Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A perceptual shape descriptor

We represent a two dimensional object silhouette by a one dimensional descriptor, which preserves the perceptual structure of its shape. The proposed descriptor is based on the moments of the angles between the bearings of a point on the boundary, in a set of neighborhood systems. At each point on the boundary, the angle between a pair of bearings is calculated to extract the topological information of the boundary in a given locality. The proposed method does not use any heuristic rule or empirical threshold value in the shape representation. The similarity between the patterns is measured by elastic matching of the descriptors. The proposed shape descriptor is tested on dataset of MPEG 7 Core Experiments Shape-1. The experiments show better results than the previous studies reported in the literature.
Alterations of Innate Immunity Reactants in Transition Dairy Cows before Clinical Signs of Lameness

Simple Summary Lameness is prevalent in dairy cows and early diagnosis and timely treatment of the disease can lower animal suffering, improve recovery rate, increase longevity, and minimize cow loss. However, there are no indications of disease until it appears clinically, and presently the only approach to deal with the sick cow is intensive treatment or culling. The results suggest that lameness affected serum concentrations of the several parameters related to innate immunity and carbohydrate metabolism that might be used to monitor health status of transition dairy cows in the near future. Abstract The objectives of this study were to evaluate metabolic and innate immunity alterations in the blood of transition dairy cows before, during, and after diagnosis of lameness during periparturient period. Blood samples were collected from the coccygeal vain once per week before morning feeding from 100 multiparous Holstein dairy cows during −8, −4, disease diagnosis, and +4 weeks (wks) relative to parturition. Six healthy cows (CON) and six cows that showed clinical signs of lameness were selected for intensive serum analyses. Concentrations of interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), haptoglobin (Hp), serum amyloid A (SAA), lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP), lactate, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), and β-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA) were measured in serum by ELISA or colorimetric methods. Health status, DMI, rectal temperature, milk yield, and milk composition also were monitored for each cow during the whole experimental period. Results showed that cows affected by lameness had greater concentrations of lactate, IL-6, and SAA in the serum vs. CON cows. Concentrations of TNF tended to be greater in cows with lameness compared with CON. In addition, there was a health status (Hs) by time (week) interaction for IL-1, TNF, and Hp in lameness cows vs. CON ones. Enhanced serum concentrations of lactate, IL-6, and SAA at −8 and −4 wks before parturition were different in cows with lameness as compared with those of the CON group. The disease was also associated with lowered overall milk production and DMI as well as milk fat and fat-to-protein ratio. In conclusion, cows affected postpartum by lameness had alterations in several serum variables related to innate immunity and carbohydrate metabolism that give insights into the etiopathogenesis of the disease and might serve to monitor health status of transition dairy cows in the near future.
UPPSATSER : Kulturgeografiska institutionen Is Libya doing the EU ’ s job ? Externalisation of border control and migration management

Wirell, S. 2018. Is Libya doing the EU’s job? Externalisation of border control and migration management. Kulturgeografiska institutionen, Uppsatser, Uppsala universitet. The irregular migration over the Mediterranean Sea has become a priority on the political agenda in recent years. This paper examines whether the attempts of managing the irregular migration have constituted a process of externalisation of border control and/or migration management in the context of Italy and Libya. Specifically, a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the countries in February 2017 has been studied to determine if it can be understood as an example of externalisation. The Memorandum has been assessed using three criteria for externalisation, as identified by Paoletti (2011), as well as a model for categorising measures into ‘fencing’ or ‘gatekeeping’ strategies, presented by Triandafyllidou and Dimitriadi (2013). Additionally, a critical geopolitical perspective has been applied, aiming at identifying the Memorandum’s geopolitical implications. An examination of studies on previous agreements demonstrates that a process of externalisation has been occurring, and the analysis of the Memorandum indicates that the agreement can be understood as a part of this process. Furthermore, a number of geopolitical implications have been identified in the Memorandum, regarding power, sovereignty, borders and securitisation. Since there is no universal definition of what measures are considered to constitute externalisation, any assessments made are arguably subjective.
Reducing Context Effects by Adding Context Information: The Direction and Size of Context Effects in Political Judgment

This article investigates how the activation of a specific exemplar influences the direction and the size of context effects on evaluative judgments about other specific exemplars or about a superordinate category. The activation of an untrustworthy politician decreased judgments of trustworthiness of politicians in general but increased judgments of the trustworthiness of specific exemplars. The assimilation as well as the contrast effect were attenuated when additional judgment-relevant exemplars were activated. The results suggest that the impact of a specific context information depends on the amount of other judgment-relevant information that can be used in constructing a mental representation of the judgmental target or of a comparison standard. Implications for scandal management are discussed.
Patient Safety, Adverse Healthcare Events and Near-Misses in Obstetric Care —A Systematic Literature Review

Systematic development of a patient safety culture is necessary because lack of quality care leads to human suffering. The aim of this review was to identify evidence of obstetric adverse events (AEs) and near-misses in the context of patient safety. We conducted a search of the published literature from Europe, Australia and the USA in the following databases: Cinahl, Cochrane, Maternity and Infant Care, Ovid, Pro-quest and PubMed, guided by PRISMA procedures. A total of 427 studies were screened, 15 full papers retrieved and nine studies included in the final thematic analysis. The selected papers address a broad spectrum of adverse patient safety events in obstetric care. The themes that emerged were: type of AEs, near-misses and their consequences, strategies to support and improve Patient Safety (PS) and domains related to the WHO Patient Safety competence outcomes. The findings of the first theme were grouped into the following categories: healthcare professionals’ perspectives on ethical conflicts, attributing blame and responsibility, and patients’ perspectives on lack of trust and involvement, as well as medication errors. The second theme, strategies to support interventions to improve PS, was based on two sub-themes: communicating effectively and gaining competence by learning from adverse events, while the third theme was domains related to the WHO Patient Safety competence outcomes. In conclusion, few studies have examined strategies for managing AEs despite the existence of programmes that target the implementation of changes, such as improved teamwork training. In addition to exploring strategies to make safety a priority for patients and healthcare professionals, it is of the utmost importance to improve communication with patients and between professionals in order to maintain and enhance safety. Efforts by organizations and individuals to continuously develop knowledge about the risk of AEs and the use of best practice guidelines are also essential.
Comparative evaluation of amisulpride and escitalopram on Hamilton Depression Rating Scale among depression patients in a tertiary care teaching hospital in Nepal

International Journal of Medical Science and Public Health | 2015 | Vol 4 | Issue 5 642 International Journal of Medical Science and Public Health Online 2015. © 2015 Mirza Atif Beg. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), allowing third parties to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format and to remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially, provided the original work is properly cited and states its license. Research Article
Perceived physical competence, enjoyment and effort in same‐sex and coeducational physical education classes

Perceived competence is a key motivational determinant of physical activity behaviours in adolescents, and motivational determinants are influenced by the class environment. The purpose of this study was to investigate levels of perceived physical competence, enjoyment and effort in class, focusing on gender and class‐type differences. Participants were 546 adolescents (289 males, 257 females) who were in same‐sex or coeducational physical education classes. The Hierarchical Physical Competence Scale (HPCS) and questionnaire measures of enjoyment and effort in classes were used to investigate students’ perceptions. Results of 2 × 2 multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) indicated that students’ perceptions of physical competence, enjoyment and effort in classes differed according to gender and class type, but these differences must be viewed in light of strong interaction effects. That is, female students reported more positive and adaptive perceptions in same‐sex classes and were more affected by class type than were male students.
Evidence for an inhibitory effect of protein kinase C on G‐protein‐mediated repetitive calcium transients in hamster eggs.

Hamster eggs undergo repetitive increases in cytoplasmic free calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) at fertilization or after injecting guanosine‐5′‐0‐(3‐thiotriphosphate) (GTP[S]). We report the effects of protein kinase C (PKC) agonists and antagonists on these repetitive [Ca2+]i transients as measured by their associated membrane potential hyperpolarizing responses (HRs). Iontophoretic injection of GTP[S] into unfertilized eggs caused a series of repetitive HRs that declined in amplitude with time. Continuous injection of inositol 1,4,5‐trisphosphate (InsP3) also caused a series of repetitive HRs, but these HRs declined in amplitude less markedly. GTP[S]‐induced HRs were inhibited by the PKC agonists phorbol 12‐myristate 13‐acetate (TPA) (100 nM) and 1,2‐dioctanoyl‐glycerol (diC8) (250 microM). Conversely the PKC inhibitor sphingosine (10 microM) enhanced the number of large HRs after GTP[S] injection. TPA or sphingosine did not alter InsP3‐induced HRs. We suggest that G‐protein‐mediated InsP3 production causes repetitive [Ca2+]i transients but that GTP[S] injection stimulates a negative feedback loop involving PKC. Adding TPA (100 nM) before insemination caused a reduction in the frequency of HRs at fertilization, but neither TPA nor sphingosine affected the frequency or size of HRs when they were added after the start of fertilization. Fertilizing sperm may stimulate G‐protein‐mediated InsP3 production in a way that precludes feedback inhibition by PKC.
Longitudinal follow-up of “benign” multiple sclerosis at 20 years

Objective: To evaluate disease status after 20 years in a cohort defined as “benign multiple sclerosis (MS)” (Expanded Disability Status Scale [EDSS] score ≤ 3) at 10 years from onset. Methods: Patients with an EDSS score ≤ 3 at 10 (± 1) years from onset were selected from the British Columbia MS clinic database. The 20-year EDSS score was the primary outcome. Potential risk factors differentiating those who “continued benign” (EDSS score ≤ 3.0) from those who were “no longer benign” (EDSS score > 3.0) at 20 years, including age at onset, onset symptoms, and 10-year EDSS score, were analyzed, and lower 10-year EDSS score cutoffs were investigated. Results: Twenty-year EDSS scores were obtained for 169 of 200 patients (84.5%); of these, 88 (52.1%) continued benign, but 36 (21.3%) progressed to require the use of a cane (EDSS score ≥ 6). Conversion to secondary progressive MS occurred in 45 of 196 patients (23%) with a relapsing–remitting onset. The only variable associated with disease progression at 20 years was the 10-year EDSS score (p < 0.0005); no 10-year EDSS score seemed ideal in predicting benign status, and an EDSS score ≤ 2 resulted in 32% becoming no longer benign. Discussion: At 10 years from onset, neither an Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score ≤ 3 nor an EDSS score ≤ 2 adequately represented “benign multiple sclerosis (MS)” because an appreciable proportion of patients progressed in disease severity. Appropriate and reliable criteria to identify which patients with MS remain with mild disability over the long term have yet to be determined.
Food choice by people with intellectual disabilities at day centres

People with intellectual disabilities experience a range of health inequalities. It is important to investigate possible contributory factors that may lead to these inequalities. This qualitative study identified some difficulties for healthy eating in day centres. (1) Service users and their family carers were aware of healthy food choices but framed these as diets for weight loss rather than as everyday eating. (2) Paid carers and managers regarded the principle of service user autonomy and choice as paramount, which meant that they felt limited in their capacity to influence food choices, which they attributed to the home environment. (3) Carers used food as a treat, a reward and for social bonding with service users. (4) Service users’ food choices modelled other service users’ and carers’ choices at the time. It is suggested that healthy eating should be made more of a priority in day care, with a view to promoting exemplarily behaviour that might influence food choice at home.
Calcitonin receptor‐like receptor (CLR), receptor activity‐modifying protein 1 (RAMP1), and calcitonin gene‐related peptide (CGRP) immunoreactivity in the rat trigeminovascular system: Differences between peripheral and central CGRP receptor distribution

Calcitonin gene‐related peptide (CGRP) is a key mediator in primary headaches including migraine. Animal models of meningeal nociception demonstrate both peripheral and central CGRP effects; however, the target structures remain unclear. To study the distribution of CGRP receptors in the rat trigeminovascular system we used antibodies recognizing two components of the CGRP receptor, the calcitonin receptor‐like receptor (CLR) and the receptor activity‐modifying protein 1 (RAMP1). In the cranial dura mater, CLR and RAMP1 immunoreactivity (‐ir) was found within arterial blood vessels, mononuclear cells, and Schwann cells, but not sensory axons. In the trigeminal ganglion, besides Schwann and satellite cells, CLR‐ and RAMP1‐ir was found in subpopulations of CGRP‐ir neurons where colocalization of CGRP‐ and RAMP1‐ir was very rare (≈0.6%). CLR‐ and RAMP1‐ir was present on central, but not peripheral, axons. In the spinal trigeminal nucleus, CLR‐ and RAMP1‐ir was localized to “glomerular structures,” partly colocalized with CGRP‐ir. However, CLR‐ and RAMP1‐ir was lacking in central glia and neuronal cell bodies. We conclude that CGRP receptors are associated with structural targets of known CGRP effects (vasodilation, mast cell degranulation) and targets of unknown function (Schwann cells). In the spinal trigeminal nucleus, CGRP receptors are probably located on neuronal processes, including primary afferent endings, suggesting involvement in presynaptic regulation of nociceptive transmission. Thus, in the trigeminovascular system CGRP receptor localization suggests multiple targets for CGRP in the pathogenesis of primary headaches. J. Comp. Neurol. 507:1277–1299, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Association between HIF1A P582S and A588T Polymorphisms and the Risk of Urinary Cancers: A Meta-Analysis

Purpose The hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF1A) plays a vital role in cancer initiation and progression. Previous studies have reported the existence of HIF1A P582S and A588T missense polymorphisms in renal, urothelial and prostatic carcinomas, however the effects remain conflicting. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to assess the association between these sites and the susceptibility of urinary cancers. Methods We searched the PubMed database without limits on language until Nov 25, 2012 for studies exploring the relationship of HIF1A P582S and A588T polymorphisms and urinary cancers. Still, article search was supplemented by screening the references of retrieved studies manually. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated to evaluate the strength of the associations between the two by RevMan 5.0 software. Simultaneously, publication bias was estimated by funnel plot and Begg’s test with Stata 12.1 software. Results Overall, 11 individual case-control studies with 5195 cases and 5786 controls for P582S polymorphism, and 9 studies with 3482 cases and 4304 controls for A588T polymorphism were respectively included in the final meta-analysis. For HIF1A P582S polymorphism, individuals with TT genotype showed 1.60 fold higher risk than the others carrying CT or CC genotypes in Caucasian population (OR = 1.60, 95% CI = 1.09–2.33, P heterogeneity = 0.11, P = 0.02). For HIF1A A588T polymorphism, the A allele was significantly correlated with higher urinary cancers risk in Asian population (OR = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.03–1.93, P heterogeneity = 0.22, P = 0.03). Still, significant associations were found for prostate cancer in the allele and dominant models (OR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.01–2.12, P heterogeneity = 0.49, P = 0.04 and OR = 1.45, 95% CI = 1.00–2.12, P heterogeneity = 0.50, P = 0.05). Conclusions The current findings suggest that HIF1A P582S polymorphism correlates with urinary cancers risk in Caucasian population, while A588T polymorphism may increase the risk of urinary cancers in Asian population and prostate cancer.
Evolution of Stellar Bars in Live Axisymmetric Halos: Recurrent Buckling and Secular Growth

Evolution of stellar bars in disk galaxies is accompanied by dynamical instabilities and secular changes. Following the vertical buckling instability, the bars are known to weaken dramatically and develop a pronounced boxy/peanut shape when observed edge-on. Using high-resolution N-body simulations of stellar disks embedded in live axisymmetric dark matter halos, we have investigated the long-term changes in the bar morphology, specifically the evolution of the bar size, its vertical structure, and the exchange of angular momentum. We find that following the initial buckling, the bar resumes its growth from deep inside the corotation radius and follows the ultraharmonic resonance thereafter. We also find that this secular bar growth triggers a spectacular secondary vertical buckling instability that leads to the appearance of characteristic boxy/peanut/X-shaped bulges. The secular bar growth is crucial for the recurrent buckling to develop. Furthermore, the secondary buckling is milder, persists over a substantial period of time, ~3 Gyr, and can have observational counterparts. Overall, the stellar bars show recurrent behavior in their properties and evolve by increasing their linear and vertical extents, both dynamically and secularly. We also demonstrate explicitly that the prolonged growth of the bar is mediated by continuous angular momentum transfer from the disk to the surrounding halo and that this angular momentum redistribution is resonant in nature: a large number of lower resonances trap disk and halo particles, and this trapping is robust, in broad agreement with the earlier results in the literature.
The Benefits of Summer Programming for Gifted Adolescents

For several years, Talent Search programs at five American universities have offered intensive summer experiences for a select group of highly gifted young adolescents in core academic areas. It has been the position of directors of these projects that the experience of attending such a summer program has a profound effect on an adolescent's life. In an effort to examine the overall effects and benefits of this type of programming, the Midwest Talent Search Project at Northwestern University conducted a follow-up study of one hundred of its summer participants. This article describes the procedures used, reports the data collected, and suggests a “benefits model” for further testing among this population of gifted adolescents.
The impact of first‐year students' living situation on the integration process and study progress

Students in different living situations are the central issue of this study. Large groups of first‐year students not only transfer to a new educational system, but also start to live independently in rooms. The questions we answer, in this paper, are whether the students' living situations affect the integration process and how it is related to study progress. A total 782 first‐year full‐time students responded to questionnaires. A remarkable conclusion was that a positive effect of living independently on integration was not found. The students living in rooms experienced more personal problems than students who stayed at home. Students living in rooms spent several hours less on their studies, which negatively affected study progress.
Opioid delta-receptor involvement in supraspinal and spinal antinociception in mice.

The possibility that the opioid delta-receptor mediates antinociception in tests where heat is the noxious stimulus was investigated using highly selective mu- and delta-agonist and -antagonists. Antinociceptive dose-response curves were constructed for mu ([D-Ala2,NMePhe4,Gly-ol]enkephalin, DAGO; morphine) and delta ([D-Pen2,D-Pen5]enkephalin, DPDPE)-agonists in the absence, and in the presence of the mu non-surmountable antagonist, beta-funaltrexamine (beta-FNA) or the delta-antagonist ICI 174,864 (N,N-diallyl-Tyr-Aib-Aib-Phe-Leu-OH, where Aib is alpha-amino-isobutyric acid). Agonists and ICI 174,864 were given alone in the same intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) or intrathecal (i.th.) injection to mice 20 min prior to testing in the warm-water (55 degrees C) tail-withdrawal test (+10 min for i.th. DPDPE); beta-FNA was given as a single i.c. v. or i.th. pretreatment dose (20 and 0.01 nM, respectively) 4 h prior to testing. I.c. v. pretreatment with beta-FNA resulted in a rightward displacement of the DAGO and morphine antinociceptive dose-response lines, but failed to displace the i.c. v. DPDPE curve. Similarly, i.th. pretreatment with beta-FNA displaced the i.th. morphine dose-response curve to the right without affecting the i.th. DPDPE antinociceptive dose-response line. ICI 174,864 (1 and 3 micrograms) produced a dose-related antagonism of i.c. v. or i.th. DPDPE, but did not alter the antinociceptive effects of DAGO or morphine given by the same routes. Co-administration of ICI 174,864 (3 micrograms) with i.c. v. morphine in beta-FNA pretreated (but not control) mice resulted in a further rightward displacement of the morphine dose-response line. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)