Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Semisupervised One-Class Support Vector Machines for Classification of Remote Sensing Data

This paper presents two semisupervised one-class support vector machine (OC-SVM) classifiers for remote sensing applications. In one-class image classification, one tries to detect pixels belonging to one of the classes in the image and reject the others. When few labeled pixels of only one class are available, obtaining a reliable classifier is a difficult task. In the particular case of SVM-based classifiers, this task is even harder because the free parameters of the model need to be finely adjusted, but no clear criterion can be adopted. In order to improve the OC-SVM classifier accuracy and alleviate the problem of free-parameter selection, the information provided by unlabeled samples present in the scene can be used. In this paper, we present two state-of-the-art algorithms for semisupervised one-class classification for remote sensing classification problems. The first proposed algorithm is based on modifying the OC-SVM kernel by modeling the data marginal distribution with the graph Laplacian built with both labeled and unlabeled samples. The second one is based on a simple modification of the standard SVM cost function which penalizes more the errors made when classifying samples of the target class. The good performance of the proposed methods is illustrated in four challenging remote sensing image classification scenarios where the goal is to detect one of the classes present on the scene. In particular, we present results for multisource urban monitoring, hyperspectral crop detection, multispectral cloud screening, and change-detection problems. Experimental results show the suitability of the proposed techniques, particularly in cases with few or poorly representative labeled samples.
The literacy environment of preschool classrooms in three Nordic countries: challenges in a multilingual and digital society

ABSTRACT This study investigates the physical literacy environment of preschools in three Nordic countries. The environments were assessed using an observation protocol in a total of 131 classrooms with children aged between one and seven in Sweden, Norway and Finland. The results showed that children’s books were common and accessible in all three countries. Half of the preschools had a writing centre, and digital devices were available in less than half of them. Multilingual children were present in 82% of the classrooms, but texts and books in the multilingual children’s first languages were rare. Taken together, the results suggest that children’s books were the main gateway to literacy in these preschools, while artefacts supporting writing skills and digital literacy were less common. The findings indicate that the physical environment in these preschools did not reflect the ongoing societal changes towards increased multimodal literacy.
How Green Is Sugarcane Ethanol?

Abstract Biofuels offer one approach for reducing carbon emissions. However, the necessary agricultural expansion may endanger tropical forests. I use a dynamic model of land use to disentangle the roles of acreage and yields in the supply of sugarcane ethanol in Brazil. The model is estimated using remote sensing (satellite) information of sugarcane activities. Estimates imply that, at the margin, 92% of new ethanol comes from increases in area and only 8% from increases in yield. Direct deforestation accounts for 19% of area expansion at the margin in the long run. I further assess carbon emissions and deforestation implications from ethanol policies.
Physical Activity Maintenance in the Transition to Adolescence: A Longitudinal Study of the Roles of Sport and Lifestyle Activities in British Youth

Background Promoting physical activity in youth is important for health, but existing physical activity interventions have had limited success. We aimed to inform intervention design by i) describing drop-out, continuation and uptake of specific activities over the transition to adolescence; and ii) examining Variety (number of different activities/week) and Frequency (number of activity session/week) of activity participation and their associations with changes in objectively measured physical activity from childhood to adolescence. Methods At age 10.2±0.3 and 14.2±0.3 years, 319 children in the SPEEDY study (46% boys) wore GT1M Actigraph accelerometers for 7 days and provided self-reported participation (never, once, 2 to 3 times or four or more times, over the last 7 days) in 23 leisure-time activities. Associations of change in moderate-to-vigorous intensity PA (MVPA) (≥2000 counts/minute) and change in total physical activity (TPA) (average accelerometer counts/minute) with exposure variables Z-score transformed (change in) Variety and Frequency were examined using multilevel linear regression, clustered by school, in simple and adjusted models. Results The number of children ever reporting a specific activity ranged from 30 (‘Hockey’) to 279 (‘Running or jogging’). Some activities were susceptible to drop-out (e.g. ‘Skipping’) but others were commonly continued or taken up (e.g. ‘Household chores’). Overall, Variety and Frequency declined (mean±SD ΔVariety −3.1±4.4 activities/week; ΔFrequency −7.2±12.0 session/week). ΔMVPA and ΔTPA were not associated with Variety or Frequency at baseline, nor with ΔVariety or ΔFrequency (p>0.29 in all models). Conclusions Popularity of specific activities as well as drop-out, continuation and uptake should be considered in future intervention development. Activities that are commonly continued or taken up may be more valuable to encourage in interventions than those with low participation or high drop-out. We did not find evidence to support the idea that Variety and Frequency may be key elements to include in future interventions.
Interleukin‐4 induces human hepatocyte apoptosis through a Fas‐independent pathway

IL‐4 is overexpressed in liver grafts during severe recurrent hepatitis C and rejection. Hepatocyte apoptosis is involved in both these phenomena. We therefore examined the proapoptotic effect of IL‐4 on HepG2 cells and human hepatocytes in vitro, together with the underlying mechanisms. We first measured IL‐4 receptor expression, STAT6 activation by IL‐4, and STAT6 inhibition by an anti‐IL‐4 antibody or by STAT6 siRNA transfection. We then focused on the pathways involved in IL‐4‐mediated apoptosis and the role of STAT6 activation in apoptosis initiation. The IL‐4 receptor was expressed on both cell types, and STAT6 was activated by IL‐4. Both anti‐IL‐4 and STAT‐6 siRNA inhibited this activation. IL‐4 induced apoptosis of both HepG2 cells (P= 0.008 vs. untreated control) and human hepatocytes (P<0.001 vs. untreated control). IL‐4 reduced the mitochondrial membrane potential, activated Bid and Bax, and augmented caspase 3, 8, and 9 activity. STAT6 blockade inhibited IL‐4‐induced apoptosis. Expression of Fas and Fas ligand was unaffected when HepG2 cells and hepatocytes were cultured with IL‐4, and Fas/FasL pathway blockade failed to inhibit IL‐4‐induced apoptosis. These results show that IL‐4 induces apoptosis of human hepatocytes through IL‐4 receptor binding, STAT6 activation, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, and increased caspase activation, independently of the Fas pathway. IL‐4 might thus contribute to the progression of severe liver graft damage. —Aoudjehane, L. , Podevin, P., Scatton, O. , Jaffray, P., Dusanter‐Fourt, I. , Feldmann, G. , Massault, P. P., Grira, L. , Bringuier, A. , Dousset, B. , Chouzenoux, S. , Soubrane, O. , Calmus, Y. , Conti, F. Interleukin‐4 induces human hepatocyte apoptosis through a Fas‐independent pathway. FASEB J. 21, 1433–1444 (2007)
Visual restoration in cortical blindness: Insights from natural and TMS-induced blindsight

Unilateral damage to visual cortex of the parietal or occipital lobe can cause the patient to be unaware of contralesional visual information due to either hemispatial neglect or hemianopia. It is now known that both neglect and hemianopia result from the disruption of a dynamic interaction between cortical visual pathways and more phylogenetically primitive visual pathways to the midbrain. We consider the therapeutic implications of these cortical–subcortical interactions in the rehabilitation of hemianopia. We start with the pheonmenon of “blindsight”, in which patients with hemianopia can be shown, by implicit measures of visual detection or discrimination, to process visual information without conscious awareness. Some variants of blindsight have been postulated to recruit subcortical processes, while others may reflect compensatory optimisation of processing of spared visual cortex. Both mechanisms may offer opportunities for innovative strategies for rehabilitation of visual field defects. We relate the neural mechanisms that have been proposed to underlie blindsight to those that have been suggested to underlie the recovery of visual function after rehabilitation. It is suggested that the similarity and overlap of the neural processes supporting blindsight and recovery of visual function might provide insights for effective rehabilitation strategies for restoring visual functions.
Haunting and the knowing and showing of qualitative research

This article focuses on the representation of qualitative sociological research to academic and non-academic audiences. It argues that a broader, ethically informed consideration of the communication of findings is required, rather than the current, audit-shaped approach, to do justice to complex (affective) data and to research participants. An important catalyst for this article is the concern that the current predominance of peer-reviewed articles may contribute, however unintentionally, to the maintenance of stigmatizing social imaginaries of groups including marginalized young people. This article draws on interdisciplinary sources to extend Avery Gordon’s work on haunting to the representation of research. It contends that research ‘outputs’ can ‘haunt’, or stay with and produce empathy in their audience, by communicating the ‘seething absences’ that trace the everyday effects of power affectively and by highlighting the ‘complex personhood’ of those affected. The possibilities of such an approach are illustrated through consideration of textual and visual representations of findings from a project that explored understandings of ‘belonging’ among young people in state care, and particularly a short film, co-produced with, and featuring, a participant. While ‘representation’ is employed here primarily in an everyday sense, this article discusses ‘non’ or ‘more than’ representational approaches, while advocating a strategic negotiation with representation in relation to social justice.
Executive Functions and Interpersonal Skills in Preadolescents With High Family Risk: Effectiveness of a Multicomponent Intervention Program

Growing up in a high family risk (HFR) environment is accompanied by difficulties in executive functions (EFs) and interpersonal skills (IS) that may persist into adulthood. Because preadolescence is a critical period, this study will assess a multicomponent mediational intervention program, to determine the possibility of improving these skills. There were 61 preadolescent participants, between the ages of 8 and 12; 34 were associated with HFR and 27 were associated with low family risk (LFR). All the participants were tested with EF and IS measures. Results showed that, prior to treatment, the HFR preadolescents had poorer performance on EF and IS than did the LFR preadolescents. In the posttreatment measures, to assess the utility of the multicomponent program, the HFR preadolescents group was able to match the scores of those in the LFR group. In addition, intervention effects in the HFR group were maintained in the follow-up assessment.
Raphe-Hippocampal Serotonin Neurotransmission In The Sex Related Differences of Adaptation to Stress: Focus on Serotonin-1A Receptor

Stress is the major predisposing and precipitating factor in the onset of depression which is the most significant mental health risk for women. Behavioral studies in animal models show that female sex though less affected by an acute stressor; exposure to repeated stressors induces coping deficits to impair adaptation in them. A decrease in the function of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT; serotonin) in the hippocampus and an increased function of the 5-HT-1A receptor in the raphe nucleus coexist in depression. Pharmacological and neurochemical data are relevant that facilitation of serotonin neurotransmission via hippocampus due to desensitization of somatodendritic 5-HT1A receptors may lead to adaptation to stress. The present article reviews research on sex related differences of raphe-hippocampal serotonin neurotransmission to find a possible answer that may account for the sex differences of adaptation to stress reported in preclinical research and greater incidence of depression in women than men.
Finite density QCD via an imaginary chemical potential

We study QCD at nonzero temperature and baryon density in the framework of the analytic continuation from imaginary chemical potential. We carry out simulations of QCD with four flavor of staggered fermions, and reconstruct the phase diagram in the temperature-imaginary \mu plane. We consider ans\"atze for the analytic continuation of the critical line and other observables motivated both by theoretical considerations and mean field calculations in four fermion models and random matrix theory. We determine the critical line, and the analytic continuation of the chiral condensate, up to \mu_B approx. 500 MeV. The results are in qualitative agreement with the predictions of model field theories, and consistent with a first order chiral transition. The correlation between the chiral transition and the deconfinement transition observed at \mu=0 persists at nonzero density.
In‐Vitro Studies of Myocardial Asynchrony and Regional Hypoxia

Ten pairs of cat papillary muscles were arranged in tandem to study their individual and combined length-tension and force-velocity relationships. Physiologic asynchronous contraction (up to 60 msec) of the pair of muscles produced a change in the individual force-velocity relations of each muscle which was characteristic of a change in muscle length; i.e., there was an alteration of tension developed without a change in the maximum measured velocity of shortening. On the ascending limb of the length-active tension curve, asynchronous stimulation (average time interval 32 msec) increased the force developed (5.3 ± 1.4%) by the tandem pair, as compared to synchronous stimulation. When one muscle was made hypoxic for 20 minutes, its force development was reduced by 64 ± 3%, and paradoxical motion occurred. After 2 minutes of reoxygenation, the time to peak tension was slightly prolonged, while the time for isometric tension to relax to one-half its peak value was increased to 234±27% of control. During this period the contraction pattern of the tandem pair was out of phase (asynergic), even though they were stimulated synchronously. Thus transient asynergy associated with regional myocardial ischemia may be explained in part by these observed alterations in the time course of contraction and relaxation.
Cerebral injury in perinatally HIV-infected children compared to matched healthy controls

Objective: The current study aims to evaluate the neurologic state of perinatally HIV-infected children on combination antiretroviral therapy and to attain a better insight into the pathogenesis of their persistent neurologic and cognitive deficits. Methods: We included perinatally HIV-infected children between 8 and 18 years and healthy controls matched for age, sex, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. All participants underwent a 3.0 T MRI with 3D-T1-weighted, 3D–fluid-attenuated inversion recovery, and diffusion-weighted series for the evaluation of cerebral volumes, white matter hyperintensities (WMH), and white matter (WM) diffusion characteristics. Associations with disease-related parameters and cognitive performance were explored using linear regression models. Results: We included 35 cases (median age 13.8 years) and 37 controls (median age 12.1 years). A lower gray matter and WM volume, more WMH, and a higher WM diffusivity were observed in the cases. Within the HIV-infected children, a poorer clinical, immunologic, and virologic state were negatively associated with volumetric, WMH, and diffusivity markers. Conclusions: In children with HIV, even when long-term clinically and virologically controlled, we found lower brain volumes, a higher WMH load, and poorer WM integrity compared to matched controls. These differences occur in the context of a poor cognitive performance in the HIV-infected group, and larger, longitudinal studies are needed to increase our understanding of the pathogenesis of cerebral injury in perinatally HIV-infected children.
Hardwired for Risk: The Clinical Utility of Exploring Evolutionary Aspects of Gambling

Evolutionary perspectives increasingly inform the research on addiction. As this knowledge base advances, an increasing corresponding need to translate these understandings into a manner that promotes clinical innovation has consequently emerged. The purpose of this article is to provide a brief overview of emerging perspectives on evolutionary and neurobiological aspects of gambling and to consider how such perspectives can inform and enhance clinical practice.
The Lyme Disease Pathogen Has No Effect on the Survival of Its Rodent Reservoir Host

Zoonotic pathogens that cause devastating morbidity and mortality in humans may be relatively harmless in their natural reservoir hosts. The tick-borne bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi causes Lyme disease in humans but few studies have investigated whether this pathogen reduces the fitness of its reservoir hosts under natural conditions. We analyzed four years of capture-mark-recapture (CMR) data on a population of white-footed mice, Peromyscus leucopus, to test whether B. burgdorferi and its tick vector affect the survival of this important reservoir host. We used a multi-state CMR approach to model mouse survival and mouse infection rates as a function of a variety of ecologically relevant explanatory factors. We found no effect of B. burgdorferi infection or tick burden on the survival of P. leucopus. Our estimates of the probability of infection varied by an order of magnitude (0.051 to 0.535) and were consistent with our understanding of Lyme disease in the Northeastern United States. B. burgdorferi establishes a chronic avirulent infection in their rodent reservoir hosts because this pathogen depends on rodent mobility to achieve transmission to its sedentary tick vector. The estimates of B. burgdorferi infection risk will facilitate future theoretical studies on the epidemiology of Lyme disease.
An empirical study on the relationship between dual pressure and work performance in telecom operators

Through interview and questionnaire investigation of employees in three major telecom operators, this paper tested the mediating effects of perceived organizational support between challenge stressor-hindrance stressor and work performance. Results showed that challenge stressor not only had a direct positive effect on work performance, but also took an indirect effect through perceived organizational support, whereas improving perceived organizational support could enhance the positive effect between challenge stressor-hindrance stressor and work performance were implied. Hindrance stressor had a direct negative effect on work performance, while the mediating role of perceived organizational support is not significant, which demonstrated that different types of work stressor had different effects on work performance. Implications for stress management and the development of interventions in telecom operators were discussed.
A Logical Theory of Truthmakers and Falsitymakers

The thing in question is aptly called a truthmaker. To date, no one really knows what such a thing may be. In the 1980s three seminal publications appeared, which put truthmakers and truthmaking at center stage. These were the 1984 paper ‘Truth-Makers’, by Kevin Mulligan, Peter Simons, and Barry Smith; the 1987 paper ‘Truthmaker’ by John Fox; and the 1988 discussion of truthmakers by John Bigelow in Part III of his book The Reality of Numbers. The field is now well served by the two recent anthologies Beebee and Dodd [2005] and Lowe and Rami
Performance analysis of space-time codes in realistic propagation environments: A moment generating function-based approach

In this paper, we derive analytical expressions for the exact pairwise error probability (PEP) of a space-time coded system operating over spatially correlated fast (constant over the duration of a symbol) and slow (constant over the length of a code word) fading channels using a moment-generating function-based approach. We discuss two analytical techniques that can be used to evaluate the exact-PEPs (and therefore, approximate the average bit error probability (BEP)) in closed form. These analytical expressions are more realistic than previously published PEP expressions as they fully account for antenna spacing, antenna geometries (uniform linear array, uniform grid array, uniform circular array, etc.) and scattering models (uniform, Gaussian, Laplacian, Von-mises, etc.). Inclusion of spatial information in these expressions provides valuable insights into the physical factors determining the performance of a space-time code. Using these new PEP expressions, we investigate the effect of antenna spacing, antenna geometries and azimuth power distribution parameters (angle of arrival/departure and angular spread) on the performance of a four-state QPSK space-time trellis code proposed by Tarokh et al. for two transmit antennas.
Pulse propagation by a capacitive mechanism drives embryonic blood flow

Pulsatile flow is a universal feature of the blood circulatory system in vertebrates and can lead to diseases when abnormal. In the embryo, blood flow forces stimulate vessel remodeling and stem cell proliferation. At these early stages, when vessels lack muscle cells, the heart is valveless and the Reynolds number (Re) is low, few details are available regarding the mechanisms controlling pulses propagation in the developing vascular network. Making use of the recent advances in optical-tweezing flow probing approaches, fast imaging and elastic-network viscous flow modeling, we investigated the blood-flow mechanics in the zebrafish main artery and show how it modifies the heart pumping input to the network. The movement of blood cells in the embryonic artery suggests that elasticity of the network is an essential factor mediating the flow. Based on these observations, we propose a model for embryonic blood flow where arteries act like a capacitor in a way that reduces heart effort. These results demonstrate that biomechanics is key in controlling early flow propagation and argue that intravascular elasticity has a role in determining embryonic vascular function.