Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Robust model adaptation for tracking with online weighted color and shape feature

Histogram-based particle filters have emerged as an appealing method for the target tracking. As colour and shape features are widely used to represent the target, we propose in this paper a novel method to combine these two features by assigning an adaptive weighting factor to each feature, in a particle filtering framework. In other words, the feature with higher likelihood and the property of high saliency will contribute more than other features to estimate the posterior density function of the target state in tracking. To cope with the target appearance changes, our tracker extracts the contextual information from the background to alleviate model drifting problem. The contextual information is therefore used for reference model update. We tested our proposed algorithm on some publicly available datasets, and the results from these video sequences have shown that the proposed tracker can tackle several open problems in tracking including heavy illumination changes, dramatic self-deformation and background clutter.
DYNAMIC LINEAR PANEL REGRESSION MODELS WITH INTERACTIVE FIXED EFFECTS

We analyze linear panel regression models with interactive fixed effects and predetermined regressors, for example lagged-dependent variables. The first-order asymptotic theory of the least squares (LS) estimator of the regression coefficients is worked out in the limit where both the cross-sectional dimension and the number of time periods become large. We find two sources of asymptotic bias of the LS estimator: bias due to correlation or heteroscedasticity of the idiosyncratic error term, and bias due to predetermined (as opposed to strictly exogenous) regressors. We provide a bias-corrected LS estimator. We also present bias-corrected versions of the three classical test statistics (Wald, LR, and LM test) and show their asymptotic distribution is a χ2-distribution. Monte Carlo simulations show the bias correction of the LS estimator and of the test statistics also work well for finite sample sizes.
Randomized Crossover Study of the Natural Restorative Environment Intervention to Improve Attention and Mood in Heart Failure

Background: In heart failure (HF), attention may be decreased because of lowered cerebral blood flow and increased attentional demands needed for self-care. Objective: Guided by the Attention Restoration Theory, the objective was to test the efficacy of the natural restorative environment (NRE) intervention on improving attention and mood among HF patients and healthy adults. Methods: A randomized crossover pilot study was conducted among 20 HF patients and an age- and education-matched comparison group of 20 healthy adults to test the efficacy of the NRE intervention compared with an active control intervention. Neuropsychological tests were administered to examine attention, particularly attention span, sustained attention, directed attention, and attention switching, at before and after the intervention. Mood was measured with the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. Results: No significant differences were found in attention and mood after the NRE intervention compared with the control intervention among the HF patients and the healthy adults. In analyses with HF patients and healthy adults combined (n = 40), significant differences were found. Compared with the control intervention, sustained attention improved after the NRE intervention (P = .001) regardless of the presence of HF. Compared with the healthy adults, HF patients performed significantly worse on attention switching after the control intervention (P = .045). Conclusions: The NRE intervention may be efficacious in improving sustained attention in HF patients. Future studies are needed to enhance the NRE intervention to be more efficacious and tailored for HF patients and test the efficacy in a larger sample of HF patients.
Emerging low energy Wearable Body Sensor Networks using patch sensors for continuous healthcare applications

Three emerging Wearable Body Sensor Networks (WBSN) using patch type sensors are examined and compared. Unique WBSN environment issues and techniques to overcome those issues are presented for continuous healthcare applications. The first is the battery powered RF patch sensor WBSN (Type 1); it maximizes user-convenience and is suitable for short-term healthcare. The second is the wirelessly powered patch sensor WBSN (Type 2); the proposed patch adopts Planar Fashionable Circuit Board (P-FCB) for pervasiveness and safety, and a base station controls an array of inductors that automatically configure sensor positions around the body. The Type 2 WBSN fits for long-term healthcare. Finally, a snap fastener patch sensor WBSN (Type 3) is proposed. This is the most secure method among 3. Again, P-FCB increases pervasiveness. A snap fastener provides secure power and data channels between sensors and a base station.
Interlaboratory standardization of measurements of glycohemoglobins.

The diversity of methods used to measure glycohemoglobins (GHb) makes it difficult to compare patients' results among laboratories. We reported previously the feasibility of providing comparable results from different assays by use of common calibrators. We here compare results from seven different GHb methods calibrated by use of hemolysates assayed by a precise ion-exchange high-performance liquid-chromatographic (HPLC) method for hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). Thus, regardless of the GHb species measured by the seven methods, results were referenced to the HbA1c content of the calibrators. Without this calibration, GHb values for single samples varied, e.g., from 4.0% to 8.1% and from 10% to 14.2% in the normal and high ranges, respectively. Calibration decreased between-method variability (single sample ranges of, e.g., 4.8% to 5.4% and 9.4% to 10.2% in the normal and high ranges, respectively) and improved interassay precision. We conclude that this approach to calibration of GHb measurements allows direct comparison of results obtained by different methods and improves precision.
Transcriptome Characterization and Sequencing-Based Identification of Salt-Responsive Genes in Millettia pinnata, a Semi-Mangrove Plant

Semi-mangroves form a group of transitional species between glycophytes and halophytes, and hold unique potential for learning molecular mechanisms underlying plant salt tolerance. Millettia pinnata is a semi-mangrove plant that can survive a wide range of saline conditions in the absence of specialized morphological and physiological traits. By employing the Illumina sequencing platform, we generated ∼192 million short reads from four cDNA libraries of M. pinnata and processed them into 108 598 unisequences with a high depth of coverage. The mean length and total length of these unisequences were 606 bp and 65.8 Mb, respectively. A total of 54 596 (50.3%) unisequences were assigned Nr annotations. Functional classification revealed the involvement of unisequences in various biological processes related to metabolism and environmental adaptation. We identified 23 815 candidate salt-responsive genes with significantly differential expression under seawater and freshwater treatments. Based on the reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT–PCR) and real-time PCR analyses, we verified the changes in expression levels for a number of candidate genes. The functional enrichment analyses for the candidate genes showed tissue-specific patterns of transcriptome remodelling upon salt stress in the roots and the leaves. The transcriptome of M. pinnata will provide valuable gene resources for future application in crop improvement. In addition, this study sets a good example for large-scale identification of salt-responsive genes in non-model organisms using the sequencing-based approach.
Adherence to Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Therapy for Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Impact of Patient Education after a Longer Treatment Period

Background: Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the standard treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) but it is often cumbersome so that adherence to CPAP therapy is limited. Objectives: We evaluated adherence to CPAP therapy after an additional educative intervention in OSA patients after a longer treatment period. Methods: A short patient information program covering many aspects of symptoms, consequences and treatment of OSA was created, and standardized information sessions were developed to be given by an experienced sleep physician to >6,000 participants of patient support group meetings throughout Germany. They also received a booklet containing the essential information of the lectures. Of the 526 randomly selected members of these support groups receiving the anonymized questionnaire by mail, 475 CPAP patients sent the questionnaire back. Of these CPAP patients, 243 participated in a lecture und and had received a booklet (information group) and 232 CPAP patients had not attended a lecture (control group). Results: In the information group, a significantly higher daily usage of CPAP devices (6.9 ± 0.9 h/day) was reported compared with the control group (5.7 ± 1.3 h/day; p < 0.001). Furthermore, the score in the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) was found to be significantly lower in the information group (median ESS = 6, interquartile range, IQR, 4–8 vs. median = 11, IQR 8–13; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Patients who attended our short information program showed a higher daily usage and a lower subjective daytime sleepiness. These results suggest that patients on CPAP therapy may benefit from education even after a longer treatment period.
Attack-resistant frequency counting

We present collaborative peer-to-peer algorithms for the problem of approximating frequency counts for popular items distributed across the peers of a large-scale network. Our algorithms are attack-resistant in the sense that they function correctly even in the case where an adaptive and computationally unbounded adversary causes up to a 1/3 fraction of the peers in the network to suffer Byzantine faults. Our algorithms are scalable in the sense that all resource costs are polylogarithmic. Specifically, latency is O(log n); the number of messages and number of bits sent and received by each peer is O(log2n) per item; and number of neighbors of each peer is O(log2n). Our motivation for addressing this problem is to provide a tool for the following three applications: worm and virus detection; spam detection; and distributed data-mining. To the best of our knowledge, our algorithms are the first attack-resistant and scalable algorithms for this problem. Moreover, surprisingly, our algorithms seem to be the first attack-resistant algorithms for any data mining problem.
Toll‐like receptor 2 and nucleotide‐binding oligomerization domain‐2 play divergent roles in the recognition of gut‐derived lactobacilli and bifidobacteria in dendritic cells

The gut microbiota is vital in the maintenance of homeostasis in the gut immune system. Its diversity and composition play major roles in relation to allergies and inflammatory bowel diseases, and administration of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), such as lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, has positive effects on these pathologies. However, the mechanisms behind the beneficial effects are largely unknown. Here we reveal divergent roles played by Toll‐like receptor‐2 (TLR2) and nucleotide‐binding oligomerization domain‐2 (NOD2) in dendritic cell (DC) recognition of LAB. Murine bone‐marrow‐derived DC lacking NOD2 produce higher levels of interleukin‐10 (IL‐10) and reduced levels of IL‐12 and tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) in response to LAB. This indicates that peptidoglycan is partly responsible for the T helper type 1 skewing effect of certain LAB. Dendritic cells that are TLR2−/− produce less IL‐12 and TNF‐α and more IL‐10 in response to some strains of lactobacilli, while they produce more IL‐12 and less IL‐10 in response to bifidobacteria. The same tendency was found in human monocyte‐derived DC. We have previously reported that the weak IL‐12‐inducing and TNF‐α‐inducing bifidobacteria inhibit the T helper type 1 skewing effect induced by strong immunostimulatory lactobacilli. Here we show that this immunoinhibitory effect of bifidobacteria is dependent on TLR2 and independent of NOD2. Moreover, independently of the cytokine pattern induced by intact LAB, cell wall fractions of all LAB, as well as synthetic lipoproteins possess immunoinhibitory capacities in both human and murine DC. These novel findings suggest that LAB act as immunoregulators through interaction of lipoprotein with TLR2 and as immunostimulators through interaction of peptidoglycan with NOD2.
A cross-sectional study of blood pressure control in hypertensive patients in general practice (the I-TARGET study)

Introduction Despite the availability of multiple effective antihypertensive drugs, hypertension control rates remain poor. The reasons for this are complex, but increasingly, physician inertia has been identified as a crucial factor. In this study we attempted to define the level of blood pressure (BP) control and reasons for not achieving control in a survey of selected general practices within South Africa. Methods This was a multi-centre, cross-sectional disease study involving 15 selected general practices throughout South Africa. Treated hypertensive patients over 18 years old were eligible for inclusion. The study was approved by Pharma Ethics, and after informed consent, consecutive hypertensive patients at the participating general practice centres were included, with each centre enrolling 30 patients. Results A total of 451 patients, from 15 sites in South Africa, were entered in the study. The mean age of the patients was 60.7 years, 56.3% were female and 15.7% were current smokers. The BP was reduced by 26.4/17.6 mmHg (p < 0.001) in 220 patients with a documented initial BP. Co-morbidities were present in 322 (71.4%) patients and overall, 37.9% had more than one co-morbidity. Lifestyle modification was not uniformly applied, with only 46.1, 59.6 and 56.8% receiving advice about weight loss, exercise and diet, respectively. Less than a third (30.7%) of patients were on monotherapy, 42.8% were on two drugs (25.9% on fixed-drug combination and 16.9% on free combination) and 26.5% were on more than two agents. Most (86.9%) practitioners used either international or local guidelines to determine target BP. Overall, 61.2% of patients were at goal (BP < 140/90 mmHg). If a stricter target BP (BP ≤ 130/80 mmHg) is applied to patients with co-morbidities, as recommended by the guidelines, 60.6% of patients did not reach goal. Of the 175 patients not at target BP, there was no action plan in 22.9%, while 39.4% were advised to undertake lifestyle changes only. Conclusions Control rates were quite good in comparison with other surveys within and outside South Africa. However we were able to define several important deficiencies: there was evidence of physician inertia and also practitioners need to be more cognisant of local and international guidelines to optimise treatment.
Alcohol, Task Difficulty, and Incentives in Drill Press Operation

The effects of alcohol, task difficulty, and incentives on a drill press simulation were examined. On four nonconsecutive days the subject received four alcohol levels, one level per day. The levels were: 0.00%, 0.03%, 0.06%, and 0.09% blood alcohol concentration (BAC). The drill press simulation task consisted of placing a drill probe alternatively into two holes in a metal plate. For every level of alcohol, each subject received eight levels of task difficulty which were varied by changing the hole size and distance between holes. Task difficulty was in units of bits of information ranging from two to nine and was derived from a portion of Welford's (1968) version of Fitts' Law. For every level of task difficulty, each subject received two levels of incentive: productivity and accuracy which were enforced by monetary rewards. The subject's response was measured by hits and misses. A hit was defined as fully inserting the metal drill probe in either of two holes in the top metal plate of the workpiece without touching the plate. A miss was defined as a contact of the probe with the top plate. Alcohol had a significant effect on hits (p = 0.0001) as evidenced by a 12% decrease in hits at the 0.06% BAC, and a 19% decrease at the 0.09% BAC. Task difficulty affected both hits and misses (p = 0.0001). The greatest decrease in hits between any two levels of task difficulty was an 89% decrease from the easiest task difficulty level to the most difficult level. The largest decrease between any two levels of difficulty in misses was 57% and occurred between the eight and five bit task difficutly level. Incentive had a significant effect on hits (p = 0.0002) and misses (p = 0.0001). Hits were 27.5% less in the productivity condition than in the accuracy condition. Misses were 74% less in the accuracy condition than in the productivity condition. Although the alcohol by task difficulty interaction was significant for hits (p = 0.0001), and the incentive by task difficulty interactions were significant for both hits and misses (p = 0.0001), plots of these effects were not subject to meaningful interpretation.
Evaluating the Use of Register Queues in Software Pipelined Loops

In this paper, we examine the effectiveness of a new hardware mechanism, called register queues (RQs), which effectively decouples the architected register space from the physical registers. Using RQs, the compiler can allocate physical registers to store live values in the software pipelined loop while minimizing the pressure placed on architected registers. We show that decoupling the architected register space from the physical register space can greatly increase the applicability of software pipelining, even as memory latencies increase. RQs combine the major aspects of existing rotating register file and register connection techniques to generate efficient software pipeline schedules. Through the use of RQs, we can minimize the register pressure and code expansion caused by software pipelining. We demonstrate the effect of incorporating register queues and software pipelining with 983 loops taken from the Perfect Club, the SPEC suites, and the Livermore Kernels.
Mechanisms of Kaempferia parviflora extract (KPE)- induced vasorelaxation in the rat aorta

Abstract Background: The rhizomes of Kaempferia parviflora (KP) have been widely used in Thai traditional medicine to treat several diseases such as hypertension. Recent studies have shown that the ethanolic extract of KP (KPE) exerts vasorelaxant effects in the rat aorta. However, the underlying mechanisms of these vascular responses remain unclear. Objectives: Investigate the mechanisms of KPE-induced vasorelaxation in the rat aorta. Methods: Aortic rings from male Wistar rats were precontracted with methoxamine. Changes in tension were measured using an isometric force transducer and recorded on the MacLab recording system. Vasorelaxation to KPE was examined in the presence of 10 μM indomethacin, 300 μM NG-nitro L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), 60 mM KCl, 5 mM tetraethylammonium chloride (TEA), 10 μM glibenclamide, 1 mM 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) or 30 μM barium chloride (BaCl2). The effects of KPE on vascular responses to carbachol, sodium nitroprusside, and CaCl2 were evaluated. Results: KPE (0.1-100 μg/mL) caused vasorelaxations, which were reduced with removal of the endothelium. In addition, indomethacin, L-NAME, and indomethacin plus L-NAME reduced KPE-induced vasorelaxation. Raising the extracellular KCl concentration to 60 mM, or pre-treatment with BaCl2, TEA, or glibenclamide reduced relaxant responses to KPE. Contractions to CaCl2 were inhibited after pre-incubation with KPE. Pre-treatment with KPE enhanced endothelium-dependent relaxations to carbachol, but not to sodium nitroprusside. Conclusion: KPE had a vasodilator effect in the rat isolated aortic rings. These effects involved endotheliumderived NO and prostanoids via a COX pathway. In addition, KPE-induced vasorelaxation was due to increasing K+ efflux probably through KCa, KIR and KATP channels. These provide pharmacological evidence for mechanism of KPE-induced vasorelaxation and support the traditional use of KPE as an antihypertensive agent.
Peer data exchange

In this paper, we introduce and study a framework, called peer data exchange, for sharing and exchanging data between peers. This framework is a special case of a full-fledged peer data management system and a generalization of data exchange between a source schema and a target schema. The motivation behind peer data exchange is to model authority relationships between peers, where a source peer may contribute data to a target peer, specified using source-to-target constraints, and a target peer may use target-to-source constraints to restrict the data it is willing to receive, but cannot modify the data of the source peer. A fundamental algorithmic problem in this framework is that of deciding the existence of a solution: given a source instance and a target instance for a fixed peer data exchange setting, can the target instance be augmented in such a way that the source instance and the augmented target instance satisfy all constraints of the setting? We investigate the computational complexity of the problem for peer data exchange settings in which the constraints are given by tuple generating dependencies. We show that this problem is always in NP, and that it can be NP-complete even for "acyclic" peer data exchange settings. We also show that the data complexity of the certain answers of target conjunctive queries is in coNP, and that it can be coNP-complete even for "acyclic" peer data exchange settings. After this, we explore the boundary between tractability and intractability for the problem of deciding the existence of a solution. To this effect, we identify broad syntactic conditions on the constraints between the peers under which testing for solutions is solvable in polynomial time. These syntactic conditions include the important special case of peer data exchange in which the source-to-target constraints are arbitrary tuple generating dependencies, but the target-to-source constraints are local-as-view dependencies. Finally, we show that the syntactic conditions we identified are tight, in the sense that minimal relaxations of them lead to intractability.
Dinuclear Lanthanide (III) Coordination Polymers in a Domino Reaction

A systematic study was performed to further optimise the catalytic room-temperature synthesis of trans-4,5-diaminocyclopent-2-enones from 2-furaldehyde and primary or secondary amines under a non-inert atmosphere. For this purpose, a series of dinuclear lanthanide (III) coordination polymers were synthesised using a dianionic Schiff base and their catalytic activities were investigated.
Delay-dependent passivity criterion for Hopfield neural networks

In this paper, the problem of passivity for Hopfield neural networks with time-varying delay is investigated. Different from the others, the restriction that the derivative of time-varying delay be less than 1 is removed. The descriptor model transformation is used to ensure a less conservative criterion. The obtained passivity criterion is formulated in terms of linear matrix inequalities. Two numerical examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of our methods.