Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
What Makes a Patch Distinct?

What makes an object salient? Most previous work assert that distinctness is the dominating factor. The difference between the various algorithms is in the way they compute distinctness. Some focus on the patterns, others on the colors, and several add high-level cues and priors. We propose a simple, yet powerful, algorithm that integrates these three factors. Our key contribution is a novel and fast approach to compute pattern distinctness. We rely on the inner statistics of the patches in the image for identifying unique patterns. We provide an extensive evaluation and show that our approach outperforms all state-of-the-art methods on the five most commonly-used datasets.
Measuring trust between organizational boundary role persons.

Theoretical writings on trust and interorganizational collaboration have neglected the measurement aspects of trust. Defining trust as an individual′s behavioral reliance on another person under a condition of risk, we developed and tested the construct validity of a questionnaire measure that assessed trust between the individuals who provide the linking mechanism across organizational boundaries, namely, boundary role persons (BRPs). The measure′s hypothesized multidimensionality was examined. The measure was tested in relation to a nomological network comprised of individual-level correlates based on Ajzen and Fishbein′s (1980) theory of reasoned action and dyad-level correlates regarding the longevity of the relationship between BRPs, the anticipated future longevity of their relationship, and their ability to manage conflict. Survey and archival data were used. Support for the measure′s construct validity came from individual-level confirmatory factor analyses. Further support came from analyses of individual-level and dyad-level correlates. Implications for the measure′s use in future theory testing on BRP trust and interorganizational collaboration are discussed.
Street space renaissance: a spatio-historical survey of two Asian cities

The Western-influenced street design concepts have failed to address problems uniquely experienced within Asian streets. This results in unsound solutions and overshadows the need to conserve our unique heritage. To achieve a sustainability-oriented mobility culture requires the revival of the Asian street culture based on the premise at the present space utilization is a consequence of and reflects the underlying pedestrian culture of the past. The discussion centers on street space development in two Asian cities, namely: Edo period Tokyo, under seclusion policy, and Manila, a colonial city. The study draws on the historical survey of urban spaces, visual analysis of pictorial representations and analysis of existing literature. The discourse will focus on the major planning instruments, urban open space morphogenesis; pedestrian and street culture; and the emergent spaces, both movement and non-movement. Finally, it will provide initial recommendations on how to improve sidewalk space and contribute towards an Asian perspective in pedestrian transport studies.
Older single mothers assisted by sperm donation and their children.

BACKGROUND Knowledge about the lives of single women who choose to become mothers by sperm donation is very limited. METHODS This study comprises 62 families headed by formally single women who, following their decision to give birth to a child with the aid of sperm donation, by means of insemination or in vitro fertilization (IVF), used the services of one sperm bank in Israel. RESULTS The findings of the study, based on the reports obtained from the mothers in face-to-face interviews by structured questionnaires with closed-ended scales and single item open questions, present a complex picture of formally single-mother families assisted by sperm donation. They shed light on socio-demographic and conception related information of the mothers in the sample, on mothers' and children's health, on the children's socio-emotional development and mother-child relationship and on the mothers' difficulties and needs encountered in their function as single parents. CONCLUSIONS Although the currently young children's socio-emotional development seems to be within the normal range, the mean age of 43 years at first birth of the mothers, the fact that about one-fifth of them gave birth to twins, the health condition of some of the mothers and children, and the difficulties they encounter, may raise some concerns.
Acid-Sensing Ion Channels Contribute to Transduction of Extracellular Acidosis in Rat Carotid Body Glomus Cells

Carotid body chemoreceptors sense hypoxemia, hypercapnia, and acidosis and play an important role in cardiorespiratory regulation. The molecular mechanism of pH sensing by chemoreceptors is not clear, although it has been proposed to be mediated by a drop in intracellular pH of carotid body glomus cells, which inhibits a K+ current. Recently, pH-sensitive ion channels have been described in glomus cells that respond directly to extracellular acidosis. In this study, we investigated the possible molecular mechanisms of carotid body pH sensing by recording the responses of glomus cells isolated from rat carotid body to rapid changes in extracellular pH using the whole-cell patch-clamping technique. Extracellular acidosis evoked transient inward current in glomus cells that was inhibited by the acid-sensing ion channel (ASIC) blocker amiloride, absent in Na+-free bathing solution, and enhanced by either Ca2+-free buffer or addition of lactate. In addition, ASIC1 and ASIC3 were shown to be expressed in rat carotid body by quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry. In the current-clamp mode, extracellular acidosis evoked both a transient and sustained depolarizations. The initial transient component of depolarization was blocked by amiloride, whereas the sustained component was eliminated by removal of K+ from the pipette solution and partially blocked by the TASK (tandem-p-domain, acid-sensitive K+ channel) blockers anandamide and quinidine. The results provide the first evidence that ASICs may contribute to chemotransduction of low pH by carotid body chemoreceptors and that extracellular acidosis directly activates carotid body chemoreceptors through both ASIC and TASK channels.
Modulation of Rh glycoproteins, ammonia excretion and Na+ fluxes in three freshwater teleosts when exposed chronically to high environmental ammonia

SUMMARY We investigated relationships among branchial unidirectional Na+ fluxes, ammonia excretion, urea excretion, plasma ammonia, plasma cortisol, and gill transporter expression and function in three freshwater fish differing in their sensitivity to high environmental ammonia (HEA). The highly ammonia-sensitive salmonid Oncorhynchus mykiss (rainbow trout), the less ammonia-sensitive cyprinid Cyprinus carpio (common carp) and the highly ammonia-resistant cyprinid Carassius auratus (goldfish) were exposed chronically (12–168 h) to 1 mmol l−1 ammonia (as NH4HCO3; pH 7.9). During HEA exposure, carp and goldfish elevated ammonia excretion (JAmm) and Na+ influx rates () while trout experienced higher plasma ammonia (TAmm) and were only able to restore control rates of JAmm and . All three species exhibited increases in Na+ efflux rate (). At the molecular level, there was evidence for activation of a ‘Na+/NH4+ exchange metabolon’ probably in response to elevated plasma cortisol and TAmm, though surprisingly, some compensatory responses preceded molecular responses in all three species. Expression of Rhbg, Rhcg (Rhcg-a and Rhcg-b), H+-ATPase (V-type, B-subunit) and Na+/K+-ATPase (NKA) mRNA was upregulated in goldfish, Rhcg-a and NKA in carp, and Rhcg2, NHE-2 (Na+/H+ exchanger) and H+-ATPase in trout. Branchial H+-ATPase activity was elevated in goldfish and trout, and NKA activity in goldfish and carp, but NKA did not appear to function preferentially as a Na+/NH4+-ATPase in any species. Goldfish alone increased urea excretion rate during HEA, in concert with elevated urea transporter mRNA expression in gills. Overall, goldfish showed more effective compensatory responses towards HEA than carp, while trout were least effective.
Impact of atmospheric convectively coupled equatorial Kelvin waves on upper ocean variability

Convectively coupled Kelvin waves (CCKWs) are atmospheric weather systems that propagate eastward along the equatorial wave guide with phase speeds between 11 and 14 m s−1. They are an important constituent of the convective envelope of the Madden‐Julian oscillation (MJO), for which ocean‐atmosphere interactions play a vital role. Hence, ocean‐atmosphere interactions within CCKWs may be important for MJO development and prediction and for tropical climate, in general. Although the atmospheric structure of CCKWs has been well studied, their impact on the underlying ocean is unknown. In this paper, the ocean‐atmosphere interactions in CCKWs are investigated by a case study from November 2011 during the CINDY/DYNAMO field experiment, using in situ oceanographic measurements from an ocean glider. The analysis is then extended to a 15 year period using precipitation data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission and surface fluxes from the TropFlux analysis. A methodology is developed to calculate trajectories of CCKWs. CCKW events are strongly controlled by the MJO, with twice as many CCKWs observed during the convectively active phase of the MJO compared to the suppressed phase. Coherent ocean‐atmosphere interaction is observed during the passage of a CCKW, which lasts approximately 4 days at any given longitude. Surface wind speed and latent heat flux are enhanced, leading to a transient suppression of the diurnal cycle of sea surface temperature (SST) and a sustained decrease in bulk SST of 0.1°C. Given that a typical composite mean MJO SST anomaly is of the order of 0.3°C, and more than one CCKW can occur during the active phase of a single MJO event, the oceanographic impact of CCKWs is of major importance to the MJO cycle.
A Review of Contemporary Assessment Tools for Use With Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Adults

There is increasing recognition of the need for culturally sensitive services for individuals who identify as transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC), and only recently have empirical studies appeared in the literature that inform best practices for TGNC people. Competent, culturally appropriate clinical services and research depend upon methodologically sound assessment of key constructs, but it is unclear whether appropriate self-report or clinician-rated assessment tools for adults exist. This article reviewed existing published measures to identify areas of strength as well as existing gaps in the available research. The search strategy for this systematic review identified any published article describing a self-report or clinician-rated scale for assessing transgender-related concerns. Each measure was reviewed for information on its scope, reliability, validity, strengths, limitations, and source. The majority of these questionnaires was developed with the TGNC communities and targeted important factors that affect quality of life for TGNC people. Limitations included limited evidence for validity, reliability, and sensitivity to change. Overall, the field is moving in the direction of TGNC-affirming assessment, and promising measures have been created to monitor important aspects of quality of life for TGNC people. Future research should continue to validate these measures for use in assessing clinical outcomes and the monitoring of treatment progress.
Reevaluating the Identity Status Paradigm: Still Useful after 35 Years☆

Abstract In this article we respond to van Hoof's (1999) critique of the identity status paradigm. Our review and evaluation of the existing data on identity statuses lead us to be more optimistic than van Hoof about the convergent and discriminant validity of identity status measures, especially objective measures that provide continuous status scores as well as nominal status classifications. Our review of longitudinal studies revealed that among university students tested annually 3 or more times, change in status classifications is significantly more likely to be observed than stability. Moreover, virtually all longitudinal studies with university students indicate that status changes are more likely to be progressive rather than regressive in terms of the hypothesized identity status developmental sequence. However, considerable status regression and fluctuation is observed and we agree with van Hoof that it may no longer be useful to postulate an invariant sequence of identity status stages. Nonetheless, the data do indicate reliable status differences in self-regulatory control processes including ego development, social-cognitive processing orientations, cognitive complexity, self-integration, moral development, and so on. Consequently, we conclude that a useful strategy, at least with university students, may be to focus on the social-cognitive processes that underpin identity statuses and to conceptualize these identity orientations as different styles of dealing with the demands, challenges, and opportunities afforded by institutionalized moratoria, such as a university context. Two lines of recent research inspired by this conceptualization are discussed.
Risk Factors for a Low Linezolid Trough Plasma Concentration in Acute Infections

ABSTRACT Linezolid is an antibiotic with time-dependent activity, and both the percentage of time that plasma concentrations exceed the MIC and the area under the concentration-time curve over 24 h in the steady state divided by the MIC (AUC24/MIC ratio) are associated with clinical response. The aim of this study was to analyze the linezolid trough plasma concentration (Cmin) and to determine factors associated with a Cmin < 2 mg/liter and other clinically relevant thresholds. Characteristics of 78 patients receiving 600 mg/12 h of linezolid with a Cmin determination at the steady state and within the first 10 days of treatment were retrospectively reviewed. Concentrations were measured using high-pressure liquid chromatography. Univariate and multivariate analysis were performed to identify risk factors of low Cmin. A total of 29.5% of patients had a Cmin < 2 mg/liter. The percentage was significantly higher in patients with an estimated glomerular filtration (eGF) > 80 ml/min, in intensive care unit (ICU) patients, and in patients with an infection due to Staphylococcus aureus. The independent predictors of Cmin < 2 mg/liter were an eGF > 80 ml/min (odds ratio [OR], 10; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.732 to 37.037; P = 0.001) and infection due to S. aureus (OR, 5.906; 95% CI, 1.651 to 21.126; P = 0.006). A linezolid Cmin of <2 mg/liter was found in 29.5% of cases, and the risk was significantly higher among those with an eGF > 80 ml/min and in infections due to S. aureus. In patients with severe sepsis, a loading dose or continuous infusion and drug monitoring could improve the pharmacodynamic parameters associated with linezolid efficacy.
Chronic diseases in elderly men: underreporting and underdiagnosis.

OBJECTIVE prevalence estimates for chronic diseases and associated risk factors are needed for priority setting and disease prevention strategies. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to estimate the self-reported and clinical prevalence of common chronic disorders in elderly men. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING a questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 4,975 men aged 60-74 years. An age-stratified randomised sample (n = 1,845) of those with complete questionnaires was invited to participate in a telephone interview (n = 864), followed by physical examination (n = 600). Self-reported data on risk factors and disease prevalence were compared with data from hospital medical records. RESULTS physical inactivity, smoking and excessive alcohol intake were reported by 27, 22 and 17% of the study population, respectively. Except for diabetes, all the chronic diseases investigated, including hypertension, musculoskeletal and respiratory diseases were underreported by study participants. Erectile dysfunction and hypogonadism were substantially underreported in the study population even though these diseases were found to affect 48 and 21% of the participants, respectively. CONCLUSIONS the study showed a high prevalence of detrimental life style factors including smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and physical inactivity in elderly Danish men. Except for diabetes and respiratory disease, chronic diseases were underreported and in particular erectile dysfunction and osteoporosis were underdiagnosed in the study population, underlining the importance of awareness of chronic diseases among both the general population and physicians.
Association of the MicroRNA-146a SNP rs2910164 with Ischemic Stroke Incidence and Prognosis in a Chinese Population

We conducted a case-control study investigating the association between the single-nucleotide polymorphism rs2910164 in microRNA (miR)-146a and the risk and prognosis of stroke. We recruited a total of 1139 ischemic stroke patients and 1585 sex- and age-matched control subjects. After a median follow-up period of 4.5 years, 1071 of these ischemic stroke patients were then recruited for a prospective study. Our study revealed that rs2910164 was not associated with ischemic stroke incidence (odds ratio = 1.00; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.80–1.24; p = 0.985) by multivariate logistic regression. Meta-analysis of our case-control study and three others on Asian populations also suggested that there was no relationship between rs2910164 and ischemic stroke incidence. The significance of differences in long-term outcomes was examined by the log-rank test of the respective comparison groups. The prospective study showed that rs2910164 led to a 1.56-fold increased risk of stroke recurrence (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.56; 95% CI = 1.10–2.20; p = 0.013) and a 2.13-fold increased risk of death caused by cardiovascular disease or stroke (Csdeath) (HR = 2.13; 95% CI = 1.31–3.46; p = 0.002). The independent association of rs2910164 with stroke prognosis was evaluated using Cox regression models. Therefore, rs2910164 appears to be a strong predictor of stroke prognosis but not of stroke incidence in Asian populations.
Profile and follow-up of patients with tuberculosis in a priority city in Brazil

OBJECTIVE To analyze the cases of tuberculosis and the impact of direct follow-up on the assessment of treatment outcomes. METHODS This open prospective cohort study evaluated 504 cases of tuberculosis reported in the Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação (SINAN – Notifiable Diseases Information System) in Juiz de Fora, MG, Southeastern Brazil, between 2008 and 2009. The incidence of treatment outcomes was compared between a group of patients diagnosed with tuberculosis and directly followed up by monthly consultations during return visits (287) and a patient group for which the information was indirectly collected (217) through the city’s surveillance system. The Chi-square test was used to compare the percentages, with a significance level of 0.05. The relative risk (RR) was used to evaluate the differences in the incidence rate of each type of treatment outcome between the two groups. RESULTS Of the outcomes directly and indirectly evaluated, 18.5% and 3.2% corresponded to treatment default and 3.8% and 0.5% corresponded to treatment failure, respectively. The incidence of treatment default and failure was higher in the group with direct follow-up (p < 0.05) (RR = 5.72, 95%CI 2.65;12.34, and RR = 8.31, 95%CI 1.08;63.92, respectively). CONCLUSIONS A higher incidence of treatment default and failure was observed in the directly followed up group, and most of these cases were neglected by the disease reporting system. Therefore, effective measures are needed to improve the control of tuberculosis and data quality.
Minoxidil: Right Atrial Cardiac Pathology in Animals and in Man

Minoxidil is a clinically effective vasodilator with a low order of toxicity, except for a caninespecific lesion of the right atrium of the heart of dogs after they are given daily doses of 1 mg/kg or greater for 30 days. In these experiments the canine right atrial lesion was generally located adjacent to the second of the three atrial branches of the right coronary artery and had grossly red or yellowish thickening of the atrial wall. Microscopically there was extravasation of a few intact red cells, atrophy of myocardial cells adjacent to the subepicardium, the presence of mast cells and macrophages containing hemosiderin with subsequent proliferation of angioblasts and connective tissue cells. Cytoplasmic loss in myocardial cells of the left ventricular papillary muscle identical in all respects to that seen after other hypotensive agents and fi-adrenoceptor agonists was also observed in minoxidil-treated rodents and dogs. Seventy-nine of 158 patients who died secondary to severe hypertension but who received minoxidil were autopsied. Six cases had significant right atrial pathology not related to gross and histologic changes found in the right atrial lesions of dogs. A prospective study of the right atrium of normotensive and hypertensive patients not treated with minoxidil shows an increasing frequency of histologic changes, such as myocardial fibrosis and hydropic vacuolization that are related to age and the presence of hypertension.
Right Inferior Frontal Gyrus Activation Is Associated with Memory Improvement in Patients with Left Frontal Low-Grade Glioma Resection

Patients with low-grade glioma (LGG) have been studied as a model of functional brain reorganization due to their slow-growing nature. However, there is no information regarding which brain areas are involved during verbal memory encoding after extensive left frontal LGG resection. In addition, it remains unknown whether these patients can improve their memory performance after instructions to apply efficient strategies. The neural correlates of verbal memory encoding were investigated in patients who had undergone extensive left frontal lobe (LFL) LGG resections and healthy controls using fMRI both before and after directed instructions were given for semantic organizational strategies. Participants were scanned during the encoding of word lists under three different conditions before and after a brief period of practice. The conditions included semantically unrelated (UR), related-non-structured (RNS), and related-structured words (RS), allowing for different levels of semantic organization. All participants improved on memory recall and semantic strategy application after the instructions for the RNS condition. Healthy subjects showed increased activation in the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and middle frontal gyrus (MFG) during encoding for the RNS condition after the instructions. Patients with LFL excisions demonstrated increased activation in the right IFG for the RNS condition after instructions were given for the semantic strategies. Despite extensive damage in relevant areas that support verbal memory encoding and semantic strategy applications, patients that had undergone resections for LFL tumor could recruit the right-sided contralateral homologous areas after instructions were given and semantic strategies were practiced. These results provide insights into changes in brain activation areas typically implicated in verbal memory encoding and semantic processing.
A Differential Equation for Modeling Nesterov's Accelerated Gradient Method: Theory and Insights

We derive a second-order ordinary differential equation (ODE), which is the limit of Nesterov's accelerated gradient method. This ODE exhibits approximate equivalence to Nesterov's scheme and thus can serve as a tool for analysis. We show that the continuous time ODE allows for a better understanding of Nesterov's scheme. As a byproduct, we obtain a family of schemes with similar convergence rates. The ODE interpretation also suggests restarting Nesterov's scheme leading to an algorithm, which can be rigorously proven to converge at a linear rate whenever the objective is strongly convex.