Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Virtual worlds and active learning for human detection

Image based human detection is of paramount interest due to its potential applications in fields such as advanced driving assistance, surveillance and media analysis. However, even detecting non-occluded standing humans remains a challenge of intensive research. The most promising human detectors rely on classifiers developed in the discriminative paradigm, i.e. trained with labelled samples. However, labelling is a manual intensive step, especially in cases like human detection where it is necessary to provide at least bounding boxes framing the humans for training. To overcome such problem, some authors have proposed the use of a virtual world where the labels of the different objects are obtained automatically. This means that the human models (classifiers) are learnt using the appearance of rendered images, i.e. using realistic computer graphics. Later, these models are used for human detection in images of the real world. The results of this technique are surprisingly good. However, these are not always as good as the classical approach of training and testing with data coming from the same camera, or similar ones. Accordingly, in this paper we address the challenge of using a virtual world for gathering (while playing a videogame) a large amount of automatically labelled samples (virtual humans and background) and then training a classifier that performs equal, in real-world images, than the one obtained by equally training from manually labelled real-world samples. For doing that, we cast the problem as one of domain adaptation. In doing so, we assume that a small amount of manually labelled samples from real-world images is required. To collect these labelled samples we propose a non-standard active learning technique. Therefore, ultimately our human model is learnt by the combination of virtual and real world labelled samples, which has not been done before.
Constraining the AGN contribution in a multiwavelength study of Seyfert galaxies

We have studied the relationship between the highand low-ionization [O IV] λ25. 89 μm, [Ne III] λ15. 56 μm and [Ne II] λ12. 81 μm emission lines with the aim of constraining the active galactic nuclei (AGN) and star formation contributions for a sample of 103 Seyfert galaxies. We used the [O IV] and [Ne II]
Nitro ( triazole / imidazole )-based amides / sulfonamides 1 as antitubercular agents

Twenty-three (3-nitrotriazole/2-nitroimidazole)-based amides and sulfonamides were 20 screened for antitubercular activity in aerobic Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv (Mtb H37Rv), 21 by using the BacTiter-GloTM Microbial Cell Viability (BTG) assay. In general, 3-nitrotriazole22 based sulfonamides demonstrated anti-TB activity, whereas 3-nitrotriazole-based amides and 223 nitroimidazole-based amides/sulfonamides were inactive. Three 3-nitrotriazole-based 24 sulfonamides (compounds 4, 2 and 7) demonstrated IC50, IC90 and MIC values of 0.38, 0.43, 1.56 25 ; 0.57, 0.98, 3.13 and 0.79, 0.87, 3.13 μM, respectively. For 3-nitrotriazole-based sulfonamides, 26 anti-TB activity increased with lipophilicity whereas one electron reduction potential (E1/2) did 27 not play a role. 2-Nitroimidazole-based analogs, which were inactive in the BTG assay, were 28 significantly more active in the Low Oxygen assay and more active than the 3-nitrotriazoles. All 29 active nitrotriazoles in the BTG assay were similarly active or more potent (lower MIC values) 30 against resistant strains with the exception of compounds 2, 3, 4 and 8 which demonstrated 31 greater MIC values against isoniazid resistant strains. Five 3-nitrotriazole-based sulfonamides 32 demonstrated activity in infected murine J774 macrophage, causing log reduction similar to that 33 of rifampin. However, some compounds caused toxicity in uninfected macrophages. In 34 conclusion, the classes of 3-nitrotriazole-based amides/sulfonamides merit further investigation 35 as potential anti-tubercular agents. 36 37
Current control for unbalance capacitors voltage STATCOM

Static compensation (STATCOM) gets more popular as the flexible AC transmission (FACTS) devices increase. The transformerless STATCOM has low cost and concentrates the research interests, however, the capacitors voltage unbalance problem will deteriorate its performance with more harmonics and over current/voltage faults. This paper presented one current control strategy to solve this problem. Firstly, the conventional DC voltage and current loop are implemented with decoupled method to control the active and reactive power for the symmetry system. Secondly, with adjusting the voltage angle, the unbalance phase voltages are impaired. Thirdly, the PWM redundant states replacement method is adopted to avoid the unbalance capacitors voltage in each phase[4], and new current loop to fast the balance process is designed. The simulation results demonstrate that this strategy could suppress the unbalance voltage and provide practicable measures for STATCOM.
Mobile software agents: an overview

The anticipated increase in popular use of the Internet will create more opportunities in distance learning, electronic commerce, and multimedia communication, but it will also create more challenges in organizing information and facilitating its efficient retrieval. From the network perspective, there will be additional challenges and problems in meeting bandwidth requirements and network management. Many researchers believed that the mobile agent paradigm (mobile object) could propose several attractive solutions to deal with such challenges and problems. A number of mobile agent systems have been designed and implemented in academic institutions and commercial firms. However, few applications were found to take advantage of the mobile agent. Among the hurdles facing this emerging paradigm are concerns about security requirements and efficient resource management. This article introduces the core concepts of this emerging paradigm, and presents an account of current research efforts in the context of telecommunications. The goal is to provide the interested reader with a clear background of the opportunities and challenges this emerging paradigm brings about, and a descriptive look at some of the forerunners that are providing experimental technologies supporting this paradigm.
Deep Mining : scaling Bayesian auto-tuning of data science pipelines

Within the automated machine learning movement, hyperparameter optimization has emerged as a particular focus. Researchers have introduced various search algorithms and open-source systems in order to automatically explore the hyperparameter space of machine learning methods. While these approaches have been effective, they also display significant shortcomings that limit their applicability to realistic data science pipelines and datasets. In this thesis, we propose an alternative theoretical and implementational approach by incorporating sampling techniques and building an end-to-end automation system, Deep Mining. We explore the application of the Bag of Little Bootstraps to the scoring statistics of pipelines, describe substantial asymptotic complexity improvements from its use, and empirically demonstrate its suitability for machine learning applications. The Deep Mining system combines a standardized approach to pipeline composition, a parallelized system for pipeline computation, and clear abstractions for incorporating realistic datasets and methods to provide hyperparameter optimization at scale. Thesis Supervisor: Kalyan Veeramachaneni Title: Principal Research Scientist
Differential localization of acetylcholinesterase in neuronal and non‐neuronal cells

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) expression is regulated in cell types at the transcriptional and translational levels. In this study, we characterized and compared AChE catalytic activity, mRNA, protein expression, and protein localization in a variety of neuronal (SH‐SY5Y neuroblastoma and primary cerebellar granule neurons (CGN)) and non‐neuronal (LLC‐MK2, HeLa, THP‐1, and primary astrocytes) cell types. All cell lines expressed AChE catalytic activity; however the levels of AChE‐specific activity were higher in neuronal cells than in the non‐neuronal cell types. CGN expressed significantly more AChE activity than SH‐SY5Y cells. All cell lines analyzed expressed AChE protein at equivalent levels, as well as mRNA splice variants. Localization of AChE was characterized by immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy. SH‐SY5Y, CGN, and nerve‐growth factor‐differentiated PC‐12 cells exhibited a pattern of AChE localization characterized as diffuse in the cytoplasm and punctate staining along neurites and on the plasma membrane. The localization in HeLa, LLC‐MK2, fibroblasts, and undifferentiated PC‐12 cells was significantly different than in neuronal cells—AChE was intensely localized in the perinuclear region, without staining near or on the plasma membrane. Based on the evidence presented here, we hypothesize that the presence of AChE protein doesn't correlate with catalytic activity, and the diffuse cytoplasmic and plasma membrane localization of AChE is a property of neuronal cell types. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Case of fatal systemic infection with an Aureobacterium sp.: identification of isolate by 16S rRNA gene analysis

The case of a 75-year-old man who succumbed to a disseminated infection most likely caused by a species of the genus Aureobacterium is reported. Identification of the isolate was achieved by comparative 16S rRNA gene analysis. Aureobacteria are commonly found in the environment. However, only recently have they been recognized as a cause of infections including septicemia and soft tissue infections. To our knowledge, this is the first documentation of a fatal infection caused by an Aureobacterium sp.
Synchronous Rendezvous Based on Cluster in Low-Duty-Cycle Wireless Sensor Network

Abstract This paper presents SRBC, a new design for synchronous rendezvous in low-duty-cycle Wireless Sensor Network (WSN). The main idea of SRBC is utilizing the cluster, which includes a part of the sensor nodes in the WSN. Each node in a cluster alters its clock drift as well as its skew towards the central node of the cluster through exchange of their clock information with normal communication. Then it reduces the overhead of the process usual for the traditional time-stamp exchange. In different clusters, the border nodes exchange the relative clock drift as well as the skew to improve the performance during the synchronous rendezvous. Results show that the design of SRBC is practical and effective.
Arabidopsis Phytochrome A Directly Targets Numerous Promoters for Individualized Modulation of Genes in a Wide Range of Pathways[W]

This work identifies genomic targets of the far-red light receptor phytochrome A, finding a broad set of light-regulated and other genes, including hormone- and stress-responsive transcription factors, providing insights into how plants rapidly fine-tune their growth strategy upon changes in their light environment. The far-red light (FR) photoreceptor phytochrome A (phyA) contains no DNA binding domain but associates with the CHALCONE SYNTHASE promoter through its chaperone FAR-RED ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL1 and transcription factors. Here, we performed a genome-wide identification of phyA targets using a combination of phyA chromatin immunoprecipitation and RNA sequencing methods in Arabidopsis thaliana. Our results indicate that phyA signaling widely affects gene promoters involved in multiple FR-modulated aspects of plant growth. Furthermore, we observed an enrichment of hormone- and stress-responsive elements in the phyA direct target promoters, indicating that a much broader than expected range of transcription factors is involved in the phyA signaling pathway. To verify our hypothesis that phyA regulates genes other than light-responsive ones through the interaction with corresponding transcription factors, we examined the action of phyA on one of its direct target genes, NAC019, which encodes an abscisic acid–dependent transcription factor. The phyA signaling cascade not only targets two G-boxes on the NAC019 promoter for subsequent transcriptional regulation but also positively coordinates with the abscisic acid signaling response for root elongation inhibition under FR. Our study provides new insight into how plants rapidly fine-tune their growth strategy upon changes in the light environment by escorting photoreceptors to the promoters of hormone- or stress-responsive genes for individualized modulation.
Aggregating CVSS Base Scores for Semantics-Rich Network Security Metrics

A network security metric is desirable in evaluating the effectiveness of security solutions in distributed systems. Aggregating CVSS scores of individual vulnerabilities provides a practical approach to network security metric. However, existing approaches to aggregating CVSS scores usually cause useful semantics of individual scores to be lost in the aggregated result. In this paper, we address this issue through two novel approaches. First, instead of taking each base score as an input, our approach drills down to the underlying base metric level where dependency relationships have well-defined semantics. Second, our approach interprets and aggregates the base metrics from three different aspects in order to preserve corresponding semantics of the individual scores. Finally, we confirm the advantages of our approaches through simulation.
Multi-Agent Systems as a Platform for VANETs

Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks (VANETs) are MANETs (Mobile Ad-hoc Networks) in which the network nodes are primarily located in vehicles. VANETs are a compelling application of ad-hoc networks, because of the potential to access specific context information (e.g. traffic conditions, service updates, route planning) and deliver multimedia services (VoIP, in-car entertainment, instant messaging, etc.). They also offer a potential replacement for fixed-line networks and finesse the problem of limited power in MANETs based on, e.g. PDAs, mobile phones, laptops, etc. However, other MANET problems persist, most importantly the timely self-organization required to respond to a highly dynamic network topology. In this paper, we propose a vehicular information ad-hoc network that consists of threetier network architecture using Multi-Agent System (MAS) technology. The proposed scheme provides flexibility, adaptability and maintainability for traffic information dissemination in VANETs as well as supporting robust and agile network management.
Novel adsorbents based upon carboxylic acid-modified Phyllostachys pubescens powder: preparation, characterization and application for adsorbing lead(II) from aqueous solution

ABSTRACT Three high cost-effective bio-sorbents (OA-PPP, CA-PPP and TA-PPP) were prepared using Phyllostachys pubescens powder (PPP), which was modified using oxalic acid (OA), citric acid (CA) and tartaric acid (TA). Batch adsorption experiments were carried out to investigate the effects of pH, contact time and initial Pb(II) concentration. The results showed the maximum adsorption for Pb(II) at pH 5.0. Furthermore, the proposed adsorbents could be used repeatedly for more than five cycles. Comprehensive comparison of adsorption efficiency and cost of the modified adsorbents showed that CA-PPP was the best adsorbent among the three prepared bio-sorbents, followed by OA-PPP and TA-PPP.
Genetic Analysis of Diffuse High‐Grade Astrocytomas in Infancy Defines a Novel Molecular Entity

Pediatric high‐grade gliomas are considered to be different when compared to adult high‐grade gliomas in their pathogenesis and biological behavior. Recently, common genetic alterations, including mutations in the H3F3A/ATRX/DAXX pathway, have been described in approximately 30% of the pediatric cases. However, only few cases of infant high‐grade gliomas have been analyzed so far. We investigated the molecular features of 35 infants with diffuse high‐grade astrocytomas, including 8 anaplastic astrocytomas [World Health Organization (WHO) grade III] and 27 glioblastomas (WHO grade IV) by immunohistochemistry, multiplex ligation probe‐dependent amplification (MLPA), pyrosequencing of glioma‐associated genes and molecular inversion probe (MIP) assay. MIP and MLPA analyses showed that chromosomal alterations are significantly less frequent in infants compared with high‐grade gliomas in older children and adults. We only identified H3F3A K27M in 2 of 34 cases (5.9%), with both tumors located in the posterior fossa. PDGFRA amplifications were absent, and CDKN2A loss could be observed only in two cases. Conversely, 1q gain (22.7%) and 6q loss (18.2%) were identified in a subgroup of tumors. Loss of SNORD located on chromosome 14q32 was observed in 27.3% of the infant tumors, a focal copy number change not previously described in gliomas. Our findings indicate that infant high‐grade gliomas appear to represent a distinct genetic entity suggesting a different pathogenesis and biological behavior.
Scale-dependent patterns of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon

Tropical forests of the Amazon Basin are being rapidly converted to agricultural land uses and fallow land, resulting in accelerating rates of forest loss in one of the world's most biodiverse ecoregions. This process has been extensively described and modelled, but as yet there has been no formal test of how the spatial patterns of deforested and fragmented areas change with the spatial scale of forest clearings. It was hypothesised that different land-use practices are driving small and large clearings, with small-scale cultivators often creating small, irregularly shaped clearings and large-scale ranchers and soy farmers creating larger, more regular-shaped clearings. To quantitatively test this hypothesis, Mandelbrot's theory of fractals was applied to deforested areas in the Brazilian Amazon to test for scale-invariance in deforestation patterns. The spatial pattern of deforestation differed between small and large clearings, with the former creating more complex landscapes and with a threshold occurring at c. 1200 ha in area. As a consequence, the sizes and shapes of forest clearings, and hence the relative vulnerability of the remaining forest to edge, area and isolation effects, may differ systematically between landscapes with different deforestation drivers. Further tests of this hypothesis are needed to assess its efficacy in other tropical landscapes and geographical locations.
Towards write-back aware software emulator for non-volatile memory

Non-volatile memory (NVM) such as phase change memory is a promising technology for future low-energy and high-capacity memory systems. One of the well-known issues of NVM is its fundamental characteristics that are different from common memory subsystems with DRAM. In particular, the NVM write latency is much higher than DRAM while the NVM read latency is almost the same as DRAM. The latency asymmetry affects the performance of applications significantly. For analyzing behavior of applications running on NVM environments, most researchers use emulation tools due to the limited number of commercial NVM products. However, these existing tools are too slow to emulate a large-scale workload or too simplistic to emulate the application behavior on NVM with asymmetric read/write latencies. This paper therefore proposes a new NVM emulation model that is not only light-weight but also aware of the NVM read/write latency gap. We implemented our prototype on a commercial Intel processor. We also evaluated its accuracy and performed case studies for practical benchmarks. The results show that our prototype can emulate the execution time of practical workloads according to their write behavior, while an existing light-weight emulation model over-estimates the execution time.
Stein's method meets Malliavin calculus: a short survey with new estimates

We provide an overview of some recent techniques involving the Malliavin calculus of variations and the so-called ``Stein's method'' for the Gaussian approximations of probability distributions. Special attention is devoted to establishing explicit connections with the classic method of moments: in particular, we use interpolation techniques in order to deduce some new estimates for the moments of random variables belonging to a fixed Wiener chaos. As an illustration, a class of central limit theorems associated with the quadratic variation of a fractional Brownian motion is studied in detail.
Numerical Simulation of Nonlinear Pulsatile Newtonian Blood Flow through a Multiple Stenosed Artery

An appropriate nonlinear blood flow model under the influence of periodic body acceleration through a multiple stenosed artery is investigated with the help of finite difference method. The arterial segment is simulated by a cylindrical tube filled with a viscous incompressible Newtonian fluid described by the Navier-Stokes equation. The nonlinear equation is solved numerically with the proper boundary conditions and pressure gradient that arise from the normal functioning of the heart. Results are discussed in comparison with the existing models.
A comprehensive strength testing protocol offers no clinical value in predicting risk of hamstring injury: a prospective cohort study of 413 professional football players

Background Hamstring injuries remain prevalent across a number of professional sports. In football, the incidence has even increased by 4% per year at the Champions League level over the last decade. The role of muscle strength or strength ratios and their association with risk of hamstring injury remain restricted by small sample sizes and inconclusive results. Purpose The purpose of this study is to identify risk factors for hamstring injury in professional football players in an adequately powered, prospective cohort study. Using both established (isokinetic) and novel (eccentric hamstring test device) measures of muscle strength, we aimed to investigate the relationship between these strength characteristics over the entire range of motion with risk of hamstring injury. Methods All teams (n=18) eligible to compete in the premier football league in Qatar underwent a comprehensive strength assessment during their annual periodic health evaluation at Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital in Doha, Qatar. Variables included isokinetic strength, Nordic hamstring exercise strength and dynamic hamstring: quadriceps ratios. Results Of the 413 players included (68.2% of all league players), 66 suffered a hamstring injury over the two seasons. Only isokinetic quadriceps concentric at 300°/s (adjusted for bodyweight) was associated with risk of hamstring injury when considered categorically. Age, body mass and playing position were also associated with risk of hamstring injury. None of the other 23 strength variables examined were found to be associated with hamstring injury. Conclusion The clinical value of isolated strength testing is limited, and its use in musculoskeletal screening to predict future hamstring injury is unfounded.