Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improved kernelized correlation filters tracking algorithm with adaptive learning factor

Tracking with kernelized correlation filters is a new idea recently proposed which is different from traditional methods based on target features. This method achieves fast tracking speed, however, it is seriously compromised when the tracking target has large-scale changes and severe occlusion. An improved update model based on kernelized correlation filters is proposed in this paper to effectively overcome the above problems. An adaptive learning factor is defined with Peak-to-sidelobe ratio which estimates the correlation between different candidate images. It achieves adaptive online update of the tracking model. Experiments demonstrates that the presented algorithm can adjust the learning factor in real time according to different scenarios, which results increased success rate of tracking. With the adaptive learning factor, the presented algorithm shows advanced adaptability to partial occlusions, illumination, and target scale variations.
Simulation of realistic defects for validating test- and diagnosis-algorithms

Testing and diagnosis are very important in the manufacture of Integrated Circuits (ICs) due to the decrease in technology size. Diagnosis aims to detect and localize faults and obtain information about them and many diagnosis algorithms exist for that purpose. These diagnosis algorithms, however, apply heuristics and therefore must be evaluated with realistic test cases to determine their efficiency. The goal of this thesis is to obtain a realistic set of bridging faults to inject for evaluation of the diagnosis algorithm presented by Holst in the ADAMA tool. To achieve this, the multi-node inductive fault analysis algorithm presented by Zachariah and Chakravarty was implemented. Multi-node bridging fault lists were obtained and passed to ADAMA for diagnosis. Simulations were run on several circuits and the results of the inductive fault analysis were compared to those obtained from random fault generation.
Implant wear induces inflammation, but not osteoclastic bone resorption, in RANK–/– mice

Signaling of RANK (receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B) through its ligand RANKL appears critical in osteolysis associated with aseptic loosening (AL). The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of RANK in a murine osteolysis model developed in RANK knockout (RANK–/–) mice. Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) debris was introduced into established air pouches on RANK–/– mice, followed by implantation of calvaria bone from syngeneic littermates. Wild type C57BL/6 (RANK+/+) mice injected with either UHMWPE or saline alone were included in this study. Pouch tissues were collected 14 days after UHMWPE inoculation for molecular and histology analysis. Results showed that UHMWPE stimulation induced strong pouch tissue inflammation in RANK–/– mice, as manifested by inflammatory cellular infiltration, pouch tissue proliferation, and increased gene expression of IL‐1β, TNFα, and RANKL. However, the UHMWPE‐induced inflammation in RANK–/– mice was not associated with the osteoclastic bone resorption observed in RANK+/+ mice. In RANK+/+ mice subjected to UHMWPE stimulation, a large number of TRAP+ cells were found on the implanted bone surface, where active osteoclastic bone resorption was observed. No TRAP+ cells were found in UHMWPE‐containing pouch tissues of RANK–/– mice. Consistent with the lack of osteoclastic activity shown by TRAP staining, no significant UHMWPE particle‐induced bone resorption was found in RANK–/– mice. A well preserved bone collagen content (Van Gieson staining) and normal plateau surface contour [microcomputed tomography (µCT)] of implanted bone was observed in RANK–/– mice subjected to UHMWPE stimulation. In conclusion, this study provides the evidence that UHMWPE particles induce strong inflammatory responses, but not associated with osteoclastic bone resorption in RANK–/– mice. This indicates that RANK signaling is essential for UHMWPE particle‐induced osteoclastic bone resorption, but does not participate in UHMWPE particle‐induced inflammatory response. © 2006 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 24:1575–1586, 2006
IT Governance : How Top Performers Manage IT Decision Rights for Superior Results

Successful electronic government requires the successful implementation of technology. This book lays out a framework for understanding a system of decision processes that have been shown to be associated with the successful use of technology. Peter Weill and Jeanne Ross are based at the Center for Information Systems Research at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, which has been doing research on the management of information technology since 1974. Understanding how to make decisions about information technology has been a primary focus of the Center for decades. Weill and Ross’ book is based on two primary studies and a number of related projects. The more recent study is a survey of 256 organizations from the Americas, Europe, and Asia Pacific that was led by Peter Weill between 2001 and 2003. This work also included 32 case studies. The second study is a set of 40 case studies developed by Jeanne Ross between 1999 and 2003 that focused on the relationship between information technology (IT) architecture and business strategy. This work identified governance issues associated with IT and organizational change efforts. Three other projects undertaken by Weill, Ross, and others between 1998 and 2001 also contributed to the material described in the book. Most of this work is available through the CISR Web site, http://mitsloan.mit. edu/cisr/rmain.php. Taken together, these studies represent a substantial body of work on which to base the development of a frameBOOK REVIEW
A Multi-Armed Bandit Model Selection for Cold-Start User Recommendation

How can we effectively recommend items to a user about whom we have no information? This is the problem we focus on in this paper, known as the cold-start problem. In most existing works, the cold-start problem is handled through the use of many kinds of information available about the user. However, what happens if we do not have any information? Recommender systems usually keep a substantial amount of prediction models that are available for analysis. Moreover, recommendations to new users yield uncertain returns. Assuming that a number of alternative prediction models is available to select items to recommend to a cold user, this paper introduces a multi-armed bandit based model selection, named PdMS. In comparison with three baselines, PdMS improves the performance as measured by the nDCG. These improvements are demonstrated on real, public datasets.
Potential Hepatoprotective Role of Galectin-3 during HCV Infection in End-Stage Renal Disease Patients

Hepatitis C virus infection (HCV), one of the greatest causes of liver disease, is a frequent complication in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on dialysis. ESRD is defined as decreased glomerular filtration and also accompanied by impaired function of the immune system. Galectin-3 is a β-galactoside-binding lectin, involved in various biological processes including pathogenesis of chronic renal disease. The aim of our study was to estimate disease severity in ESRD HCV+ patients and analyze the serum concentrations of IL-1β, IL-4, IL-23, and IL-6; anti-HCV antibodies; and galectin-3. Also, we attempted to determine potential correlation between galectin-3 level and parameters of disease severity ALT and AST. Our results showed decreased levels of ALT and AST (p = 0.00), demonstrating less liver destruction in ESRD HCV+ patients in comparison to HCV+ patients. Increased levels of IL-6 (p = 0.03) implicate a hepatoprotective role of IL-6 in these patients. Also, level of galectin-3 (p = 0.00) in the serum of ESRD HCV+ patients was higher than that of HCV+ patients. This alteration was accompanied with negative correlation between galectin-3 and AST and ALT, respectively (p = 0.029; p = 0.033). The presence of increased systemic levels of IL-6 and Gal-3 in ESRD HCV+ patients may be an attempt to counteract or limit ongoing proinflammatory processes and to downregulate chronic inflammation, suggesting the new aspects of HCV infection in ESRD patients.
Basolateral membrane Na(+)-independent Cl-/HCO3- exchange in the inner stripe of the rabbit outer medullary collecting tubule

The inner stripe of the outer medullary collecting tubule is a major distal nephron segment in urinary acidification. To examine the mechanism of basolateral membrane H+/OH-/HCO3- transport in this segment, cell pH was measured microfluorometrically in the inner stripe of the rabbit outer medullary collecting tubule perfused in vitro using the pH-sensitive fluorescent dye, (2',7')-bis(carboxyethyl)-(5,6)- carboxyfluorescein. Decreasing peritubular pH from 7.4 to 6.8 (changing [HCO3-] from 25 to 5 mM) caused a cell acidification of 0.25 +/- 0.02 pH units, while a similar luminal change resulted in a smaller cell acidification of only 0.04 +/- 0.01 pH units. Total replacement of peritubular Cl- with gluconate caused cell pH to increase by 0.18 +/- 0.04 pH units, an effect inhibited by 100 microM peritubular DIDS and independent of Na+. Direct coupling between Cl- and base was suggested by the continued presence of peritubular Cl- removal-induced cell alkalinization under the condition of a cell voltage clamp (K(+)- valinomycin). In addition, 90% of basolateral membrane H+/OH-/HCO3- permeability was inhibited by complete removal of luminal and peritubular Cl-. Peritubular Cl(-)-induced cell pH changes were inhibited two-thirds by removal of exogenous CO2/HCO3- from the system. The apparent Km for peritubular Cl- determined in the presence of 25 mM luminal and peritubular [HCO3-] was 113.5 +/- 14.8 mM. These results demonstrate that the basolateral membrane of the inner stripe of the outer medullary collecting tubule possesses a stilbene-sensitive Cl- /HCO3- exchanger which mediates 90% of basolateral membrane H+/OH-/HCO3- permeability and may be regulated by physiologic Cl- concentrations.
An FPGA-optimized architecture of anti-aliasing based super resolution for real-time HDTV to 4K- and 8K-UHD conversions

The demand for light-weight and high-speed super resolution (SR) techniques is growing because super high-resolution displays, such as 4K/8K ultra high definition televisions (UHDTVs), have become common. We here propose an SR method using over up-sampling and anti-aliasing where no iteration process is required — unlike with conventional SR methods. Our method is able to attenuate jaggies in the edge of an enlarged image and does not need to preserve the entire enlarged image. Therefore, this method is suitable for hardware implementation, and the architecture requires five line buffers only (in the memory section). We implemented the proposed method on a field programmable gate array (FPGA) and demonstrated HDTV-to-4K and-8K SR processing in real time (60 frames per second).
Taming the cloud object storage with MOS

Cloud object stores today are deployed using a single set of configuration parameters for all different types of applications. This homogeneous setup results in all applications experiencing the same service level (e.g., data transfer throughput, etc.). However, the vast variety of applications expose extremely different latency and throughput requirements. To this end, we propose MOS, a <u>M</u>icro <u>O</u>bject <u>S</u>torage architecture with independently configured microstores each tuned dynamically for a particular type of workload. We then expose these microstores to the tenant who can then choose to place their data in the appropriate microstore according the latency and throughput requirements of their workloads. Our evaluation shows that compared with default setup, MOS can improve the performance up to 200% for small objects and 28% for large objects while providing opportunity of tradeoff between two.
Antimicrobial property of Datura leaf extract against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from Urethral and Skin Suppurative Infections

Datura stramonium is commonly known as Jimson weed and is widely used in phytomedicine to treat epilepsy, skin ulcers, etc as well as to kill the microbes associated with wound lesions. Antimicrobial activity of ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of leaves and flowers of Datura stramonium was investigated against antibiotic resistant pathogenic bacteria isolated from pus samples of skin and urethral infections. The crude ethyl acetate extracts of leaves showed good inhibitory effects against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) pathogens. The extract was separated by TLC and silica gel column chromatography to fractionate the bioactive constituents. Evaluation of chemical nature of ethyl acetate fractions revealed that the presence of alkaloids, steroids, phenolic compounds, tannins, tripenoids and saponins. The isolated compounds were further screened for antimicrobial activity against MRSA. Bioactive alkaloid fraction showed 86.11% purity by HPTLC was subjected to FTIR analysis. Further chemical characterization of the active fraction was carried out by LC-MS/ESI.
SIW fed dielectric resonator antennas (SIW-DRA)

A novel feeding structure using substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) technique for dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) is presented in this paper. After making studies by simulations for the proposed SIW fed DRAs, the antennas are fabricated using standard PCB process and measured by vector network analyzer (VNA). Measured results which are quite accordant with design results are presented. These feeding structures have small losses, low costs, compact sizes and can be seamlessly integrated with planar circuits
Cache-Oblivious Algorithms

This thesis presents “cache-oblivious” algorithms that use asymptotically optimal amounts of work, and move data asymptotically optimally among multiple levels of cache. An algorithm is cache oblivious if no program variables dependent on hardware configuration parameters, such as cache size and cache-line length need to be tuned to minimize the number of cache misses. We show that the ordinary algorithms for matrix transposition, matrix multi­ plication, sorting, and Jacobi-style multipass filtering are not cache optimal. We present algorithms for rectangular matrix transposition, FFT, sorting, and multi­ pass filters, which are asymptotically optimal on computers with multiple levels of caches. For a cache with size Z and cache-line length L, where Z � Ω(L2), the number of cache misses for an m n matrix transpose is Θ(1 + mn�L). The number of cache misses for either an n-point FFT or the sorting of n numbers is Θ(1 + ( n�L)(1 + logZn)). The cache complexity of computing n time steps of a Jacobi-style multipass filter on an array of size n is Θ(1 + n�L + n2�ZL). We also give an Θ(mnp)-work algorithm to multiply an m n matrix by an n p matrix that incurs Θ(m + n + p + ( mn + np + mp)� L + mnp�L p Z) cache misses. We introduce an “ideal-cache” model to analyze our algorithms, and we prove that an optimal cache-oblivious algorithm designed for two levels of memory is also optimal for multiple levels. We further prove that any optimal cache-oblivious algorithm is also optimal in the previously studied HMM and SUMH models. Al­ gorithms developed for these earlier models are perforce cache-aware: their be­ havior varies as a function of hardware-dependent parameters which must be tuned to attain optimality. Our cache-oblivious algorithms achieve the same as­ ymptotic optimality on all these models, but without any tuning. Thesis Supervisor: Charles E. Leiserson Title: Professor of Computer Science and Engineering
A search for low surface brightness dwarf galaxies in different environments

According to the cold dark matter (CDM) hierarchical clustering theory of galaxy and large-scale structure formation, there should be numerous low-mass dark matter haloes present in the Universe today. If these haloes contain sufficient stars, they should be detectable as low-luminosity stellar systems or dwarf galaxies. We have previously described a new detection method for faint low surface brightness objects and we have shown that there are relatively large numbers of very faint dwarf galaxies in the nearby Virgo cluster. In this paper, we present results from a similar survey carried out on the Millennium Galaxy strip, which runs along the celestial equator and samples a very different galaxy environment. We show that the dwarf-to-giant galaxy number ratio along this strip ranges from 0.7 : 1 to, at most, 6 : 1, corresponding to a flat luminosity function (α≈−0.8 to −1.0). This is very different to our value of 20 : 1 for the Virgo cluster. There is no population of low surface brightness dwarf galaxies in the field that have gone undetected by the redshift surveys. This result is exactly opposite to what CDM models predict for the environmental dependence of the dark matter mass function, which is that there are proportionally more small dark matter haloes in lower-density environments.
An improved approach for lsb-based image steganography using AES algorithm

The steganography is the art of hidden; its main aim is to pass unnoticed data in another data. There are many types of data that used in steganography, such as message, image, and video. In this work, we are interested in hiding a message inside an image. Our work focuses on the study of three approaches based on least significant bit (LSB) techniques that mean put the bits of the message in the least significant bits in each pixel of the image. Moreover, we propose an improved approach for LSB-based image steganography. In this approach, we reduce the length of hidden message by Deflate algorithm which is a lossless data compression algorithm that combines the LZ77 algorithm and the Huffman algorithm. Another important characteristic of our approach is to protect the reduced hidden data by AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) algorithm. Our experiment results show that our improved approach is most effective compared to existing approaches.
Earthquake acceleration amplification based on single microtremor test

Understanding soil dynamics is needed to understand soil behaviour, including the parameters of earthquake acceleration amplification. Many researchers now conduct single microtremor tests to obtain amplification of velocity and natural periods of soil at test sites. However, these amplification parameters are rarely used, so a method is needed to convert the velocity amplification to acceleration amplification. This paper will discuss the proposed process of changing the value of amplification. The proposed method is to integrate the time histories of the synthetic earthquake acceleration of the soil surface under the deaggregation at that location so the time histories of the velocity earthquake will be obtained. Next is to conduct a “fitting curve” between amplification by a single microtremor test with amplification of the synthetic earthquake velocity time histories. After obtaining the fitting curve time histories of velocity, differentiation will be conducted to obtain fitting curve acceleration time histories. The final step after obtaining the fitting curve is to compare the acceleration of the “fitting curve” against the histories time of the acceleration of synthetic earthquake at bedrocks to obtain single microtremor acceleration amplification factor.
Canal preparation using only one Ni-Ti rotary instrument: preliminary observations.

AIM To describe a novel canal preparation technique using only one Ni-Ti rotary instrument. SUMMARY In this novel technique, the canal is negotiated to the working length with a size 08 hand file. Then, the canal preparation is completed with an F2 ProTaper instrument used in a reciprocating movement. In larger canals, the use of additional hand files may be required to complete the apical enlargement. *A novel canal preparation technique is introduced using only one Ni-Ti rotary instrument in a reciprocating movement. *The advantages of the technique include a reduced number of instruments, lower cost, a reduced instrument fatigue and the elimination of possible prion cross-contamination associated with the single use of endodontic instruments.
Abnormal mucus in cap polyposis

Background—Cap polyposis is a rare disease characterised by mucoid and bloody diarrhoea, with polyps covered by a cap of mucoid and fibrinopurulent exudate. The pathogenesis is not known. Aims—To pour some light on cap polyposis pathogenesis, by examining the mucus of patients and analysing the expression of five mucin genes, MUC2, MUC3,MUC4, MUC5AC, and MUC5B. Patient and methods—The study was performed on biopsy specimens taken from a patient with recurrent cap polyposis. Histochemical examination, electron microscopy, and mRNA in situ hybridisation were used. Results—The mucus of cap polyposis differed in three respects from that of normal adult colon: abnormal ultrastructure of the mucus in the goblet cells, predominance of non-sulphated mucins, abnormal expression of the MUC4, MUC3, andMUC5AC genes. Conclusions—Most of these abnormalities have been reported for other pathological situations, suggesting that the abnormalities observed in the mucus of this patient with cap polyposis are probably secondary phenomena rather than primary. However, the mucin abnormalities detected, which reflect deregulation of the expression of three apomucin genes, abnormal glycosylation, and abnormalities of the secretion process, are also probably involved in the clinical manifestations of cap polyposis.
Durability and reliability enhancement of selected electronic components achieved by laser technologies

The article presents selected laser technologies designed to increase the reliability of some of electrical and electronic components. They include technology of connecting, surface modification or precise shaping. The technique of laser welding as more reliable joining than the traditional technique of thermo-compression and ultra-compression has been described. Our method of welding of thin wires in the power semiconductor devices and technology of welding stranded wires has been introduced. The paper also describes the technology of laser soldering, which causes creation of thinner intermetallic phases owing to a shorter heating times. The laser method of manufacturing of precision fuses is also presented. Selected results of laser method of modification of surface layer of contacts of switching electrodes have been also commented on herein.
Thermal structure of the Kanto region, Japan

Using a 3‐D numerical thermal model, we investigate the thermal structure of the Kanto region of Japan where two oceanic plates subduct. In a typical subduction setting with one subducting slab, the motion of the slab drives solid‐state mantle flow in the overlying mantle wedge, bringing in hot mantle from the back‐arc toward the forearc. Beneath Kanto, however, the presence of the subducting Philippine Sea plate between the overlying North American plate and the subducting Pacific plate prevents a typical mantle wedge flow pattern, resulting in a cooler condition. Further, frictional heating and the along‐margin variation in the maximum depth of slab‐mantle decoupling along the Pacific slab surface affect the thermal structure significantly. The model provides quantitative estimates of spatial variations in the temperature condition that are consistent with the observed surface heat flow pattern and distributions of interplate seismicity and arc volcanoes in Kanto.