Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Object-Based Rendering and 3-D Reconstruction Using a Moveable Image-Based System

This paper proposes a movable image-based rendering (M-IBR) system for improving the viewing freedom and environmental modeling capability of conventional static IBR systems. The system supports object-based rendering and 3-D reconstruction capability and consists of three main components. 1) An improved video stabilization method to reduce the shaky motion frequently encountered in movable IBR systems. It employs local polynomial regression (LPR) to automatically select an appropriate bandwidth for smoothing the estimated motion. 2) A novel view synthesis algorithm using a new segmentation and mutual-information (MI)-based algorithm for dense depth map estimation, which relies on segmentation, LPRbased depth map smoothing, and MI-based matching algorithm to iteratively estimate the depth map. The method is very flexible and both semiautomatic and automatic segmentation methods can be employed. They rank fourth and sixth, respectively, in the Middlebury comparison of existing depth estimation methods. This allows high-quality renderings of outdoor scenes with improved mobility/freedom to be obtained. 3) A new 3-D reconstruction algorithm that utilizes the sequential structure-from-motion technique and the dense depth maps estimated previously. It relies on a new iterative point cloud refinement algorithm based on Kalman filter for outlier removal and the segmentation-MI-based algorithm to further refine the correspondences and the projection matrices. The mobility of our system allows us to recover more conveniently 3-D model of static objects from the improved point cloud using a new robust radial basis function-based modeling algorithm to further suppress possible outliers and generate smooth 3-D meshes of objects. Experimental results show that the proposed 3-D reconstruction algorithm significantly reduces the adverse effect of the outliers and produces high-quality renderings using shadow light field and the model reconstructed.
Mechanisms of toxicity induced by SiO2 nanoparticles of in vitro human alveolar barrier: effects on cytokine production, oxidative stress induction, surfactant proteins A mRNA expression and nanoparticles uptake

Abstract An in vitro human alveolar barrier established by the coculture of epithelial human cell line NCI-H441 with endothelial human cell line ISO-HAS1 was used to evaluate the effects of amorphous silicon dioxide nanoparticles (SiNPs), in the presence or absence of THP-1 cells (monocytes). SiNPs exposure induced production of proinflammatory cytokine and oxidative stress. A high release of TNF-α and IL-8 by epithelial/endothelial cells, potentiated in the presence of THP-1 cells could contribute to the observed downregulation of surfactant proteins A mRNA expression resulting in the damage of the alveolar barrier. The obtained results suggested that in vitro approach can be used to study pulmonary toxicity as long as the applied in vitro model mimics closely the complexity of in vivo situation.
In Vivo and in Vitro Complementation Study Comparing the Function of DnaK Chaperone Systems from Halophilic Lactic Acid Bacterium Tetragenococcus halophilus and Escherichia coli

In this study, we characterized the DnaK chaperone system from Tetragenococcus halophilus, a halophilic lactic acid bacterium. An in vivo complementation test showed that under heat stress conditions, T. halophilus DnaK did not rescue the growth of the Escherichia coli dnaK deletion mutant, whereas T. halophilus DnaJ and GrpE complemented the corresponding mutations of E. coli. Purified T. halophilus DnaK showed intrinsic weak ATPase activity and holding chaperone activity in vitro, but T. halophilus DnaK did not cooperate with the purified DnaJ and GrpE from either T. halophilus or E. coli in ATP hydrolysis or luciferase-refolding reactions under the conditions tested. E. coli DnaK, however, cross-reacted with those from both bacteria. This difference in the cooperation with DnaJ and GrpE appears to result in an inability of T. halophilus DnaK to replace the in vivo function of the DnaK chaperone of E. coli.
Reforming the global architecture of financial regulation: the G20, the IMF and the FSB

The global financial crisis that began in 2007 and deepened in 2008 exposed major weaknesses in financial and macroeconomic policy coordination, and profound flaws in financial risk management and regulation in a number of advanced countries. The severity of the crisis led global leaders to recognize that they must find a way to reform the global regulatory architecture to ensure that the financial system can absorb shocks while continuing to function efficiently. In response to the crisis, the Group of Twenty (G20) met in November 2008, for the first time at the leaders level, to agree on a comprehensive strategy to restore trust in the financial system and to limit the fallout from the crisis on global output and employment. Currently, there is a complicated governance structure for the program to reform the global architecture of financial regulation that consists of three entities — one ad hoc and self-selected (G20), one treaty-based and systemic (International Monetary Fund [IMF]) and one a creation of the G20 (Financial Stability Board [FSB]). This paper undertakes an analysis of how cooperation takes place among these actors to implement the fundamental reforms needed to ensure that the global financial system is better able to withstand shocks than it was in 2007-2008. The analysis suggests a number of actions that the IMF and FSB should take to strengthen their cooperation and effectiveness, and highlights some of the problems created when no single agency has overall responsibility for the regulatory oversight of the international financial system. More broadly, it concludes that an appropriate framework for the governance of macroeconomic and financial policy cooperation in an interconnected world is a bimodal structure which includes both a restricted executive group of leaders who can implement major changes in the strategic policy direction to meet unforeseen developments and a universal, treaty-based official international financial institution that provides regular, consistent policy advice to its members. A more effective structure of governance over international economic policy cooperation would be possible if the countries and jurisdictions whose leaders made up the restricted executive group were to be selected by a more systematic and widely accepted process than at present. This raises the question, addressed at the conclusion of this paper, of what the appropriate relationship should be between the IMF’s key governing body — the International Monetary and Financial Committee — and an executive group such as the G20. This paper was originally published by the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) as Malcolm D. Knight (2014) “Reforming the Global Architecture of Financial Regulation: The G20, the IMF and the FSB. ” CIGI Paper No. 42. September.
Reliability Evaluation of Large Scale Battery Energy Storage Systems

This paper analyzes the reliability of large scale battery storage systems consisting of multiple battery modules. The whole system reliability assessment is based on the reliability evaluation of system components including individual battery modules and power electronic converters. In order to evaluate the reliability of a battery module, a reliability model based on the state of health of individual battery cells is introduced. The state of health of a battery cell is calculated based on the capacity fade of the cell using a weighted Ampere-hour throughput method. A universal generating function-based method is then introduced to evaluate the reliability of the battery module. The reliability model of dc/ac power electronic converters is also presented in this paper. The reliability analysis is conducted for battery storage systems with different system configurations and management strategies, and the influence of system configuration on the reliability of battery system is studied. Comparative studies are conducted for a classic battery energy storage system (BESS) and a reconfigurable BESS (RBESS) to demonstrate the advantages of having a reconfigurable system topology. The comparison results show that the proposed RBESS has higher system reliability and more power outputs than the classic BESS.
The Internationalization of Corporate R&D and the Automotive Industry R&D of East-Central Europe

Abstract This article examines the development of corporate research and development (R&D) in the automotive industry of East-Central Europe (ECE) in the context of the internationalization of corporate R&D generally and the automotive industry R&D specifically. Driven by large inflows of foreign direct investment since the early 1990s, vehicle assembly and the production of automotive components grew significantly in ECE. In my study I investigated the extent to which these increases in production have also led to the development of automotive R&D as an example of a higher value-added function of the automotive value chain. I conducted a more detailed analysis of Czech automotive R&D because of its prominent position in ECE. Despite modest growth, my analysis uncovered inherent weaknesses of automotive R&D in ECE and strong barriers to its future development related to its peripheral position in the European and global automotive production networks.
Technique for the reduction of output voltage ripple of switched capacitor-based DC??DC converters

Switch capacitor DC-DC converter is an emerging concept for high dropout application. This paper discusses techniques for output voltage ripple reduction of an embedded dual-switch capacitor - linear regulator-based hybrid DC-DC converter. In spite of deploying the advantage of PSRR property of the linear regulator, the ripple at the output of the convertor is still high. To alleviate this, a new technique of further reduction of the output ripple by introducing synthesised counter ripples through the linear regulator is presented. The conventional and new technique of ripple reduction has been analysed with the help of small signal equivalent circuits. These techniques have been implemented with a hybrid converter for 3.3-V-to-1.35-V conversions. A test chip is fabricated in a 0.18--m standard digital CMOS process to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed technique. It is found that the trend of ripple reduction by ripple synthesiser in measured results is consistent with the simulation results and also observed in the measured results that the ripple synthesiser reduces the output ripple of a hybrid converter by the factor of 0.52 and 0.45 for the load current of 2.2-mA and 7.3-mA, respectively.
Overview of export problems and their illustrative factors case study: Tunisian SMEs

In recent decades, a number of studies have focused on export problems and barriers. Despite efforts by governments, particularly in developing countries, to encourage exports, many Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) have expressed their difficulties in successfully concluding export transactions. By means of a questionnaire survey of 124 Tunisian export SMEs we were able to identify the major problems perceived and the relevant explanatory factors, both within and outside the companies. The results show that perceptions of export problems vary, depending on the context and the environment in which the SME operates. The managerial implications are discussed.
Molecular biology of rotaviruses. IV. Molecular cloning of the bovine rotavirus genome

A new cloning strategy has been developed for cloning the genomes of double-stranded RNA viruses by using bovine rotavirus as a test system. The major modification adopted was the use of denatured polyadenylated double-stranded RNA as the template for reverse transcriptase. This allowed the two complementary strands of cDNA to be synthesized in a single reaction and removed the need for S1 nuclease digestion to remove the 5' hairpin structure normally generated in cDNA synthesis.
Organizational Transitions: Managing Complex Change

1. Managing Complex Change. 2. The Demand System: Forces in the Environment. 3. Dynamics of Organizations: Where Change Occurs. 4. The Change Process: Why Change? 5. Defining the Future State. 6. Assessing the Present: Benchmarks for Change. 7. Getting from Here to There: Transition Management. 8. A Case Study. 9. Commitment Planning and Strategies. 10. Managing Complexity.
Setback for an Alzheimer’s disease vaccine

In 1907, Alois Alzheimer described the pathologic hallmarks of the neurodegenerative disease that now carries his name: the extracellular β-amyloid plaque and the intracellular neurofibrillary tangle. Following the identification in the mid-1980s of the small peptide Aβ as the primary constituent of β-amyloid plaques1,2⇓ and the later understanding that inherited forms of early-onset Alzheimer disease (AD) alter Aβ metabolism and promote β-amyloid accumulation,3 treatments targeting Aβ and β-amyloid have been aggressively pursued. In this issue of Neurology , Orgogozo et al. report on the phase II trial of one anti-Aβ therapy, Aβ immunization, and the details of the meningoencephalitis-related complications that developed in 6% of the patients.4 Anti-Aβ immunotherapy for AD has been the subject of intense investigation since Schenk et al. demonstrated in 1999 that active immunization with Aβ reduces β-amyloid burden in a transgenic mouse model.5 Subsequent work, including the finding that Aβ immunization was associated with improved spatial cognition in β-amyloid-depositing mice,6,7⇓ indicated that Aβ immunization, and even passive transfer of anti-Aβ antibodies,8,9⇓ might prove …
Tunable plasmonic nanobubbles for cell theranostics

Combining diagnostic and therapeutic processes into one (theranostics) and improving their selectivity to the cellular level may offer significant benefits in various research and disease systems and currently is not supported with efficient methods and agents. We have developed a novel method based on the gold nanoparticle-generated transient photothermal vapor nanobubbles, that we refer to as plasmonic nanobubbles (PNB). After delivery and clusterization of the gold nanoparticles (NP) to the target cells the intracellular PNBs were optically generated and controlled through the laser fluence. The PNB action was tuned in individual living cells from non-invasive high-sensitive imaging at lower fluence to disruption of the cellular membrane at higher fluence. We have achieved non-invasive 50-fold amplification of the optical scattering amplitude with the PNBs (relative to that of NPs), selective mechanical and fast damage to specific cells with bigger PNBs, and optical guidance of the damage through the damage-specific signals of the bubbles. Thus the PNBs acted as tunable theranostic agents at the cellular level and in one process that have supported diagnosis, therapy and guidance of the therapy.
Strategic Culture Change: The Door to Achieving High Performance and Inclusion

Diversity is one of the most significant forces influencing organizational change in the 1990s. The number of diversity workshops, videos, journal articles, boardgames, handbooks and CD-ROMs testify to its significance. Many of these present diversity as a problem to overcome or manage. Few recognize diversity as a potential source of organizational effectiveness. This article presents diversity as a key resource to create a high performing work culture that enables all members of the organization to do their best work. I share some of the lessons learned in over twenty-five years experience consulting with public and private organizations in their quest to build inclusive, high performing work environments. The article distinguishes between diversity and inclusion, describes a model for diagnosing an organization's culture, sets forth steps for implementing organizational change, and discusses the human resource professional's role. These concepts grew out of my work with organizations such as Mobil Corporation, Dun & Bradstreet, Apple Computer and the Cities of Portland, Maine; Columbus, Indiana; and San Diego, California.
Differential Regulation of the Dopamine D2and D3 Receptors by G Protein-coupled Receptor Kinases and β-Arrestins*

The D2 and D3receptors (D2R and D3R), which are potential targets for antipsychotic drugs, have a similar structural architecture and signaling pathway. Furthermore, in some brain regions they are expressed in the same cells, suggesting that differences between the two receptors might lie in other properties such as their regulation. In this study we investigated, using COS-7 and HEK-293 cells, the mechanism underlying the intracellular trafficking of the D2R and D3R. Activation of D2R caused G protein-coupled receptor kinase-dependent receptor phosphorylation, a robust translocation of β-arrestin to the cell membrane, and profound receptor internalization. The internalization of the D2R was dynamin-dependent, suggesting that a clathrin-coated endocytic pathway is involved. In addition, the D2R, upon agonist-mediated internalization, localized to intracellular compartments distinct from those utilized by the β2-adrenergic receptor. However, in the case of the D3R, only subtle agonist-mediated receptor phosphorylation, β-arrestin translocation to the plasma membrane, and receptor internalization were observed. Interchange of the second and third intracellular loops of the D2R and D3R reversed their phenotypes, implicating these regions in the regulatory properties of the two receptors. Our studies thus indicate that functional distinctions between the D2R and D3R may be found in their desensitization and cellular trafficking properties. The differences in their regulatory properties suggest that they have distinct physiological roles in the brain.
Automatic cloud detection on high resolution images

Remote sensing optical images are often cloudy and then partially unusable. Thus, cloud detection can optimize the image acquisition loop and the end-user image selection. The current pre-processing of SPOT images includes an automatic cloud and snow detection algorithm based on neural networks and fuzzy logic, which globally provides correct cloud masks but with a perfectible confidence. This process must be improved in order to avoid systematic manual re-notation. For Ple/spl acute/iades high resolution (HR) satellite, CNES experiments an innovative cloud detection method based on correlation and stereoscopic effect (B/H ratio) between images. Thanks to the quasi-simultaneous acquisition of the five spectral bands (panchromatic, red, blue, green and near infrared), this new method can be systematically applied, in addition to a radiometric one. This paper focuses on the new detection algorithm for high resolution images, which includes six main steps: (1) generation of 20 m resolution preview images in both multispectral and panchromatic bands, (2) estimation of the misregistration between panchromatic and multispectral previews using a geometric model, a global DTM and an image matching algorithm, (3) computation of the residual parallax consisting in the difference between prediction model and image matching, (4) cloud detection through high parallax value thresholding (5) radiometric analysis for snow and low altitude clouds detection, (6) masks fusion and confidence status computation. This method, still under assessment over various SPOT5 and Quickbird images, seems to be very promising. The results, presented in the paper, show that the method is efficient even for Quickbird images, in spite of the very low B/H ratio value (0.002) close to Ple/spl acute/iades one.
How Do You Build a Shared Interest? A Case of Social Innovation between Strategy and Organizational Learning

Olinda is both a voluntary association and a social cooperative that was created with the aim to transform a large, closed psychiatric hospital in the northern suburbs of Milan into a more open and therapeutic environment for patients as well as for ordinary citizens of the whole metropolitan area. This paper divides Olinda's history into three stages: in the first one we find a group of vocational trainers able to expand practices of vocational training without focusing on patients' weakness but on their capabilities with and effort to "co-produce" mental health. In 1995 they created Olinda Association to mobilize more human resources for the vocational training of the inpatients. In the second stage, in 1996 Olinda organised a big summer festival (with music, sports, theatre, etc.), to include many groups of the third sector and to involve different local authorities. During this first festival, thousands of ordinary citizens enter for the first time within the hospital, the space of the hospital became a stimulus for collective action and part of the wall around the hospital grounds was symbolically removed: the festival legitimized Olinda's therapeutical innovations and enabled ongoing debate over the continued existence of the psychiatric hospital which had long been slated for closure under a national law. In the third stage, Olinda started up an "Impresa sociale" (social enterprise), with an effort to combine services for the city with services for mental health: multiple activities in the buildings of the former hospital - a restaurant, a carpenters' workshop, a bar, and a hostel - were enacted and are still functioning and developing, as well as the yearly summer festivals. Olinda used conflicts within and outside the organization to advance public discourse and raise visibility regarding their decisions and actions. This case shows (1) the role of outsiders bringing new ideas, skills, and social capital and, especially, how bringing different types of people together can generate new insights, developments, possibilities; (2) how much sociability and cultural productions/events are really a turning point in building a shared interest in innovative action; (3) the relevance of the effort to give legitimacy and dignity to those who were previously outcasts; and (4) the importance of always involving the public administration and creating innovative institutional arrangements. This case also shows that not all innovative behaviours are strategic. Olinda not only learned from its strategies because it was quite resilient: people from Olinda built a reflexive organization and created organizational learning tools, but they do it without running away from contradictions.
Testing weak‐form efficiency in the Bahrain stock market

Purpose – This study seeks to measure the behaviour of stock prices in the Bahrain Stock Exchange (BSE), which is expected to follow a random walk. The aim of the study is to measure the weak‐form efficiency.Design/methodology/approach – Random walk models such as unit root and Dickey‐Fuller tests are used as basic stochastic tests for a non‐stationarity of the daily prices for all the listed companies in the BSE. In addition, autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) and exponential smoothing methods are also used. Cross‐sectional‐time‐series is used for the 40 listed companies over the period 1 June 1990 up until 31 December 2000.Findings – Random walk with no drift and trend is confirmed for all daily stock prices and each individual sector. Other tests, such as ARIMA (AR1), autocorrelation tests and exponential smoothing tests also supported the efficiency of the BSE in the weak‐form.Practical implications – The finding of the study is a necessary piece of information for all investors whether .
Overcoming Manufacturing Myopia

Consider this all‐too‐common scenario: A manufacturer, a division of a holding company, is run by the numbers. As long as the division throws off cash, corporate leaves it alone. Then the antiquated physical plant, with its high cost of quality, long lead times, and dinosaur products, screams for attention (i.e., resources). Corporate responds predictably: Improve your performance by next quarter!