Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ieee Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence 1 Learning 3d Object Templates by Quantizing Geometry and Appearance Spaces

—While 3D object-centered shape-based models are appealing in comparison with 2D viewer-centered appearance-based models for their lower model complexities and potentially better view generalizabilities, the learning and inference of 3D models has been much less studied in the recent literature due to two factors: i) the enormous complexities of 3D shapes in geometric space; and ii) the gap between 3D shapes and their appearances in images. This paper aims at tackling the two problems by studying an And-Or Tree (AoT) representation that consists of two parts: i) a geometry-AoT quantizing the geometry space, i.e. the possible compositions of 3D volumetric parts and 2D surfaces within the volumes; and ii) an appearance-AoT quantizing the appearance space, i.e. the appearance variations of those shapes in different views. In this AoT, an And-node decomposes an entity into constituent parts, and an Or-node represents alternative ways of decompositions. Thus it can express a combinatorial number of geometry and appearance configurations through small dictionaries of 3D shape primitives and 2D image primitives. In the quantized space, the problem of learning a 3D object template is transformed to a structure search problem which can be efficiently solved in a dynamic programming algorithm by maximizing the information gain. We focus on learning 3D car templates from the AoT, and collect a new car dataset featuring more diverse views. The learned car templates integrate both the shape-based model and the appearance-based model to combine the benefits of both. In experiments, we show three aspects: 1) the AoT is more efficient than the frequently used octree method in space representation; 2) the learned 3D car template matches the state-of-the art performances on car detection and pose estimation in a public multi-view car dataset; and 3) in our new dataset, the learned 3D template solves the joint task of simultaneous object detection, pose/view estimation, and part localization. It can generalize over unseen views and performs better than the version 5 of the DPM model in terms of object detection and semantic part localization.
Inspecting the Structural Biases of Dependency Parsing Algorithms

We propose the notion of a structural bias inherent in a parsing system with respect to the language it is aiming to parse. This structural bias characterizes the behaviour of a parsing system in terms of structures it tends to under- and over- produce. We propose a Boosting-based method for uncovering some of the structural bias inherent in parsing systems. We then apply our method to four English dependency parsers (an Arc-Eager and Arc-Standard transition-based parsers, and first- and second-order graph-based parsers). We show that all four parsers are biased with respect to the kind of annotation they are trained to parse. We present a detailed analysis of the biases that highlights specific differences and commonalities between the parsing systems, and improves our understanding of their strengths and weaknesses.
Cardiac Mechanics in Mild Hypertensive Heart Disease: A Speckle-Strain Imaging Study

Background—We hypothesized that abnormalities in regional systolic strain (ϵ) might be present among hypertensive subjects with normal ejection fraction, and, if present, could be used to identify patients at high risk for heart failure. The aim of the current case-control study was to use speckle tracking imaging to identify subclinical global and regional systolic function abnormalities in hypertensive subjects with normal ejection fraction. Methods and Results—Standard 2D Doppler echocardiography, tissue Doppler imaging, and 2D speckle strain imaging were performed in 52 hypertensive subjects with normal ejection fraction and 52 control subjects of similar age. Peak systolic (S′), and diastolic (E′) annular velocities were obtained by tissue Doppler imaging, whereas longitudinal myocardial systolic velocity (Vl) and circumferential, longitudinal, and radial strains (ϵc, ϵl, ϵr) were obtained by speckle tracking. Midwall shortening and peak basal longitudinal strain (ϵl) were used as indices of regional function. Hypertensive subjects had lower velocities—tissue Doppler imaging E′ and S′, and Vl—and evidence of reduced regional function. Surprisingly, however, global ϵ values did not differentiate hypertensive subjects from control subjects. Among hypertensive patients, significant inverse associations were found between left ventricular mass and global longitudinal and circumferential ϵ (both P<0.05). Conclusions—Hypertensive heart disease with normal ejection fraction is associated with reduced myocardial velocities and reduced regional function but normal global ϵ. Our data suggest that velocity abnormalities occur early in hypertension and may be an appropriate target for preventive strategies because they occur before abnormalities in global ϵ.
Applying approximate order dependency to reduce indexing space

The recently introduced notion of order dependency in the relational model is generalized to include situations where order dependency is satisfied in an approximate way. Two fundamental types of approximate satisfaction are distinguished and analyzed. It is shown for both types that such approximate satisfaction of order dependencies can be applied to substantially reduce indexing space without significantly increasing access time.
Efficient Interpolation in the Wu List Decoding Algorithm

The interpolation step of the Wu list decoding algorithm for Reed–Solomon codes is considered. The problem is reformulated as construction of a partially homogenized interpolation polynomial. A generalization of the binary interpolation algorithm, which is based on the novel formulation of the interpolation step, is provided. It enables complexity reduction both with respect to the Wu method based on the iterative interpolation algorithm, as well as the Guruswami–Sudan method based on re-encoding and the binary interpolation algorithm.
Acute effects of triiodothyronine on glucose and fatty acid metabolism during reperfusion of ischemic rat hearts.

Clinical studies have demonstrated improved myocardial recovery after severe ischemia in response to acute triiodothyronine (T3) treatment. We determined whether T3 improves the recovery of ischemic hearts by improving energy substrate metabolism. Isolated working rat hearts were perfused with 5.5 mM glucose and 1.2 mM palmitate and were subjected to 30 min of no-flow ischemia. Glycolysis, glucose oxidation, and palmitate oxidation were measured during aerobic reperfusion by adding [5-3H]glucose, [U-14C]glucose, or [9,10-3H]palmitate to the perfusate, respectively. During reperfusion, cardiac work in untreated hearts recovered to a lesser extent than myocardial O2 consumption (MVO2), resulting in a decreased recovery of cardiac efficiency, which recovered to only 25% of preischemic values. Treatment of hearts with T3 (10 nM) before ischemia increased glucose oxidation during reperfusion, which was associated with a significant increase in pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) activity, the rate-limiting enzyme for glucose oxidation. In contrast, T3 had no effect on MVO2, glycolysis, or palmitate oxidation. This resulted in a significant decrease in H+ production from glycolysis uncoupled from glucose oxidation (2.7 +/- 0.3 and 1.9 +/- 0.3 micromol . g dry wt-1 . min-1 in control and T3-treated hearts, respectively, P < 0.05), as well as a 3.2-fold improvement in cardiac work and a 2.3-fold increase in cardiac efficiency compared with untreated postischemic hearts (P < 0.05). These data suggest that T3 can exert acute effects that improve the coupling of glycolysis to glucose oxidation, thereby decreasing H+ production and increasing cardiac efficiency as well as contractile function during reperfusion of the postischemic heart.
Collaborative Professional Development in English Medium Instruction

In recent years, the need for focused student‑centred teaching in general, and greater and higher quality interaction in particular, has been widely recognized.However, for this to occur in the field of EMI, it is believed that teachers need to undertake some re‑examination of their teaching approaches and/or professional development. The present study carried out in Italy by means of a data‑driven research protocol aims to investigate and improve the professional development of EMI teachers. Results and conclusions will hopefully contribute to further enrich the knowledge‑base of researchers and practitioners working in the field.
The Thin Line Within: Exploring the Interplay of Organizational Citizenship Behavior, Social Exchange, and Unethical Pro-Organizational Behavior

The existing body of research on “organizational citizenship behavior” (OCB) predominantly emphasizes its positive outcomes. However, individuals who actively engage in organization-oriented OCB to support the organization's effectiveness may occasionally exhibit “unethical pro-organizational behavior” (UPB) based on strong organizational identification and positive social exchanges. Drawing upon “Social Identity Theory” (SIT) and “Social Exchange Theory” (SET), this study presents a mediated model to deepen our understanding of UPB as a potential negative consequence of OCB, mediated by social exchange (SE). Survey data was collected from 303 managerial-level workforces employed in the Banking Sector of Pakistan. The empirical analysis provides robust evidence supporting the direct link between OCB and UPB, as well as the mediating role of SE between OCB and UPB. Both theoretical as well as managerial implications are comprehensively deliberated in the end.
Secrecy analysis of multi-cell massive MIMO systems with RCI precoding and artificial noise transmission

In this paper, we study linear precoding for a secure multi-cell massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) downlink system employing artificial noise generation. We consider the large system limit where the number of base station antennas, the number of mobile users, and the number of eavesdropper antennas are all growing without bound but with fixed ratio. The proposed precoder is based on regularized channel inversion (RCI) with regularization parameter κ. The optimal κ is derived such that the ergodic secrecy rate is maximized in the case of imperfect channel state information at the transmitter due to pilot contamination. Our analytical results show that the proposed RCI precoder outperforms other linear precoders.
Glutamine deprivation plus BPTES alters etoposide- and cisplatin-induced apoptosis in triple negative breast cancer cells

Glutamine provides cancer cells with the energy required to synthesize macromolecules. Methods which block glutamine metabolism in treatment of breast cancer inhibit oncogenic transformation and tumor growth. We investigated whether inhibiting glutamine metabolism produces effects that are synergistic with those produced by drugs which damage DNA in triple-negative breast cancer cells. HCC1937 and BT-549 breast cancer cells were co-treated with either cisplatin or etoposide in combination with BPTES (a specific inhibitor of glutaminase 1) or exposure to a glutamine-free medium, and the cell proliferation and cell apoptosis were measured by flow cytometry, immunoblotting studies, and CCK-8 assays. The results showed that both glutamine deprivation and BPTES pretreatments increased the toxic effects of cisplatin and etoposide on HCC1937 cells, as demonstrated by their reduced proliferation, increased expression of apoptosis-related proteins (cleaved-PARP, cleaved-caspase 9, and cleaved-caspase 3) and decreased Bcl-2/BAX ratio. However, in BT-549 cells, glutamine deprivation and BPTES treatment increased etoposide-induced apoptosis only when used with higher concentrations of etoposide, and the effect on cisplatin-induced apoptosis was minimal. These results suggest that the anti-cancer effects produced by a combined approach of inhibiting glutamine metabolism and administering common chemotherapeutic agents correlate with the tumor cell type and specific drugs being administered.
Estimación de parámetros en modelos agregados para el estudio de descargas de acuíferos kársticos

En esta contribucion se abordan diferentes modelos agregados, descritos en la literatura especializada para el estudio de descargas de acuiferos, incluyendo un modelo de tipo no lineal propuesto por el autor. Con el objetivo de estimar los parametros involucrados, cada modelo presentado fue acoplado con el algoritmo metaheuristico de busqueda global Cuckoo Search (CS), el cual genera la aproximacion inicial del algoritmo de busqueda local FMINCON de MatLab. Con base en datos reales medidos en el acuifero Ciego-Moron, los parametros que caracterizan el agotamiento del acuifero se estimaron de forma satisfactoria, asi como el volumen de recarga ocasionada por la precipitacion. Los resultados obtenidos se sustentaron por las elevadas correlaciones entre simulaciones y observaciones, demostrando la factibilidad del abordaje expuesto en el presente articulo.
Mumps outbreak in an unimmunized population – Luanshya District, Copperbelt Province, Zambia, 2015

Introduction: Mumps is a vaccine-preventable viral disease that may cause deafness, orchitis, encephalitis or death. However, mumps vaccine is not included in Zambia’s Expanded Program for Immunization. In January 2015, Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response data revealed an increase in reported mumps cases in Luanshya District. We investigated to confirm the etiology and generate epidemiological data on mumps in Zambia. Methods: We conducted active case finding, examined possible case-patients, and administered a standard questionnaire. A suspected mumps case was defined as acute onset of salivary gland swelling in a Luanshya resident during January June 2015. Eight case-patients provided serum samples to test for mumps-specific immunoglobulin IgM, and buccal swabs to test for mumps viral RNA by RT-PCR, and genotyping of mumps virus at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Results: From January – June 2015, a total of 283 mumps cases were reported in Luanshya, peaking in April (71 cases) and clustering (81%) in two townships. Of 72 suspected case-patients interviewed, 81% were aged < 15 years (29%, 1 4 years) and 61% were female. Common clinical characteristics were buccal tenderness (29%) and fever > 37.5oC (29%). Mumps virus genotype D was confirmed in five case-patients who tested positive by RT-PCR; six case-patients were sero-positive for anti-mumps IgM antibodies (total seven lab-confirmed cases). Conclusion: Our findings represent the first reported epidemiologic description of mumps in Zambia. While the epidemiology is consistent with prior descriptions of mumps in unimmunized populations and no serious complications arose, this report provides data to inform policy discussions regarding mumps vaccination in Zambia. Pan African Medical Journal. 2018; 31:3 doi:10.11604/pamj.2018. 31.3. 11720 This article is available online at: http://www.panafrican-med-journal.com/content/article/31/3/full/ © Ernest Kateule et al. The Pan African Medical Journal ISSN 1937-8688. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Pan African Medical Journal – ISSN: 19378688 (www.panafrican-med-journal.com) Published in partnership with the African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET). (www.afenet.net) Research Open Access
Parameterized and low power DSP core for embedded systems

Conventional ASIC designs are hard to customize. Therefore DSP core-based ASIC design has a potentially large payoff. This approach not only supports improved performance but also shortens the time-to-market. An embedded DSP was proposed, and for better performance and flexibility we design a parameterized and low power DSP core generator. A dual MAC unit, sub-word multiplier, and some function-specific blocks are adapted to accelerate communication system applications. The Gray code addressing mode, pipeline sharing and advanced hardware looping are designed to reduce power consumption at the architecture level. The generator uses a graphical user interface (GUI) and can generate synthesizable Verilog code of the embedded DSP core according to user specifications.
Precise isotropic scaling iterative closest point algorithm based on corner points for shape registration

The traditional iterative closest point (ICP) algorithm could register two points sets well, but it is easily affected by local dissimilar. To deal with this problem, this paper proposes an isotropic scaling ICP algorithm with corner point constraint. First, an objective function is proposed under the guidance of the corner points, as the corner points can preserve the similar of the whole shapes. Secondly, a new ICP algorithm is used to complete the isotropic scaling registration. At each step of this new algorithm, the correspondence is built based on the closest point searching, and then a closed-form solution of the transformation is computed. The experimental results demonstrate that our algorithm can prevent the influence of the local dissimilar and improve the registration precision compared with the traditional ICP algorithm.
Reduced-Bandwidth and Distributed MWF-Based Noise Reduction Algorithms for Binaural Hearing Aids

In a binaural hearing aid system, output signals need to be generated for the left and the right ear. Using the binaural multichannel Wiener filter (MWF), which exploits all microphone signals from both hearing aids, a significant reduction of background noise can be achieved. However, due to power and bandwidth limitations of the binaural link, it is typically not possible to transmit all microphone signals between the hearing aids. To limit the amount of transmitted information, this paper presents reduced-bandwidth MWF-based noise reduction algorithms, where a filtered combination of the contralateral microphone signals is transmitted. A first scheme uses a signal-independent beamformer, whereas a second scheme uses the output of a monaural MWF on the contralateral microphone signals and a third scheme involves an iterative distributed MWF (DB-MWF) procedure. It is shown that in the case of a rank-1 speech correlation matrix, corresponding to a single speech source, the DB-MWF procedure converges to the binaural MWF solution. Experimental results compare the noise reduction performance of the reduced-bandwidth algorithms with respect to the benchmark binaural MWF. It is shown that the best performance of the reduced-bandwidth algorithms is obtained by the DB-MWF procedure and that the performance of the DB-MWF procedure approaches quite well the optimal performance of the binaural MWF.
Directing attention and influencing memory with visual saliency modulation

In augmented reality, it is often necessary to draw the user's attention to particular objects in the real world without distracting her from her task. We explore the effectiveness of directing a user's attention by imperceptibly modifying existing features of a video. We present three user studies of the effects of applying a saliency modulation technique to video; evaluating modulation awareness, attention, and memory. Our results validate the saliency modulation technique as an alternative means to convey information to the user, suggesting attention shifts and influencing recall of selected regions without perceptible changes to visual input.
Hierarchical Unsupervised Change Detection in Multitemporal Hyperspectral Images

The new generation of satellite hyperspectral (HS) sensors can acquire very detailed spectral information directly related to land surface materials. Thus, when multitemporal images are considered, they allow us to detect many potential changes in land covers. This paper addresses the change-detection (CD) problem in multitemporal HS remote sensing images, analyzing the complexity of this task. A novel hierarchical CD approach is proposed, which is aimed at identifying all the possible change classes present between the considered images. In greater detail, in order to formalize the CD problem in HS images, an analysis of the concept of “change” is given from the perspective of pixel spectral behaviors. The proposed novel hierarchical scheme is developed by considering spectral change information to identify the change classes having discriminable spectral behaviors. Due to the fact that, in real applications, reference samples are often not available, the proposed approach is designed in an unsupervised way. Experimental results obtained on both simulated and real multitemporal HS images demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed CD method.
A multi-class pattern recognition system for practical finger spelling translation

The paper presents a portable system and method for recognizing the 26 hand shapes of the American Sign Language alphabet, using a novel glove-like device. Two additional signs, 'space', and 'enter' are added to the alphabet to allow the user to form words or phrases and send them to a speech synthesizer. Since the hand shape for a letter varies from one signer to another, this is a 28-class pattern recognition system. A three-level hierarchical classifier divides the problem into "dispatchers" and "recognizers. " After reducing pattern dimension from ten to three, the projection of class distributions onto horizontal planes makes it possible to apply simple linear discrimination in 2D, and Bayes' Rule in those cases where classes had features with overlapped distributions. Twenty-one out of 26 letters were recognized with 100% accuracy; the worst case, letter U, achieved 78%.
On the feeding mechanisms for graphene-based THz plasmonic nano-antennas

Graphene, thanks to its ability to support Surface Plasmon Polariton (SPP) waves in the Terahertz (THz) band (0.1- 10 THz), enables the miniaturization and electrical tunability of miniature antennas suited for wireless communication among nanosystems. Despite graphene antennas have been extensively analyzed by means of modeling and simulation, no experimental proof is available to date. One of the main reasons for this is the lack of adequate signal generators and feeding mechanisms able to contact the nano-antenna with a reasonable efficiency. In this paper, two recently proposed feeding mechanisms for graphene-based THz plasmonic antennas are described. The first technique is based on the optical excitation of SPP waves by means of optical downconversion with photoconductive materials, whereas the second approach relies on electrical excitation of SPP waves on the antenna by means of a high-electron-mobility transistor. While fundamentally different, the two feeding mechanisms are able to effectively couple to a graphene-based plasmonic nanostructure and, thus, can be utilized to excite plasmonic nano-antennas in practical setups.