Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optimized tone mapping with perceptually uniform luminance values for backward-compatible high dynamic range video compression

Backward compatibility for high dynamic range image and video compression forms one of the essential requirements in the transition phase from low dynamic range (LDR) displays to high dynamic range (HDR) displays. In a recent work [1], an optimized solution for tone mapping and inverse tone mapping of HDR images is achieved in terms of mean square error (MSE) of the logarithm of luminance values of HDR image pixels for backward-compatible compression. A disadvantage of this approach was to use non uniform luminance values according to Human perception for minimization, which causes quite non-natural over-illumination in the produced LDR images. In this paper, we propose to use perceptually uniform luminance values as an alternative for the optimization of tone mapping curve. The results indicate that the proposed approach gives better performance (0.5-1 dB gains) in terms of Perceptually Uniform Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PU-PSNR) and produces more realistic LDR images.
Spectral Clustering with Neighborhood Attribute Reduction Based on Information Entropy

Traditional rough set theory is only suitable for dealing with discrete variables and need data preprocessing. Neighborhood rough sets overcome these shortcomings with the ability to directly process numeric data. This paper modifies the attribute reduction method based on neighborhood rough sets, in which the attribute importance is combined with information entropy to select the appropriate attributes. When multiple attributes have the same importance degree, compare the information entropy of these attributes. Put the attribute having the minimal entropy into the reduction set, so that the reduced attribute set is better. Then we introduce this attribute reduction method to improve spectral clustering and propose NRSR-SC algorithm. It can highlight the differences between samples while maintaining the characteristics of data points to make the final clustering results closer to the real data classes. Experiments show that, NRSR-SC algorithm is superior to traditional spectral clustering algorithm and FCM algorithm. Its clustering accuracy is higher, and has strong robustness to the noise in high-dimensional data.
The validation of the organizational change construct using confirmatory factor analysis

Abstract Organizational changes play a vital role in development of organizations. Development can only be possible through change. Numerous researches have been conducted to explore organizational change aspect descriptively but no attempt has been made to validate and develop instrument to measure behaviours and thoughts of employees regarding organizational change. This study identified and used nine dimensions to measure organizational change, and 380 Bank managers were surveyed using a self-administered questionnaire. To conform the dimensions and their contributions towards main construct, first-order and second-order confirmatory factor analysis has been conducted using SEM—AMOS. The result showed that process, strategy, attitude, structure, culture and technology are the main predictors of organizational change.
Use of Sentinel-1 data for Maritime Domain Awareness: Preliminary results

In this work the utility of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data acquired from the SAR instrument on-board the recently launched ESA's Sentinel-1 to Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) is studied. The limitations of the currently used Automatic Identification System (AIS) for ships is presented. The use of space based SAR sensors for MDA is discussed and the recently available ESA's Sentinel1 satellite is considered in more detail. An automatic methodology for ship detection from Sentinel-1 is presented and applied in the environmentally important sea straits between Kythera and Elafonisos islands, Southern Greece. Preliminary results show that Sentinel1 has a significant role to play in MDA.
Classical Interaction Cannot Replace Quantum Nonlocality

We present a two-player communication task that can be solved by a protocol of polylogarithmic cost in the simultaneous message passing model with classical communication and shared entanglement, but requires exponentially more communication in the classical interactive model. Our second result is a two-player nonlocality game with input length $n$ and output of polylogarithmic length, that can be won with probability 1-o(1) by players sharing polylogarithmic amount of entanglement. On the other hand, the game is lost with probability $\Omega(1)$ by players without entanglement, even if they are allowed to exchange up to k bits in interactive communication for certain $k\in\Omega(n^{1/4})$. These two results give almost the strongest possible (and the strongest known) indication of nonlocal properties of two-party entanglement.
Using Software Engineering Techniques to Build Complex Knowledge Based Systems

This paper studies the properties of complex systems that are built by reusing an existing object-oriented software in the framework of a knowledge-based system. More precisely, the problem can be stated as : if S is a piece of procedural software that yields some "good" software engineering properties P (such as extensibility and modularity) and we wish to add a knowledge-based component to it (KB(S)), then what are the conditions for the resulting system (the target, S + KB(S)) to retain the properties P of the original software S ? We give a sufficient condition for this integration to be successful, that is based on the uniformity of the language used to express the knowledge with the object language. We exemplify our claim by an example of a complex application that performs the transformation of semantic networks into normal form relations.
Rampant Adaptive Evolution in Regions of Proteins with Unknown Function in Drosophila simulans

Adaptive protein evolution is pervasive in Drosophila. Genomic studies, thus far, have analyzed each protein as a single entity. However, the targets of adaptive events may be localized to particular parts of proteins, such as protein domains or regions involved in protein folding. We compared the population genetic mechanisms driving sequence polymorphism and divergence in defined protein domains and non-domain regions. Interestingly, we find that non-domain regions of proteins are more frequent targets of directional selection. Protein domains are also evolving under directional selection, but appear to be under stronger purifying selection than non-domain regions. Non-domain regions of proteins clearly play a major role in adaptive protein evolution on a genomic scale and merit future investigations of their functional properties.
Raven-II: An Open Platform for Surgical Robotics Research

The Raven-II is a platform for collaborative research on advances in surgical robotics. Seven universities have begun research using this platform. The Raven-II system has two 3-DOF spherical positioning mechanisms capable of attaching interchangeable four DOF instruments. The Raven-II software is based on open standards such as Linux and ROS to maximally facilitate software development. The mechanism is robust enough for repeated experiments and animal surgery experiments, but is not engineered to sufficient safety standards for human use. Mechanisms in place for interaction among the user community and dissemination of results include an electronic forum, an online software SVN repository, and meetings and workshops at major robotics conferences.
New Fuzzy LBP Features for Face Recognition

There are many Local texture features each very in way they implement and each of the Algorithm trying improve the performance. An attempt is made in this paper to represent a theoretically very simple and computationally effective approach for face recognition. In our implementation the face image is divided into 3x3 sub-regions from which the features are extracted using the Local Binary Pattern (LBP) over a window, fuzzy membership function and at the central pixel. The LBP features possess the texture discriminative property and their computational cost is very low. By utilising the information from LBP, membership function, and central pixel, the limitations of traditional LBP is eliminated. The bench mark database like ORL and Sheffield Databases are used for the evaluation of proposed features with SVM classifier. For the proposed approach K-fold and ROC curves are obtained and results are compared.
An efficient spin-lock based multi-core resource sharing protocol

We present in this paper a new lock-based resource sharing protocol PWLP (Preemptable Waiting Locking Protocol) for embedded multi-core processors. It is based on the busy-wait model and works with non-preemptive critical sections while task may be preempted by tasks with a higher priority when waiting for resources. Our protocol can be applied in partitioned as well as global scheduling scenarios, in which task-fix, job-fix or dynamically assigned priorities may be used. Furthermore, the PWLP permits nested requests to shared resources. Finally, we present a case study based on event-based simulations in which the FMLP (Flexible Multiprocessor Locking Protocol) and the proposed PWLP are compared.
A Novel Skilled-Reaching Impairment in Paw Supination on the “Good” Side of the Hemi-Parkinson Rat Improved with Rehabilitation

Parkinson's disease is characterized by tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, and postural abnormalities ascribed to the loss of nigrostriatal dopamine (DA). Symptoms similar to the human condition can be produced in the rat by DA-depleting 6-hydroxydopamine injections made into the nigrostriatal system. After a unilateral lesion, the rat symptoms include sensory and motor impairments and turning biases reflecting motor abnormalities to the contralateral-to-depletion side of the body. In addition, a number of studies on skilled reaching report impairments in the use of the ipsilateral limb. It is suggested that the ipsilateral deficit is secondary to the contralateral motor impairments however. Here we re-examine how rats with unilateral DA depletion use their ipsilateral limb for skilled reaching for food. We provide the first description of an impairment on the ipsilateral-to-depletion side of the body of the rat and the first demonstration of amelioration of the defect using behavioral therapy. Video analysis of rats reaching for single pellets of food with the ipsilateral limb revealed that, although limb advancement and food grasping were normal, paw supination and food release to the mouth were impaired. Consequently, the animals were unable to transport a grasped food pellet to the mouth. Behavioral therapy, consisting of training in a simpler reaching task, strikingly lessened the impairment and improved reaching movements to the point that the rats could transport the food to the mouth. The results are discussed in relation to possible causes of the ipsilateral impairment, its treatment, and to relevant research on human Parkinson patients, indicating that they display bilateral improvements after unilateral treatments.
Evaluation of current controller performance and stability for voltage source converters connected to a weak grid

This paper investigates the operation of a current controlled Voltage Source Converter (VSC) under weak grid conditions caused by large grid impedance. Three different current controller structures are investigated; the conventional decoupled PI-controller in the synchronously rotating reference frame, Proportional Resonant (PR) controllers in the stationary reference frame, and the phase current hysteresis controllers. The different control strategies are studied by simulation, and the results show how large grid impedances can influence the dynamic response of the system. It is further discussed how the interaction between the current controllers, the Phase Locked Loop (PLL) and the grid inductance can trigger instability when the voltage measurements are highly influenced by the operation of the converter. The results indicate that the tuning of the PLL and the way of utilizing the phase information is of large importance for the stability and dynamic response of the control system.
A Clique of Active Appearance Models by Minimum Description Length

Autonomous model building is a crucial trend in model based methods like AAMs. This paper introduces an approach that deals with non-linearities by detecting distinct sub-parts in the data. Sub-models each representing an individual sub-part are derived from a minimum description length criterion. Thereby the resulting clique of models is more compact and obtains a better generalization behavior than a single model. The proposed AAM clique generation deals with non-linearities in the data in a generic information theoretic manner reducing the necessity of user interaction during training.
A system to automatically track humans and vehicles with a PTZ camera

The paper reports about the development of a software module that allows autonomous object detection, recognition and tracking in outdoor urban environment. The purpose of the project was to endow a commercial PTZ camera with object tracking and recognition capability to automate some surveillance tasks. The module can discriminate between various moving objects and identify the presence of pedestrians or vehicles, track them, and zoom on them, in near real-time. The paper gives an overview of the module characteristics and its operational uses within the commercial system.
Matrix Formulas for Nonstationary Signal Extraction

The paper provides general matrix formulas for extraction of a nonstationary signal in nonstationary noise, for a finitely sampled time series. These formulas are quite practical, in that they provide a ready intuition for the filtering operation, as well as being simple to implement on a computer. Applications to signal extraction diagnostics are discussed. Disclaimer This report is released to inform interested parties of research and to encourage discussion. The views expressed on statistical issues are those of the author and not necessarily those of the U.S. Census Bureau.
Eosinophils, but not neutrophils, exhibit an efficient DNA repair machinery and high nucleolar activity

Background and Objectives Traditionally eosinophils have been considered terminally differentiated cells that play a role in host protection against parasites. However, there is some evidence showing that eosinophils are, in fact, multifunctional leukocytes involved in inflammatory responses, as well as in tissue homeostasis. We characterized the transcriptome profile of human eosinophils, and, for the purpose of comparison, the transcriptome profile of neutrophils, monocytes and hematopoietic progenitor cells. Moreover, we studied the activation of selected cellular processes for which a significant differential expression was demonstrated. Design and Methods We profiled gene expression using Affymetrix GeneChips. DNA repair capacity was tested using the comet assay. Nucleoli and their activity were characterized by transmission electron microscopy analysis, silver staining of nucleolus regions (AgNOR) and RNA staining. Results Gene expression profiling showed that eosinophils appear hierarchically closer to monocytes than to neutrophils. Gene ontology mapping of differentially expressed genes revealed that eosinophils express categories very similar to those expressed by monocytes, related to DNA repair and nucleolar functions. Moreover, our data show that eosinophils and monocytes maintain the ability to repair both double and single strand DNA breaks, whereas neutrophils lack this capacity. Furthermore, eosinophils exibit nucleolar activity, which is lacking in neutrophils, but resembles that in monocytes. Interpretation and Conclusions The presence of large, active nucleoli in eosinophils, coupled to marked activity of DNA repair systems, suggests that eosinophils are not terminally differentiated cells. Indeed, their transcriptome profile and functional properties are more similar to those of non-terminally differentiated cells such as monocytes, rather than to neutrophils.
Finite-Difference Time-Domain Modeling of Periodic Guided-Wave Structures and Its Application to the Analysis of Substrate Integrated Nonradiative Dielectric Waveguide

The finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method incorporating an equivalent resonant cavity model is presented for the modeling and analysis of guided-wave propagation characteristics of complex periodic structures. By transforming electromagnetic field variables into a new set of periodic variables, which can also be resolved from the Maxwell's equations, one can convert a periodic guided-wave problem into an equivalent resonator problem. Thus, the FDTD method used for a resonant cavity problem can be adopted to simulate periodic guided-wave structures. In addition, the proposed FDTD algorithm can be extended to model lossy periodic propagation problems. In this study, the substrate integrated nonradiative dielectric waveguide, which is a special type of periodic guided-wave structure subject to a potential leakage loss due to its periodic gaps, is investigated as a showcase. The proposed method is first validated and is then used to analyze the guided-wave characteristics of substrate integrated nonradiative dielectric waveguides. It is shown that the substrate integrated nonradiative dielectric waveguide structure, which can easily be fabricated in planar form, has a well-behaved propagation property suitable for high-performance millimeter-wave circuit design.
Combinations of Immunotherapy and Radiation in Cancer Therapy

The immune system has the ability to recognize and specifically reject tumors, and tumors only become clinically apparent once they have evaded immune destruction by creating an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Radiotherapy (RT) can cause immunogenic tumor cell death resulting in cross-priming of tumor-specific T-cells, acting as an in situ tumor vaccine; however, RT alone rarely induces effective anti-tumor immunity resulting in systemic tumor rejection. Immunotherapy can complement RT to help overcome tumor-induced immune suppression, as demonstrated in pre-clinical tumor models. Here, we provide the rationale for combinations of different immunotherapies and RT, and review the pre-clinical and emerging clinical evidence for these combinations in the treatment of cancer.
Video seam carving with perspective line structure preservation

When people want to transform the size of image or video into different kinds of ratio, it is possibly lost the important and significant object while doing this operation. Various strategies have been tested for achieving this issue such as seam carving. It can retain the crucial objects and remove the insignificant pixels repeatedly, resulting in the content-aware image/video. Such ordinary method presents vital problem is that it could destroy the line structure and shape of the object, which can be easily find out by the viewers. The video seam carving will also cause the continuous problem because of the motion. In this paper, we provide the state-of-the-art strategies focus on maintaining the perspective line structure in video, especially in vehicle video recorder. We also compare proposed method with the other papers. The complete experiments would be illustrated in the website http://video.minelab. tw/pl/PLseamCarving.
Building accurate HAV exploiting User Profiling and Sentiment Analysis

Social Engineering (SE) is one of the most dangerous aspect an attacker can use against a given entity (private citizen, industry, government, .). In order to perform SE attacks, it is necessary to collect as much information as possible about the target (or victim(s)). The aim of this paper is to report the details of an activity which took to the development of an automatic tool that extracts, categorizes and summarizes the target interests, thus possible weaknesses with respect to specific topics. Data is collected from the user's activity on social networks, parsed and analyzed using text mining techniques. The main contribution of the proposed tool consists in delivering some reports that allow the citizen, institutions as well as private bodies the screening of their exposure to SE attacks, with a strong awareness potential that will be reflected in a decrease of the risks and a good opportunity to save money.
The development of image tracing technology in the surveillance system for elder's living in home

The proportion of aged population nowadays almost rises acutely in each countries, which resulted from the increasing life expectancy and falling fertility rates. The impairment of mobility is a major health concern for the elderly. While the more decline of daily activities, more dangerous the elderly would be. The design of an image-based surveillance system for tracking elderly's activities in home was proposed in this paper, and the algorithm of shadow elimination was applied to reduce the effect of the subject's shadow for regional segmentation. The HOG-SVM algorithm-based image segmentation technique was recommended to analyze the gradient orientations of segmented objects to follow the trail of the subject movement. The accuracy of this method is almost 96.3%. We hope this designed construction system can be applied in the clinical application for the elderly in the respects of health care and home care in the future.
Psychological Evaluation of Human Choice Behavior in Socio-Technical Systems: A Rational Process Model Approach

In the age of digital services and everyday smartphone usage, the issue of online privacy has gathered more and more interest for researchers, service providers and consumers. Assuming one’s digital information is private is equivalent to trusting service providers to handle one’s data in a certain way or ensuring protective measures against loss of privacy. When a consumer registers for an online service or installs a smartphone app, I assume an internal psychological process to relate the benefits of their decision to the risks associated with it. However, this process is considered to be subject of uncertainty. Therefore, decisions in a socio-technical environment can be viewed as decisions governed by a probabilistic amount of trust in an outcome, or, in other words, the amount of belief one holds that a hypothesis about future events will turn out to be true.
UNUSUAL MICROTUBULAR PATTERNS AND THREE-DIMENSIONAL MOVEMENT OF MEALYBUG SPERM AND SPERM BUNDLES

The spermatozoon of the mealybug Pseudococcus obscurus Essig is a filamentous cell (0.25 µ by 300 µ) which exhibits three-dimensional flagellations throughout most of its length. It has microtubules (200 A diameter) and a threadlike nuclear core (0.07–0.09 µ diameter) which extend almost its entire length, but apparently it has no mitochondria, centrioles, typical flagellum, or acrosome. The microtubules are arranged in two and a half concentric rings and total 56 in the most actively motile region but form two or three concentric rings with totals of 28 or 56 tubules, respectively, in less active regions. The relation of unusual microtubular patterns to the 9 + 2 complex and to flagellar motion is discussed. Mealybug spermatozoa are transmitted to the female in motile bundles which are approximately 1.3 µ by 750 µ and have four regions: (1) an anterior corkscrew region; (2) a region which contains approximately 16 spermatozoa; (3) a region of amorphous content; and (4) an endpiece. Bundle motility originates from the synchronous movements of its spermatozoa which appear to be arranged in two concentric multistranded helices. The spermatozoa provide both forward and gyratory motions of the bundle, and the corkscrew complements bundle propulsion by converting part of the rotation into forward movement.