Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of background subtraction in pan-tilt camera tracking

Object tracking is the subfield of computer vision where an object is to be located in each frame of a video sequence. Automated tracking is useful in all areas where vision and cameras are used. Computers can assist in time-consuming tasks in television or surveillance as well as stabilise and increase tracking precision compared to manual operation. In a system using a movable camera such as a pan-tilt-zoom camera mounted on a robot, information about the pan-tilt-zoom configuration can be used to locate a moving object in successive frames since static background can be accounted for from one frame to the next. Two state-of-the-art trackers, called Adaptive Scale Mean Shift (ASMS) and Kernel Correlation Filter (KCF), as well as a tracker based on Shi-Tomasi corner detection together with optical flow (OPTFLOW), are in this thesis evaluated when using a pre-processing stage of online background subtraction based on the historical pixel value distribution. All trackers with and without background subtraction were evaluated for robustness on multiple scenarios containing either a circular unicoloured object or a multicoloured polygon in front of two different backgrounds respectively. The tracking performance was shown to not benefit from this particular background subtraction since the amount of wrongly classified background pixels ruined more than the correctly classified pixels helped. The implemented background subtraction model affected OPTFLOW the most since the background subtraction removed important corner features, while ASMS and KCF were robust and unaffected by the background subtraction. The background subtraction routine for a static camera view was successfully adapted to function for a translating camera, and may be of more use for some trackers not evaluated.
How to compare the social foundations of science culture: A trial with five cities in Korea

Though there have been several indicator systems to monitor the status quo of science and technology and of scientific literacy, few are especially designed for science culture, especially for its social dimension. Furthermore there is little agreement on how to measure it. In a previous study, an indicator system, SCI (Science Culture Indicators), had been developed to monitor the status quo of the science culture of a nation at both individual and social dimensions. The purpose of this study was to explore a practical way to measure and compare local cities’ social foundation of science culture by revising and standardizing the social dimension of SCI and by applying it to five metropolitan cities in Korea. Despite some limits, the results of this study appear not only to reflect the cities’ current situations but also to show the strength and weakness of their social foundation of science culture.
Islam et droit musulman au Maghreb : une référence centrale, mais d’application limitée

Des colonnes d’Hercule au detroit de Sicile, des rives du fleuve Senegal augolfe de Syrte, des confins sahariens aux littoraux mediterraneen et atlantique, le Maghreb, terre du « Couchant », dans son acception largeconstitue un espace geographique marque par une diversite d’influences a premiere vue contradictoires mais qui forment pourtant un ensemble coherent et unique. Les influences arabe, berbere, africaine, europeenne mais egalement musulmane juive et chretienne y ont longtemps coexiste.
3D texture-based classification applied on brain white matter lesions on MR images

Lesions in the brain white matter are among the most frequently observed incidental findings on MR images. This paper presents a 3D texture-based classification to distinguish normal appearing white matter from white matter containing lesions, and compares it with the 2D approach. Texture analysis were based on 55 texture attributes extracted from gray-level histogram, gray-level co-occurrence matrix, run-length matrix and gradient. The results show that the 3D approach achieves an accuracy rate of 99.28%, against 97.41% of the 2D approach by using a support vector machine classifier. Furthermore, the most discriminating texture attributes on both 2D and 3D cases were obtained from the image histogram and co-occurrence matrix.
Population Differences in Host Immune Factors May Influence Survival of Gunnison’s Prairie Dogs (Cynomys gunnisoni) during Plague Outbreaks

Over the past 40 yr, epizootics of plague (Yersinia pestis) in northern Arizona have reduced populations of the Gunnison’s prairie dog (Cynomys gunnisoni), with the exception of a large population found in the Aubrey Valley (AV). To examine potential mechanisms accounting for their survival, we collected prairie dog serum samples in 2005–2006 from AV and a neighboring population near Seligman (SE), Arizona. We quantified gene expression at 58 diverse immune proteins using a multiplexed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay panel. We found a subset of proteins important in coagulation and inflammation (tissue factor [TF], calbindin [Cal], and thrombopoietin [TPO]) and T-cell responses (CD40L and CD40) that were present in AV at levels two to eight times greater than SE. These results suggest that AV and SE animals might differ in their ability to mount an immune response.
Ataxia-telangiectasia in Italy: genetic analysis.

Genetic analysis was performed on 72 Italian A-T families ascertained through 91 probands. The frequency of the A-T gene was estimated through Dahlberg's formula, which uses the frequencies of first cousin marriages among the patients' parents and in the general population. Data on consanguinity in the general population were obtained from the collection of Catholic Church dispensations for the period 1910-1964. Accurate estimates of the disease frequency were made by subdividing data into 5-year periods and between provinces, in order to take into account temporal (decrease over time) and spatial (higher frequency in Southern Italy) heterogeneity. The estimate of the gene frequency for the whole sample was q = 0·012 ± 0·0065, corresponding to a heterozygote frequency of 2*34% and to a disease frequency of 1 in 7090. When considering q before and after 1970, there was an apparent increase of heterozygote frequency from 1·69 to 3·43%, perhaps due to a better ascertainment of the disease in the latter period. A segregation ratio of 0·249 ± 0·043 was obtained by analyzing the offspring of the 72 families under the model of incomplete multiple selection. This value is not significantly different from 0·25, as expected for an autosomal recessive disease.
Fast Fair Crossbar Scheduler for On-chip Router

This paper proposed a scheduling algorithm for a low-cost crossbar switch design in on-chip packet-switched micro-network. The scheduling algorithm is based on a distributed arbitration scheme over crossbar fabric. Each input port is designed with a mask circuit which can provide fair arbitration. As a result, our scheduler has lower power consumption because it does not need to toggle each node frequently. Experimental results show that designs utilizing our approach can reduce scheduling delay and hardware costs more than 43% and 49% respectively, as compared to those of the popular round robin algorithm. Based on the proposed scheme for 8-input scheduling circuit design, the critical delay is 0.98 ns and the power consumption is 98 muW with 50% traffic load at 100 MHz grant signal frequency in TSMC 0.18 mum technology
Reductive dehalogenation of chlorophenols by Desulfomonile tiedjei DCB-1

Reductive dehalogenation of chlorophenols has been reported in undefined anaerobic cultures but never before in an anaerobic pure culture. We found that the sulfate-reducing bacterium Desulfomonile tiedjei DCB-1 reductively dehalogenates pentachlorophenol (PCP) and other chlorophenols. The maximum rate of PCP dechlorination observed was 54 mu mol of Cl- h-1 g of protein-1. 3-Chlorobenzoate appeared to serve as a required inducer for PCP dehalogenation; however, neither PCP nor 3-chlorophenol induced dehalogenation. Dehalogenation was catalyzed by living cells, and formate served as a required electron donor. D. tiedjei dehalogenated meta-chlorine substituents of chlorophenols (i.e., PCP was degraded to 2,4,6-trichlorophenol). Generally, more highly chlorinated phenol congeners were more readily dechlorinated, and 3-chlorophenol was not dehalogenated. Growing cultures dehalogenated PCP, but greater than 10 microM PCP (approximately 1.7 mmol g of protein-1) reversibly inhibited growth.
Long-lasting effects or Short-Term Spark? On the Persistence of behaviour Change induced by Real-Time feedback on Resource Consumption

In the promotion of sustainable consumer behaviour, it is important to establish a mental relation between one’s behaviour and its environmental impact. High hopes rest on timely feedback on personal energy consumption in order to create this link. Great efforts are being put into the development of information systems to achieve this, and smart meters are being deployed as an enabling technology worldwide. Recent smart metering trials, which provide feedback on aggregate household electricity consumption, report moderate savings of 2-5%. There is, however, a vivid controversy about consumer interest and continuous use of these technologies in the long run. This uncertainty introduces substantial risk to the deployment of these technologies, as the persistence of savings is crucial for the cost-benefit analyses and scalability of these programs. This paper investigates the long-term stability of the behaviour change induced by a real-time feedback technology. Our initial study found average energy savings of 22% for the target behaviour. In this study, we analyse 17,612 data points collected in a one-year follow-up field study. The results suggest that the effects of behaviour-specific feedback on energy consumption do not exhibit a significant decay, indicating that this kind of technology successfully induces persistent behaviour change.
Human antibody response to Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface protein 2 is serogroup specific and predominantly of the immunoglobulin G3 subclass

MSP2 is a merozoite surface protein of Plasmodium falciparum and, as such, is a potential component of a malaria vaccine. In this study, we have used a panel of recombinant MSP2 antigens in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays to investigate the recognition of MSP2 by antibodies from malaria-immune human serum. These recombinant antigens include full-length proteins of serogroups A and B and fragments representing the conserved, group-specific, or repeat regions of each serogroup. Ninety-five percent of the serum samples tested contained MSP2-specific antibodies: 81% of serum samples tested responded to serogroup A, and 86% responded to serogroup B. The antibody response is directed almost exclusively towards dimorphic and polymorphic regions of MSP2; the conserved regions are rarely recognized, and antibodies to serogroups A and B do not cross-react. Interestingly, the antibody response is predominately of the cytophilic and complement-fixing subclass immunoglobulin G3.
Accuracy of intraoperative frozen section diagnosis in head and neck surgery: Experience at a university medical center

We performed 2,210 intraoperative frozen sections on 258 patients from the Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Service in 1990 and 1991. Surgery involved a wide variety of benign and malignant lesions. Techniques included biopsies for diagnosis, simple excisions, thyroid and salivary gland surgeries, lymph node biopsies, composite resections with radical neck dissections, laryngectomies, and skull base surgeries. During the 2‐year period, 1,947 (88.1%) sections were requested for evaluation of surgical margins, 258 (11.7%) for diagnosis, and five (0.2%) cases for tissue identification. There was disagreement between the frozen section and permanent section in 46 (2.1%) cases, and the deferral diagnosis rate was 0.8%. Disagreements were the result of sampling errors in 33 and interpretive errors in 13 cases. There were six (0.3%) false‐negative diagnosis of malignancy and four (0.2%) false‐positive diagnoses of malignancy. Three of these had an impact on patient care as discussed. We recommend careful sampling and sectioning of small biopsies and the need for vigilant communication between surgeon and pathologist.
New rate-complexity-quantization modeling and efficient rate control for H.264/AVC

In this paper, we propose a novel rate control scheme for H.264/AVC standard, including a new coding complexity measure for intra-frames, a new rate-complexity-quantization (R-C-Q) model, an accurate quantization parameter (QP) estimation for intra-frames, an incremental-control-based QP calculation for inter-frames, and a bit-allocation-balancing technique. Our experimental results demonstrate that, the proposed scheme outperforms the JVT-G012 solution by providing more accurate QP prediction, reducing frame skipping, depressing quality fluctuations, and finally, improving coding quality.
Reaction mechanism of transformer oil pyrolysis based on ReaxFF molecular simulation

Three ratio method of dissolved gases is a most recognized method to evaluate the insulation of oil-filled equipment, but it lacks the quantitative relation of dissolved gases and severity of the defects. This paper study the reaction mechanism of transformer oil pyrolysis based on molecular simulation. First, thermal analysis technique TG-DSC is used to observe the quality and energy changes during the process of transformer oil decomposition. Then, by using reactive reaction force field (ReaxFF), the three typical hydrocarbons in transformer oil-alkane, cycloalkane and aromatic is simulated in a liquid system and the microscopic decomposition mechanism of transformer oil is studied. Through the establishment of a liquid system consisting of three different kinds of hydrocarbons, and the minimization of energy balance system, the pyrolysis of them in NVT system is simulated under different temperatures. Then the relationship between temperature and the process of pyrolysis is concluded. This study reveals the pyrolysis dynamic mechanism of the transformer oil on the atomic level, corresponding to the real pyrolysis successfully.
Carotid baroreflex responsiveness in high-fit and sedentary young men.

The influence of fitness on cardiac vagal activity and baroreflex-mediated control of heart rate has not been clearly established in humans. Therefore, we studied resting cardiac vagal activity by evaluating respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and examined carotid-cardiac baroreflex responsiveness with a neck collar in 11 high-fit and 9 sedentary [based on maximal O2 consumption (VO2max) and history of physical activity] healthy young men (19-31 yr of age). Resting cardiac vagal activity was determined from the standard deviation of 100 consecutive resting R-R intervals. Baroreflex responsiveness was determined from the R-R interval responses to neck suction and pressure (repeated trials of 5-s stimuli of -20, -40, and 35 mmHg). Both RSA and the bradycardic (R-R interval) responses to neck suction of -40 mmHg were significantly greater (P less than 0.05) in the high-fit individuals (RSA, 116.5 +/- 11.5 ms; neck-suction response, 145.3 +/- 17.0 ms; mean +/- SE) compared with sedentary subjects (RSA, 65.2 +/- 6.6 ms; neck-suction response, 86.9 +/- 12.5 ms). Responses of the high-fit volunteers to the other intensities of neck stimuli (-20 and 35 mmHg) showed a similar trend but were not significantly different from those of the sedentary volunteers. The baroreflex slope derived from these data was significantly greater in the high-fit subjects (4.00 +/- 0.39 ms/mmHg) compared with the sedentary controls (2.53 +/- 0.28 ms/mmHg). These data suggest that resting cardiac vagal activity is greater, carotid-to-cardiac activity is well maintained, and baroreflex sensitivity, i.e., slope, is augmented in high-fit subjects.
Time‐Dependent Pharmacokinetics of 5‐Fluorouracil and Association With Treatment Tolerability in the Adjuvant Setting of Colorectal Cancer

The authors evaluated the influence of 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU) on treatment tolerability in 81 colorectal cancer patients given adjuvant 5‐FU intravenously plus folinic acid for 6 cycles. The pharmacokinetics of 5‐FU and its inactive metabolite 5‐fluoro‐5,6‐dihydrouracil (5‐FDHU) were measured on days 1 and 5 of the first chemotherapy cycle, 5 and 45 minutes after bolus administration. 5‐FU clearance was significantly lower on day 5 (62.64 ± 20.16 L/h/m2) than on day 1 (74.83 ± 31.61 L/h/m2). The lower 5‐FU clearance values also predicted the side effects during the entire course of chemotherapy. In particular, patients with low clearance values on day 1 had a further reduction in this parameter on day 5, associated with severe toxicities. In conclusion, 5‐FU alters its clearance, which could be partly due to a reduction in 5‐FDHU biotransformation. These findings have safety implications for poor metabolizers whose drug clearance may fall below the threshold during repeated treatment cycles.
Privacy Preserving in Data Mining by Normalization

Extracting previously unknown patterns from massive volume of data is the main objective of any data mining algorithm. In current days there is a tremendous expansion in data collection due to the development in the field of information technology. The patterns revealed by data mining algorithm can be used in various domains like Image Analysis, Marketing and weather forecasting. As a side effect of the mining algorithm some sensitive information is also revealed. There is a need to preserve the privacy of individuals which can be achieved by using privacy preserving data mining. In this paper we use minmax normalization approach for preserving privacy during the mining process. We clean the original data using minmax normalization approach before publishing. For experimental purpose we have used kmeans algorithm and from our results it is obvious that our approach preserves both privacy and accuracy.
Automatic Creation of Stock Trading Rules on the Basis of Decision Trees

The main task of any trader is the selection of profitable strategies for trading a financial instrument. One of the simplest ways to represent trading rules is binary decision trees based on the comparison of current values of technical indicators with some absolute values. This approach simplifies the creation of trading systems but their validity is limited to short-term intervals of trade. This paper represents an approach for generating more universal trade rules in the form of binary decision trees based on the comparison of the current values of technical indicators with relative levels. The ranges of these levels are recalculated on a daily basis which allows the trading rule to remain relevant within a long term. The proposed system analyzes the historical price data for a long period and using the genetic algorithm causes trading strategies optimized relatively to the Sharpe ratio.
980-nm infrared laser modulation of sodium channel kinetics in a neuron cell linearly mediated by photothermal effect

Abstract. Photothermal effect (PE) plays a major role in the near-infrared laser interaction with biological tissue. But, quite few interactions can be quantitatively depicted. Here, a two-step model is proposed to describe a 980-nm infrared laser interaction with neuron cell in vitro. First, the laser-induced temperature rises in the cell surrounding area were measured by using an open pipette method and also calculated by solving the heat conduction equation. Second, we recorded the modifications on sodium (Na) channel current in neuron cells directly by using a patch clamp to synchronize the 980-nm laser irradiation and obtained how the electrophysiological function of neuron cells respond to the temperature rise. Then, the activation time constants, τm, were extracted by fitting the sodium currents with the Hodgkin–Huxley model. The infrared laser modulation effect on sodium currents kinetics was examined by taking a ratio between the time constants with and without the laser irradiations. The analysis revealed that the averaged ratio at a specific laser exposure could be well related to the temperature properties of the Na channel protein. These results proved that the modulation of sodium current kinetics of a neuron cell in vitro by 980-nm laser with different-irradiation levels was linearly mediated corresponding to the laser-induced PE.
Cohort effects on gender differences in alcohol dependence.

AIMS The present study investigated the presence of cohort effects on gender differences in the course, severity and symptomatology of DSM-III-R alcohol dependence in a community-based sample. DESIGN A comparison of substance-related variables among men and women divided into two groups based on the median birth year of the sample was conducted. PARTICIPANTS Participants were 468 men and 132 women with life-time alcohol dependence, the vast majority of whom were born between 1941 and 1960. MEASUREMENTS Substance use and DSM-III-R substance use disorders were assessed by a structured interview administered in person. FINDINGS Individuals born after 1951 had higher rates of alcohol dependence. Among individuals with alcohol dependence, those born after 1951 had an earlier onset and longer duration of alcohol-related problems. Significant interactions indicated that these effects were stronger for women than men. CONCLUSIONS Risk for alcohol dependence appears to be rising in younger generations, and particularly for younger women, making them an important target group for prevention and treatment programs.
The Transcription Factor six1 Inhibits Neuronal and Promotes Hair Cell Fate in the Developing Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Inner Ear

The developmental processes leading to the differentiation of mechanosensory hair cells and statoacoustic ganglion neurons from the early otic epithelium remain unclear. Possible candidates include members of the Pax–Six–Eya–Dach (paired box–sine oculis homeobox–eyes absent–dachshund) gene regulatory network. We cloned zebrafish six1 and studied its function in inner ear development. Gain- and loss-of-function experiments show that six1 has opposing roles in hair cell and neuronal lineages. It promotes hair cell fate and, conversely, inhibits neuronal fate by differentially affecting cell proliferation and cell death in these lineages. By independently targeting hair cells with atoh1a (atonal homolog 1a) knockdown or neurons with neurog1 (neurogenin 1) knockdown, we showed that the remaining cell population, neurons or hair cells, respectively, is still affected by gain or loss of six1 function. six1 interacts with other members of the Pax–Six–Eya–Dach regulatory network, in particular dacha and dachb in the hair cell but not neuronal lineage. Unlike in mouse, six1 does not appear to be dependent on eya1, although it seems to be important for the regulation of eya1 and pax2b expression in the ventral otic epithelium. Furthermore, six1 expression appears to be regulated by pax2b and also by foxi1 (forkhead box I1) as expected for an early inducer of the otic placode. Our results are the first to demonstrate a dual role for a member of the Pax–Six–Eya–Dach regulatory network in inner ear development.
Comment on “Detection of an Infectious Retrovirus, XMRV, in Blood Cells of Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome”

Lombardi et al. (Reports, 23 October 2009, p. 585) reported an association between the human gammaretrovirus XMRV and chronic fatigue syndrome. However, their results may be misleading because of various potential sources of bias and confounding. If real, the association may lack generalizability because of the specific characteristics of the cases studied and could be due to reverse causality.