Weakly Supervised Semantic Segmentation for Range-Doppler Maps

Deep convolutional neural networks (DCNNs) have been successfully applied for object detection and semantic segmentation of radar range-Doppler (RD) maps. However, training a DCNN requires many annotated examples that are costly and difficult to create. In this work we present a method that reduces significantly the manual effort involved in the annotation of RD maps to train a DCNN for segmentation. A 40 times reduction in manual labelling effort is achieved because the annotation of each RD map includes only the class of the objects instead of drawing a polygon around the corresponding cells. The localization of the objects is performed by tracing back from the output to the input of a classification neural network. Experimental results show that our approach achieves robust localization performance in complex real-world urban scenarios as observed with a low-cost automotive radar. Furthermore, we show that our approach performs similarly to DCNNs that are trained with a publicly available dataset in which localization information is provided.</p

Social network behaviour inferred from O-D Pair traffic

Because traffic is predominantly formed by communication between users or between users and servers which communicate with users, network traffic inherently exhibits social networking behaviour; the extent of interaction between entities – as identified by their IP addresses – can be extracted from the data and analysed in a multiplicity of ways. In this paper, Anonymized Internet Trace Datasets obtained from the Center for Applied Internet Data Analysis (CAIDA) have been used to identify and estimate characteristics of the underlying social network from the overall traffic. The analysis methods used here fall into two groups, the first being based on frequency analysis and second method being based on the use of traffic matrices, with the latter analysis method being further sub-divided into groups based on the traffic mean, variance and co-variance. The frequency analysis of origin, destination and O-D Pair statistics exhibit heavy tailed behaviour. Because the large number of IP addresses contained in the CAIDA Datasets, only the most predominate IP Addresses are used when estimating all three sub-divided groups of traffic matrices. Principal Component Analysis and related methods are applied to identify key features of each type of traffic matrix. A new system called Antraff has been developed by the authors to carry out all the analysis procedures

Association of Camera and Radar Detections Using Neural Networks

Automotive radar and camera fusion relies on linear point transformations from one sensor's coordinate system to the other. However, these transformations cannot handle non-linear dynamics and are susceptible to sensor noise. Furthermore, they operate on a point-to-point basis, so it is impossible to capture all the characteristics of an object. This paper introduces a method that performs detection-to-detection association by projecting heterogeneous object features from the two sensors into a common high-dimensional space. We associate 2D bounding boxes and radar detections based on the Euclidean distance between their projections. Our method utilizes deep neural networks to transform feature vectors instead of single points. Therefore, we can leverage real-world data to learn non-linear dynamics and utilize several features to provide a better description for each object. We evaluate our association method against a traditional rule-based method, showing that it improves the accuracy of the association algorithm and it is more robust in complex scenarios with multiple objects.</p

The effects of heat acclimation on the induction of cytoprotective proteins and skeletal muscle protection

Skeletal muscle damage occurs in response to eccentric exercise (EE) as a result of mechanical and metabolic stresses, through increased activation of c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are molecular chaperones known for their anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic functions. They are upregulated during heat acclimation (HA) as part of the heat shock response and can protect tissues from different stressors. HA-induced HSPs upregulation in skeletal muscle could protect against EE-induced damage, though this question remains to be elucidated. In this thesis, the effects of HA on HSPs induction and JNK regulation in soleus muscle were investigated. We observed that HA upregulated HSP72 and HSP90 and this was associated with decreased JNK activation, suggesting that HA could protect skeletal muscle from EE-induced damage by limiting inflammation and apoptosis, through JKN regulation. We then found that EE-induced muscle damage was reduced by HA, potentially through HSP72 induction and the concomitant downregulation of JNK. HA also increased the B-cell lymphoma 2/B-cell lymphoma 2 associated x protein (Bcl-2/Bax) ratio, reflecting reduced apoptosis. HA could then be used to protect muscle from damage, potentially in humans, though limited information is currently available on this aspect. We thus investigated the induction of cytoprotective proteins in human monocytes in response to HA and observed an upregulation of both HSP72 and hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α), potentially through the preventive role HSP72 plays on HIF-1α degradation. We also observed an upregulation of erythropoietin receptor (EpoR) in monocytes and increased circulating levels of EPO, most likely through HIF-1α-induced transcription of target genes, including epo and EpoR. These findings support the regulatory role of HA in the induction of cytoprotective proteins in humans. In conclusion, this thesis provides evidence that HA is an effective means of inducing cytoprotective proteins that can limit muscle damage under stressful conditions. In addition, these beneficial adaptations were not only confined to animal models, but were also evidenced in humans. This suggests a potential therapeutic function for HA in human, though this aspect requires further investigation for prospective use in this context

Body of knowledge: interrogating physical intelligence and the translation of memory into motion in Coming To

ABSTRACT Framed by the experiences of the creation process of Coming To, this study aims to articulate the integral role of the performer’s personal archive within Physical Theatre practice. As such it investigates the notion of Physical Intelligence and its role in the engagement of the performer’s experiences and history within improvisational processes. This investigation constructs a theoretical frame that allows for a reformulation of the understanding of the mind - body relationship. With reference to the areas of phenomenology, somatics and somatic body work this research argues for an integrated body-mind that recasts ‘thought’ and ‘memory’ as embodied processes. It interrogates the notion of the ‘body as archive’ by exploring the bodily roots of memory, examining the central role of Physical Intelligence in the way memory is inscribed into the body-mind. It sutures this body-mind integration perspective with a constructionist perspective to explore the ways in which memory, or experience, is layered in and manifest through the body in complex ways. Weaving together the scholarly and experiential voice, the study explores the way in which Physical Theatre processes rely on and harness the performer’s Physical Intelligence and in so doing inherently enable the ‘excavation’ of personal archives. Through an analysis of the multiple layers of embodied inscription in Coming To and their relationship to ‘technique’, the research makes explicit the principles that implicitly underscore the creation of Physical Theatre works and reveals the extent to which personal archives determine the unfolding of such devised work

An analysis of qualitative characteristics of management commentary reporting by New Zealand companies

The narrative section of annual reports has considerable value to its user groups, such as financial analysts and investors (Barlett &amp; Chandler 1997; International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) 2006; Tiexiera 2004). This narrative section including chairpersons&rsquo;/presidents&rsquo; statement contains twice the quantity of information than the financial statements section (Smith &amp; Taffler 2000). However, the abundance of information does not necessarily enhance the quality of such information (IASB 2006). This issue of qualitative characteristics has been long foregone by researchers. This issue has attracted the attention of IASB (2006). Following the dearth in research in regard to qualitative characteristics of reporting this paper explores whether investors&rsquo; required qualitative characteristics as outlined by the IASB (2006) have been satisfied in the management commentary section of New Zealand companies&rsquo; annual reports. Our result suggests that the principal stakeholders&rsquo;, that is, investors&rsquo; qualitative characteristics requirements have been partially met in this section of annual reports. The qualitative characteristic of &lsquo;relevance&rsquo; and &lsquo;supportability&rsquo; have been satisfied in more annual reports compared to that of &lsquo;balance&rsquo; and &lsquo;comparability&rsquo;. <br /

The origins and role of the self-criticism and criticism campaign in the lead up to the Sixth Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam in 1986

In 1986, the Communist Party of Vietnam conducted a wide-ranging self-criticism and criticism campaign. The stated objectives of the campaign were to improve the performance of the Party generally, and of its members in particular. This thesis explores the factors which led the Party to launch the campaign and examines the possible role of the campaign in the context of the upcoming Sixth Party Congress. A key hypothesis of the thesis is that the campaign was a product of, and a response to, a legitimacy crisis. After reviewing the economic situation in Vietnam, the internal challenges facing the Party organisation, and international developments, the author concludes that the Party was, indeed, in crisis. The core of its difficulties lay in its failure to adjust successfully to the economic reconstruction and development tasks of the postwar period. The outcome of this failure was a loss of confidence amongst rank and file Party members and the public in the Party's ability to govern the nation effectively. The thesis shows that the self-criticism and criticism campaign was a vehicle for organisational change and an attempt to restore public confidence. Specifically, research evidence supports the proposition that the campaign was used to bring about significant leadership changes in the Party. It also supports the contention that public involvement in the campaign was encouraged, in part, to channel public hostility against individual cadres and to divert attention from the failings of the regime as a whole. Another key proposition of this thesis is that the campaign mediated an internal party debate about the direction of economic reform, and that it was a forum for achieving a compromise on the issue. Much of the debate on this particular question took place after the release of the Party Central Committee's draft reports to the national congress. The reports were debated at cadre conferences and at Party congresses at the grassroots, district and province levels. Although this part of the campaign was conducted largely behind closed doors, evidence was still found to support the hypothesis. Finally, the self-criticism and criticism campaign is assessed in the light of legitimation theories which hold that a regime experiencing a legitimacy crisis will sometimes respond by changing the way it legitimates itself to its staff and the public. The author finds evidence of such legitimation shifts in Vietnam in the period under study

μ -Opioid receptor activation and noradrenaline transport inhibition by tapentadol in rat single locus coeruleus neurons.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Tapentadol is a novel analgesic that combines moderate μ-opioid receptor agonism and noradrenaline reuptake inhibition in a single molecule. Both mechanisms of action are involved in producing analgesia; however, the potency and efficacy of tapentadol in individual neurons has not been characterized. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings of G-protein-coupled inwardly rectifying K(+) (KIR 3.x) currents were made from rat locus coeruleus neurons in brain slices to investigate the potency and relative efficacy of tapentadol and compare its intrinsic activity with other clinically used opioids. KEY RESULTS: Tapentadol showed agonist activity at μ receptors and was approximately six times less potent than morphine with respect to KIR 3.x current modulation. The intrinsic activity of tapentadol was lower than [Met]enkephalin, morphine and oxycodone, but higher than buprenorphine and pentazocine. Tapentadol inhibited the noradrenaline transporter (NAT) with potency similar to that at μ receptors. The interaction between these two mechanisms of action was additive in individual LC neurons. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Tapentadol displays similar potency for both µ receptor activation and NAT inhibition in functioning neurons. The intrinsic activity of tapentadol at the μ receptor lies between that of buprenorphine and oxycodone, potentially explaining the favourable profile of side effects, related to μ receptors. LINKED ARTICLES: This article is part of a themed section on Opioids: New Pathways to Functional Selectivity. To view the other articles in this section visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bph.2015.172.issue-2.NHMRC Grant Numbers: 1011979 & 104596