Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intelligent Multimedia Group of Tsinghua University at TRECVID 2006

Our shot boundary detection system of this year is basically the same as that of last year. However, we have made three minor improvements on the system, including the detection of FOIs, flashlight and short gradual transitions. On the data set of last year, the new system achieves better performance than the old one. However, on the data set of 2006, the new system has not performed better as expected. We find that this is mainly due to the inconsistent annotation criteria, a) the inaccurate definition of FOIs, OTHs etc, b) the blurry distinction between CUTs and short gradual transitions, c) the inconsistent annotation of video in video. In high level feature extraction task, rich and hierarchical / multiple granular visual representations are adopted. A bundle of diversified SVM classifiers are trained sequentially for each feature. These classifiers are then combined with a weight and select fusion algorithm. Also, the RankBoost and the StackSVM fusion algorithms are implemented, and different approaches for representing concept context are evaluated in quest of the performance gain. Our submitted runs (runid: A/B_hua) are ranked highest in MAP of all HFE participants except run B_hua_2 which is ranked 8th. At the same time, a top result for 7 out of 20 concepts is obtained. The results indicate that our weight and select fusion algorithm works surprisingly well, better than all variations of the RankBoost and the StackSVM fusion algorithm.
Significance of S100A2 and S100A4 Expression in the Progression of Prostate Adenocarcinoma

Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate the expression pattern of calcium-binding proteins S100A2 and S100A4. We also sought to determine the prognostic value of these markers for patients with prostate adenocarcinoma. Materials and Methods Immunohistochemical staining was performed to detect S100A2 and S100A4 expression in 26 tissue samples obtained during transurethral resection from patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and in 67 tissue samples obtained during prostate biopsy and radical prostatectomy from patients with prostate carcinoma. The immunoreactivity of these proteins was stratified on a scale of 0 to 3 and was correlated with the pathologic features of prostate adenocarcinoma. Results High expression of S100A2 was observed in the tissue of patients with BPH, whereas low or no expression was observed in prostate cancer (CaP) cells. The protein level of S100A4 was significantly higher in CaP than in BPH cells. The higher level of S100A4 observed in CaP tissue correlated with increasing tumor grade. Conclusions Decreased expression of S100A2 and increased expression of S100A4 may be important in the progression of CaP. This finding could aid in identifying aggressive CaP. The simultaneous analysis of S100A2 and S100A4 expression in prostate tissues may be a useful prognostic marker for CaP.
Financial Stress Regimes and the Macroeconomy

Some financial stress events lead to macroeconomic downturns, while others appear to be isolated to financial markets. We identify financial stress regimes using a model that explicitly links financial variables to macroeconomic outcomes. The stress regimes are identified using an unbalanced panel of financial variables with an embedded method for variable selection. Our identified stress regimes are associated with corporate credit tightening and with NBER recessions. An exogenous deterioration in our financial condition index has strong negative effects in economic activity, and negative amplification effects on inflation in the stress regime. We employ a novel factor-augmented vector autoregressive model with smooth regime changes (FAST-VAR).
A Tutorial on the Proof of the Existence of Nash Equilibria

Often we do not need the notion of an outcome as distinct from a strategy profile. In such cases the game has the simpler form N, A, u, and in the remainder of the article we will adopt this form. We have so far defined the actions available to each player in a game, but not yet his set of strategies, or his available choices. Certainly one kind of strategy is to select a single action and play it. We call such a strategy a pure strategy. We call a choice of pure strategy pure strategy for each agent a pure strategy profile. Players could also follow another, less obvious type of strategy: randomizing over the set of available actions according to some probability distribution. Such a strategy is called a mixed strategy. Although it may not be immediately obvious why a player should introduce randomness into his choice of action, in fact in a multiagent setting the role of mixed strategies is critical. We define a mixed strategy for a normal form game as follows.
Asymmetry and fighting performance in the shore crab Carcinus maenas


Fluctuating asymmetries (left-right differences in symmetric traits) can be negatively related to fitness parameters in a number of biological systems. Hence, it has been suggested that symmetric individuals should outcompete asymmetric individuals during intraspecific agonistic encounters. However, there is a lack of experimental evidence for such a relationship. We investigated the relationship between trait asymmetry (both directional and fluctuating asymmetry) and the outcome of agonistic encounters among size-matched male shore crabs. Our findings indicate that cheliped ('weapon claw') directional asymmetry is not related to the outcome of fights, whereas fluctuating asymmetry in the fifth pereiopod, but not the second pereiopod, is negatively related to the likelihood of winning conspecific aggressive encounters. This relationship is most readily explained by a biomechanical advantage in symmetric individuals, as the fifth pereiopod is likely to be mechanically important in maintaining stability and balance during fighting. There is no evidence that asymmetry (in traits that display fluctuating asymmetry) is related to an intrinsic individual quality factor. None the less, the relative mechanical advantage of low asymmetry may give rise to fitness benefits in symmetric crabs that may have evolutionary consequences. Copyright 1999 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
Where to Dig for Fossils: Combining Climate-Envelope, Taphonomy and Discovery Models

Fossils represent invaluable data to reconstruct the past history of life, yet fossil-rich sites are often rare and difficult to find. The traditional fossil-hunting approach focuses on small areas and has not yet taken advantage of modelling techniques commonly used in ecology to account for an organism’s past distributions. We propose a new method to assist finding fossils at continental scales based on modelling the past distribution of species, the geological suitability of fossil preservation and the likelihood of fossil discovery in the field, and apply it to several genera of Australian megafauna that went extinct in the Late Quaternary. Our models predicted higher fossil potentials for independent sites than for randomly selected locations (mean Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistic = 0.66). We demonstrate the utility of accounting for the distribution history of fossil taxa when trying to find the most suitable areas to look for fossils. For some genera, the probability of finding fossils based on simple climate-envelope models was higher than the probability based on models incorporating current conditions associated with fossil preservation and discovery as predictors. However, combining the outputs from climate-envelope, preservation, and discovery models resulted in the most accurate predictions of potential fossil sites at a continental scale. We proposed potential areas to discover new fossils of Diprotodon, Zygomaturus, Protemnodon, Thylacoleo, and Genyornis, and provide guidelines on how to apply our approach to assist fossil hunting in other continents and geological settings.
Fetal growth and maternal exposure to particulate matter during pregnancy.

Prior studies reported an association between ambient air concentrations of total suspended particles and SO2 during pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcomes. We examined the possible impact of particulate matter up to 10 microm (PM10) and up to 2.5 microm (PM2. 5) in size on intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) risk in a highly polluted area of Northern Bohemia (Teplice District). The study group includes all singleton full-term births of European origin over a 2-year period in the Teplice District. Information on reproductive history, health, and lifestyle was obtained from maternal questionnaires. The mean concentrations of pollutants for each month of gestation were calculated using continuous monitoring data. Three intervals (low, medium, and high) were constructed for each pollutant (tertiles). Odds ratios (ORs) for IUGR for PM10 and PM2.5 levels were generated using logistic regression for each month of gestation after adjustment for potential confounding factors. Adjusted ORs for IUGR related to ambient PM10 levels in the first gestational month increased along the concentration intervals: medium 1.62 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.07-2.46], high 2.64 (CI, 1.48-4.71). ORs for PM2.5 were 1.26 (CI, 0.81-1.95) and 2.11 (CI, 1. 20-3.70), respectively. No other associations of IUGR risk with particulate matter were found. Influence of particles or other associated air pollutants on fetal growth in early gestation is one of several possible explanations of these results. Timing of this effect is compatible with a current hypothesis of IUGR pathogenesis. Seasonal factors, one of the other possible explanations, is less probable. More investigation is required to examine these findings and alternative explanations. ImagesFigure 1
Contribution of the pst-phoU Operon to Cell Adherence by Atypical Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli and Virulence of Citrobacter rodentium

ABSTRACT Strains of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) generally employ the adhesins bundle-forming pili (Bfp) and intimin to colonize the intestine. Atypical EPEC strains possess intimin but are negative for Bfp and, yet, are able to cause disease. To identify alternative adhesins to Bfp in atypical EPEC, we constructed a transposon mutant library of atypical EPEC strain E128012 (serotype O114:H2) using TnphoA. Six mutants that had lost the ability to adhere to HEp-2 cells were identified, and in all six mutants TnphoA had inserted into the pstSCAB-phoU (Pst) operon. To determine if the Pst operon is required for adherence, we used site-directed mutagenesis to construct a pstCA mutant of E128012. The resultant mutant showed a reduced ability to adhere to HEp-2 cells and T84 intestinal epithelial cells, which was restored by trans-complementation with intact pstCA. To determine if pst contributes to bacterial colonization in vivo, a pstCA mutation was made in the EPEC-like murine pathogen, Citrobacter rodentium. C57BL/6 mice infected perorally with the pstCA mutant of C. rodentium excreted significantly lower numbers of C. rodentium than those given the wild-type strain. Moreover, colonic hyperplasia and diarrhea, which are features of infections with C. rodentium, were not observed in mice infected with the pstCA mutant but did occur in mice given the trans-complemented mutant. As mutations in pst genes generally lead to constitutive expression of the Pho regulon, our findings suggested that the Pho regulon may contribute to the reduced virulence of the pstCA mutants. To investigate this, we inactivated phoB in the pstCA mutants of EPEC E128012 and C. rodentium and found that the phoB mutation restored the adherent phenotype of both mutant strains. These results demonstrate that Pst contributes to the virulence of atypical EPEC and C. rodentium, probably by causing increased expression of an unidentified, Pho-regulated adhesin.
A beta-spectrin isoform from Drosophila (beta H) is similar in size to vertebrate dystrophin

Spectrins are a major component of the membrane skeleton in many cell types where they are thought to contribute to cell form and membrane organization. Diversity among spectrin isoforms, especially their beta subunits, is associated with diversity in cell shape and membrane architecture. Here we describe a spectrin isoform from Drosophila that consists of a conventional alpha spectrin subunit complexed with a novel high molecular weight beta subunit (430 kD) that we term beta H. The native alpha beta H molecule binds actin filaments with high affinity and has a typical spectrin morphology except that it is longer than most other spectrin isoforms and includes two knoblike structures that are attributed to a unique domain of the beta H subunit. Beta H is encoded by a different gene than the previously described Drosophila beta-spectrin subunit but shows sequence similarity to beta-spectrin as well as vertebrate dystrophin, a component of the membrane skeleton in muscle. By size and sequence similarity, dystrophin is more similar to this newly described beta-spectrin isoform (beta H) than to other members of the spectrin gene family such as alpha-spectrin and alpha- actinin.
Choosing Futures: Young people's decision-making in education, training and careers markets

This book offers a wide-ranging perspective on how young people and their parents make choices as they travel through a lifetime of education and training. It challenges traditional views of how choices are made of primary school, secondary school, college, university and career, and shows how choices depend upon a range of factors including young people's personal experiences, individual and family histories and their perceptions of education and careers. The book compares choices fopr 5 to 11 year olds and for 16 and 18 year olds, drawing out models of the decision-making process, and at the same time the consequences on schools, colleges and individuals of 'enhanced choice'.
Technology Commitment and the Cost of Economic Fluctuations

When firms must make technology commitments, economic fluctuations impose costs in the form of ex post inefficiency in production technology. We present a general equilibrium model in which, due to the presence of technology commitment, greater volatility of productivity shocks leads to lower mean output. When learning-by-doing is incorporated, mean output becomes permanently lower as a consequence of higher volatility. The negative and persistent relationship between mean and variance of output implied by our model is strongly verified by the data. We estimate that observed volatility has imposed a cost amounting to almost two percentage points of U.S. GNP growth.
Changes in Obesity Odds Ratio among Iranian Adults, since 2000: Quadratic Inference Functions Method

Background. Monitoring changes in obesity prevalence by risk factors is relevant to public health programs that focus on reducing or preventing obesity. The purpose of this paper was to study trends in obesity odds ratios (ORs) for individuals aged 20 years and older in Iran by using a new statistical methodology. Methods. Data collected by the National Surveys in Iran, from 2000 through 2011. Since responses of the member of each cluster are correlated, the quadratic inference functions (QIF) method was used to model the relationship between the odds of obesity and risk factors. Results. During the study period, the prevalence rate of obesity increased from 12% to 22%. By using QIF method and a model selection criterion for performing stepwise regression analysis, we found that while obesity prevalence generally increased in both sexes, all ages, all employment, residence, and smoking levels, it seems to have changes in obesity ORs since 2000. Conclusions. Because obesity is one of the main risk factors for many diseases, awareness of the differences by factors allows development of targets for prevention and early intervention.
Increased Epithelial Expression of CTGF and S100A7 with Elevated Subepithelial Expression of IL-1β in Trachomatous Trichiasis

Purpose To characterize the histological appearance and expression of pro-inflammatory mediators, growth factors, matrix metalloproteinases and biomarkers of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in healthy control and trachomatous trichiasis (TT) conjunctival tissue. Methods Conjunctival biopsies were taken from 20 individuals with TT and from 16 individuals with healthy conjunctiva, which served as controls. Study participants were of varying ethnicity and were living in a trachoma-endemic region of northern Tanzania. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue sections were stained using hematoxylin and eosin or by immunohistochemistry using antibodies against: IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17A, IL-22, CXCL5, S100A7, cleaved caspase 1 (CC1), PDGF, CTGF, TGFβ2, MMP7, MMP9, E-cadherin, vimentin, and αSMA. Results Tissue from TT cases had a greater inflammatory cell infiltrate relative to controls and greater disruption of collagen structure. CTGF and S100A7 were more highly expressed in the epithelium and IL-1β was more highly expressed in the substantia propria of TT cases relative to controls. Latent TGFβ2 was slightly more abundant in the substantia propria of control tissue. No differences were detected between TT cases and controls in the degree of epithelial atrophy, the number of myofibroblasts or expression of EMT biomarkers. Conclusions These data indicate that the innate immune system is active in the immunopathology of trachoma, even in the absence of clinical inflammation. CTGF might provide a direct link between inflammation and fibrosis and could be a suitable target for therapeutic treatment to halt the progression of trachomatous scarring.
Does the Constitutional Amendment Rule Matter at All? Amendment Cultures and the Challenges of Measuring Amendment Difficulty

It is often asserted that the United States’ Constitution is the world’s most difficult to amend. But how do we really know this? This paper unpacks the tricky methodological issues in measuring flexibility cross-nationally. We find that the various metrics of amendment difficulty offered in the literature are poorly correlated, suggesting potential validity problems. This illustrates a general challenge of institutional accounts of constitutional behavior. Institutions surely matter, but institutional explanations are, like all explanations, always partial. For some matters, behavior may be more driven by political or social factors that can overcome the powerful force of institutional incentives. We argue that amendment difficulty is an example of just such a matter, and provide an alternative theory of amendment difficulty, the key element of which is amendment culture. Drawing on new data, we develop a simple indicator of amendment culture and show empirically that this does a better job of explaining observed patterns of amendment within constitutional systems than do any of the institutional indices or variables on offer. Our article thus offers both a critique of the existing literature and a way toward understanding why constitutional systems vary in their rates of amendment.
Cyclical Developments of Portuguese Economy in the 1910-1958 Period: Brief Analysis

(1992a)and Neves (1994). This paper is organised as follows: Section 2presents a brief description of the series utilised.Section 3 shows the major characteristics of the cy-clical developments of the Portuguese economyover the period under review. Section 4 establishesa comparison with results obtained for other coun-tries, for the same period. Finally, section 5 pres-ents the conclusions.
In contemporary patients with polycythemia vera, rates of thrombosis and risk factors delineate a new clinical epidemiology.

To the editor: Controlled studies in polycythemia vera (PV) have demonstrated the value of aggressive phlebotomy, aspirin, and cytoreductive therapy in preventing thrombotic complications. [1][1][⇓][2]-[3][3] In the European Collaboration on Low-Dose Aspirin in Polycythemia Vera (ECLAP)
Growth of a Population of Bacteria in a Dynamical Hostile Environment

We study the growth of a population of bacteria in a dynamical hostile environment corresponding to the immune system of the colonized organism. The immune cells evolve as subcritical open clusters of oriented percolation and are perpetually reinforced by an immigration process, while the bacteria try to grow as a supercritical oriented percolation in the remaining empty space. We prove that the population of bacteria grows linearly when it survives. From this perspective, we build general tools to study dependent oriented percolation models issued from renormalization processes.
Underway path-planning for an unmanned surface vehicle performing cooperative navigation for UUVs at varying depths

This paper reports on the optimized path-planning for an unmanned surface vehicle (USV) serving as a communication and navigation aid (CNA) for multiple unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) performing surveys. This path-planning can occur prior to the survey (pre-deployment mode) based on the original planned paths for the survey UUVs or during the survey (underway mode) using in situ UUV positions reported acoustically by the survey UUVs. The underway mode has the advantage of integrating the actual UUV paths which may differ from the planned ones due to currents, re-planned missions, etc. This planner considers the relative depth of the CNA and survey UUVs, allowing the CNA to effectively aid survey UUVs in maintaining altitude over the sea floor, as is done in some UUV surveys. Results are presented from simulations and in-water validation trials for both path-planning modes. The underway planning mode is preferred since it adapts to changes in the survey UUV path during the mission. The advantage of bounding the distance between the CNA and any survey UUV to limit the survey UUVs' position error is also highlighted.
PersoNER: Persian Named-Entity Recognition

Named-Entity Recognition (NER) is still a challenging task for languages with low digital resources. The main difficulties arise from the scarcity of annotated corpora and the consequent problematic training of an effective NER pipeline. To abridge this gap, in this paper we target the Persian language that is spoken by a population of over a hundred million people world-wide. We first present and provide ArmanPerosNERCorpus, the first manually-annotated Persian NER corpus. Then, we introduce PersoNER, an NER pipeline for Persian that leverages a word embedding and a sequential max-margin classifier. The experimental results show that the proposed approach is capable of achieving interesting MUC7 and CoNNL scores while outperforming two alternatives based on a CRF and a recurrent neural network.
Detecting Emotions in Social Media: A Constrained Optimization Approach

Emotion detection can considerably enhance our understanding of users' emotional states. Understanding users' emotions especially in a real-time setting can be pivotal in improving user interactions and understanding their preferences. In this paper, we propose a constraint optimization framework to discover emotions from social media content of the users. Our framework employs several novel constraints such as emotion bindings, topic correlations, along with specialized features proposed by prior work and well-established emotion lexicons. We propose an efficient inference algorithm and report promising empirical results on three diverse datasets.