Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A novel two-level shape descriptor for pedestrian detection

The demand for pedestrian detection and tracking algorithms is rapidly increasing with applications in security systems, human computer interaction and human activity analysis. A pedestrian is a person standing in an upright position. Previous work involves using various types of image descriptors to detect humans. However, the existing approaches, although exhibit low misdetection rate, result in high rate of false alarms in the case of complex image backgrounds. In this work, a novel approach for pedestrian detection is proposed which is based on the combined use of two object detection approaches with the aim of reducing the false alarm rate of the individual detectors. These are the Histogram of Oriented Gradients (HOG) and a Shape Context based object detector (SC). Preliminary results are very encouraging and demonstrate clearly the ability of the proposed system to reduce the number of false alarms without significant increase in the processing time. (5 pages)
JNK1 Inhibition Attenuates Hypoxia-Induced Autophagy and Sensitizes to Chemotherapy

Inhibition of hypoxia-induced stress signaling through JNK potentiates the effects of oxaliplatin. The JNK pathway plays a role in both autophagy and apoptosis; therefore, it was determined how much of the effect of JNK inhibition on oxaliplatin sensitivity is dependent on its effect on autophagy. We studied the impact of JNK isoform downregulation in the HT29 colon adenocarcinoma cell line on hypoxia- and oxaliplatin-induced responses. Electron microscopic analyses demonstrated that both oxaliplatin- and hypoxia-induced formations of autophagosomes were reduced significantly in HT29 cells treated with the JNK inhibitor SP600125. The role of specific JNK isoforms was defined using HT29-derived cell lines stably expressing dominant-negative constructs for JNK1 and JNK2 (HTJ1.3 and HTJ2.2, respectively). These cell lines demonstrated that functional JNK1 is required for hypoxia-induced autophagy and that JNK2 does not substitute for it. Inhibition of autophagy in HTJ1.3 cells also coincided with enhancement of intrinsic apoptosis. Analysis of Bcl2-family proteins revealed hyperphosphorylation of Bcl-XL in the HTJ1.3 cell line, but this did not lead to the expected dissociation from Beclin 1. Consistent with this, knockdown of Bcl-XL in HT29 cells did not significantly affect the induction of autophagy, but abrogated hypoxic resistance to oxaliplatin due to the faster and more robust activation of apoptosis. Implications: These data suggest that balance between autophagy and apoptosis is shifted toward apoptosis by downregulation of JNK1, contributing to oxaliplatin sensitization. These findings further support the investigation of JNK inhibition in colorectal cancer treatment. Mol Cancer Res; 14(8); 753–63. ©2016 AACR.
Semantic-Aware Depth Super-Resolution in Outdoor Scenes

While depth sensors are becoming increasingly popular, their spatial resolution often remains limited. Depth super-resolution therefore emerged as a solution to this problem. Despite much progress, state-of-the-art techniques suffer from two drawbacks: (i) they rely on the assumption that intensity edges coincide with depth discontinuities, which, unfortunately, is only true in controlled environments; and (ii) they typically exploit the availability of high-resolution training depth maps, which can often not be acquired in practice due to the sensors' limitations. By contrast, here, we introduce an approach to performing depth super-resolution in more challenging conditions, such as in outdoor scenes. To this end, we first propose to exploit semantic information to better constrain the super-resolution process. In particular, we design a co-sparse analysis model that learns filters from joint intensity, depth and semantic information. Furthermore, we show how low-resolution training depth maps can be employed in our learning strategy. We demonstrate the benefits of our approach over state-of-the-art depth super-resolution methods on two outdoor scene datasets.
Studies on the binding of radiolabeled thyrotropin to cultured human thyroid cells.

A line of cultured human thyroid adenoxna cells was used in a study designed to compare the stimulatory effect of TSH on cellular cAMP generation with the binding of radiolabeled TSH to the cells. At 37 C, specific binding of [125I]TSH to suspensions of thyroid cells was maximal at 20 min and was reversed by the addition of excess TSH. Unlike the generation of cellular cAMP in response to TSH stimulation, which was maximal at pH 7.5, the binding of [125]TSH to the cells was maximal at pH 5.5 and progressively declined up to pH 8.5. Increasing NaCl concentrations progressively inhibited cellular binding of TSH; at physiological salt concentrations, almost no TSH binding was detectable. Competitive inhibition studies of [125I]TSH binding to cells revealed a binding site with a dissociation constant of 5.5 × 10-8 M at pH 7.4. GH, PRL, hCG, FSH, insulin, and glucagon did not compete with [125I]TSH binding. ACTH, however, was a potent inhibitor of [125I]TSH binding. Despite this inhibitory effect on TSH bindin.
Distinguishing Fact From Opinion And Events From Meta-Events

A major problem In automatical ly anaiy~dng the t e x t o f m~lltary messaq;les In m~lar to synthes ize data b ~ l e e le ments is separating f ac t from opinion, I.e., I d e n t ~ n 9 factual s ta tements versus eva luat ive commentary such 4,; degree Of bel ie f or conf idence In the parameters o f s part icular event , comparat ive evaiual~ons o f ent i t les and events, predict ions o f fu ture events , etc. This paper desmlbes a m~iel which accmmta fo r the range o f f a c tual to eva luat ive Information In the message t raf f ic , and dlocusses a means for repreaenUng such Ioformation In the con tex t o f an oxperlmentsJ system for automated data b a l e geners t lo~
‘Legacy’ as Managerial/Magical Discourse in Contemporary Olympic Affairs

This article critically explores the semantics and pragmatics of legacy discourse among central administrative players in today's ‘Olympic Family’. Through an ethnography of Olympic speech focused on the IOC administration, candidate city committees, and transnational consultants, I show how legacy discourse generates a perception of common and laudable purpose while flattening standards of expertise and reinforcing the IOC administration's preferred model of franchiser/franchisee relations with other Olympic bodies. This case study indicates the significance of discursive routines in furthering the transnational managerial revolution in Olympic affairs, sometimes at the expense of the Olympic movement.
A new fast packet classification algorithm: RC-FST

A classifier is required to support fairly large database and wire-speed handling with the rapid growth of Internet. The existing classification algorithms (RFC, EGT-PC, HiCuts, HyperCuts) make better time-space tradeoffs, however, while the tradeoffs have been constantly improving, the time taken for a reasonable amount of memory is still too poor for practical deployment. This paper presents a new classification algorithm called RC-FST (rules cuttings-fast search trees) which splits the set of filter rules into several subsets by the hash-compression index table built based on the first 18-bit prefix of IP and constructs fast search trees for each subset. These search trees with smaller-sized filters can be more quickly constructed, optimized and updated, so the rate of search is correspondingly improved. Furthermore, some novel methods for the building of search trees and the partition of filters are described in this paper. RC-FST can provide an order of magnitude improvement over existing classification algorithms and be easily implemented in hardware at line speeds using a pipeline fashion.
Incremental Reflexion Analysis

Architecture conformance checking is implemented in many commercial and research tools. These tools typically implement the reflex ion analysis originally proposed by Murphy and Not kin. This analysis allows for structural validation of an architecture model against a source model connected by a mapping from source entities onto architecture entities. Given this mapping, the reflex ion analysis computes the discrepancies between the architecture model and source model automatically. The mapping process is usually highly interactive and the most time-consuming activity in the reflex ion analysis. In current tools, the reflex ion analysis must be repeated completely whenever the underlying source or architecture models or the mapping change. In large systems, the recomputation can hinder interactive use as a user expects an immediate response to his or her change. This paper describes an incremental reflex ion analysis that does not require a complete repetition of the reflex ion analysis. Instead, it repeats the analysis only for those parts that are influenced by a change. The incremental reflex ion analysis is evaluated on large real-world systems.
Experimental and Modeling Study of Collagen Scaffolds with the Effects of Crosslinking and Fiber Alignment

Collagen type I scaffolds are commonly used due to its abundance, biocompatibility, and ubiquity. Most applications require the scaffolds to operate under mechanical stresses. Therefore understanding and being able to control the structural-functional integrity of collagen scaffolds becomes crucial. Using a combined experimental and modeling approach, we studied the structure and function of Type I collagen gel with the effects of spatial fiber alignment and crosslinking. Aligned collagen scaffolds were created through the flow of magnetic particles enmeshed in collagen fibrils to mimic the anisotropy seen in native tissue. Inter- and intra- molecular crosslinking was modified chemically with Genipin to further improve the stiffness of collagen scaffolds. The anisotropic mechanical properties of collagen scaffolds were characterized using a planar biaxial tensile tester and parallel plate rheometer. The tangent stiffness from biaxial tensile test is two to three orders of magnitude higher than the storage moduli from rheological measurements. The biphasic nature of collagen gel was discussed and used to explain the mechanical behavior of collagen scaffolds under different types of mechanical tests. An anisotropic hyperelastic constitutive model was used to capture the characteristics of the stress-strain behavior exhibited by collagen scaffolds.
A lateral capacitive CMOS accelerometer with structural curl compensation

We present successful experimental results from the first lateral capacitive accelerometer to be designed and manufactured in a conventional CMOS process. Compatibility with conventional CMOS provides advantages of low cost, high yield and fast prototyping that should be transferable to any CMOS foundry. A fully differential capacitive-bridge interface which cannot be realized in polysilicon technology is designed and implemented. Out-of-plane curling associated with the composite structural layers is compensated to first order through a curl matching technique. The prototype accelerometer has a measured sensitivity of 1.2 mV/g and a 0.5 mg//spl radic/Hz noise floor at the output of the sensing element.
Exploring the Icebergs of Adult Learning: Findings of the First Canadian Survey of Informal Learning Practices.

This paper provides empirical estimates of the extent and distribution of self-reported learning activities in the current Canadian adult population, based on a recent country-wide survey, and briefly addresses some implications of these adult learning patterns. The basic finding from the survey is that most Canadian adults are spending a great deal and increasing amount of time in learning activities, most of this in informal learning on their own. The major implications are that Canada is an increasingly knowledge-based society in any reasonable sense of the term and that Canadian adults' informal learning practices should more explicitly be taken into account in shaping educational, economic, and other social policies. As well, adult educators should take this detectable informal learning into greater account to develop more responsive further education opportunities. Resume Ce texte propose une estimation empirique de l'importance et de la distribution des activites d'apprentissage auto-rapportees, selon une enquete pan canadienne recente. On a trouve que la majorite des adultes canadiens consacrent de plus en plus de temps a leurs activites d'auto-apprentissage, dont la majeure partie demeure informelle. Le Canada apparait ainsi comme une societe fondee sur le savoir. Or, les pratiques d'apprentissage informel des adultes canadiens doivent etre davantage liees a l'elaboration de politiques educatives, economiques et sociales. Les educateurs d'adultes eux-memes doivent tenir compte du phenomene de l'autoformation dans I'elaboration de leurs programmes et activites d'apprentissage.
Habitat Selectivity and Reliance on Live Corals for Indo-Pacific Hawkfishes (Family: Cirrhitidae)

Hawkfishes (family: Cirrhitidae) are small conspicuous reef predators that commonly perch on, or shelter within, the branches of coral colonies. This study examined habitat associations of hawkfishes, and explicitly tested whether hawkfishes associate with specific types of live coral. Live coral use and habitat selectivity of hawkfishes was explored at six locations from Chagos in the central Indian Ocean extending east to Fiji in the Pacific Ocean. A total of 529 hawkfishes from seven species were recorded across all locations with 63% of individuals observed perching on, or sheltering within, live coral colonies. Five species (all except Cirrhitus pinnulatus and Cirrhitichthys oxycephalus) associated with live coral habitats. Cirrhitichthys falco selected for species of Pocillopora while Paracirrhites arcatus and P. forsteri selected for both Pocillopora and Acropora, revealing that these habitats are used disproportionately more than expected based on the local cover of these coral genera. Habitat selection was consistent across geographic locations, and species of Pocillopora were the most frequently used and most consistently selected even though this coral genus never comprised more than 6% of the total coral cover at any of the locations. Across locations, Paracirrhites arcatus and P. forsteri were the most abundant species and variation in their abundance corresponded with local patterns of live coral cover and abundance of Pocilloporid corals, respectively. These findings demonstrate the link between small predatory fishes and live coral habitats adding to the growing body of literature highlighting that live corals (especially erect branching corals) are critically important for sustaining high abundance and diversity of fishes on coral reefs.
Resident pleural macrophages are key orchestrators of neutrophil recruitment in pleural inflammation.

RATIONALE The role played by resident pleural macrophages in the initiation of pleural inflammation is currently unclear. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the role of resident pleural macrophages in the initiation of inflammation. METHODS We have used a conditional macrophage ablation strategy to determine the role of resident pleural macrophages in the regulation of neutrophil recruitment in a murine model of experimental pleurisy induced by the administration of carrageenan and formalin- fixed Staphylococcus aureus. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Conditional macrophage ablation mice express the human diphtheria toxin receptor under the control of the CD11b promoter such that the administration of diphtheria toxin induces ablation of nearly 97% of resident macrophages. Ablation of resident pleural macrophages before the administration of carrageenan or S. aureus dramatically reduced neutrophil influx into the pleural cavity. In the carrageenan model, the reduction in neutrophil infiltration was associated with marked early reduction in the level of macrophage inflammatory protein 2 as well as reduced levels of various cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin 6, and interleukin 10. Adoptive transfer of nontransgenic macrophages partially restored neutrophil infiltration. We also stimulated macrophage-depleted and nondepleted pleural cell populations with carrageenan in vitro and determined the production of chemokines and cytokines. Chemokine and cytokine production was markedly reduced by macrophage depletion, reinforcing the role of resident pleural macrophages in the generation of mediators that initiate acute inflammation. CONCLUSION These studies indicate a critical role for resident pleural macrophages in sensing perturbation to the local microenvironment and orchestrating subsequent neutrophil infiltration.
The mechanics of slithering locomotion

In this experimental and theoretical study, we investigate the slithering of snakes on flat surfaces. Previous studies of slithering have rested on the assumption that snakes slither by pushing laterally against rocks and branches. In this study, we develop a theoretical model for slithering locomotion by observing snake motion kinematics and experimentally measuring the friction coefficients of snakeskin. Our predictions of body speed show good agreement with observations, demonstrating that snake propulsion on flat ground, and possibly in general, relies critically on the frictional anisotropy of their scales. We have also highlighted the importance of weight distribution in lateral undulation, previously difficult to visualize and hence assumed uniform. The ability to redistribute weight, clearly of importance when appendages are airborne in limbed locomotion, has a much broader generality, as shown by its role in improving limbless locomotion.
U-Omp19 from Brucella abortus Is a Useful Adjuvant for Vaccine Formulations against Salmonella Infection in Mice

Most pathogens infect through mucosal surfaces, and parenteral immunization typically fails to induce effective immune responses at these sites. Development of oral-administered vaccines capable of inducing mucosal as well as systemic immunity while bypassing the issues of antigen degradation and immune tolerance could be crucial for the control of enteropathogens. This study demonstrates that U-Omp19, a bacterial protease inhibitor with immunostimulatory features, coadministered with Salmonella antigens by the oral route, enhances mucosal and systemic immune responses in mice. U-Omp19 was able to increase antigen-specific production of IFN-γ and IL-17 and mucosal (IgA) antibody response. Finally, oral vaccination with U-Omp19 plus Salmonella antigens conferred protection against virulent challenge with Salmonella Typhimurium, with a significant reduction in bacterial loads. These findings prove the efficacy of this novel adjuvant in the Salmonella infection model and support the potential of U-Omp19 as a suitable adjuvant in oral vaccine formulations against mucosal pathogens requiring T helper (Th)1–Th17 protective immune responses.
An association between overexpression of DNA methyltransferase 3B4 and clear cell renal cell carcinoma

It is well known that abnormal DNA methylations occur frequently in kidney cancer. However, it remains unclear exactly which types of DNA methyltransferases (DNMT) contribute to the pathologies of kidney cancers. In order to determine the functions of DNA methyltransferase in kidney tumorigenesis on the molecular level, we examined the mRNA expression levels of DNMT1, DNMT3A, DNMT3B, and DNMT3B variants in renal cell carcinoma tissue. Both mRNA and protein levels of DNMT3B4, a splice variant of DNMT3B, were increased in renal cell carcinoma tissue compared with adjacent control tissues. Additionally, Alu elements and long interspersed nuclear elements (LINE-1) were hypomethylated in renal cell carcinoma tissue. Meanwhile, methylation of the promoter for RASSF1A, a tumor suppressor gene, was moderately increased in renal cell carcinoma tissue, while RASSF1A expression was decreased. Thus, our data suggest that the overexpression of DNMT3B4 may play an important role in human kidney tumorigenesis through chromosomal instability and methylation of RASSF1A.
Differential domain analysis for non-uniform sampling

Sampling is a core component for many graphics applications including rendering, imaging, animation, and geometry processing. The efficacy of these applications often crucially depends upon the distribution quality of the underlying samples. While uniform sampling can be analyzed by using existing spatial and spectral methods, these cannot be easily extended to general non-uniform settings, such as adaptive, anisotropic, or non-Euclidean domains. We present new methods for analyzing non-uniform sample distributions. Our key insight is that standard Fourier analysis, which depends on samples' spatial locations, can be reformulated into an equivalent form that depends only on the distribution of their location differentials. We call this differential domain analysis. The main benefit of this reformulation is that it bridges the fundamental connection between the samples' spatial statistics and their spectral properties. In addition, it allows us to generalize our method with different computation kernels and differential measurements. Using this analysis, we can quantitatively measure the spatial and spectral properties of various non-uniform sample distributions, including adaptive, anisotropic, and non-Euclidean domains.
Unsupervised Similarity-Based Risk Stratification for Cardiovascular Events Using Long-Term Time-Series Data

In medicine, one often bases decisions upon a comparative analysis of patient data. In this paper, we build upon this observation and describe similarity-based algorithms to risk stratify patients for major adverse cardiac events. We evolve the traditional approach of comparing patient data in two ways. First, we propose similarity-based algorithms that compare patients in terms of their long-term physiological monitoring data. Symbolic mismatch identifies functional units in long-term signals and measures changes in the morphology and frequency of these units across patients. Second, we describe similarity-based algorithms that are unsupervised and do not require comparisons to patients with known outcomes for risk stratification. This is achieved by using an anomaly detection framework to identify patients who are unlike other patients in a population and may potentially be at an elevated risk. We demonstrate the potential utility of our approach by showing how symbolic mismatch-based algorithms can be used to classify patients as being at high or low risk of major adverse cardiac events by comparing their long-term electrocardiograms to that of a large population. We describe how symbolic mismatch can be used in three different existing methods: one-class support vector machines, nearest neighbor analysis, and hierarchical clustering. When evaluated on a population of 686 patients with available long-term electrocardiographic data, symbolic mismatch-based comparative approaches were able to identify patients at roughly a two-fold increased risk of major adverse cardiac events in the 90 days following acute coronary syndrome. These results were consistent even after adjusting for other clinical risk variables.