Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Digital image watermarking scheme based on quantization index modulation

Quantization index modulation is a well-known method used for blind watermarking system. In this paper, a novel QIM watermarking scheme is proposed which is based on the difference of neighboring blocks' DCT coefficients. To implement the algorithm, pixels' permutation is performed to the two neighboring blocks to restrict the difference of their corresponding DCT coefficients to a small range. Then, bits of watermark are embedded into the image by modulating the difference to position or negative value. In order to keep the balance between invisibility and robustness, embedding strength is adjusted adaptively for each embedding position according to the texture masking feature of HVS, which improves the performance of the scheme.
Methods for the study of innate immunity in Drosophila melanogaster

From flies to humans, many components of the innate immune system have been conserved during metazoan evolution. This foundational observation has allowed us to develop Drosophila melanogaster, the fruit fly, into a powerful model to study innate immunity in animals. Thanks to an ever‐growing arsenal of genetic tools, an easily manipulated genome, and its winning disposition, Drosophila is now employed to study not only basic molecular mechanisms of pathogen recognition and immune signaling, but also the nature of physiological responses activated in the host by microbial challenge and how dysregulation of these processes contributes to disease. Here, we present a collection of methods and protocols to challenge the fly with an assortment of microbes, both systemically and orally, and assess its humoral, cellular, and epithelial response to infection. Our review covers techniques for measuring the reaction to microbial infection both qualitatively and quantitatively. Specifically, we describe survival, bacterial load, BLUD (a measure of disease tolerance), phagocytosis, melanization, clotting, and ROS production assays, as well as efficient protocols to collect hemolymph and measure immune gene expression. We also offer an updated catalog of online resources and a collection of popular reporter lines and mutants to facilitate research efforts.
On the massless tree-level S-matrix in 2d sigma models

Motivated by the search for new integrable string models, we study the properties of massless tree-level S-matrices for 2d -models expanded near the trivial vacuum. We find that, in contrast to the standard massive case, there is no apparent link between massless S-matrices and integrability: in well-known integrable models the tree-level massless S-matrix fails to factorize and exhibits particle production. Such tree-level particle production is found in several classically integrable models: the principal chiral model, its classically equivalent ‘pseudo-dual’ model, its non-abelian dual model and also the coset model. The connection to integrability may, in principle, be restored if one expands near a non-trivial vacuum with massive excitations. We discuss IR ambiguities in 2d massless tree-level amplitudes and their resolution using either a small mass parameter or the -regularization. In general, these ambiguities can lead to anomalies in the equivalence of the S-matrix under field redefinitions, and may be linked to the observed particle production in integrable models. We also comment on the transformation of massless S-matrices under -model T-duality, comparing the standard and the ‘doubled’ formulations (with T-duality covariance built into the latter).
Giant dipole resonance of Ba in Ba 8 Si 46 : An approach for studying high-pressure induced phase transitions of nanostructured materials

The giant dipole resonance of Ba embedded into the complex Si host lattice structure of ${\mathrm{Ba}}_{8}{\mathrm{Si}}_{46}$ has been observed under ambient and high-pressure conditions. The measurements have been accomplished using nonresonant inelastic x-ray scattering for different momentum transfers. The resonance appears as a broad feature between 100- and $150\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{eV}$ energy loss for low momentum transfer but vanishes for high momentum transfer. Calculations within the time-dependent local-density approximation have been performed by means of a real-space multiple-scattering Green's-function approach. The results reproduce the shape and the width of the observed resonance. Modulations of the giant resonance spectra are predicted by computations ranging from ambient pressure up to $20\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{GPa}$ which can be used to study the local environment of the Ba guest. A corresponding experimental setup for high-pressure studies is presented, potential applications to study the phase transitions of Ba clathrates are discussed, and first experimental results are shown.
High-pressure optical absorption and x-ray-diffraction studies in RbI and KI approaching the metallization transition

The pressure dependence of the fundamental optical absorption edges in RbI and KI crystals has been investigated up to 70 GPa at room temperature by using high-pressure apparatus of sapphire and diamond anvil types. The absorption edges in RbI and KI are found to show some complicated behaviors below \ensuremath{\sim}5 GPa within the uv region. Beyond \ensuremath{\sim}5 GPa, absorption edges decrease monotonically with increasing pressure up to 70 GPa. The x-ray-diffraction study shows that the CsCl-type crystal structure remains stable up to 67 GPa after the NaCl- to CsCl-type phase transition at 0.4 GPa for RbI and at 1.9 GPa for KI, respectively. The metallization pressures of RbI and KI are estimated to be approximately 85 and 115 GPa, respectively.
Application of internet and information technology in recruitment of safe blood donors.

The present study focuses on the role of information technology in blood safety policies. In order to reach to higher levels of blood safety we have to put our maximum force in the recruitment of safe blood donors via public education. Innovative use of mass media in recruitment of blood donors especially the youth and those of higher education level and disseminating the basic information about blood donation can be our success key. There is an urgent need to find new ways of recruiting blood donors rather than traditional methods of donor education. Effectiveness of internet based educational intervention in other disciplines of health has already been proven; however, few researches exist concerning internet application for online recruitment of safe blood donors. Finally, internet users' population and blood donors are similar in many aspects of their socio-demographic determinants and it is reasonable to deduce that online education and dissemination of knowledge of safe blood donation can be considered an efficient modus of recruitment of voluntary non-remunerated blood donors.
A symplectic interpretation of some wave fronts in general relativity

In order to study the symplectic structures of the elementary relativistic free particles in general relativity, a nonvectorial associated fiber bundle is constructed over the space‐time manifold. A foliation in the space‐time is achieved which gives rise to the geodesics principle for massive particles and wave fronts for massless particles.
An Introduction to the Fundamental Group and some Applications

This thesis provides a self-contained introduction to the Fundamental Group and presents some of its applications, such as Brouwer fixed point Theorem,the Game of Hex, Nielsen-Schreier Theorem, the van-Kampen Theorem and some of its consequences, Borsuk-Ulam Theorem and some of its applications,the Jordan curve Theorem, and some other examples and applications.Some results in Group Theory will be introduced as necessary, in order to study the van-Kampen Theorem, which plays a key role in our proof of the Jordan Curve Theorem.
Beam-induced nuclear depolarization in a gaseous polarized-hydrogen target

Spin-polarized atomic hydrogen is used as a gaseous polarized-proton target in high-energy and nuclear-physics experiments operating with internal beams in storage rings. When such beams are intense and bunched, this type of target can be depolarized by a resonant interaction with the transient magnetic field generated by the beam bunches. This effect has been studied with the HERA positron beam in the HERMES experiment at DESY. Resonances have been observed and a simple analytic model has been used to explain their shape and position. Operating conditions for the experiment have been found where there is no significant target depolarization due to this effect.
Breit-interaction correction to the hyperfine constant of an external s electron in a many-electron atom

Correction to the hyperfine constant $A$ of an external $s\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{e}\mathrm{l}\mathrm{e}\mathrm{c}\mathrm{t}\mathrm{r}\mathrm{o}\mathrm{n}$ in many-electron atom caused by the Breit interaction is calculated analytically: $\ensuremath{\delta}A/A=0.68Z{\ensuremath{\alpha}}^{2}. $ The physical mechanism for this correction is polarization of the internal electronic shells (mainly ${1s}^{2}$ shell) by the magnetic field of the external electron. This mechanism is similar to the polarization of vacuum considered by Karplus and Klein [Phys. Rev. 85, 972 (1952)] long time ago. The similarity is the reason why in both cases (Dirac sea polarization and internal atomic shells polarization) the corrections have the same dependence on the nuclear charge and fine-structure constant. In conclusion we also discuss $Z{\ensuremath{\alpha}}^{2}$ corrections to the parity violation effects in atoms.
Causal field theory with an infinite speed of sound

We introduce a model of scalar field dark energy, Cuscuton, which can be realized as the incompressible (or infinite speed of sound) limit of a scalar field theory with a noncanonical kinetic term (or k-essence). Even though perturbations of Cuscuton propagate superluminally, we show that they have a locally degenerate phase space volume (or zero entropy), implying that they cannot carry any microscopic information, and thus the theory is causal. Even coupling to ordinary scalar fields cannot lead to superluminal signal propagation. Furthermore, we show that the family of constant field hypersurfaces is the family of constant mean curvature hypersurfaces, which are the analogs of soap films (or soap bubbles) in Euclidian space. This enables us to find the most general solution in 1+1 dimensions, whose properties motivate conjectures for global degeneracy of the phase space in higher dimensions. Finally, we show that the Cuscuton action can model the continuum limit of the evolution of a field with discrete degrees of freedom and argue why it is protected against quantum corrections at low energies. While this paper mainly focuses on interesting features of Cuscuton in a Minkowski space-time, a companion paper examines cosmology with Cuscuton dark energy.
Temperature-Dependent Optical Properties of Plasmonic Titanium Nitride Thin Films

Due to their exceptional plasmonic properties, noble metals such as, gold and silver, have been the materials of choice for the demonstration of various plasmonic and nanophotonic phenomena. However, noble metals’ softness, lack of tailorability, and low melting point, along with melting point depression in nanostructures as well as challenges in thin film fabrication and device integration in standard semiconductor processing, have prevented the realization of practical plasmonic devices for technologically important high temperature and heat-assisted applications. In the recent years, titanium nitride (TiN) has emerged as a promising plasmonic material with good metallic and refractory (high temperature stable) properties. The refractory nature of TiN could enable practical plasmonic devices operating at elevated temperatures for energy conversion and harsh-environment industries such as gas and oil. Here we report on the temperature-dependent dielectric functions of TiN thin films of varying thicknesse.
Integrable Flows in c = 1 String Theory

Abstract.In these notes we review the method to construct integrable deformations of the compactified c = 1 bosonic string theory by primary fields (momentum or winding modes), developed recently in collaboration with S. Alexandrov and V. Kazakov. The method is based on the formulation of the string theory as a matrix model. The flows generated by either momentum or winding modes (but not both) are integrable and satisfy the Toda lattice hierarchy.
Thermodynamics and stability of hyperbolic charged black holes

In AdS space the black hole horizon can be a hypersurface with a positive, zero, or negative constant curvature, resulting in different horizon topology. Thermodynamics and stability of black holes in AdS spaces are quite different for different horizon curvatures. In this paper we study thermodynamics and stability of hyperbolic charged black holes with negative constant curvature horizon in the grand canonical ensemble and canonical ensemble, respectively. They include hyperbolic Reissner-Nordstrom black holes in arbitrary dimensions and hyperbolic black holes in the D=5,4,7 gauged supergravities. It is found that associated Gibbs free energies are always negative, which implies that these black hole solutions are globally stable and the black hole phase is dominant in the grand canonical ensemble, but there is a region in the phase space where the black hole is not locally thermodynamically stable with a negative heat capacity for a given gauge potential. In the canonical ensemble, the Helmholtz free energies are not always negative and heat capacities with fixed electric charge are not always positive, which indicates that the Hawking-Page phase transition may happen and black holes are not always locally thermodynamically stable.
Detectability of increments and decrements in spectral profiles

In auditory profile analysis, the subject typically has to discriminate a standard spectrum consisting of widely spaced equal‐amplitude sinusoids from a comparison, in which one or several components have been elevated relative to the others. According to the widely accepted multichannel model, however, it should not matter whether the spectral shape alteration consists of incrementing or decrementing a component by a small number of decibels. Thus, in order to investigate the generality of the hypothesized mechanism, and to explore the role of pitch salience cues, which might be thought to favor increments to single components, two experiments comparing the detectability of intensity increments and decrements in spectral profiles were conducted. In experiment 1, in which the number of components was varied from 3 to 15 within a fixed frequency range, decrements to the central 800‐Hz component produced significantly larger thresholds than did increments. Experiment 2, which employed three‐tone complexes spanning different frequency ranges, revealed that this effect is entirely due to the spectral density of the frequency components: As the distance between the variable signal component and the flanking reference sinusoids decreased, the increment/decrement disparity became larger. These effects may—at least qualitatively—be accounted for when peripheral excitation patterns are considered, suggesting that local decrements are constrained more than increments by the excitation intruding from flanking stimulus components.
Incompressibility in the multimodel Arlequin framework

In this paper, we show how one can account for the incompressibility constraint within the multimodel Arlequin framework. The main issue is the treatment of a double constraining of the displacement fields in the gluing model zone. An elastic incompressible structure problem is considered. An incompressible Arlequin formulation of this problem is developed and supported by a stability and consistency result. Its discretization by means of mixed finite elements is detailed. The Inf–Sup condition is numerically discussed for different choices of the Arlequin method parameters. Several numerical tests are conducted and practical recommendations for appropriate choices of these parameters are clearly stated. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Bayesian approach to truncated data sets: An application to Malmquist bias in Supernova Cosmology

Large scale astronomical surveys are going wider and deeper than ever before. However, astronomers, cosmologists and theorists continue to face the perennial issue that their data sets are often incomplete in magnitude space and must be carefully treated in order to avoid Malmquist bias, especially in the field of supernova cosmology. Historically, cosmological parameter inference in supernova cosmology was done using $\chi^2$ methodology; however, recent years have seen a rise in the use of Bayesian Hierarchical Models. In this paper we develop a Bayesian Hierarchical methodology to account for magnitude limited surveys and present a specific application to cosmological parameter inference and model selection in supernova cosmology.
Cosmological production of black holes: A way to constrain alternative theories of gravity

Primordial black holes are considered to be pair created quantum-mechanically during inflation. In the context of General Relativity (GR), it has been shown that the pair creation rate is exponentially decreasing during inflation. Specifically, tiny black holes are favored in the early universe, but they can grow with the horizon scale, as inflation approaches its end. At the same time, cosmological, and not only, shortcomings of GR have triggered the pursuit for a new, alternative theory of gravity. In this paper, by using probability amplitudes from the No Boundary Proposal (NBP), we argue that any alternative gravity should have a black hole creation rate similar to that of GR; that is, in the early universe the creation of small black holes is in favor, while in the late universe larger black holes are being exponentially suppressed. As an example, we apply this argument in $f(R)$-theories of gravity and derive a general formula for the rate in any $f(R)$-theory with constant curvature. Finally, we consider well known $f(R)$-models and using this formula we put constraints in their free parameters.
Evidence for Jet Domination of the Nuclear Radio Emission in Low-Luminosity Active Galactic Nuclei

We present simultaneous, subarcsecond (≤50 pc) resolution 5, 8.4, and 15 GHz Very Large Array observations of a well-defined sample of 16 low-luminosity active galactic nuclei. The radio emission in most of these nuclei does not show the rising spectrum (0.2 ≲ s ≲ 1.3, Lν ∝ νs) expected from thermal electrons in an advection-dominated accretion flow (ADAF) with or without weak to moderately strong outflows. Rather, the flat radio spectra are indicative of either synchrotron self-absorbed emission from jets, convection-dominated accretion flows (CDAFs) with L ≳ 10-5LEdd, or ADAFs with strong (p ≳ 0.6) outflows. The jet interpretation is favored by three factors: (1) the detection of parsec-scale radio extensions, morphologically reminiscent of jets, in the five nuclei with the highest peak radio flux density, (2) the domination of parsec-scale jet radio emission over unresolved "core" emission in the three best-studied nuclei, and (3) the lack of any clear correlation between radio spectral shape and black hole mass as would be expected from the dependence of the radio turnover frequency on black hole mass in ADAF and CDAF models. A jet domination of nuclear radio emission implies significantly lower accretion rates in ADAF-type models than earlier estimated from core radio luminosities.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------DISSOLUTION METHOD DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION : A REVIEW

The dissolution process started to develop about 100 years ago as a field of pharmacy and since then important progress has been made. Interest in drug related dissolution has grown only since the realisation that dissolution is an important factor of drug bioavailability in the 1950s. Dissolution test is required to study the drug release from the dosage form and its in vivo performance. Dissolution test is used to assess the lot to lot quality of drug product. The development and validation of dissolution procedures is of paramount importance during development of new formulation and in quality control. The dissolution procedure must be properly developed and validated. The objective of this paper is to review the development and validation of dissolution procedure(s) and to provide practical approaches for determining specificity, linearity, range, accuracy, precision, limit of detection, limit of quantitation and robustness of methods. Developing and validating dissolution test procedures can be a challenging process, on multiple fronts. Methods must be developed and validated not just for the dissolution test procedure itself, but also for any assay used to evaluate the test results.
Time evolution of the relativistic excited state in the unified formulation of quantum and kinetics dynamics

Description of time evolution of the relativistic unstable electromagnetic system consisting of Fermi - Dirac particle interacting with electromagnetic ﬁeld, in the framework of the Liouville space extension of quantum mechanics is done. The work was carried out on the basis of Prigogine’s uniﬁed formulation of quantum and kinetic dynamics. The eigenvalues problem for the relativistic Hamiltonian of the electromagnetic system was solved. The obtained results can be used as the ground for the further studies of the observed physical processes such as bremsstrahlung, relaxation of excited states of atoms and atomic nuclei, particles decay.
An online visual loop closure detection method for indoor robotic navigation

In this paper, we present an enhanced loop closure method* based on image-to-image matching relies on quantized local Zernike moments. In contradistinction to the previous methods, our approach uses additional depth information to extract Zernike moments in local manner. These moments are used to represent holistic shape information inside the image. The moments in complex space that are extracted from both grayscale and depth images are coarsely quantized. In order to find out the similarity between two locations, nearest neighbour (NN) classification algorithm is performed. Exemplary results and the practical implementation case of the method are also given with the data gathered on the testbed using a Kinect. The method is evaluated in three different datasets of different lighting conditions. Additional depth information with the actual image increases the detection rate especially in dark environments. The results are referred as a successful, high-fidelity online method for visual place recognition as well as to close navigation loops, which is a crucial information for the well known simultaneously localization and mapping (SLAM) problem. This technique is also practically applicable because of its low computational complexity, and performing capability in real-time with high loop closing accuracy.