pinecone/core-2020-05-10-deduplication huggingface dataset:
Exudate detection in color retinal images for mass screening of diabetic retinopathy

International audienceThe automatic detection of exudates in colour eye fundus images is an important task in applications such as diabetic retinopathy screening. The presented work has been undertaken in the framework of the TeleOphta project, whose main objective is to auto-matically detect normal exams in a tele-ophthalmology network, thus reducing the burden on the readers. A new clinical database, e-ophtha EX, containing precisely manually contoured exudates, is introduced. As opposed to previously available databases, e-ophtha EX is very heterogeneous. It contains images gathered within the OPHDIAT telemedicine network for diabetic retinopathy screening. Image definition, quality, as well as patients condition or the retinograph used for the acquisition, for example, are subject to important changes between different examinations. The proposed exudate detection method has been designed for this complex situation. We propose new preprocessing methods, which perform not only normalization and denoising tasks, but also de-tect reflections and artifacts in the image. A new candidates segmentation method, based on mathematical morphology, is proposed. These candidates are characterized using classical features, but also novel contextual features. Finally, a random forest algorithm is used to detect the exudates among the candidates. The method has been validated on the e-ophtha EX database, obtaining an AUC of 0.95. It has been also validated on other databases, obtaining an AUC between 0.93 and 0.95, outperforming state-of-the-art methods
An Expert-Based Framework for Probabilistic National Population Projections: The Example of Austria

The traditional method of dealing with uncertainty in population projections through high and low variants is unsatisfactory because it remains unclear what range of uncertainty these alternative paths are assumed to cover. The probabilistic approaches have not yet found their way into official population projections. This paper proposes an expert-based probabilistic approach that seems to meet important criteria for successful application to national and international projections: (1) it provides significant advantages over current practice; (2) it presents an evolution of current practice rather than a discontinuity; (3) it is scientifically sound; and (4) it is applicable to all countries. \ud
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In a recent Nature article (Lutz et al., 1997) this method was applied to 13 world regions. This paper discusses the applicability to national projections by directly taking the alternative assumptions defined by the Austrian Statistical Office. Sensitivity analyses that resolve some methodological questions about the approach are also presented
Semantics, conceptual spaces, and the meeting of minds

We present an account of semantics that is not construed as a mapping of\ud
language to theworld but rather as amapping between individual meaning spaces. The\ud
meanings of linguistic entities are established via a “meeting of minds.” The concepts\ud
in the minds of communicating individuals are modeled as convex regions in conceptual\ud
spaces. We outline a mathematical framework, based on fixpoints in continuous\ud
mappings between conceptual spaces, that can be used to model such a semantics.\ud
If concepts are convex, it will in general be possible for interactors to agree on joint\ud
meaning even if they start out from different representational spaces. Language is\ud
discrete, while mental representations tend to be continuous—posing a seeming paradox.\ud
We show that the convexity assumption allows us to address this problem. Using\ud
examples, we further show that our approach helps explain the semantic processes\ud
involved in the composition of expressions
Palaeogeographical reconstructions of Lake Maliq (Korça Basin, Albania) between 14,000 BP and 2000 BP

International audienceSince the early 1990s, excavations of a protohistoric lakeside settlement in the Korça basin carried out by a French–Albanian archaeological team have induced geomorphological and palynological studies about the sedimentary records of Lake Maliq. These studies allow us to distinguish a series of centennial-scale high and low lake level events between 4200 and 4000 cal BP (2899–2637 BC/2843–2416 BC) and 2600 cal BP (822–671 BC), probably due to large-scale climate changes (in the Mediterranean basin). In addition, the sediment sequence also gives evidence of a millennial-scale trend of lake level rise. It appears to be an interplay between lake level rises and falls against tectonic subsidence of the basin allowing accommodation space for sediment deposition. The variations of the lake's level and the lake's surface area influenced the development and the abandonment of the nearby lakeside settlements (like the tell of Sovjan). In order to prepare an archaeological survey around the now dried up lake, we made a 3D model of the Holocene deposit from the lake including these lake level results, geomorphological mapping, excavation data, numerous core logs, AMS 14 C dating and SRTM DEM data. The GIS model allowed us to propose four palaeogeographical reconstructions of the extension of Lake Maliq: around 14,000 BP, during the Mesolithic (around 9000 BP – 8781–8542 BC), the Early/Middle Bronze Age transition (around 3800 BP – 2310–2042 BC) and the Iron Age (2600 BP – 822–671 BC). A map of the thickness of the sediments above potential archaeological layers is also proposed
A New Knowledge Sourcing Framework for Knowledge-Based Engineering: An aerospace industry case study

New trends in Knowledge-Based Engineering (KBE) highlight the need for decoupling the automation aspect from the knowledge management side of KBE. In this direction, some authors argue that KBE is capable of effectively capturing, retaining and reusing engineering knowledge. However, there are some limitations associated with some aspects of KBE that present a barrier to deliver the knowledge sourcing process requested by industry. To overcome some of these limitations this research proposes a new methodology for efficient knowledge capture and effective management of the complete knowledge life cycle. The methodology proposed in this research is validated through the development and implementation of a case study involving the optimisation of wing design concepts at an Aerospace manufacturer. The results obtained proved the extended KBE capability for fast and effective knowledge sourcing. This evidence was provided by the experts working in the development of the case study through the implementation of structured quantitative and qualitative analyses
Ion temperature evolution in an ultracold neutral plasma

We study the long-time evolution of the ion temperature in an expanding ultracold neutral plasma using spatially resolved, laser-induced-fluorescence spectroscopy. Adiabatic cooling reduces the ion temperature by an order of magnitude during the plasma expansion, to temperatures as low as 0.2 K. Cooling is limited by heat exchange between ions and the much hotter electrons. We also present evidence for an additional heating mechanism and discuss possible sources. Data are described by a model of the plasma evolution, including the effects of ion-electron heat exchange. We show that for appropriate initial conditions, the degree of Coulomb coupling of ions in the plasma increases during expansion
A small-molecule inhibitor of Haspin alters the kinetochore functions of Aurora B

By phosphorylating Thr3 of histone H3, Haspin promotes centromeric recruitment of the chromosome passenger complex (CPC) during mitosis. Aurora B kinase, a CPC subunit, sustains chromosome bi-orientation and the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC). Here, we characterize the small molecule 5-iodotubercidin (5-ITu) as a potent Haspin inhibitor. In vitro, 5-ITu potently inhibited Haspin but not Aurora B. Consistently, 5-ITu counteracted the centromeric localization of the CPC without affecting the bulk of Aurora B activity in HeLa cells. Mislocalization of Aurora B correlated with dephosphorylation of CENP-A and Hec1 and SAC override at high nocodazole concentrations. 5-ITu also impaired kinetochore recruitment of Bub1 and BubR1 kinases, and this effect was reversed by concomitant inhibition of phosphatase activity. Forcing localization of Aurora B to centromeres in 5-ITu also restored Bub1 and BubR1 localization but failed to rescue the SAC override. This result suggests that a target of 5-ITu, possibly Haspin itself, may further contribute to SAC signaling downstream of Aurora B
VUV/EUV ionising radiation and atoms and ions: dual laser plasma investigations

The interaction of ionising radiation with atoms and ions is a key fundamental process. This report concentrates on studies of photoexcitation/photoionisation using laser-produced plasmas as continuum sources and synchronised laser plasma plumes to provide the absorbing atom or ion species. Examples from studies of the interaction of ionising radiation with atoms and ions ranging from few-electron atomic and ionic systems to the many-electron high atomic number actinides are reviewed and illustrate the advantages and limitations of the Dual Laser Plasma technique
Unsteady residual distribution schemes for transition prediction

In this work, the unsteady simulation of the Navier–Stokes equations is carried out by using a Residual Distribution Schemes (RDS) methodology. This algorithm has a compact stencil (cell-based computations) and uses a finite element like method to compute the residual over the cell. The RDS method has been successfully proven in steady Navier–Stokes computation but its application to fully unsteady configurations is still not closed, because some of the properties of the steady counterpart can be lost. Here, we proposed a numerical solution for unsteady problems that is fully compatible with the original approach. In order to check the method, we chose a very demanding test case, namely the numerical simulation of a Tollmien–Schlichting (TS) wave in a 2D boundary layer. The evolution of this numerical perturbation is accurately computed and checked against theoretical results
Bargaining in the Appointment Process, Constrained Delegation and the Political Weight of the Senate

The President and the Senate bargain over the appointment of the Head of a key government department. The operating unit of the department has private information about its operating environment. We model the appointment process as a constrained delegation of policymaking to the operating unit (agency). When the Senate is sufficiently close to the agency the President has to give the agency more authority. On the other hand, given the Senate's ideal point, when the information is more precise the President can tighten delegation bounds.
Signalling pathways in pollen germination and tube growth

Summary.  Signalling is an integral component in the establishment and maintenance of cellular identity. In plants, tip-growing cells represent an ideal system to investigate signal transduction mechanisms, and among these, pollen tubes (PTs) are one of the favourite models. Many signalling pathways have been identified during germination and tip growth, namely, Ca2+, calmodulin, phosphoinositides, protein kinases, cyclic AMP, and GTPases. These constitute a large and complex web of signalling networks that intersect at various levels such as the control of vesicle targeting and fusion and the physical state of the actin cytoskeleton. Here we discuss some of the most recent advances made in PT signal transduction cascades and their implications for our future research. For reasons of space, emphasis was given to signalling mechanisms that control PT reorientation, so naturally many other relevant works have not been cited.http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00709-006-0162-
Thermo-visual feature fusion for object tracking using multiple spatiogram trackers

In this paper, we propose a framework that can efficiently combine features for robust tracking based on fusing the outputs of multiple spatiogram trackers. This is achieved without the exponential increase in storage and processing that other multimodal tracking approaches suffer from. The framework allows the features to be split arbitrarily between the trackers, as well as providing the flexibility to add, remove or dynamically weight features. We derive a mean-shift type algorithm for the framework that allows efficient object tracking with very low computational overhead. We especially target the fusion of thermal infrared and visible spectrum features as the most useful features for automated surveillance applications. Results are shown on multimodal video sequences clearly illustrating the benefits of combining multiple features using our framework
Spinodal decomposition in AISI 316L stainless steel via high-speedlaser remelting

A 1.5 kW CO2 pulsed laser was used to melt the surface of AISI 316L stainless steel with a view to enhancing the surface properties for engineering applications. A 90 m laser beam spot size focused onto the surface was used to provide high irradiances (up to 23.56MW/cm2) with low residence times (as low as 50 s) in order to induce rapid surface melting and solidification. Variations in microstructure at different points within the laser treated region were investigated. From this processing refined lamellar and nodular microstructures were produced. These sets of unique microstructures were produced within the remelted region when the highest energy densities were selected in conjunction with the lowest residence times. The transformation from the typical austenitic structure to much finer unique lamellar and nodular structures was attributed to the high thermal gradients achieved using these selected laser processing parameters. These structures resulted in unique characteristics including elimination of cracks and a reduction of inclusions within the treated region. Grain structure reorientation between the bulk alloy and laser-treated region occurred due to the induced thermal gradients. This present article reports on microstructure forms resulting from the high-speed laser surface remelting and corresponding underlying kinetics
Governmentaly in the origins of European Female PE and Sport: the Spanish case study (1883-1936)

The purpose of the paper is twofold: (1) to contribute to the analysis of the origins of modern European female PE and sports from a power perspective, inspired by Foucault's work; and (2) to present a detailed analysis of female PE and sport in Spain (1883–1936) as a specific European case study. It is argued that these physical activities could be conceived in the Spanish case as part of a specific kind of ‘governmentality’ with a dual nature. On the one hand they represented disciplinary ‘technologies of power’ over the female body. Selected physical activities—dictated mainly from the hygienic-moral position of the Regeneracionistas (‘Regenerationists’)—were exerted as a kind of ‘bio-power’ for the control of the female population. On the other hand, such kind of activities (especially sports) represented certain ‘technologies of the self’ for middle and upper class women. Through participation in sports, women gained a more active and public role in the Spanish society of the era, obtaining some degree of autonomy in self-governance over their bodies and their live
Implementing the weakest failure detector for solving consensus

The concept of unreliable failure detector was introduced by Chandra and Toueg as a mechanism that provides information about process failures. This mechanism has been used to solve several agreement problems, such as the consensus problem. In this paper, algorithms that implement failure detectors in partially synchronous systems are presented. First two simple algorithms of the weakest class to solve the consensus problem, namely the Eventually Strong class (⋄S), are presented. While the first algorithm is wait-free, the second algorithm is f-resilient, where f is a known upper bound on the number of faulty processes. Both algorithms guarantee that, eventually, all the correct processes agree permanently on a common correct process, i.e. they also implement a failure detector of the class Omega (Ω). They are also shown to be optimal in terms of the number of communication links used forever. Additionally, a wait-free algorithm that implements a failure detector of the Eventually Perfect class (⋄P) is presented. This algorithm is shown to be optimal in terms of the number of bidirectional links used forever
Transactional failure recovery for a distributed key-value store

With the advent of cloud computing, many applications have embraced the ensuing paradigm shift towards modern distributed key-value data stores, like HBase, in order to benefit from the elastic scalability on offer. However, many applications still hesitate to make the leap from the traditional relational database model simply because they cannot compromise on the standard transactional guarantees of atomicity, isolation, and durability. To get the best of both worlds, one option is to integrate an independent transaction management component with a distributed key-value store. In this paper, we discuss the implications of this approach for durability. In particular, if the transaction manager provides durability (e.g., through logging), then we can relax durability constraints in the key-value store. However, if a component fails (e.g., a client or a key-value server), then we need a coordinated recovery procedure to ensure that commits are persisted correctly. In our research, we integrate an independent transaction manager with HBase. Our main contribution is a failure recovery middleware for the integrated system, which tracks the progress of each commit as it is flushed down by the client and persisted within HBase, so that we can recover reliably from failures. During recovery, commits that were interrupted by the failure are replayed from the transaction management log. Importantly, the recovery process does not interrupt transaction processing on the available servers. Using a benchmark, we evaluate the impact of component failure, and subsequent recovery, on application performance
Operational costs of A 13,000 solar home systems rural electrification programme

This paper presents an assessment and evaluation of the costs of operation and maintenance (O&M) in a real PV rural electrification (PVRE) programme, with the aim of characterizing its costs structure. Based on the extracted data of the 5-years operational costs of a private operator, the programme has been analyzed to take out the most relevant costs involved in the O&M phase as well as the comparative appraisal between the 3 main activities: installation, O&M and management. Through this study we try to answer to the new challenge of decentralized rural electrification based on larger programmes (with tens of thousands of SHSs) and longer maintenance and operation periods (at least 10 years)
Objective metrics for functional evaluation of upper limb during the ADL of drinking: application in SCI

Three-dimensional kinematic analysis provides quantitative assessment of upper limb motion and is used as an outcome measure to evaluate movement disorders. The aim of the present study is to present a set of kinematic metrics for quantifying characteristics of movement performance and the functional status of the subject during the execution of the activity of daily living (ADL) of drinking from a glass. Then, the objective is to apply these metrics in healthy people and a population with cervical spinal cord injury (SCI), and to analyze the metrics ability to discriminate between healthy and pathologic people. 19 people participated in the study: 7 subjects with metameric level C6 tetraplegia, 4 subjects with metameric level C7 tetraplegia and 8 healthy subjects. The movement was recorded with a photogrammetry system. The ADL of drinking was divided into a series of clearly identifiable phases to facilitate analysis. Metrics describing the time of the reaching phase, the range of motion of the joints analyzed, and characteristics of movement performance such as the efficiency, accuracy and smoothness of the distal segment and inter-joint coordination were obtained. The performance of the drinking task was more variable in people with SCI compared to the control group in relation to the metrics measured. Reaching time was longer in SCI groups. The proposed metrics showed capability to discriminate between healthy and pathologic people. Relative deficits in efficiency were larger in SCI people than in controls. These metrics can provide useful information in a clinical setting about the quality of the movement performed by healthy and SCI people during functional activities
Ti/Pd/Ag Contacts to n-Type GaAs for High Current Density Devices

The metallization stack Ti/Pd/Ag on n-type Si has been readily used in solar cells due to its low metal/semiconductor specific contact resistance, very high sheet conductance, bondability, long-term durability, and cost-effectiveness. In this study, the use of Ti/Pd/Ag metallization on n-type GaAs is examined, targeting electronic devices that need to handle high current densities and with grid-like contacts with limited surface coverage (i.e., solar cells, lasers, or light emitting diodes). Ti/Pd/Ag (50 nm/50 nm/1000 nm) metal layers were deposited on n-type GaAs by electron beam evaporation and the contact quality was assessed for different doping levels (from 1.3 × 1018 cm−3 to 1.6 × 1019 cm−3) and annealing temperatures (from 300°C to 750°C). The metal/semiconductor specific contact resistance, metal resistivity, and the morphology of the contacts were studied. The results show that samples doped in the range of 1018 cm−3 had Schottky-like I–V characteristics and only samples doped 1.6 × 1019 cm−3 exhibited ohmic behavior even before annealing. For the ohmic contacts, increasing annealing temperature causes a decrease in the specific contact resistance (ρ c,Ti/Pd/Ag ~ 5 × 10−4 Ω cm2). In regard to the metal resistivity, Ti/Pd/Ag metallization presents a very good metal conductivity for samples treated below 500°C (ρ M,Ti/Pd/Ag ~ 2.3 × 10−6 Ω cm); however, for samples treated at 750°C, metal resistivity is strongly degraded due to morphological degradation and contamination in the silver overlayer. As compared to the classic AuGe/Ni/Au metal system, the Ti/Pd/Ag system shows higher metal/semiconductor specific contact resistance and one order of magnitude lower metal resistivity
Layers of Models in Computer Simulations

I discuss here the definition of computer simulations, and more specifically the views of Humphreys, who considers that an object is simulated when a computer provides a solution to a computational model, which in turn represents the object of interest. I argue that Humphreys’s concepts are not able to analyse fully successfully a case of contemporary simulation in physics, which is more complex than the examples considered so far in the philosophical literature. I therefore modify Humphreys’s definition of simulation. I allow for several successive layers of computational models, and I discuss the relations that exist between these models, the computer, and the object under study. An aim of my proposal is to clarify the distinction between computational models and numerical methods, and to better understand the representational and the computational functions of models in simulations