Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Image Super-Resolution Using Dense Skip Connections

Recent studies have shown that the performance of single-image super-resolution methods can be significantly boosted by using deep convolutional neural networks. In this study, we present a novel single-image super-resolution method by introducing dense skip connections in a very deep network. In the proposed network, the feature maps of each layer are propagated into all subsequent layers, providing an effective way to combine the low-level features and high-level features to boost the reconstruction performance. In addition, the dense skip connections in the network enable short paths to be built directly from the output to each layer, alleviating the vanishing-gradient problem of very deep networks. Moreover, deconvolution layers are integrated into the network to learn the upsampling filters and to speedup the reconstruction process. Further, the proposed method substantially reduces the number of parameters, enhancing the computational efficiency. We evaluate the proposed method using images from four benchmark datasets and set a new state of the art.
C-Reactive Protein and Prediction of Coronary Heart Disease and Global Vascular Events in the Prospective Study of Pravastatin in the Elderly at Risk (PROSPER)

Background— The role of C-reactive protein (CRP) in predicting vascular events and response to statin therapy remains uncertain. Additional large prospective studies are required. Methods and Results— Baseline CRP was related to risk over 3.2 years for primary a combined end point (definite or suspected death from coronary heart disease, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and fatal or nonfatal stroke; n=865 events) and secondary (coronary heart disease events or stroke alone) and tertiary (stroke plus transient ischemic attack) end points in the Prospective Study of Pravastatin in the Elderly at Risk (n=5804 men and women; age, 70 to 82 years). CRP levels were higher in subjects who had a subsequent primary end-point event compared with those who did not (geometric mean; 3.64 mg/L [SD, 3.08 mg/L] versus 3.01 mg/L [SD, 3.05 mg/L]; P<0.0001). CRP correlated positively with body mass index and smoking status and negatively with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The unadjusted hazard ratio for the primary end point was 1.48 (95% CI, 1.26 to 1.74) in a comparison of top and bottom thirds for CRP, falling to 1.36 (95% CI, 1.15 to 1.61) with adjustment for established predictors and body mass index. Similar results were obtained for other end points or when results were examined separately by history of vascular disease. However, baseline CRP added minimally to risk prediction beyond conventional predictors and did not relate to the magnitude of pravastatin benefit. Conclusions— Elevated CRP minimally enhances cardiovascular disease prediction beyond established vascular risk factors and does not predict response to statin therapy in elderly subjects at risk. These data suggest that CRP has limited clinical value in cardiovascular disease risk stratification or predicting response to statin therapy in elderly people.
Hospital Social Work Practice in Zimbabwe

This article examines hospital work practice in Zimbabwe based on a literature review. It argues that the country is emerging from a ten year economic and political crisis which has affected the lives of the majority of the population. The health and education sectors have been the hardest hit since teachers, doctors, nurses as well as social workers have left the country in large numbers. The article highlights the various roles played by social workers in hospitals in Zimbabwe and the challenges they face in their day to day work. Solutions to these challenges are also suggested.
Double Gauss Based Unsupervised Score Normalization in Speaker Verification

In text-independent speaker verification, unsupervised mode can improve system performance. In traditional systems, the speaker model is updated when a test speech has a score higher than a particular threshold; we call this unsupervised model training. In this paper, an unsupervised score normalization is proposed. A target speaker score Gauss and an impostor score Gauss are set up as a prior; the parameters of the impostor score model are updated using the test score. Then the test score is normalized by the new impostor score model. When the unsupervised score normalization, unsupervised model training and factor analysis are adopted in the NIST 2006 SRE core test, the EER of the system is 4.29%.
On the design of fair contact plans in predictable Delay-Tolerant Networks

Delay-Tolerant Networks (DTNs) have become a promising solution for challenged communication environments. As a result, different routing schemes have been investigated that take into account the time-evolving nature of the network topology. Among them, Contact Graph Routing (CGR) has been proposed for environments with predictable connectivity. In order to evaluate routing decisions, DTN nodes need to know the contact plan in advance, which comprises all communication links among nodes that will be available in the future. Since not all potential contacts can belong to the contact plan, its design requires analyzing conflicting contacts in order to select those that meet an overall goal. In this paper, we consider the design of contact plans that can maximize fairness requirements while still maximizing the overall capacity as well. To this end, we propose to formalize the problem by means of an optimization model and evaluate its performance in terms of different fairness metrics. Since this model can be computationally intractable for a large number of contacts, we also propose to tackle it as a matching problem, resulting in algorithms of polynomial complexity, and compare these results with those of the original model. We show that fairness can be properly modeled to design contact plans and that efficient algorithms do exist to compute these plans quite accurately.
Solving sparse, symmetric, diagonally-dominant linear systems in time O(m/sup 1.31/

We present a linear-system solver that, given an n-by-n symmetric positive semi-definite, diagonally dominant matrix A with m non-zero entries and an n-vector b, produces a vector x/spl tilde/ within relative distance /spl epsi/ of the solution to Ax = b in time O(m/sup 1.31/log(n//spl epsi/)b/sup O(1)/), where b is the log of the ratio of the largest to smallest non-zero entry of A. If the graph of A has genus m/sup 2/spl theta// or does not have a K/sub m/spl theta// minor, then the exponent of m can be improved to the minimum of 1 + 5/spl theta/ and (9/8)(1 + /spl theta/). The key contribution of our work is an extension of Vaidya's techniques for constructing and analyzing combinatorial preconditioners.
MANTRA: Minimum Maximum Latent Structural SVM for Image Classification and Ranking

In this work, we propose a novel Weakly Supervised Learning (WSL) framework dedicated to learn discriminative part detectors from images annotated with a global label. Our WSL method encompasses three main contributions. Firstly, we introduce a new structured output latent variable model, Minimum mAximum lateNt sTRucturAl SVM (MANTRA), which prediction relies on a pair of latent variables: h+ (resp. h-) provides positive (resp. negative) evidence for a given output y. Secondly, we instantiate MANTRA for two different visual recognition tasks: multi-class classification and ranking. For ranking, we propose efficient solutions to exactly solve the inference and the loss-augmented problems. Finally, extensive experiments highlight the relevance of the proposed method: MANTRA outperforms state-of-the art results on five different datasets.
What to Do About Crowding and Solitude in Parks and Wilderness? A Reply to Stewart and Cole

Recent research by Stewart and Cole (2001) adds evidence that the number of encounters among park and wilderness visitors is negatively, but weakly-to-moderately related to visitor satisfaction. However, their conclusions—1) that there is little empirical evidence to support limits on park and wilderness use, and 2) surveys of park and wilderness visitors contribute little or nothing to resolving the issue of use limits—warrant further consideration. Reliance on global measures of visitor satisfaction is fraught with methodological and managerial problems. Consequently, quality in outdoor recreation might better be defined through a management-by-objectives approach, one that, in the case of parks and wilderness, might include consideration of the social, cultural and legal importance of solitude and concern over crowding-related impacts. Moreover, research on visitor evaluations of crowding and other impacts of recreation, especially as it addresses potential tradeoffs among multiple desirable attributes of park and wilderness experiences, can help inform management policy regarding the appropriateness of use limits. Stewart and Cole admonish us to be cautious about limiting use of parks and wilderness, and this is good advice. But we should be equally cautious about not limiting use when its social and resource impacts diminish qualities important to visitors and threaten objectives for which at least some park and wilderness areas probably should be managed.
An improved approach for predicting the distribution of rare and endangered species from occurrence and pseudo-absence data

Summary 1. Few examples of habitat-modelling studies of rare and endangered species exist in the literature, although from a conservation perspective predicting their distribution would prove particularly useful. Paucity of data and lack of valid absences are the probable reasons for this shortcoming. Analytic solutions to accommodate the lack of absence include the ecological niche factor analysis (ENFA) and the use of generalized linear models (GLM) with simulated pseudo-absences. 2. In this study we tested a new approach to generating pseudo-absences, based on a preliminary ENFA habitat suitability (HS) map, for the endangered species Eryngium alpinum . This method of generating pseudo-absences was compared with two others: (i) use of a GLM with pseudo-absences generated totally at random, and (ii) use of an ENFA only. 3. The influence of two different spatial resolutions (i.e. grain) was also assessed for tackling the dilemma of quality (grain) vs. quantity (number of occurrences). Each combination of the three above-mentioned methods with the two grains generated a distinct HS map. 4. Four evaluation measures were used for comparing these HS maps: total deviance explained, best kappa, Gini coefficient and minimal predicted area (MPA). The last is a new evaluation criterion proposed in this study. 5. Results showed that (i) GLM models using ENFA-weighted pseudo-absence provide better results, except for the MPA value, and that (ii) quality (spatial resolution and locational accuracy) of the data appears to be more important than quantity (number of occurrences). Furthermore, the proposed MPA value is suggested as a useful measure of model evaluation when used to complement classical statistical measures. 6. Synthesis and applications. We suggest that the use of ENFA-weighted pseudoabsence is a possible way to enhance the quality of GLM-based potential distribution maps and that data quality (i.e. spatial resolution) prevails over quantity (i.e. number of data). Increased accuracy of potential distribution maps could help to define better suitable areas for species protection and reintroduction.
The Role of Eyebrows in Face Recognition

A fundamental challenge in face recognition lies in determining which facial characteristics are important in the identification of faces. Several studies have indicated the significance of certain facial features in this regard, particularly internal ones such as the eyes and mouth. Surprisingly, however, one rather prominent facial feature has received little attention in this domain: the eyebrows. Past work has examined the role of eyebrows in emotional expression and nonverbal communication, as well as in facial aesthetics and sexual dimorphism. However, it has not been made clear whether the eyebrows play an important role in the identification of faces. Here, we report experimental results which suggest that for face recognition the eyebrows may be at least as influential as the eyes. Specifically, we find that the absence of eyebrows in familiar faces leads to a very large and significant disruption in recognition performance. In fact, a significantly greater decrement in face recognition is observed in the absence of eyebrows than in the absence of eyes. These results may have important implications for our understanding of the mechanisms of face recognition in humans as well as for the development of artificial face-recognition systems.
Hilley numerical simulations and physical experiments Erosional control of the kinematics of the Aconcagua fold-and-thrust belt from

We investigate the impact of erosion on the geometry and kinematics of the Aconcagua fold-and-thrust belt in central Argentina using analog and numerical models. In these models, the surfaces are eroded according to a rule in which mass removal is limited by the rate of fl uvial bedrock incision. This approach unifi es principles of frictional failure used in critical Coulomb wedge theory with a quasi-mechanistic erosion rule, which allows us to explicitly relate temporal changes in erosional effi ciency in this fold-and-thrust belt to its kinematics. We show that theoretical predictions of the fold-and-thrust belt geometry, as well as the kinematics predicted by both physical and numerical experiments, are both internally consistent and correctly predict the interpreted and measured fi eld geometries. Specifi cally, the geometric evolution of the Aconcagua fold-and-thrust belt requires relatively high erosion effi ciency values (K) during the initial stage of deformation, and relatively low K values during the latter stages, consistent with the progressive exposure of different rock types during the different stages of deformation. Model results indicate that the activity of the faults in the hinterland is high when erosion is most effi cient during the initial stage of deformation; this activity is facilitated by increased out-of-sequence thrusting. In contrast, the models predict that forward-propagating thrusts dominate the latter stages of deformation when erosion is far less effi cient. Comparing the geometry of models subjected to erosion with those in which the surface remains uneroded suggests that erosional mass removal is required to explain the geometry of this fold-and-thrust belt. By implication, the results indicate that the kinematics of this, and perhaps other fold-and-thrust belts, may be intimately tied to the temporal history of erosion of the surface topography of these features.
Transgenic mice produced by retroviral transduction of male germ-line stem cells

Male germ-line stem cells are the only cell type in postnatal mammals that have the capability to self-renew and to contribute genes to the next generation. Genetic modification of these cells would provide an opportunity to study the biology of their complex self-renewal and differentiation processes, as well as enable the generation of transgenic animals in a wide range of species. Although retroviral vectors have been used as an efficient method to introduce genes into a variety of cell types, postnatal male germ-line stem cells have seemed refractory to direct infection by these viruses. In addition, expression of genes transduced into several types of stem cells, such as embryonic or hematopoietic, is often attenuated or silenced. We demonstrate here that in vitro retroviral-mediated gene delivery into spermatogonial stem cells of both adult and immature mice results in stable integration and expression of a transgene in 2–20% of stem cells. After transplantation of the transduced stem cells into the testes of infertile recipient mice, approximately 4.5% of progeny from these males are transgenic, and the transgene is transmitted to and expressed in subsequent generations. Therefore, there is no intrinsic barrier to retroviral transduction in this stem cell, and transgene expression is not extinguished after transmission to progeny.
Thermal Buckling of Thin Rectangular FGM Plate

2 Abstract: Equilibrium and stability equations of a rectangular plate made of functionally graded material (FGM) under thermal loads are derived, based on the higher order shear deformation plate theory. Assuming that the material properties vary as a power form of the thickness coordinate variable z and using the variational method, the system of fundamental partial differential equations is established. The derived equilibrium and stability equations for functionally graded plates (FGPs) are identical to the equations for laminated composite plates with 50 layers. A buckling analysis of a functionally graded plate under one type of thermal loads is carried out and results in closed form solutions, uniform temperature rise and gradient through the thickness are considered and the buckling temperatures are derived. The critical buckling temperature relations are reduced to the respective relations for functionally graded plates with a linear composition of constituent materials and homogeneous plates The results are compared with the critical buckling temperatures obtained for functionally graded plates ansys software (FEM) given in the literature. The study concludes that higher order shear deformation theory accurately predicts the behavior of functionally graded plates.
Blood Pressure in Childhood: The National Health Examination Survey

SUMMARY Data were analyzed from the U.S. Health Examination Surrey (Cycle II) to determine relationships between blood pressure and other characteristics. This survey examined a national probability sample of children aged 6-11 years. Signifkant relationships were found for blood pressure and the following variables: chronological and skeletal age, skinfold thickness (adiposity) and other anthropometric measurements, pulse rate, and systolic murmurs. These relationships may be interpreted as indicating important relationships between blood pressure and growth, adiposity, and hemodynamic manifestations of cardiac output. Data from this representative population portray blood pressure relationships in childhood.
The stability of the attitude-intention relationship in the context of physical activity

Attitude has been shown to be an important antecedent of physical activity intentions and behaviour. It is unclear whether the attitude-intention relationship is stable over time. The aim of the present study was to examine the stability of the attitude-intention relationship over a 6 week period. A panel study of 65 males and 81 females aged 20.6 ± 0.8 years was conducted, in which measures of attitudes, intentions, self-reported physical activity and perceived behavioural control were assessed at the beginning and end of the 6 weeks. The data were analysed using path analysis. Results indicated that the attitude-intention relationship was stable over time. In addition, the behaviour-intention relationship was undermined over time. It is recommended that interventions can facilitate adherence to physical activity by reinforcing attitude change during initial and later stages of treatment.
Un estudio cuasi-experimental de los efectos del clima motivador tarea en las clases de Educación Física

Introduccion: la Educacion Fisica supone un medio excelente para desarrollar conocimientos y actitudes positivas hacia la actividad fisica. Por ello, parece necesario investigar los factores que pueden incidir en que los estudiantes alcancen una motivacion positiva en esta asignatura. El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar los efectos de intervencion de un clima motivador tarea sobre diferentes variables motivadoras. Metodologia: se utilizo una muestra de alumnos de segundo curso de Educacion Secundaria Obligatoria, con edades entre 13 y 14 anos (M = 13.39, DT = .57). La muestra se dividio en un grupo experimental (n = 26) en el que se transmitio un clima tarea y un grupo control (n = 20) sobre el que no hubo manipulacion. La intervencion abarco un total de 26 sesiones de 50 minutos, con una frecuencia de dos sesiones semanales. Se administraron diferentes cuestionarios de forma previa a la intervencion y se volvieron a administrar una vez esta habia concluido. Resultados: los resultados revelaron un incremento de la percepcion del clima tarea en el grupo experimental, acompanado de una mayor puntuacion en las metas de aproximacionmaestria y evitacion-maestria, motivacion intrinseca, regulacion identificada, regulacion introyectada y flow disposicional. Ademas disminuyo la percepcion de clima ego. En el grupo control solamente se produjeron modificaciones en el flow disposicional, observandose un incremento en la toma postest. Discusion y conclusiones: los resultados son discutidos de acuerdo con la importancia de trasmitir climas motivadores tarea en las clases de Educacion Fisica para lograr efectos motivadores positivos que se vean reflejados en una mayor adherencia a la practica fisicodeportiva. Parecen aspectos clave para mejorar la motivacion: la variedad y la novedad, la cesion de responsabilidad, el reconocimiento de la mejora personal y el esfuerzo, la agrupacion variada, la evaluacion del progreso individual, y el tiempo suficiente para practicar las tareas.
Etnicidade e educação familiar : o caso dos ciganos

The present article has the aim of reflecting on the results of an on-the-ground research (of a qualitative character) udeveloped in a Gypsy community in what the forms and processes of family socialization and education of children is concerned, in relation of the structuring of their primary habitus. The existence, in these families, of a valorization of certain kind of values and norms of behaviour is given importance. These values and norms, already realized in diverse studies, are attributable to forms and processes of family education that derive from the belonging to favoured classes. Taking into consideration that the families studied fit in the so-called disfavoured social classes, we defend that the family education that is realized in these families derives from an overlapping of an ethnic belonging over a class belonging, being simultaneously at the origin of a certain security for action and the maintenance of certain cultural characteristics that define the lifestyles and some life opportunities of the Gypsy ethnic group. This is about, in certain way, trying/ attempting to understand how the low permeability to cultural assimilation was/is constructed that/ which the Gypsy ethnic group has demonstrated throughout the years of permanency in the Portuguese society and the importance of family socialization and education in this process.