Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Image-Based Atmospheric Corrections - Revisited and Improved

A major benefit of multitemporal, remotely sensed images is their applicability to change detection over time. Because of concerns about global and environmental change, these data are becoming increasingly more important. However, to maximize the usefulness of the data from a multitemporal point of view, an easy-to-use, cost-effective, and accurate radiometric calibration and correction procedure is needed. The atmosphere effects the radiance received at the satellite by scattering, absorbing, and refracting light; corrections for these effects, as well as for sensor gains and offsets, solar irradiance, and solar zenith angles, must be included in radiometric correction procedures that are used to convert satellite-recorded digital counts to ground reflectances. To generate acceptable radiometric correction results, a model is required that typically uses in-situ atmospheric measurements and radiative transfer code (RTC) to correct for atmospheric effects. The main disadvantage of this type of correction procedure is that it requires in-situ field measurements during each satellite overflight. This is unacceptable for many applications and is often impossible, as when using historical data or when working in very remote locations. The optimum radiometric correction procedure is one based solely on the digital image and requiring no in-situ field measurements during the satellite overflight. The darkobject subtraction (DOS) method, a strictly image-based technique, is an attempt to achieve this ideal procedure. However, the accuracy is not acceptable for many applications, mostly because it corrects only for the additive scattering effect and not for the multiplicative transmittance effect. This paper presents an entirely image-based procedure that expands on the ~10s model by including a simple multiplicative correction for the effect of atmospheric transmittance. Two straightforward methods to derive the multiplicative transmittance-correction coefficient are presented. The COSITZ) or COST method uses the cosine of the solar zenith angle, which, to a first order, is a good approximation of the atmospheric transmittance for the dates und sites used in this study. The default TAUS method uses the average of the transmittance values computed by using in-situ atmospheric field measurements made during seven different satellite overflights. Published and unpublished data made available for this study by Moran et al. (1992) are used, and my model results are compared with their results. The corrections generated by the entirely image-based COST model are as accurate as those generated by the models that used in-situ atmospheric field measurements and RTC software.
Design of 2.4 GHz differential low noise amplifier using 0.18 μm CMOS technology

In this paper the inductive degenerated Differential Low Noise Amplifier (DLNA) is designed with operating frequency 2.4 GHz using 0.18 μm CMOS Technology. The DLNA is biased at 1.8 V supply and perfectly matched with input impedance of 50 Ω. Designed DLNA provides power gain of 21.59 dB with a noise figure of 398.1 mdB.
Automatic keystone correction using a single camera

In this paper, we introduce an algorithm for removing keystone distortion, which frequently occurs when the projector is not precisely aligned to the screen, For this purpose, we generate a pre-warp image from the transformation between the projector and the screen using a single camera while automatically computing homography from the pattern and screen images and determining a scaled rigid body transform. Thus our method is useful for multi-projector-based applications.
Combined Heat and Power Economic Dispatch using Differential Evolution

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First and foremost I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my advisor Mr. been possible without his guidance, support and encouragement. Under his guidance I successfully overcame many difficulties and learned a lot. He used to review my dissertation progress, gave his valuable suggestions and made corrections. I could not have imagined having a better advisor and mentor for my presentation study. for providing me the opportunity to carry out this dissertation work and providing necessary infrastructure and resources to accomplish my work. I would never have been able to finish my dissertation work without the help from friends, and support from my family. ABSTRACT The economic dispatch problem is one of the important issues in power system. The objective of the combined heat and power economic dispatch is to find the optimal point of power and heat generation with minimum fuel cost while satisfying both heat and power demands and other constraints. In this dissertation work, differential evolution search technique is implemented to solve the combined heat and power economic dispatch problem with bounded feasible operating region. In this work, the feasible region constraint is handled using exterior penalty factor. The optimal utilization of multiple combined heat and power systems is a complex problem. In order to show the effectiveness of this technique, the proposed approach is applied to three test systems.
How to find a joint probability distribution of minimum entropy (almost) given the marginals

Given two discrete random variables X and Y, with probability distributions p = (p1, …, pn) and q = (q1, …, qm), respectively, denote by C(p, q) the set of all joint distributions of X and Y that have p and q as marginals. In this paper, we study the problem of finding the joint probability distribution in C (p, q) of minimum entropy (equivalently, the joint probability distribution that maximizes the mutual information between X and Y), and we discuss several situations where the need for this kind of optimization naturally arises. Since the optimization problem is known to be NP-hard, we give an efficient algorithm to find a joint probability distribution in C(p, q) with entropy exceeding the minimum possible by at most 1, thus providing an approximation algorithm with additive approximation factor of 1. We also discuss some related consequences of our findings.
Efficient On-Demand Data Service Delivery to High-Speed Trains in Cellular/Infostation Integrated Networks

In this paper, we investigate on-demand data services for high-speed trains via a cellular/infostation integrated network. Service requests and acknowledgements are sent through the cellular network to a content server, while data delivery is achieved via trackside infostations. The optimal resource allocation problem is formulated by taking account of the intermittent network connectivity and multi-service demands. In order to achieve efficient resource allocation with low computational complexity, the original problem is transformed into a single-machine preemptive scheduling problem based on a time-capacity mapping. As the service demands are not known a priori, an online resource allocation algorithm based on Smith ratio and exponential capacity is proposed. The performance bound of the online algorithm is characterized based on the theory of sequencing and scheduling. If the link from the backbone network to an infostation is a bottleneck, a service pre-downloading algorithm is also proposed to facilitate the resource allocation. The performance of the proposed algorithms is evaluated based on a real high-speed train schedule. Compared with the existing approaches, our proposed algorithms can significantly improve the quality of on-demand data service provisioning over the trip of a train.
The cold sensitivity of a mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae lacking a mitochondrial heat shock protein 70 is suppressed by loss of mitochondrial DNA

SSH1, a newly identified member of the heat shock protein (hsp70) multigene family of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, encodes a protein localized to the mitochondrial matrix. Deletion of the SSH1 gene results in extremely slow growth at 23 degrees C or 30 degrees C, but nearly wild-type growth at 37 degrees C. The matrix of the mitochondria contains another hsp70, Ssc1, which is essential for growth and required for translocation of proteins into mitochondria. Unlike SSC1 mutants, an SSH1 mutant showed no detectable defects in import of several proteins from the cytosol to the matrix compared to wild type. Increased expression of Ssc1 partially suppressed the cold- sensitive growth defect of the SSH1 mutant, suggesting that when present in increased amounts, Ssc1 can at least partially carry out the normal functions of Ssh1. Spontaneous suppressors of the cold-sensitive phenotype of an SSH1 null mutant were obtained at a high frequency at 23 degrees C, and were all found to be respiration deficient. 15 of 16 suppressors that were analyzed lacked mitochondrial DNA, while the 16th had reduced amounts. We suggest that Ssh1 is required for normal mitochondrial DNA replication, and that disruption of this process in ssh1 cells results in a defect in mitochondrial function at low temperatures.
Etude et réalisation de jonctions Josephson en nitrure de niobium à barrière semi-métallique en TaxN ; application aux circuits logiques micro-ondes à impulsions quantiques RSFQ

This thesis research brought to the development and optimization of SNS (Superconductor-Normal Metal-Superconductor) Josephson junctions with NbN electrodes and a high resistivity TaxN barrier. The study of sputtered TaxN thin films as a function of deposition parameters showed a good reproducibility of the film properties. The NbN/TaxN/NbN trilayers have the expected critical temperature (16K). The junctions showed a clear dependence of the RnIc product as a function of the partial nitrogen pressure during deposition; the RnIc is the product between the junction critical current and its normal resistance, indicating the upper limit Josephson frequency. We have also obtained some very large RnIc products, up to 3. 74mV at 4. 2K for critical current densities Jc of about 15kA/cm2. Junctions show the expected Josephson behaviors, respectively Fraunhofer diffraction and Shapiro steps, up to 14K. Moreover junctions appear to be self-shunted. The junctions temperature dependence of Jc has been fitted by using the long SNS junction model in the dirty limit, which gives a normal metal coherence length of about 3. 8nm at 4. 2K. We have finally studied a multilayer fabrication process, including a common ground plane and bias resistors, suitable for RSFQ (Rapid Single Flux Quantum) logic basic circuits. To conclude we have been able to show the performance superiority of NbN/TaxN/NbN junctions over the actual niobium junctions, as well as their interest for realizing compact RSFQ logic circuits. In fact these junctions do not need external shunt-resistors as the Nb junctions, and can operate at clock frequencies above 150 GHz up to 10K (against 50GHz at 4. 2K for the Nb technology).
The effect of group composition on divergent thinking in an interaction design activity

Nearly 50 years of empirical research has suggested that social influences have an inhibiting effect on creativity in collaborating groups such as design teams. This suggests that design teams may not be as creative as they could be, resulting in a negative impact on the design process. In this paper we investigate the effect of group composition on creativity in terms of divergent thinking, in order to determine how best to support the creative process in design and the development of design environments. We present some novel results about 'group think', showing that real groups foster refinement of ideas while nominal groups foster duplication of ideas.
A formal approach to design optimized multimedia service overlay

Service overlay networks have recently attracted tremendous interests. In this paper, we propose a new integrated framework for specifying services composed of service components running on different service nodes and for executing the services considering efficient utilization of overlay network resources. For a given service description written in an extended Petri net model, our method automatically derives a set of descriptions of service nodes' behavior which specifies how service nodes on an overlay network collaborate to provide the specified services. The derived descriptions minimize channel utilization, total response time or load of service nodes based on a given cost criterion. The experimental results show that a multimedia service for decorating and transcoding video contents can be well specified and implemented.
Potential Applications for Circulating Tumor Cells Expressing the Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I Receptor

Purpose: To detect insulin-like growth factor-IR (IGF-IR) on circulating tumor cells (CTC) as a biomarker in the clinical development of a monoclonal human antibody, CP-751,871, targeting IGF-IR. Experimental Design: An automated sample preparation and analysis system for enumerating CTCs (CellTracks) was adapted for detecting IGF-IR–positive CTCs with a diagnostic antibody targeting a different IGF-IR epitope to CP-751,871. This assay was used in three phase I trials of CP-751,871 as a single agent or with chemotherapy and was validated using cell lines and blood samples from healthy volunteers and patients with metastatic carcinoma. Results: There was no interference between the analytic and therapeutic antibodies. Eighty patients were enrolled on phase I studies of CP-751,871, with 47 (59%) patients having CTCs detected during the study. Before treatment, 26 patients (33%) had CTCs, with 23 having detectable IGF-IR–positive CTCs. CP-751,871 alone, and CP-751,871 with cytotoxic chemotherapy, decreased CTCs and IGF-IR–positive CTCs; these increased toward the end of the 21-day cycle in some patients, falling again with retreatment. CTCs were commonest in advanced hormone refractory prostate cancer (11 of 20). Detectable IGF-IR expression on CTCs before treatment with CP-751,871 and docetaxel was associated with a higher frequency of prostate-specific antigen decline by >50% (6 of 10 versus 2 of 8 patients). A relationship was observed between sustained decreases in CTC counts and prostate-specific antigen declines by >50%. Conclusions: IGF-IR expression is detectable by immunofluorescence on CTCs. These data support the further evaluation of CTCs in pharmacodynamic studies and patient selection, particularly in advanced prostate cancer.
New Results on Quadratic Minimization

In this paper we present several new results on minimizing an indefinite quadratic function under quadratic/linear constraints. The emphasis is placed on the case in which the constraints are two quadratic inequalities. This formulation is termed the extended trust region subproblem in this paper, to distinguish it from the ordinary trust region subproblem, in which the constraint is a single ellipsoid. The computational complexity of the extended trust region subproblem in general is still unknown. In this paper we consider several interesting cases related to this problem and show that for those cases the corresponding semidefinite programming relaxation admits no gap with the true optimal value, and consequently we obtain polynomial-time procedures for solving those special cases of quadratic optimization. For the extended trust region subproblem itself, we introduce a parameterized problem and prove the existence of a trajectory that will lead to an optimal solution. Combining this with a result obtained in the first part of the paper, we propose a polynomial-time solution procedure for the extended trust region subproblem arising from solving nonlinear programs with a single equality constraint.
Automatic and Robust Delineation of the Fiducial Points of the Seismocardiogram Signal for Noninvasive Estimation of Cardiac Time Intervals

Objective: The purpose of this research was to design a delineation algorithm that could detect specific fiducial points of the seismocardiogram (SCG) signal with or without using the electrocardiogram (ECG) R-wave as the reference point. The detected fiducial points were used to estimate cardiac time intervals. Due to complexity and sensitivity of the SCG signal, the algorithm was designed to robustly discard the low-quality cardiac cycles, which are the ones that contain unrecognizable fiducial points. Method: The algorithm was trained on a dataset containing 48 318 manually annotated cardiac cycles. It was then applied to three test datasets: 65 young healthy individuals (dataset 1), 15 individuals above 44 years old (dataset 2), and 25 patients with previous heart conditions (dataset 3). Results: The algorithm accomplished high prediction accuracy with the root-mean-square error of less than 5 ms for all the test datasets. The algorithm overall mean detection rate per individual recordings (DRI) were 74%, 68%, and 42% for the three test datasets when concurrent ECG and SCG were used. For the standalone SCG case, the mean DRI was 32%, 14%, and 21%. Conclusion: When the proposed algorithm was applied to concurrent ECG and SCG signals, the desired fiducial points of the SCG signal were successfully estimated with a high detection rate. For the standalone case, however, the algorithm achieved high prediction accuracy and detection rate for only the young individual dataset. Significance: The presented algorithm could be used for accurate and noninvasive estimation of cardiac time intervals.
Determination of origins and destinations for an O-D matrix based on telecommunication activity records

The origin-destination (O-D) matrix is a known indicator of individual and group mobility in transport science, an invaluable input for socio-economic activity assessment of the community, and a tool for strategic planning and policy developments. The abundance of mobility-related data allows for expansion of the ODM towards the description of the over-all socio-economic activity, of which the transport is just a component, thus rendering policy development and strategic planning more efficient. Determination of the sources (origins) and targets (destinations) of the socio-economic activities remains an unresolved point in the ODM estimation process. Here we present a novel method for activity spot (origins and destinations) identification from the anonymised records of telecommunications activity, and publicly available data on telecommunication network access points. Using the spatial tessellation algorithm, the origins and destinations can be effectively identified as the focal points of socio-economic activity, thus establishing the foundation for more efficient urban policy development and strategic planning.
Development of personalized learning objects for training adult educators of special groups

Purpose – The paper seeks to provide personalized learning objects to adults’ educators of special groups (AESG) in a technology-enhanced learning environment. Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents a definition of specific criteria by which personalization of learning objects is effected. An analysis under the scope of adult education and multicultural education is performed, resulting in the development of tools and a clear path leading to more efficient personalization of learning objects of AESG within an e-learning environment. Findings – Personalization of learning objects for AESG can be achieved to a much greater extent when the element of compatibility between educator and learner defines content, preceding and mapping with presentation factors. Research limitations/implications – As the research is focused on AESG, the key notion of compatibility may not be applicable to adult educators of the general public. Practical implications – The paper offers a path through which learning management systems can provide improved personalization of learning objects addressed to AESG. Originality/value – The introduction of compatibility between educator and learner as the key element of the educator’s profile in order to provide personalized learning objects addressed to AESG opens up new territory. The paper is also useful to the developers of learning management systems addressed to any group with special attributes which strongly affect the learner’s profile.
Recent technological updates and clinical applications of induced pluripotent stem cells

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) were first described in 2006 and have since emerged as a promising cell source for clinical applications. The rapid progression in iPSC technology is still ongoing and directed toward increasing the efficacy of iPSC production and reducing the immunogenic and tumorigenic potential of these cells. Enormous efforts have been made to apply iPSC-based technology in the clinic, for drug screening approaches and cell replacement therapy. Moreover, disease modeling using patient-specific iPSCs continues to expand our knowledge regarding the pathophysiology and prospective treatment of rare disorders. Furthermore, autologous stem cell therapy with patient-specific iPSCs shows great propensity for the minimization of immune reactions and the provision of a limitless supply of cells for transplantation. In this review, we discuss the recent updates in iPSC technology and the use of iPSCs in disease modeling and regenerative medicine.
Robust Bayesian Max-Margin Clustering

We present max-margin Bayesian clustering (BMC), a general and robust framework that incorporates the max-margin criterion into Bayesian clustering models, as well as two concrete models of BMC to demonstrate its flexibility and effectiveness in dealing with different clustering tasks. The Dirichlet process max-margin Gaussian mixture is a nonparametric Bayesian clustering model that relaxes the underlying Gaussian assumption of Dirichlet process Gaussian mixtures by incorporating max-margin posterior constraints, and is able to infer the number of clusters from data. We further extend the ideas to present max-margin clustering topic model, which can learn the latent topic representation of each document while at the same time cluster documents in the max-margin fashion. Extensive experiments are performed on a number of real datasets, and the results indicate superior clustering performance of our methods compared to related baselines.
Dynamic dexterity for the performance of "wall-bouncing" tasks

In this paper, we consider "wall-bouncing" task in which we repeat the process of hitting the ball that rebounds from the wall and the table as a typical example of dexterous batting tasks. Through the stability analysis of a discrete system, we reveal that the required dexterity varies depending on the location of equilibrium points, that is, the shape of the ball trajectory. A feedback control scheme for the paddle at the moment of impact is also proposed to continue the "wall-bouncing" task under disturbances.