Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fast surface interpolation using hierarchical basis functions

The rapid solution of surface interpolation and other regularization problems on massively parallel architectures is an important problem within computer vision. Fast relaxation algorithms can be used to integrate sparse data, resolve ambiguities in optic flow fields, and guide stereo matching algorithms. In the present paper, an alternative to multigrid relaxation which is much easier to implement is presented. This approach uses conjugate-gradient descent in conjunction with a hierarchical (multiresolution) set of basis functions. The resulting algorithm uses a pyramid to smooth the residual vector before the new direction is computed. Simulation results show the speed and its dependence on the choice of interpolator, the number of smoothing levels, and other factors. Also discussed is relationship of this approach to other multiresolution relaxation and representation schemes. <<ETX>>
Parent education for dialogic reading during shared storybook reading: Multiple case study of online and face-to-face delivery models

vi CHAPTER I. NATURE OF THE PROBLEM 1 Background 1 Purpose of the Study 10 Significance of the Problem 10 Research Questions 12 Definition of Terms 12 Overview of the Study 14 CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE 18 Introduction 18 Conceptual Framework 20 Shared Storybook Reading 27 Parent Education for the Promotion of Literacy Development . 31 Online Learning Environments 39 Summary 43 CHAPTER III. RESEARCH DESIGN AND PROCEDURES 44 Introduction 44 Problem and Purposes 46 Research Questions 47 Participants 49 Methods 54 Data Analysis 77 Summary 83 CHAPTER IV. RESULTS 84 Online Parent Education Program 84 Face-to-face Parent Education Program 107 Cross-Case Findings of Parent Education Program 134 CHAPTER V. DISCUSSION 145
A Nonlinear Model with Latent Process for Cognitive Evolution Using Multivariate Longitudinal Data

Summary Cognition is not directly measurable. It is assessed using psychometric tests, which can be viewed as quantitative measures of cognition with error. The aim of this article is to propose a model to describe the evolution in continuous time of unobserved cognition in the elderly and assess the impact of covariates directly on it. The latent cognitive process is defined using a linear mixed model including a Brownian motion and time‐dependent covariates. The observed psychometric tests are considered as the results of parameterized nonlinear transformations of the latent cognitive process at discrete occasions. Estimation of the parameters contained both in the transformations and in the linear mixed model is achieved by maximizing the observed likelihood and graphical methods are performed to assess the goodness of fit of the model. The method is applied to data from PAQUID, a French prospective cohort study of ageing.
Sexually Dimorphic Effects of Catechol-O-Methyltransferase (COMT) Inhibition on Dopamine Metabolism in Multiple Brain Regions

The catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) enzyme metabolises catecholamines. COMT inhibitors are licensed for the adjunctive treatment of Parkinson's disease and are attractive therapeutic candidates for other neuropsychiatric conditions. COMT regulates dopamine levels in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) but plays a lesser role in the striatum. However, its significance in other brain regions is largely unknown, despite its links with a broad range of behavioural phenotypes hinting at more widespread effects. Here, we investigated the effect of acute systemic administration of the brain-penetrant COMT inhibitor tolcapone on tissue levels of dopamine, noradrenaline, and the dopamine metabolites 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA). We examined PFC, striatum, hippocampus and cerebellum in the rat. We studied both males and females, given sexual dimorphisms in several aspects of COMT's function. Compared with vehicle, tolcapone significantly increased dopamine levels in the ventral hippocampus, but did not affect dopamine in other regions, nor noradrenaline in any region investigated. Tolcapone increased DOPAC and/or decreased HVA in all brain regions studied. Notably, several of the changes in DOPAC and HVA, particularly those in PFC, were more prominent in females than males. These data demonstrate that COMT alters ventral hippocampal dopamine levels, as well as regulating dopamine metabolism in all brain regions studied. They demonstrate that COMT is of significance beyond the PFC, consistent with its links with a broad range of behavioural phenotypes. Furthermore, they suggest that the impact of tolcapone may be greater in females than males, a finding which may be of clinical significance in terms of the efficacy and dosing of COMT inhibitors.
Essential Role of Junctional Adhesion Molecule-1 in Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor–Induced Endothelial Cell Migration

Objective—Recently, we have shown that blocking of junctional adhesion molecule-1/A (JAM-1/A) inhibits basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF)-induced angiogenesis. Because the process of endothelial cell proliferation is a key initial step of neovascularization, we studied the effect of functional knockdown of JAM-1 on human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) adhesion and migration induced by bFGF. Methods and Results—We introduced small interfering RNAs specific to JAM-1 in HUVECs, stimulated them with bFGF, and studied the resultant adhesion and migration of these cells on vitronectin and fibronectin. We show that depletion of JAM-1 inhibits bFGF-induced HUVEC migration specifically on vitronectin. This inhibition is not attributable to the failure of junctional organization, because expression and distribution of other junctional proteins remained unaffected. This inhibition was in fact attributed to an inability of JAM-1–depleted HUVECs to adhere and spread on vitronectin. Furthermore, we find that JAM-1–depleted HUVECs failed to activate extracellular signal–related kinase (ERK) in response to bFGF treatment. Conclusions—Our results show that JAM-1 is required for the bFGF-induced ERK activation that leads to endothelial cell migration on vitronectin. These data thus implicate JAM-1 as an integral part of both bFGF and ERK signaling pathways in endothelial cells.
Overexpression of lipocalin 2 in human cervical cancer enhances tumor invasion

Cervical carcinoma is the third-most common cause of cancer-related deaths in women worldwide. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the metastasis of cervical cancer are still unclear. Oligonucleotide microarrays coupled with bioinformatics analysis show that cytoskeletal remodeling and epithelial-to- mesenchymal transition (EMT) are significant pathways in clinical specimens of cervical cancer. In accord with clinical observations demonstrating ectopic expression of lipocalin 2 (LCN2), an oncogenic protein associated with EMT, in malignant tumors, was significantly upregulated in cervical cancer and correlated with lymph node metastasis. Overexpression of LCN2 enhanced tumor cell migration and invasion both in vitro and in vivo. Conversely, knockdown or neutralization of LCN2 reduced tumor cell migration and invasion. LCN2-induced migration was stimulated by activation of the EMT-associated proteins, Snail, Twist, N-cadherin, fibronectin, and MMP-9. Our findings collectively support a potential role of LCN2 in cancer cell invasion through the EMT pathway and suggest that LCN2 could be effectively utilized as a lymph node metastasis marker in cervical cancer.
Interactive 3D Segmentation of Rock-Art by Enhanced Depth Maps and Gradient Preserving Regularization

Petroglyphs (rock engravings) have been pecked and engraved by humans into natural rock surfaces thousands of years ago and are among the oldest artifacts that document early human life and culture. Some of these rock engravings have survived until the present and serve today as a unique document of ancient human life. Since petroglyphs are pecked into the surface of natural rocks, they are threatened by environmental factors such as weather and erosion. To document and preserve these valuable artifacts of human history, the 3D digitization of rock surfaces has become a suitable approach due to the development of powerful 3D reconstruction techniques in recent years. The results of 3D reconstruction are huge 3D point clouds which represent the local surface geometry in high resolution. In this article, we present an automatic 3D segmentation approach that is able to extract rock engravings from reconstructed 3D surfaces. To solve this computationally complex problem, we transfer the task of segmentation to the image-space in order to efficiently perform segmentation. Adaptive learning is applied to realize interactive segmentation and a gradient preserving energy minimization assures smooth boundaries for the segmented figures. Our experiments demonstrate the efficiency and the strong segmentation capabilities of the approach. The precise segmentation of petroglyphs from 3D surfaces provides the foundation for compiling large petroglyph databases which can then be indexed and searched automatically.
Dmrt1 induces the male pathway in a turtle species with temperature-dependent sex determination

The molecular mechanism underlying temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) has been a long-standing mystery; in particular, the thermosensitive genetic triggers for gonadal sex differentiation are largely unknown. Here, we have characterized a conserved DM domain gene, Dmrt1, in the red-eared slider turtle Trachemys scripta (T. scripta), which exhibits TSD. We found that Dmrt1 has a temperature-dependent, sexually dimorphic expression pattern, preceding gonadal sex differentiation, and is capable of responding rapidly to temperature shifts and aromatase inhibitor treatment. Most importantly, loss- and gain-of-function analyses provide solid evidence that Dmrt1 is both necessary and sufficient to initiate male development in T. scripta. Furthermore, the DNA methylation dynamics of the Dmrt1 promoter are tightly correlated with temperature and could mediate the impact of temperature on sex determination. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that Dmrt1 is a candidate master male sex-determining gene in this TSD species, consistent with the idea that DM domain genes are conserved during the evolution of sex determination mechanisms. Summary: Dmrt1 is both necessary and sufficient to initiate testicular differentiation in T. scripta, thereby acting as a key upstream regulator of male development in a TSD system.
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection during pregnancy induces CD4 T-cell differentiation and modulates responses to Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine in HIV-uninfected infants

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)‐negative infants born to HIV‐positive mothers frequently exhibit a range of immunological abnormalities. We tested the hypothesis that HIV during pregnancy affects the ability of CD4 T cells of HIV‐negative infants to respond to vaccine challenge by recruiting HIV‐negative infants born to HIV‐negative and HIV‐positive mothers and measuring their responses to Bacille Calmette‐Guérin (BCG) vaccine given at birth. At 2 weeks, maternal HIV status did not influence CD4 T‐cell counts or differentiation, but by 10 weeks CD4 counts of infants born to HIV‐positive mothers fell to a level characteristic of HIV‐positive infants. Among the CD4 T‐cell populations, markers of differentiation (CCR7− CD45RA− CD27−) and senescence (CD57, PD‐1) were more common among infants born to HIV‐positive mothers than among infants born to HIV‐negative mothers. At 2 weeks of age, we assessed the effector response to heat‐killed BCG and tuberculin purified protein derivative (PPD) by overnight interferon (IFN)‐γ enzyme‐linked immunosorbent spot‐forming cell assay (ELISpot), but found no measurable effect of maternal HIV status. At 10 weeks, we assessed CD4 T‐cell memory by measuring proliferation in response to the same antigens. We observed a bimodal response that allowed infants to be classified as high or low responders and found that fewer infants born to HIV‐positive mothers were able to mount a robust proliferative response, suggesting that their reduced CD4 counts and increased differentiation indicated a deficiency in their ability to develop immunological memory.
Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase as a Therapeutic Target in Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer

AbstractThe therapeutic targeting of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) has been a burgeoning area of research since 2007 when ALK fusions were initially identified in patients with non–small cell lung cancer. The field has rapidly progressed through development of the first-generation ALK inhibitor, crizotinib, to an understanding of mechanisms of acquired resistance to crizotinib and is currently witnessing an explosion in the development of next-generation ALK inhibitors such as ceritinib, alectinib, PF-06463922, AP26113, X-396, and TSR-011. As with most targeted therapies, acquired resistance appears to be an inevitable outcome. Current preclinical and clinical studies are focused on the development of rational therapeutic strategies, including novel ALK inhibitors, as well as rational combination therapies to maximize disease control by delaying or overcoming acquired therapeutic resistance. This review summarizes the existing clinical data and ongoing research pertaining to the clinical application of ALK inhibitors in patients with non–small cell lung cancer.
Examining the Interplay of Rejection Sensitivity, Self-Compassion, and Communication in Romantic Relationships

This cross-sectional study examined the potential associations between rejection sensitivity, self-compassion, self-silencing, and couple communication patterns in a college undergraduate population. Participants (n=205) attended group data collection sessions in campus computer labs where they completed an online survey. Multivariate path analyses did not support the hypothesis that self-silencing mediates the relationship between rejection sensitivity and couple communication patterns. Self-compassion also did not moderate the relationship between rejection sensitivity and self-silencing. However, post-hoc analyses revealed that self-compassion moderated the previously established relationships between rejection sensitivity and depression, and rejection sensitivity and relationship satisfaction. These findings indicate that self-compassion may serve as a buffer between rejection sensitivity and specific intrapersonal and interpersonal outcomes. Implications and future directions are discussed.
Learning Styles of Typical Readers and Dyslexic Adolescents

Abstract The present study examined the link between learning styles and dyslexia in secondary school students, using the Visual-Auditory-Kinesthetic (VAK) learning styles model. According to the VAK model, most people possess a dominant or preferred learning style, however some people have a mixed and evenly balanced blend of the three styles. Oour hypothesis was that differences would be revealed between students with dyslexia and their typical peers in preferred ways to learn. A total of 43 secondary school students formed the LD group (32 boys and 11 girls) who were diagnosed with dyslexia, and attended mainstream schools. A comparison group was formed of pupils who attended the same classes (N = 86), and were matched for age and gender with dyslexics (1 dyslexic: 2 control). The self-administered VAK test used to assess participant’s predominant learning style. Although statistical significant differences between typical readers and students with dyslexia were not observed, there was a mixture of learning styles amongst the participants, indicating that students with dyslexia use more often multimodal approaches and possibly that is the reason they usually benefit from multi- sensory methods.
Current-Mode Capacitive Sensor Interface Circuit With Single-Ended to Differential Output Capability

This paper presents a current-mode interface circuit for capacitive sensors, with the main features being its ability to produce a differential output from a single-ended sensor (using a fixed reference capacitor) and its simplicity in realization. These advantages make it a potential candidate for applications where differential sensors are not available and where a simple design is required. The principle is, however, easily applicable to differential sensors as well. The interface concept can be realized in different ways; however, to present a proof of concept on silicon, a prototype has been fabricated and tested in a commercially available 0.8-mum CMOS process. The circuit has been designed using common analog building blocks such as a fully differential operational transconductance amplifier (OTA), a high-output-resistance wide-swing current source, and a single clock phase. The estimated linearity error was 0.2% relative to full-scale swing with a simple two-point calibration. The circuit consumes 145 muA from a 5-V power supply.
Out of the mouths of boys: A profile of boys committed to reading

This paper reports on the first stage of a research project investigating the leisure reading practices of boys identified as 'committed' (Millard 1997) readers. The boys' constructions of themselves as readers, as reported in a questionnaire, are examined here in terms of Luke's (1995) four reading practices (which are themselves derived from Freebody and Luke's 1990 notion of reading roles): decoding, semantic, pragmatic and critical practices. The analysis indicates that while these boys are clearly aware of their reading competence in terms of decoding, semantic and pragmatic practice, their discursive comments do not make reference to critical practice as a valued component of competent reading. The insights of these boys into their own reading practices, and their family's contribution to these practices, provides educators with a potentially useful basis for evaluating approaches to reading for leisure amongst a wide range of boys.
A Customer Management Dilemma : When Is It Profitable to Reward Existing Customers ?

This study attempts to answer a basic customer management dilemma facing firms: When should the firm use behavior-based pricing (BBP) to discriminate between its own and competitors’ customers in a competitive market? If BBP is profitable, when should the firm offer a lower price to its own customers rather than to the competitor's customers? This analysis considers two features of customer behavior hitherto ignored in BBP literature: heterogeneity in customer value and changing preference (i.e., customer preferences are correlated but not fixed over time). In a model where both consumers and competing firms are forward looking, we identify conditions when it is optimal to reward the firm’s own or competitor’s customers and when BBP increases or decreases profits. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to identify conditions in which (1) it is optimal to reward one’s own customers under symmetric competition and (2) BBP can increase profits with fully strategic and forward-looking consumers.
Complex Scheduling with Potts Neural Networks

In a recent paper (Gisln et al. 1989) a convenient encoding and an efficient mean field algorithm for solving scheduling problems using a Potts neural network was developed and numerically explored on simplified and synthetic problems. In this work the approach is extended to realistic applications both with respect to problem complexity and size. This extension requires among other things the interaction of Potts neurons with different number of components. We analyze the corresponding linearized mean field equations with respect to estimating the phase transition temperature. Also a brief comparison with the linear programming approach is given. Testbeds consisting of generated problems within the Swedish high school system are solved efficiently with high quality solutions as results.
Sensititre MycoTB Plate Compared to Bactec MGIT 960 for First- and Second-Line Antituberculosis Drug Susceptibility Testing in Tanzania: a Call To Operationalize MICs

ABSTRACT MIC testing for Mycobacterium tuberculosis is now commercially available. Drug susceptibility testing by the MycoTB MIC plate has not been directly compared to that by the Bactec MGIT 960. We describe a case of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) in Tanzania where initial MIC testing may have prevented acquired resistance. From testing on archived isolates, the accuracy with the MycoTB plate was >90% for important first- and second-line drugs compared to that with the MGIT 960, and clinically useful quantitative interpretation was also provided.
Recreational injury and its relation to socioeconomic status among school aged children in the US

Objectives: This study described epidemiologic patterns of recreational injuries among school aged children in the US and assessed the relation of these patterns to socioeconomic status. Methods: Combined data from the 1997–98 National Health Interview Surveys for 38 458 children aged 6–17 years regarding non-fatal recreational injury episodes that received medical attention, reported by a household adult, were analysed. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the association between recreational injury and socioeconomic status while controlling for confounding factors. Results: The annualized rate of recreational injury was 91.2 episodes per 1000 children, with an increased risk associated with a higher family income status or being non-Hispanic white. For children from not poor families, most injury episodes occurred in sport facilities, whereas for children from poor and near poor families, most occurred outside the home. Conclusion: Recreational injury is a significant health problem for school aged children in the US. Non-Hispanic white children and children from affluent families are at increased risk of recreational injury.