Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Robust Face Recognition for Uncontrolled Pose and Illumination Changes

Face recognition has made significant advances in the last decade, but robust commercial applications are still lacking. Current authentication/identification applications are limited to controlled settings, e.g., limited pose and illumination changes, with the user usually aware of being screened and collaborating in the process. Among others, pose and illumination changes are limited. To address challenges from looser restrictions, this paper proposes a novel framework for real-world face recognition in uncontrolled settings named Face Analysis for Commercial Entities (FACE). Its robustness comes from normalization (“correction”) strategies to address pose and illumination variations. In addition, two separate image quality indices quantitatively assess pose and illumination changes for each biometric query, before submitting it to the classifier. Samples with poor quality are possibly discarded or undergo a manual classification or, when possible, trigger a new capture. After such filter, template similarity for matching purposes is measured using a localized version of the image correlation index. Finally, FACE adopts reliability indices, which estimate the “acceptability” of the final identification decision made by the classifier. Experimental results show that the accuracy of FACE (in terms of recognition rate) compares favorably, and in some cases by significant margins, against popular face recognition methods. In particular, FACE is compared against SVM, incremental SVM, principal component analysis, incremental LDA, ICA, and hierarchical multiscale local binary pattern. Testing exploits data from different data sets: CelebrityDB, Labeled Faces in the Wild, SCface, and FERET. The face images used present variations in pose, expression, illumination, image quality, and resolution. Our experiments show the benefits of using image quality and reliability indices to enhance overall accuracy, on one side, and to provide for individualized processing of biometric probes for better decision-making purposes, on the other side. Both kinds of indices, owing to the way they are defined, can be easily integrated within different frameworks and off-the-shelf biometric applications for the following: 1) data fusion; 2) online identity management; and 3) interoperability. The results obtained by FACE witness a significant increase in accuracy when compared with the results produced by the other algorithms considered.
A robust MISO training sequence design

In this paper, the problem of robust training sequence design for multiple-input single-output (MISO) channel estimation is investigated. The mean-squared error (MSE) of the channel estimates is considered as a performance criterion to design an optimized training sequence which is a function of channel covariance matrix. In practice, the channel covariance matrix is not perfectly known at the transmitter side. Our goal is to take such imperfection into account and propose a robust design following the worst-case philosophy which results in finding the optimal training sequences for the least favorable channel covariance matrix within a deterministic uncertainty set. In this work, we address the formulated minimax design problem under different assumptions of the uncertainty set, and we show that for a unitarily-invariant uncertainty set, the optimally robust training sequence shares its eigenvectors with the channel covariance matrix. Furthermore, we give analytical closed-form solutions for robust training sequences if the spectral norm or nuclear norm are considered as constraints to bound the existing uncertainty.
Which Elections Can Be Lost?

The concept of electoral competition is relevant to a variety of research agendas in political science, yet the question of how to measure electoral competition has received little direct attention. We revisit the distinction proposed by Giovanni Sartori between competition as a structure or rule of the game and competitiveness as an outcome of that game and argue that to understand which elections can be lost (and therefore when parties and leaders are potentially threatened by electoral accountability), scholars may be better off considering the full range of elections where competition is allowed. We provide a data set of all national elections between 1945 and 2006 and a measure of whether each election event is structured such that the competition is possible. We outline the pitfalls of other measures used by scholars to define the potential for electoral competition and show that such methods can lead to biased or incomplete findings. The new global data on elections and the minimal conditions necessary for electoral competition are introduced, followed by an empirical illustration of the differences between the proposed measure of competition and existing methods used to infer the existence of competition.
CSB-PGBD3 Mutations Cause Premature Ovarian Failure

Premature ovarian failure (POF) is a rare, heterogeneous disorder characterized by cessation of menstruation occurring before the age of 40 years. Genetic etiology is responsible for perhaps 25% of cases, but most cases are sporadic and unexplained. In this study, through whole exome sequencing in a non-consanguineous family having four affected members with POF and Sanger sequencing in 432 sporadic cases, we identified three novel mutations in the fusion gene CSB-PGBD3. Subsequently functional studies suggest that mutated CSB-PGBD3 fusion protein was impaired in response to DNA damage, as indicated by delayed or absent recruitment to damaged sites. Our data provide the first evidence that mutations in the CSB-PGBD3 fusion protein can cause human disease, even in the presence of functional CSB, thus potentially explaining conservation of the fusion protein for 43 My since marmoset. The localization of the CSB-PGBD3 fusion protein to UVA-induced nuclear DNA repair foci further suggests that the CSB-PGBD3 fusion protein, like many other proteins that can cause POF, modulates or participates in DNA repair.
**title** Asp Conference Series, Vol. **volume***, **year of Publication** **names of Editors**

This review paper discusses the past and present observations of γ-ray blazars with both space and ground-based γ-ray telescopes (such as EGRET and current TeV telescopes), and with the VLBA. I also discuss the more sensitive γ-ray telescopes such as AGILE and GLAST that will become available over the next several years, and how observations with these telescopes, together with improved VLBA observations, can increase our understanding of blazar physics. 1. Blazar Overview Blazars are those AGN whose apparent luminosity is dominated by beamed emission from a relativistic jet containing energetic particles (electrons and protons or electrons and positrons) and magnetic fields, whose bulk motion is directed close to our line of sight. The characteristic blazar spectral energy distribution (SED) is two-peaked, with the low-frequency peak due to synchrotron radiation, and (in the standard γ-ray blazar model) the high-frequency peak due to inverse-Compton scattering, either of the jet's own synchrotron photons (synchrotron self-Compton, or SSC emission), or of external photons (external Compton scattering , or ECS emission). Blazars have been claimed to show a continuous change in their spectral energy distribution with luminosity — the so-called " blazar main sequence " (Fossati et al. 1998; Ghisellini et al. 1998). The most luminous blazars, flat-spectrum radio quasars, have their synchrotron peak at mm-IR frequencies and an inverse-Compton peak at ∼GeV γ-ray energies. The least luminous blazars, high-frequency peaked BL Lac objects, have their synchrotron peak at X-ray energies and an inverse-Compton peak at ∼TeV γ-ray energies. These differences in peak frequencies have led to the designations of " red " and " blue " blazars, respectively. The SED differences may arise from increasing radiative losses from ECS emission in the luminous red blazars, where large external radiation fields are present (Ghisellini et al. 1998). Following current thinking for the unification of radio-loud sources, the red blazars and FR II radio galaxies belong to the same population, as do the blue blazars and FR I radio galaxies. The differences in the locations of the inverse-Compton peaks between red and blue blazars require that the high-energy emission from these classes of objects be studied by different instruments. The γ-ray emission from red blazars must be studied by space-based pair-production telescopes such as EGRET, while that from the blue blazars can be studied by ground-based telescopes or 1
Metatheories and Metaphors of Organizational Identity: Integrating Social Constructionist, Social Identity, and Social Actor Perspectives within a Social Interactionist Model

This review examines three dominant metatheories of organizational identity that are grounded in social constructionist, social identity, and social actor theorizing. It focuses on root metaphors of framing, categorization and personification that are associated with each metatheory and outlines differences in their assumptions, key constructs, and forms of analysis. The review shows how the emphasis of each root metaphor serves to direct research along a particular path in ways that often lead to a siloing of research knowledge. However, while laying bare the foundations of each metatheory and discussing the nature of the empirical projects by which they are supported, we also seek to draw them more closely together. In particular, we do this by elaborating an integrative social interactionist model in which organizational identity is understood to be the product of recursive interaction between bottom-up and top-down processes of identity consensualization and contestation.
Extraction of M2 internal tide near Hawaii using 10 years TOPEX/Poseidon altimeter data

Harmonic analysis of 10 years of TOPEX/Poseidon (TP) along-track altimetry is performed to derive the semidiurnal and diurnal tides ( M2, S2, N2, K2, K1, O1, P1 and Q1) near Hawaii. And there is a good agreement between the tide harmonic constants derived from the T/P altimeter data and that derived from the tide model of Oregon State University. Based on these reliable harmonics, the method of polynomial fitting, however two strategies, is used to extract the internal tide sea surface signals. One is to fit the values A (amplitude) and G (phase-lag) respectively; the other is to fit the AcosG and ASinG respectively. The comparison between these two strategies shows the latter one is better and the results of eleven order polynomial fitting are the best, which can completely separate the barotropic and baroclinic components. With this method, a good internal tide sea surface distribution also can be given near Hawaii.
Respiratory Viral Infections after Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Children

This study was performed to characterize respiratory viral infections in pediatric patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Study samples included 402 respiratory specimens obtained from 358 clinical episodes that occurred in the 116 children of the 175 consecutive HSCT cohort at Seoul National University Children's Hospital, Korea from 2007 to 2010. Multiplex reverse-transcription polymerase chain reactions were performed for rhinovirus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), parainfluenza viruses (PIVs), adenovirus, human coronavirus (hCoV), influenza viruses and human metapneumovirus. Viruses were identified in 89 clinical episodes that occurred in 58 patients. Among the 89 clinical episodes, frequently detected viruses were rhinovirus in 25 (28.1%), RSV in 23 (25.8%), PIV-3 in 16 (18.0%), adenovirus in 12 (13.5%), and hCoV in 10 (11.2%). Lower respiratory tract infections were diagnosed in 34 (38.2%). Neutropenia was present in 24 (27.0%) episodes and lymphopenia was in 31 (34.8%) episodes. Sixty-three percent of the clinical episodes were hospital-acquired. Three patients died of respiratory failure caused by respiratory viral infections. Respiratory viral infections in pediatric patients who have undergone HSCT are common and are frequently acquired during hospitalization. Continuous monitoring is required to determine the role of respiratory viruses in immunocompromised children and the importance of preventive strategies.
Understanding Consumer Trust in Online Purchase Processes: An Experimental Investigation

Consumer dropouts during the purchase process represent a critical challenge in e-commerce. While many individuals use retailer websites mainly for product searches and information gathering, a significant number of online shoppers often abandon their shopping carts somewhere in their purchase process. Hence, it is essential to investigate the customer’s exit from a website along a general purchase process longitudinally. Prior research has shown the lack of trust to be a critical obstacle inhibiting online transactions. However, few (if any) studies have examined the relationships between trust and consumer dropouts. This study investigates such relationships by a multi-stage online purchase process derived from a generic consumer decision process. We examine the trust-related considerations pertinent to each stage of the purchase process, with particular focus on prominent trust antecedents. Based on our analysis of the relationships between trust and consumer dropouts, we develop hypotheses specific to each purchase stage and empirically test them using the responses of 178 subjects who voluntarily participated in a controlled experiment. Overall, our results suggest that the customer dropout rate increases as the purchase process progresses, and that trust is more significant to the dropout decision in later stages of the purchase process.
Effective CSI Signaling and Decentralized Beam Coordination in TDD Multi-Cell MIMO Systems

We propose decentralized algorithms and corresponding signaling concepts of effective channel state information (CSI) for weighted sum rate (WSR) maximization via linear downlink transmit-receive beamforming in multi-cell multi-user MIMO systems operating in the time-division duplex (TDD) mode. The iterative processing consists of optimization steps that are run locally by base stations (BS), and facilitated by a combination of over-the-air uplink pilot signaling and scalar backhaul information exchange. In the first novel strategy, the coordinating cells update their transmit precoders and receivers by executing a cell-specific optimization loop one cell at a time, which guarantees monotonic convergence of the network-wide problem. The strategy employs separate uplink channel sounding (CS) and busy burst (BB) signaling to reveal the effective channels of the terminals to the neighboring BSs. In the second strategy, we sacrifice the monotonic convergence and devise a faster scheme where the BSs are allowed to optimize their variables in parallel based on just the CS responses and additional backhaul information. We make use of the optimization framework where the WSR maximization is carried out via weighted sum mean-squared-error (MSE) minimization, and generalize the approach by employing antenna-specific transmit power constraints. The numerical results demonstrate that WSR maximization has the desirable property that spatial scheduling, or user and beam selection, is carried out implicitly.
The Toll-Like Receptor Signaling Molecule Myd88 Contributes to Pancreatic Beta-Cell Homeostasis in Response to Injury

Commensal flora and pathogenic microbes influence the incidence of diabetes in animal models yet little is known about the mechanistic basis of these interactions. We hypothesized that Myd88, an adaptor molecule in the Toll-like-receptor (TLR) pathway, regulates pancreatic β-cell function and homeostasis. We first examined β-cells histologically and found that Myd88−/− mice have smaller islets in comparison to C57Bl/6 controls. Myd88−/− mice were nonetheless normoglycemic both at rest and after an intra-peritoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT). In contrast, after low-dose streptozotocin (STZ) challenge, Myd88−/−mice had an abnormal IPGTT relative to WT controls. Furthermore, Myd88−/− mice suffer enhanced β-cell apoptosis and have enhanced hepatic damage with delayed recovery upon low-dose STZ treatment. Finally, we treated WT mice with broad-spectrum oral antibiotics to deplete their commensal flora. In WT mice, low dose oral lipopolysaccharide, but not lipotichoic acid or antibiotics alone, strongly promoted enhanced glycemic control. These data suggest that Myd88 signaling and certain TLR ligands mediate a homeostatic effect on β-cells primarily in the setting of injury.
Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems ( PACIS ) 2014 WHAT DRIVES SOCIAL COMMERCE : THE ROLE OF PARASOCIAL INTERACTION

Social commerce (SC) has become a new business mode for e-commerce along with the increased popularity of social networking sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Although SC has enormous business potential for practitioners and broadens research areas for scholars, existing studies on SC were limited. Little is known about the underlying processes and factors of consumers’ social sharing and social shopping behaviour in social commerce community (SCC). To fill the research gap, this study investigates the role of parasocial interaction (PSI) on consumers’ intention to engage in SC activities. An empirical research was conducted in Mogujie (www.mogujie.com), one of the most popular image-sharing SCCs in China, with a sample of 248 users. The results indicated that users’ PSI with other users significantly affects their social commerce intention (SCI). The task attraction and social attraction of SCCs positively affect PSI. However, the influence of physical attraction on PSI is insignificant. Moreover, social attraction is determined by the social-relevant features of SCCs (i.e., similarity, expertise, and likeability) and the task attraction is determined by task-relevant features of SCCs (i.e., information fit to task). The mood-relevant features of SCCs (i.e., visual appeal) positively affect physical attraction. This study has important implications for both information systems researchers and practitioners, especially for designers of SCCs.
A Survey of Chinese Citizens’ Perceptions on Farm Animal Welfare

Farm animal welfare has been gradually recognized as an important issue in most parts of the world. In China, domestic animals were traditionally raised in backyard and treated as an important component of family wealth. Industrialization of animal production brings forth the farm animal welfare concerns recently in China, yet the modern concept of animal welfare has not been publicized and a comprehensive recognition on how consumers and farmers perceive animal welfare is lacking. Therefore, we conducted a survey on public opinions toward farm animal welfare in China, based on pigs (including sows, piglets, and fattening pigs), domestic fowls (including layers and broilers) and their products. From 6,006 effective questionnaires approximately two thirds of the respondents had never heard of ‘animal welfare’; 72.9% of the respondents claimed that, for the sake of animal derived food safety, human beings should improve the rearing conditions for pigs and domestic fowls; 65.8% of the respondents totally or partly agreed on establishing laws to improve animal welfare; more than half of the respondents were willing, or to some extent willing, to pay more for high-welfare animal products, whereas 45.5% of the respondents were not willing or reluctant to pay more. In summary, farm animal welfare is still in its early stage of development and more efforts are needed to improve the public conception to animal welfare in the process of establishing farm animal welfare standards and legislations in China.
Stochastic modeling and disaggregation of energy-consumption behavior

This paper focuses on stochastic modeling and energy disaggregation based on conditional random fields (CRFs) using real-world energy consumption data. Firstly, energy-consumption activities modeling aims at understanding and identifying energy-consumption activities using behavior models based on observed energy signals. Our ultimate goal is to suggest ways to modify human behavior activities in order to conserve energy by optimizing the use of energy. Preliminary analysis of energy consumption data clearly shows the potential effectiveness of activity behavior changes on the changing energy consumption behavior. Secondly energy disaggregation aims at breaking up the total energy signal into its component appliances. This is very useful since it can provide home owners with feedback about the way they use electrical energy, and can also motivate users to conserve significant amounts of energy. In the current study, we focus on activity/event disaggregation using the total energy-consumption signal.
Labor Market Status of Older Males in Early Twentieth Century America

This paper explores the labor market status of older males in the early twentieth century, focusing on the question of whether their departure from employment was forced or voluntary. A comparison of the hazard of retirement across occupations shows that men who had better occupations in terms of economic status and work conditions were less likely to retire than were those with poorer jobs. This result tends to reject the recent view that retirement in the era of industrialization was more voluntary than forced. The difficulty faced by older workers in the labor market, as measured by the relative incidence of long-term unemployment, was relatively severe among craftsmen, operatives, and salesmen. In contrast, aged farmers, professionals, managers, and proprietors appear to have fared well n the labor market. The pattern of shifts in the occupational structure that occurred between 1880 and 1940 suggests that industrialization had brought a growth of the sectors in which the pressure toward departure from employment at old ages should have been relatively great. This result supports the traditional view that industrialization had deteriorated the economic status of the elderly.
Management-level officers’ experiences with the Ferguson effect

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors associated with management-level officers’ sensitivity to various manifestations of the “Ferguson effect. ” Design/methodology/approach A survey was administered to police officers attending an advanced training institute in the Southeastern USA in the fall of 2015. Specifically, a series of items first inquired about negative attitudes attributable to deadly force incidents throughout the country, followed by items tapping into theoretically relevant concepts including self-legitimacy, audience legitimacy, and peer attachment. Findings Findings suggest that like line-level officers, police managers may also harbor various attitudes attributable to a Ferguson effect – including less willingness to be proactive, reduced motivation, less job enjoyment, and a belief that crime will ultimately rise as officers “de-police. ” However, officers who believe their communities afford legitimacy to the police were less likely to report these sentiments. Study limitations and avenues for future research are also discussed. Originality/value This is the first study to consider how police managers have been impacted by highly publicized deadly force incidents in recent years. It underscores the importance of maintaining legitimacy in the public eye, particularly in the post-Ferguson era of American policing.
MEDIAN U-TURN DESIGN AS AN ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT FOR LEFT TURNS AT SIGNALIZED INTERSECTIONS

The traffic-operational benefits of signalized median U-turns for left-turning vehicles making indirect maneuvers were studied. The high total volumes entering the intersection with high left-turning traffic is the major factor contributing to saving the average travelling time for U-turn treatment. The provision of the acceleration lane on the cross road is a necessary and effective feature in the geometric design. Language: en