Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Robust Learning-Based Camera Motion Characterization Scheme With Applications to Video Stabilization

This paper investigates a novel learning-based camera motion characterization scheme along with its application to the video stabilization problem. The proposed characterization scheme represents the compressed domain block motion vectors (MVs) using polar angle and magnitude histograms. Discriminative features from these two histograms are extracted and fed to a supervised learning-based hierarchical classifier for recognizing the six camera motion patterns. A comparative analysis with an existing scheme is carried out to support and validate the proposed characterization scheme. The proposed scheme works at the frame level by classifying the inter-frame camera motion patterns. This scheme is extended to classify the video segments and a novel application to video stabilization is investigated. An experimental analysis of a number of test sequences captured using a handheld video camera shows that by characterizing the smooth and jittery motions, selective video stabilization could be carried out only on those video segments that have been degraded. This approach of selective video stabilization saves considerable amount of computational time compared with running the stabilization algorithm on the entire video sequence, as proposed in the literature. The proposed strategy of using a classification scheme prior to applying the video stabilization routine offers a new paradigm to the conventional video stabilization problem. Experimental validation carried out using exhaustive search motion estimation obtained block MVs, and H.264/Advanced Video Coding-obtained MVs shows that by using the idea of selective video stabilization, up to 62% reduction in processing time can be achieved compared with video stabilization approaches wherein the entire video sequence is processed.
Two rules for callosal connectivity in striate cortex of the rat

In the rat, callosal cells occupy lateral as well as medial portions of striate cortex. In the region of the border between areas 17 and 18, which contains a representation of the vertical meridian of the visual field, cells projecting through the corpus callosum are concentrated throughout the depth of the cortex. In contrast, in medial portion of striate cortex, where peripheral portions of the visual field are represented, callosal cells are preferentially found in infragranular layers. These differences in topography and laminar distribution suggest that these callosal regions, referred to as medial and lateral callosal regions in the present study, subserve different functions. We explored this possibility by analyzing the patterns of callosal linkages in these two cailosai regions. We charted the location of retrogradely labeled cells within striate cortex of one hemisphere after placing restricted injections of one or more fluorescent tracers into selected sites in the contralateral striate cortex.
Characterization of Low Frequency Noise in Floating Gate NAND Flash Memory

We have characterized the low frequency noise (LFN) in the NAND flash memory string, for the first time, and shown its fundamental properties. As a result, the NAND flash memory shown specific LFN characteristics in conditions such as bit-line bias, word-line bias, read current and program or erase state of each cell in a string. Also the LFN was investigated with program/erase (P/E) cycling of a cell or all cells in a string, and shown several tens mV of maximum threshold voltage fluctuation after ~100 k cycling at 70 nm node. Lastly, we have predicted the effects of the LFN in sub-70 nm NAND flash memory.
The need for speed: central command commanding vasodilation in human skeletal muscle?

muscular contractions lead to a large ([2][1]) and rapid ([14][2]) increase in muscle perfusion, providing a challenging field of research for over a century. A particular challenge has been deciphering the mechanism(s) that regulate the increase in vascular conductance that, in turn, enables the
Évaluation de l'impact à moyen terme sur l'HBA1c du programme d'éducation thérapeutique sur une cohorte de patients de l'hôpital d'instruction des armées Robert Picqué

Objectifs : L'objectif de l'etude etait d'analyser a moyen terme les benefices apportes par le programme d'education therapeutique de l'HIARP a une cohorte de patients diabetiques de type 2. Methodes : il s'agit d'une etude retrospective de cohorte. Elle incluait les patients ayant participe au programme d'education therapeutique entre janvier 2012 et decembre 2013. Les donnees cliniques et biologiques ont ete recueillies dans les dossiers hospitaliers ou aupres des medecins traitants et des laboratoires. L'hemoglobine glyquee, le poids et l'IMC ont ete suivis sur un an. Nous avons egalement evalue les connaissances et la satisfaction des patients a un an. Resultats : L'etude incluait 86 patients avec une moyenne d'âge de 61,5 ans, un delai diagnostique du diabete fait en moyenne depuis 10 ans. Nous avons constate une amelioration significative (p 0,05) entre l'HbA1c moyenne a 6 mois et un an. Il n'existe pas de difference significative au niveau de l'evolution du poids ou de l'IMC (p>0,05) a 6mois et 1 an. Il semble qu'il y ait une amelioration de la qualite de vie et des comportements alimentaires. Conclusion : Nous avons mis en evidence un benefice du programme d'education therapeutique de l'HIARP sur l'hemoglobine glyquee. Les resultats sur les autres parametres etaient plus mitiges. Nous ne pouvons cependant pas conclure compte tenu des limites de notre etude.
Phytochemical screening and HPTLC fingerprint profile of marine red alga Spyridia fusiformis

The present study was aimed to develop the high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) fingerprint profile for methanol extracts of marine red alga Spyridia. fusiformis. A HPTLC method for the separation of the active constituents in extracts have been developed and TLC of these extracts on silica gel pre-coated aluminum plates by the automatic TLC applicator and using the solvent system n-hexane: ethyl acetate (60:40 v/v) was performed. Preliminary phytochemical screening of the extracts showed the presence of alkaloids, triterpenes, tannins, saponins, glycosides, phenolic compounds and flavonoids. HPTLC finger print scanned at 350 nm from methanol extractof S. fusiformis revealed 7 peaks with Rf values in the range of 0.32 to 0.92. It can be concluded that HPTLC fingerprint analysis of methanol extract of marine red alga S.fusiformis a phytochemical marker.
Quantitative Evaluation on Microsoft Azure IoT Suite

The Internet of Things (IoT) is rapidly gaining ground in our daily life. There is a trend that the number of devices and data increases rapidly in the future. Meanwhile, IoT platforms are emerging to enable people conveniently deal with the IoT and these huge amount of data and devices. Therefore, the goal in this paper is to perform a quantitative evaluation on Microsoft Azure, one of the IoT platform, about its advantages and disadvantages under press to determine if Azure IoT is fit for future IoT. In order to reach this goal, Azure IoT Hub is used as a bridge to connect and manage lots of IoT devices which send and receive huge amount of data. NET is used to simulate devices and connect them to the IoT Hub. The two-way communication from sensor to cloud and from cloud to actuator is implemented through MQTT protocol. This paper makes measurements on three metrics including response time from sensor sending messages to actuator receiving messages, scalability and cost and analyzes them in detail. Besides, the analysis is also made in a specific scenario which has high demand on sensor update to see how Azure IoT performs. Finally, conclusion is made on Microsoft Azure IoT's advantages and disadvantages under stress.
Digitalization of Swedish Government Agencies - A Perspective Through the Lens of a Software Development Census

Software engineering is at the core of the digitalization of society. Ill-informed decisions can have major consequences, as made evident in the 2017 government crisis in Sweden, originating in a data breach caused by an outsourcing deal made by the Swedish Transport Agency. Many Government Agencies (GovAgs) in Sweden are rapidly undergoing a digital transition, thus it is important to overview how widespread, and mature, software development is in this part of the public sector. We present a software development census of Swedish GovAgs, complemented by document analysis and a survey. We show that 39.2% of the GovAgs develop software internally, some matching the number of developers in large companies. Our findings suggest that the development largely resembles private sector counterparts, and that established best practices are implemented. Still, we identify improvement potential in the areas of strategic sourcing, openness, collaboration across GovAgs, and quality requirements. The Swedish Government has announced the establishment of a new digitalization agency next year, and our hope is that the software engineering community will contribute its expertise with a clear voice.
Image forgery detection in contourlet transform domain based on new chaotic cellular automata

Image authentication includes techniques that detect unauthorized changes in digital pictures. Image authentication is generally categorized into two primary categories, active and passive methods. In this paper, a new active image authentication method is proposed for tamper detection based on contourlet transform. Cellular automata and 'Game of Life' are also used to improve the detection of tampered area. A pseudo-random number generator based on cellular automata has been used to improve security of proposed technique. We evaluates security and randomness of proposed pseudo-random number generator using by NIST statistical test suite. Experimental results show that the proposed method is sensitive to any tampers, and it can detect forged areas of the images. Visual quality of image after embedding process is desirable due to Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio PSNR measure. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Increases in c-Jun N-Terminal Kinase/Stress-Activated Protein Kinase and p38 Activity in Monocyte-Derived Macrophages following the Uptake of Legionella pneumophila

ABSTRACT Legionella pneumophila, the causative agent of Legionnaires' disease, infects and replicates within a variety of eukaryotic cells. The purpose of the current study was to examine host cell signaling events immediately following uptake and early in the endocytic process (less than 1 h) following the phagocytosis of L. pneumophila. This examination focused on the protein kinase signal pathways to identify any aberrant signal(s) induced by L. pneumophila within its host, as a means to alter the normal endocytic pathway. The mitogen-activated protein kinase cascades are of interest due to their involvement in cellular regulation. The experiments were carried out with monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs). All three mitogen-activated protein kinase cascades were activated when MDMs were inoculated with either Legionella strain (wild-type strain AA100 or dotA mutant GL10) or an Escherichia coli control. Whereas the avirulent treatments, GL10 and E. coli, exhibited a leveling off or a return to near basal levels of phosphorylation/activity of c-Jun N-terminal kinase by 60 min, the virulent strain AA100 exhibited a significantly increased level of activity through 60 min that was greater than that seen in GL10 (P = 0.025) and E. coli (P = 0.014). A similar trend was seen with p38 phosphorylation. Phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein/ERK kinase (MEK) was decreased in strain AA100 compared to E. coli. Inhibition of the activity of either the stress-activated protein kinase/c-Jun N-terminal kinase or p38 pathway significantly decreased the ability of legionellae to replicate intracellularly, suggesting the necessity of these two pathways in its intracellular survival and replication.
Inherited coagulation disorders.

1 De Stefano V, Finazzi G, Mannucci PM. Inherited thrombophilia: pathogenesis, clinical syndromes, and management. Review. Blood 1996;87:3531–44. 2 Greaves M. Antiphospholipid antibodies and thrombosis. Review. Lancet 1999; 353:1348–53. 3 Greaves M, Baglin T. Laboratory testing for heritable thrombophilia: impact on clinical management of thrombotic disease. Br J Haematol 2000;109:699–703. 4 Greaves M, Cohen H, Machin SJ, Mackie I. Guidelines on the investigation and management of the antiphospholipid syndrome. Br J Haematol 2000;109:704–15. 5 Preston FE, Rosendaal FR, Walker ID, Briet E, et al. Increased fetal loss in women with heritable thrombophilia. Lancet 1996;348: 913–6. 6 Schulman S, Svenungsson E, Granqvist S. Anticardiolipin antibodies predict early recurrence of thromboembolism and death among patients with venous thromboembolism following anticoagulant therapy. Duration of Anticoagulation Study Group. Am J Med 1998;104:332–8. 7 Seligsohn U, Lubetsky A. Genetic susceptibility to venous thrombosis. Review. N Engl J Med 2001;344:1222–31. 8 Vandenbroucke JP, Koster T, Briet E, Reitsma PH, et al. Increased risk of venous thrombosis in oral-contraceptive users who are carriers of factor V Leiden mutation. Lancet 1994;344:1453–7.
The Opposing Effect of Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-2α on Expression of Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase

Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) has been implicated in the transcriptional regulation of the telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) gene expression and telomerase activity, essential elements for cellular immortalization and transformation. However, controversial results were obtained in different studies. Moreover, it is totally unclear whether HIF-2α, the paralog of HIF-1α, plays a role in regulating hTERT expression. In the present study, we found that hypoxic treatment enhanced hTERT mRNA expression and telomerase activity in three renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cell lines with different genetic backgrounds. Both HIF-1α and HIF-2α were capable of significantly increasing the hTERT promoter activity in these cells. Moreover, depleting HIF-2α led to a down-regulation of hTERT mRNA level in RCC A498 cells expressing constitutive HIF-2α. It was found that HIF-2α bound to the hTERT proximal promoter and enhanced the recruitment of the histone acetyltransferase p300 and histone H3 acetylation locally in A498 cells treated with hypoxia. Increased levels of hTERT mRNA were observed in two of three hypoxia-treated malignant glioma cell lines. However, HIF-1α stimulated whereas HIF-2α inhibited the hTERT promoter activity in these glioma cell lines. Ectopic expression of HIF-2α resulted in diminished hTERT expression in glioma cells. Collectively, HIF-1α activates hTERT and telomerase expression in both RCC and glioma cells, and HIF-2α enhances hTERT expression in RCC cells, whereas it represses the hTERT transcription in glioma cells. These findings reveal a complex relationship between HIF-1α/2α and hTERT/telomerase expression in malignant cells, which may have both biological and clinical implications. (Mol Cancer Res 2007;5(8):793–800)
Eimeria albigulae and E. ladronensis: new host records from the bushy-tailed woodrat, Neotoma cinerea, from Utah.

219). The spirochetes that we isolated from I. dammini, which were feeding from a white-footed mouse or Virginia opossum, may have been acquired as the larvae ingested blood from their hosts. White-footed mice are a recognized reservoir, and although spirochetes have not yet been isolated from the Virginia opossum, serum antibodies to B. burgdorferi have been detected (Magnarelli et al., 1984, Journal of Medical Entomology 21: 52-57). The binding of monoclonal antibody H5332 to 3 of our isolates in IFA tests establishes their
Mesenchymal Stromal Cells for Antineoplastic Drug Loading and Delivery

Mesenchymal stromal cells are a population of undifferentiated multipotent adult cells possessing extensive self-renewal properties and the potential to differentiate into a variety of mesenchymal lineage cells. They express broad anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activity on the immune system and after transplantation can interact with the surrounding microenvironment, promoting tissue healing and regeneration. For this reason, mesenchymal stromal cells have been widely used in regenerative medicine, both in preclinical and clinical settings. Another clinical application of mesenchymal stromal cells is the targeted delivery of chemotherapeutic agents to neoplastic cells, maximizing the cytotoxic activity against cancer cells and minimizing collateral damage to non-neoplastic tissues. Mesenchymal stem cells are home to the stroma of several primary and metastatic neoplasms and hence can be used as vectors for targeted delivery of antineoplastic drugs to the tumour microenvironment, thereby reducing systemic toxicity and maximizing antitumour effects. Paclitaxel and gemcitabine are the chemotherapeutic drugs best loaded by mesenchymal stromal cells and delivered to neoplastic cells, whereas other agents, like pemetrexed, are not internalized by mesenchymal stromal cells and therefore are not suitable for advanced antineoplastic therapy. This review focuses on the state of the art of advanced antineoplastic cell therapy and its future perspectives, emphasizing in vitro and in vivo preclinical results and future clinical applications.
Excavations at Heslerton, North Yorkshire 1978–82

This report describes the excavations of a 4ha multi-period site situated in the parish of Heslerton, North Yorkshire, on the southern edge of the Vale of Pickering. The site came to light in 1977 and a rescue excavation project, sponsored by the Department of the Environment through North Yorkshire County Council, continued on a seasonal basis from 1978 until December 1982.Occupation at the site began during the late Mesolithic with a flint knapping area, which was also used during the Neolithic and early Bronze Age. During the Late Neolithic a series of shallow gullies may represent the first attempts to establish a field system, and domestic activity may be indicated by two pairs of refuse pits. Other pits of this period demonstrate the presence of an ill-defined avenue of very large post pits running across part of the site. During the early Bronze Age two barrow cemeteries were present. The excavation of Barrow Cemetery 1, besides providing an important series of stratified carbon 14 dates, has produ.
Real-time Lexicon-based sentiment analysis experiments on Twitter with a mild (more information, less data) approach

Sentiment analysis of Twitter data is a well studied area, however, there is a need for exploring the effectiveness of real-time approaches on small data sets that only include popular and targeted tweets. In this paper, we have employed several sentiment analysis techniques by using dynamic dictionaries and models, and performed some experiments on limited but relevant datasets to understand the popularity of some terms and the opinion of users about them. The results of our experiments are promising.
Exosomes from Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1)-Infected Cells License Quiescent CD4+ T Lymphocytes To Replicate HIV-1 through a Nef- and ADAM17-Dependent Mechanism

ABSTRACT Resting CD4+ T lymphocytes resist human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Here, we provide evidence that exosomes from HIV-1-infected cells render resting human primary CD4+ T lymphocytes permissive to HIV-1 replication. These results were obtained with transwell cocultures of HIV-1-infected cells with quiescent CD4+ T lymphocytes in the presence of inhibitors of exosome release and were confirmed using exosomes purified from supernatants of HIV-1-infected primary CD4+ T lymphocytes. We found that the expression of HIV-1 Nef in exosome-producing cells is both necessary and sufficient for cell activation as well as HIV-1 replication in target CD4+ T lymphocytes. We also identified a Nef domain important for the effects we observed, i.e., the 62EEEE65 acidic cluster domain. In addition, we observed that ADAM17, i.e., a disintegrin and metalloprotease converting pro-tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in its mature form, associates with exosomes from HIV-1-infected cells, and plays a key role in the HIV-1 replication in quiescent CD4+ T lymphocytes. Treatment with an inhibitor of ADAM17 abolished both activation and HIV-1 replication in resting CD4+ T lymphocytes. TNF-α is the downstream effector of ADAM17 since the treatment of resting lymphocytes with anti-TNF-α antibodies blocked the HIV-1 replication. The data presented here are consistent with a model where Nef induces intercellular communication through exosomes to activate bystander quiescent CD4+ T lymphocytes, thus stimulating viral spread. IMPORTANCE Overall, our findings support the idea that HIV evolved to usurp the exosome-based intercellular communication network to favor its spread in infected hosts.
Prejudicial Attitudes Toward Older Adults May Be Exaggerated When People Feel Vulnerable to Infectious Disease: Evidence and Implications

Prejudice against elderly people (“ageism”) is an issue of increasing social concern, but the psychological roots of ageism are only partially understood. Recent theorizingsuggeststhatageismmayresult,inpart,fromfalliblecue-baseddiseaseavoidance mechanisms. The perception of subjectively atypical physical features (including features associated with aging) may implicitly activate aversive semantic concepts (implicit ageism), and this implicit ageism is likely to emerge among perceivers who are especially worried about the transmission of infectious diseases. We report an experiment (N = 88) that provides the first empirical test of this hypothesis. Results revealed that implicit ageism is predicted by the interactive effects of chronic perceptions of vulnerability to infectious disease and by the temporary salience of disease-causing pathogens. Moreover, these effects are moderated by perceivers’ cultural background. Implications for public policy are discussed.
Reconfiguring antenna characteristics using PIN diodes

Cognitive radios seem to provide an answer to the problem aroused from the continuously increasing wireless applications that result in the congestion of the spectrum and the increase of interference. Cognitive radios require agile components and therefore antennas with reconfigurable characteristics. The current paper presents three antennas that use PIN diodes to achieve frequency, pattern and polarization reconfigurability respectively. An annular slot microstrip-fed antenna (ASA) is matched at three different frequencies and the reconfigurable matching network results in a reconfigurable operation frequency. The same radiator is used to achieve radiation pattern reconfigurability by integrating two PIN diodes on the slot circumference. Lastly a microstrip-fed circular patch antenna is presented which with the appropriate use of PIN diodes it can switch between left hand circular polarization (LHCP) and right hand circular polarization (RHCP).
Gross placental measures and childhood growth

Objectives. We hypothesised that the gross placental measures would be positively associated with childhood growth. Methods. We analysed data on 23,967 mother–infant pairs enrolled in the Collaborative Perinatal Project. In race-stratified regression models, the main outcomes were birthweight and z-score body-mass index (BMI) at ages 4 and 7. Results. Some placental measures were significantly associated with z-score BMI at age 7: in Blacks, placental weight (β = 0.0004/g; 95%CI: 0.0001, 0.0008), chorionic plate area (β = 0.0007; 95%CI: 0.0001, 0.0012) and largest diameter (β = 0.013; 95%CI: 0.004, 0.026); and in Whites placental weight (β = 0.0004/g; 95%CI: 0.0001, 0.0003) and largest diameter (Model 3: β = 0.020; 95%CI: 0.007, 0.032). Tested as group, placental measures significantly predicted z-score BMI at age 7 (all p values < 0.005). Conclusions. Placental structure independently predicts birthweight and childhood growth. Strategies to improve placental structure might favourably influence birthweight and childhood development.