Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Detailed, Accurate, Human Shape Estimation from Clothed 3D Scan Sequences

We address the problem of estimating human pose and body shape from 3D scans over time. Reliable estimation of 3D body shape is necessary for many applications including virtual try-on, health monitoring, and avatar creation for virtual reality. Scanning bodies in minimal clothing, however, presents a practical barrier to these applications. We address this problem by estimating body shape under clothing from a sequence of 3D scans. Previous methods that have exploited body models produce smooth shapes lacking personalized details. We contribute a new approach to recover a personalized shape of the person. The estimated shape deviates from a parametric model to fit the 3D scans. We demonstrate the method using high quality 4D data as well as sequences of visual hulls extracted from multi-view images. We also make available BUFF, a new 4D dataset that enables quantitative evaluation (http://buff.is.tue.mpg.de). Our method outperforms the state of the art in both pose estimation and shape estimation, qualitatively and quantitatively.
“Do they even know that they do it?”: Exploring Awareness of Spanish-English Code-Switching in a Sixth-Grade English Language Arts Classroom

This article draws on scholarship in educational and linguistic anthropology to explore awareness of Spanish-English code-switching among bilingual Chicana/o and Latina/o students in a sixth-grade English Language Arts classroom. Analysis of qualitative data gathered via participant observation, video/audio recording, and semistructured interviews reveals that students articulated practical and discursive forms of awareness and that these forms of awareness were also sometimes embodied in their language use. It is argued that viewing awareness as a continuum affords a clearer understanding of the full range of their awareness by allowing for embodied reflections of awareness and shifts in individual speakers’ awareness across contexts.
Development of Financial Intermediation and the Dynamics of Rural-Urban Inequality China , 1978-98

Using China as a test case, this paper empirically investigates how the development of financial intermediation affects rural-urban income disparity (RUID). Using 20-year province level panel data, we find that the level of financial development is positively correlated with RUID. Examining two subperiods, 1978-88 and 1989-98, we test several competing hypotheses that may affect RUID. We find that the increase of RUID may be explained by fiscal policy during the first period and financial intermediates during the second period. In addition, we show that the direction of the Kuznets effect on RUID is sensitive to changes in government development policies. The rural development policies during the first period may have enhanced the rural development and reduced RUID. However, the financial intermediary policy during the second period focused on urban development and increased both urban growth and intra-urban inequalities, thus leading to an increase in RUID. Finally, we show that RUID is insensitive to the provincial industrial structure (the share of primary industry in GDP). These results are consistent with the . /.
Assessing the performance of real-time epidemic forecasts: A case study of Ebola in the Western Area region of Sierra Leone, 2014-15

Real-time forecasts based on mathematical models can inform critical decision-making during infectious disease outbreaks. Yet, epidemic forecasts are rarely evaluated during or after the event, and there is little guidance on the best metrics for assessment. Here, we propose an evaluation approach that disentangles different components of forecasting ability using metrics that separately assess the calibration, sharpness and unbiasedness of forecasts. This makes it possible to assess not just how close a forecast was to reality but also how well uncertainty has been quantified. We used this approach to analyse the performance of weekly forecasts we generated in real time in Western Area, Sierra Leone, during the 2013–16 Ebola epidemic in West Africa. We investigated a range of forecast model variants based on the model fits generated at the time with a semi-mechanistic model, and found that good probabilistic calibration was achievable at short time horizons of one or two weeks ahead but models were increasingly inaccurate at longer forecasting horizons. This suggests that forecasts may have been of good enough quality to inform decision making requiring predictions a few weeks ahead of time but not longer, reflecting the high level of uncertainty in the processes driving the trajectory of the epidemic. Comparing forecasts based on the semi-mechanistic model to simpler null models showed that the best semi-mechanistic model variant performed better than the null models with respect to probabilistic calibration, and that this would have been identified from the earliest stages of the outbreak. As forecasts become a routine part of the toolkit in public health, standards for evaluation of performance will be important for assessing quality and improving credibility of mathematical models, and for elucidating difficulties and trade-offs when aiming to make the most useful and reliable forecasts.
Evaluation of histopathological findings of skin biopsies in various skin disorders

Background : Skin conditions are among the most common health problems in India. Skin biopsy is the most common diagnostic technique for diagnosing skin disease. The interpretation of the skin biopsy require clinicopathological correlation. Materials & Methods: The present study was undertaken in the department of Pathology, Kakatiya Medical College & MGM Hospital Warangal, Telangana to determine the incidence & age – sex distribution of various skin diseases, to study the various histopathological changes encountered in the course of study & to establish clinicopathological correlation. A total number of 249 biopsies retrieved from the archives during the period of January 2013 to June 2015 along with clinico pathological correlation. On the basis of histopathological classification the skin disorders are divided into eight groups. Results: Maximum number of cases belonged to group VI disorders i.e disorders showing tumors & cyst of dermis & subcutis 85 ( 34.1%), followed by group V disorders i.e disorders showing perivascular, diffuse & granulomatous infiltrates of the dermis 44 (17.6%). Out of 249 skin biopsies which came for histopathological evaluation, 197 (79.1%) cases were given definite diagnosis by microscopic examination of slides. Amongst 197 cases, clinico-pathological correlations was seen in 134 (54%)cases. Highest number of cases are seen in 21 30 yrs of age, with majority of cases were male than female Conclusion: Our study showed most of cystic lesions of dermis,followed by benign tumors ( capillary hemangioma) and carcinomas, calcinosis cutis emphasizing that enivironment had some role to play.
Suppurative Cranial Complications of Sinusitis, Management with Limited Resources: A Report of Two Cases with a Review of the Literature

Unusual clinical presentations of intra cranial suppurative complication of sinusitis make it difficult to be to be diagnosed and make it a challenging task. Even in present time this pathology is known to produce significant morbidity and mortality. A short review of the literature on ICS has been done with our experience of two cases who had varying clinical presentations and inspite of their management with limited available resources, both the cases recovered fully with limited morbidity. The first case, a 12 years old boy had no clinical evidence of sinusitis but had high fever, signs of increased intra cranial pressure, orbital cellulites and abscesses on left upper eye lid and on same side of forehead. The CT scan revealed FrontoMaxillary sinusitis, periorbital cellulites, lid and forehead abscesses along with edema in brain for which an external Fronto-Ethmoido-Maxillary antrostomy [Lynch-Howarth operation] was done along with drainage of extra cranial abscesses in the eyelid and forehead. The second case, a 21 years old female, known to have nasal allergies had a high fever, right eye congested and proposed and had signs of increased ICP. The CT and MRI revealed that she had a subdural empyema, Frontal sinusitis and as per orbital Cellulites. The subdural empyema was drained by a neuro-surgeon and the sinus abscesses were drained [Lynch Howarth operation] by an Otolaryngologist, at the same time. Both the patients recovered in 4 to 6 week. In conclusion, the diagnosis of ICS requires a high index of suspicion and early radiographic imaging [CT/ MRI] of the head and paranasal sinuses. An aggressive medical therapy is indicated and it may require drainage of the sinus abscess and the intra cranial abscess, at the same time. Synopsis: The objective is to gain insight into patterns of presentation, imaging, microbiological aspects and management of a suppurative ICS, pathology with high rate of morbidity and mortality. It becomes more challenging if it has to be managed with limited resources including a lack of FESS technique of draining the sinus abscesses.
Fast initialization for cascade-correlation learning

Weight initialization in the cascade-correlation learning is considered. Most of the previous studies use the so called candidate training to deal with the initialization problem in the cascade-correlation learning. There several candidate hidden units are first trained, and then the one yielding the best value for the covariance criterion is installed to the network. In case there are many candidate units to be trained, the total computational cost of the training can become very large. Here we consider a new approach for weight initialization in the cascade-correlation learning. The proposed method is based on the concept of stepwise regression. Empirical simulations show that the new method can significantly speed-up the cascade-correlation learning compared to the case where the candidate training is used. Moreover, the overall performance remained similar or was even better than with the candidate training.
Nonlinear Pharmacokinetics of (±)3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and Its Pharmacodynamic Consequences in the Rat

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is a widely abused illicit drug that can cause severe and even fatal adverse effects. However, interest remains for its possible clinical applications in posttraumatic stress disorder and anxiety treatment. Preclinical studies to determine MDMA’s safety are needed. We evaluated MDMA’s pharmacokinetics and metabolism in male rats receiving 2.5, 5, and 10 mg/kg s.c. MDMA, and the associated pharmacodynamic consequences. Blood was collected via jugular catheter at 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, and 24 hours, with simultaneous serotonin (5-HT) behavioral syndrome and core temperature monitoring. Plasma specimens were analyzed for MDMA and the metabolites (±)-3,4-dihydroxymethamphetamine (HHMA), (±)-4-hydroxy-3-methoxymethamphetamine (HMMA), and (±)-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. After 2.5 mg/kg MDMA, mean MDMA Cmax was 164 ± 47.1 ng/ml, HHMA and HMMA were major metabolites, and <20% of MDMA was metabolized to MDA. After 5- and 10-mg/kg doses, MDMA areas under the curve (AUCs) were 3- and 10-fold greater than those after 2.5 mg/kg; HHMA and HMMA AUC values were relatively constant across doses; and MDA AUC values were greater than dose-proportional. Our data provide decisive in vivo evidence that MDMA and MDA display nonlinear accumulation via metabolic autoinhibition in the rat. Importantly, 5-HT syndrome severity correlated with MDMA concentrations (r = 0.8083; P < 0.0001) and core temperature correlated with MDA concentrations (r = 0.7595; P < 0.0001), suggesting that MDMA’s behavioral and hyperthermic effects may involve distinct mechanisms. Given key similarities between MDMA pharmacokinetics in rats and humans, data from rats can be useful when provided at clinically relevant doses.
Complaint reduction in the Tasmania Police

This article examines a case study of Tasmania Police to explore strategies for complaint reduction. The study uses quantitative complaints data and qualitative interviews to examine a 15-year period from 1994/1995 to 2008/2009. During this time, complaints against Tasmania Police reduced substantially. Most significantly, public ‘complaints against police’ dropped by nearly 77% from a peak of 162 in 1996/1997 to 38 in 2008/2009. Data show that repeat complaints against individual officers were reduced, as were numbers of assault and excessive force allegations. Initiatives that were implemented during the period that appear to impact on complaint numbers include complaint profiling and training, and improved complaint handling. These and other initiatives are considered in light of the data patterns and lessons for other jurisdictions are discussed.
The role of matched controls in building an evidence base for hospital-avoidance schemes: a retrospective evaluation.

OBJECTIVE To test whether two hospital-avoidance interventions altered rates of hospital use: "intermediate care" and "integrated care teams. " DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING Linked administrative data for England covering the period 2004 to 2009. STUDY DESIGN This study was commissioned after the interventions had been in place for several years. We developed a method based on retrospective analysis of person-level data comparing health care use of participants with that of prognostically matched controls. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS Individuals were linked to administrative datasets through a trusted intermediary and a unique patient identifier. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Participants who received the intermediate care intervention showed higher rates of unscheduled hospital admission than matched controls, whereas recipients of the integrated care team intervention showed no difference. Both intervention groups showed higher rates of mortality than did their matched controls. CONCLUSIONS These are potentially powerful techniques for assessing impacts on hospital activity. Neither intervention reduced admission rates. Although our analysis of hospital utilization controlled for a wide range of observable characteristics, the difference in mortality rates suggests that some residual confounding is likely. Evaluation is constrained when performed retrospectively, and careful interpretation is needed.
Pharmacotherapy for Leishmaniasis in the United States: Focus on Miltefosine

Leishmaniasis is a protozoan infection native to various countries, including those in South America and Southeast Asia. Although the incidence of leishmaniasis is low in the United States, it is an important cause of infection in individuals traveling to endemic areas. Various treatment modalities are available, depending on their availability in the geographic region. In the United States, the treatment of choice is considered to be liposomal amphotericin, although other therapies have been explored. In 2014, miltefosine became the first orally available medication approved for the treatment of leishmaniasis in the United States. Based on available data, miltefosine is a first‐line option for the treatment of leishmaniasis. Miltefosine is equally efficacious to and may be as tolerable as liposomal amphotericin B. The most common adverse effects of miltefosine are vomiting, diarrhea, and transient liver enzyme level elevation. Miltefosine has not been readily available in the United States due to marketing delays and is expected to become available later this year. In the meantime, the drug may be obtained through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expanded‐access investigational new drug protocol.
Refuting data aggregation arguments and how the IBL model stands criticism: A reply to Hills and Hertwig (2012)

Hills and Hertwig (2012) challenge the proposed similarity of the exploration-exploitation transitions found in Gonzalez and Dutt (2011) between the two experimental paradigms of decisions from experience (sampling and repeated-choice), which was predicted by an Instance-Based Learning (IBL) model. The heart of their argument is that in the sampling paradigm, an impression of reduced exploration over time (alternation rate, A-rate) is produced by an inverse relationship between the sample size and the A-rate, and the aggregation of participants with different sample sizes. They suggest a normalization of the A-rate, which produces constant A-rate curves during sampling, and conclude with certain “ensuing problems for the IBL model. ” We show that: the reduction of A-rate during sampling occurs even when sample length is controlled for; that regardless of the sampling length, the maximization behavior during sampling predicts the final choice; and that the IBL model accounts for a negative correlation between sample size and the predicted A-rate. Furthermore, when the IBL model's data is normalized following the procedure specified by Hills and Hertwig (2012), it results in similar flattened exploration curves as those found in human data. These results indicate that the transition from exploration to exploitation in the sampling paradigm (which has also been found in the repeated-choice paradigm) is not an illusion resulting from data aggregation: The same data with or without normalization may be interpreted differently, but such interpretations do not invalidate the mechanisms of the IBL model.
On the Possibility of Preferred Performance Styles and Their Link to Learning Styles

The existence of individual learnings styles is a hot topic in contemporary education theory and practice. There is an on-going debate on whether learners benefit from teaching methods that are tailored to their perceived learning styles. The majority of educators believe that such styles do exist and a striving industry benefits from this concept. However, experts conclude that the evidence on this matter provides no support for the utility of learning styles. In this manuscript we briefly review this debatable topic and focus on a key flaw in the analyses of learning styles. We indicate that the current models for the evaluation of such styles call for different instruction methods and a uniform test. However, the possibility that learner styles correlate to different performance in different types of examination has not been experimentally addressed. We discuss this discrepancy and propose methodologies that can identify such preferred performance styles.
Effect of Part-Time Work on High School Mathematics and Science Course Taking

Abstract The effect of part-time work intensity on high school course work completed in mathematics and science and its indirect effect on 12th-grade achievement was explored. Longitudinal data from a nationally representative sample were used to test the models through path analysis. Socioeconomic status and previous achievement were included as exogenous variables for control purposes, and part-time work intensity was hypothesized to negatively affect course work completed in the 2 subjects, as well as 12th-grade achievement through course work during high school. Results suggest that, controlling for the background variables, there was a significant negative effect of part-time work intensity on course work and that its indirect effect on 12th-grade achievement through course work was larger than its direct effect.
Rubella-neutralizing and haemagglutinin-inhibiting antibodies in children of different ages

Rubella neutralization and haemagglutinin-inhibition tests were used to determine the incidence of rubella antibodies in the sera of 235 children and adolescents aged 1 month to 20 years. The tests showed good agreement in the detection of rubella antibodies resulting from acute infection. Maternal antibodies became undetectable within six months after birth. The proportion of children possessing rubella antibodies was found to be about 23% by the age of 5 years, rising sharply to 80% in the 6–12 years age group and 83% in the 13–20 years age group. Results indicate that the incidence of rubella infection may be higher in females than in males. The correlation between statements concerning a past history of rubella and immune status was poor, particularly in the older age groups. Any policy for vaccination against rubella must take into account the difficulties of identifying nonimmune persons in a large population.
Update on Baylisascariasis, a Highly Pathogenic Zoonotic Infection

SUMMARY Baylisascaris procyonis, the raccoon roundworm, infects a wide range of vertebrate animals, including humans, in which it causes a particularly severe type of larva migrans. It is an important cause of severe neurologic disease (neural larva migrans [NLM]) but also causes ocular disease (OLM; diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis [DUSN]), visceral larva migrans (VLM), and covert/asymptomatic infections. B. procyonis is common and widespread in raccoons, and there is increasing recognition of human disease, making a clinical consideration of baylisascariasis important. This review provides an update for this disease, especially its clinical relevance and diagnosis, and summarizes the clinical cases of human NLM and VLM known to date. Most diagnosed patients have been young children less than 2 years of age, although the number of older patients diagnosed in recent years has been increasing. The recent development of recombinant antigen-based serodiagnostic assays has aided greatly in the early diagnosis of this infection. Patients recovering with fewer severe sequelae have been reported in recent years, reinforcing the current recommendation that early treatment with albendazole and corticosteroids should be initiated at the earliest suspicion of baylisascariasis. Considering the seriousness of this zoonotic infection, greater public and medical awareness is critical for the prevention and early treatment of human cases.
Problem-Problem Solver Characteristics Affectingthe Calibration of Judgments

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to examine factors that affect the calibration of judgments by systematically comparing experts’ judgments to novices’ when solving a complex, real-world problem that varies in its initial characteristics. Calibration in this context refers to the proportion of times decision makers provide a range about their best estimates that includes the actual outcome. We found that experts specify a narrower range and provide more accurate best estimates than novices. But their tighter ranges are not justified by their greater accuracy: they are less likely to encompass the actual outcome than are novices. However, this effect is attenuated when solving more complex problems. Novices apparently underestimate the complexity of difficult problems, hence the accuracy of their best estimates decreases as does the width of their ranges, resulting in worse calibration. The performance of experts was not significantly different across problem solving conditions. Both groups provided asymmetrical ranges about their best estimates, which suggests they account for the effect of subproblem dependencies.
Women, Partisanship, and the Congress

Women, Partisanship, and the Congress. By Jocelyn Jones Evans. New York: Palgrave Macmillian. 2005. 161 pp. $65.00. In Women, Partisanship, and the Congress, Jocelyn Jones Evans brings a fresh perspective to the women officeholder literature. Rather than emphasizing gendered impact on policy and political outcomes, she focuses on elements of the institutional impact on women's professional opportunities. The primary question underlying her analysis is not “What difference do women make? ” but “What opportunities do they have for career advancement given the cultures of the two major parties? ” In this, the central premise of the book fits within recent scholarly inquiry into the effects of gendered institutions on the experiences and impact of women officeholders. Further, her work serves as a reminder that scholars have not placed sufficient emphasis on female legislators' ability to achieve career success—and that success possibilities differ in each of the two major parties.