Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fair evaluation methods for image watermarking systems

Since the early 1990s a number of papers on ''robust'' digital watermarking systems have been presented but none of them uses the same robustness criteria. This is not practical at all for comparison and slows down progress in this area. To address this issue, we present an evaluation procedure of image watermark- ing systems. First we identify all necessary parameters for proper benchmarking and investigate how to quantitatively describe the im- age degradation introduced by the watermarking process. For this, we show the weaknesses of usual image quality measures in the context watermarking and propose a novel measure adapted to the human visual system. Then we show how to efficiently evaluate the watermark performance in such a way that fair comparisons be- tween different methods are possible. The usefulness of three graphs: ''attack versus visual-quality,'' ''bit error versus visual qual- ity,'' and ''bit error versus attack'' are investigated. In addition the receiver operating characteristic graphs are reviewed and proposed to describe statistical detection behavior of watermarking methods. Finally we review a number of attacks that any system should sur- vive to be really useful and propose a benchmark and a set of dif- ferent suitable images. © 2000 SPIE and IS&T. (S1017-9909(00)00604-8)
Modelling urban area in Alpine complex terrain in winter time

Urban areas which are situated at the intersection of Alpine valleys are submitted to complex atmospheric flow patterns with significant impact on air quality. Local dynamics develop systems of slope and valley winds which interact ones with the others. Pollutants evolve according to chemical reactions homogeneously as gases and heterogeneously with particulate matters . There is a growing concern about PM10 and PM2.5 which are considered as harmful for health. They mostly come from combustion processes, directly or through chemical transformation : street and road traffic, industry and also domestic heating which is a significant contributor in winter at mid latitude. Atmosphere dynamics combine with chemistry in determining the evolution of these pollutants since they are transported from emission through winds which are highly changing along the day and with the location inside the area or interest. Dilution of chemical species is due to turbulence of the atmospheric flow. Consequently, it varies with time and in space.
ILC for networked control systems with asynchronous multiple data dropouts

A novel approach, switched system approach, is proposed for iterative learning control problem of networked control systems with asynchronous multiple data dropouts. The random data dropout at each time instance is described as an independent binary Bernoulli random variable. The input error is strictly proved to converge to zero in both almost sure and mean square senses.
Analyzing large-scale conservation interventions with Bayesian hierarchical models: a case study of supplementing threatened Pacific salmon

Myriad human activities increasingly threaten the existence of many species. A variety of conservation interventions such as habitat restoration, protected areas, and captive breeding have been used to prevent extinctions. Evaluating the effectiveness of these interventions requires appropriate statistical methods, given the quantity and quality of available data. Historically, analysis of variance has been used with some form of predetermined before-after control-impact design to estimate the effects of large-scale experiments or conservation interventions. However, ad hoc retrospective study designs or the presence of random effects at multiple scales may preclude the use of these tools. We evaluated the effects of a large-scale supplementation program on the density of adult Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha from the Snake River basin in the northwestern United States currently listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. We analyzed 43 years of data from 22 populations, accounting for random effects across time and space using a form of Bayesian hierarchical time-series model common in analyses of financial markets. We found that varying degrees of supplementation over a period of 25 years increased the density of natural-origin adults, on average, by 0–8% relative to nonsupplementation years. Thirty-nine of the 43 year effects were at least two times larger in magnitude than the mean supplementation effect, suggesting common environmental variables play a more important role in driving interannual variability in adult density. Additional residual variation in density varied considerably across the region, but there was no systematic difference between supplemented and reference populations. Our results demonstrate the power of hierarchical Bayesian models to detect the diffuse effects of management interventions and to quantitatively describe the variability of intervention success. Nevertheless, our study could not address whether ecological factors (e.g., competition) were more important than genetic considerations (e.g., inbreeding depression) in determining the response to supplementation.
Spectrally smoothed polynomial fourier transform for time-frequency characterization at low SNR

Frequency Modulated (FM) signals are encountered in many natural and human-made applications in earth, oceanic and atmospheric environments. In this paper, the limitations and optimality of existing FM signal characterization methods, in particular at low signal to noise ratios are investigated. For proper characterization, the selection of a time-frequency representation through spectrally smoothed Polynomial Fourier transform is proposed. The efficiency and the optimality of the method are elaborated.
Absolute Calibration of Radar Reflectivity Using Redundancy of the Polarization Observations and Implied Constraints on Drop Shapes

A major limitation of improved radar-based rainfall estimation is accurate calibration of radar reflectivity. In this paper, the authors fully automate a polarimetric method that uses the consistency between radar reflectivity, differential reflectivity, and the path integral of specific differential phase to calibrate reflectivity. Complete instructions are provided such that this study can serve as a guide for agencies that are upgrading their radars with polarimetric capabilities and require accurate calibration. The method is demonstrated
Structures and Activity of New Anabaenopeptins Produced by Baltic Sea Cyanobacteria

Anabaenopeptins, bioactive cyclic hexapeptides, were isolated by preparative reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography from an extract of Baltic Sea cyanobacterial bloom material composed of Nodularia spumigena (50%), Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (40%) and Dolichospermum spp. (10%). Five new anabaenopeptins and nine previously known anabaenopeptins were isolated, and their putative structures were determined by tandem mass spectrometry. The activity of the peptides against carboxypeptidase A and protein phosphatase 1 as well as chymotrypsin, trypsin and thrombin was tested. All anabaenopeptins inhibited carboxypeptidase A (apart from one anabaenopeptin variant) and protein phosphatase 1 with varying potency, but no inhibition against chymotrypsin, trypsin and thrombin was observed.
Volume-based spectrum sensing for OFDM based cognitive radio

Due to the exponential increment of spectrum requirement in multimedia application, leads to spectrum scarcity. Traditionally licensed spectrum is used only by licensees over relatively long time period with the help of FSA (fixed spectrum allocation) which guarantees the licensed authorized party without interference. According to FCC records, utilization efficiency varies between 15% to 85%, for spectrum allocated in the bands below 3GHz. Due to shortage of frequencies the BW becomes expensive. Cognitive radio (CR) play an important role between scarcity of spectrum and underutilization of the available spectrum. In CR one of the most important technique is spectrum sensing. Spectrum sensing helps to detect the spectrum holes. Energy detection method is one of the simplest spectrum sensing method. But it is particularly challenging for small sample size, low SNR (due to noise uncertainty) and fixing the threshold in conventional energy detection. OFDM-FFT and DWT are the multi carrier modulations used in CR to encounter with high data rates and give high spectral efficiency. In this paper we proposed a volume detection algorithm which using random matrix theory (RMT), provide an efficient spectrum sensing algorithm for OFDM modulated signals implement in CR. It is applied when the PU uses OFDM modulation. With the help of SMT (sample covariance matrix) the theoretical decision threshold accurately produce under the Gaussian noise assumption.
Multi‐level adaptive particle mesh (MLAPM): a c code for cosmological simulations

We present a computer code written in c that is designed to simulate structure formation from collisionless matter. The code is purely grid-based and uses a recursively refined Cartesian grid to solve Poisson's equation for the potential, rather than obtaining the potential from a Green's function. Refinements can have arbitrary shapes and in practice closely follow the complex morphology of the density field that evolves. The time-step shortens by a factor of 2 with each successive refinement. Competing approaches to N-body simulation are discussed from the point of view of the basic theory of N-body simulation. It is argued that an appropriate choice of softening length e is of great importance and that e should be at all points an appropriate multiple of the local interparticle separation. Unlike tree and P3M codes, multigrid codes automatically satisfy this requirement. We show that at early times and low densities in cosmological simulations, e needs to be significantly smaller relative to the interparticle separation than in virialized regions. Tests of the ability of the code's Poisson solver to recover the gravitational fields of both virialized haloes and Zel'dovich waves are presented, as are tests of the code's ability to reproduce analytic solutions for plane-wave evolution. The times required to conduct a ΛCDM cosmological simulation for various configurations are compared with the times required to complete the same simulation with the ART, AP3M and GADGET codes. The power spectra, halo mass functions and halo–halo correlation functions of simulations conducted with different codes are compared. The code is available from http://www-thphys.physics. ox.ac. uk/users/MLAPM.
The effect of ram pressure on the star formation, mass distribution and morphology of galaxies

Aims. We investigate the dependence of star formation and the distribution of the components of galaxies on the strength of ram pressure. Several mock observations in X-ray, H α and HI wavelength for different ram-pressure scenarios are presented. Methods. By applying a combined N -body/hydrodynamic description (GADGET-2) with radiative cooling and a recipe for star formation and stellar feedback 12 different ram-pressure stripping scenarios for disc galaxies were calculated. Special emphasis was put on the gas within the disc and in the surroundings. All gas particles within the computational domain having the same mass resolution. The relative velocity was varied from 100 km s -1 to 1000 km s -1 in different surrounding gas densities in the range from 1 $\times$ 10 -28 to 5 $\times$ 10 -27 g/cm 3 . The temperature of the surrounding gas was initially 1 $\times$ 10 7 K. Results. The star formation of a galaxy is enhanced by more than a magnitude in the simulation with a high ram-pressure (5 $\times$ 10 -11 dyn/cm 2 ) in comparison to the same system evolving in isolation. The enhancement of the star formation depends more on the surrounding gas density than on the relative velocity. Up to 95% of all newly formed stars can be found in the wake of the galaxy out to distances of more than 350 kpc behind the stellar disc. Continuously stars fall back to the old stellar disc, building up a bulge-like structure. Young stars can be found throughout the stripped wake with surface densities locally comparable to values in the inner stellar disc. Ram-pressure stripping can shift the location of star formation from the disc into the wake on very short timescales. As the gas in a galaxy has a complex velocity pattern due to the rotation and spiral arms, the superposition of the internal velocity field and the ram pressure causes complex structures in the gaseous wake which survive dynamically up to several 100 Myr. Finally we provide simulated X-ray, H α and HI observations to be able to compare our results with observations in these wavebands. These simulated observations show many features which depend strongly both on the strength and the duration of the external ram pressure.
Propagation based tracking with uncertainty measurement in automotive applications

Tracking keypoints through a sequence of images is one of the first major steps of structure-from-motion approaches. This paper presents a robust method to extend from two-frame keypoint matching to multi-frame tracking. The transition from matching to tracking is implemented through the propagation of the predicted 3D position of the keypoint. The uncertainty level of the tracking results is calculated based on the uncertainty of the motion parameters. Experiments on KITTI dataset as well as on a synthetic dataset show that dense and accurate tracking is attainable.
Dissertation Proposal : Acceleration of Network Processing Algorithms

Modern networks process and forward an increasingly large volume of traffic; the rate of growth of the traffic often outpaces the improvements in the processor, memory and software technology. In order for networking equipment to maintain an acceptable performance, there is a need for architectural enhancements and novel algorithms that can efficiently implement the various network features. While there is a variety of network features of significance, in this research proposal, we consider three core features namely: i) packet buffering and queuing, ii) packet header processing, and iii) packet payload inspection. We propose to thoroughly investigate the existing methods to realize these features and evaluate their usability on modern implementation platforms like network processors. Afterwards, we plan to introduce novel algorithms to implement these features which will not only improve the performance theoretically, but also better utilize the capabilities available with modern hardware. We also intend to evaluate some of the proposed algorithms using network processor platforms, which will provide us a first order estimate of the usability of our methods. The research is likely to contribute to the efficient design and implementation of the aforementioned network features. The proposed research is likely to take one year.
The Silence of the Cell

Some of the most abundant metals in Earth ́s crust as iron, magnesium and calcium have significant roles in the regulation of cellular processes [1,2]. Biochemically, these metals are electrophiles capable of modifying the electron ion flow in biomolecules, by binding and orienting them [3]. One of the most versatile metals in cell physiology is the calcium ion (Ca2+). Nowadays, many fundamental functions of the cell are Ca2+ dependent. Paradoxically, early life emerged in a scant free Ca2+ environment (~100 nM) because the cation was maintained as insoluble salt by the high seawater pH. In these conditions, photosynthesis was developed by autotrophs releasing molecular oxygen (O2) from splitting water. Because O2 easily permeate through cell lipid bilayers generating many toxic effects, the incorporation of this molecule in cell metabolism through cellular respiration reduced its harmful effects, but carbon dioxide (CO2) was produced as a waste product. The rich CO2 environment generated by cellular respiration induced a slight acidification of seawater that progressively releases Ca2+. In contrast to O2, the fatty inner core of the lipid bilayers prevented large Ca2+ influxes, but some Ca2+ permeation occurred through imperfect junctions between phospholipid domains and ionic channels [4,5]. In early life, Mg2+ controlled the cellular physiology, but when Ca2+ arise in the environment, many Mg2+ interacting proteins begin to be Ca2+ interacting proteins, even when cytosolic Mg2+ concentration is various orders of magnitude higher than Ca2+. These ions have similar biochemical properties, but Ca2+ can coordinate many bonds than Mg2+, and the variable hydration of Ca2+ allows to the ion to react faster than Mg2+ [2]. Then, the triggering action of Ca2+ in cell signaling is particularly valuable. Nevertheless, Ca2+ overload is potentially harmful to the cell since destabilize cytoskeleton, activate hydrolytic enzymes and cause damage in membrane lipid bilayers [2,6-8]. The key for cell survival in a Ca2+ rich environment was to establish a well-organized regulation of Ca2+ cytosolic concentrations ([Ca2+]c). In this concern, cells have developed a noteworthy complex machinery of Ca2+ binding proteins, transporters that control the membrane Ca2+ flow, and a highly specialized Ca2+ compartmentalization system. In addition, the development of a cellular code for Ca2+ signaling composed by Ca2+ transient events that take place in microdomains or globally was crucial to prevent the cell Ca2+ overload.
Acute Myocardial Infarction Risk in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease Doubled after Upper Gastrointestinal Tract Bleeding: A Nationwide Nested Case-Control Study

Prior studies of upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) are small, and long-term effects of UGIB on AMI have not been delineated. We investigated whether UGIB in patients diagnosed with coronary artery disease (CAD) increased their risk of subsequent AMI. This was a population-based, nested case-control study using Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database. After propensity-score matching for age, gender, comorbidities, CAD date, and follow-up duration, we identified 1,677 new-onset CAD patients with AMI (AMI[+]) between 2001 and 2006 as the case group and 10,062 new-onset CAD patients without (AMI[−]) as the control group. Conditional logistic regression was used to examine the association between UGIB and AMI. Compared with UGIB[−] patients, UGIB[+] patients had twice the risk for subsequent AMI (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.08; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.72–2.50). In the subgroup analysis for gender and age, UGIB[+] women (AOR = 2.70; 95% CI, 2.03–3.57) and patients < 65 years old (AOR = 2.23; 95% CI, 1.56–3.18) had higher odds of an AMI. UGIB[+] AMI[+] patients used nonsignificantly less aspirin than did UGIB[−] AMI[+] patients (27.69% vs. 35.61%, respectively). UGIB increased the risk of subsequent AMI in CAD patients, especially in women and patients < 65. This suggests that physicians need to use earlier and more aggressive intervention to detect UGIB and prevent AMI in CAD patients.
Handovers with Forward Admission Control for Adaptive TCP Streaming in LTE-Advanced with Small Cells

An important trend in the evolution of cellular networks is the introduction of cost efficient small cells. However, most of these cells will have only wireless connectivity to the backbone. Consequently, handovers will be needed much more frequently and the bandwidth between neighboring cells will become a scarce resource. Both problems are likely to affect one of the most fast growing cellular applications: adaptive TCP video streaming. While the high handover rate is likely to have a negative impact on TCP streaming due to packet loss during handovers, solutions that forward packets from the old cell to the new one must limit the amount of wireless bandwidth they use. This trade-off is addressed in the following paper.
From pedagogically relevant corpora to authentic language learning contents

The potential of corpora for language learning and teaching has been widely acknowledged and their ready availability on the Web has facilitated access for a broad range of users, including language teachers and learners. However, the integration of corpora into general language learning and teaching practice has so far been disappointing. In this paper, I will argue that the shape of many existing corpora, designed with linguistic research goals in mind, clashes with pedagogic requirements for corpus design and use. Hence, a ‘pedagogic mediation of corpora’ is required (cf. Widdowson, 2003). I will also show that the realisation of this requirement touches on both the development of appropriate corpora and the ways in which they are exploited by learners and teachers. I will use a small English Interview Corpus (ELISA) to outline possible solutions for a pedagogic mediation. The major aspect of this is the combination of two approaches to the analysis and exploitation of a pedagogically relevant corpus: a corpus-based and a discourse-based approach.
Development of Thy-1 antigen on cerebellar neurons in culture

The Thy-1.1 cell surface antigen was demonstrated by indirect immunofluorescence on two types of neurons in dissociated cell cultures of developing rat cerebellum. In cultures from postnatal rats, small cells predominated. They bound tetanus toxin, a neuronal marker, and did not have the capacity to take up gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) as measured by autoradiography. From these properties, we conclude that they are granule cells. These neurons began to express the surface antigen Thy-1.1 by 2 weeks in culture, and by 4 weeks, the antigen was detected on about 40% of all of the surviving neurons. The second type of neuron, which may be a heterogeneous mixture of cerebellar neurons, was numerous only in cultures prepared from embryonic rats. They were larger than granule cells and expressed Thy-1.1 antigen after a few days in culture. Such cells bound tetanus toxin and were negative for the glial markers galactocerebroside and glial fibrillary acidic protein. Thy-1-positive cells and cells with high GABA uptake were most frequent in embryonic day 19 cultures, where 40 to 50% of all of the neurons were positive for either property. They survived about 1 week in culture. The size and frequency of Thy-1 cells and the frequency of similar cells with high GABA uptake suggest that the embryonic rat cultures included many Purkinje cells, which express Thy-1.
Fusion Of Facial Parts And Lip For Recognition Using Modular Neural Network

Face and Lip recognition has been benchmark problems in the field of biometrics and image processing. Various Artificial neural networks have been used for recognition purpose. This paper attempts at improving the recognition result for individuals by fusion of facial parts and lip using modular artificial neural network which employs parallel local experts with combinatory recognition techniques. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Regularized-Linear Discriminant Analysis (R-LDA) algorithm are used to extract low dimensional feature vector of images to drive neural networks effectively. Backpropagation Neural Network (BPNN) and Radial Basis Function Neural Network (RBFNN) are used as training algorithm for the database. Grimace database is used in this paper for carrying out the proposed methodology. Each facial image is divided into three sub image and a lip image. The three facial parts and the lip part are trained and tested individually. The fusion technique is applied using modular neural network by grouping sub images and the lip image in different network modules. Separate results obtained from each module are integrated to get the final result from the methodology used. This result set is compared with the result set obtained by training the sub images and the lip image individually. From the empirical and results finding it can be seen that the proposed methodology performs out better result.