Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improving scene classification with weakly spatial symmetry information

The bag-of-visual-words (BOW) model has been widely used in the field of scene classification. Since it ignores the spatial information, the spatial-pyramid-matching (SPM) model [1] was presented by partitioning the image into increasingly fine blocks and computing histograms of local features in each block. However, the spatial symmetry has never been considered explicitly in scene classification as we known. In this paper, a novel descriptor named weakly spatial symmetry (WSS) is proposed to boost the performance of image classification. After region segmentation, the spatial symmetry is represented by L1 distances of region histograms. Four kinds of spatial symmetry are extracted in blocks of increasing scales as in SPM [1]. The WSS descriptor can be used independently or combined with BOW or SPM for scene classification. Experiments on scene-15 and caltech 101 dataset demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Cosmology of the Lifshitz universe

We study the ultraviolet complete non-relativistic theory recently proposed by Hořava. After introducing a Lifshitz scalar for a general background, we analyze the cosmology of the model in Lorentzian and Euclidean signature. Vacuum solutions are found and it is argued the existence of non-singular bouncing profiles. We find a general qualitative agreement with both the picture of Causal Dynamical Triangulations and Quantum Einstein Gravity. However, inflation driven by a Lifshitz scalar field on a classical background might not produce a scale-invariant spectrum when the principle of detailed balance is assumed.
Asymptotic Behavior of Tail Density for Sum of Correlated Lognormal Variables

We consider the asymptotic behavior of a probability density function for the sum of any two lognormally distributed random variables that are nontrivially correlated. We show that both the left and right tails can be approximated by some simple functions. Furthermore, the same techniques are applied to determine the tail probability density function for a ratio statistic, and for a sum with more than two lognormally distributed random variables under some stricter conditions. The results yield new insights into the problem of characterization for a sum of lognormally distributed random variables and demonstrate that there is a need to revisit many existing approximation methods.
Comparative Genomics Suggests That the Human Pathogenic Fungus Pneumocystis jirovecii Acquired Obligate Biotrophy through Gene Loss

Pneumocystis jirovecii is a fungal parasite that colonizes specifically humans and turns into an opportunistic pathogen in immunodeficient individuals. The fungus is able to reproduce extracellularly in host lungs without eliciting massive cellular death. The molecular mechanisms that govern this process are poorly understood, in part because of the lack of an in vitro culture system for Pneumocystis spp. In this study, we explored the origin and evolution of the putative biotrophy of P. jirovecii through comparative genomics and reconstruction of ancestral gene repertoires. We used the maximum parsimony method and genomes of related fungi of the Taphrinomycotina subphylum. Our results suggest that the last common ancestor of Pneumocystis spp. lost 2,324 genes in relation to the acquisition of obligate biotrophy. These losses may result from neutral drift and affect the biosyntheses of amino acids and thiamine, the assimilation of inorganic nitrogen and sulfur, and the catabolism of purines. In addition, P. jirovecii shows a reduced panel of lytic proteases and has lost the RNA interference machinery, which might contribute to its genome plasticity. Together with other characteristics, that is, a sex life cycle within the host, the absence of massive destruction of host cells, difficult culturing, and the lack of virulence factors, these gene losses constitute a unique combination of characteristics which are hallmarks of both obligate biotrophs and animal parasites. These findings suggest that Pneumocystis spp. should be considered as the first described obligate biotrophs of animals, whose evolution has been marked by gene losses.
Lorentz factor constraint from the very early external shock of the gamma-ray burst ejecta

While it is generally agreed that the emitting regions in Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) move ultra relativistically towards the observer, different es timates of the initial Lorentz factors, 0, lead to different, at times conflicting estimates. We show h ere that the quiet periods in which the signals goes down below the instrumental thresholds, put strong upper limits on the values of 0. According to the standard internal-external shocks model an external shock should develop during the prompt stage. This external shock radiates in the hard X-rays to soft gamma-rays bands and this emission should be seen as a smooth background signal. The observed deep minima indicate that this contribution is negligible. This limits, in turn, 0. We obtain upper limits on 0 for several bursts with typical values around hundreds. We compare these values with those obtained by the other methods, which typically yield lower limits. The results are marginally consistent leaving only a narrow range of allowed values for 0.
Anxiety, depression and methods of stress coping in patients with nicotine dependence syndrome

Summary Background Nicotinism is the most common addiction in Poland. Nicotine dependence is the cause of numerous behavioral diseases, including ischemic heart disease, neoplasms and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A question arises whether a tendency to anxiety and depressive reactions, as well as the strategies of coping with stressful situations, is involved in the clinical presentation of this addiction. Material/Methods The study was conducted in a group of 88 nicotine addicts without serious systemic comorbidities and in 84 healthy subjects. All the participants were assessed with Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS). Results The mean intensity of anxiety as a trait and anxiety as a state, as well as its level, were found to differ between the groups (Sten 6.28±1.52 and 4.86±1.05, p=0,0000 for the trait, and 6.09±1.25 and 4.92±1.29, p=0.0000, for the state, respectively). Similarly, depression was demonstrated to be more intensive in nicotine addicts than in healthy subjects (12.76 points ±4.77 vs. 10.76±4.83, p=0.007). Among the 5 scales assessed by CISS, smokers demonstrated higher prevalence of emotion-oriented coping than controls (standard 9 6.27±1.70 in smokers vs. 5.67±1.57, p=0.019) and involvement in distracting activities (5.84±1.48 vs. 5.28±1.46, p=0.014). Conclusions The obtained results indicate that anxiety and depression, as well as differences in coping with stress situations, distinguish nicotine addicts from non-smokers.
Modulation de la transmission synaptique dans les réseaux limbiques au cours du cycle veille-sommeil chez le rat

Le sommeil a un effet sur la memoire mais egalement sur l'oubli. Nous avons soumis des rats a des tâches impliquant differents degres d'oubli. Ces tâches, impliquant memoire de reference (MR), ou memoire de travail (MT) avec differents niveaux d'interferences, ont ete realisees dans un meme dispositif comportemental. Alors que nous avons observes une augmentation du sommeil paradoxal (SP) lors de la tâche de MR, les performances en MT necessitant l'oubli sont dependantes du sommeil lent (SL). Seuls les rats entraines en MR montrent une augmentation du theta phasique durant le SP, ainsi que des fuseaux durant le SL. Ces resultats indiquent donc un role du SP dans les apprentissages spatiaux a long terme alors que la flexibilite comportementale requise en MT semble dependante du SL. Il existe de nombreuses evidences suggerant que l'apprentissage resulte de modifications synaptiques, et differentes theories suggerent des roles differents du SL et du SP dans ces changements. Nous avons donc ensuite examine l'evolution de la transmission synaptique dans l'hippocampe (HPC), mais aussi entre l'HPC et le cortex prefrontal median (CPFm) ainsi que le noyau accumbens (NAc). Alors que le SL accroit la transmission synaptique dans l'HPC, le SP la diminue. Au niveau des efferences de l'HPC, le SL diminue la transmission vers le CPFm alors que les episodes de SP favorisent la communication vers le NAc. Plutot que de favoriser globalement des processus communs a l'ensemble du cerveau, nos resultats suggerent que le SL et le SP permettent de rediriger les flux d'informations entre differents reseaux, et que cet aiguillage de l'information est module par les oscillations du sommeil
Effects of Employment Protection on Worker and Job Flows: Evidence from the 1990 Italian Reform

This paper uses the Italian Social Security employer-employee panel to study the effects of the Italian reform of 1990 on worker and job flows. We exploit the fact that this reform increased unjust dismissal costs for firms below 15 employees, while leaving dismissal costs unchanged for bigger firms, to set up a natural experiment research design. We find that the increase in dismissal costs decreased accessions and separations for workers in small relative to big firms, especially in sectors with higher employment volatility. Moreover, we find that the reform reduced firms' employment adjustments on the internal margin as well as entry rates while increasing exit rates.
Bound Your Models! How to Make OWL an ASP Modeling Language

To exploit the Web Ontology Language OWL as an answer set programming (ASP) language, we introduce the notion of bounded model semantics, as an intuitive and computationally advantageous alternative to its classical semantics. We show that a translation into ASP allows for solving a wide range of bounded-model reasoning tasks, including satisfiability and axiom entailment but also novel ones such as model extraction and enumeration. Ultimately, our work facilitates harnessing advanced semantic web modeling environments for the logic programming community through an "off-label use" of OWL.
A new modified-rate approach for gas-grain chemical simulations

Context. Understanding grain-surface processes is crucial to interpreting the chemistry in many regions of the interstellar medium. However, accurate surface chemistry models are computationally expensive and are difficult to integrate with gas-phase simulations. Aims. A new modified-rate method for solving grain-surface chemical systems is presented. The purpose of the method is to trade a small amount of accuracy, and certain excessive detail, for the ability to accurately model highly complex systems that can otherwise only be treated using the sometimes inadequate rate-equation approach. Methods. In contrast to previous rate-modification techniques, the functional form of the surface production rates was modified, and not simply the rate coefficient. This form is appropriate to the extreme “small-grain” limit, and can be verified using an analytical master-equation approach. Various further modifications were made to this basic form, to account for competition between processes, to improve estimates of surface occupation probabilities, and to allow a switch-over to the normal rate equations where these are applicable. Results. The new method was tested against a number of systems solved previously using master-equation and Monte Carlo techniques. It is found that even the simplest method is quite accurate, and a great improvement over rate equations. Further modifications allow the master-equation results to be reproduced exactly for the methanol-producing system, within computational accuracy. Small discrepancies arise when non-zero activation energies are assumed for the methanol system, which result from complex reaction-competition processes that cannot be resolved easily without using exact methods. Inaccuracies in computed abundances are never greater than a few tens of percent, and typically of the order of one percent, in the most complex systems tested. Conclusions. The new modified-rate approach presented here is robust to a range of grain-surface parameters, and accurately reproduces the results of exact methods. Furthermore, it may be derived from basic approximations, making the behaviour of the system understandable in terms of physical processes rather than time-dependent probabilities or other more abstract quantities. The method is simple enough to be easily incorporated into a full gas-grain chemical code. Implementation of the method in simple networks, including hydrogen-only systems, is trivial, whilst the results are highly accurate.
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF JIGSAW IN TEACHING STRUCTURE IV

cliff@gmail.com Abstract This study was to explore the effectiveness of jigsaw in the teaching Structure IV. It was assumed that by using jigsaw, there would be more attention, effort, and cooperation both teacher and students in learning process. By conducting this study, the writers expected that Jigsaw could improve student’s understanding and finding the student’s perception of Jigsaw used. This study was quasi experiment. The subject was the students of the second year of English Department in Unswagati. The data was collected through questionnaire and test then it was analyzed by using SPSS program. The result showed that jigsaw could improve student’s understanding in passive voice. However, they missed main point, that was missed the use of participle form and being difficult to recognize active and passive meaning. Meanwhile, the result of student’s questionnaire showed significant improvement, they could be a “teacher” by speaking up their idea; ask and clarify the questions with their group. Keywords: Jigsaw, Structure IV, Grammar Penelitian ini ditujukan untuk mengeksplorasi efektivitas jigsaw dalam mengajar Structure IV. Hal ini diasumsikan bahwa dengan menggunakan jigsaw, akan ada lebih banyak perhatian, usaha, dan kerja sama baik guru dan siswa dalam proses pembelajaran. Dengan melakukan penelitian ini, penulis berharap Jigsaw dapat meningkatkan pemahaman siswa dan menemukan persepsi siswa dari penggunaan Jigsaw. Penelitian ini berbentuk quasi eksperimen. Subjek dalam penelitian ini adalah mahasiswa tingkat dua jurusan Bahasa Inggris di Unswagati. Pengumpulan data dilakukan melalui kuesioner dan tes yang kemudian dianalisis dengan menggunakan program SPSS. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa jigsaw dapat meningkatkan pemahaman siswa dalam passive voice. Namun, ada beberapa poin utama yang mereka salah dalam mengerjakan, seperti penggunaan bentuk participle dan sulit untuk mengenali arti aktif dan pasif. Sementara itu, hasil angket siswa menunjukkan peningkatan yang signifikan, mereka mampu menjadi "guru" dengan mengungkapkan ide-ide mereka; bertanya dan memperjelas pertanyaan dengan kelompok mereka.
Ecological validity and the real-life/laboratory controversy in memory research: a critical and historical review

This paper examines the nature and the origins of almost twenty years of controversy between ecological (i.e., real-life) and traditional (i.e., laboratory) approaches to memory research and critically analyses the concept of ecological validity a core issue in this controversy which has received surprisingly little attention. The analysis of ecological validity suggests that it is comprised of two closely related aspects: representativeness and generalizability. While both aspects contribute to the ecological validity of a particular study, generalizability may play a more important role. Therefore, it is argued that the differences between the concepts of ecological validity and external validity are very small, and the appropriateness of re-introducing the former into the literature in the 1970s is questioned. Finally, it is argued that although the controversy between traditional and ecological approaches in memory psychology was practically over by the end of 1980s, the debates persistently recurred throughout the 1990s. The reasons for this paradoxical situation are discussed. Ecological validity 3
Degrees of Acceptance: Variation in Public Attitudes toward Segments of the LGBT Community

The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) community includes a diverse set of groups, including distinct groups based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity, but it is not clear whether the public makes distinctions in their attitudes toward these subgroups. If they do, what factors motivate individuals to evaluate gays and lesbians differently from transgender people? This study analyzes Americans’ attitudes toward these communities, and it evaluates their support for nondiscrimination protections. We find that public attitudes are significantly more negative toward transgender people and policies pertaining to them than they are toward gay men and lesbians and related policies. The analyses reveal that differences in these attitudes are associated with social contact effects, variation in cognitive consistency, elite cues, and the varying magnitudes of key political factors, such as religiosity and partisanship.
Detection of diabetic macular oedema: validation of optical coherence tomography using both foveal thickness and intraretinal fluid

No studies have yet evaluated jointly central foveal thickness (CFT) and the presence of intraretinal fluid (PIF) to diagnose diabetic macular oedema (DMO) using optic coherence tomography (OCT). We performed a cross-sectional observational study to validate OCT for the diagnosis of DMO using both CFT and PIF assessed by OCT (3D OCT-1 Maestro). A sample of 277 eyes from primary care diabetic patients was assessed in a Spanish region in 2014. Outcome: DMO diagnosed by stereoscopic mydriatic fundoscopy. OCT was used to measure CFT and PIF. A binary logistic regression model was constructed to predict the outcome using CFT and PIF. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the model was calculated and non-linear equations used to determine which CFT values had a high probability of the outcome (positive test), distinguishing between the presence or absence of PIF. Calculations were made of the sensitivity, specificity, and the positive (PLR) and negative (NLR) likelihood ratios. The model was validated using bootstrapping methodology. A total of 37 eyes had DMO. AUC: 0.88. Positive test: CFT ≥90 µm plus PIF (≥310 µm if no PIF). Clinical parameters: sensitivity, 0.83; specificity, 0.89; PLR, 7.34; NLR, 0.19. The parameters in the validation were similar. In conclusion, combining PIF and CFT provided a tool to very precisely discriminate the presence of DMO. Similar studies are needed to provide greater scientific evidence for the use of PIF in the diagnosis of DMO.
Searching Beyond the Obscuring Dust Between the Cygnus-Aquila Rifts for Cepheid Tracers of the Galaxy's Spiral Arms

A campaign is described, open to participation by interested AAVSO members, of follow-up observations for newly-discovered Cepheid variables in undersampled and obscured regions of the Galaxy. A primary objective being to use these supergiants to clarify the Galaxy's spiral nature. Preliminary multiband photometric observations are presented for three Cepheids discovered beyond the obscuring dust between the Cygnus & Aquila Rifts (40 \le l \le 50 degrees), a region reputedly tied to a segment of the Sagittarius-Carina arm which appears to cease unexpectedly. The data confirm the existence of exceptional extinction along the line of sight at upwards of A_V~6 magnitudes (d~2 kpc, l~47 degrees), however, the noted paucity of optical spiral tracers in the region does not arise solely from incompleteness owing to extinction. A hybrid spiral map of the Galaxy comprised of classical Cepheids, young open clusters & H II regions, and molecular clouds, presents a consistent picture of the Milky Way and confirms that the three Cepheids do not populate the main portion of the Sagittarius-Carina arm, which does not emanate locally from this region. The Sagitarrius-Carina arm, along with other distinct spiral features, are found to deviate from the canonical logarithmic spiral pattern. Revised parameters are also issued for the Cepheid BY Cas, and it is identified on the spiral map as lying mainly in the foreground to young associations in Cassiopeia. A Fourier analysis of BY Cas' light-curve implies overtone pulsation, and the Cepheid is probably unassociated with the open cluster NGC 663 since the distances, ages, and radial velocities do not match.
Oncogenic and Angiogenic Growth Factors Accumulate during Routine Storage of Apheresis Platelet Concentrates

Purpose: Platelet concentrates are important for support of patients with malignancies requiring myelotoxic chemotherapy. During storage, 10% to 15% of platelets may become activated resulting in the release of α-granules, which contain growth factors. We hypothesize that, during storage, growth factors accumulate in the plasma, specifically platelet-derived growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), transforming growth factor-β, and fibroblast growth factor-2, which may adversely affect cancer patients. Experimental Design: The concentrations of growth factors were measured by ELISA from the plasma of apheresis platelets serially throughout storage (days 1, 3, 5, and 7) and compared with concentrations in fresh plasma from healthy blood donors. Washing was evaluated as a method of growth factor removal, and an in vitro model of platelet transfusion in a patient receiving Bevacizumab (Avastin) using immunoprecipitation was employed to determine if Bevacizumab would be bound by the VEGF in apheresis platelets. Results: VEGF, platelet-derived growth factor, and transforming growth factor-β were increased on day 1 versus fresh plasma and throughout storage reaching a relative maximum at outdate (P < 0.01, day 5 or 7). Fibroblast growth factor-2 concentrations were significantly increased on day 7 alone versus day 1 or to fresh plasma (P < 0.01). Washing removed 41 ± 11% to 56 ± 2% of the growth factors. Bevacizumab effectively bound the VEGF from apheresis platelets, with significant amounts of VEGF remaining in the supernatant. Conclusions: Significant amounts of growth factors are present in apheresis platelets due to the isolation procedures, and these concentrations increase over storage, which may be partially removed by washing. In addition, apheresis platelet transfusion could affect cancer treatment by binding monoclonal antibodies directed against growth factors of tumor origin.
Extending BPEL for run time adaptability

The existing Web service flow (WS-flow) technologies enable both static and dynamic binding of participating Web services (WSs) on the process model level. Adaptability on per-instance basis is not sufficiently supported and therefore must be addressed to improve process flexibility upon changes in the environment. Ad-hoc process instance changes can be enabled by swapping participating WS instances, by modifying port types of the partners to be invoked, and by changing process logic. In this work, we address the problem of dynamic binding of WSs to WS-flow instances at run time, i.e. the ability to exchange a WS instance participating in a WS-flow instance with an alternative one. The problem is additionally complicated by the fact that the execution of a process depends on its deployment. We describe the "find and bind" mechanism, and we show its representation as a BPEL extension. We discuss the benefits that could be gained and the disadvantages it brings in. The mechanism extends and improves the existing process technologies. It facilitates a precisely controlled policy-based selection of WSs at run time and also provides for process instance repair, while maintaining simplicity. We also discuss a prototypical implementation of the presented functionality.