Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Capturing Feature and Label Relations Simultaneously for Multiple Facial Action Unit Recognition

Although both feature dependencies and label dependencies are crucial for facial action unit (AU) recognition, little work addresses them simultaneously till now. In this paper, we propose a 4-layer Restricted Boltzmann Machine (RBM) to simultaneously capture feature level and label level dependencies to recognize multiple AUs. The middle hidden layer of the 4-layer RBM model captures dependencies among image features for multiple AUs, while the top latent units capture the high-order semantic dependencies among AU labels. Furthermore, we extend the proposed 4-layer RBM for facial expression-augmented AU recognition, since AU relations are influenced by expressions. By introducing facial expression nodes in the middle visible layer, facial expressions, which are only required during training, facilitate the estimation of both feature dependencies and label dependencies among AUs. Efficient learning and inference algorithms for the extended model are also developed. Experimental results on three benchmark databases, i.e., the CK+ database, the DISFA database and the SEMAINE database, demonstrate that the proposed approaches can successfully capture complex AU relationships from features and labels jointly, and the expression labels available only during training are benefit for AU recognition during testing for both posed and spontaneous facial expressions.
Sequential clustering: tracking down the most natural clusters

Sequential superparamagnetic clustering (SSC) is a substantial extension of the superparamagnetic clustering approach (SC). We demonstrate that the novel method is able to master the important problem of inhomogeneous classes in the feature space. By fully exploiting the non-parametric properties of SC, the method is able to find the natural clusters even if they are highly different in shape and density. In such situations, concurrent methods normally fail. We present the results from a fully automated implementation of SSC (applications to chemical data and visual scene analysis) and provide analytical evidence of why the method works.
On the Capacity of a Class of Cognitive Z-Interference Channels

We study a special class of the cognitive radio channel in which the receiver of the cognitive pair does not suffer interference from the primary user. Previously developed general encoding schemes for this channel are complex as they attempt to cope with arbitrary channel conditions, which leads to rate regions that are difficult to evaluate. The focus of our work is to derive simple rate regions that are easily computable, thereby providing more insights into achievable rates and good coding strategies under different channel conditions. We first present several explicit achievable regions for the general discrete memoryless case. We also present an improved outer bound on the capacity region for the case of high interference. We then extend these regions to Gaussian channels. With a simple outer bound we establish a new capacity region in the high-interference regime. Lastly, we provide numerical comparisons between the derived achievable rate regions and the outer bounds.
Correlative light and electron microscopy imaging of autophagy in a zebrafish infection model

High-resolution imaging of autophagy has been used intensively in cell culture studies, but so far it has been difficult to visualize this process in detail in whole animal models. In this study we present a versatile method for high-resolution imaging of microbial infection in zebrafish larvae by injecting pathogens into the tail fin. This allows visualization of autophagic compartments by light and electron microscopy, which makes it possible to correlate images acquired by the 2 techniques. Using this method we have studied the autophagy response against Mycobacterium marinum infection. We show that mycobacteria during the progress of infection are frequently associated with GFP-Lc3-positive vesicles, and that 2 types of GFP-Lc3-positive vesicles were observed. The majority of these vesicles were approximately 1 μm in size and in close vicinity of bacteria, and a smaller number of GFP-Lc3-positive vesicles was larger in size and were observed to contain bacteria. Quantitative data showed that these larger vesicles occurred significantly more in leukocytes than in other cell types, and that approximately 70% of these vesicles were positive for a lysosomal marker. Using electron microscopy, it was found that approximately 5% of intracellular bacteria were present in autophagic vacuoles and that the remaining intracellular bacteria were present in phagosomes, lysosomes, free inside the cytoplasm or occurred as large aggregates. Based on correlation of light and electron microscopy images, it was shown that GFP-Lc3-positive vesicles displayed autophagic morphology. This study provides a new approach for injection of pathogens into the tail fin, which allows combined light and electron microscopy imaging in vivo and opens new research directions for studying autophagy process related to infectious diseases.
A NON-TRANSMISSIBLE CYTOPATHOGENIC EFFECT OF INFLUENZA VIRUS IN TISSUE CULTURE ACCOMPANIED BY FORMATION OF NON-INFECTIOUS HEMAGGLUTININS

Various strains of influenza virus produce a cytopathogenic effect in cultures of HeLa cells. The virus could not be passed in series. Virus partially or even completely inactivated with respect to infectivity by exposure to 37°C. or ultraviolet light retained some of its cytopathogenic effect. No evidence has been obtained of an increase in infectious virus in HeLa cultures, but an increase in hemagglutinins and in both viral and soluble complement-fixing antigens became detectable during incubation. These virus materials apparently were not released from these cells prior to their destruction. These results suggested that HeLa cells are capable of supporting an incomplete reproductive cycle of influenza virus. The fact that radioactive phosphorus was readily incorporated into the hemagglutinin supplies strong evidence for this interpretation.
Assessment of users' interests in multimodal dialog based on exchange unit

A person is more likely to enjoy long-term conversations with a robot if it has the capability to infer the topics that interest the person. In this paper, we propose a method of deducing the specific topics that interest a user by sequentially assessing each exchange in a chat-oriented dialog session. We use multimodal information such as facial expressions and prosodic information obtained from the user's utterances for assessing interest as these parameters are independent of linguistic information that varies widely in chat-oriented dialogs. The results show that the accuracy of the assessment of the user's interest is better when we use both features.
Twelve- and 52-week safety of albuterol multidose dry powder inhaler in patients with persistent asthma

Abstract Objective: Evaluate the safety of albuterol multidose dry powder inhaler (MDPI), a novel, inhalation-driven device that does not require coordination of actuation with inhalation, in patients with persistent asthma. Methods: We report pooled safety data from two 12-week, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, repeat-dose, parallel-group studies and the 12-week double-blind phase of a 52-week multicenter safety study as well as safety data from the 40-week open-label phase of the 52-week safety study. In each study, eligible patients aged ≥12 years with persistent asthma received placebo MDPI or albuterol MDPI 180 µg (2 inhalations × 90 µg/inhalation) 4 times/day for 12 weeks. In the 40-week open-label phase of the 52-week safety study, patients received albuterol MDPI 180 μg (2 inhalations × 90 μg/inhalation) as needed (PRN). Results: During both 12-week studies and the 12-week double-blind phase of the 52-week study, adverse events were more common with placebo MDPI (50%; n = 333) than albuterol MDPI (40%; n = 321); most frequent were upper respiratory tract infection (placebo MDPI 11%, albuterol MDPI 10%), nasopharyngitis (6%, 5%), and headache (6%, 4%). Incidences of β2-agonist-related events (excluding headache) during the pooled 12-week dosing periods were low (≤1%) in both groups. The safety profile with albuterol MDPI PRN during the 40-week open-label phase [most frequent adverse events: nasopharyngitis (12%), sinusitis (11%), upper respiratory tract infection (9%)] was similar to that observed during the 12-week pooled analysis. Conclusions: The safety profile of albuterol MDPI 180 μg in these studies was comparable with placebo MDPI and consistent with the well-characterized profile of albuterol in patients with asthma.
Arm use in patients with subacute stroke monitored by accelerometry: association with motor impairment and influence on self-dependence.

OBJECTIVE To assess the effect of arm motor impairment on actual arm use in the early post-stroke period and explore its association with self-care dependency. SUBJECTS Thirty-one patients recruited within the 30 first days after stroke. METHODS Motor impairment of the upper extremity was measured with Fugl-Meyer Motor Assessment (FMA) and arm use was measured with accelerometry. Arm movement ratio (AMR), the ratio of arm use duration between the more and less affected arm, was calculated. Self-care dependency was defined as needing personal assistance in primary self-care activities. RESULTS FMA of the more affected arm was strongly associated with AMR (Spearman's correlation coefficient -0.851, p>0.001), although some patients deviated considerably from the regression line. Covariates did not have any influence on this relation. Both arm motor function and actual arm use related to self-care dependency, but were no longer significant when we controlled for lower extremity motor function. CONCLUSION FMA and AMR correlated highly in the early post-stroke period. These measures relate to different dimensions of the International Classification of Functioning and Health, and could be supplementary measures to reveal non-use of the affected arm. Arm use and arm impairment were not significantly associated with self-care dependency in our sample.
Characterization of a reverse-phase perfluorocarbon emulsion for the pulmonary delivery of tobramycin.

BACKGROUND Aerosolized delivery of antibiotics is hindered by poor penetration within distal and plugged airways. Antibacterial perfluorocarbon ventilation (APV) is a proposed solution in which the lungs are partially or totally filled with perfluorocarbon (PFC) containing emulsified antibiotics. The purpose of this study was to evaluate emulsion stability and rheological, antibacterial, and pharmacokinetic characteristics. METHODS This study examined emulsion aqueous droplet diameter and number density over 24 hr and emulsion and neat PFC viscosity and surface tension. Additionally, Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm growth was measured after 2-hr exposure to emulsion with variable aqueous volume percentages (0.25, 1, and 2.5%) and aqueous tobramycin concentrations (Ca=0.4, 4, and 40 mg/mL). Lastly, the time course of serum and pulmonary tobramycin concentrations was evaluated following APV and conventional aerosolized delivery of tobramycin in rats. RESULTS The initial aqueous droplet diameter averaged 1.9±0.2 μm with little change over time. Initial aqueous droplet number density averaged 3.5±1.7×10(9) droplets/mL with a significant (p<0.01) decrease over time. Emulsion and PFC viscosity were not significantly different, averaging 1.22±0.03×10(-3) Pa·sec. The surface tensions of PFC and emulsion were 15.0±0.1×10(-3) and 14.6±0.6×10(-3) N/m, respectively, and the aqueous interfacial tensions were 46.7±0.3×10(-3) and 26.9±11.0×10(-3) N/m (p<0.01), respectively. Biofilm growth decreased markedly with increasing Ca and, to a lesser extent, aqueous volume percentage. Tobramycin delivered via APV yielded 2.5 and 10 times larger pulmonary concentrations at 1 and 4 hr post delivery, respectively, and significantly (p<0.05) lower serum concentrations compared with aerosolized delivery. CONCLUSIONS The emulsion is bactericidal, retains the rheology necessary for pulmonary delivery, is sufficiently stable for this application, and results in increased pulmonary retention of the antibiotic.
Determinants and Improvement of Electrocardiographic Diagnosis of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in a Black African Population

Background Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a major cardiovascular risk factor. The electrocardiogram (ECG) has been shown to be a poor tool in detecting LVH due to cardiac and extracardiac factors. We studied the determinants and possibility of improving the test performance of the ECG in a group of Black Africans. Methods We studied echocardiograms and electrocardiograms of 182 Cameroonian patients among whom 113 (62.1%) were having an echocardiographic LVH. Echocardiographic LVH was defined as Left Ventricular Mass Indexed to height 2.7(LVMI)>48 g/m2.7 in men, and >44 g/m 2.7 in women or Body Surface Area ≥116 g/m2 in men, and ≥96 g/m2 in women. Test performances were calculated for 6 classic ECG criteria Sokolow-Lyon, Cornell, Cornell product, Gubner-Ungerleiger, amplitudes of R in aVL, V5 and V6. Results The most sensitive criteria were Cornell (37.2%) and Sokolow-Lyon index (26.5%). The most specific criteria were Gubner (98.6%), RaVL (97.1%), RV5/V6 (95.7%) and Cornell product (94.2%). The performance of the ECG in diagnosing LVH significantly increased with the severity of LVH for Cornell index (r = 0.420, p<0.0001) and Sokolow index (r = 0.212, p = 0.002). It decreased with body habitus (r = −0.248, p = 0.001) for Sokolow-Lyon index. Cornell index was less affected (age p = 0.766; body habitus: p = 0.209). After sex-specific adjustment for BMI, Cornell BMI sensitivity increased from 37.2% to 69% (r = 0.472, p<0.0001), and Sokolow-Lyon BMI sensitivity increased from 26.5% to 58.4% (r = 0.270, p<0.001). Conclusion The test performance of the ECG in diagnosing LVH is low in this Black African population, due to extracardiac factors such as age, sex, body habitus, and cardiac factors such as LVH severity and geometry. However, this performance is improved after adjustment for extracardiac factors.
Contributions of chaperone/usher systems to cell binding, biofilm formation and Yersinia pestis virulence

Yersinia pestis genome sequencing projects have revealed six intact uncharacterized chaperone/usher systems with the potential to play roles in plague pathogenesis. We cloned each locus and expressed them in the Δfim Escherichia coli strain AAEC185 to test the assembled Y. pestis surface structures for various activities. Expression of each chaperone/usher locus gave rise to specific novel fibrillar structures on the surface of E. coli. One locus, y0561-0563, was able to mediate attachment to human epithelial cells (HEp-2) and human macrophages (THP-1) but not mouse macrophages (RAW264.7), while several loci were able to facilitate E. coli biofilm formation. When each chaperone/usher locus was deleted in Y. pestis, only deletion of the previously described pH 6 antigen (Psa) chaperone/usher system resulted in decreased adhesion and biofilm formation. Quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) revealed low expression levels for each novel chaperone/usher system in vitro as well as in mouse tissues following intravenous infection. However, a Y. pestis mutant in the chaperone/usher locus y1858-1862 was attenuated for virulence in mice via the intravenous route of infection, suggesting that expression of this locus is, at some stage, sufficient to affect the outcome of a plague infection. qRT-PCR experiments also indicated that expression of the chaperone/usher-dependent capsule locus, caf1, was influenced by oxygen availability and that the well-described chaperone/usher-dependent pilus, Psa, was strongly induced in minimal medium even at 28 °C rather than 37 °C, a temperature previously believed to be required for Psa expression. These data indicate several potential roles for the novel chaperone/usher systems of Y. pestis in pathogenesis and infection-related functions such as cell adhesion and biofilm formation.
Evaluation of student empathy level during the first five years of medical education at ankara university

Empathy is an important attribute in the physician-patient relationship and promotes patient and physician satisfaction. It must be taught and promoted during medical education. However, many of the studies about empathy show that empathy declines during medical school education as the year of study increases. The aim of this study was to measure and examine the levels of student empathy during medical education at Ankara University School of Medicine. Study participants were all medical students from the first to the fifth year of the program and the ‘Student Version (S-Version) of Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy’ ( JSPE-S) was used to measure the level of student empathy. The study utilized a cross-sectional design and sub-scale scores were analyzed in terms of gender and year of study. MannWhitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis variance analysis were used to compare the sub-scale scores in terms of gender and year, respectively. The results showed that the second year students` JSPE-S scores were significantly high for “perspective taking” and “compassionate care” whereas the third year students` JSPE-S scores were significantly low for the three sub-scales (p<0.001). Additionally, the scores of internship time decreased gradually as the year of study increased. Females’ JSPE-S scores were significantly higher for “perspective taking” and “compassionate care” (p<0.001). In this study, the students’ empathy levels were examined with a self-report scale. The results indicated that medical student empathy declines as the year of study gets higher. More studies are needed to determine whether the decline in empathy scores are due to cohort effects or to the changes occurring during medical education.
Effects of inhaled salbutamol in primary pulmonary hypertension

Although lung function is grossly normal in patients with primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH), mild-to-moderate peripheral airflow obstruction can be found in the majority of patients with this disease. Therefore, β2-agonists may affect pulmonary function, blood gases and haemodynamics in patients with PPH. Pulmonary function testing, blood gas measurements and right heart catheterisation was performed in 22 patients with PPH and the acute effects of inhaled salbutamol (0.2 mg) were measured. Salbutamol caused an increase in the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) from 2446±704 to 2550±776 mL. The mean expiratory flow at 50% of the vital capacity (MEF50) rose from 58±17 to 66±21% pred. The pulmonary artery pressures remained unchanged after inhalation of salbutamol, but the cardiac output increased significantly from 3.9±1.4 to 4.2±1.4 L·min−1 accompanied by significant increases in stroke volume and mixed venous oxygen saturation as well as a significant decrease in pulmonary vascular resistance. The arterial oxygen tension rose from 9±2.4 kPa (68±18 mmHg) at baseline to 9.7±2.8 kPa (73±21 mmHg) after inhalation of salbutamol, the alveolo-arterial oxygen gradient values improved from 6±2.5 kPa (45±19 mmHg) to 5.1±2.9 kPa (38±22 mmHg), respectively. Inhaled salbutamol has beneficial acute effects on pulmonary function, blood gases and haemodynamics in patients with primary pulmonary hypertension.
Constraints on Argument Linearization in German

In this article we present experimental findings on the acceptability of different argument orders in the German middle field. Our study pursues two goals: First, to evaluate a number of surface constraints on German argument order that have been proposed in the literature, and second, to shed new light on how gradient constraints jointly determine sentence acceptability. In four experiments, we investigated the impact of surface constraints relating to animacy, thematic roles, definiteness and case. While we are able to confirm an influence of most constraints under investigation, the resulting constraint hierarchy does not coincide with any hierarchy put forward so far in the literature, to the best of our knowledge. With regard to gradience, our results can be accounted for either by an OT variant incorporating a notion of markedness, or by a fully quantified model using constraint weights. For the latter, however, we provide evidence against uniform penalties associated with constraint violations.
Stress testing the enterprise sector's bank debt - a micro approach

This paper describes Norges Bank’s micro stress-testing framework for assessing the Norwegian banking sector’s losses on loans to the nonfinancial enterprise sector. Using projected macro variables and a stock-flow approach, annual financial statements of every firm in Norway are projected five years ahead. The loan loss potential is then assessed using a creditscoring model. We present a backtest of projections, taking the history of macro variables as given. Our results are fairly good using a relatively simple setup, and we conclude that stockflow projections of financial statements can be useful for stress testing banks’ loan portfolios.
The Uptake of Apoptotic Cells Drives Coxiella burnetii Replication and Macrophage Polarization: A Model for Q Fever Endocarditis

Patients with valvulopathy have the highest risk to develop infective endocarditis (IE), although the relationship between valvulopathy and IE is not clearly understood. Q fever endocarditis, an IE due to Coxiella burnetii, is accompanied by immune impairment. Patients with valvulopathy exhibited increased levels of circulating apoptotic leukocytes, as determined by the measurement of active caspases and nucleosome determination. The binding of apoptotic cells to monocytes and macrophages, the hosts of C. burnetii, may be responsible for the immune impairment observed in Q fever endocarditis. Apoptotic lymphocytes (AL) increased C. burnetii replication in monocytes and monocyte-derived macrophages in a cell-contact dependent manner, as determined by quantitative PCR and immunofluorescence. AL binding induced a M2 program in monocytes and macrophages stimulated with C. burnetii as determined by a cDNA chip containing 440 arrayed sequences and functional tests, but this program was in part different in monocytes and macrophages. While monocytes that had bound AL released high levels of IL-10 and IL-6, low levels of TNF and increased CD14 expression, macrophages that had bound AL released high levels of TGF-β1 and expressed mannose receptor. The neutralization of IL-10 and TGF-β1 prevented the replication of C. burnetii due to the binding of AL, suggesting that they were critically involved in bacterial replication. In contrast, the binding of necrotic cells to monocytes and macrophages led to C. burnetii killing and typical M1 polarization. Finally, interferon-γ corrected the immune deactivation induced by apoptotic cells: it prevented the replication of C. burnetii and re-directed monocytes and macrophages toward a M1 program, which was deleterious for C. burnetii. We suggest that leukocyte apoptosis associated with valvulopathy may be critical for the pathogenesis of Q fever endocarditis by deactivating immune cells and creating a favorable environment for bacterial persistence.