Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Deep-Learning-Based Video Frame Interpolation Method for Ultrasound Localization Microscopy: A Preliminary Study

Ultrasound Localization Microscopy (ULM) achieves super-resolution vascular imaging by accurately localizing the positions of individual ultrasound contrast agents (microbubbles) across multiple consecutive frames. However, traditional ULM methods require ultrafast plane wave imaging to acquire microbubble trajectories. This requirement poses high demands on the equipment and is difficult to achieve with traditional focused wave-based ultrasound devices, thus hindering the clinical application of ULM to some extent. To address this issue, we propose a modified deep learning-based method for Ultrasound Video Frame Interpolation (VFI) with 3× interpolation. We extracted the feature maps from the original input of two frames and subsequently generated the feature maps for the intermediate two frames. This method aims to increase the frame rate in a software-based manner and is specifically designed f or U LM. To evaluate the effectiveness of our proposed method, we conducted experiments using a dataset of rat brain images. The obtained super-resolution frames achieved an average Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR) of 55.16dB and an average Structural Similarity Index (SSIM) of 0.9957. Notably, the resulting images allowed visualization of vessels with a minimum diameter of 26.25 micrometers. These findings highlight the potential of our proposed method in advancing ultrasound-based imaging techniques. By overcoming the limitations imposed by the need for ultrafast plane wave imaging, our method has the potential to pave the way for broader clinical application of ULM, enabling its utilization in a wider range of diseases and conditions.
Charles A. Dice Center for Research in Financial Economics Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)

Over nearly a quarter of a century, ETFs have become one of the most popular passive investment vehicles among retail and professional investors due to their low transaction costs and high liquidity. By the end of 2016, the market share of ETFs topped over 10% of the total market capitalization traded on US exchanges, while representing more than 30% of the overall trading volume. ETFs revolutionized the asset management industry by taking market share from traditional investment vehicles such as mutual funds and index futures. Because ETFs rely on arbitrage activity to synchronize their prices with the prices of the underlying portfolio, trading activity at the ETF level translates to trading of the underlying securities. Researchers found that while ETFs enhance price discovery, they also inject non-fundamental volatility to market prices and affect the correlation structure of returns. Furthermore, ETFs impact the liquidity of the underlying portfolios, especially during events of market stress.
Analysis on InSAR Atmospheric Delay Errors

This paper analyzed the atmospheric delay errors on InSAR, including dry delay errors, wet delay errors, liquid water delay errors and ionospheric delay errors. Based on InSAR/DInSAR model, drove a double-difference model for repeat-pass InSAR method, three-difference model for three-pass and four-pass InSAR methods. According to these models and error propagation law, and drove the formulas of atmospheric errors in InSAR products.
When Is a Door More Than a Door? The role of constitution in strongly geometric configurations

This paper is about the role of layout and "constitution’ in the urban environment. By constitution, it is meant the pattern and distribution of building entrances within a network of spaces. It would seem self-evident that layout and constitution are mutually-dependent aspects of urban function; in that to access one on any journey, it is necessary to access the other. However, it can be argued that in strongly geometric configurations, constitution can take on a more substantive role. In particular, that the pattern and distribution of dwelling entrances can embed the emergent "structure’ - as defined by Hillier - of a growing urban layout with a degree of coherence otherwise lacking when using standard representations of the space syntax "canon’ (Hillier, 1996). Constitution can play this role by "stabilizing’ the emergent patterns of global and local integration. By stabilize, it is meant render with a degree of consistency over time. Why constitution can take on this role arises because of the tendency for the integration pattern in strongly geometric configurations to "shift’ with reference to overall shape of the settlement during the process of growth (Major, 1997 and 1999). The effect of constitution on emergent structure is demonstrated by conducting space syntax analysis of the historical growth of Savannah, Georgia (1733-1856). Savannah is an unique and almost ideal model of urban growth, occurring over a sustained period of time in a strongly geometric and highly controlled manner. The paper then builds on Anderson’s earlier arguments about the Savannah plan as a "resource’ for interpreting the social and functional structure of the historical settlement (Anderson, 1982 and 1986). It is argued that the findings of the paper could have widespread implications since the location, size and density of built forms - when taken together - can be seen as the essential construct of "origins’ and "destinations’ in prevailing planning theory. Finally, with the continuing advancement of computational power, it is concluded that constitution can now be seen as the fundamental medium by which we can progress from a purely configurational to more comprehensive approach - incorporating spatial pattern, constitution, floor area and building height - in modelling all types of cities; whether strongly or weakly geometric in layout. It is suggested that a more comprehensive approach could allow us to more significantly contribute to the evolution of design principles, in movements such as The New Urbanism, for the future benefit of all our cities.
Numerical simulations of surface convection in a late M-dwarf

Based on detailed 2D and 3D numerical radiation-hydrodynamics (RHD) simulations of time-dependent compress- ible convection, we have studied the dynamics and thermal structure of the convective surface layers of a prototypical late-type M-dwarf (Teff ≈ 2800K, log g = 5.0, solar chemical composition). The RHD models predict stellar granulation qualitatively similar to the familiar solar pattern. Quantitatively, the granular cells show a convective turn-over time scale of ≈100s, and a horizontal scale of 80km; the relative intensity contrast of the granular pattern amounts to 1.1%, and root-mean-square verti- cal velocities reach 240ms −1 at maximum. Deviations from radiative equilibrium in the higher, formally convectively stable atmospheric layers are found to be insignificant allowing a reliable modeling of the atmosphere with 1D standard model atmo- spheres. A mixing-length parameter of αMLT = 2.1 provides the best representation of the average thermal structure of the RHD model atmosphere while alternative values are found when fitting the asymptotic entropy encountered in deeper layers of the stellar envelope (αMLT = 1.5), or when matching the vertical velocity (αMLT = 3.5). The close correspondence between RHD and standard model atmospheres implies that presently existing discrepancies between observed and predicted stellar colors in the M-dwarf regime cannot be traced back to an inadequate treatment of convection in the 1D standard models. The RHD models predict a modest extension of the convectively mixed region beyond the formal Schwarzschild stability boundary which provides hints for the distribution of dust grains in cooler (brown dwarf) atmospheres.
SUMMER HABITAT ASSOCIATIONS OF RARE FISHES IN SOUTH DAKOTA TRIBUTARIES TO THE MINNESOTA RIVER

Four fish species found in western tributaries to the Minnesota River are listed as rare in South Dakota. We found only two northern redbelly dace (Phoxinus eos), but sample size of other species was sufficient to examine relationships between fish abundance and habitat with correlation and regression analyses. Relative abundance of hornyhead chub (Nocomis biguttatus) and blackside darter (Percina maculata) was related to mean stream width (+) and water temperature (-). Relative abundance of rosyface shiner (Notropis rubellus) was related to the amount of riffle habitat (-). These fish-habitat associations identify habitat conditions that might be important for managing habitat for these species.
Defining seismogenic sources from historical earthquake felt reports

We present a method that uses macroseismic intensity data to assess the location, physical dimensions, and orientation of the source of large historical earthquakes. Intensity data contain a great deal of information that can be used to constrain the essential characteristics of the seismic source. In particular, both the seismological theory and its practice suggest that the orientation of the source of significant earthquakes is reflected in the elongation of the associated damage pattern. A plausible and easily manageable way of describing a seismic source is by representing it as an oriented “rectangle,” the length and width of which are obtained from moment magnitude through empirical relationships. This rectangle is meant to represent either the actual surface projection of the seismogenic fault or, at least, the projection of the portion of the Earth crust where a given seismic source is likely to be located. The systematic application of this method to all the M > 5.5 earthquakes that occurred in the central and southern Apennines (Italy) in the past four centuries returned encouraging results that compare well with existing instrumental, direct geological, and geodynamic evidence. The method is quite stable for different choices of the algorithm parameters and provides elongation directions that in most cases can be shown to be statistically significant. In particular, the resulting pattern of source orientations is rather homogeneous, showing a consistent Appennines-parallel trend that agrees well with the NE-SW extension style of deformation active in the central and southern portions of the Italian peninsula.
Ecological and morphological correlates of infraorbital foramen size and its paleoecological implications

Osteological cranial features, such as foramina, assist in phylogenetic and ecological interpretations of fossil mammals. However, the validity of using foramina in these interpretations when their contents are not well documented is questionable. For decades, the infraorbital foramen (IOF) has been used to interpret aspects of the fossil record, yet there are conflicting accounts about what passes through the foramen and little known about how neural and vascular structures contribute to its contents. This chapter tracks and documents the neural and/or vascular anatomy of the IOF and examines the correlation of infraorbital nerve (ION) and IOF cross-sectional area. To address this question, 161 mammalian cadavers, including 80 primates, were injected with latex dye to track the vascular anatomy associated with the IOF. All ION fibers were then removed from the infraorbital canal and ION cross-sectional area was calculated from histological slides. Latex injections and histological slides revealed that only the ION and a small infraorbital artery pass through the IOF. Variation in ION size explains 85% of the variation in IOF area, and the artery represents a negligible portion of the foramen. The strong positive correlation between the ION and IOF size suggests that in the absence of nerve tissue, the IOF can serve as a proxy for ION area. ION cross sectional area is 21 hypothesized to be a good indicator of maxillary mechanoreceptivity (touch acuity). Thus, given the correlation between ION and IOF, the IOF area may be used to evaluate differences in maxillary mechanoreception in both extinct and extant taxa.
Approximate Posture Increment Control for the Targeting Task of Differential Drive Robots

Differential drive robots (DDRs) are an effective and efficient solution for many mobile robotics applications. These kind of robots are a type of mobile robots that are characterized by their use of two independently controlled wheels. DDRs are highly maneuverable, as they can rotate in a narrow space, move sideways, and make tight turns. This makes them ideal for applications that require precise positioning and navigation, such as inspection, exploration, and search and rescue. Therefore, most of the research focuses on tracking problems in which information of the reference trajectories are known. Different from the typical Laypunov based DDR’s tracking control algorithm, a targeting control task which focuses on pointing and chasing a target point using only the target position is presented. Considering an approximated discrete time representation of DDR dynamics, a simple targeting scheme is proposed in the form of the so-called approximate pose increment control (APIC). Based on the proposed method, the use of coordinate transformation as well as a Lyapunov function are no longer needed to achieve the desired control goal. Simulations demonstrate multiple targeting courses to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed APIC algorithm.
Theoretical Biology and Medical Modelling

Background: One of the greatest challenges facing biomedical research is the integration and sharing of vast amounts of information, not only for individual researchers, but also for the community at large. Agent Based Modeling (ABM) can provide a means of addressing this challenge via a unifying translational architecture for dynamic knowledge representation. This paper presents a series of linked ABMs representing multiple levels of biological organization. They are intended to translate the knowledge derived from in vitro models of acute inflammation to clinically relevant phenomenon such as multiple organ failure. Results and Discussion: ABM development followed a sequence starting with relatively direct translation from in-vitro derived rules into a cell-as-agent level ABM, leading on to concatenated ABMs into multi-tissue models, eventually resulting in topologically linked aggregate multi-tissue ABMs modeling organ-organ crosstalk. As an underlying design principle organs were considered to be functionally composed of an epithelial surface, which determined organ integrity, and an endothelial/blood interface, representing the reaction surface for the initiation and propagation of inflammation. The development of the epithelial ABM derived from an in-vitro model of gut epithelial permeability is described. Next, the epithelial ABM was concatenated with the endothelial/inflammatory cell ABM to produce an organ model of the gut. This model was validated against in-vivo models of the inflammatory response of the gut to ischemia. Finally, the gut ABM was linked to a similarly constructed pulmonary ABM to simulate the gut-pulmonary axis in the pathogenesis of multiple organ failure. The behavior of this model was validated against in-vivo and clinical observations on the cross-talk between these two organ systems Conclusion: A series of ABMs are presented extending from the level of intracellular mechanism to clinically observed behavior in the intensive care setting. The ABMs all utilize cell-level agents that encapsulate specific mechanistic knowledge extracted from in vitro experiments. The execution of the ABMs results in a dynamic representation of the multi-scale conceptual models derived from those experiments. These models represent a qualitative means of integrating basic scientific information on acute inflammation in a multi-scale, modular architecture as a means of conceptual model verification that can potentially be used to concatenate, communicate and advance community-wide knowledge.
Ocean- Atmosphere Interactions During Cyclone Nargis

Cyclone Nargis (Figure 1a) made landfall in Myanmar (formerly Burma) on 2 May 2008 with sustained winds of approximately 210 kilometers per hour, equivalent to a category 3–4 hurricane. In addition, Nargis brought approximately 600 millimeters of rain and a storm surge of 3–4 meters to the low-lying and densely populated Irrawaddy River delta. In its wake, the storm left an estimated 130,000 dead or missing and more than $10 billion in economic losses. It was the worst natural disaster to strike the Indian Ocean region since the 26 December 2004 tsunami and the worst recorded natural disaster ever to affect Myanmar.
Leaf Margin Analysis: Taphonomic Constraints

Abstract Leaf margin analysis (LMA), which is based on a correlation between the proportion of woody dicot species with non-toothed leaf margins and mean annual temperature, has been promoted as a tool for estimating mean annual temperature (MAT) from fossil-leaf assemblages. The original LMA calibration was based on East Asian mesic vegetation, and substantially the same relationship has been shown for other geographical regions, including Australian mesic vegetation. In this report, taphonomic effects are assessed using autochthonous samples from extant Australian forests for sites ranging from tropical lowland rainforest and monsoonal deciduous woodland to temperate rainforest with and without emergent Eucalyptus, and for parautochthonous and allochthonous (i.e., streambed) leaf accumulations. MAT was estimated within the binomial sampling error of the estimate for 27 of 30 (90%) of the test sites, and was found to underestimate MAT systematically when applied to streambed leaf assemblages. This result may reflect the streamside bias detected in recent studies of tropical forests in South America. Sites where MAT was overestimated are of low species richness (<10 spp.).
Theoretical Biology and Medical Modelling Open Access Developing a Realistic Sexual Network Model of Chlamydia Transmission in Britain

Background: A national chlamydia screening programme is currently being rolled out in the UK and other countries. However, much of the epidemiology remains poorly understood. In this paper we present a stochastic, individual based, dynamic sexual network model of chlamydia transmission and its parameterisation. Mathematical models provide a theoretical framework for understanding the key epidemiological features of chlamydia: sexual behaviour, health care seeking and transmission dynamics.
Gated Recurrent Unit Neural Network and Decision Tree for Offshore Nuclear Power Plant'S Fault Diagnosis

The external environment of the Offshore Nuclear Power Platform (ONPP) is complex, and the radioactive risk of the nuclear reactor device with internal feedback and strong coupling is high in the complex environment. In order to satisfy the safety and real-time performance of the nuclear reactor, this paper proposes a diagnosis method based on gated recurrent unit (GRU) neural network, the method makes full use of the time-varying and transient characteristics of the data generated during the operation of the nuclear reactor and makes joint diagnosis by decision tree and GRU network. The experimental results show that, compared with other models, this model can judge each fault more quickly and accurately, and the accuracy of fault diagnosis can reach more than 99.9%.
Proceedings of the 4th International Workshop on Middleware Tools, Services and Run-Time Support for Sensor Networks

Following the successful editions of MidSens 2006 (Melbourne), 2007 (Newport Beach), and 2008 (Leuven), we welcome you again and hope you will enjoy reading the proceedings of the fourth edition of the international ACM workshop on Middleware Tools, Services and Run-Time Support for Sensor Networks (MidSens 2009), which took place in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, US. We continue to work on the definition of appropriate middleware architectures and programming models for sensor networks; this year we specifically address middleware tools, services and run-time support for developing contemporary sensor applications. In line with these objectives, the MidSens 2009 proceedings provide an overview of current research to (1) investigate key challenges in the management and maintenance of large-scale sensor networks and (2) design sensor middleware solutions to address them; we present three pairs of papers focusing on three topics: adaptability, diagnosis and control, and enterprise integration. Firstly, two papers target adaptable sensor platforms by presenting services and execution environments that enable the customization of sensor middleware to network conditions and application specific requirements. As sensor applications become more complex and sensor hardware becomes more powerful, sensor middleware can, but also must take into account changing operational conditions to maximize the device's lifetime. Secondly, two papers investigate failure detection and run-time debugging tools for resource-constrained sensor nodes. Hand-crafted solutions to detect and resolve problems with a sensor clearly do not scale with the typical size, unpredictable dynamics, and deployment of sensor networks in often harsh environments. Both papers present proof-of-concepts to confirm the feasibility of their approaches. Finally, we present two papers on enterprise integration, i.e. bridging wireless sensor networks and state-of-the-art backend systems. If we are to develop and maintain sensor networks in a realistic business context, business modeling support, the specification of business policies, and the enforcement thereof become key problems in the application development process. We are truly convinced that the mix of accepted papers provides an up to date snapshot of state-of-the-art research in the field as well as a jumping-off point for discussion of outstanding challenges in middleware for sensor networks.
Assessing streamflow sensitivity in a complex watershed

Half of the world’s population depends on fresh water that originates from mountains. In the present-day, it is apparent that climate change will affect these mountain water resources. Therefore, some crucial questions are often raised: Will mountain rivers continue to provide the same amount of fresh water as they have in the past? Have there been any changes in the hydrological regime of mountainous watersheds? Is there a chance that the flow magnitude and timing will change? In order to answer these questions, this research attempts to understand the hydrological regime of the Rhone River watershed, located in the southwestern part of Switzerland. The objective is to simulate streamflow and assess its sensitivity due to changes in land-use and climate. A hydrological model was developed to simulate the streamflow and forecast future scenarios. Complexity due to anthropogenic influences such as hydropower based water transfer and natural variability (e.g. snow melt, glacier melt, orographic precipitation) was incorporated into this model. The study suggests an early summer melt and reduction of summer flow. The results obtained can be of added value to impact assessment studies for better understanding of water management and biodiversity in watersheds with similar hydro-physiographic constraints.