Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Geometrically invariant watermarking using feature points

This paper presents a new approach for watermarking of digital images providing robustness to geometrical distortions. The weaknesses of classical watermarking methods to geometrical distortions are outlined first. Geometrical distortions can be decomposed into two classes: global transformations such as rotations and translations and local transformations such as the StirMark attack. An overview of existing self-synchronizing schemes is then presented. Theses schemes can use periodical properties of the mark, invariant properties of transforms, template insertion, or information provided by the original image to counter geometrical distortions. Thereafter, a new class of watermarking schemes using the image content is presented. We propose an embedding and detection scheme where the mark is bound with a content descriptor defined by salient points. Three different types of feature points are studied and their robustness to geometrical transformations is evaluated to develop an enhanced detector. The embedding of the signature is done by extracting feature points of the image and performing a Delaunay tessellation on the set of points. The mark is embedded using a classical additive scheme inside each triangle of the tessellation. The detection is done using correlation properties on the different triangles. The performance of the presented scheme is evaluated after JPEG compression, geometrical attack and transformations. Results show that the fact that the scheme is robust to these different manipulations. Finally, in our concluding remarks, we analyze the different perspectives of such content-based watermarking scheme.
AUTOMATIC OPTIC DISK DETECTION FROM LOW CONTRAST RETINAL IMAGES OF ROP INFANT USING GVF SNAKE

Reliable and efficient optic disk localization and segmentation are important tasks in automated retinal screening. General-purpose edge detection algorithms often fail to segment the optic disk (OD) due to fuzzy boundaries, inconsistent image contrast or missing edge features, especially in infants’ retinal images where the image acquisition process has to be very quick and in low light conditions. This paper presents an algorithm for segmentation of optic disk boundary in low-contrast images. The optic disk localization is achieved using segmentation by a deformable contour model (or Snake) with gradient vector flow (GVF) as an external force. The first Snake is placed at a location very close to the center of the optic disk approximated by a PCA-based model. The algorithm is evaluated using 50 retinal images from infants with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) condition. The results from the GVF method were compared with conventional optic disk detection using a 2D Circular Hough Transform and later verified with hand-drawn ground truth. The result is quite successful with the accuracy of 85.34%.
Synergistic Anti-Tumor Activity of EZH2 Inhibitors and Glucocorticoid Receptor Agonists in Models of Germinal Center Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas

Patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) are treated today with a cocktail of drugs referred to as CHOP (Cyclophosphamide, Hydroxyldaunorubicin, Oncovin, and Prednisone). Subsets of patients with NHL of germinal center origin bear oncogenic mutations in the EZH2 histone methyltransferase. Clinical testing of the EZH2 inhibitor EPZ-6438 has recently begun in patients. We report here that combining EPZ-6438 with CHOP in preclinical cell culture and mouse models results in dramatic synergy for cell killing in EZH2 mutant germinal center NHL cells. Surprisingly, we observe that much of this synergy is due to Prednisolone – a glucocorticoid receptor agonist (GRag) component of CHOP. Dramatic synergy was observed when EPZ-6438 is combined with Prednisolone alone, and a similar effect was observed with Dexamethasone, another GRag. Remarkably, the anti-proliferative effect of the EPZ-6438+GRag combination extends beyond EZH2 mutant-bearing cells to more generally impact germinal center NHL. These preclinical data reveal an unanticipated biological intersection between GR-mediated gene regulation and EZH2-mediated chromatin remodeling. The data also suggest the possibility of a significant and practical benefit of combining EZH2 inhibitors and GRag that warrants further investigation in a clinical setting.
Genetic and Molecular Basis of Individual Differences in Human Umami Taste Perception

Umami taste (corresponds to savory in English) is elicited by L-glutamate, typically as its Na salt (monosodium glutamate: MSG), and is one of five basic taste qualities that plays a key role in intake of amino acids. A particular property of umami is the synergistic potentiation of glutamate by purine nucleotide monophosphates (IMP, GMP). A heterodimer of a G protein coupled receptor, TAS1R1 and TAS1R3, is proposed to function as its receptor. However, little is known about genetic variation of TAS1R1 and TAS1R3 and its potential links with individual differences in umami sensitivity. Here we investigated the association between recognition thresholds for umami substances and genetic variations in human TAS1R1 and TAS1R3, and the functions of TAS1R1/TAS1R3 variants using a heterologous expression system. Our study demonstrated that the TAS1R1-372T creates a more sensitive umami receptor than -372A, while TAS1R3-757C creates a less sensitive one than -757R for MSG and MSG plus IMP, and showed a strong correlation between the recognition thresholds and in vitro dose - response relationships. These results in human studies support the propositions that a TAS1R1/TAS1R3 heterodimer acts as an umami receptor, and that genetic variation in this heterodimer directly affects umami taste sensitivity.
Involvement of Heat Shock Protein A4/Apg-2 in Refractory Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Background:Expression of heat shock protein A4 (HSPA4, also called Apg-2), a member of the HSP110 family, is induced by several forms of stress. The physiological and pathological functions of HSPA4 in the intestine remain to be elucidated. Methods:We assessed HSPA4 expression and function by generating HSPA4-deficient mice and using 214 human intestinal mucosa samples from patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Results:In the colonic mucosa of patients with IBD, a significant correlation was observed between the expression of HSPA4 and antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2, a T-cell–derived cytokine IL-17 or stem cell markers, such as Sox2. In refractory ulcerative colitis, a condition associated with increased cancer risk, expression of HSPA4 and Bcl-2 was increased in inflammatory cells of colonic mucosae. HSPA4 was overexpressed both in cancer cells and immune cells of human colorectal cancers. Patients with high expression of HSPA4 or Bmi1 showed significantly lower response rates upon subsequent steroid therapy as compared with patients with low expression of each gene. HSPA4-deficient mice exhibit more apoptosis and less expression of IL-17/IL-23 in inflammatory cells and less number of Sox2+ cells after administration of dextran sodium sulfate than control mice. Transduction of HspaA4+/− bone marrow into wild-type mice reduced the immune response. Conclusions:Upregulation of Bcl-2 and IL-17 by HSPA4 would control apoptosis of inflammatory cells and immune response in the gut, which might develop treatment resistance in IBD. HSPA4 and Bmi1 would be a useful biomarker for refractory clinical course and a promising approach for a therapeutic strategy in patients with IBD.
Computing Elementary Aggregates in the Swedish Consumer Price Index

This report presents the philosophy and approach taken by Statistics Sweden in revising its computation methods for elementary aggregates in its Consumer Price Index. A distinction is made between a) the ideal definition, b) the operational parameter and c) the estimator of the elementary aggregate. Different alternatives for operational parameters are discussed with respect to their approximation properties and performance with respect to Fisher-type tests. The parameter which was adopted in the Swedish CPI in 1990 is presented; this parameter has not, as far as we know, been used earlier.
HOW LIKELY IS BUFFON'S NEEDLE TO FALL NEAR A PLANAR CANTOR SET?

Let A be a compact planar set of positive finite one-dimensional Hausdorff measure. Suppose that the intersection of A with any rectifiable curve has zero length. Then a theorem of Besicovitch (1939) states that the orthogonal projection of A on almost all lines has zero length. Consequently, the probability p(A, e) that a needle dropped at random will fall within distance e from A, tends to zero with e. However, existing proofs do not yield any explicit upper bound tending to zero for p(A, e), even in the simplest cases, e.g., when A = K 2 is the Cartesian square of the middle-half Cantor set K. In this paper we establish such a bound for a class of self-similar sets A that includes K 2 . We also determine the order of magnitude of p(A,e) for certain stochastically self-similar sets A. Determining the order of magnitude of p(K 2 , e) is an unsolved problem.
The Effects of Various Land Reclamation Scenarios on the Succession of Soil Bacteria, Archaea, and Fungi Over the Short and Long Term

Ecological restoration of mining areas has mainly focused on the succession dynamics of vegetation and the fate of microbial communities remains poorly understood. We examined changes in soil characteristics and plant and microbial communities with increasing reclamation period in an open coal mine. Bacterial, archaeal and fungal communities were assessed by tag-encoded 454 pyrosequencing. At the phylum level, Proteobacteria, Crenarchaeota, and Ascomycota had the highest detected relative abundance within bacteria, archaea, and fungi, respectively. Partial regressions and canonical correspondence analysis demonstrated that vegetation played a major role in bacterial and archaeal diversity and assemblies, and soil characteristics, especially nitrogen, were important for fungal diversity and assemblies. Spearman rank correlation indicated that bacterial and archaeal communities showed synergistic succession with plants; whereas, fungal communities showed no such pattern. Overall, our data suggest that there are different drivers of bacterial, archaeal and fungal succession during secondary succession in a reclaimed open mine.
Understanding the Point of Chimpanzee Pointing

Pointing has long been considered to be a uniquely human, universal, and biologically based gesture. However, pointing emerges spontaneously, without explicit training, in captive chimpanzees. Because pointing is commonplace in captive chimpanzees and virtually absent in wild chimpanzees, and because both captive and wild chimpanzees are sampled from the same gene pool, pointing by captive apes is attributable to environmental influences on communicative development. If pointing by captive chimpanzees is so variably expressed in different rearing environments, this suggests that pointing by humans may also be attributable to situational factors that make pointing effective in certain developmental contexts.
Numerical Solution of Obstacle Problems by B-Spline Functions

In this study, we use B-spline functions to solve the linear and nonlinear special systems of differential equations associated with the category of obstacle, unilateral, and contact problems. The problem can easily convert to an optimal control problem. Then a convergent approximate solution is constructed such that the exact boundary conditions are satisfied. The numerical examples and computational results illustrate and guarantee a higher accuracy for this technique.
Public housing and the 'problem' of anti-social behaviour

Early last year when we embarked on a research project on anti social behaviour (ASB) for the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, we were quickly made aware as to just how politically sensitive this issue is within Australian housing policy. We were told in no uncertain terms that a research project that focused on ASB in public housing, however well intentioned, would probably reinforce prejudices against already marginalised individuals and distract attention away from what is the primary issue; namely the need to increase resources and material benefits for those residing in public housing.
Selective inhibition of nucleoplasmic rat liver DNA-dependent RNA polymerase by aflatoxin B 1 .

Aflatoxin B1, a potent hepatocarcinogen, causes rapid but reversible in vivo inhibition of DNA-dependent RNA polymerase in isolated nuclei. This study was designed to determine whether the consequent decrease of RNA formation occurs as a result of direct alteration of RNA polymerase. Aflatoxin B1, 1 mg/kg body weight, was administered i.p. to male rats; nuclei were isolated from liver homogenates at various times up to 24 hr thereafter. RNA polymerase was solubilized by sonic disruption, concentrated, and dialyzed. Some preparations were further purified by fractionation with diethylaminoethyl Sephadex chromatography. Methods were selected to measure nucleoplasmic or nucleolar RNA polymerase in intact nuclei and in crude solubilized or fractionated preparations with exogenous template (denatured calf thymus DNA). Nucleoplasmic enzyme activity of all three preparations was inhibited to 40% of control values at 2 through 9 hr after aflatoxin administration, but it returned to control values at 24 hr. Fractionated nucleolar polymerase activity 2 and 24 hr after toxin administration was not significantly different from control values. Addition of aflatoxin B1 in vitro to nuclei and crude solubilized polymerase did not produce altered nucleotide incorporation. Aflatoxin B1 in vivo appears directly to alter nucleoplasmic rat liver DNA-dependent RNA polymerase function. In the dose selected for this study, aflatoxin impairs nucleolar RNA polymerase much less, if at all. The failure of direct addition of aflatoxin B1 to alter 3H-labeled uridine 5′-triphosphate incorporation in vitro provides further support to the theory that it is altered metabolically to a toxic form.
Hong Kong Institute for Monetary Research What Effect Has Bond Market Development in Emerging Asia Had on the Issuance of Corporate Bonds? What Effect Has Bond Market Development in Emerging Asia Had on the Issuance of Corporate Bonds?

(a company incorporated with limited liability) All rights reserved. Reproduction for educational and non-commercial purposes is permitted provided that the source is acknowledged. Abstract This paper investigates the determinants of firms' decision to issue public debt in emerging Asian economies, using a novel database covering the period 1995 to 2007. We use comparable micro level panel of eight countries Thailand ± to explore the influence of firms' characteristics and indicators of bond market depth on the decision to issue corporate bonds. Our paper demonstrates the influence of firm-specific characteristics on the decision to issue bonds, especially an indicator that the firm made previous issues of bonds. It also finds that the effect of market liquidity and local market size on the decision is small but significant. Finally our results show that coordinated policies by national governments to encourage bond market development have had little impact on probability of bond issuance at the firm level in Asia.
Cardiac safety of tiotropium in patients with COPD: a combined analysis of Holter-ECG data from four randomised clinical trials

Tiotropium is generally well tolerated; however, there has been debate whether antimuscarinics, particularly tiotropium administered via Respimat® Soft Mist™ Inhaler, may induce cardiac arrhythmias in a vulnerable subpopulation with cardiovascular comorbidity. The aim of this study was to provide evidence of the cardiac safety of tiotropium maintenance therapy.
INTERRELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT QUALITY AND ECONOMIC ACTIVITY: WHAT CONSEQUENCES FOR ECONOMIC CONVERGENCE?

This paper examines the link between health indicators, environmental variables and economic development, and the consequences of this relationship on economic convergence for a large sample of rich and poor countries. While in economic literature income and environment are seen to have an inverted-U shaped relationship (Environment Kuznets Curve hypothesis), it is also well established that an improvement in environmental quality is positively related to health. Our study focuses on the implications of this relationship for economic convergence. In the early stage of economic development, the gain from income growth could be cancelled or mitigated by environmental degradation through populations' health (and other channels) and create a vicious circle in economic activity unlike in developed countries. This in turn could slow down economic convergence. To empirically assess these issues, we proceeded to an econometric analysis through three equations: a growth equation, a health equation and an environment equation. We found that environmental degradation affects negatively economic activity and reduces the ability of poor countries to reach developed ones economically. We also found that health is a channel through which environment impacts economic growth. This shows that environmental quality could be considered as a constraint for economic convergence.
Does Political Structure Really Matter? Evidence on Political Structure, Financial Development and Economic Growth #

This paper investigates the importance of political structure in the economic growth process, within a growth model. Based on a translog production function, the model incorporates human capital and financial variables, and is further augumented with variables that underpin key hypotheses on political structure. The model is estimated and tested using a comprehensive panel of 82 countries over 21 years. The main findings are four. First, we reaffirm that financial and human capital play an important role in economic growth as well as physical capital. Second, economies with greater political rights and civil liberties experience faster rates of per capita growth than do authoritarian regimes. Third, military conflict imparts a deleterious influence on economic growth. Fourth, we identify and provide unified evidence for the existence of a clear channel through which political structures do not merely affect the growth rate but more particularly the economic process through which growth occurs: societies with a higher degree of political rights and civil liberties use their factors of production more effectively. The implications of this study therefore are that political structure really matters for economic growth, and deserves as much attention as do human capital and financial variables. JEL Classification: A12, H11, O11, O57
English language in education and globalization: a comparative analysis of the role of English in Pakistan and China

ABSTRACT This paper explores language ideology, policies and the role of English in Pakistan and China, two countries in which English plays different roles in education. Owing to globalization and communication development, the role of the English language is changing; thus, there is need to change the policies and ideologies surrounding English instruction, particularly when English functions as a lingua franca. In Pakistan, the role of the English language is linked with language ideology due to the country’s British colonial background. The society is still divided on the role of English and the colonial mindset persists in language ideology and instructional practices. By contrast, English is taught as a foreign language in China because it is not a postcolonial language. While the English language fulfils people’s different communication needs, there is a concern that people might lose their own identity if English is viewed as more important than their own mother tongue. Therefore, this paper summarizes how the debate related to English language teaching is linked to various language ideologies. Finally, this paper argues for the importance of viewing English language teaching through a multilingual perspective, and contextualizing language policies to readdress learners’ different needs and goals of English learning.
Transcriptional Regulation of furAand katG upon Oxidative Stress inMycobacterium smegmatis

ABSTRACT The DNA region upstream of katG inMycobacterium smegmatis was cloned and sequenced. ThefurA gene, highly homologous to Mycobacterium tuberculosis furA, mapped in this region. ThefurA-katG organization appears to be conserved among several mycobacteria. The transcription pattern of furAand katG in M. smegmatisupon oxidative stress was analyzed by Northern blotting and primer extension. Although transcription of both furA andkatG was induced upon oxidative stress, transcripts covering both genes could not be identified either by Northern blotting or by reverse transcriptase PCR. Specific transcripts and 5′ ends were identified for furA and katG, respectively. By cloning M. smegmatis andM. tuberculosis DNA regions upstream of a reporter gene, we demonstrated the presence of two promoters,pfurA, located immediately upstream of thefurA gene, and pkatG, located within the terminal part of the furA coding sequence. Transcription from pfurA was induced upon oxidative stress. A 23-bp sequence overlapping the pfurA −35 region is highly conserved among mycobacteria and streptomycetes and might be involved in controlling pfurA activity. Transcription from a cloned pkatG, lacking the upstream pfurAregion, was not induced upon oxidative stress, suggesting acis-acting regulatory role of this region.
Coping With College Obstacles: The Complicated Role of Familia for First-Generation Mexican American College Students

This qualitative study examined how first-generation Mexican American college students sought support from their families to cope with challenges. Some students had very close relationships with their family members and allowed them to be an integral part of their coping processes. However, others separated family from the coping or built chosen “families” from college peers and mentors to help them cope. In most instances, students simultaneously engaged in multiple coping processes to meet their individual needs.
Clap Your Hands! Inter-Brain Synchronization During Monastic Debate

Monastic debate is an interactive learning strategy that is assumed to sharpen reasoning and improve learning (Liberman, 2015; Perdue, 2008). During the debate, handclaps are made that punctuate propositions, signal the defender to respond immediately and to set the rhythm of the debate. Since these handclaps seem to play such an important role, we examined the function of a handclap on a cognitive level using EEG hyperscanning. It was expected that after a handclap, theta power would be increased and alpha power decreased due to increased attention. However, after correction for multiple comparisons, no significant differences in power were found between the time interval prior to the clap and the time interval after the clap for alpha and theta frequencies. Likewise, after correction for multiple comparisons, no support was found for the hypothesis that a clap would manifest in an ERP-like signal and that in the 0.5-second time interval after a handclap inter-brain synchronization would be increased in the alpha and theta band compared to the 0.5-second time interval prior to the clap. The uncorrected results show that inter-brain synchronization is increased after a clap for theta frequencies in the right temporal area and in the left central and parietal area. Although one should be cautious when interpreting these uncorrected results, they could suggest that a handclap indeed might play a communicational role. Future research is needed to assess whether a clap indeed plays a communicational role and a more controlled experimental design could reveal the exact cognitive processes underlying this increased inter-brain synchronization.