Deep Attributes Driven Multi-Camera Person Re-identification

The visual appearance of a person is easily affected by many factors like pose variations, viewpoint changes and camera parameter differences. This makes person Re-Identification (ReID) among multiple cameras a very challenging task. This work is motivated to learn mid-level human attributes which are robust to such visual appearance variations. And we propose a semi-supervised attribute learning framework which progressively boosts the accuracy of attributes only using a limited number of labeled data. Specifically, this framework involves a three-stage training. A deep Convolutional Neural Network (dCNN) is first trained on an independent dataset labeled with attributes. Then it is fine-tuned on another dataset only labeled with person IDs using our defined triplet loss. Finally, the updated dCNN predicts attribute labels for the target dataset, which is combined with the independent dataset for the final round of fine-tuning. The predicted attributes, namely \emph{deep attributes} exhibit superior generalization ability across different datasets. By directly using the deep attributes with simple Cosine distance, we have obtained surprisingly good accuracy on four person ReID datasets. Experiments also show that a simple metric learning modular further boosts our method, making it significantly outperform many recent works.Comment: Person Re-identification; 17 pages; 5 figures; In IEEE ECCV 201

Probing the Emission States of PSR J1107−5907

The emission from PSR J1107−5907 is erratic. Sometimes the radio pulse is undetectable, at other times the pulsed emission is weak, and for short durations the emission can be very bright. In order to improve our understanding of these state changes, we have identified archival data sets from the Parkes radio telescope in which the bright emission is present, and find that the emission never switches from the bright state to the weak state, but instead always transitions to the "off" state. Previous work had suggested the identification of the "off" state as an extreme manifestation of the weak state. However, the connection between the "off" and bright emission reported here suggests that the emission can be interpreted as undergoing only two emission states: a "bursting" state consisting of both bright pulses and nulls, and the weak emission state

Fracture properties of La(Fe,Mn,Si)13 magnetocaloric materials

La(Fe,Mn,Si)13 alloys are a promising material family for magnetic refrigeration. Challenges associated with their structural integrity during device assembly and operation requires deep understanding of the mechanical properties. Here we developed a workflow to quantitatively study the fracture properties of La(Fe,Mn,Si)13 plates used in magnetic cooling devices. We employed microstructural characterisation, optical examination of defects, and four-point bending tests of samples with known defect sizes to evaluate their mechanical performance. We established the residual strength curve which directly links observed defects to mechanical strength. The estimated fracture toughness KC of hydrogenated La(Fe,Mn,Si)13 is approximately 4 MPa·m1/2 for the geometry employed. The established relationship between strength and crack length enables the prediction of mechanical performance through examination of defects via optical microscopy, therefore can be used industrially for directing plate selection to guarantee the mechanical stability of refrigeration devices

Regulation of genes affecting body size and innate immunity by the DBL-1/BMP-like pathway in Caenorhabditis elegans

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are members of the conserved transforming growth factor β (TGFβ superfamily, and play many developmental and homeostatic roles. In <it>C. elegans</it>, a BMP-like pathway, the DBL-1 pathway, controls body size and is involved in innate immunity. How these functions are carried out, though, and what most of the downstream targets of this pathway are, remain unknown.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We performed a microarray analysis and compared expression profiles of animals lacking the SMA-6 DBL-1 receptor, which decreases pathway signaling, with animals that overexpress DBL-1 ligand, which increases pathway signaling. Consistent with a role for DBL-1 in control of body size, we find positive regulation by DBL-1 of genes involved in physical structure, protein synthesis and degradation, and metabolism. However, cell cycle genes were mostly absent from our results. We also identified genes in a <it>hedgehog</it>-related pathway, which may comprise a secondary signaling pathway downstream of DBL-1 that controls body size. In addition, DBL-1 signaling up-regulates pro-innate immunity genes. We identified a reporter for DBL-1 signaling, which is normally repressed but is up-regulated when DBL-1 signaling is reduced.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results indicate that body size in <it>C. elegans </it>is controlled in part by regulation of metabolic processes as well as protein synthesis and degradation. This supports the growing body of evidence that suggests cell size is linked to metabolism. Furthermore, this study discovered a possible role for <it>hedgehog</it>-related pathways in transmitting the BMP-like signal from the hypodermis, where the core DBL-1 pathway components are required, to other tissues in the animal. We also identified the up-regulation of genes involved in innate immunity, clarifying the role of DBL-1 in innate immunity. One of the highly regulated genes is expressed at very low levels in wild-type animals, but is strongly up-regulated in Sma/Mab mutants, making it a useful reporter for DBL-1/BMP-like signaling in <it>C. elegans</it>.</p

Expression of mucoid induction factor MucE is dependent upon the alternate sigma factor AlgU in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Background Alginate overproduction in P. aeruginosa, also referred to as mucoidy, is a poor prognostic marker for patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). We previously reported the construction of a unique mucoid strain which overexpresses a small envelope protein MucE leading to activation of the protease AlgW. AlgW then degrades the anti-sigma factor MucA thus releasing the alternative sigma factor AlgU/T (σ22) to initiate transcription of the alginate biosynthetic operon. Results In the current study, we mapped the mucE transcriptional start site, and determined that PmucE activity was dependent on AlgU. Additionally, the presence of triclosan and sodium dodecyl sulfate was shown to cause an increase in PmucE activity. It was observed that mucE-mediated mucoidy in CF isolates was dependent on both the size of MucA and the genotype of algU. We also performed shotgun proteomic analysis with cell lysates from the strains PAO1, VE2 (PAO1 with constitutive expression of mucE) and VE2ΔalgU (VE2 with in-frame deletion of algU). As a result, we identified nine algU-dependent and two algU-independent proteins that were affected by overexpression of MucE. Conclusions Our data indicates there is a positive feedback regulation between MucE and AlgU. Furthermore, it seems likely that MucE may be part of the signal transduction system that senses certain types of cell wall stress to P. aeruginosa

Fine structural changes of fluid catalytic catalysts and characterization of coke formed resulting from heavy oil devolatilization

Coke formation from heavy oil cracking and the associated change in the porous structure of fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalysts has been studied using a comprehensive range of techniques, including 2D and 3D imaging and carbon/coke characterization techniques. The carbon/coke formed from heavy oil devolatilization has been investigated with a range of oil-to-FCC catalyst ratios (1:3, 1:2, 1:1, 2:1 and 3:1) to simulate the ageing of FCC catalysts in an operating oil refinery. Carbon/coke was formed on all used FCC catalyst samples and was found to generally increase in quantity with the increasing oil-to-FCC catalyst ratios. Coke formation has been correlated with the observed porosity change of the FCC catalyst. Higher quantities of carbon/coke formed on the FCC catalyst due to higher oil-to-FCC catalyst ratios (simulated increase in time on-stream) leads to a decrease of total pore volume and surface area. X-Ray computed tomography (X-Ray CT) studies allowed 3-dimensional imaging of used catalyst particles and showed that the zeolite component of the FCC catalyst remains evenly distributed throughout the FCC particle from the centre to the exterior for pristine and used FCC catalyst particles. This technique showed that while the interior porous structure of the FCC catalyst particle is not affected by the coking, the exterior porous structure is substantially modified for all used FCC catalyst samples. This process of pore collapse and/or clogging at the surface of the particles is likely to have a significant effect on the deactivation of FCC catalysts that is commonly observed. The deeper insight into this process gained through this study is important for understanding how FCC catalysts change with time-on-stream and eventually deactivate and may allow for future catalysts to be developed that are more resistant to deactivation

Spatial and Temporal Variation of Offshore Wind Power and its Values Along the Central California Coast

The analysis of the spatiotemporal variability of wind power remains limited during the planning stage of an offshore wind farm. This study provides a framework to investigate how offshore wind power varies along the Central California Coast over diurnal and seasonal time scales, which is critical for reliability and functionality of the grid system. We find that offshore wind power in this region peaks during evening hours across all seasons and maximizes in spring and summer. The timing of peak offshore wind power production better aligns with that of peak demand across California than solar and land-based wind power production, highlighting its potential to fill the supply gap when demand is high and power production from other renewable energy sources is low. We further assess the value of offshore wind power using demand-based and wholesale market metrics. Both metrics indicate high potential value of offshore wind power over most areas in this region. Finally, we show that the estimate of power production is significantly biased when using mean wind speeds that do not account for temporal variability, leading to potentially inaccurate predictions about locations that are expected to produce the most power. These results reiterate the importance in considering spatiotemporal variability in wind power for accurately calculating the value of offshore wind development

Structural, Magnetic and Electronic Properties of the Iron-Chalcogenide Ax_xFe2−y_{2-y}Se2_2 (A=K, Cs, Rb, Tl and etc.) Superconductors

The latest discovery of a new iron-chalcogenide superconductor A$_x$Fe$_{2-y}$Se$_2$(A=K, Cs, Rb, Tl and etc.) has attracted much attention due to a number of its unique characteristics, such as the possible insulating state of the parent compound, the existence of Fe-vacancy and its ordering, a new form of magnetic structure and its interplay with superconductivity, and the peculiar electronic structures that are distinct from other Fe-based superconductors. In this paper, we present a brief review on the structural, magnetic and electronic properties of this new superconductor, with an emphasis on the electronic structure and superconducting gap. Issues and future perspectives are discussed at the end of the paper.Comment: 45 pages, 19 figure