hybrid system is presented. Promising application scenarios are described, where a solution‐processed organic photodiode is fully integrated in a silicon system.
An empirical study on empowering private bank workers using EFQM

Article history: Received June 15, 2011 Received in Revised form August, 10, 2011 Accepted 12 August 2011 Available online 16 August 2011 Empowering workers play an essential role on increasing productivity in any organization. The service industries such as insurance companies or banks mostly rely on their own people to retain their customers and incomes. The recent increasing trend on the number of private banks in Iran has increased competition among existing banks. The banking industry strives to empower its employees as much as possible in an attempt to maintain market share by not losing its customers. In this paper, we present an empirical study to detect the most important factors empowering bank employees. The study is implemented for a recently established private bank with 228 people with 32 questions where 15 questions are focused on empowering employees. The results are analyzed using statistical tests and descriptive methods. The results indicate that leadership, academic qualification, appropriate policy and strategy, cooperation and processes play important role on empowering and enabling bank's employee. © 2012 Growing Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Asymmetry in Symmetric Objects at High Fields

Purpose: The complex interaction of the human body with the transmit RF field leads to distinct spatial patterns in the B1 + distribution, which have been well characterized for surface coils but not to the same extent when considering volume coils at high fields [1-3]. This work investigates, in particular, the origin of the distinct left-right asymmetry in the B1 + field typically observed in the head at 7 T.
Interest Rates, Taxes and Corporate Financial Policies

This paper investigates the combined effect of nominal interest rates and taxes on the use and maturity structure of corporate debt. The net tax gain from use of corporate debt is proportional to nominal interest rates, so that behavioral responses should be larger when interest rates are higher. For similar reasons, firms should shift towards more long—term debt as long—term rates rise relative to short—term rates. Our paper presents evidence consistent with both predictions, using corporate and personal tax return data from the U.S. Statistics of Income (SOI).
Exploiting Gaussian Word Embeddings for Document Clustering

Every day, millions of documents in the form of articles, tweets, and blog posts are generated by Internet users. Many of these documents are not annotated with labels making the task of retrieving similar documents non-trivial. The process of grouping similar unannotated documents together is called document clustering. When properly done, a cluster should only contain documents that are related to each other in some manner. In this paper we propose a clustering technique based on Gaussian word embeddings which we illustrate using word2gauss. We demonstrate that the method produces coherent clusters that approach the performance of K-means on Purity and Entropy scores while achieving higher recall as measured by Inverse Purity. Keywords—Document clustering; word embeddings; information retrieval