CD-COCO: A Versatile Complex Distorted COCO Database for Scene-Context-Aware Computer Vision

The recent development of deep learning methods applied to vision has enabled their increasing integration into real-world applications to perform complex Computer Vision (CV) tasks. However, image acquisition conditions have a major impact on the performance of high-level image processing. A possible solution to overcome these limitations is to artificially augment the training databases or to design deep learning models that are robust to signal distortions. We opt here for the first solution by enriching the database with complex and realistic distortions which were ignored until now in the existing databases. To this end, we built a new versatile database derived from the well-known MS-COCO database to which we applied local and global photo-realistic distortions. These new local distortions are generated by considering the scene context of the images that guarantees a high level of photo-realism. Distortions are generated by exploiting the depth information of the objects in the scene as well as their semantics. This guarantees a high level of photo-realism and allows to explore real scenarios ignored in conventional databases dedicated to various CV applications. Our versatile database offers an efficient solution to improve the robustness of various CV tasks such as Object Detection (OD), scene segmentation, and distortion-type classification methods. The image database, scene classification index, and distortion generation codes are publicly available \footnote{\url{https://github.com/Aymanbegh/CD-COCO}

Importance of amoebae as a tool to isolate amoeba-resisting microorganisms and for their ecology and evolution: the Chlamydia paradigm.

Free-living amoebae are distributed worldwide and are frequently in contact with humans and animals. As cysts, they can survive in very harsh conditions and resist biocides and most disinfection procedures. Several microorganisms, called amoeba-resisting microorganisms (ARMs), have evolved to survive and multiply within these protozoa. Among them are many important pathogens, such as Legionella and Mycobacteria, and also several newly discovered Chlamydia-related bacteria, such as Parachlamydia acanthamoebae, Estrella lausannensis, Simkania negevensis or Waddlia chondrophila whose pathogenic role towards human or animal is strongly suspected. Amoebae represent an evolutionary crib for their resistant microorganisms since they can exchange genetic material with other ARMs and develop virulence traits that will be further used to infect other professional phagocytes. Moreover, amoebae constitute an ideal tool to isolate strict intracellular microorganisms from complex microbiota, since they will feed on other fast-growing bacteria, such as coliforms potentially present in the investigated samples. The paradigm that ARMs are likely resistant to macrophages, another phagocytic cell, and that they are likely virulent towards humans and animals is only partially true. Indeed, we provide examples of the Chlamydiales order that challenge this assumption and suggest that the ability to multiply in protozoa does not strictly correlate with pathogenicity and that we should rather use the ability to replicate in multiple and diverse eukaryotic cells as an indirect marker of virulence towards mammals. Thus, cell-culture-based microbial culturomics should be used in the future to try to discover new pathogenic bacterial species

Local Entropy Characterization of Correlated Random Microstructures

A rigorous connection is established between the local porosity entropy introduced by Boger et al. (Physica A 187, 55 (1992)) and the configurational entropy of Andraud et al. (Physica A 207, 208 (1994)). These entropies were introduced as morphological descriptors derived from local volume fluctuations in arbitrary correlated microstructures occuring in porous media, composites or other heterogeneous systems. It is found that the entropy lengths at which the entropies assume an extremum become identical for high enough resolution of the underlying configurations. Several examples of porous and heterogeneous media are given which demonstrate the usefulness and importance of this morphological local entropy concept.Comment: 15 pages. please contact [email protected] and have a look at http://www.ica1.uni-stuttgart.de/ . To appear in Physica

On affinity relating two positive measures and the connection coefficients between polynomials orthogonalized by these measures

We consider two positive, normalized measures dA(x) and dB(x) related by the relationship dA(x)=(C/(x+D))dB(x) or by dA(x) = (C/(x^2+E))dB(x) and dB(x) is symmetric. We show that then the polynomial sequences {a_{n}(x)}, {b_{n}(x)} orthogonal with respect to these measures are related by the relationship a_{n}(x)=b_{n}(x)+{\kappa}_{n}b_{n-1}(x) or by a_{n}(x) = b_{n}(x) + {\lambda}_{n}b_{n-2}(x) for some sequences {{\kappa}_{n}} and {{\lambda}_{n}}. We present several examples illustrating this fact and also present some attempts for extensions and generalizations. We also give some universal identities involving polynomials {b_{n}(x)} and the sequence {{\kappa}_{n}} that have a form of Fourier series expansion of the Radon--Nikodym derivative of one measure with respect to the other

Predicting blocking effects in the spatial domain using a learning approach

A new method for predicting blocking effect in the spatial domain is proposed. This method aims at estimating the appearance of blocking artefacts in the original image prior to compression for a given bit rate and a given compression technique. The basic idea is to use a training process in order to compute a visibility measure. A weighting function of the blocking effects is then derived from this training process performed on a database. The proposed method is objectively and subjectively evaluated on various actual images. The obtained results confirm the efficiency of the proposed method in predicting blocking effect

Selecting Low-level Features for Image Quality Assessment by Statistical Methods

Image quality assessment is animportant component in every image processingsystem where the last link of the chain is thehuman observer. This domain is of increasinginterest, in particular in the context of imagecompression where coding scheme optimizationis based on the distortion measure. Manyobjective image quality measures have beenproposed in the literature and validated bycomparing them to the Mean Opinion Score(MOS). We propose in this paper an empiricalstudy of several indicators and show how onecan improve the performances by combiningthem. We learn a regularized regression modeland apply variable selection techniques toautomatically find the most relevant indicators.Our technique enhances the state of the artresults on two publicly available databases

Trafficking of Estrella lausannensis in human macrophages.

Estrella lausannensis is a new member of the Chlamydiales order. Like other Chlamydia-related bacteria, it is able to replicate in amoebae and in fish cell lines. A preliminary study investigating the pathogenic potential of Chlamydia-related bacteria found a correlation between antibody response to E. lausannensis and pneumonia in children. To further investigate the pathogenic potential of E. lausannensis, we determined its ability to grow in human macrophages and its intracellular trafficking. The replication in macrophages resulted in viable E. lausannensis; however, it caused a significant cytopathic effect. The intracellular trafficking of E. lausannensis was analyzed by determining the interaction of the Estrella-containing inclusions with various endocytic markers as well as host organelles. The E. lausannensis inclusion escaped the endocytic pathway rapidly avoiding maturation into phagolysosomes by preventing both EEA-1 and LAMP-1 accumulation. Compared to Waddlia chondrophila, another Chlamydia-related bacteria, the recruitment of mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum was minimal for E. lausannensis inclusions. Estrella lausannensis appears to use a distinct source of nutrients and energy compared to other members of the Chlamydiales order. In conclusion, we hypothesize that E. lausannensis has a restricted growth in human macrophages, due to its reduced capacity to control programmed cell death

Permissivity of fish cell lines to three Chlamydia-related bacteria: Waddlia chondrophila, Estrella lausannensis and Parachlamydia acanthamoebae.

Epitheliocystis is an infectious disease affecting gills and skin of various freshwater and marine fishes, associated with high mortality and reduced growth of survivors. Candidatus Piscichlamydia salmonis and Clavochlamydia salmonicola have recently been identified as aetiological agents of epitheliocystis in Atlantic Salmon. In addition, several other members of the Chlamydiales order have been identified in other fish species. To clarify the pathogenicity of Chlamydia-like organisms towards fishes, we investigated the permissivity of two fish cell lines, EPC-175 (Fathead Minnow) and RTG-2 (rainbow trout) to three Chlamydia-related bacteria: Waddlia chondrophila, Parachlamydia acanthamoebae and Estrella lausannensis. Quantitative PCR and immunofluorescence demonstrated that W. chondrophila and, to a lesser extent, E. lausannensis were able to replicate in the two cell lines tested. Waddlia chondrophila multiplied rapidly in its host cell and a strong cytopathic effect was observed. During E. lausannensis infection, we observed a limited replication of the bacteria not followed by host cell lysis. Very limited replication of P. acanthamoebae was observed in both cell lines tested. Given its high infectivity and cytopathic effect towards fish cell lines, W. chondrophila represents the most interesting Chlamydia-related bacteria to be used to develop an in vivo model of epitheliocystis disease in fishes

Beitrag der Sprechanlässe zur Entwicklung der Sprechkompetenz bei algerischen Deutschlehrerstudenten

Im Deutsch als Fremdsprachenunterricht(DaF) spielen die vier Fertigkeiten eine wesentliche Rolle, wobei sich die meisten Lehrwerke auf die verbale Kommunikation stützen, sodass Hörverstehen und Sprechen im Vordergrund stehen. Dieser Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Problematik der Entwicklung der Sprechfertigkeit. In Bezug auf die Unterrichtsbeobachtungen an algerischen Universitäten lässt sich vermuten, dass der algerische Germanistiklerner Schwierigkeit hat. Ausdrucksmittel und Redeabsichten in angemessenen Sprechsituationen zu gebrauchen, Wir gehen davon aus, dass ein Lehrwerk interessant sein kann, wenn es eine Variation von Sprechanlässen enthält, damit die Lerner die Möglichkeit haben, sich im Unterricht in unterschiedlichen Kontexten in der Zielsprache bzw. auf Deutsch zu äußern. Die neuen Lehrwerke, die im Referenzrahmen konzipiert sind, bemühen sich, den Lernstoff aus der Perspektive der Lerner zu Überprüfen. Die Sprechanlässe in den Lehrwerken spielen eine bedeutende Rolle zur Entwicklung der Sprechkompetenz. Dies bedeutet für den Fremdsprachenunterricht, dass das Sprechen nicht nur intensiv trainiert werden sollte, sondern vor allem, dass adäquate Übungen bzw. Die Sprechanlässe sind in den meisten Lehrwerken in verschiedener Form dargestellt. Der Lerner kann sich durch das Bild sowohl frei und spontan äußern als auch angehalten werden, bestimmte sprachliche Mittel zu verwenden. Die Ergebnisse können im Unterricht bearbeitet und analysiert werden. Solche Aufgaben sind im DaF -Unterricht gut geeignet, denn sie leisten einen großen Beitrag zur mündlichen Produktion von Sprache. Vielfältige Sprechanlässe werden bei der Vorbereitung. Durchführung und Auswertung von Interviews gegeben