Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Separation of Highlight Reflections on Textured Surfaces

We present a method for separating highlight reflections on textured surfaces. In contrast to previous techniques that use diffuse color information from outside the highlight area to constrain the solution, the proposed method further capitalizes on the spatial distributions of colors to resolve ambiguities in separation that often arise in real images. For highlight pixels in which a clear-cut separation cannot be determined from color space analysis, we evaluate possible separation solutions based on their consistency with diffuse texture characteristics outside the highlight. With consideration of color distributions in both the color space and the image space, appreciably enhanced separation performance can be attained in challenging cases.
NONLINEAR EARTHQUAKE RESPONSE CHARACTERISTICS OF A CENTRAL CLAY CORE ROCKFILL DAM

ABSTRACT The effect of the 2008 Iwate-Miyagi Nairiku earthquake (MJ 7.2), Japan on the Aratozawa dam, which is a 74.4 m high rockfill dam with a central clay core located in the area, was studied with a main focus on the change in the vibration period, shear wave velocity, shear modulus, and pore-water pressure. In a vertical section of the central part of the dam, three sets of 3-component accelerometers and 15 pore water pressure meters were installed. During the main shock, the acceleration exceeded 10 m/s2 at the gallery, inducing large shear strains in excess of 10-3 and a sudden build-up of the excess pore water pressure in the core. Due to the large strains, the shear wave velocity and shear modulus showed a significant decrease from their initial values and the vibration period was elongated. The decreased shear wave velocity gradually recovered toward the end of the main shock, and continued to recover with the passage of time. The full recovery of the wave velocity was found to take at least one year, while the dissipation of the excess pore water pressure proceeded more quickly than the recovery of the wave velocity.
Turing's Dream and the Knowledge Challenge

There is a set of clear-cut challenges, all centering around knowledge, that have received insufficient attention in AI, and whose solution could bring the realization of Turing's dream - the dream of a machine we can talk with just like a person, and which is therefore (at least) our intellectual equal. These challenges have to do with the representation of linguistically expressible knowledge, the role of knowledge in language understanding, the use of knowledge for several sorts of commonsense reasoning, and knowledge accumulation. Concerning the last topic, I briefly present preliminary results of some of our recent efforts to extract "shallow" general knowledge about the world from large text corpora.
Derivation of a global land elevation data set from satellite radar altimeter data for topographic mapping

Radar altimeter data from the 336 day cycle of the geodetic phase of ERS- 1 has been processed over all land surfaces to produce a consistent, homogenous data set for topographic mapping purposes. Several processing steps were required to achieve this, the most important of which were waveform retracking and data filtering. No slope correction was applied to the data as this was found not to improve the accuracy. The original radar altimeter data set was 145 Gb in size and a more compact, higher-level product was required for land topography applications. Three higher-level products were created: 1) an unaveraged data set comprising elevation, position, backscatter and a small number ofauxiliary parameters; 2) an averaged data set of quasi-regular mean elevations, position, and standard deviation at 5 arc min resolution; 3) a 5 arc min digital elevation model interpolated and extrapolated from the second data set. The accuracy of the radar altimeter data was investigated using six point data sets of both global and regional coverage, including airport runway elevations, national geodetic data, gravity station heights, and navigation beacon heights. A small number of erroneous elevations in both the radar and the point data sets were identified. After removing outliers with a difference of greater than 300 m the mean difference between the radar and point data was -0.5 m ± 44 m full width at half maximum.
Why Big Data Industrial Systems Need Rules and What We Can Do About It

Big Data industrial systems that address problems such as classification, information extraction, and entity matching very commonly use hand-crafted rules. Today, however, little is understood about the usage of such rules. In this paper we explore this issue. We discuss how these systems differ from those considered in academia. We describe default solutions, their limitations, and reasons for using rules. We show examples of extensive rule usage in industry. Contrary to popular perceptions, we show that there is a rich set of research challenges in rule generation, evaluation, execution, optimization, and maintenance. We discuss ongoing work at WalmartLabs and UW-Madison that illustrate these challenges. Our main conclusions are (1) using rules (together with techniques such as learning and crowdsourcing) is fundamental to building semantics-intensive Big Data systems, and (2) it is increasingly critical to address rule management, given the tens of thousands of rules industrial systems often manage today in an ad-hoc fashion.
Human and rat mesangial cell receptors for glucose-modified proteins: potential role in kidney tissue remodelling and diabetic nephropathy

Advanced glycosylation endproducts (AGEs) are derived from the nonenzymatic addition of glucose to proteins. AGEs have been found to accumulate on tissue proteins in patients with diabetes, and their accumulation is thought to play a role in the development of diabetic complications. The finding that macrophages and endothelial cells contain AGE-specific receptors led us to examine whether mesangial cells (MCs) also possess a mechanism for recognizing and processing AGEs. Membrane extracts isolated from rat and human MCs were found to bind AGE-bovine serum albumin (BSA) in a saturable fashion, with a binding affinity of 2.0 +/- 0.4 x 10(6) M-1 (500 nM). The binding was specific for the AGE adduct, since AGE-modified collagen I and ribonuclease both competitively inhibited 125I-AGE-BSA binding to MC membranes, while the unmodified proteins did not compete. Binding of AGE proteins was followed by slow internalization and degradation of the ligand. Ligand blotting of MC membrane extracts demonstrated three distinct AGE-binding membrane proteins of 50, 40, and 30 kD. Growth of MCs on various AGE-modified matrix proteins resulted in alterations in MC function, as demonstrated by enhanced production of fibronectin and decreased proliferation. These results point to the potential role that the interaction of AGE-modified proteins with MCs may play in vivo in promoting diabetic kidney disease.
Dual-Transformer-Based Asymmetrical Triple-Port Active Bridge (DT-ATAB) Isolated DC–DC Converter

In this paper, a dual-transformer-based asymmetrical triple-port active bridge converter (DT-ATAB) is proposed to interface two different dc-sources and a load. DT-ATAB consists of three active power electronic converters and two high-frequency transformers. All switches of these converters can be turned on with zero-voltage switching to reduce the switching losses. The bidirectional power flow operation is possible between the ports. The DT-ATAB also reduces the circulating powers between the ports for well-matched transformer turns ratios as compared to those in the other existing triple-port active bridge converters (TAB). Furthermore, the magnetic short-circuit conditions arising in the three-winding transformer of the TAB are mitigated in DT-ATAB. The principle of operation, steady-state analysis, various modes of operation (three-port and two-port modes), and a closed loop controller of DT-ATAB are presented. The theoretical analysis of this paper is verified using both simulation and experimental studies. The illustrated results show that DT-ATAB can be used as a promising multiport converter to interface the multiple sources and load to achieve wide-ranging outputs with the minimal losses.
Accuracy assessment of fraction of vegetation cover and leaf area index estimates from pragmatic methods in a cropland area

The fraction of vegetation cover (FVC) and the leaf area index (LAI) are important parameters for many agronomic, ecological and meteorological applications. Several in‐situ and remote sensing techniques for estimating FVC and LAI have been developed in recent years. In this paper, the uncertainty of in‐situ FVC and LAI measurements was evaluated by comparing estimates from LAI‐2000 and digital hemispherical photography (DHP). The accuracy achieved with a spectral mixture analysis algorithm and two vegetation indices‐based methods was assessed using atmospherically corrected Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data over the Barrax cropland area where the European Space Agency (ESA) SENtinel‐2 and FLuorescence EXperiment (SEN2FLEX) field campaign was carried out in July 2005. The results indicate that LAI‐2000 and DHP performances are comparable, with uncertainties of 5% for FVC and 15% for effective LAI. The selected remote sensing methods are shown to be consistent, with a notable overall accuracy (root mean square error, RMSE) of 0.07 (10% in relative terms) for FVC and 0.8 (30%) for LAI. Similar bounds were found on upscaling in‐situ measurements with empirical transfer functions (TFs). These results suggest that the pragmatic methods considered applied at high resolution with minimum calibration data could be useful for mapping FVC and LAI in the study area, reducing in‐situ labour‐intensive characterization necessities for validation studies.
High-resolution phase-velocity maps using data from an earthquake recorded at regional distances by a dense broad-band seismic network

S U M M A R Y The large regional earthquake (2008 February 21, M = 6.0) with epicentre near Wells, Nevada, occurred within a few hundred kilometres of the High Lava Plains (HLP) seismic experiment stations when the network was near its full deployment (>100 stations with 10–30 km station spacing). The Wells earthquake provides an excellent opportunity to address two questions: What is the effect of small epicentral distances on surface-wave analyses at periods that are used in the analysis of teleseisms? Can one take advantage of a high-density seismic network to obtain improved phase-velocity maps? As small epicentral distances may introduce systematic errors in the surface-wave analysis for longer periods, we test for such effects by generating synthetic waveforms at locations for all regional-distance stations recording the Wells earthquake. Analysis of the synthetics suggests that our surface-waves analyses can be applied for the Wells earthquake up to periods of ∼50 s. Applying the same method to data, we estimate two-station Rayleigh-wave fundamental-mode phase-velocities at selected periods and, for each acceptable path, assign the calculated phase velocity to the geographic location of the centre of the path. We contour the phase velocities for all path centres using a local gridding algorithm. The resulting maps for the Wells earthquake have well-constrained phase velocities up to 40–50 s period and allow us to see phase-velocity gradients not observed in earlier studies that used data from teleseisms or ambient noise tomography.
Extended virtual synchrony

We formulate a model of extended virtual synchrony that defines a group communication transport service for multicast and broadcast communication in a distributed system. The model extends the virtual synchrony model of the Isis system to support continued operation in all components of a partitioned network. The significance of extended virtual synchrony is that, during network partitioning and remerging and during process failure and recovery, it maintains a consistent relationship between the delivery of messages and the delivery of configuration changes across all processes in the system and provides well-defined self-delivery and failure atomicity properties. We describe an algorithm that implements extended virtual synchrony and construct a filter that reduces extended virtual synchrony to virtual synchrony. <<ETX>>
A PARZEN WINDOW BASED DERIVATION OF MINIMUM CLASSIFICATION ERROR FROM THE THEORETICAL BAYES CLASSIFICATION RISK

This article shows that the Minimum Classiﬁcation Error (MCE) criterion function commonly used for discriminative design of speech recognition systems is equivalent to a Parzen window based estimate of the theoretical Bayes classiﬁcation risk. In this analysis, each training token is mapped to the center of a Parzen kernel in the domain of a suitably deﬁned random variable. The kernels are summed to produce a density estimate; this estimate in turn can easily be integrated over the domain of incorrect classiﬁcations, yielding the risk estimate. The expression of risk for each kernel can be seen to correspond directly to the usual MCE loss function. The resulting risk estimate can be minimized by suitable adaptation of the recognition system parameters that determine the mapping from training token to kernel center. This analysis provides a novel link between the MCE empirical cost measured on a ﬁnite training set and the theoretical Bayes classiﬁcation risk.
Étude de la flore et de la végétation ligneuse pour la détermination des types d'usages compatibles avec une gestion durable de la forêt classée de Patako (Sénégal)

Résumé Cette étude a été entreprise pour réunir et analyser, à l'aide d'une méthode appropriée, des informations sur la flore ligneuse, la végétation, et le potentiel ligneux de la Forêt Classée de Patako, afin d'en déterminer les vocations et suggérer un mode d'utilisation durable. La collecte des données a été réalisée à partir d'un échantillonnage aléatoire basé sur une stratification préalable de la formation végétale. Le traitement d'une image satellite Landsat-ETM+ de début de saison sèche a permis de caractériser et d'ordonner les composantes structurales de la végétation pour élaborer un support cartographique. L'analyse de la carte élaborée indique que cette formation végétale est composée de deux zones homogènes majeures avec des caractéristiques différentes. La composition floristique des espèces ligneuses, les caractéristiques de la végétation, la structure des populations des espèces ligneuses et surtout le potentiel des espèces les plus exploitées économiquement ont été déterminés. Quatre (04) espèces sur les 73 espèces ligneuses recensées présentent une structure et une dynamique viables. L'évaluation du disponible des espèces exploitées indique un potentiel important pour le bois d'énergie, relativement faible pour le bois d'œuvre et de service et faible pour les produits forestiers non ligneux.
Efficient Computation of Overlapping Variance Estimators for Simulation

For a steady-state simulation output process, we formulate efficient algorithms to compute certain estimators of the process variance parameter (i.e., the sum of covariances at all lags), where the estimators are derived in principle from overlapping batches separately and then averaged over all such batches. The algorithms require order-of-sample-size work to evaluate overlapping versions of the area and Cramer--von Mises estimators arising in the method of standardized time series. Recently, Alexopoulos et al. showed that, compared with estimators based on nonoverlapping batches, the estimators based on overlapping batches achieve reduced variance while maintaining similar bias asymptotically as the batch size increases. We provide illustrative analytical and Monte Carlo results for M/M/1 queue waiting times and for a first-order autoregressive process. We also present evidence that the asymptotic distribution of each overlapping variance estimator can be closely approximated using an appropriately rescaled chi-squared random variable with matching mean and variance.
Waloryzacja i analiza potencjału turystyczno-kulturowego zachodniopomorskiej części Pomorskiej Drogi Świętego Jakuba

Bazując na historycznym dziedzictwie kulturowym Pomorza Zachodniego powolanie do zycia szlaku pielgrzymiego, pelniącego rowniez funkcje szlaku turystycznego, stanowi wazny krok w planowaniu rozwoju turystycznego regionu. Jego znaczenie wzmacnia fakt, iz Pomorska Droga Świetego Jakuba jest cześcią miedzynarodowego systemu tego typu drog i doskonale wpisuje sie w siec znakowanych szlakow turystyki kulturowej Europy. Analiza potencjalu turystyczno-kulturowego zachodniopomorskiej cześci Pomorskiej Drogi Świetego Jakuba zostala dokonana z zastosowaniem metody bonitacji punktowej opartej na odpowiednio wybranych kryteriach oceny. Analizie poddano kluczowe obiekty dla funkcjonowania szlaku kulturowo-religijnego na terenie wojewodztwa zachodniopomorskiego, w tym obiektow sakralnych, wydarzen tematycznych oraz bazy noclegowej i gastronomicznej. Dzieki rzetelnie dokonanej ocenie mozliwe bylo określenie potencjalu turystycznego szlaku oraz wskazanie przez autora przyszlych mozliwych dzialan na rzecz jego rozwoju w regionie i promocji poza granicami.
Bmc Medical Genetics Genome-wide Association of Echocardiographic Dimensions, Brachial Artery Endothelial Function and Treadmill Exercise Responses in the Framingham Heart Study

Background: Echocardiographic left ventricular (LV) measurements, exercise responses to standardized treadmill test (ETT) and brachial artery (BA) vascular function are heritable traits that are associated with cardiovascular disease risk. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in the community-based Framingham Heart Study.
IL1B polymorphisms modulate cystic fibrosis lung disease

Variability in pulmonary disease severity is found in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) who have identical mutations in the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene. We hypothesized that one factor accounting for heterogeneity in pulmonary disease severity is variation in the family of genes affecting the biology of interleukin‐1 (IL‐1), which impacts acquisition and maintenance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in animal models of chronic infection.
Sequence Kernel Association Test for Quantitative Traits in Family Samples

A large number of rare genetic variants have been discovered with the development in sequencing technology and the lowering of sequencing costs. Rare variant analysis may help identify novel genes associated with diseases and quantitative traits, adding to our knowledge of explaining heritability of these phenotypes. Many statistical methods for rare variant analysis have been developed in recent years, but some of them require the strong assumption that all rare variants in the analysis share the same direction of effect, and others requiring permutation to calculate the P‐values are computer intensive. Among these methods, the sequence kernel association test (SKAT) is a powerful method under many different scenarios. It does not require any assumption on the directionality of effects, and statistical significance is computed analytically. In this paper, we extend SKAT to be applicable to family data. The family‐based SKAT (famSKAT) has a different test statistic and null distribution compared to SKAT, but is equivalent to SKAT when there is no familial correlation. Our simulation studies show that SKAT has inflated type I error if familial correlation is inappropriately ignored, but has appropriate type I error if applied to a single individual per family to obtain an unrelated subset. In contrast, famSKAT has the correct type I error when analyzing correlated observations, and it has higher power than competing methods in many different scenarios. We illustrate our approach to analyze the association of rare genetic variants using glycemic traits from the Framingham Heart Study.
Access control and content authentication for hybrid DVB-T2/P2P broadcasting

Considering the large amounts of data to be processed when distributing 3D audio-visual content, it is reasonable to combine broadcasting and P2P distribution, an approach that has been chosen within the EU project DIOMEDES. Two issues to be solved within such a scenario are related to security: Access control, to support business models where only authorized receivers can access certain content, and content authentication, to avoid distribution of unauthorized and corrupted content. This paper describes how access control and content authentication have been addressed within DIOMEDES, including evaluation of different broadcast encryption schemes with respect to the requirements of the hybrid DVB-T2/P2P distribution scenario. The presented approach is agnostic with respect to both the content format and the P2P network used, and can also be adapted to other, similar scenarios.
Vehicle detection and car park mapping using laser scanner

In this project, we took on the task of localizing an automatic vehicle and building a map of the car park in real time. This takes place within the car park of INRIA Rhone-Alpes on the CyCab vehicle with a Sick laser range scanner. Our method uses only laser scanners to retrieve the position and orientations of vehicles in the car park. With the detected vehicles as landmarks, CyCab performs a localization of itself and builds a map of the car park at the same time. Classical clustering and segmentation techniques to extract line segments from the laser scan data are applied. The key contribution of the paper is the extraction of vehicle poses from the line segments using Bayesian programming. The method of FastSLAM is used in localizing CyCab and estimating the pose of vehicles in the car park. A set of hypotheses is obtained as a result. The second contribution is a method of combining the set of hypotheses together to form a final map of the car park.
Contrasting Mutual Sexual Selection on Homologous Signal Traits in Drosophila serrata

The nature of male mating preferences, and how they differ from female mating preferences in species with conventional sex roles, has received little attention in sexual selection studies. We estimated the form and strength of sexual selection as a consequence of male and female mating preferences in a laboratory‐based population of Drosophila serrata. The differences between sexual selection on male and female signal traits (cuticular hydrocarbons [CHCs]) were evaluated within a formal framework of linear and nonlinear selection gradients. Females tended to exert linear sexual selection on male CHCs, whereas males preferred intermediate female CHC phenotypes leading to convex (stabilizing) selection gradients. Possible mechanisms determining the nonlinear nature of sexual selection on female CHCs are proposed.
A constitutive model for quasi‐static behavior of rock salt

A general constitutive model is proposed to characterize short-term quasi-static stress-strain behavior of rock salt. It is a simplified model based on rate independent theory of elastoplasticity and includes such factors as hardening, stress path, cohesive and tensile strengths, and variations of yield behavior with mean pressure. The constants for the model are determined from laboratory tests under different initial pressures and stress paths using a multiaxial testing device and standard triaxial test results available in literature for rock salts. The model is verified with respect to tests used for finding the constants and a test not used for finding the constants. The proposed model requires less or equal number of constants as compared with other models with similar capabilities.