Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Steganography: Dct Coefficient Replacement Method and Compare With JSteg Algorithm

Steganography is a method for hiding secret data in another media which is called cover. The selection of cover and techniques for hiding data is for caching less attention and visual distortion. The outlet of steganography system is called Steganograme which has the similar characteristics to the cover, and also it contains our hidden information. Steganography is not a new subject which is considered nowadays, its history can be traced in 440 BC. In the first usage of this knowledge the secret messages were written on the shaved head of Greek soldiers, when their hair grew up, the messages were concealed from the others. By development of digital communication and multimedia technology, steganography is being entered to a new season. These days images, audio and video files can be used as a cover media. In this paper, a digital image is used for this reason. By changing the way of data embedding in JSteg algorithm a new method can be achieved, which has higher signal to noise ratio and also its coefficient histogram is more similar to the cover image histogram. Most of the steganography techniques; which hide the data
The Effect of Virus-Blocking Wolbachia on Male Competitiveness of the Dengue Vector Mosquito, Aedes aegypti

Background The bacterial endosymbiont Wolbachia blocks the transmission of dengue virus by its vector mosquito Aedes aegypti, and is currently being evaluated for control of dengue outbreaks. Wolbachia induces cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) that results in the developmental failure of offspring in the cross between Wolbachia-infected males and uninfected females. This increases the relative success of infected females in the population, thereby enhancing the spread of the beneficial bacterium. However, Wolbachia spread via CI will only be feasible if infected males are sufficiently competitive in obtaining a mate under field conditions. We tested the effect of Wolbachia on the competitiveness of A. aegypti males under semi-field conditions. Methodology/Principal Findings In a series of experiments we exposed uninfected females to Wolbachia-infected and uninfected males simultaneously. We scored the competitiveness of infected males according to the proportion of females producing non-viable eggs due to incompatibility. We found that infected males were equally successful to uninfected males in securing a mate within experimental tents and semi-field cages. This was true for males infected by the benign wMel Wolbachia strain, but also for males infected by the virulent wMelPop (popcorn) strain. By manipulating male size we found that larger males had a higher success than smaller underfed males in the semi-field cages, regardless of their infection status. Conclusions/Significance The results indicate that Wolbachia infection does not reduce the competitiveness of A. aegypti males. Moreover, the body size effect suggests a potential advantage for lab-reared Wolbachia-males during a field release episode, due to their better nutrition and larger size. This may promote Wolbachia spread via CI in wild mosquito populations and underscores its potential use for disease control.
Improving Impervious Surface Extraction With Shadow-Based Sparse Representation From Optical, SAR, and LiDAR Data

Numerous studies on environmental modeling and ecological process lay emphasis on the fundamental information of the impervious surface area (ISA). However, accurate ISA extraction from high-resolution satellite images remains challenging due to both the high diversity of land covers and shadow effects from tall buildings and trees. To address the problem, a discriminative Optical-SAR-LiDAR dictionary sparse representation classification (OSLD-SRC) method was proposed using high-resolution WorldView-2, GeoEye-1, TerraSAR-X, and airborne LiDAR data. First, it used multisource data and fuzzy samples by low-pass filtering (LPF) to solve the problem of roads and buildings misclassification; second, it learned the Optical-SAR-LiDAR dictionary for nonshadow and shadow classes, and then used discriminative sparse coding method for classification to reduce the shadow effects and improve the ISA extraction accuracy. Experimental results demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Cellular DBMS: An Attempt Towards Biologically-Inspired Data Management

Existing database management systems (DBMS) are complex and less predictable (i.e., the consistency of performance with the increase of functionality and the data growth is not certain). Database researchers acknowledge the need for revisiting DBMS architectures to fulfill the needs of new hardware and application trends. We propose a biologically inspired DBMS architecture called ”Cellular DBMS”. The Cellular DBMS architecture promises development of highly customizable and autonomous DBMS. This report explains in detail the design principles for Cellular DBMS architecture. It also explains an aspect-oriented programming based model to equip Cellular DBMS architecture with autonomy. Finally, it presents an extension to decomposed storage model (DSM) for use in Cellular DBMS.
Wind-Driven Snow Buildup Using a Level Set Approach

We present a physically-based snow modeling approach that handles geometrically complex scenes and arbitrary amounts of accumulated snow. Scene objects are represented with a novel dual level set structure. This implicit surface representation produces smooth snow surfaces that adhere to granular stability constraints at every time-step. Realistic accumulation patterns are achieved by tracing snow-carrying particles in a dynamic wind-ﬁeld and on the surfaces of objects. Local level set operations are used to deposit snow at surface locations for which accumulation is physically plausible. The effectiveness of our method is demonstrated by applying our method to a number of challenging scenes.
Vehicle Localization with Global Probability Density Function for Road Navigation

This paper presents a novel approach of real-time vehicle's localization (position and orientation) estimation. Fusion of GPS, gyroscope, speedometer and visual data is employed here to provide real time and accurate localization information. Global probability density function(PDF) is adopted to be the blending factor instead of general Kalman gain, which allows our approach to be robust and accurate for most of practical systematic problems, since the basic measurements from GPS may cause data drift or large infrequent data jumps during the fusion processing. Combining with visual data for lane shape recognition and tracking, our approach can provide as accurate as 3 to 5 meters RMS location accuracy at about 30 Hz, with less then 35 ms delay. This approach has been adapted to the direct visual navigation system in VICNAS.
Implementing NFV routers and SDN controllers in MPLS architecture

In the MPLS architecture, there is a strong argument to virtualize network functions ahead of implementing SDN. Because it is a relatively new investment, the MPLS represents an opportunity to create a foundation architecture that will scale over. Moreover, there are two other closely linked in networking occurring in the same time NFV and SDN who can deliver benefits to the MPLS backbone and edge switching routers which increase network component's flexibility, scalability and reliability.
Deconvoluting Post-Transplant Immunity: Cell Subset-Specific Mapping Reveals Pathways for Activation and Expansion of Memory T, Monocytes and B Cells

A major challenge for the field of transplantation is the lack of understanding of genomic and molecular drivers of early post-transplant immunity. The early immune response creates a complex milieu that determines the course of ensuing immune events and the ultimate outcome of the transplant. The objective of the current study was to mechanistically deconvolute the early immune response by purifying and profiling the constituent cell subsets of the peripheral blood. We employed genome-wide profiling of whole blood and purified CD4, CD8, B cells and monocytes in tandem with high-throughput laser-scanning cytometry in 10 kidney transplants sampled serially pre-transplant, 1, 2, 4, 8 and 12 weeks. Cytometry confirmed early cell subset depletion by antibody induction and immunosuppression. Multiple markers revealed the activation and proliferative expansion of CD45RO+CD62L− effector memory CD4/CD8 T cells as well as progressive activation of monocytes and B cells. Next, we mechanistically deconvoluted early post-transplant immunity by serial monitoring of whole blood using DNA microarrays. Parallel analysis of cell subset-specific gene expression revealed a unique spectrum of time-dependent changes and functional pathways. Gene expression profiling results were validated with 157 different probesets matching all 65 antigens detected by cytometry. Thus, serial blood cell monitoring reflects the profound changes in blood cell composition and immune activation early post-transplant. Each cell subset reveals distinct pathways and functional programs. These changes illuminate a complex, early phase of immunity and inflammation that includes activation and proliferative expansion of the memory effector and regulatory cells that may determine the phenotype and outcome of the kidney transplant.
Zipcode Binding Protein 1 Regulates the Development of Dendritic Arbors in Hippocampal Neurons

The pattern of dendritic branching, together with the density of synapses and receptor composition, defines the electrical properties of a neuron. The development of the dendritic arbor and its additional stabilization are highly orchestrated at the molecular level and are guided by intrinsic mechanisms and extracellular information. Although protein translation is known to contribute to these processes, the role of its local component has not been fully explored. For local translation, mRNAs are transported to dendrites in their dormant form as ribonucleoparticles (RNPs). We hypothesized that disturbing spatial mRNA distribution via RNP targeting may result in severe underdevelopment of the dendritic arbor. Zipcode binding protein 1 (ZBP1) controls β-actin mRNA transport and translation in dendrites. We showed that proper cellular levels of ZBP1, its ability to engage in mRNA binding, and Src-dependent release of mRNA cargo from ZBP1 are vital for dendritic arbor development in cultured rat hippocampal neurons. Moreover, β-actin overexpression significantly alleviated the effects of ZBP1 knockdown. These results suggest that ZBP1-dependent dendritic mRNA transport contributes to proper dendritic branching.
Commentary Cognitive Functioning in Schizophrenia : Its Relevance to Rehabilitation

1 in this issue attempts to compare the cognitive functioning in a group of persons with schizophrenia who are currently clinically stable and on maintenance medication and in euthymic bipolar-I patients. Cognitive assessments were done using Wisconsin's Card Sorting Test (WCST), Spatial Working Memory Test (SWMT) and Continuous Performance Test (CPT), all of which were computer based tests. It was found that the performance on the tests was much worse in those with schizophrenia, when compared to persons with bipolar disorder. While there is nothing very surprising about these results, what merits attention is that cognitive functions have been measured in clinically stable states. In clinical psychiatry, it is difficult to be absolutely definitive about a total cure or remission, especially in psychotic conditions like schizophrenia. Even when clinical stability is achieved, some amount of residual symptoms, mostly negative symptoms might persist leading to cognitive dysfunction. Hence it becomes important to measure this dysfunction in clinically stable patients to help them deal with these deficits. The findings of this study 1 reiterate the need to be sensitive to such deficits even while dealing with symptomatically remitted patients, this information being important for planning rehabilitation programmes. It is now contextual to look at the role of cognitive functions, assessments and retraining as they apply to chronic mental disorders such as schizophrenia. What is cognition: Cognition is what enables humans to function in everyday life in the spheres of personal, social, and occupational activities. The ability to attend to things in a selective and focused way, to concentrate over a period of time, to learn new information and skills, to plan, to determine strategies for actions and to execute them, to comprehend language and to use verbal skills for communication and self-expression, and to retain information and manipulate it to solve complex problems are examples of mental processes that are referred to as cognitive function. While almost all of these are taken for granted in most persons, they get impaired in a group of disorders ranging from schizophrenia and dementia to head injuries and epilepsy. This impairment inevitably has an impact on functional outcome of the illness. Cognition in a broad sense means information processing. It denotes a relatively high level of processing of specific information including thinking, Cognitive deficits in schizophrenia: As early as 1896, the eminent German psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin used the term dementia praecox for schizophrenia to imply that …
A Planning Approach to Story Generation for History Education

Effective history instruction often relies on taking historical episodes and making them personally relevant to the learner. One narrative-centered technique for accomplishing this is to tell a story about the historical episode in which significant historical events are witnessed or even, to some small degree, influenced by a fictional character. Given individual differences among users, the ability to generate historical fictions that are adapted to a particular learner is essential. Historical fiction generation is a special case of general narrative generation that imposes constraints on the form of the solution story. We describe how a narrative planner, specifically the Fabulist narrative planner, is capable of generating historical fictions for educational purposes.
The disposition effect, dual process theory and emotion regulation

Research from the behavioural finance paradigm has detected bias in investors' decision making. One such bias, the disposition effect, shows that investors are reluctant to sell investments at a loss, yet are eager to sell investments at a gain. Investors vary in the extent to which they exhibit the disposition effect and research to date has found that an investor's level of sophistication and amount of experience can somewhat predict their susceptibility to this bias. Despite the disposition effect arising out of the nature of human psychology, few studies have empirically investigated psychological based explanations for susceptibility to this bias. I address this gap by applying two psychological theories to predict the susceptibility to the disposition effect: dual process theory and a model of the role of emotions and their regulation. The thesis contains two studies on the disposition effect of UK investors, a country where investors have not previously been researched for this bias. The first study involves using survival analysis to analyse the transactions made by 4,328 UK investors from July 2006 to December 2009. The second study is a subsample ofthe first, where 261 investors completed an online questionnaire to measure the psychological variables. I show that the average UK investor in this sample is susceptible to the disposition effect. contribute to existing knowledge about the disposition effect by showing that investor sophistication and experience attenuates, but does not eliminate, this bias. I extend knowledge on the disposition effect by showing that through the use of stop loss strategies, investors can inoculate against the disposition effect. In relation to the psychological variables, I find that investors who report higher levels of intuitive ability exhibit this bias to greater extent and investors who report a preference towards analytical cognition exhibit this bias to a lesser extent. Finally, the results tentatively show that investors who reappraise their emotions while investing, exhibit this bias to a lesser extent.
Decentralized Bisimulation for Multiagent Systems

The notion of bisimulation has been introduced as a powerful way to abstract from details of systems in the formal verification community. When applying to multiagent systems, classical bisimulations will allow one agent to make decisions based on full histories of others. Thus, as a general concept, classical bisimulations are unrealistically powerful for such systems. In this paper, we define a coarser notion of bisimulation under which an agent can only make realistic decisions based on information available to it. Our bisimulation still implies trace distribution equivalence of the systems, and moreover, it allows a compositional abstraction framework of reasoning about the systems.
Comparison of the static and dynamic balance performance in young, middle-aged, and elderly healthy people.

BACKGROUND Body sway increases with age. The purpose of this study was to obtain baseline data and the characteristics of balance performance in different age groups for balance strategy management. METHODS Healthy individuals (n = 107) were divided into young, middle-aged, and elderly groups, and assessed by computerized dynamic posturography (CDP) on a Smart Balance Master. The 6 subtests in the sensory organization tests (SOT) for the CDP were as follows: subtest 1, eyes open, fixed support platform; subtest 2, eyes closed, fixed platform; subtest 3, eyes open, fixed platform; subtest 4, eyes open, swaying platform; subtest 5, eyes closed, swaying platform; subtest 6, swaying visual surround, swaying platform. Motor balance control tests included the limit of stability (LOS) test at 75% of LOS in 8 directions and the left/right and forward/backward rhythmic weight shift (RWS) test. RESULTS In the SOT, the elderly group demonstrated significantly lower average stability and maximal stability scores in subtests 4-6. This group also demonstrated a relatively lower average percentage of ankle strategy in subtests 4-6. In the motor control tests, the elderly group demonstrated a significantly higher overall reactive time and lower overall directional control in the LOS test, lower on-axis velocity during the forward/backward and left/right motor control test and a lower average percentage of forward/backward directional control in the RWS test. CONCLUSION The elderly had a higher degree of postural imbalance and used hip strategy to a greater extent to maintain their balance, especially when standing on a swaying support surface in the absence of visual surround or with conflicted visual surround. The elderly required a longer reaction time and demonstrated lower directional control in balance performance.
Quantification of diphtheria toxin mediated ADP-ribosylation in a solid-phase assay.

BACKGROUND Because of reduced vaccination programs, the number of diphtheria infections has increased in the last decade. Diphtheria toxin (DT) is expressed by Corynebacterium diphtheriae and is responsible for the lethality of diphtheria. DT inhibits cellular protein synthesis by ADP-ribosylation of the eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (eEF2). No in vitro system for the quantification of DT enzymatic activity exists. We developed a solid-phase assay for the specific detection of ADP-ribosylation by DT. METHODS Solid phase-bound his-tag eEF2 is ADP-ribosylated by toxins using biotinylated NAD(+) as substrate, and the transferred biotinylated ADP-ribose is detected by streptavidin-peroxidase. DT enzymatic activity correlated with absorbance. We measured the amount of ADP-ribosylated eEF2 after precipitation with streptavidin-Sepharose. Quantification was done after Western blotting and detection with anti-his-tag antibody using an LAS-1000 System. RESULTS The assay detected enzymatically active DT at 30 ng/L, equivalent to 5 mU/L ADP-ribosylating activity. Pseudomonas exotoxin A (PE) activity was also detected at 100 ng/L. We verified the assay with chimeric toxins composed of the catalytic domain of DT or PE and a tumor-specific ligand. These chimeric toxins revealed increased signals at 1000 ng/L. Heat-inactivated DT and cholera toxin that ADP-ribosylates G-proteins did not show any signal increase. CONCLUSIONS The assay may be the basis for the development of a routine diagnostic assay for the detection of DT activity and highly specific inhibitors of DT.
More cops, fewer prisoners?

A large literature establishes that hiring police officers leads to reductions in crime and that investments in police are a relatively efficient means of crime control compared to investments in prisons. One concern, however, is that because police officers make arrests in the course of their duties, police hiring, while relatively efficient, is an inevitable driver of "mass incarceration. " This research considers the dynamics through which police hiring affects downstream incarceration rates. Using state-level panel data as well county-level data from California, we uncover novel evidence in favor of a potentially unexpected and yet entirely intuitive result — that investments in law enforcement are unlikely to markedly increase state prison populations and may even lead to a modest decrease in the number of state prisoners. As such, investments in police may, in fact, yield a "double dividend" to society, by reducing incarceration rates as well as crime rates.
Derivation of the three-dimensional architecture of bacterial ribonuclease P RNAs from comparative sequence analysis.

The secondary structure of bacterial RNase P RNA, a ribozyme responsible for the maturation of the 5' end of tRNAs, is well established on the basis of sequence comparison analysis. RNase P RNA secondary structures fall into two types, A and B, which share a common core formed by the assembly of two main folding domains, but differ in their peripheral elements.A revised alignment of 137 available sequences reveals new covariations allowing for the refinement of both types of secondary structures. Phylogenetic evidence is thus provided for the extension of stems P11, P14, P19, P10.1 and P15.1 through further canonical base-pairs or GAellipsisGA mismatches. These refinements led in turn to a new organization of the catalytic core, with coaxial stackings of helices P2 and P19 as well as P1 and P4. New inter-domain tertiary interactions involve loop L9 and helix P1 and loop L8 with helix P4. These features were incorporated into atomic-scale 3D models of RNase P RNA for representatives of each structural type, namely Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis. In each model, the juxtaposition of the core helices creates a cradle onto which the pre-tRNA substrate binds with most evolutionarily conserved residues converging towards the cleavage site. The inner cores of both types are stabilized similarly, albeit by different peripheral elements, emphasizing the modular and hierarchical organisation of the architecture of RNase P RNAs. Similarities are thus apparent between the type A modules, P16/P17/P6 and P13/P14, and their type B analogs, P5.1/P15.1 and P10. 1/P10.1a, respectively. Other noteworthy features of these models include compactness and good agreement with published crosslinking data.