Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Large Scale, Large Margin Classification using Indefinite Similarity Measures

This thesis is mostly about supervised visual recognition problems. Based on a general definition of categories, the contents are divided into two parts: one which models categories and one which is not category based. We are interested in data driven solutions for both kinds of problems.In the category-free part, we study novelty detection in temporal and spatial domains as a category-free recognition problem. Using data driven models, we demonstrate that based on a few reference exemplars, our methods are able to detect novelties in ego-motions of people, and changes in the static environments surrounding them.In the category level part, we study object recognition. We consider both object category classification and localization, and propose scalable data driven approaches for both problems. A mixture of parametric classifiers, initialized with a sophisticated clustering of the training data, is demonstrated to adapt to the data better than various baselines such as the same model initialized with less subtly designed procedures. A nonparametric large margin classifier is introduced and demonstrated to have a multitude of advantages in comparison to its competitors: better training and testing time costs, the ability to make use of indefinite/invariant and deformable similarity measures, and adaptive complexity are the main features of the proposed model.We also propose a rather realistic model of recognition problems, which quantifies the interplay between representations, classifiers, and recognition performances. Based on data-describing measures which are aggregates of pairwise similarities of the training data, our model characterizes and describes the distributions of training exemplars. The measures are shown to capture many aspects of the difficulty of categorization problems and correlate significantly to the observed recognition performances. Utilizing these measures, the model predicts the performance of particular classifiers on distributions similar to the training data. These predictions, when compared to the test performance of the classifiers on the test sets, are reasonably accurate.We discuss various aspects of visual recognition problems: what is the interplay between representations and classification tasks, how can different models better adapt to the training data, etc. We describe and analyze the aforementioned methods that are designed to tackle different visual recognition problems, but share one common characteristic: being data driven.
A graph theoretic technique to speed up floorplan area optimization

The authors present two algorithms to optimally select implementations for rectangular and L-shaped subfloorplans. The algorithms are designed specifically for the floorplan optimization algorithm given by T. -C. Wang and D.F. Wong (see Proc. 27th ACM/IEEE Des. Autom. Conf., p.180-6 (1990)), but they can also be applied to other algorithms as well. The experimental results, based on incorporating the two algorithms into Wang's algorithm, whose performance was considerably improved were very encouraging. For the test runs where Wang's algorithm failed to run, the algorithms helped to produce satisfactory solutions. <<ETX>>
Inhibitory Effect of Baicalin and Baicalein on Ovarian Cancer Cells

Ovarian cancer is one of the primary causes of death for women all through the Western world. Baicalin and baicalein are naturally occurring flavonoids that are found in the roots and leaves of some Chinese medicinal plants and are thought to have antioxidant activity and possible anti-angiogenic, anti-cancer, anxiolytic, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective activities. Two kinds of ovarian cancer (OVCAR-3 and CP-70) cell lines and a normal ovarian cell line (IOSE-364) were selected to be investigated in the inhibitory effect of baicalin and baicalein on cancer cells. Largely, baicalin and baicalein inhibited ovarian cancer cell viability in both ovarian cancer cell lines with LD50 values in the range of 45–55 μM for baicalin and 25–40 μM for baicalein. On the other hand, both compounds had fewer inhibitory effects on normal ovarian cells viability with LD50 values of 177 μM for baicalin and 68 μM for baicalein. Baicalin decreased expression of VEGF (20 μM), cMyc (80 μM), and NFkB (20 μM); baicalein decreased expression of VEGF (10 μM), HIF-1α (20 μM), cMyc (20 μM), and NFkB (40 μM). Therefore baicalein is more effective in inhibiting cancer cell viability and expression of VEGF, HIF-1α, cMyc, and NFκB in both ovarian cancer cell lines. It seems that baicalein inhibited cancer cell viability through the inhibition of cancer promoting genes expression including VEGF, HIF-1α, cMyc, and NFκB. Overall, this study showed that baicalein and baicalin significantly inhibited the viability of ovarian cancer cells, while generally exerting less of an effect on normal cells. They have potential for chemoprevention and treatment of ovarian cancers.
On the number of support points of maximin and Bayesian D-optimal designs in nonlinear regression models

We consider maximin and Bayesian D-optimal designs for nonlinear regression models. The maximin criterion requires the specification of a region for the nonlinear parameters in the model, while the Bayesian optimality criterion assumes that a prior distribution for these parameters is available. It was observed empirically by many authors that an increase of uncertainty in the prior information (i.e. a larger range for the parameter space in the maximin criterion or a larger variance of the prior distribution in the Bayesian criterion) yields a larger number of support points of the corresponding optimal designs. In this paper we present a rigorous proof of this phenomenon and show that in many nonlinear regression models the number of support points of Bayesian- and maximin D-optimal designs can become arbitrarily large if less prior information is available. Our results also explain why maximin D-optimal designs are usually supported at more different points than Bayesian D-optimal designs.
Increased hurricane frequency near Florida during Younger Dryas Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation slowdown

The risk posed by intensification of North Atlantic hurricane activity remains controversial, in part due to a lack of available storm proxy records that extend beyond the relatively stable climates of the late Holocene. Here we present a record of storm-triggered turbidite deposition offshore the Dry Tortugas, south Florida, USA, that spans abrupt transitions in North Atlantic sea-surface temperature and Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) during the Younger Dryas (12.9–11.7 ka). Despite potentially hostile conditions for cyclogenesis in the tropical North Atlantic at that time, our record and numerical experiments suggest that strong hurricanes may have regularly affected Florida. Less severe surface cooling at midlatitudes (~20°–40°N) than across much of the tropical North Atlantic (~10°–20°N) in response to AMOC reduction may best explain strong hurricane activity during the Younger Dryas near the Dry Tortugas and possibly along the entire southeastern coast of the United States.
Studies in carcinogenesis with azo compounds; the action of four azo dyes in mixed and pure strain mice.

It has been known since 1932 (23) that 4'-amino2,3'-azotoluene will induce liver tumors in rats receiving the dye orally. Later, Kinosita (10) demonstrated the superior carcinogenic activity of an isomeric azo dye, N,N-dimethyl-p-arninoazobenzene, toward the rat liver; this superiority was revealed both in the shorter minimal feeding period and in the shorter latent period. Both these azo dyes are methyl derivatives of the base, p-aminoazobenzene, which was long regarded as noncarcinogenic (8, 10, 14, 21, 23, 25). Consideration of the fact that 4'-amino-2,Y-azotoluene was carcinogenic although the amino group was not substituted, and also of the inhibitory action of pphenylenediamine, one of the products of reductive fission of p-aminoazobenzene, upon certain enzyme systems (8, 9, 20) led the present author to feed p-aminoazobenzene in a modified diet to rats for a long period. Unequivocal liver-cell carcinomas were found after 17 months' feeding, with metastases in one animal (11). Thus it appears that p-aminoazobenzene, as well as its 2,Y-dimethyl and N,N-dimethyl derivatives, is carcinogenic for the "liver of rats; methylation does not confer, but does greatly enhance, carcinogenic power, provided the methyl groups enter certain positions. Yoshida (25), and Sasaki and Yoshida (21) report having fed 2'-amino-4,5'-azotoluene for periods up to 476 days to rats without eliciting any liver tumors. Although Sasaki and Yoshida provide a structural formula for their compound that would show it to be 5'-amino-2,2'-azotoluene, and Cook and Kennaway (5) depict it as 4'-amino-2,2'-azotoluene, Miura (16), summarizing the experiments of Sasaki and Yoshida,
Avaliação do endotélio corneano de equinos após exposição ao corante azul brilhante 0,05% - estudo in vitro

Vital dyes have been used in many areas of ophthalmology for improving visualization of different tissues. With the objective of evaluating the immediate effects of 0,05% brilliant blue on corneal endothelium of horses, 38 corneas of 19 horses, both male and female of different ages obtained from a licensed Brazilian commercial slaughterhouse were studied. Corneas were randomly divided into two groups. In group 1, corneal endothelium was perfused with BSS for 60 seconds. In group 2, corneal endothelium was perfused with 0.3 mL of brilliant blue 0.05% (Opht-Blue, Ophthalmos, São Paulo, Brazil) for 60 seconds followed by rinsing with a balanced salt solution (BSS, Ophthalmos, São Paulo, Brazil). The corneas were, subsequently, excised with an 8mm trephine and prepared to analyze posterior endothelial surface using a light microscope (24 corneas) and a scanning electron microscope (14 corneas). Due to non-normal residuals at ANOVA mean comparison, a generalized linear model was utilized at 5% level of significance. Qui-square test stated that treatment and control group were not different statistically. The 0.05 % brilliant blue did not damage equine corneal endothelium.
Reduced expression of Th1-associated chemokine receptors on peripheral blood lymphocytes at diagnosis of type 1 diabetes.

We investigated the expression of Th1- and Th2-associated chemokine receptors on peripheral blood lymphocytes at diagnosis and in the first phase of type 1 diabetes. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of 25 patients with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes, 10 patients with longstanding type 1 diabetes, and 35 healthy control subjects were examined for expression of the chemokine receptors CXCR4 (naive T-cells), CCR5 and CXCR3 (Th1 associated), and CCR3 and CCR4 (Th2 associated) on CD3+ lymphocytes. Furthermore, we analyzed chemokine serum levels (monocyte chemoattractant protein [MCP]-1, macrophage inflammatory protein [MIP]-1alpha, MIP-1beta, and RANTES [regulated on activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted]) and phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated cytokine secretion of Th1- (gamma-interferon [IFN-gamma] and tumor necrosis factor-alpha [TNF-alpha]) and Th2 (interleukin [IL]-4 and -10)-associated cytokines by PBMC. The patients with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes were followed for these parameters at 6-12 months after diagnosis. The PBMCs of patients with newly diagnosed but not with longstanding type 1 diabetes showed reduced expression of the Th1-associated chemokine receptors CCR5 (P < 0.001 vs. control subjects) and CXCR3 (P < 0.002 vs. control subjects). This reduction correlated with reduced IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha production of PBMCs after PHA stimulation and reversed 6-12 months after diagnosis to normal levels. CCR4 cells were reduced in both newly diagnosed and longstanding type 1 diabetic patients, which correlated to reduced PHA-stimulated IL-4 production. MIP-1alpha and MIP-1beta levels were considerably elevated in a subgroup of patients with newly diagnosed diabetes. We assume that Th1-associated peripheral T-cells are reduced in a narrow time window at the time of diagnosis of diabetes, possibly due to extravasation in the inflamed pancreas. Thus, chemokine receptor expression of peripheral blood lymphocytes may be a useful surrogate marker for the immune activity of type 1 diabetes (e.g., in intervention trials).
A comparison of observed and thermodynamically predicted phase equilibria and mineral compositions in mafic granulites

Recently published activity–composition (a–x) relations for minerals in upper amphibolite‐ and granulite facies intermediate and basic rocks have expanded our ability to interpret the petrological evolution of these important components of the lower continental crust. If such petrological modelling is to be reliable, the abundances and compositions of phases calculated at the interpreted conditions of metamorphic equilibration should resemble those in the sample under study. Here, petrological modelling was applied to six granulite facies rocks that formed in different tectonic environments and reached different peak metamorphic pressure–temperature (P–T) conditions. While phase assemblages matching those observed in each sample can generally be calculated at P–T conditions that approximate those of peak metamorphism, a consistent discrepancy was found between the calculated and observed compositions of amphibole and clinopyroxene. In amphibole, Si, Ca and A‐site K are underestimated by the model, while Al and A‐site Na are overestimated; comparatively, in clinopyroxene, Mg and Si are generally underestimated, while Fe2+ and Al are typically overestimated, compared to observed values. One consequence is a reversal in the Fe–Mg distribution coefficient (KD) between amphibole and clinopyroxene compared to observations. Some of these mismatches are attributed to the incorrect partitioning of elements between the predicted amphibole and clinopyroxene compositions; however, other discrepancies are the result of the incorrect prediction of major substitution vectors in amphibole and clinopyroxene. These compositional irregularities affect mineral modal abundance estimates and in turn the position and size (in P–T space) of mineral assemblage fields, the effect becoming progressively more marked as the modal abundance of hornblende increases; hence, this study carries implications for estimating P–T conditions of high‐temperature metabasites using these new a–x relations.
Simple and Efficient Model Filtering in Statistical Machine Translation

Simple and Efficient Model Filtering in Statistical Machine Translation Data availability and distributed computing techniques have allowed statistical machine translation (SMT) researchers to build larger models. However, decoders need to be able to retrieve information efficiently from these models to be able to translate an input sentence or a set of input sentences. We introduce an easy to implement and general purpose solution to tackle this problem: we store SMT models as a set of key-value pairs in an HFile. We apply this strategy to two specific tasks: test set hierarchical phrase-based rule filtering and n-gram count filtering for language model lattice rescoring. We compare our approach to alternative strategies and show that its trade offs in terms of speed, memory and simplicity are competitive.
ConXsense: automated context classification for context-aware access control

We present ConXsense, the first framework for context-aware access control on mobile devices based on context classification. Previous context-aware access control systems often require users to laboriously specify detailed policies or they rely on pre-defined policies not adequately reflecting the true preferences of users. We present the design and implementation of a context-aware framework that uses a probabilistic approach to overcome these deficiencies. The framework utilizes context sensing and machine learning to automatically classify contexts according to their security and privacy-related properties. We apply the framework to two important smartphone-related use cases: protection against device misuse using a dynamic device lock and protection against sensory malware. We ground our analysis on a sociological survey examining the perceptions and concerns of users related to contextual smartphone security and analyze the effectiveness of our approach with real-world context data. We also demonstrate the integration of our framework with the FlaskDroid architecture for fine-grained access control enforcement on the Android platform.
Influence of Normal and Shear Stress on the Hydraulic Transmissivity of Thin Cracks in a Tight Quartz Sandstone, a Granite, and a Shale

Transmissivity of fluids along fractures in rocks is reduced by increasing normal stress acting across them, demonstrated here through gas flow experiments on Bowland shale, and oil flow experiments on Pennant sandstone and Westerly granite. Additionally, the effect of imposing shear stress at constant normal stress was determined, until frictional sliding started. In all cases, increasing shear stress causes an accelerating reduction of transmissivity by 1 to 3 orders of magnitude as slip initiated, as a result of the formation of wear products that block fluid pathways. Only in the case of granite, and to a lesser extent in the sandstone, was there a minor amount of initial increase of transmissivity prior to the onset of slip. These results cast into doubt the commonly applied presumption that cracks with high resolved shear stresses are the most conductive. In the shale, crack transmissivity is commensurate with matrix permeability, such that shales are expected always to be good seals. For the sandstone and granite, unsheared crack transmissivity was respectively 2 and 2.5 orders of magnitude greater than matrix permeability. For these rocks crack transmissivity can dominate fluid flow in the upper crust, potentially enough to permit maintenance of a hydrostatic fluid pressure gradient in a normal (extensional) faulting regime.
Checking Class Schema Usefulness

In this paper we introduce a structural and object-oriented model. We present applications of this model to the checking of some ill-formed classes. We focus on static class diagrams mixing inheritance and composition relations. We consider an approach based on the notion of class usefulness, i.e. finitely generated and with at least one defined value. We show that this allows us to eliminate some wrong class designs or wrong schema designs. We present a general process to check this and a static algorithm which applies to the UML language.
Association of CRHR1 and CRHR2 with major depressive disorder and panic disorder in a Japanese population

Major depressive disorder (MDD) and panic disorder (PD) are common and disabling medical disorders with stress and genetic components. Dysregulation of the stress response of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, including the corticotrophin‐releasing hormone (CRH) signaling via primary receptors (CRHR1 and CRHR2), is considered to play a major role for onset and recurrence in MDD and PD. To confirm the association of CRHR1 and CRHR2 with MDD and PD, we investigated 12 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs4076452, rs7209436, rs110402, rs242924, rs242940, and rs173365 for CRHR1 and rs4722999, rs3779250, rs2267710, rs1076292, rs2284217, and rs226771 for CRHR2) in MDD patients (n = 173), PD patients (n = 180), and healthy controls (n = 285). The SNP rs110402 and rs242924 in the CRHR1 gene and the rs3779250 in the CRHR2 gene were associated with MDD. The SNP rs242924 in the CRHR1 gene was also associated with PD. The T‐A‐T‐G‐G haplotype consisting of rs7209436 and rs173365 in CRHR1 was positively associated with MDD. The T‐A haplotype consisting of rs7209436 and rs110402 in CRHR1 was positively associated with MDD. The C‐C haplotype consisting of rs4722999 and rs37790 in CRHR1 was associated with PD. These results provide support for an association of CRHR1 and CRHR2 with MDD and PD. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Dissecting the Influence of Two Structural Substituents on the Differential Neurotoxic Effects of Acute Methamphetamine and Mephedrone Treatment on Dopamine Nerve Endings with the Use of 4-Methylmethamphetamine and Methcathinone

Mephedrone (MEPH) is a β-ketoamphetamine stimulant drug of abuse that is often a constituent of illicit bath salts formulations. Although MEPH bears remarkable similarities to methamphetamine (METH) in terms of chemical structure, as well as its neurochemical and behavioral effects, it has been shown to have a reduced neurotoxic profile compared with METH. The addition of a β-keto moiety and a 4-methyl ring substituent to METH yields MEPH, and a loss of direct neurotoxic potential. In the present study, two analogs of METH, methcathinone (MeCa) and 4-methylmethamphetamine (4MM), were assessed for their effects on mouse dopamine (DA) nerve endings to determine the relative contribution of each individual moiety to the loss of direct neurotoxicity in MEPH. Both MeCa and 4MM caused significant alterations in core body temperature as well as locomotor activity and stereotypy, but 4MM was found to elicit minimal dopaminergic toxicity only at the highest dose. By contrast, MeCa caused significant reductions in all markers of DA nerve-ending damage over a range of doses. These results lead to the conclusion that ring substitution at the 4-position profoundly reduces the neurotoxicity of METH, whereas the β-keto group has much less influence on this property. Although the mechanism(s) by which the 4-methyl substituent reduces METH-induced neurotoxicity remains unclear, it is speculated that this effect is mediated by a loss of DA-releasing action in MEPH and 4MM at the synaptic vesicle monoamine transporter, an effect that is thought to be critical for METH-induced neurotoxicity.
NBER WORKING PAPER SERIES LIQUIDITY RISK AND THE DYNAMICS OF ARBITRAGE CAPITAL

We thank Edina Berlinger, Nicolae Garleanu, Stavros Panageas, Anna Pavlova, Jean-Charles Rochet, Hongjun Yan, as well as seminar participants at Copenhagen, LBS, LSE, Zurich, and participants at the AEA, Arne Ryde, ESEM, ESSFM Gerzensee, and EWFC conferences, for helpful comments. Financial support from the Paul Woolley Centre at the LSE is gratefully acknowledged. Kondor thanks the European Research Council (Starting Grant \#336585) for financial support. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Bureau of Economic Research.
Constructing the Visual Online Political Self: An Analysis of Instagram Use by the Scottish Electorate

This paper presents an investigation of how the Scottish electorate utilised photo-sharing on social media as a means of participation in the democratic process and for political self-expression in the periods immediately prior to two recent major democratic votes: the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, and the 2015 UK general election. We extend previous HCI literature on the growing use of social media in a political context and contribute specifically on understanding the emergent use of visual media by citizens when engaging with political issues and democratic process. Through a qualitative analysis of images shared on the platform Instagram, we demonstrate that the Scottish electorate did indeed used image-sharing for political self-expression -- posting a variety of visual content, representative of a diversity of political opinion. We conclude that users utilised Instagram as a platform to craft and present their "political selves". We raise questions for future research around power and inequality on such platforms as well as their capability of providing a persistent forum for debate.