Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A generic scheme for color image retrieval based on the multivariate Wald-Wolfowitz test

In this study, a conceptually simple, yet flexible and extendable strategy to contrast two different color images is introduced. The proposed approach is based on the multivariate Wald-Wolfowitz test, a nonparametric test that assesses the commonality between two different sets of multivariate observations. It provides an aggregate gauge of the match between color images, taking into consideration all the (selected) low-level characteristics, while alleviating correspondence issues. We show that a powerful measure of similarity between two color images can emerge from the statistical comparison of their representations in a properly formed feature space. For the sake of simplicity, the RGB-space is selected as the feature space, while we are experimenting with different ways to represent the images within this space. By altering the feature-extraction implementation, complementary ways to portray the image content appear. The reported results, from the application on a diverse collection of images, clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of our method, its superiority over previous methods, and suggest that even further improvements can be achieved along the same line of research. It is not only the unifying character that makes our strategy appealing, but also the fact that the retrieval performance does not increase continuously with the amount of details in the image representation. The latter sets an upper limit to the computational demands and reminds of performance plateaus reached by novel approaches in information retrieval.
Role of the Number of Microtubules in Chromosome Segregation during Cell Division

Faithful segregation of genetic material during cell division requires alignment of chromosomes between two spindle poles and attachment of their kinetochores to each of the poles. Failure of these complex dynamical processes leads to chromosomal instability (CIN), a characteristic feature of several diseases including cancer. While a multitude of biological factors regulating chromosome congression and bi-orientation have been identified, it is still unclear how they are integrated so that coherent chromosome motion emerges from a large collection of random and deterministic processes. Here we address this issue by a three dimensional computational model of motor-driven chromosome congression and bi-orientation during mitosis. Our model reveals that successful cell division requires control of the total number of microtubules: if this number is too small bi-orientation fails, while if it is too large not all the chromosomes are able to congress. The optimal number of microtubules predicted by our model compares well with early observations in mammalian cell spindles. Our results shed new light on the origin of several pathological conditions related to chromosomal instability.
Salient region detection based on binocular vision

Selective visual attention is a kind of mechanism of the primate visual system for rapidly focusing on attractive objects or regions in visual environment. Numerous visual attention models have been developed and optimized over the past decades. Most of the existing models concentrate on static monocular image, but little attention has been devoted to stereo depth information which is an important aspect of human perception. A region-based binocular saliency detection approach considering depth information is proposed in this paper. The difference of left and right image is used for computing disparity map and coarse saliency map. Hue, saturation, and intensity (HSI) color space is adopted and mean-shift algorithm is used for image segmentation. This study shows that the proposed region-based saliency computational method can effectively detect salient region, and it is more suitable for real time applications such as obstacle detection and visual navigation for its simplicity.
Neural Network Regularization via Robust Weight Factorization

Regularization is essential when training large neural networks. As deep neural networks can be mathematically interpreted as universal function approximators, they are effective at memorizing sampling noise in the training data. This results in poor generalization to unseen data. Therefore, it is no surprise that a new regularization technique, Dropout, was partially responsible for the now-ubiquitous winning entry to ImageNet 2012 by the University of Toronto. Currently, Dropout (and related methods such as DropConnect) are the most effective means of regularizing large neural networks. These amount to efficiently visiting a large number of related models at training time, while aggregating them to a single predictor at test time. The proposed FaMe model aims to apply a similar strategy, yet learns a factorization of each weight matrix such that the factors are robust to noise.
The Moderating Role of Transformational Leadership on Work Engagement: The Influences of Professionalism and Openness to Change

This study examined the relationships of teachers’ work engagement with their professionalism and openness to change and investigated the moderating role of the transformational leadership of principals in explaining these relationships. Multilevel data were collected from 1,886 teachers from 59 schools in South Korea, and multilevel path analysis was performed to analyze the data. The study results found that teachers’ work engagement was positively influenced by their professionalism and openness to change in the Korean educational setting. However, no significant relationship was found between teachers’ work engagement and the transformational leadership of principals. It also showed that the transformational leadership of principals positively moderated the relationship between work engagement and openness to change of teachers. Finally, we identified the negative moderating effect of the transformational leadership of principals on the relationship between work engagement and professionalism of teachers. The theoretical implications of these findings are provided along with practical suggestions for policy makers, superintendents, and teacher education institutes.
Descemet's Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty in South Asian Population

Purpose: To evaluate visual outcomes, endothelial cell density and complications following Descemet's membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK). Methods: This study included 40 consecutive eyes that underwent DMEK for various pathologies involving the corneal endothelium. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and endothelial cell density (ECD) were measured and compared before and 6 months after surgery. Results: Out of 40 eyes, 34 eyes (85%) had BCVA ranging from 0.5 to 0.7 LogMAR 6 months postoperatively. Mean donor ECD was 2367.96 ± 47.87 (range, 2314.0–2472.0) cells/mm2 preoperatively, which was reduced to 1798.42 ± 45.79 (range, 1736.0–1902.0) cells/mm2 6 months after DMEK surgery, indicating a mean reduction of 569.54 cells/mm2 (24%) in ECD. Conclusion: DMEK is an emerging and a more advanced alternative to penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) and Descemet's stripping endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK) for corneal pathologies involving the corneal endothelium. Compared to PK and DSEK, however, DMEK has a longer learning curve, and its safety and efficacy need to be confirmed through more experience on a large volume of cases.
Assimilation of problematic experiences in Brief Strategic Therapy: Olivia and her fear of dying / La asimilación de experiencias problemáticas en la Terapia Breve Estratégica: Olivia y su miedo a morir

Abstract In this research process, Stiles’ assimilation of problematic experiences scale is used to study Olivia’s process of change. The objectives of this study are: first, to describe Olivia’s therapeutically successful assimilation of the problematic experience of fear of dying, treated with brief strategic therapy; and second, to study how that pattern of assimilation unfolded. We can conclude that Olivia assimilated her problematic experience of fear of dying by following a fluctuating and irregular pattern.
A Comparison of Random Forests and Dropout Nets for Sign Language Recognition with the Kinect

Random Forests (RF) and Dropout networks are currently two of the most effective machine learning algorithms available. However, so far a study directly comparing the accuracy of both on the same dataset has not been performed. We hope to fill this gap by testing the classification accuracy of both of these ensemble methods on a novel dataset of American Sign Language (ASL) hand signs collected using the Microsoft Kinect. Results show that dropout nets achieve a higher gesture classification accuracy, particularly as the number of classification labels increases. Further, a neural network trained with dropout outperforms the same net without dropout, demonstrating the effectiveness of the technique. Individual gesture recognition accuracy as well as computation times for both algorithms will be presented.
Just Like a Woman? Effects of Gender-Biased Perceptions of Friendship Network Brokerage on Attributions and Performance

Do women face bias in the social realm in which they are purported to excel? Across two different studies one organizational and one comprising MBA teams, we examined whether the friendship networks around women tend to be systematically misperceived and whether there were effects of these misperceptions on the women themselves and their teammates. Thus, we investigated the possibility hitherto neglected in the network literature that biases in friendship networks are triggered not just by the complexity of social relationships but also by the gender of those being perceived. Study 1 showed that, after controlling for actual network positions, men, relative to women, were perceived to occupy agentic brokerage roles in the friendship network-those roles involving less constraint and higher betweenness and outdegree centrality. Study 2 showed that if a team member misperceived a woman to occupy such roles, the woman was seen as competent but not warm. Furthermore, to the extent that gender stereotypes were endorsed by many individuals in the team, women performed worse on their individual tasks. But teams in which members fell back on well-rehearsed perceptions of gender roles men rather than women misperceived as brokers performed better than teams in which members tended toward misperceiving women occupying agentic brokerage roles. Taken together, these results contribute to unlocking the mechanisms by which social networks affect women's progress in organizations.
Role of Large Sequence Polymorphisms (LSPs) in Generating Genomic Diversity among Clinical Isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the Utility of LSPs in Phylogenetic Analysis

ABSTRACT Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains contain different genomic insertions or deletions called large sequence polymorphisms (LSPs). Distinguishing between LSPs that occur one time versus ones that occur repeatedly in a genomic region may provide insights into the biological roles of LSPs and identify useful phylogenetic markers. We analyzed 163 clinical M. tuberculosis isolates for 17 LSPs identified in a genomic comparison of M. tuberculosis strains H37Rv and CDC1551. LSPs were mapped onto a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based phylogenetic tree created using nine novel SNP markers that were found to reproduce a 212-SNP-based phylogeny. Four LSPs (group A) mapped to a single SNP tree segment. Two LSPs (group B) and 11 LSPs (group C) were inferred to have arisen independently in the same genomic region either two or more than two times, respectively. None of the group A LSPs but one group B LSP and five group C LSPs were flanked by IS6110 sequences in the references strains. Genes encoding members of the proline-glutamic acid or proline-proline-glutamic acid protein families were present only in group B or C LSPs. SNP- versus LSP-based phylogenies were also compared. We classified each isolate into 58 LSP types by using a separate LSP-based phylogenetic analysis and mapped the LSP types onto the SNP tree. LSPs often assigned isolates to the correct phylogenetic lineage; however, significant mistakes occurred for 6/58 (10%) of the LSP types. In conclusion, most LSPs occur in genomic regions that are prone to repeated insertion/deletion events and were responsible for an unexpectedly high degree of genomic variation in clinical M. tuberculosis. Group B and C LSPs may represent polymorphisms that occur due to selective pressure and affect the phenotype of the organism, while group A LSPs are preferable phylogenetic markers.
Are young fathers “hard to reach”? Understanding the importance of relationship building and service sustainability

Purpose This paper explores service provision for young fathers through analysis of data from the three-year ESRC funded project Following Young Fathers. The purpose of this paper is to explore the idea that young fathers are a “hard to reach” group. It begins with a discussion of literature and research evidence on this theme. The empirical discussion draws on data collected in interviews and focus groups with practitioners, service managers and those working to develop and deliver family support services. Design/methodology/approach The ESRC Following Young Fathers study used qualitative longitudinal methods to research the perspectives of fathers under the age of 25, mapping the availability of services to support them and investigating professional and policy responses to their needs. The strand reported on here focussed on the perspectives of a range of practitioners, service managers and those involved in developing and commissioning services. Findings The research findings, and those of other projects discussed in the paper, challenge the idea that young fathers are “hard to reach”, suggesting that we should, conversely, consider that many services are actually hard to access. Thus, increasing young fathers’ engagement requires better understanding of their often complex needs and a reshaping of service design and delivery to account for them. The paper highlights how the configuration, funding and delivery of services can inhibit young fathers’ use of them, and identifies ways in which they could be made more accessible. Originality/value The ESRC Following Young Fathers Study filled an important gap in knowledge about the lives of young fathers, developing understandings of their experiences and support needs. The strand reported on here draws on research with practitioners to provide an in-depth discussion of how services currently support young fathers, and how they could be better configured to address their often complex and diverse needs.
Folia Linguistica

This corpus-based study investigates the complementation patterns of mental predicates in a cross-linguistic context. More precisely, it examines five equivalent mental verbs from English, German, and Polish and analyzes whether their complements are cognitively construed in different ways in first-person uses of those verbs as opposed to third-person uses. Two types of complementation are considered: we contrast nominal complements with clausal complements. Based on the results of prior studies into Polish myśleć ‘think’ and wierzyć ‘believe’, we hypothesize that first-person singular occurrences of mental predicates will be more readily associated with clausal complements designating non-bounded and non-picturable objects. Conversely, third-person uses of the verbs are expected to be linked to nominal complements that denote bounded and picturable objects. The hypotheses are tested with bivariate and multivariate quantitative techniques. Our results have both descriptive and theoretical implications. Descriptively, we aim to identify the differences in construing the complement ofmental predicates, depending on the grammatical person of the syntactic subject. Theoretically, we provide empirical evidence that is relevant for the long-recognized distinction between performativity and descriptivity of mental verbs.
n-uniformly consistent density estimation in nonparametric regression models

The paper introduces a n-consistent estimator of the probability density function of the response variable in a nonparametric regression model. The proposed estimator is shown to have a (uniform) asymptotic normal distribution, and it is computationally very simple to calculate. A Monte Carlo experiment confirms our theoretical results. The results derived in the paper adapt general U-processes theory to the inclusion of infinite dimensional nuisance parameters.
A diffusion tensor MRI study of patients with MCI and AD with a 2-year clinical follow-up

Objective The authors assessed whether brain changes detected by diffusion tensor (DT) MRI can improve the understanding of structural damage in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and are associated with different risks of conversion to AD in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). Methods Twenty-one aMCI patients, 21 AD patients and 20 healthy subjects underwent conventional and DT MRI at baseline. All subjects were clinically followed up over 2 years; at the end of follow-up, aMCI were grouped into converters to AD (aMCI-C) and non-converters (aMCI-NC). The mean diffusivity (MD) and fractional anisotropy (FA) were obtained from total grey matter (GM) and white matter (WM), and from several GM and WM regions of interest (ROIs). On T1-weighted images, normalised volumes of the whole brain (NBV), GM (NGMV) and WM were measured. Results A significant ‘trend’ of worsening with a trajectory ‘normal/aMCI/AD’ was found for NBV and NGMV, total GM and WM MD, total WM FA, as well as for diffusivity abnormalities in several GM and WM ROIs, mainly located in posterior brain regions. aMCI-C had GM and WM changes similar to those seen in AD, whereas aMCI-NC showed a DT MRI pattern similar to that of healthy subjects. DT MRI metrics that better distinguished aMCI-C from aMCI-NC were MD of total GM and WM, hippocampi, anterior insulae, frontal and parietal WM, occipital GM and WM, and FA of temporal WM. Volumetric variables were not able to distinguish the two aMCI subgroups (aMCI-C and aMCI-NC). Conclusions Subtle brain diffusivity changes occur from the prodromal stages of AD, mainly in posterior brain regions, and spread over the course of the disease to involve the frontal lobe. In aMCI, the severity of microstructural damage within and beyond the medial temporal lobe is associated with an increased short-term risk to develop AD.
Impact of chronic kidney disease management in primary care.

BACKGROUND The introduction of eGFR reporting and publication of national CKD guidelines has led to major challenges in primary and secondary care, leading to an increase in the number of referrals to nephrology clinics. We have shown that introduction of a renal patient care pathway reduces nephrology referrals and enables managed discharges of CKD patients to primary care. The aim of this article is to examine the outcome of patients discharged to primary care to find out if there is an associated risk with increased discharge supported by the patient pathway. METHODS The study was carried out within a single NHS Trust covering a population of 560,000. All patients discharged from the trust's renal outpatient clinic between June 2007 and July 2008 were identified. Patient notes and the local laboratory database systems were used to determine the source and timing of tests. RESULTS A total of 31 new referrals and 57 regular follow-ups were discharged during this period. The median age of discharge was 67.5 years. Most subjects (60%) had CKD stage 3 at the time of discharge. A total of 23% of discharges were categorized as CKD stages 1, 2 or normal and 17% of patients had CKD stage 4. Overall, 93% had stable eGFRs prior to discharge, 77.5% of patients had blood pressure within threshold (140/90 according to UK CKD guidelines) and 97.7% of patients had haemoglobins >10 g/dl. Post-discharge 83% of patients had eGFRs recorded by their general practitioner and 92.6% of these were measured within appropriate time frames as per CKD guidelines. The majority of patients (82%) had either improved or stable eGFR post-discharge and only three patients had a significant decline in their eGFR. CONCLUSION These data indicate that selected CKD patients can be appropriately discharged from secondary care and adequately monitored in primary care. Furthermore, we have shown that this was a safe practice for patients.
Unilateral trade reform, Market Access and Foreign Competition: the Patterns of Multi-Product Exporters

Recent findings in international trade using detailed firm level surveys emphasize the microeconomic effects of trade liberalization episodes. A unilateral trade reform has two opposite effects on firms’ export patterns: (i) expansion of export opportunities for foreign firms exporting to that destination and (ii) intensification of foreign competition in the liberalized market. The main contribution of this paper is to investigate this trade-off between market access growth and tougher competitive pressures in the export market. Using detailed firm-product-destination data for French firms (1999-2005), we explore how the margins of French exports react to unilateral trade liberalization of Asian countries, with particular attention given to China. We exploit the exogenous variation in Chinese import tariff cuts relative to tariff changes in other Asian countries. Our findings suggest that French firms expanded the range of their exported products and the volume of exports to China relative to other Asian destinations after Chinese tariff liberalization. These results are robust when we explicitly account for foreign competition of third countries in the liberalized market. Quantitatively, a 7 percent declined of Chinese tariff on average during the period 1999-2005, results in almost 6 log points expansion of a firm’s export product scope and 14 log points of firms’ export sales.
The role of attention and cognitive control in depression: an experimental investigation of underlying neurobiological working mechanisms

Several studies have demonstrated that repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) can improve cognitive processing. Neuroimaging studies have shown the engagement of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in executive functioning, and more specifically during selective attention. In the present study, the influence of high frequency rTMS over the left DLPFC on Stroop task performance in healthy female volunteers was investigated. As expected, reaction time on both the incongruent and congruent trials decreased significantly after stimulation with a smaller the Stroop interference effect. Mood remained unchanged after rTMS. Such a pattern is consistent with the role of the left DLPFC in implementing top-down attentional control. 1 Based on: Vanderhasselt, M.A., De Raedt, R. , Baeken, C. , Leyman, L. , & D'haenen, H. (2006). The influence of rTMS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex on Stroop task performance. Experimental Brain Research, 18, 1-4. CHAPTER