Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Underwater stereo using natural flickering illumination

Computer vision is challenged by the underwater environment. Poor visibility, geometrical distortions and non-uniform illumination typically make underwater vision less trivial than open air vision. One effect which can be rather strong in this domain is sunlight flicker. Here, submerged objects and the water volume itself are illuminated in a natural random pattern, which is spatially and temporally varying. This phenomenon has been considered mainly as a significant disturbance to vision. We show that the spatiotemporal variations of flicker can actually be beneficial to underwater vision. Specifically, flicker disambiguates stereo correspondence. This disambiguation is very simple, yet it yields accurate results. Under flickering illumination, each object point in the scene has a unique, unambiguous temporal signature. This temporal signature enables us to find dense and accurate correspondence underwater. This process may be enhanced by involving the spatial variability of the flicker field in the solution. The method is demonstrated underwater by in-situ experiments. This method may be useful to a wide range of shallow underwater applications.
Solving DCOPs with Distributed Large Neighborhood Search

The field of Distributed Constraint Optimization has gained momentum in recent years, thanks to its ability to address various applications related to multi-agent cooperation. Nevertheless, solving Distributed Constraint Optimization Problems (DCOPs) optimally is NP-hard. Therefore, in large-scale, complex applications, incomplete DCOP algorithms are necessary. Current incomplete DCOP algorithms suffer of one or more of the following limitations: they (a) find local minima without providing quality guarantees; (b) provide loose quality assessment; or (c) are unable to benefit from the structure of the problem, such as domain-dependent knowledge and hard constraints. Therefore, capitalizing on strategies from the centralized constraint solving community, we propose a Distributed Large Neighborhood Search (D-LNS) framework to solve DCOPs. The proposed framework (with its novel repair phase) provides guarantees on solution quality, refining upper and lower bounds during the iterative process, and can exploit domain-dependent structures. Our experimental results show that D-LNS outperforms other incomplete DCOP algorithms on both structured and unstructured problem instances.
Enhanced tetrahedral ordering of water molecules in minor grooves of DNA: relative role of DNA rigidity, nanoconfinement, and surface specific interactions.

Confinement and surface specific interactions can induce structures otherwise unstable at that temperature and pressure. Here we study the groove specific water dynamics in the nucleic acid sequences, poly-AT and poly-GC, in long B-DNA duplex chains by large scale atomistic molecular dynamics simulations, accompanied by thermodynamic analysis. While water dynamics in the major groove remains insensitive to the sequence differences, exactly the opposite is true for the minor groove water. Much slower water dynamics observed in the minor grooves (especially in the AT minor) can be attributed to an enhanced tetrahedral ordering () of water. The largest value of in the AT minor groove is related to the spine of hydration found in X-ray structure. The calculated configurational entropy (S(C)) of the water molecules is found to be correlated with the self-diffusion coefficient of water in different region via Adam-Gibbs relation D = A exp(-B/TS(C)), and also with .
Resting-State fMRI Using Passband Balanced Steady-State Free Precession

Objective Resting-state functional MRI (rsfMRI) has been increasingly used for understanding brain functional architecture. To date, most rsfMRI studies have exploited blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) contrast using gradient-echo (GE) echo planar imaging (EPI), which can suffer from image distortion and signal dropout due to magnetic susceptibility and inherent long echo time. In this study, the feasibility of passband balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) imaging for distortion-free and high-resolution rsfMRI was investigated. Methods rsfMRI was performed in humans at 3 T and in rats at 7 T using bSSFP with short repetition time (TR = 4/2.5 ms respectively) in comparison with conventional GE-EPI. Resting-state networks (RSNs) were detected using independent component analysis. Results and Significance RSNs derived from bSSFP images were shown to be spatially and spectrally comparable to those derived from GE-EPI images with considerable intra- and inter-subject reproducibility. High-resolution bSSFP images corresponded well to the anatomical images, with RSNs exquisitely co-localized to the gray matter. Furthermore, RSNs at areas of severe susceptibility such as human anterior prefrontal cortex and rat piriform cortex were proved accessible. These findings demonstrated for the first time that passband bSSFP approach can be a promising alternative to GE-EPI for rsfMRI. It offers distortion-free and high-resolution RSNs and is potentially suited for high field studies.
Sphingosine‐1‐phosphate inhibits IL‐1‐induced expression of C‐C motif ligand 5 via c‐Fos‐dependent suppression of IFN‐β amplification loop

The neuroinflammation associated with multiple sclerosis involves activation of astrocytes that secrete and respond to inflammatory mediators such as IL‐1. IL‐1 stimulates expression of many chemokines, including C‐C motif ligand (CCL) 5, that recruit immune cells, but it also stimulates sphingosine kinase‐1, an enzyme that generates sphingosine‐1‐phosphate (S1P), a bioactive lipid mediator essential for inflammation. We found that whereas S1P promotes IL‐1‐induced expression of IL‐6, it inhibits IL‐1‐induced CCL5 expression in astrocytes. This inhibition is mediated by the S1P receptor (S1PR)‐2 via an inhibitory G—dependent mechanism. Consistent with this surprising finding, infiltration of macrophages into sites of inflammation increased significantly in S1PR2–/– animals. However, activation of NF‐κB, IFN regulatory f actor‐1, and MAPKs, all of which regulate CCL5 expression in response to IL‐1, was not diminished by the S1P in astrocytes. Instead, S1PR2 stimulated inositol 1,4,5‐trisphosphate‐dependent Ca++ release and Elk‐1 phosphorylation and enhanced c‐Fos expression. In our study, IL‐1 induced the IFNβ production that supports CCL5 expression. An intriguing finding was that S1P induced c‐Fos‐inhibited CCL5 directly and also indirectly through inhibition of the IFN‐β amplification loop. We propose that in addition to S1PR1, which promotes inflammation, S1PR2 mediates opposing inhibitory functions that limit CCL5 expression and diminish the recruitment of immune cells. —Yester, J. W. , Bryan, L. , Waters, M. R. , Mierzenski, B. , Biswas, D. D. , Gupta, A. S. , Bhardwaj, R. , Surace, M. J., Eltit, J. M. , Milstien, S. , Spiegel, S. , Kordula, T. Sphingosine‐1‐phosphate inhibits IL‐1‐induced expression of C‐C motif ligand 5 via c‐Fos‐dependent suppression of IFN‐β amplification loop. FASEB J. 29, 4853–4865 (2015). www.fasebj. org
Revisiting the freshman 15: Female freshman weight status, dietary habits, and exercise habits

ABSTRACT The transition from adolescence to young adulthood is a vulnerable stage for young women. Entering this period of individuality in college is a crucial time for young adults to adopt or maintain healthy lifestyles to continue throughout their lifespan. This study looks at freshman females in college and their perceptions of health. A positive significant relationship was found between those who have gained weight since the beginning of the year and those who rated themselves as having not healthy to slightly healthy eating habits (p = .007). The results of this study indicate that interventions for college-aged freshman could be highly beneficial.
Vineberg Procedure by "Vineberg technique modified by Lobo Filho": morbidity and mortality in the imediate post operative period, angiography results and flow analyze of the left internal thoracic artery implanted

INTRODUCAO: O procedimento de Vineberg consiste no implante da arteria toracica interna na musculatura isquemica do ventriculo esquerdo. O principal questionamento acerca desse procedimento e a capacidade de fornecimento de fluxo sanguineo adequado para o miocardio isquemico. OBJETIVOS: Avaliar os resultados angiograficos do procedimento de Vineberg pela tecnica de Vineberg modificada por Lobo Filho e a morbi-mortalidade no pos-operatorio imediato (POI), bem como analisar o fluxo na arteria toracica interna esquerda (ATIE) implantada, em repouso e estresse. METODO: De setembro de 1999 a abril 2002, em nosso servico, oito pacientes foram operados pela tecnica supracitada, na qual a introducao da arteria toracica interna na intimidade da musculatura do ventriculo esquerdo foi realizada com auxilio de um "kit" destinado a introducao de marcapassos cardiacos endocardicos definitivos por puncao da veia subclavia. Apos seis meses, os pacientes foram estudados angiograficamente e submetidos ao ecodoppler da ATIE implantada. Para estudo do fluxo da ATIE pelo ecodoppler, constituimos dois grupos: "Grupo Vineberg", composto pelos oito pacientes citados; e o "Grupo Controle", composto por vinte pacientes, nos quais a ATIE foi utilizada para revascularizar diretamente a arteria interventricular anterior. O estudo angiografico demonstrou perviabilidade de todos os enxertos em ambos os grupos. No estudo pelo ecodoppler, foram realizadas medidas de debito e velocidade de fluxo no enxerto. A analise dos dados obtidos foi feita pelo teste-T para amostras pareadas e nao pareadas. RESULTADOS: Nao houve obitos ou complicacoes no POI. O estudo angiografico demonstrou perviabilidade em 100% dos casos. O debito total observado foi cerca de 55% daquele encontrado no Grupo Controle. Em ambos os grupos, o debito total aumentou do repouso para o estresse. CONCLUSAO: A tecnica de Vineberg modificada por Lobo Filho pode ser utilizada com baixas taxas de morbi-mortalidade, alto indice de perviabilidade, oferecendo fluxo sanguineo significativo em repouso e sob estresse.
Technology requirements for Summit-Autonomous CustomCornea.

W ith the recent surge of interest in wave-front sensing technology as a new diagnostic tool in refractive surgery 1,2 , the concept of wavefront customized correction has now come to the forefront. 3,4 Among the companies leading this effort, the Summit-Autonomous Technologies provides a technology platform within CustomCornea which can be used as a model for wavefront ablation requirements. Although the technology requirements for wave-front guided ablation are unique to a given laser and wavefront sensing device, the essential components can be summarized in part by using the example provided by a specific company and a specific technology platform, namely CustomCornea. Spot Size and Shape Although many of today's commercially available excimer laser systems have beam diameters which vary in size and profile shape, it is the small scanning spot of guassian shape that is the essential first requirement for wavefront customized abla-tion. A gaussian beam allows for very uniform overlap in the creation of a smooth customized ablation profile. This is in contrast to a top-hat beam created by concentric iris apertures, which produce sharp abla-tion edges that may overlap in the laser vision correction profile. Additionally, the size of the spot must correspond to the resolution of aberrations being treated. Mathematical calculation of the spot ize required to correct fourth order aberrations within an optical ablation zone diameter of 6 mm require a spot size of р1 mm (unpublished data). Therefore, scanning spot lasers larger than 1 mm would not adequately treat the most common of higher order aberrations, namely spherical aberration and coma. In a study of small spot scanning, a 2 mm top-hat beam profile results in performance degradation of both low and high spatial frequency during custom ablation. 5 This is in contrast to a 1 mm gaussian beam, which shows good performance when treating both high and low spatial frequency aberrations. 5 The Summit-Autonomous LADARVision laser uses a 0.8 mm gaussian spot during both its conventional and CustomCornea ablations. Spot Scanning Rate The majority of the small spot gaussian profile lasers use a spot scanning rate of approximately 200 Hz. The Summit Autonomous LADARVision laser, however, uses a spot scanning rate of only 60 Hz. Even though the spot frequency for the LADARVision system is considerably slower than the other small spot scanning lasers, the actual ablation time is shorter with the LADARVision (8 seconds per diopter) than when using the LaserSight LSX …
Supplemental Material for "Classifying Video with Kernel Dynamic Textures"

This is the supplemental material for “Classifying Video with Dynamic Textures” [1]. It contains information about the attached videos, a brief review of kernel PCA, the “centered” versions of the algorithms discussed in the paper, and the derivation of the inner-product between the feature-transformations of two Gaussian kernels. Author email: abchan@ucsd.edu c ©University of California San Diego, 2007 This work may not be copied or reproduced in whole or in part for any commercial purpose. Permission to copy in whole or in part without payment of fee is granted for nonprofit educational and research purposes provided that all such whole or partial copies include the following: a notice that such copying is by permission of the Statistical Visual Computing Laboratory of the University of California, San Diego; an acknowledgment of the authors and individual contributors to the work; and all applicable portions of the copyright notice. Copying, reproducing, or republishing for any other purpose shall require a license with payment of fee to the University of California, San Diego. All rights reserved. SVCL Technical reports are available on the SVCL’s web page at http://www.svcl. ucsd.edu University of California, San Diego Statistical Visual Computing Laboratory 9500 Gilman Drive, Mail code 0407 EBU 1, Room 5512 La Jolla, CA 92093-0407 1
Poly(inosinic-cytidylic) Acid–Triggered Exacerbation of Experimental Asthma Depends on IL-17A Produced by NK Cells

Viral infection of the respiratory tract represents the major cause of acute asthma exacerbations. dsRNA is produced as an intermediate during replication of respiratory viruses and triggers immune responses via TLR3. This study aimed at clarifying the mechanisms underlying TLR3 triggered exacerbation of experimental allergic asthma. The TLR3 ligand poly(inosinic-cytidylic) acid was applied intranasally to mice with already established experimental allergic asthma. Airway inflammation, cytokine expression, mucus production, and airway reactivity was assessed in wild-type, IL-17A, or IL-23p19–deficient, and in NK cell–depleted mice. Local application of poly(inosinic-cytidylic) acid exacerbated experimental allergic asthma in mice as characterized by enhanced release of proinflammatory cytokines, aggravated airway inflammation, and increased mucus production together with pronounced airway hyperresponsiveness. This was further associated with augmented production of IL-17 by Th17 cells and NK cells. Whereas experimental exacerbation could be induced in IL-23p19–deficient mice lacking mature, proinflammatory Th17 cells, this was not possible in mice lacking IL-17A or in NK cell–depleted animals. These experiments indicate a central role for IL-17 derived from NK cells but not from Th17 cells in the pathogenesis of virus-triggered exacerbation of experimental asthma.
Integrating EVs into the Smart-Grid

Standardization efforts are currently underway to realize the Europe-wide deployment of Smart-Grids. Numerous protocols have already been standardized; each tailored to a distinct application domains. Amongst these, Smart Metering and EV charging have only recently started to converge, and the goal of the PowerUp project has been to advance such convergence. This paper presents the major results from the project. The PowerUp consortium has specified and developed an end-to-end EV to Grid communication system, respecting the applicable communications standards. After introducing the underlying system architecture for the end-to-end integration of the Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) communications interface, we describe critical Smart-Grid integration aspects for each protocol layer within the V2G communications protocol stack. Finally, prototype test observations are presented. The outlined end-to-end integration of the V2G interface demonstrates the technological solution for ensuring that even mass-deployment of EVs would not interfere with the stability of the electric grid.
Energy Optimal Consumption in Squirrel Cage Induction Motor Using Firefly Algorithm Optimization

Motors are by far the most important type of electric charges, and so constitute the main targets to achieve energy saving. Every effort to save energy in motor application can be made by always attempting to use energy only as much as what needed during its operation. It can be achieved by optimizing the induction motor design. This paper presents a firefly algorithm for optimizing the IM design considering different formulations in order to show how we can handle the design process for certain characteristics. The proposed method has been applied to optimize the design of squirrel cage induction motor having specifications 37kW, 380V, 60Hz. The validity of the design results is clarified by comparison between calculated results and existing ones.
Low-Loss Continuously Tunable Optical True Time Delay Based on Si3N4 Ring Resonators

We design, fabricate, and characterize ultra-low loss continuously tunable optical true time delay devices based on Si3N4 ring resonators in a side-coupled integrated spaced sequence of resonators (SCISSOR) structure. A large tunable delay range up to 3.4 ns is demonstrated using the Balanced SCISSOR delay tuning scheme, for a record loss of only 0.89 dB/ns of delay. By optimizing the coupler design a device delay bandwidth of over 10 GHz is achieved with over 0.5 ns maximum time delay. This ultra-low loss delay line can enable distortion free operation for RF signals used in RF beamforming and other applications. Additionally, this device has the potential to be integrated with active photonic components to be part of a fully integrated photonic integrated circuit in an electronically scanned phased array system; utilizing a silicon photonics platform including heterogeneous integration.
Teapot: A Domain-Specific Language for Writing Cache Coherence Protocols

In this paper, we describe Teapot, a domain-specific language for writing cache coherence protocols. Cache coherence is of concern when parallel and distributed systems make local replicas of shared data to improve scalability and performance. In both distributed shared memory systems and distributed file systems, a coherence protocol maintains agreement among the replicated copies as the underlying data are modified by programs running on the system. Cache coherence protocols are notoriously difficult to implement, debug, and maintain. Moreover, protocols are not off-the-shelf, reusable components, because their details depend on the requirements of the system under consideration. The complexity of engineering coherence protocols can discourage users from experimenting with new, potentially more efficient protocols. We have designed and implemented Teapot, a domain-specific language that attempts to address this complexity. Teapot's language constructs, such as a state-centric control structure and continuations, are better suited to expressing protocol code than those of a typical systems programming language. Teapot also facilitates automatic verification of protocols, so hard to find protocol bugs, such as deadlocks, can be detected and fixed before encountering them on an actual execution. We describe the design rationale of Teapot, present an empirical evaluation of the language using two case studies, and relate the lessons that we learned in building a domain-specific language for systems programming.
Recovery of stiction-failed MEMS structures using laser-induced stress waves

Stiction, or adhesion between suspended structures and the underlying surface, is a hurdle in batch fabricating long, freestanding MEMS structures. A novel technique is presented in this paper to release stiction. In this technique, a nanosecond rise time stress wave is launched on the backside of the Si substrate by impinging a 2.5 ns-duration Nd:YAG laser pulse onto a 3-mm-dia area. The compressive stress wave propagates through the Si substrate and arrives at the site of several stiction-failed cantilevers on the front Si surface. The compressive stress wave propagates through the cantilevered structures and is reflected into a tensile wave from their free surfaces. The returning tensile wave pries off the interface, releasing the cantilevers. The procedure is demonstrated on a MEMS chip with stiction-failed cantilevers with varying lengths from 100 /spl mu/m to 1000 /spl mu/m. The threshold laser energy to release stiction increased linearly with cantilever lengths. Beam recovery began at a laser fluence of 11 kJ/m/sup 2/ laser energy. 70% of the tested beams had been recovered after impingement with a fluence of 26 kJ/m/sup 2/. After the highest applied laser fluence of 40 kJ/m/sup 2/, 90% of the tested beams had been recovered. No damage to the structures or surrounding features was observed below 40 kJ/m/sup 2/. Because of rather low laser fluence, no thermal damage to the back surface of Si was noted. Since it literally takes few seconds to release stiction, the proposed technique can be implemented in MEMS foundry, and for repair of in-use stiction failed MEMS devices.
Co-occurrence of Trichomonas vaginalis and Bacterial Vaginosis and Vaginal Shedding of HIV-1 RNA

Background Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) and bacterial vaginosis (BV) are independently associated with increased risk of vaginal shedding in HIV-positive women. Because these 2 conditions commonly co-occur, this study was undertaken to examine the association between TV/BV co-occurrence and vaginal shedding of HIV-1 RNA. Methods HIV-positive women attending outpatient HIV clinics in 3 urban US cities underwent a clinical examination; were screened for TV, BV, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, and vulvovaginal candidiasis; and completed a behavioral survey. Women shedding HIV-1 RNA vaginally (≥50 copies/mL) were compared with women who had an undetectable (<50 copies/mL) vaginal viral load to determine if women who were TV positive and BV positive or had co-occurrence of TV/BV had higher odds of shedding vaginally when compared with women who did not have these conditions. Results In this sample of 373 HIV-positive women, 43.1% (n = 161) had co-occurrence of TV/BV and 33.2% (n = 124) were shedding HIV-1 RNA vaginally. The odds of shedding HIV vaginally in the presence of TV alone or BV alone and when TV/BV co-occurred were 4.07 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.78–9.37), 5.65 (95% CI, 2.64–12.01), and 18.63 (95% CI, 6.71–51.72), respectively, when compared with women with no diagnosis of TV or BV, and after adjusting for age, antiretroviral therapy status, and plasma viral load. Conclusions T. vaginalis and BV were independently and synergistically related to vaginal shedding of HIV-1 RNA. Screening and prompt treatment of these 2 conditions among HIV-positive women are important not only clinically but for HIV prevention, as well.