Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adaptive Sensing and Fusion of Multi-Sensor Data and Historical Information

Abstract : Context plays an important role when performing underwater classification, and in this report we examine context from two perspectives. First, the classification of items within a single task is placed within the context of distinct concurrent or previous classification tasks (multiple distinct data collections). This is referred to as multi-task learning (MTL), and is implemented here in a statistical manner, using a simplified form of the Dirichlet process. In addition, when performing many classification tasks one has simultaneous access to all unlabeled data that must be classified, and therefore there is an opportunity to place the classification of any one feature vector within the context of all unlabeled feature vectors; this is referred to as semi-supervised learning. In this report we integrate MTL and semi-supervised learning into a single framework, thereby exploiting two forms of contextual information.
Joint 3-D Image Quality Assessment Metric by Using Image View and Depth Information Over the Networking in IoT

It is accepted that image compression and transmission are essential in the image processing system and that errors occurred may introduce the degradation on the quality of the received image over the wireless transmission for intelligent Internet of things (IoT). Image quality assessment metric (QAM) is of fundamental significance to various image processing systems, and the goal of studying the QAM is to design an algorithm that can automatically evaluate the quality of the received image at the terminal display equipment in a perceptible way under the ubiquitous network circumstances. In this paper, focusing on the image compression and transmission, a joint full-reference (FR) QAM ( JQAM) for evaluating the quality of a 3-D image is proposed based on the state-of-the-art physiological and psychological properties of the human visual system (HVS) for image transmission under the wireless networks. The major technical contribution of this paper is that the binocular perception (depth perception) and local image properties are taken into consideration. First, the luminance masking property and local image content information are calculated to establish image QAM (IQAM) to improve the abilities of current quality evaluation algorithms. Meanwhile, the information abstracted from the depth map is also utilized as side information (SI) to evaluate the depth map on quality assessment. Finally, IQAM and SI are combined to construct the proposed JQAM. Experimental results show that the proposed metric could achieve better correlation with the subjective quality scores compared with the relevant existing IQAMs, and it could be used to evaluate the quality of the 3-D image signal of the intelligent equipment for multimedia communication systems in IoT.
MEDICAL IMAGE SEGMENTATION USING GENERALIZED GRADIENT VECTOR FLOW AND CLIFFORD GEOMETRIC ALGEBRA

Recently, there have been several researchs done on the aim of computer-aided diagnosis by using medical images. The early warning system based on analysing the medical images able to detect the anomaly on the patient easily. In this paper we discussed a new method for detecting the shape of the object on the medical images by segmentation. Segmentation was accomplished by applying generalized gradient vector flow (GGVF) and Clifford geometric algebra. The edge of the object would be identified well using GGFV and then smoothing would be done at the edge based on geometric algebra framework for higher dimension. Segmentation resulted using this method was expected to be closed to the object shape. CT Scan, dental panoramic radiograph, and mammogram have been used as the experimental images. It was shown that segmentation results by using the proposed method seemed to be closed to the original shape of the object.
The Nominal Group Technique: an aid to Brainstorming ideas in research

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present and discuss a technique called the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) for possible use in the types of market research or management research where it is desirable to generate as many ideas as possible.Design/methodology/approach – The benefits of the NGT were researched in a literature review. After this, qualitative research among research practitioners who have used the technique in Australia was conducted. One focus group of five researchers and three in‐depth interviews were conducted. Some of these responses are presented verbatim, in this paper, to order to illustrate the positive evaluations of the technique by researchers.Findings – The research practitioners in this research were generally very positive about the NGT as a technique for idea generation. The conclusion from the research reported on in this paper is that the use of techniques such as Brainstorming, and the NGT have very beneficial roles to play in management and market research.Practical.
Advances in the treatment of cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease

Cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease (PD) is a frequent complication, with significant interindividual variability in clinical symptoms, severity, timing, and neural substrates. Recent studies have focused not only on understanding PD dementia, but also mild cognitive impairment in PD, which may represent a prodromal stage for dementia. In recent years, there have been important advances regarding clinical characterizations, definitions, associated biomarkers, and risk factors for both mild cognitive impairment in PD and PD dementia. However, there is a paucity of effective therapies for cognitive impairment in PD, whether for mild symptoms or for moderate to severe dementia. At present, only rivastigmine is U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved for PD dementia, an indication received nearly a decade ago. Given the frequency of PD cognitive impairment and its substantial impact on both patients and families, the lack of available and effective treatments represents a striking gap in the field, especially when compared to the large number of available therapies for PD motor symptoms and complications. Improved symptomatic therapies, as well as potential disease‐modifying agents, for PD cognitive impairment are needed. Most therapeutic trials for PD dementia and mild cognitive impairment in PD have focused on drugs developed for and tested in Alzheimer's disease, such as cholinesterase inhibitors and the N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate receptor antagonist, memantine, though recent and ongoing trials examine the effects of pharmacological agents affecting other neurotransmitters, as well as nonpharmacological therapies, including mental and physical exercise and neurostimulation. This review summarizes the design and outcomes of trials for PD cognitive impairment published since 2013 and highlights future therapeutic research opportunities and challenges. © 2015 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
The OLS-lens survey: the discovery of five new galaxy–galaxy strong lenses from the SDSS

Bright galaxy-galaxy strong lenses are much more powerful than lensed quasars for measuring the mass profiles of galaxies, but until this year only a handful have been known. Here, we present five new examples, identified via the optimal line-of-sight gravitational lens search strategy applied to luminous red galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). Our survey largely complements a similar survey by Bolton et al., who recently presented several new lenses. The lensed background galaxies are selected from the SDSS spectra via the presence of narrow emission-line signatures, including the [O II] λλ3726, 3729, Hβ and [O III] λλ4960, 5008 lines, superposed on the spectra of the bright, intervening, deflector galaxies. Our five confirmed new systems include deflector galaxies with redshifts z = 0.17-0.28 and lensed galaxies with redshifts z = 0.47-1.18. Simulations of moderately deep (few orbits) Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) imaging of systems such as these, where the lensed source is brighter than r ∼ 23, are presented. These demonstrate the feasibility of accurately measuring the inner slope of the dark matter halo to within an uncertainty σ(γ) ∼ 0.1, the dark matter fraction within the Einstein radius and the mass-to-light ratio of the stars alone, independently of dynamical measurements. The high success rate of our search so far, >60 per cent, and the relatively modest observational resources necessary to confirm the gravitational lens nature of the candidates, demonstrates that compilation of a sample of ∼ 100 galaxy-galaxy lenses from the SDSS is readily achievable, opening up a rich new field in dark matter studies.
Join Reordering by Join Simulation

We introduce a framework for reordering join pipelines at runtime in a database system. This framework incorporates novel techniques for simulating the execution of a join pipeline using random samples and statistical summaries. Our simulation techniques provide accurate runtime cardinality estimates along all alternative execution paths of a join pipeline. These estimates are then utilized to compare costs of alternative execution paths in a dynamic fashion, and reorder the pipeline if a better alternative path is found. We describe simulation techniques for pipelines of different kinds of join operators. We present an experimental evaluation of a prototype implementation of our framework in an open source data manager. The results demonstrate the feasibility and utility of the approach presented herein.
Simulation of a membrane flow interaction by an iteration based on a panel method

A flow structure interaction of a membrane and a fluid is investigated. A conventional segregated numerical algorithm, where the membrane deformation and the flow dynamics are calculated alternately has to fail due to the artificial added mass instability. Thus, a new iteration scheme is proposed. In order to get a good prediction for the deformation of the membrane, the equations describing the membrane are coupled to a potential flow solver (panel method). Then a CFD solver can be used to determine the corrections of the flow field due viscosity and turbulence. An example is presented that this procedure seems to be numerically stable. (© 2013 Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Plasma Leptin Levels Correlate to Islet Function Independently of Body Fat in Postmenopausal Women

It has previously been demonstrated that plasma leptin correlates to body fat content. Increased body fat content is accompanied by low insulin sensitivity, which is compensated with increased insulin secretion. We therefore studied whether plasma levels of leptin also correlate to insulin secretion and sensitivity in humans. Therefore, we examined insulin sensitivity by the euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp technique and measured the insulin response to intravenous arginine (5 g) at fasting and 14 mmol/l glucose in postmenopausal women. Percent body fat content was determined with impedance measurements. Log plasma leptin significantly correlated to percent body fat (r = 0.84, P < 0.001). In women with normal glucose tolerance (n = 36), partial correlation studies controlling for body fat content revealed significant correlations between log plasma leptin and fasting insulin levels (r = 0.39, P = 0.029), the insulin response to arginine at both glucose levels (r = 0.38 and r = 0.37, P < 0.036 for both), and the glucose potentiation of arginine-stimulated insulin secretion (r = 0.40, P = 0.025). In contrast, in women with impaired glucose tolerance (n = 17), these correlations were not significant. Plasma leptin did not correlate with insulin sensitivity independently of body fat content. To study whether the correlation between leptin and insulin would be explained by insulin stimulating leptin secretion, we examined plasma leptin during hyperinsulinemic conditions (689 ± 41 pmol/l), under both euglycemia (5.0 mmol/l, n = 10) and hypoglycemia (2.5 mmol/l, n = 7). However, under both these conditions, plasma leptin was unaltered. In conclusion, plasma leptin 1) reflects body fat content and 2) correlates to insulin secretion independently of percent body fat in postmenopausal women with normal glucose tolerance.
The Practicability of Transnasal Esophagoscopy and the Evaluation of Patient’s Perception: A Prospective Study

Objectives Transnasal esophagoscopy (TNE) is a relatively new diagnostic procedure in the evaluation of patients with globus sensation and dysphagia. Enabling doctors to examine all of the upper aerodigestive system without the need for sedation, this technique is becoming more popular among otolaryngology specialists. The aim of this study is to evaluate the practicability of TNE and tolerability of patients to the test. Methods The study group consisted of 314 patients who were admitted to the swallowing center of a tertiary medical institution with the symptoms of dysphagia and globus sensation. In addition to other diagnostic procedures, patients were informed of the TNE and the necessary consents were obtained. Before the examination, patients were asked to foresee the level of discomfort they would presumably feel, according to the information they had. After the TNE, patients were asked to score the real level of discomfort they experienced during the test. A visual analog scale was used to note the levels. The duration of the tests and any complications were also noted. Results We could not perform TNE in 12 of the 314 patients due to nasal obstruction, intractable retching and vasovagal syncope (7, 4, and 1 patients, respectively). The average discomfort score foreseen before the test was 4.7±1.4 (mean±standard deviation). The post-procedure discomfort score was 1.6±1.1, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). The average time to perform the TNE was 5 minutes (range, 3 to 13 minutes). Except for minor epistaxis in 7 patients (2%), no complications occurred. Conclusion According to our results, TNE is an easy and well-tolerated procedure, it may be logical to tell the patient that the procedure will be less annoying and irritating than they assume. It is also a time saving procedure with low complication rates.
Video extraction for fast content access to MPEG compressed videos

As existing video processing technology is primarily developed in the pixel domain yet digital video is stored in compressed format, any application of those techniques to compressed videos would require decompression. For discrete cosine transform (DCT)-based MPEG compressed videos, the computing cost of standard row-by-row and column-by-column inverse DCT (IDCT) transforms for a block of 8/spl times/8 elements requires 4096 multiplications and 4032 additions, although practical implementation only requires 1024 multiplications and 896 additions. In this paper, we propose a new algorithm to extract videos directly from MPEG compressed domain (DCT domain) without full IDCT, which is described in three extraction schemes: 1) video extraction in 2/spl times/2 blocks with four coefficients; 2) video extraction in 4/spl times/4 blocks with four DCT coefficients; and 3) video extraction in 4/spl times/4 blocks with nine DCT coefficients. The computing cost incurred only requires 8 additions and no multiplication for the first scheme, 2 multiplication and 28 additions for the second scheme, and 47 additions (no multiplication) for the third scheme. Extensive experiments were carried out, and the results reveal that: 1) the extracted video maintains competitive quality in terms of visual perception and inspection and 2) the extracted videos preserve the content well in comparison with those fully decompressed ones in terms of histogram measurement. As a result, the proposed algorithm will provide useful tools in bridging the gap between pixel domain and compressed domain to facilitate content analysis with low latency and high efficiency such as those applications in surveillance videos, interactive multimedia, and image processing.
Empirical modelling of trait selection by partitioning selection into direct selection and selection that is mediated by interspecific interactions

Trait selection has received considerable attention in the pursuit to understand niche-based community assembly processes and to generate ecological predictions. To further advance the study of trait selection, a conceptual statistical model is presented that outlines and discuss the possibilities of i) estimating the effect of interspecific interactions on traits rather than just testing weather selection has had an effect on the observed trait distributions, ii) discriminating between environmental filtering and niche partitioning processes and estimate the characteristic features and importance of both processes, and iii) predicting the effect of environmental changes and gradients on trait selection. To achieve these goals a number of necessary assumptions have to be specified and these assumptions are discussed and assessed. Simulated plant cover data from a simple uniform environment was successfully fitted to the model and the results indicates that it is possible to partition direct population growth and population growth that is mediated by interspecific interaction. The data requirements of the model are modest, i.e. time series data on plant species abundance and a species trait matrix. Consequently, the model concept may be used to model trait selection, including the effect of interspecific interactions, in many existing plant ecological datasets.
Method level power estimation and optimization in next generation smart phones

Smart phones are being used to manage several of our day-to-day tasks these days. Power consumption in these phones is limited and cannot be increased beyond a certain limit in compact devices. Several tools and methodologies to measure power are available. The power consumed due to hardware and networking is unavoidable, but, power can be optimized in the source code that runs in these phones. Towards optimizing power in the code, we propose a methodology that measures power consumed by a piece of code at the granularity of a method. After estimating power consumption at method level, we suggest mechanisms for re-factoring the code to improve power consumption at a method level. Our methodology has been tested on industry strength examples on Android platform and is proven to optimize power consumption for these examples.
Response surface methodology for optimization of culture conditions for dye decolorization by a fungus, Aspergillus niger HM11 isolated from dye affected soil

Background and Objectives Discharge of wastewater from textile dyeing industries has been a problem in terms of pollution and treatment of these waters is a great task. Keeping this in mind, the aim of our current research is to study the effect of various bioprocess variables on decolorization of an azo dye, Congo red, by a fungal isolate, Aspergillus niger HM11. Materials and Methods Central composite design (CCD) and response surface methodology (RSM) have been applied to design experiments to evaluate the interactive effects of the operating variables: on the decolorization of Congo red. A total of 30 experiments were conducted in the present study and a regression coefficient between the variables was generated. Results The RSM indicated that pH 6.0, 150 rpm agitation, incubation time of 36 hrs and a glucose concentration of 1.0% were optimal for maximum decolorization of Congo red and the response indicated excellent evaluation of experimental data. Conclusion From this study, it is very obvious that the fungal isolate, Aspergillus niger HM11 can be used as a promising microbial strain for decolorization of textile dyeing effluent containing similar dyes.
Quantification of nano-scale intermembrane contact areas by using fluorescence resonance energy transfer

Nanometer-scale intermembrane contact areas (CAs) formed between single small unilamellar lipid vesicles (SUVs) and planar supported lipid bilayers are quantified by measuring fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between a homogenous layer of donor fluorophores labeling the supported bilayer and acceptor fluorophores labeling the SUVs. The smallest CAs detected in our setup between biotinylated SUVs and dense monolayers of streptavidin were ≈20 nm in radius. Deformation of SUVs is revealed by comparing the quenching of the donors to calculations of FRET between a perfectly spherical shell and a flat surface containing complementary fluorophores. These results confirmed the theoretical prediction that the degree of deformation scales with the SUV diameter. The size of the CA can be controlled experimentally by conjugating polyethylene glycol polymers to the SUV or the surface and thereby modulating the interfacial energy of adhesion. In this manner, we could achieve secure immobilization of SUVs under conditions of minimal deformation. Finally, we demonstrate that kinetic measurements of CA, at constant adhesion, can be used to record in real-time quantitative changes in the bilayer tension of a nano-scale lipid membrane system.
Fast-marching segmentation of three-dimensional intravascular ultrasound images: a pre- and post-intervention study.

PURPOSE Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) is a vascular imaging technique that is used to study atherosclerosis since it has the ability to show the lumen and the vessel wall. Cross-sectional images of blood vessels are produced and they provide quantitative assessment of the vascular wall, information about the nature of atherosclerotic lesions, as well as the plaque shape and size. Due to the ultrasound speckle, catheter artifacts, or calcification shadows, the automated analysis of large IVUS data sets represents an important challenge. METHODS A multiple interface 3D fast-marching method is presented for the detection of the lumen and external vessel wall boundaries. The segmentation is based on a combination of region and contour information, namely, the gray level probability density functions of the vessel structures and the intensity gradient. The detection of the lumen boundary is fully automatic. The segmentation method includes an interactive initialization procedure of the external vessel wall border. The segmentation method was applied to 20 in vivo IVUS data sets acquired from femoral arteries. This database contained three subgroups: Pullbacks acquired before balloon angioplasty (n=7), after the intervention (n=7), and at a 1 yr follow-up examination (n=6). Results were compared to validation contours that were manually traced by two experts on more than 1500 individual frames. RESULTS For all subgroups, no significant difference was found between the area measurements of the segmentation and validation contours for the lumen and external vessel wall. Moreover, high intraclass correlation coefficients (> 0.96) between the area of the manually traced contours and detected boundaries with the fast-marching method were obtained for both vessel layers over the whole database. The segmentation performance was also evaluated with point-to-point contour distances between segmentation results and manually traced contours. A good overall accuracy was obtained with average distances < 0.13 mm and maximum distances < 0.46 mm, indicating a good performance in regions lacking information or containing artifacts. Only small differences of less than a pixel (0.02 mm) were observed between the average distance metrics of each subgroup, which prove the segmentation consistency. CONCLUSIONS This new IVUS segmentation method provides accurate results that correspond well to the experts' manually traced contours, but requires much less manual interactions and is faster.