Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
View Transformation Model Incorporating Quality Measures for Cross-View Gait Recognition

Cross-view gait recognition authenticates a person using a pair of gait image sequences with different observation views. View difference causes degradation of gait recognition accuracy, and so several solutions have been proposed to suppress this degradation. One useful solution is to apply a view transformation model (VTM) that encodes a joint subspace of multiview gait features trained with auxiliary data from multiple training subjects, who are different from test subjects (recognition targets). In the VTM framework, a gait feature with a destination view is generated from that with a source view by estimating a vector on the trained joint subspace, and gait features with the same destination view are compared for recognition. Although this framework improves recognition accuracy as a whole, the fit of the VTM depends on a given gait feature pair, and causes an inhomogeneously biased dissimilarity score. Because it is well known that normalization of such inhomogeneously biased scores improves recognition accuracy in general, we therefore propose a VTM incorporating a score normalization framework with quality measures that encode the degree of the bias. From a pair of gait features, we calculate two quality measures, and use them to calculate the posterior probability that both gait features originate from the same subjects together with the biased dissimilarity score. The proposed method was evaluated against two gait datasets, a large population gait dataset of over-ground walking (course dataset) and a treadmill gait dataset. The experimental results show that incorporating the quality measures contributes to accuracy improvement in many cross-view settings.
Single Step Generation of Micro and Radio Wave Signals in a Short Cavity Fiber Laser

Generation of stable micro or radio waves by frequency down-conversion has always been a challenging but rewarding task in radio over fiber systems. In this letter, a novel method for such a generation using a short-cavity fiber laser is demonstrated. For this purpose, an all-fiber laser is designed to have two stable longitudinal laser modes, each of them having two orthogonal polarization modes. Hence, four microwave signals, two in 1.2 GHz range and the other two in 14 GHz range, and one radio wave signal were generated by beating these lasing modes on a square law detector. Various measurements show high level of stability in generated micro/radio waves because they originate from the single laser cavity. According to the authors' knowledge, this is the first demonstration of the dual longitudinal mode operation of a short-cavity fiber laser for down-conversion from optical frequency directly to radio frequency.
Mapping QTLs for Phosphorus-deficiency Tolerance in Soybean at Seedling Stage

Phosphorous (P) deficiency of soils is one of the major yield-limiting factors worldwide. The most economic and efficient strategy for sustainable agriculture is to breed varieties with P-deficiency tolerance. The objective of this study was to map QTLs for P-deficiency tolerance in soybean, which could lay theoretical foundation on molecular marker assisted selection in soybean with improved P-deficiency tolerance. A population consisting of 180 F2:3 lines derived from P-deficiency sensitive soybean variety Kenjian4 and P-deficiency tolerant soybean variety Fengshou24 was developed for mapping QTLs for P-deficiency tolerance. Five agronomic traits of plant height (HT), length of main root (RL), ratio of weight of dry root (DRW) to weight of dry shoot (DSW) (R/S), chlorophyll content in leaves(CHL), and phosphorus uptake of the whole plant (PC) were investigated at seedling stage under P deficiency(-P) and sufficiency(+P) condition in pot trial. All traits segregated continuously in the population under the two conditions. A genetic linkage map consisting of 15 linkage groups was constructed using 86 polymorphic SSR primers. The genetic map spanned 1510.3 cM in length with an average interval of 16.04 cM between adjacent markers. The linkage groups in our study ranged from 211.2 cM in MLG A1 to 10.8 cM in MLG A1, and the number of markers ranged from 10 markers in MLG D1a, MLG D2 and MLG D1b to 2 markers in MLG N. A total of six QTLs associated with P-deficiency tolerance was detected and mapped on MLG D1a, MLG F and MLG O linkage groups for the five traits of HT, LR, CHL, R/S, and PC. Among them, two QTLs had LOD score more than three. All the QTLs explained more than 10% of the total variation, and the additive gene of five QTLs came from Kenjian 4 and that of one QTL from Fengshou 24. An average of 1-2 QTLs were detected for traits related to P-deficiency tolerance using composite interval mapping.
New dimension in cross-polarization reduction of a hexagonal microstrip antenna using two circular substrate integrated cavities

Novel application of Substrate Integrated Cavity (SIC) for suppressing cross-polarized (XP) radiation in hexagonal microstrip antenna has been proposed. The proposed design consists of a pair of tiny circular SICs consisting of metallic vias located symmetrically on the H-plane of the hexagonal patch. The design has been simulated in Ansys HFSSTM to establish the proposition that the incorporation of SIC does not affect the fundamental mode of resonance and the co-polarized radiation levels of the conventional antenna considerably but effectively reduces the cross-polarization radiation levels. An isolation of −81 dB of cross-polarization level from its peak has been obtained at the boresight of the patch. Compared to the conventional hexagonal patch, a relative suppression in cross-polarization of 49 dB at the boresight and 15 dB throughout in both the principal planes has been achieved.
Spectral Efficiency of Random Time-Hopping CDMA

Traditionally paired with impulsive communications, time-hopping code-division multiple access (TH-CDMA) is a multiple access technique that separates users in time by coding their transmissions into pulses occupying a subset of Ns chips out of the total N included in a symbol period, in contrast with the traditional direct-sequence CDMA (DS-CDMA), where Ns = N. This paper analyzes the TH-CDMA with random spreading, by determining whether peculiar theoretical limits are identifiable, with both optimal and suboptimal receiver structures, in particular in the archetypal case of sparse spreading, that is, Ns = 1. Results indicate that the TH-CDMA has a fundamentally different behavior than DS-CDMA, where the crucial role played by energy concentration, typical of TH, directly relates with its intrinsic uneven use of degrees of freedom.
Hereditary dysfunction of voltage-gated sodium channels: from clinical phenotype to molecular mechanisms.

Understanding the biology and physiology of ion transport has long been an important dominion of nephrologists. Recently, important new insights into the structure and function of ion channels and ion transporters have emerged unexpectedly from work in human genetics. A growing number of hereditary syndromes have been identified that are caused by genetic mutations in genes encoding ion channels (Table 1). Several inherited renal syndromes have recently been added to this list and include diseases involving sodium, chloride, and water channels. Some of the earliest ion channel diseases to be identified involve non-epithelial tissues such as skeletal muscle, and important lessons can be learned from re-visiting work in these areas. This review will summarize recent discoveries that have served to characterize the molecular and biophysical defects in voltage-gated sodium channels that underlie various inherited disorders of skeletal and cardiac muscle excitability. (Similar work characterizing disorders of renal sodium channels will be the subject of a future review paper in this journal.) It is hoped that this topic will illustrate the application of the genetic paradigm to disorders of ion transport, and the ability of modern biomedical research to define disease pathogenesis at a molecular level.
Tracking semantic relations among spatial objects for situation-aware interactive environments

Tracking semantic relations among spatial objects is an essential issue in project-camera based interactive environments in order to find the most suitable surface to display projected screen. This paper presents a design and implementation of a spatial context management system that continuously tracks semantic relation among spatial objects for providing situation-aware services in project-camera based interactive spaces. Firstly, we propose a zone-space model for supporting flexible collaboration among multiple depth cameras and a seamless handover scheme between the adjacent zones for supporting not-contact people tracking without shadow area. Secondly, we present three types of spatial operators based on a 3D spatial object model to understand and/or detect various situations in space by querying semantic relations among objects within the space. Experiment results show that our location tracking scheme shows good performance on both position errors and success rate of handover between adjacent trackers. We also verify the correct functions of the overall system by implementing a proof-of-concept scenario i.e. the smart memo service.
Combined Frequency and Spatial Domains Power Distribution for MIMO-OFDM Transmission

In this paper, we propose to adapt simultaneously the transmit power both in the spatial and frequency domains using a heuristic expression of the bit error rate (BER) for each sub- carrier and transmit antenna. The proposed method consists of grouping a certain number of subcarriers and performing local power adaptation in each subcarrier group and transmit antenna. The subcarrier grouping is performed in such a way that equalizes the average channel condition of each subcarrier group. The grouping and the local power adaptation allow us to take advantage of the channel variations and to reduce the computational complexity of the proposed power distribution scheme. With the simplicity of the heuristic BER expression, we can obtain a closed form expression of the transmit power to be allocated. Simulation results show significant performance gain in term of BER compared to the equal power distribution.
Kinetic and Kinematic Analysis for Assessing the Differences in Countermovement Jump Performance in Rugby Players

Abstract Floría, P, Gómez-Landero, LA, Suárez-Arrones, L, and Harrison, AJ. Kinetic and kinematic analysis for assessing the differences in countermovement jump performance in rugby players. J Strength Cond Res 30(9): 2533–2539, 2016—The aim of this study was to ascertain the differences in kinetic and kinematic profiles between better and poorer performers of the vertical jump within a homogeneous group of trained adults. Fifty rugby players were divided into low scoring (LOW) and high scoring (HIGH) groups based on their performance in the vertical jump. The force, velocity, displacement, and rate of force development (RFD)-time curves were analyzed to determine the differences between groups. The analysis of the data showed differences in all the patterns of the ensemble mean curves of the HIGH and LOW groups. During the eccentric phase, the differences in the HIGH group with respect to the LOW group were lower crouch position, higher downward velocity, and higher force and RFD during the braking of the downward movement. During the concentric phase, the HIGH group achieved higher upward velocity, higher force at the end of phase, and a higher position at takeoff. The higher jump performances seem to be related to a more effective stretch-shortening cycle function that is characterized by a deeper and faster countermovement with higher eccentric forces being applied to decelerate the downward movement leading to enhanced force generation during the concentric phase.
Clearweld laser transmission welding of thermoplastic polymers: light transmission and color considerations

The past three years has seen the evolution and maturation of Clearweld technology as a tool which is readily employable for the transmission laser welding of thermoplastic and some thermoset polymers using near infrared lasers and inks uniquely chosen and targeted to absorb the laser light at the intended laser weld joint in order to efficiently and rapidly effectuate the weld. This paper will discuss the novel and useful transmission values and minimal haze characteristics of the welded polymeric part as compared to the unwelded component parts both in the nascent state and in parts prepared for the laser welding operation. Further presentation will be made relative to the color hue recession toward neutrality and the goal of colorlessness as the parts are taken from these prewelded states to the welded final part. Among the polymeric materials discussed are polycarbonate, cast polymethylmethacrylate, nylon and polyester. Detailed attention is given to the Clearweld process used in these welding operations as well as to the employed welding equipment, ink deposition, laser welding process parameters and full spectral characteristics of all components and welded parts. Mechanical characteristics of resultant welds are offered for verification and comparison of the process integrity as a novel and very useful manufacturing tool.
Thermal Diffusion in High Intensity Focused Ultrasound

Abstract: The Pennes’ bio-heat transfer equation is solved for a point heat source in pulse or CW modes, respectively. These solutions are further applied to the actual set (HIFU) to predict its temperature elevation and cooling processes and several concise analytical expressions are obtained. The results demonstrate that the temperature elevation is proportional reciprocally to the blood perfusion rate and the temperature during the cooling process is reduced exponentially with the increase in blood perfusion rates. It also shows that the higher temperature elevation will be generated when the set works in CW mode than in pulse mode. The appearance and shape of the focal spot in the tissues heated by HIFU set is similar to the isoline of the acoustic intensity as long as the heating dosage is sufficient. Moreover, an acoustic method to measure the blood perfusion rates in vivo is suggested.
A Favorable Metabolic and Antiatherogenic Profile in Carriers of CYP21A2 Gene Mutations Supports the Theory of a Survival Advantage in This Population

Context: The very high carrier frequency of 21-hydroxylase deficiency worldwide has been postulated as indicating a survival advantage. The ‘mediators’ of such an effect remain speculative. Objective: To look for possible differences in the metabolic and atherogenic risk profile of carriers and noncarriers of CYP21A2 gene mutations at puberty in order to identify possible mediators of the presumed survival advantage for the carriers. It is anticipated that by studying atherogenic risk factors at such an early developmental stage, age-related alterations in these factors may be minimized. Methods: The study group included 45 adolescent girls diagnosed in our center with premature pubarche, 29 of whom were noncarriers and 16 carriers of CYP21A2 mutations. The two groups did not differ in chronological age, age at pubarche or menarche, pubertal stage, body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio. Biochemical and hormonal profile markers as well as markers of endothelial dysfunction were determined by appropriate methodology. Additionally, in each subject, an oral glucose tolerance test and a gonadotrophin-releasing hormone GnRH analogue stimulation test were carried out. Results: Endothelin-1 values were lower in the carriers compared to the noncarriers (p = 0.031). Higher tissue plasminogen activator and lower plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 values were found in carriers compared to noncarriers (p = 0.02 and <0.001, respectively). The ratio of the insulinogenic index/homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance, which reflects β-cell function, was higher in carriers (p = 0.048), indicating a more favorable β-cell function in the carriers. Conclusions: Our findings that carriers of CYP21A2 gene mutations have a more favorable internal milieu with regard to the metabolic syndrome and atherogenesis support the theory that heterozygous CYP21A2 mutations provide a survival advantage. The mechanisms involved may be related to the insulin secretion-action pathway, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis responsiveness or other still unrecognized factors.
Adaptive Kalman Filtering for Local Mean Power Estimation in Mobile Communications

In this paper, we investigate the local mean signal estimation problem for wireless communications. Recently, it has been shown that the Kalman filtering approach results in better power estimates when compared to the traditional window based approaches for mean power estimation. In our work, we extend the Kalman filtering approach to adaptive Kalman filtering by combining the Kalman filtering with the window based filtering. Hence, Kalman filtering became available for practical use. The filter has been tested with field measurements and shown to outperform window based techniques.
AN EMBEDDED TREE DATA MODEL FOR WEB CONTENT ADAPTATION by YANMING

This thesis presents a novel data model named Content Container Tree (CCT) to enable dynamic web content adaptation for heterogeneous terminal devices. The rationale for the CCT data model is that a web page can be visually divided into several segments and each segment can be iteratively divided into several smaller sub-segments until certain granularity level has been reached; the hierarchy of the web page segments can be expressed with a tree structure; thus, by traversing this segmentation tree, the user can find and locate a particular segment of interest which is at the dimension comparable to the screen size of the terminal device. The CCT data model organizes the semantics of the hierarchical content segments with a tree structure and embeds this semantic tree into the content DOM tree to enable the user to navigate through the content segments at different levels and retrieve the target content segment according to their semantics. Based on the CCT data model, the high level structural adaptation can be explicitly separated from the low level presentational adaptation, resulting in a highly modular and extensible framework for web content adaptation which is proposed in this thesis too. The CCT web content adaptation approach is distinguished from other approaches in the following aspects: first, the CCT approach is data oriented rather than process oriented; second, the CCT approach supports multilevel granularity of the contents; finally, CCT approach is dynamic; result pages can be generated on the fly by request. As an empirical evaluation, a content adaptation application is built according to the CCT adaptation framework to show the feasibility and effectiveness of our approach.
Gait Characteristic Analysis and Identification Based on the iPhone's Accelerometer and Gyrometer

Gait identification is a valuable approach to identify humans at a distance. In this paper, gait characteristics are analyzed based on an iPhone's accelerometer and gyrometer, and a new approach is proposed for gait identification. Specifically, gait datasets are collected by the triaxial accelerometer and gyrometer embedded in an iPhone. Then, the datasets are processed to extract gait characteristic parameters which include gait frequency, symmetry coefficient, dynamic range and similarity coefficient of characteristic curves. Finally, a weighted voting scheme dependent upon the gait characteristic parameters is proposed for gait identification. Four experiments are implemented to validate the proposed scheme. The attitude and acceleration solutions are verified by simulation. Then the gait characteristics are analyzed by comparing two sets of actual data, and the performance of the weighted voting identification scheme is verified by 40 datasets of 10 subjects.
Analysis of User Requirements in Interactive 3D Video Systems

The recent development of three dimensional (3D) display technologies has resulted in a proliferation of 3D video production and broadcasting, attracting a lot of research into capture, compression and delivery of stereoscopic content. However, the predominant design practice of interactions with 3D video content has failed to address its differences and possibilities in comparison to the existing 2D video interactions. This paper presents a study of user requirements related to interaction with the stereoscopic 3D video. The study suggests that the change of view, zoom in/out, dynamic video browsing, and textual information are the most relevant interactions with stereoscopic 3D video. In addition, we identified a strong demand for object selection that resulted in a follow-up study of user preferences in 3D selection using virtual-hand and ray-casting metaphors. These results indicate that interaction modality affects users' decision of object selection in terms of chosen location in 3D, while user attitudes do not have significant impact. Furthermore, the ray-casting-based interaction modality using Wiimote can outperform the volume-based interaction modality using mouse and keyboard for object positioning accuracy.
Magnetization reversal dependence on effective magnetic anisotropy in electroplated Co–Cu nanowire arrays

Arrays of Co(100−x)Cu(x) (0 ≤ x ≤ 27) nanowires with 45 nm of diameter and 18 μm in length have been potentiostatically electrodeposited into the hexagonally self-assembled nanopores of anodic alumina membranes. The structural characterization of Co–Cu nanowires confirms the coexistence of both hcp and fcc crystalline phases, with textures that are strongly affected by the fractional content of Cu. Parallel magnetic studies of the room temperature magnetization process by First Order Reversal Curve (FORC) analysis and the angular dependence of coercivity confirm the presence of two coexisting ferromagnetic phases on intermediate Cu content nanowires, ascribed to a softer magnetic phase for pure Co and a harder magnetic one for the Co–Cu composition alloy, respectively. The temperature dependence of coercivity and remanence reveal a reorientation of the effective magnetic anisotropy with the addition of Cu to the Co–Cu alloy nanowires, being enhanced by the coexistence of the two ferromagnetic phases.
Scalable Deep Linguistic Processing: Mind the Lexical Gap

Coverage has been a constant thorn in the side of deployed deep linguistic processing applications, largely because of the difficulty in constructing, maintaining and domaintuning the complex lexicons that they rely on. This paper reviews various strands of research on deep lexical acquisition (DLA), i.e. the (semi-)automatic creation of linguistically-rich language resources, particularly from the viewpoint of DLA for precision grammars.
A Novel Approach to Extracting Non-Negative Latent Factors From Non-Negative Big Sparse Matrices

An inherently non-negative latent factor model is proposed to extract non-negative latent factors from non-negative big sparse matrices efficiently and effectively. A single-element-dependent sigmoid function connects output latent factors with decision variables, such that non-negativity constraints on the output latent factors are always fulfilled and thus successfully separated from the training process with respect to the decision variables. Consequently, the proposed model can be easily and fast built with excellent prediction accuracy. Experimental results on an industrial size sparse matrix are given to verify its outstanding performance and suitability for industrial applications.