Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hierarchical and discriminative bag of features for face profile and ear based gender classification

Gender is an important demographic attribute of human beings, automatic face based gender classification has promising applications in various fields. Previous methods mainly deal with frontal face images, which in many cases can not be easily obtained. In contrast, we concentrate on gender classification based on face profiles and ear images in this paper. Hierarchical and discriminative bag of features technique is proposed to extract powerful features which are classified by support vector classification (SVC) with histogram intersection kernel. With the output of SVC, fusion of multi-modalities is performed at the score level based on Bayesian analysis to improve the accuracy. Experiments are conducted using texture images of the UND biometrics data sets Collection F, and average classification accuracy of 97.65% is achieved, which is comparable to the state of the art. Our work can be used in cooperate with existing frontal face based methods for accurate multi-view gender classification.
Comparison of the ability of enteroinvasive Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, and Yersinia enterocolitica to enter and replicate within HEp-2 cells

Salmonella typhimurium, enteroinvasive Escherichia coli, Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, and Yersinia enterocolitica possess the ability to enter intestinal epithelial cells. We used a quantitative tissue culture model employing HEp-2 cells to compare the abilities of these bacteria to enter epithelial cells. S. typhimurium and Yersinia species were highly infective for HEp-2 cells but were unable to replicate extensively intracellularly. Enteroinvasive E. coli exhibited low infectivity but replicated extensively intracellularly. The growth of enteroinvasive E. coli led to destruction of the HEp-2 monolayer, whereas Yersinia spp. and S. typhimurium were maintained intracellularly for prolonged periods without damage to the monolayer. The ability of enteroinvasive E. coli to enter HEp-2 cells required prior growth at 37 degrees C; neither S. typhimurium nor Yersinia spp. exhibited this temperature dependence for cell entry. An E. coli K-12 derivative containing a 230-kilobase plasmid from enteroinvasive E. coli was constructed. This derivative shared all the invasive characteristics of the parental enteroinvasive strain, suggesting that determinants required for cell entry and intracellular multiplication were at least partially plasmid encoded. An HB101 derivative containing a cloned invasion determinant from Y. pseudotuberculosis was constructed in our laboratory. HEp-2 monolayers were coinfected with these two K-12 derivatives to compare invasion determinants from enteroinvasive E. coli with those of Y. pseudotuberculosis in a common genetic background. Results from these experiments suggest that these organisms reside within separate intracellular compartments.
Prospective comparison of CT angiography of the legs with intraarterial digital subtraction angiography.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy of CT angiography (CTA) with a single spiral acquisition for the diagnosis of arterial stenoses and occlusion in patients with peripheral vascular occlusive disease. SUBJECTS AND METHODS In a prospective study, intraarterial digital subtraction angiography and i.v. CTA from the groin to the lower calves were performed on 50 patients with vascular occlusive disease. Maximum-intensity-projection images in multiple views were produced. The accuracy of CTA with and without analysis of the axial scans was determined with digital subtraction angiography as the standard. RESULTS The sensitivities of CTA were 100% for the diagnosis of femoral artery occlusion, 100% for the detection of popliteal artery (including tibial-peroneal arterial trunk) occlusion, and 94% for the detection of tibial artery occlusion. The specificities were 100%, 99%, and 98%, respectively. When maximum-intensity-projection images were interpreted without axial scans, sensitivities were 98%, 85%, and 92% and specificities were 100%, 99%, and 97%, respectively. For the accurate grading of high-grade (75-99%) stenoses of the superficial femoral artery and the popliteal artery (including tibial-peroneal arterial trunk), the sensitivities of CTA were 88% and 73% and the specificities were 94% and 100%, respectively. When maximum-intensity-projection images alone were used, the sensitivities for the correct grading of high-grade stenoses were 58% and 36% and the specificities were 99% and 100%, respectively. CONCLUSION CTA from the groin to the lower calves is feasible, and the short examination time is a significantly advantage over the time required for other noninvasive techniques. CTA is particularly accurate in the depiction of femoral artery occlusions. Maximum-intensity-projection images are useful, but analysis of axial scans is more accurate for the grading of arterial stenoses. The results of CTA are encouraging enough to warrant further studies. A CTA protocol covering the pelvic and pedal vessels remains to be established and evaluated.
Generating, Maintaining, and Exploiting Diversity in a Memetic Algorithm for Protein Structure Prediction

Computational approaches to de novo protein tertiary structure prediction, including those based on the preeminent “fragment-assembly” technique, have failed to scale up fully to larger proteins (on the order of 100 residues and above). A number of limiting factors are thought to contribute to the scaling problem over and above the simple combinatorial explosion, but the key ones relate to the lack of exploration of properly diverse protein folds, and to an acute form of “deception” in the energy function, whereby low-energy conformations do not reliably equate with native structures. In this article, solutions to both of these problems are investigated through a multistage memetic algorithm incorporating the successful Rosetta method as a local search routine. We found that specialised genetic operators significantly add to structural diversity and that this translates well to reaching low energies. The use of a generalised stochastic ranking procedure for selection enables the memetic algorithm to handle and traverse deep energy wells that can be considered deceptive, which further adds to the ability of the algorithm to obtain a much-improved diversity of folds. The results should translate to a tangible improvement in the performance of protein structure prediction algorithms in blind experiments such as CASP, and potentially to a further step towards the more challenging problem of predicting the three-dimensional shape of large proteins.
Genetic parameters for litter size of different parities in Duroc, Landrace, and large white sows.

Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed for litter size born alive and at 21 d in Duroc, Landrace, and Large White sows raised in southern Brazil. Variance and covariance components were estimated for first, second, and third parities, and for different sets of parities using DFREML under animal models with direct and maternal genetic effects. Additive direct genetic variances were different for breeds and for parities within breeds. Most estimates of heritability of direct effects were higher than the average value of . 10 reported in the literature, and were two to five times the size of their standard errors, indicating that opportunities for genetic improvement of litter size in these breeds may be greater than assumed on the basis of previous reports. Maternal additive genetic variances were higher in second than in first or third parities, but were significant only for Large White sows. Genetic correlations for all breeds were high between first and third, and between second and third parities, but were low, in the range of . 32 and . 48, between first and second parities. For this reason, multiple-trait genetic evaluation of animals for litter size should be used to estimate breeding values when first and later parity records are involved.
On the transition from a nurse-led hypertension clinic to hypertension control in primary care: identifying barriers to and factors acting against continuous hypertension control

Abstract Many hypertensive patients are not treated to target and hence do not benefit fully from the blood pressure-related improvements in cardiovascular health. Hypertensive patients who had primarily been treated to a target goal in a nurse-led hypertension clinic were re-examined to evaluate whether their target goal blood pressure was maintained after their discharge from the hypertension clinic for further control in primary care, and to evaluate potential barriers to and factors acting against continuous hypertension control. The median observation time was 3.6 years (range 3 months to 7.9 years). Only 45.2% of the patients were well controlled at the time of re-examination. No patient-related factors (age, body mass index, gender, attitudes towards medication) predicted the outcome. Two factors were significant in the reduction in continuous hypertension control: the cooperation between the patient and health personnel and the shared commitment towards the target goal were discontinued; and many patients did not make control visits to the general practitioner’s office. In conclusion, maintained strict control of hypertension requires both continued close collaboration between the patient and health personnel, with an emphasis on treatment goals, and systematic control visits.
The Surgical Treatment of Pulmonary Tuberculosis

The decision to employ collapse therapy in any of its forms is a grave one, and it must only be made after repeated radiological examination and as the result of careful consultation between physician and surgeon. The importance of general sanatorium measures, diet, and more especially, prolonged bed rest, cannot be over-emphasized but there are many cases in which the anatomical and pathological features of the lesion are such that natural healing cannot occur even if general measures succeed in improving the general resistance of the patient. It is in these cases that collapse therapy is urgently indicated.
Eosinophilia as an early indicator of pancreatic allograft rejection

Weir MR, Bartlett ST, Drachenberg CB. Eosinophilia as an early indicator of pancreatic allograft rejection. Clin Transplant 2011 DOI: 10.1111/j.1399‐0012.2011. 01440.x. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.
Projection space denoising with bilateral filtering and CT noise modeling for dose reduction in CT.

PURPOSE To investigate a novel locally adaptive projection space denoising algorithm for low-dose CT data. METHODS The denoising algorithm is based on bilateral filtering, which smooths values using a weighted average in a local neighborhood, with weights determined according to both spatial proximity and intensity similarity between the center pixel and the neighboring pixels. This filtering is locally adaptive and can preserve important edge information in the sinogram, thus maintaining high spatial resolution. A CT noise model that takes into account the bowtie filter and patient-specific automatic exposure control effects is also incorporated into the denoising process. The authors evaluated the noise-resolution properties of bilateral filtering incorporating such a CT noise model in phantom studies and preliminary patient studies with contrast-enhanced abdominal CT exams. RESULTS On a thin wire phantom, the noise-resolution properties were significantly improved with the denoising algorithm compared to commercial reconstruction kernels. The noise-resolution properties on low-dose (40 mA s) data after denoising approximated those of conventional reconstructions at twice the dose level. A separate contrast plate phantom showed improved depiction of low-contrast plates with the denoising algorithm over conventional reconstructions when noise levels were matched. Similar improvement in noise-resolution properties was found on CT colonography data and on five abdominal low-energy (80 kV) CT exams. In each abdominal case, a board-certified subspecialized radiologist rated the denoised 80 kV images markedly superior in image quality compared to the commercially available reconstructions, and denoising improved the image quality to the point where the 80 kV images alone were considered to be of diagnostic quality. CONCLUSIONS The results demonstrate that bilateral filtering incorporating a CT noise model can achieve a significantly better noise-resolution trade-off than a series of commercial reconstruction kernels. This improvement in noise-resolution properties can be used for improving image quality in CT and can be translated into substantial dose reduction.
North Borderplex Retail Gasoline Price Fluctuations: 2000-2013

Previous studies show that a variety of different variables influence retail gasoline price fluctuations. In the case of El Paso, Texas, those variables would include wholesale gasoline prices, local economic conditions, weather, and, more uniquely, cross-border economic variables associated with Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, in Mexico. To analyze the contributions of these variables to monthly price movements for gasoline in El Paso, a theoretical model is specified. From the latter construct, a reduced form equation is extracted. That specification is then expressed within an error correction framework to allow accounting for both long-run and short-run behaviors in this metropolitan economy. Results indicate that the border poses a fairly substantial barrier to normal trade and purchasing patterns for this product within this specific region.
Performance analysis of asynchronous multicarrier code division multiple access against direct sequence code division multiple access and long polyphase sequences for uplink powerline communication systems with impulsive noise

In this study, the performance of two asynchronous multi-access direct sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) and multicarrier code division multiple access (MC-CDMA) systems with binary and polyphase long sequences is compared. An indoor multipath powerline channel model generated from random impedance networks is used. The powerline background, narrowband and impulsive noise are modelled statistically, based on models and measurements done in previous works. A complete analytical performance study is done for asynchronous MC-CDMA employing an interval guard in the form of a cyclic prefix (CP) and periodic long sequences, which provides a better channel coding than short sequences. The analytical results are completed with Monte Carlo simulations for both, DS-CDMA and MC-CDMA systems. Under impulsive noise an upper bound in the bit error rate (BER) performance for DS-CDMA and MC-CDMA systems is obtained analytically, which is confirmed by the Monte Carlo simulations.
Preprocessing for Lessening the Influence of Eye Artifacts in EEG Analysis

We dealt with the problem of artifacts in EEG signals in relation to the usage of lengthy trials. Specifically, we considered eye artifacts found in EEG signals, their influence in the analysis of the data and alternatives to diminish their impact on later studies of brain activity on lengthy tasks. We proposed a scheme of partial rejection of independent signal components, provided a method to extract EEG signal components with diminished influence of eye artifacts, and assess the importance of using artifact free signal excerpts to extract signal components in order to analyze brain activity in a musical context.
Mappings of finite distortion from generalized manifolds

We give a deﬁnition for mappings of ﬁnite distortion from a generalized manifold with controlled geometry to a Euclidean space. We prove that the basic properties of mappings of ﬁnite distortion are valid in this context. In particular, we show that under the same assumptions as in the Euclidean case, mappings of ﬁnite distortion are open and discrete.
An Efficient Algorithm for Parallel Computation of Rough Entropy Using CUDA

Continuously improving computation efficiency of rough entropy is very meaningful, because it is helpful to apply rough sets to some fields with high performance requirement. Recently, Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) has gained a lot of attention from scientific communities for its applicability in high performance computing. This paper proposes an efficient algorithm which is based on sorting technique to accelerate the computation of rough entropy using CUDA. The proposed algorithm is compared with a sorting-based serial algorithm. Experimental results prove the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
Long-term hydropower scheduling using model predictive control approach with hybrid monthly-annual inflow forecasting

In this paper, a hybrid monthly-annual inflow forecasting approach is proposed and tested within a model predictive control framework for the long-term hydropower scheduling (LTHS). The inflow forecasts are provided on a monthly basis for a short horizon (close to present) and on an annual basis for the remaining optimization horizon, up to three years. The tests are conducted in a simulation environment with historical inflows for single reservoir hydrothermal systems. Results are compared with those using a monthly inflow forecasting approach and that from traditional stochastic dynamic programming approach, showing that the hybrid model is a promising approach to be used in the decision making process on LTHS problems.
Fast Marching Method Based Path Planning for Wheeled Mobile Robots

The paper presents a path planning approach for wheeled mobile robots in obstructed environments. The trajectories of moving objects have to be carefully planned in order to obtain a near-shortest smooth path at still acceptable computational complexity. The combined approach is therefore proposed which utilizes search algorithm A* as well as methods of numerical solving of a particular form of partial differential equation an eikonal equation. The use of related fast marching method enables to derive smooth trajectories within the shortest path corridor identified by the heuristic search algorithm while keeping the on-line computational burden relatively low. To illustrate the basic idea our investigation is limited to situation with static obstacles, e.g. buildings in the area which is crossed by autonomous vehicles. The proposed approach operation is validated by experimental results on a differential mobile robot.
Electroacupuncture stimulation of the brachial plexus trunk on the healthy side promotes brain-derived neurotrophic factor mRNA expression in the ischemic cerebral cortex of a rat model of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury

A rat model of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion was established by suture occlusion of the left middle cerebral artery. In situ hybridization results showed that the number of brain-derived neurotrophic factor mRNA-positive cells in the ischemic rat cerebral cortex increased after cerebral ischemia/ reperfusion injury. Low frequency continuous wave electroacupuncture (frequency 2–6 Hz, current intensity 2 mA) stimulation of the brachial plexus trunk on the healthy (right) side increased the number of brain-derived neurotrophic factor mRNA-positive cells in the ischemic cerebral cortex 14 days after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. At the same time, electroacupuncture stimulation of the healthy brachial plexus truck significantly decreased neurological function scores and alleviated neurological function deficits. These findings suggest that electroacupuncture stimulation of the brachial plexus trunk on the healthy (right) side can greatly increase brain-derived neurotrophic factor mRNA expression and improve neurological function.
Momentum and Risk Adjustment

Dudler and Gmür introduce a new class of momentum strategies: the risk-adjusted time-series momentum (RAMOM) strategies, which are based on averages of past futures returns that have been normalized by their volatility. They test these strategies on a universe of 64 liquid futures contracts and show that RAMOM strategies outperform the standard time-series momentum strategies. In addition, RAMOM trading signals have another useful and important feature: They are naturally less dependent on high volatility. Finally, dollar turnover of RAMOM strategies is about 40% lower than that of time series momentum (TSMOM), implying a drastic reduction in trading costs.
GPA1Val-50 mutation in the mating-factor signaling pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The GPA1 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae encodes a protein that is highly homologous to the alpha subunit of mammalian hetrotrimeric G proteins and is essential for haploid cell growth. A mutation of the GPA1 protein, GPA1Val-50, in which Gly-50 was replaced by valine, could complement the growth defect of a GPA1 disruption, gpal::HIS3. However, cells with gpa1::HIS3 expressing the GPA1Val-50 protein were supersensitive to alpha-factor in a short-term incubation but resumed growth after long-term incubation even after exposure to high concentrations of alpha-factor. The former phenotype associated with GPA1Val-50 is recessive, and the latter phenotype is dominant to GPA1+. The supersensitivity of GPA1Val-50 to alpha-factor was dependent on STE2 and STE4, which demonstrates that this GPA1Val-50-produced phenotype requires the mating-factor receptor and the beta subunit of the G protein. The double mutant of sst2-1 GPA1Val-50 recovered from division arrest, which suggested that SST2 is not required for recovery of the GPA1Val-50 mutant.
Robust Multi-Bit Watermarking for Free-View Television Using Light Field Rendering

SUMMARY With the rapid development of multi-view video coding (MVC) and light ﬁeld rendering (LFR), Free-View Television (FTV) has emerged as new entrainment equipment, which can bring more immersive and realistic feelings for TV viewers. In FTV broadcasting system, the TV-viewer can freely watch a realistic arbitrary view of a scene generated from a number of original views. In such a scenario, the ownership of the multi-view video should be veriﬁed not only on the original views, but also on any virtual view. However, capacities of existing watermarking schemes as copyright protection methods for LFR-based FTV are only one bit, i.e., presence or absence of the watermark, which seriously impacts its usage in practical scenarios. In this paper, we propose a robust multi-bit watermarking scheme for LFR-based free-view video. The direct-sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) watermark is constructed according to the multi-bit message and embedded into DCT domain of each view frame. The message can be extracted bit-by-bit from a virtual frame generated at an arbitrary view-point with a correlation detector. Furthermore, we mathematically prove that the watermark can be detected from any virtual view. Experimental results also show that the watermark in FTV can be successfully detected from a virtual view. Moreover, the proposed watermark method is robust against common signal processing attacks, such as Gaussian ﬁltering, salt & peppers noising, JPEG compression, and center cropping.