MultIOD: Rehearsal-free Multihead Incremental Object Detector

Class-Incremental learning (CIL) is the ability of artificial agents to accommodate new classes as they appear in a stream. It is particularly interesting in evolving environments where agents have limited access to memory and computational resources. The main challenge of class-incremental learning is catastrophic forgetting, the inability of neural networks to retain past knowledge when learning a new one. Unfortunately, most existing class-incremental object detectors are applied to two-stage algorithms such as Faster-RCNN and rely on rehearsal memory to retain past knowledge. We believe that the current benchmarks are not realistic, and more effort should be dedicated to anchor-free and rehearsal-free object detection. In this context, we propose MultIOD, a class-incremental object detector based on CenterNet. Our main contributions are: (1) we propose a multihead feature pyramid and multihead detection architecture to efficiently separate class representations, (2) we employ transfer learning between classes learned initially and those learned incrementally to tackle catastrophic forgetting, and (3) we use a class-wise non-max-suppression as a post-processing technique to remove redundant boxes. Without bells and whistles, our method outperforms a range of state-of-the-art methods on two Pascal VOC datasets.Comment: Under review at the WACV 2024 conferenc

Incorporating Virtual Reality Training in an Introductory Public Speaking Course

This study presents the results of two studies using a virtual reality (VR) public-speaking training simulation as an instructional aid in a basic communication course. Results from the first study suggest that VR practice was associated with higher subsequent speech delivery grades in the course compared to no practice. However, VR practice did not reduce public speaking anxiety (PSA). In a follow-up study, VR practice was compared with other forms of lab-based practice including in front of a mirror and a recorded video session. All forms of lab practice (VR, mirror, or video) were associated with higher speech grades than no practice, but there were no differences between lab-practice conditions in terms of outcomes. Results are discussed in terms of adopting and using virtual public-speaking simulations in large undergraduate public-speaking courses

Examining the influence of adaptive AI integration in VR experiences for raising awareness of biodiversity loss

Treball desenvolupat en el marc del programa "European Project Semester".This research project explores the interaction between artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) in biodiversity education. Through thorough testing and analysis, we aimed to understand the potential impact of adaptive AI integration in VR environments on emotional engagement, decision-making processes, and learning outcomes related to biodiversity loss. The Low-Fidelity (LoFi) testing phase provided us with a foundational understanding of participant responses to both AI-generated and real-world content across visual, auditory, and knowledge-based domains. Real-world images consistently triggered stronger emotional responses compared to AI-generated visuals, across various categories. Similarly, real audio consistently performed better emotionally compared to AI-generated audio, indicating a difference in the ability of AI to replicate the emotional impact of human-made experiences. Transitioning to the final testing phase, participants exposed to pre-made VR environments tended to outperform those in AI-integrated environments, primarily due to differences in audio quality. Detailed analyses of decisionmaking processes and plant species selection highlighted the subtle yet significant influence of environmental factors on participant perceptions and preferences within VR contexts. Based on these insights, several recommendations emerge to guide future research in this area. Efforts should focus on improving the realism of AI-generated content, especially in terms of visual and auditory fidelity. Furthermore, conducting larger-scale studies involving diverse participant demographics will provide a more comprehensive understanding of the educational impact of AI in VR environments.Outgoin

A review of cyber security risk assessment methods for SCADA systems

This paper reviews the state of the art in cyber security risk assessment of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems. We select and in-detail examine twenty-four risk assessment methods developed for or applied in the context of a SCADA system. We describe the essence of the methods and then analyse them in terms of aim; application domain; the stages of risk management addressed; key risk management concepts covered; impact measurement; sources of probabilistic data; evaluation and tool support. Based on the analysis, we suggest an intuitive scheme for the categorisation of cyber security risk assessment methods for SCADA systems. We also outline five research challenges facing the domain and point out the approaches that might be taken

Feasibility of Using Phone and Web Cameras to Detect Micro-Expressions for Lie Detection

This study explores the feasibility of using low-resolution cameras as a means of detecting facial movements for lie detection. Micro-expressions, however, are difficult to detect by the human eye due to their short duration and low intensity, thus the research explores the possibility of extracting micro-expressions from phone or web cameras that have low resolution and framerate. The collected videos are the processed using time series processing, to obtain both facial data points extracted from facial landmark detection models, as well as image generation from the obtained datapoints to produce a face structure. The classification mainly focuses on the use of common machine learning algorithms, to detect facial movement patterns, in the hopes of classifying people telling truths or lies. The tests ultimately proved to have a low accuracy in classification, but the results show that the methodology may contribute to other domains, such as in person identification, as well as possible recommendations for future works

The Grizzly, April 29, 2004

As the School Years Ends, The Search for Jobs Begins • Life-Changing Volunteer Work Found At the Clinic • Fad Diets: Do They Work? • Opinions: Chronic Back Pain: Ouch!; Lacking Luster (Again) at La Fontana; Is Donald Trump the Ideal Boss?; Eating Your Veggies Now More Appetizing than Mom Tried to Make it • Staff Spotlight: Jamal Elliot • Ursinus Students Put Learning Into Practice at Model U.N. • Goldwater Scholar Kari Baker • Softball Team Rolls Past Muhlenberg • Leadership: A Key Ingredient in the Success of the Men\u27s Baseball Team • Final Exam Schedulehttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1561/thumbnail.jp

Two novel missense mutations in ABCA1 result in altered trafficking and cause severe autosomal recessive HDL deficiency

AbstractExtremely low concentrations of high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol and apolipoprotein (apo) AI are features of Tangier disease caused by autosomal recessive mutations in ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1). Less deleterious, but dominantly inherited mutations cause HDL deficiency. We investigated causes of severe HDL deficiency in a 42-year-old female with progressive coronary disease.ApoAI-mediated efflux of cholesterol from the proband's fibroblasts was less than 10% of normal and nucleotide sequencing revealed inheritance of two novel mutations in ABCAI, V1704D and L1379F. ABCA1 mRNA was approximately 3-fold higher in the proband's cells than in control cells; preincubation with cholesterol increased it 5-fold in control and 8-fold in the proband's cells, but similar amounts of ABCA1 protein were present in control and mutant cells. When transiently transfected into HEK293 cells, confocal microscopy revealed that both mutant proteins were retained in the endoplasmic reticulum, while wild-type ABCA1 was located at the plasma membrane.Severe HDL deficiency in the proband was caused by two novel autosomal recessive mutations in ABCA1, one (V1704D) predicted to lie in a transmembrane segment and the other (L1379F) in a large extracellular loop. Both mutations prevent normal trafficking of ABCA1, thereby explaining their inability to mediate apoA1-dependent lipid efflux

Parasite-mediated remodeling of the host microfilament cytoskeleton enables rapid egress of Trypanosoma cruzi following membrane rupture

Chagas’ disease arises as a direct consequence of the lytic cycle of Trypanosoma cruzi in the mammalian host. While invasion is well studied for this patho-gen, study of egress has been largely neglected. Here, we provide the first description of T. cruzi egress documenting a coordinated mechanism by which T. cruzi engineers its escape from host cells in which it has proliferated and which is essential for mainte-nance of infection and pathogenesis. Our results indicate that this parasite egress is a sudden event involving coordinated remodeling of host cell cytoskeleton and subsequent rupture of host cell plasma membrane. We document that host cells maintain plasma membrane integrity until immediately prior to parasite release and report the sequential transformation of the host cell’s actin cytoskeleton from normal meshwork in noninfected cells to spheroidal cages—a process initiated shortly after amastigogenesis. Quantification revealed gradual reduction in F-actin over the course of infection, and using cytoskeletal preparations and electron microscopy, we were able to observe disruption of the F-actin proximal to intracellular trypomastigotes. Finally, Western blotting experiments suggest actin degradation driven by parasite proteases, suggesting that degradation of cytoskeleton is a principal component controlling the initiation of egress. Our results provide the first description of the cellular mechanism that regulates the lytic component of the T. cruzi lytic cycle. We show graphically how it is possible to pre-serve the envelope of host cell plasma membrane during intracellular proliferation of the parasite and how, in cells packed with amastigotes, differentiation into trypomasti-gotes may trigger sudden egress

The Grizzly, September 4, 2003

A Space to Call Your Own • Pay for Print Solution • Bumpy Ride • Spotlight on Politics: The California Recall • Feeling Disconnected: Internet and Virus Woes • A Plan for Every Future: Career Services Fall 2003 • Opinions: Campus Rooms: Is Space Running Out?; Network Gripes Getting you Down? Elections in California: Business as Usual or Free for All? • Activities, Activities, Activities • Calling all Thespians! • Ursinus in 1893: What was it Like? • New Arts Center • Local Heritage Day Celebration • Bears Versatility Makes the Season Look Promising • UC Field Hockey Team: Ready to Rumble • Promising Season Abound for the Men and Women\u27s Soccer Teams • Ursinus Cross Country Kicks-off • Ursinus Volleyball Team Off to Rough Start • X-Country Team Scoreshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1539/thumbnail.jp