Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sparsity inspired selection and recognition of iris images

Iris images acquired from a partially cooperating subject often suffer from blur, occlusion due to eyelids, and specular reflections. The performance of existing iris recognition systems degrade significantly on these images. Hence it is essential to select good images from the incoming iris video stream, before they are input to the recognition algorithm. In this paper, we propose a sparsity based algorithm for selection of good iris images and their subsequent recognition. Unlike most existing algorithms for iris image selection, our method can handle segmentation errors and a wider range of acquisition artifacts common in iris image capture. We perform selection and recognition in a single step which is more efficient than devising separate specialized algorithms for the two. Recognition from partially cooperating users is a significant step towards deploying iris systems in a wide variety of applications.
Shining a Light on Intestinal Traffic

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), encompassing Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, is associated with enhanced leukocyte infiltration to the gut, which is directly linked to the clinical aspects of these disorders. Thus, leukocyte trafficking is a major target for IBD therapy. Past and emerging techniques to study leukocyte trafficking both in vitro and in vivo have expanded our knowledge of the leukocyte migration process and the role of inhibitors. Various strategies have been employed to target chemokine- and integrin-ligand interactions within the multistep adhesion cascade and the S1P/S1PR1 axis in leukocyte migration. Though there is an abundance of preclinical data demonstrating efficacy of leukocyte trafficking inhibitors, many have yet to be confirmed in clinical studies. Vigilance for toxicity and further research is required into this complex and emerging area of IBD therapy.
View management for driver assistance in an HMD

Head-mounted displays (HMDs) have the potential to overcome some of the technological limitations of currently existing automotive head-up displays (HUDs), such as the limited field of view and the restrictive boundaries of the windshield. However, in a formative study, we identified other, partially known problems with HMDs regarding content stability and occlusion. As a counter-measure we propose a novel layout mechanism for HMD visualization, which, on the one hand, benefits from the unique characteristics of HMDs and, on the other, combines the advantages of head-stabilized and cockpit-stabilized content. By subdividing the HMD's field of view into different slots to which the content is dynamically assigned depending on the user's head rotation, we ensure that the driver's vision is effectively augmented in every possible direction.
Stereotype-based Versus Personal-based Filtering Rules in Information Filtering Systems

Rule-based information filtering systems maintain user profiles where the profile consists of a set of filtering rules expressing the user's information filtering policy. Filtering rules may refer to various attributes of the data items subject to the filtering process. In personal rule-based filtering systems, each user has his/her own personal filtering rules. In stereotype rule-based filtering systems, a user is assigned to a group of similar users (his/her stereotype) from which he/she inherits the stereotype's filtering profile. This study compares the effectiveness of the two alternative rule-based filtering methods: stereotype-based rules versus personal rules. We conducted a comparison between filtering effectiveness when using the personal rules or when using the stereotype-based rules. Although, intuitively, personal filtering rules seem to be more effective because each user has his own tailored rules, our comparative study reveals that stereotype filtering rules yield more effective results. We believe that this is because users find it difficult to evaluate their filtering preferences accurately. The results imply that by using a stereotype it is possible not only to overcome the problem of user effort required to generate a manual rule-based profile, but at the same time even provide a better initial user profile.
Analysis of Deformation and Residual Stresses in Composites Processed on a Carbon Foam Tooling

Carbon foam is a low cost, durable, light-weight material with a low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and it has cure process compatibility with aerospace composites. Therefore, carbon foam is being investigated as an alternative to traditional composite tooling material for aerospace applications. However, the dramatic differences in properties between traditional tooling materials and carbon foam makes it difficult to fully predict the performance of this novel material as a tooling alternative. This article is a comparative analytical study of the effects of processing of composite geometries on a carbon foam tooling vs. conventional tooling materials. Simulation is carried out on graphite-epoxy composite system using a carbon foam tooling and the stresses and the resulting deformations are predicted for three different geometric features of composites. The results show that both the lower CTE and modulus of the carbon foam tooling can contribute to a reduction of residual stresses in the part and the tooling; however, the mechanical strength of the foam needs to be considered in the tooling design.
Reliability Assessment of Lead Free Soldered PWBs

High integration, density and complexity are essential in electronic products such as compact and light mobile phone recently. A new type of development for component and material is also needed. In the PCB design aspect, a technique such as pad on via, trying to keep up with the demand for compact and slim products, is commonly used. In a response to increased pressure from these situations, an enhanced ability on reliability of electronic products is gradually needed. The high cost and risk, however, are higher and higher for the assurance in the reliability. We made a procedure which can evaluate a solder joint reliability on the product development phase. Furthermore, we've pursued a development process for preventing failure as we analyzed the failure mode from predicting the causes of the failure more precisely. In this study, focusing on the joint reliability of the solder interconnection between CSP and pad on via, we have passed through a test procedure as follows. First, making samples applied with high integrated circuit (CSP: 0.65 pitch, via hole size: 165um, solder: Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu). Second, operating the thermal cycling experiment (- 45°C~+125°C, 30min/cycle) to find a failure of the test specimen with an electrical method. Third, observation the non-destructive X-ray microscopy and the metallographic cross-sectioning. Fourth, simulation of the finite element model and deformation analysis. Fifth, completion the modeling of the failure mode. Lastly, prediction a lifetime of the solder joint.
Human Silhouette Extraction based on HMM

This paper presents a system that can extract regions of a person from an image sequence. The system first detects foreground regions based on a background model. After foreground regions are extracted a human model is used to identify human regions. In the human model, we adopt a hidden Markov model (HMM) to model human silhouettes. To separate human and non-human regions, we represent non-human silhouettes by another HMM. The human silhouette model can extract incomplete human regions even when parts of the person are covered by background objects. Experimental results show the system proposed is very effective
Geographical variation in the penetrance of CDKN2A mutations for melanoma.

BACKGROUND Germline mutations in the CDKN2A gene, which encodes two proteins (p16INK4A and p14ARF), are the most common cause of inherited susceptibility to melanoma. We examined the penetrance of such mutations using data from eight groups from Europe, Australia and the United States that are part of The Melanoma Genetics Consortium. METHODS We analyzed 80 families with documented CDKN2A mutations and multiple cases of cutaneous melanoma. We modeled penetrance for melanoma using a logistic regression model incorporating survival analysis. Hypothesis testing was based on likelihood ratio tests. Covariates included gender, alterations in p14ARF protein, and population melanoma incidence rates. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS The 80 analyzed families contained 402 melanoma patients, 320 of whom were tested for mutations and 291 were mutation carriers. We also tested 713 unaffected family members for mutations and 194 were carriers. Overall, CDKN2A mutation penetrance was estimated to be 0.30 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.12 to 0.62) by age 50 years and 0.67 (95% CI = 0.31 to 0.96) by age 80 years. Penetrance was not statistically significantly modified by gender or by whether the CDKN2A mutation altered p14ARF protein. However, there was a statistically significant effect of residing in a location with a high population incidence rate of melanoma (P =.003). By age 50 years CDKN2A mutation penetrance reached 0.13 in Europe, 0.50 in the United States, and 0.32 in Australia; by age 80 years it was 0.58 in Europe, 0.76 in the United States, and 0.91 in Australia. CONCLUSIONS This study, which gives the most informed estimates of CDKN2A mutation penetrance available, indicates that the penetrance varies with melanoma population incidence rates. Thus, the same factors that affect population incidence of melanoma may also mediate CDKN2A penetrance.
Routing-based multi-channel allocation with fault recovery for Wireless Sensor Networks

One of the common challenges in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) is the degradation of the performance due to several factors. In one hand, the interference between concurrent transmissions can affect the efficiency of the network and considerably degrades its performance. The exploitation of the multiple channels available in sensor technology and the development of protocols for WSNs can be a solution to mitigate this interference. In this case, the way the channels are assigned has a significant impact on the performance of multi-channel communication. In the other hand, the faults occurred in WSNs are another factor that degrades the WSN performance. In this paper, we propose a distributed energy-efficient solution for multi-channel allocation based on the routing. This solution implements a fault recovery mechanism to reconnect the network after an articulation node failure. A main task of the proposed approach is to minimize the number of interferences when allocating the limited number of available channels. As a second task, the approach minimizes the energy consumption by defining a sleeping/activity strategy. The fault recovery mechanism aims to restore the network connectivity and reallocate channels without affecting the whole WSN. The performance of the proposed solution is evaluated by simulation.
Functional annotation prediction: All for one and one for all

In an era of rapid genome sequencing and high‐throughput technology, automatic function prediction for a novel sequence is of utter importance in bioinformatics. While automatic annotation methods based on local alignment searches can be simple and straightforward, they suffer from several drawbacks, including relatively low sensitivity and assignment of incorrect annotations that are not associated with the region of similarity. ProtoNet is a hierarchical organization of the protein sequences in the UniProt database. Although the hierarchy is constructed in an unsupervised automatic manner, it has been shown to be coherent with several biological data sources. We extend the ProtoNet system in order to assign functional annotations automatically. By leveraging on the scaffold of the hierarchical classification, the method is able to overcome some frequent annotation pitfalls.
Sticky Thoughts

Cognitive inflexibility may play an important role in rumination, a risk factor for the onset and maintenance of depressive episodes. In the study reported here, we assessed participants’ ability to either reverse or maintain in working memory the order of three emotion or three neutral words. Differences (or sorting costs) between response latencies in backward trials, on which participants were asked to reverse the order of the words, and forward trials, on which participants were asked to remember the words in the order in which they were presented, were calculated. Compared with control participants, depressed participants had higher sorting costs, particularly when presented with negative words. It is important to note that rumination predicted sorting costs for negative words but not for positive or neutral words in the depressed group. These findings indicate that depression and rumination are associated with deficits in cognitive control.
Brittle Failure Mechanism of SnAgCu and SnPb Solder Balls during High Speed Ball Shear and Cold Ball Pull Tests

This study investigated brittle solder joint failure mechanisms during high-speed solder ball shear and pull testing. BGA package samples with different solder alloys (Sn4.0%Ag0.5%Cu and Sn37%Pb) were fabricated and a series of solder ball shear and pull tests were conducted at various testing speeds. The ball shear test speeds ranged from 10 mm/s to 3000 mm/s, while the ball pull test speeds ranged from 5 mm/s to 500 mm/s. Following high-speed shear/pull testing, the brittle fracture surfaces of the solder balls and corresponding pad were inspected using SEM/EDX. The results describe an increased incidence of brittle interfacial fracture for SnAgCu solder compared to SnPb solder. Microstructure analysis of brittle solder joint fracture surfaces appears an effective method to aid correlation between board level drop test and high-speed solder ball shear/pull tests.
Interaction between the protein InlB of Listeria monocytogenes and lipoteichoic acid: a novel mechanism of protein association at the surface of Gram‐positive bacteria

InlB is a Listeria monocytogenes protein that is sufficient to promote entry in a variety of mammalian cells. The last 232‐amino‐acid domain (Csa) of InlB has been shown to mediate attachment on the listerial surface, although its sequence does not suggest any known mechanism of association to the bacterial surface. InlB is present both on the bacterial surface and in culture supernatants. As has been recently demonstrated, both forms of InlB, soluble and surface‐bound, can trigger signalling in host cells. To elucidate the specific role of each of the two forms, it was important to understand how InlB associates with the bacterial surface. Using microscopy, we find evidence that InlB is partially buried in the cell wall layer, and using fractionation experiments we demonstrate that InlB associates with the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane. Moreover, using purified lipoteichoic acid (LTA) and the three polypeptides InlB, Csa, or InlBΔCsa (InlB lacking the last 232 amino acids), we demonstrate that LTA is a ligand for the Csa domain of InlB. These results provide the first evidence of an interaction between lipoteichoic acids and a bacterial protein involved in adhesion and signalling, and highlight a new mechanism of protein association on the surface of Gram‐positive bacteria.
The OD theory of TOD: the use and limits of temporal information for object discovery

We present the theory behind TOD (the Temporal Object Discoverer), a novel unsupervised system that uses only temporal information to discover objects across image sequences acquired by any number of uncalibrated cameras. The process is divided into three phases: (1) Extraction of each pixel's <i>temporal signature</i>, a partition of the pixel's observations into sets that stem from different objects; (2) Construction of a global schedule that explains the signatures in terms of the lifetimes of a set of quasi-static objects; (3) Mapping of each pixel's observations to objects in the schedule according to the pixel's temporal signature. Our Global Scheduling (GSched) algorithm provably constructs a valid and complete global schedule when certain observability criteria are met. Our Quasi-Static Labeling (QSL) algorithm uses the schedule created by GSched to produce the maximally-informative mapping of each pixel's observations onto the objects they stem from. Using GSched and QSL, TOD ignores distracting motion, correctly deals with complicated occlusions, and naturally groups observations across cameras. The sets of 2D masks recovered are suitable for unsupervised training and initialization of object recognition and tracking systems.
Differentiation Factors and Articular Cartilage Regeneration

Numerous differentiation factors have been examined for effects on chondrocytes in culture with the goal of sustaining these cells in culture for tissue engineering. This review examines several of these factors and evaluates their successes and shortcomings. As the quality of an engineered tissue is based upon comparisons to the native tissue, discussion of articular cartilage structure and function is also provided. Current therapeutic use of differentiation factors is presented in addition to the latest technologies incorporating differentiation factors in the tissue engineering paradigm.
The interplay between retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptors and human diseases

The retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptors (RORs) are an important subfamily of transcriptional regulators of the nuclear receptors superfamily. Their discovery over a decade ago by gene cloning strategy have revealed three major isoforms of these orphan receptors in animals. Generation and analyses of isoform-specific ROR null mice have provided revealed-vital roles for the RORs in animals. The RORs undoubtedly participate in a host of biological functions such a metabolism, immunity, development and differentiation, angiogenesis, circadian clock, xenobiotic/drug metabolism and other tissue physiologies for optimal animal survival. Moreover, intense work in the last one decade also revealed a host of human diseases being modulated by the RORs. A number of diseases, such as cancer, autoimmune diseases, inflammation, osteoporosis, metabolic syndrome etc., strongly support the involvement of RORs in their onset and progression. By involving in such diseases, the RORs are indeed a critical factor for optimal cell function and are being intensely investigated as novel targets for drug interventions in the treatment of various diseases. This review focuses on the current knowledge and status about RORs in a number of human disease conditions.
Bodily awareness: an exploration in critical design

There exists a routine in most people's lives wherein they wake, work, and sleep with few activities in between those main moments. During this routine, typical behaviors occur wherein the participants are completely numb to the activities that they are completing each day, they are so used to doing them that they no longer are aware of their movements. Work and everyday life is so typical that people feel the need to exercise to offset their lack of movement, their typical actions. Assuming this situation, we seek to explore how everyday bodily attention and movement can be challenged, and made aware. If there is a possibility that we can make people aware of their full body movements, we can therefore create the tendency for people to become more explorative in their daily lives. We explore concepts of the body-mind disconnect, introduce elements of curiosity and examine unawareness of body. We developed a process of research wherein we conducted initial research observations, a series of low, mid and high fi prototypes, body movement workshops, and cultural probes to examine how people experience bodily awareness.
Factors Associated with Childhood Obesity in Asian Countries: A Review of Recent Literature

Childhood obesity is a substantial health issue in both developed and developing countries. As obesity is associated with the development of a number of co-morbidities in childhood or adulthood, including hypertension, insulin resistance, dyslipidaemia and psychological disorders, the identification of associated factors, termed obesogenic factors, is important for the effective prevention of obesity. Many previous review articles have focused on obesogenic factors in the Western countries, predominantly based on the data obtained from studies on Western paediatric populations. Although we were able to identify a single review article conducted in an Asian country, there is a lack of cross-sectional studies from Asian populations. Therefore, the present article reviewed previously published reports from the Asian countries, including East, Southeast and South Asia and Iran. Initially, articles evaluating the relationship between childhood obesity and obesogenic factors published in the last ten years were identified by searching the PubMed database. Obesogenic factors included in the present review were nutrition, physical activity, sleep, socioeconomic status, birth weight and genetics. Articles were selected based on the quality, i.e., the number of enrolled subjects and the analytical method (i.e. multivariate analysis). Then, the association of each obesogenic factor with the development of obesity was reviewed. Finally, interventional programs for the prevention of obesity currently utilized in the Asian countries were briefly described. Chapter 2
RETROSPECTIVE: Scheduling Heterogeneous Multi-Cores through Performance Impact Estimation (PIE)

This paper was published in ISCA 2012, at a time when single-ISA heterogeneous multi-core processors had started to gain popularity. Aamer Jaleel and Joel Emer were members of VSSAD, an advanced R&D group within Intel. Kenzo Van Craeynest was a summer intern in VSSAD visiting from Ghent University, where he was pursuing a PhD under the supervision of Lieven Eeckhout. Paolo Narvaez was an architect in Intel’s Data Center Group (DCG). This work was the first to take a principled approach using CPI stacks on one core type to predict application performance on a different core type in a single-ISA heterogeneous multi-core processor.
Complete genome sequence of Parvibaculum lavamentivorans type strain (DS-1)

1 Department of Biological Sciences and Research School Chemical Biology, University of Konstanz, Germany 2 DOE Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, California, USA 3 Los Alamos National Laboratory, Bioscience Division, Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA 4 Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA 5 Centre for Marine Bio-Innovation and School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
Forcing in Proof Theory

Abstract Paul Cohen's method of forcing, together with Saul Kripke's related semantics for modal and intuitionistic logic, has had profound effects on a number of branches of mathematical logic, from set theory and model theory to constructive and categorical logic. Here, I argue that forcing also has a place in traditional Hilbert-style proof theory, where the goal is to formalize portions of ordinary mathematics in restricted axiomatic theories, and study those theories in constructive or syntactic terms. I will discuss the aspects of forcing that are useful in this respect, and some sample applications. The latter include ways of obtaining conservation results for classical and intuitionistic theories, interpreting classical theories in constructive ones, and constructivizing model-theoretic arguments.