Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Generic Learning-Based Ensemble Framework for Small Sample Size Face Recognition in Multi-Camera Networks

Multi-camera networks have gained great interest in video-based surveillance systems for security monitoring, access control, etc. Person re-identification is an essential and challenging task in multi-camera networks, which aims to determine if a given individual has already appeared over the camera network. Individual recognition often uses faces as a trial and requires a large number of samples during the training phrase. This is difficult to fulfill due to the limitation of the camera hardware system and the unconstrained image capturing conditions. Conventional face recognition algorithms often encounter the “small sample size” (SSS) problem arising from the small number of training samples compared to the high dimensionality of the sample space. To overcome this problem, interest in the combination of multiple base classifiers has sparked research efforts in ensemble methods. However, existing ensemble methods still open two questions: (1) how to define diverse base classifiers from the small data; (2) how to avoid the diversity/accuracy dilemma occurring during ensemble. To address these problems, this paper proposes a novel generic learning-based ensemble framework, which augments the small data by generating new samples based on a generic distribution and introduces a tailored 0–1 knapsack algorithm to alleviate the diversity/accuracy dilemma. More diverse base classifiers can be generated from the expanded face space, and more appropriate base classifiers are selected for ensemble. Extensive experimental results on four benchmarks demonstrate the higher ability of our system to cope with the SSS problem compared to the state-of-the-art system.
Detection of Micrometastatic Disease and Monitoring of Perioperative Tumor Cell Dissemination in Primary Operable Breast Cancer Patients Using Real-Time Quantitative Reverse Transcription-PCR

Purpose: We previously found a statistically significant number of cytokeratin 19 (CK19)+ cells in peripheral blood (PB) of stage IV breast cancer (BC) patients compared with those of healthy volunteers, using a quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR. We aimed to apply the technique on bone marrow (BM) of primary operable BC patients. Pre- and postoperative PB samples of these patients were further analyzed to investigate possible shedding of CK19+ cells during the operation. Experimental Design: In 54 primary operable BC patients, we analyzed 50 BM samples taken preoperatively and 297 PB samples. PB samples were collected before surgery; immediately after surgery; on the first, second, and fifth day postoperatively; and one month postoperatively. Results: In BM of controls and BC patients, we detected a median of 28 and 568 CK19+ cells/5 × 106 leukocytes, respectively (P < 0.001). In preoperative blood (B-1) samples, we measured a median of 109 CK19+ cells. Using the upper limit of 95% confidence interval of controls as cutoff, 74% and 52% of BM and (B-1), respectively were considered CK19+. There was no significant correlation between CK19+ cells in BM and (B-1) and classical prognostic factors. We found no significant difference between blood samples at different time points with respect to the average CK19+ cells. Conclusions: In primary BC patients, we detected high numbers of CK19+ cells in BM and PB (B-1) samples compared with controls. However, no significant correlation between the presence of CK19+ cells in BM and PB and classical prognostic factors was found. We detected no statistically significant influence of surgical manipulation on CK19+ cells.
Cerebral Aneurysms and Variations in the Circle of Willis

In order to obtain information about the relationship between variations in the circle of Willis and aneurysms, 44 complete circles of Willis with aneurysm were studied macroscopically. The incidence of variations was significantly higher in the aneurysm series than in the control circles without aneurysm. There was a definite correlation between asymmetric proximal segments of the anterior cerebral artery and aneurysms of the anterior communicating artery, and a tendency to correlation was found in the case of asymmetric posterior communicating arteries and aneurysms on the internal carotid artery-posterior communicating artery junction. In the light of these findings it seems likely that through hemodynamic changes variation in the circle of Willis plays some role in the development of cerebral aneurysms. Stroke Vol 15, No 5, 1984
Compressive and Tensile Strength Properties of Slurry Infiltrated Fiber Concrete

The slurry infiltrated fiber concrete(SIFCON) is recognized as one of the most promising new construction materials. Compressive and direct tensile tests are performed to investigate the mechanical property of SIFCON. Hooked-end steel fibers are used in the mix with fiber volume fraction varied from 4% to 10%. The water/cement ratio is kept constant at 0.4. The amount of silica fume added is 10% by weight of cement and 0.5% of water reducing agent is added to improve the workability of the slurry. The test results in this study show that the compressive strength of SIFCON is about 1.59 to 2.68 times in comparison with the cement paste. Tensile strength is showed the enhancement of about 2.51 to 8.77 times. It is also observed that the toughness and ductility of SIFCON are increased significantly with the increasing in fiber volume fraction.
Effects of a short period of elevated circulating corticosterone on postnatal growth in free-living Eurasian kestrels Falco tinnunculus

SUMMARY Environmental conditions affect growth and development and, through developmental plasticity, create phenotypic variation. In suboptimal conditions current survival is traded-off against development. Corticosterone, the main glucocorticoid in birds, may be involved in the reallocation of energy from growth to maintenance, but its effect on growth has rarely been investigated in altricial birds under natural conditions in the wild. In free-living Eurasian kestrel Falco tinnunculus nestlings, we artificially elevated corticosterone to stress-induced levels over 2–3 days in the middle of the nestling stage by implanting biodegradable implants, controlling the treatment with a placebo group. We measured the length of primary feather 8, hand length, tarsus length, body mass and subcutaneous fat stores from day 10 to 25. During corticosterone elevation, primary growth of cort-nestlings was significantly reduced to 71% of placebo-nestlings, hand and tarsus growth were significantly reduced to 14% and 26% of placebo-nestlings, respectively, and body mass increase stopped, while subcutaneous fat-store growth was not affected. Over the following 5 days, primary growth was still significantly suppressed to 84% of placebo-nestlings, while hand, tarsus and body mass growth were back to normal. During the subsequent 4 days, cort-nestlings partly compensated for the lag in body mass by significantly accelerating the body mass increase compared with placebo-nestlings. Before fledging, primary length was 10% shorter, hand and tarsus 5% and 4% shorter and body mass 8.5% lower in cort-nestlings than in placebo-nestlings, while fat score did not differ significantly between the two groups. Thus, we have shown that in free-living, altricial nestlings a few days of elevated plasma corticosterone levels alone, without food restriction, suppressed growth and this could only partly be compensated for afterwards. Feather, bone and body mass growth were reduced to different degrees, indicating that corticosterone had a differential effect on different structures. This demonstrates that corticosterone is probably involved in the control of developmental plasticity.
A Numerical Method for General Relativistic Magnetohydrodynamics

This paper describes the development and testing of a general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) code to study ideal MHD in the fixed background of a Kerr black hole. The code is a direct extension of the hydrodynamic code of Hawley, Smarr, & Wilson and uses Evans & Hawley constrained transport (CT) to evolve the magnetic fields. Two categories of test cases were undertaken. A one-dimensional version of the code (Minkowski metric) was used to verify code performance in the special relativistic limit. The tests include Alfvén wave propagation, fast and slow magnetosonic shocks, rarefaction waves, and both relativistic and nonrelativistic shock tubes. A series of one- and two-dimensional tests were also carried out in the Kerr metric: magnetized Bondi inflow, a magnetized inflow test due to Gammie, and two-dimensional magnetized constant-l tori that are subject to the magnetorotational instability.
Neural basis of an inherited speech and language disorder.

Investigation of the three-generation KE family, half of whose members are affected by a pronounced verbal dyspraxia, has led to identification of their core deficit as one involving sequential articulation and orofacial praxis. A positron emission tomography activation study revealed functional abnormalities in both cortical and subcortical motor-related areas of the frontal lobe, while quantitative analyses of magnetic resonance imaging scans revealed structural abnormalities in several of these same areas, particularly the caudate nucleus, which was found to be abnormally small bilaterally. A recent linkage study [Fisher, S. , Vargha-Khadem, F. , Watkins, K. E. , Monaco, A. P. & Pembry, M. E. (1998) Nat. Genet. 18, 168-170] localized the abnormal gene (SPCH1) to a 5. 6-centiMorgan interval in the chromosomal band 7q31. The genetic mutation or deletion in this region has resulted in the abnormal development of several brain areas that appear to be critical for both orofacial movements and sequential articulation, leading to marked disruption of speech and expressive language.
Effects of Cellulose Crystallinity, Hemicellulose, and Lignin on the Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Miscanthus sinensis to Monosaccharides

The effects of cellulose crystallinity, hemicellulose, and lignin on the enzymatic hydrolysis of Miscanthus sinensis to monosaccharides were investigated. A air-dried biomass was ground by ball-milling, and the powder was separated into four fractions by passage through a series of sieves with mesh sizes 250–355 μm, 150–250 μm, 63–150 μm, and <63 μm. Each fraction was hydrolyzed with commercially available cellulase and β-glucosidase. The yield of monosaccharides increased as the crystallinity of the substrate decreased. The addition of xylanase increased the yield of both pentoses and glucose. Delignification by the sodium chlorite method improved the initial rate of hydrolysis by cellulolytic enzymes significantly, resulting in a higher yield of monosaccharides as compared with that for untreated samples. When delignified M. sinensis was hydrolyzed with cellulase, β-glucosidase, and xylanase, hemicellulose was hydrolyzed completely into monosaccharides, and the conversion rate of glucan to glucose was 90.6%.
Deep Q-learning for Active Recognition of GERMS: Baseline performance on a standardized dataset for active learning

Mohsen Malmir1 http://mplab.ucsd.edu/~mmalmir/ Karan Sikka1 http://mplab.ucsd.edu/~ksikka/ Deborah Forster1 dforster@ucsd.edu Javier Movellan2 http://www.emotient. com/ Garrison W. Cottrell3 http://cseweb.ucsd.edu/~gary/ 1 Machine Perception Lab. University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA 2 Emotient, Inc. 4435 Eastgate Mall, Suite 320, San Diego, CA, USA 3 Computer Science and Engineering Dept. University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
Modification of glasses and optical waveguides using high electric fields

This thesis describes work done towards establishing efficient and reproducible second harmonic generation in thermally poled novel high-index bismuth-borate glass structures. According to the rectification model, glass with higher chi(3) values than silica would permit chi(2) to scale up proportionally, for a given frozen-in electric field strength. The fundamental research on poling induced nonlinearity has been extended to investigate several compositions of Bi2O3ZnOB2O3 glass systems, whose refractive index is measured to increase with the Bi2O3 content. Intrinsic third-order optical nonlinearity chi(3) up to thirty times higher than silica have been measured in bismuth-based compounds, and even larger values are potentially achievable. In this thesis, a reliable procedure to induce large and stable second order nonlinear coefficient chi(2) in bismuthate glasses has been established along with the understanding towards efficient generation of second harmonic power in waveguiding layers. Characterization methods to determine the nonlinear formation dynamics and resolve nonlinear thickness and profile has been optimized to quantify the magnitude and distribution of second order nonlinearities in thermally poled bismuthate glasses. The development of a new poling procedure, where the applied voltage is varied during the cooling phase, instead of being kept constant, has allowed a record value of chi(2) = 2.3 pm/V in 12.5% Bi2O3 bulk samples to be achieved. The control of nonlinear region evolution gained by establishing the innovative time-varying voltage poling procedure has led to the first demonstration of second-order nonlinearity value as high as 2 pm/V induced by thermal poling in bismuthate sputtered slab waveguides. These achievements opened new investigations towards realizing efficient monolithic structures leading to high performance active devices based on poled bismuth-based glass waveguides. In particular, an all-glass electro-optic modulator and a frequency doubler have been targeted, based on sputtering and femtosecond laser direct writing, respectively.
The construction of confidence in a perceptual decision

Decision-making involves the selection of one out of many possible courses of action. A decision may bear on other decisions, as when humans seek a second medical opinion before undergoing a risky surgical intervention. These “meta-decisions” are mediated by confidence judgments—the degree to which decision-makers consider that a choice is likely to be correct. We studied how subjective confidence is constructed from noisy sensory evidence. The psychophysical kernels used to convert sensory information into choice and confidence decisions were precisely reconstructed measuring the impact of small fluctuations in sensory input. This is shown in two independent experiments in which human participants made a decision about the direction of motion of a set of randomly moving dots, or compared the brightness of a group of fluctuating bars, followed by a confidence report. The results of both experiments converged to show that: (1) confidence was influenced by evidence during a short window of time at the initial moments of the decision, and (2) confidence was influenced by evidence for the selected choice but was virtually blind to evidence for the non-selected choice. Our findings challenge classical models of subjective confidence—which posit that the difference of evidence in favor of each choice is the seed of the confidence signal.
Co‐ordinate transcriptional regulation of dopamine synthesis genes by α‐synuclein in human neuroblastoma cell lines

Abnormal accumulation of α‐synuclein in Lewy bodies is a neuropathological hallmark of both sporadic and familial Parkinson's disease (PD). Although mutations in α‐synuclein have been identified in autosomal dominant PD, the mechanism by which dopaminergic cell death occurs remains unknown. We investigated transcriptional changes in neuroblastoma cell lines transfected with either normal or mutant (A30P or A53T) α‐synuclein using microarrays, with confirmation of selected genes by quantitative RT‐PCR. Gene products whose expression was found to be significantly altered included members of diverse functional groups such as stress response, transcription regulators, apoptosis‐inducing molecules, transcription factors and membrane‐bound proteins. We also found evidence of altered expression of dihydropteridine reductase, which indirectly regulates the synthesis of dopamine. Because of the importance of dopamine in PD, we investigated the expression of all the known genes in dopamine synthesis. We found co‐ordinated downregulation of mRNA for GTP cyclohydrolase, sepiapterin reductase (SR), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and aromatic acid decarboxylase by wild‐type but not mutant α‐synuclein. These were confirmed at the protein level for SR and TH. Reduced expression of the orphan nuclear receptor Nurr1 was also noted, suggesting that the co‐ordinate regulation of dopamine synthesis is regulated through this transcription factor.
Cretaceous origin and repeated tertiary diversification of the redefined butterflies

Although the taxonomy of the ca 18 000 species of butterflies and skippers is well known, the family-level relationships are still debated. Here, we present, to our knowledge, the most comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of the superfamilies Papilionoidea, Hesperioidea and Hedyloidea to date based on morphological and molecular data. We reconstructed their phylogenetic relationships using parsimony and Bayesian approaches. We estimated times and rates of diversification along lineages in order to reconstruct their evolutionary history. Our results suggest that the butterflies, as traditionally understood, are paraphyletic, with Papilionidae being the sister-group to Hesperioidea, Hedyloidea and all other butterflies. Hence, the families in the current three superfamilies should be placed in a single superfamily Papilionoidea. In addition, we find that Hedylidae is sister to Hesperiidae, and this novel relationship is supported by two morphological characters. The families diverged in the Early Cretaceous but diversified after the Cretaceous–Palaeogene event. The diversification of butterflies is characterized by a slow speciation rate in the lineage leading to Baronia brevicornis, a period of stasis by the skippers after divergence and a burst of diversification in the lineages leading to Nymphalidae, Riodinidae and Lycaenidae.
Telemonitoring for Seniors with Chronic Heart Failure: Patient Self-Care, Empowerment, and Adoption Factors

Telemonitoring (TM) represents a promising technology for the management of chronic diseases. It is of particular relevance to senior patients with heart failure (HF) condition. This study employs a longitudinal design, and involves three surveys of elderly HF patients (n=23) administered one week, three months, and six months after system adoption. The main constructs were assessed based on existing validated scales. The results show that senior patients perceived value in using TM, did not expect the technology to be difficult to use, and did not encounter barriers to adoption. The analysis of impacts on selfcare revealed significant positive effects of TM on the confidence of senior patients in their self-care ability to evaluate their symptoms, address them, and evaluate the effectiveness of the measures they take. Significant positive effects were also observed on two measures of treatment implementation. TM may be leveraged to improve senior patients’ self-care skills, which will benefit their health condition.
Antimicrobial Prospect of Newly Synthesized 1,3-Thiazole Derivatives

A new series of 1,3-thiazole and benzo[d]thiazole derivatives 10–15 has been developed, characterized, and evaluated for in vitro antimicrobial activity at concentrations of 25–200 μg/mL against Gram+ve organisms such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Gram–ve organisms such as Escherichia coli (E. coli), and the fungal strain Aspergillus niger (A. niger) by the cup plate method. Ofloxacin and ketoconazole (10 μg/mL) were used as reference standards for antibacterial and antifungal activity, respectively. Compounds 11 and 12 showed notable antibacterial and antifungal activities at higher concentrations (125–200 μg/mL), whereas benzo[d]thiazole derivatives 13 and 14 were found to display significant antibacterial or antifungal activity (50–75 μg/mL) against the Gram+ve, Gram–ve bacteria, or fungal cells used in the present study. In addition, a correlation between calculated and determined partition coefficient (log P) was established which allows future development of compounds within this series to be carried out based on calculated log P values. Moreover, compounds 13 and 14 show that the optimum logarithm of partition coefficient (log P) should be around 4.
Elastic-Plastic Analysis of AS4/PEEK Composite Laminate Using a One-Parameter Plasticity Model

A one-parameter plasticity model was shown to adequately describe the plastic deformation of AS4/PEEK (APC-2) unidirectional thermoplastic composite. This model was verified further for unidirectional and laminated composite panels with and without a hole. The elastic-plastic stress-strain relations of coupon specimens were mea sured and compared with those predicted by the finite element analysis using the one- parameter plasticity model. The results show that the one-parameter plasticity model is suitable for the analysis of elastic-plastic deformation of AS4/PEEK composite laminates.
Adverse Effects of Doxorubicin and Its Metabolic Product on Cardiac RyR2 and SERCA2A

The use of anthracycline chemotherapeutic drugs is restricted owing to potentially fatal cardiotoxic side effects. It has been hypothesized that anthracycline metabolites have a primary role in this cardiac dysfunction; however, information on the molecular interactions of these compounds in the heart is scarce. Here we provide novel evidence that doxorubicin and its metabolite, doxorubicinol, bind to the cardiac ryanodine receptor (RyR2) and to the sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase (SERCA2A) and deleteriously alter their activity. Both drugs (0.01 μM–2.5 μM) activated single RyR2 channels, and this was reversed by drug washout. Both drugs caused a secondary inhibition of RyR2 activity that was not reversed by drug washout. Preincubation with the reducing agent dithiothreitol (DTT, 1 mM) prevented drug-induced inhibition of channel activity. Doxorubicin and doxorubicinol reduced the abundance of thiol groups on RyR2, further indicating that oxidation reactions may be involved in the actions of the compounds. Ca2+ uptake into sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles by SERCA2A was inhibited by doxorubicinol, but not doxorubicin. Unexpectedly, in the presence of DTT, doxorubicinol enhanced the rate of Ca2+ uptake by SERCA2A. Together the evidence provided here shows that doxorubicin and doxorubicinol interact with RyR2 and SERCA2A in similar ways, but that the metabolite acts with greater efficacy than the parent compound. Both compounds modify RyR2 and SERCA2A activity by binding to the proteins and also act via thiol oxidation to disrupt SR Ca2+ handling. These actions would have severe consequences on cardiomyocyte function and contribute to clinical symptoms of acute anthracycline cardiotoxicity.