Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Advances in sprite based video coding: towards universal usability

This dissertation presents new approaches end extended techniques for the coding of digital video using background sprites, also called background mosaics. Sprites form a visual summarization of the rigid background of a captured scene shot. They are represented in oversized images, which preferably do not contain any foreground objects. This type of redundancy reduction is an ideal tool for video coding since the complete background information can be stored in the sprite image and some additional projection parameters. However, the generation of sprites is only possible for certain scenes. Since a successful coding strategy has to be universally applicable, the development of techniques for facilitating a broader use of sprite-based video coding represents the main focus of this thesis. Early approaches, as the one adopted in the MPEG-4 standard, have not been utilized due to the lack of universality and usability. For this purpose, we present techniques for the generation of multiple sprites and provide automatic segmentation approaches for the independently moving foreground objects. While multiple sprites prevent the construction of degenerated sprites and simultaneously minimize the impact of geometrical distortions, the segmentation enables the automatic discrimination in foreground and background objects. Thus, it is a fundamental tool for object-based video coding. The presented segmentation techniques are built upon the background sprites and thus, are easy to integrate into the overall coding process. The improvement of the background modeling using sprites marks another important aspect of this dissertation. Since state-of-the-art hybrid coding strategies work very efficient and yield high quality results, the prediction quality of the background using sprites has to be improved remarkably. In order to achieve this goal, we present novel image registration and sprite generation algorithms. Especially the potential of super-resolution processing will be exploited. Due to the capturing process, we obtain several differently sampled versions of the same image content. This fact can be used for the construction of background sprites of enhanced resolution, which has a positive influence on the resulting coding quality as well as on the rate-distortion results. Eventually, two techniques for sprite-based video coding are presented. Both approaches utilize above mentioned tools for improving quality and universality of the sprites. The coding gain over latest standards proves their usefulness. A complete coding system for the processing of any video content is still not achieved, but an outlook of its possible architecture is drafted. Thus, this thesis contributes to a gradual change of the video coding paradigm, where additional instruments from computer vision and computer graphics are utilized to unequally encode independent parts of a video scene.
Dual granule localization of the dormant NADPH oxidase and cytochrome b559 in human neutrophils

The subcellular localization of the microbicidal nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase and associated b‐cytochrome was investigated in human neutrophils. In unperturbed neutrophils 85% of b‐cytochrome and the major part of membrane‐bound components of the NADPH oxidase co‐sedimented with markers for specific granules and gelatinase. Using cytochrome b559 as a marker for membrane‐bound components of the NADPH oxidase in quantitative studies we observed that, of the remaining 15%, the vast majority co‐sedimented with latent alkaline phosphatase, a marker for a newly identified mobilizable intracellular compartment. Only a small fraction co‐localized with the plasma membranes. Azurophil granules contained a protease activity which rapidly inactivated the NADPH oxidase components present in other membranes. Stimulation of the neutrophils with formyl‐methionyl‐leucyl‐phenyl‐alanine and leukotriene B4 which caused minimal degranulation of specific granules, resulted in translocation of b‐cytochrome to the plasma membrane, concomitant with incorporation of alkaline phosphatase into the plasma membrane.
Polytype target coverage scheme for heterogeneous wireless sensor networks using linear programming

Sensing coverage is one of fundamental problems in wireless sensor networks. In this paper, we investigate the polytype target coverage problem in heterogeneous wireless sensor networks where each sensor is equipped with multiple sensing units and each type of sensing unit can sense an attribute of multiple targets. How to schedule multiple sensing units of a sensor to cover multiple targets becomes a new challenging problem. This problem is formulated as an integer linear programming problem for maximizing the network lifetime. We propose a novel energy-efficient target coverage algorithm to solve this problem based on clustering architecture. Being aware of the coverage capability and residual energy of sensor nodes, the clusterhead node in each cluster schedules the appropriate sensing units of sensor nodes that are in the active status to cover multiple targets in an optimal way. Extensive simulations have been carried out to validate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Identification of substrates of the Listeria monocytogenes sortases A and B by a non‐gel proteomic analysis

Sortases are enzymes that anchor surface proteins to the cell wall of Gram‐positive bacteria by cleaving a sorting motif located in the C‐terminus of the protein substrate. The best‐characterized motif is LPXTG, which is cleaved between the T and G residues. In this study, a non‐gel proteomic approach was used to identify surface proteins recognized by the two sortases of Listeria monocytogenes, SrtA and SrtB. Material containing peptidoglycan and strongly associated proteins was purified from sortase‐defective mutants, digested with trypsin, and the resulting peptide mixture analysed by two‐dimensional nano‐liquid chromatography coupled to ion‐trap mass spectrometry. Unlike enzymes involved in peptidoglycan metabolism, other surface proteins displayed uneven distribution in the mutants. A total of 13 LPXTG‐containing proteins were identified exclusively in strains having a functional SrtA. In contrast, two surface proteins, Lmo2185 and Lmo2186, were identified only when SrtB was active. The analysis of the peptides identified in these proteins suggests that SrtB of L. monocytogenes may recognize two different sorting motifs, NXZTN and NPKXZ. Taken together, these data demonstrate that non‐gel proteomics is a powerful technique to rapidly identify sortase substrates and to gain insights on potential sorting motifs.
Finite-Difference Time-Domain Technique for Gyroelectric Material Structure Simulation Using Recursive Convolutions in Polarization

A gyrotropic material handling method is proposed. Our technique does not require modification of the finite-difference time-domain stepping algorithm, and the gyroelectric phenomenon can be treated as a variation of material polarization. The simulation of electromagnetic wave transmission through a test gyroelectric structure of a magnetized plasma layer is presented and compared with the analytical solution. An open source implementation is presented.
Direct observation of InP projected potential using high-resolution electron holography.

An imaging technique for reconstructing the projected potential of crystals using high-resolution electron holography is developed. This technique is used to observe the projected potential of InP along the (001) direction, to measure the thickness of InP crystals, and to identify In and P atom columns from a high-resolution electron hologram
A distributed self-healing algorithm for virtual backbone construction and maintenance in Wireless Sensor Networks

Future Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) will be composed of a large number of densely deployed sensors. A key feature of such networks is that their nodes are untethered and unattended. Distributed techniques are expected in WSNs. Computing Connected Dominating Sets (CDSs) have been widely used for virtual backbone construction in WSNs to control topology, facilitate routing, and extend network lifetime. This paper proposes a new distributed algorithm for CDS construction in WSNs. The algorithm is intended to construct a CDS with the smallest ratio when compared to its centralized version. Moreover, this paper proposes a localized algorithm that efficiently maintains the backbone when some backbone nodes decide to enter the energy saving sleep mode. We attempt to prolong the lifetime of the constructed CDS by allowing nodes with higher residual energy to have more chances to be part of the constructed and maintained backbone. Simulation shows that our distributed approach has a maximum ratio of 1.53 to the centralized approach, and it satisfies all of the geometrical properties of its canalized version. Based on this ratio, this distributed algorithm has an approximation factor of 7.65 to the optimal CDS. To the best of our knowledge, this approximation is the smallest among all existing distributed CDS construction algorithms.
The fatty acid profile of the skin surface lipid layer in papulopustular rosacea

Background Patients with papulopustular rosacea (PPR) frequently complain of dry, sensitive skin. We have previously demonstrated that patients with PPR have reduced skin surface hydration levels in the presence of normal sebum casual levels, suggesting that it may be the quality and not the quantity of sebum that plays a role in PPR.
Mapping of Neurotensin in the Alpaca (Lama pacos) Brainstem

We studied the distribution of cell bodies and fibres containing neurotensin (NT) in the brainstem of the alpaca using an indirect immunoperoxidase technique. Immunoreactive fibres were widely distributed throughout the brainstem, whereas the distribution of cell bodies was less widespread. Immunoreactive perikarya were only found in the mesencephalic and bulbar reticular formation, periaqueductal grey, nucleus of the solitary tract, laminar spinal trigeminal nucleus and in the inferior colliculus. A high density of fibres containing NT was found in the dorsal nucleus of the raphe, marginal nucleus of the brachium conjunctivum, locus coeruleus, inferior colliculus, inter‐peduncular nucleus, substantia nigra, periaqueductal grey, reticular formation of the mesencephalon, pons and medulla oblongata, nucleus of the solitary tract, laminar spinal trigeminal nucleus, hypoglossal nucleus, inferior central nucleus and in the tegmental reticular nucleus. The widespread distribution indicates that NT might be involved in multiple physiological actions in the alpaca brainstem; this must be investigated in the future as alpacas lives from 0 m above sea level to altitudes of up 5000 m and hence the involvement of this neuropeptide in special and unique regulatory physiological mechanisms could be suggested.
Peripheral Blood Th1 and Th2 Profile in Patients with Moderate Asthma: Effect of Inhaled Corticosteroid

The peripheral blood from healthy subjects and asthma patients was stimulated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and ionomycin, and the cells were stained with anti-CD4 antibody, permeabilized, stained with anti-IFN-γ and anti-IL-4 antibodies, and analyzed by flow cytometry. Compared with healthy subjects, asthma patients showed a greater percentage of both IL-4(+) IFN-γ (–) CD4 cells (Th2 cells) and IFN-γ(+) IL-4(–) CD4 cells (Th1 cells). The percentage of Th2 cells was correlated with serum IgE level. After treatment with inhaled corticosteroid, Th2 cells decreased at week 24, but not week 4. Long-term therapy with inhaled steroid may thus be required for improvement in lymphocytic inflammation.
Serine Protease Inhibitor 6-Deficient Mice Have Increased Neutrophil Immunity to Pseudomonas aeruginosa1

Inflammation is a localized, protective response to trauma or microbial invasion that destroys the injurious agent and the injured tissue. Neutrophil elastase (NE), a serine protease stored in the azurophil granules of polymorphonuclear neutrophils, digests microbes after phagocytosis. NE can also digest microbes extracellularly but is associated with tissue damage and inflammatory disease. In this study, we show that polymorphonuclear neutrophils from mice deficient in serine protease inhibitor 6, a weak intracellular NE inhibitor, had increased susceptibility to self-inflicted lysis because of increased NE activity. The resulting transient increase in local extracellular NE activity was within a narrow range that resulted in the clearance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa but did not damage the lung. Therefore, deficiency in a weak intracellular inhibitor of NE results in an acute inflammatory response that protects from P. aeruginosa but does not cause lung disease.
Human Error Contribution in Collision and Grounding of Oil Tankers

The purpose of this article is to present a quantitative analysis of the human failure contribution in the collision and/or grounding of oil tankers, considering the recommendation of the “Guidelines for Formal Safety Assessment” of the International Maritime Organization. Initially, the employed methodology is presented, emphasizing the use of the technique for human error prediction to reach the desired objective. Later, this methodology is applied to a ship operating on the Brazilian coast and, thereafter, the procedure to isolate the human actions with the greatest potential to reduce the risk of an accident is described. Finally, the management and organizational factors presented in the “International Safety Management Code” are associated with these selected actions. Therefore, an operator will be able to decide where to work in order to obtain an effective reduction in the probability of accidents. Even though this study does not present a new methodology, it can be considered as a reference in the human reliability analysis for the maritime industry, which, in spite of having some guides for risk analysis, has few studies related to human reliability effectively applied to the sector.
DETECTION OF SEVERAL NEW INTERSTELLAR MOLECULES

We have detected radio emission from several new interstellar molecules and the preliminary results of our observations will be discussed. These observations were made in April and May, 1971, with the 36-foot radio telescope of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory at wavelengths of 3 mm and 1.4 cm. The radiometer used for the 3 mm observations was constructed by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory with a local-oscillator system developed by S. Weinreb of the NRAO in conjunction with A. A. Penzias, R. W. Wilson, K. B. Jefferts and C. A. Burrus of the Bell Telephone Laboratories. This receiver could be used to observe spectral lines between 85 and 95 GHz with a single-sideband noise temperature which was nominally 4,000'K. A parametric amplifier, inserted between the antenna feed and the 1.4 cm mixer radiometer, permitted a greatly improved system noise temperature of approximately 600'K for the 1.4 cm observations. This receiver system was designed and developed at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory under the direction of J. Edrich, who subsequently collaborated with us in the centimeter wavelength observations which are reported herein. A small on-line computer was adapted to the 36 ft telescope by C. Moore of the NRAO Computer Division and was utilized successfully to process spectral line data from both sets of observations. The antenna temperatures for both sets of observations were measured with respect to a calibrated noise tube; additional checks were made by means of Jupiter observations. Unexplained variations in the system temperature of the 3 mm radiometer caused some uncertainty in the antenna temperatures which we are reporting for the mm wavelength observations, but the receiver used for the 1.4 cm observations remained relatively stable. At 3 mm the 36 ft telescope has a nominal half-power beam width of 70 arc sec; this increases to approximately 5 arc min at 1.4 cm. Solar heating causes broadening of the main beam, but the observations reported herein were made al night and, accordingly, were only slightly affected by small changes in the nocturnal ambient temperature. Two filter bank spectrometers were used for these observations: the wider utilized forty filters spaced 1 MHz apart; the other one consisted of fifty filters spaced 250 kHz apart. We have identified the new interstellar molecules on the basis of pure rotational transitions as isocyanic acid (HNCO) , methylacetylene (CH&zH), and hydrogen isocyanide (HNC) . It must be recognized that the positive identification of a new molecular species requires the detection of more than one spectral line. This requirement can be satisfied for the above molecules in the following ways: ( 1 ) Detection of other rotational transitions of the same molecular isotope. (2) Resolution and identification of hyperfine structure or some other unique feature of a given rotational transition. (3) Detection of the frequency-shifted rotational transition of a less common molecular isotope.
Linking Multiple Online Identities in Criminal Investigations: A Spectral Co-Clustering Framework

Online identities (OIDs) refer to accounts that Internet users create on Web platforms. In investigations of OID-involved criminal cases, investigators often encounter multiple OIDs used by the same criminal among a number of suspect OIDs. Recognizing such OIDs is referred to as OID linkage (OL) and is a critical task, because it helps investigators consolidate information from different sources, identify new investigation leads, perform further analysis by connecting seemingly unrelated cases, and finally ideate the real criminal. However, few existing OL techniques can achieve satisfactory performance in criminal investigation scenarios due to information asymmetry, information unreliability, and a lack of training data. We propose an unsupervised spectral co-clustering-based OL framework that takes OID access trajectories as linkage evidence. By leveraging a spectral co-clustering algorithm, we integrate access location consistency and access time consistency as heuristics to direct the OL process. Experiments performed using actual investigation data demonstrate the feasibility and promise of the proposed framework.
Cellular and morphological changes during neointimal hyperplasia development in a porcine arteriovenous graft model.

BACKGROUND Implantation of a haemodialysis arteriovenous graft is often followed by the development of neointimal hyperplasia (NH) at the venous anastomosis. The nature of the proliferating cells in these lesions is not well understood. A better understanding of the cells contributing to NH is important to the development of preventive strategies. METHODS Carotid-jugular PTFE grafts were placed in 21 pigs and characterized at various time points following implantation. Venous anastomotic tissues were harvested at 1, 7, 14, 21, 28 or 49 post-operative days for histology and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS Van Gieson staining of the tissues showed that NH was apparent as early as day 7 and progressed over time. Even by day 1, there were cells expressing the proliferation marker Ki-67 in the venous adventitia, but not the media, at the anastomosis. Double immunohistochemical staining showed that these cells were positive for alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA), but negative for smooth muscle myosin heavy chain (SM MHC), suggesting that the proliferating cells were myofibroblasts rather than smooth muscle cells. By day 7, proliferating cells were abundant in the adventitia and began to appear in the media, surrounded by extracellular matrix visualized using Trichrome staining. By day 49, alpha-SMA-positive, SM MHC-negative cells were predominant in the NH, and Ki-67 staining had largely vanished. CONCLUSIONS These results are consistent with the hypothesis that adventitial fibroblasts are transformed into myofibroblasts and begin to proliferate within hours after graft placement. Migration of these cells towards the vessel lumen with subsequent proliferation appears to be a major contributor to NH formation. The pivotal role of the adventitial fibroblasts in the pathogenesis of NH provides a compelling rationale for therapies that target the transformation, proliferation and migration of these cells to prevent arteriovenous graft stenosis.
Multiple Deletions Are Detectable in Mitochondrial DNA of Aging Mice (*)

Mutational damage to human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) can cause disorders in oxidative phosphorylation; speculation that such damage is involved in degenerative diseases and aging is common. We have detected deletions in mouse mtDNA which resemble those found in elderly humans or patients with certain mtDNA disorders. Five different mtDNA deletions, predicted from the positions of short, direct DNA repeats, were present in aged, but not young, mice. Deleted regions were surrounded by either exact or inexact repeats and occurred in both the major and minor regions of the mtDNA genome. The abundance of a particular deletion was generally related to the thermodynamic stability of the bounding repeat sequence. Deletions in aged mice were present at low levels (less than 0.01% of total mtDNA). However, in contrast to results from aged humans, deletions were more abundant in liver than in brain, heart, or skeletal muscle. These results make it possible to predict the location and relative abundance of deletions in any sequenced mtDNA, including inbred mouse strains differing in inherent natural lifespan. The inbred mouse model will allow a critical examination of the relationship between the presence and abundance of mtDNA deletions and the aging process.
Correlates of Sustained Volunteering: Advocacy for Students with Disabilities

ABSTRACT Parents of students with disabilities often receive support from special education advocates, who may be trained through a variety of programs. Using a web-based survey, this study examined the postgraduation advocacy activities of 83 graduates of one such volunteer advocacy training program. In the one to four years after program graduation, 63.8% (53 of 83) of the graduates advocated for one or more families; these sustained advocates reported stable rates of advocacy over time, and advocates performed activities that were either family-focused or school-focused. For graduates who advocated post-training, amounts of advocacy were positively related to satisfaction with advocating and with higher levels of involvement with other advocates and with the broader disability community. Compared to those not advocating after graduating, sustained advocates reported greater advocacy-role identities, increased involvement in disability groups, and higher likelihood to advocate in the upcoming year. Future research and practice implications are discussed.
A novel method for data segmentation to covariance stationary regions

This paper presents a new method for segmenting non-stationary data to covariance-stationary regions that is of importance in some applications such as subspace-based speech enhancement. The proposed method utilizes a test statistic previously suggested for Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) image segmentation. In this paper, employing Random Matrix Theory, we derive two first moments of the test statistic which are used to define an explicit decision threshold rather than heuristic one. We show through Monte Carlo simulation some interesting properties of the test statistic. The reasonable performance of our approach is validated by means of ROC curve obtained as the result of applying the proposed method to the synthetic data. Moreover, we compare our algorithm with the two recently introduced algorithms of which one aimed at locating variance-stationary regions and the other is designed to find the data intervals with the same covariance structure. The superior performance of our algorithm as well as its low computational cost is shown in this paper.