Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Incremental Training of a Detector Using Online Sparse Eigendecomposition

The ability to efficiently and accurately detect objects plays a very crucial role for many computer vision tasks. Recently, offline object detectors have shown a tremendous success. However, one major drawback of offline techniques is that a complete set of training data has to be collected beforehand. In addition, once learned, an offline detector cannot make use of newly arriving data. To alleviate these drawbacks, online learning has been adopted with the following objectives: 1) the technique should be computationally and storage efficient; 2) the updated classifier must maintain its high classification accuracy. In this paper, we propose an effective and efficient framework for learning an adaptive online greedy sparse linear discriminant analysis model. Unlike many existing online boosting detectors, which usually apply exponential or logistic loss, our online algorithm makes use of linear discriminant analysis' learning criterion that not only aims to maximize the class-separation criterion but also incorporates the asymmetrical property of training data distributions. We provide a better alternative for online boosting algorithms in the context of training a visual object detector. We demonstrate the robustness and efficiency of our methods on handwritten digit and face data sets. Our results confirm that object detection tasks benefit significantly when trained in an online manner.
Agricultural land-use change in a Mexican oligotrophic desert depletes ecosystem stability

Background Global demand for food has led to increased land-use change, particularly in dry land ecosystems, which has caused several environmental problems due to the soil degradation. In the Cuatro Cienegas Basin (CCB), alfalfa production irrigated by flooding impacts strongly on the soil. Methods In order to analyze the effect of such agricultural land-use change on soil nutrient dynamics and soil bacterial community composition, this work examined an agricultural gradient within the CCB which was comprised of a native desert grassland, a plot currently cultivated with alfalfa and a former agricultural field that had been abandoned for over 30 years. For each site, we analyzed C, N and P dynamic fractions, the activity of the enzyme phosphatase and the bacterial composition obtained using 16S rRNA clone libraries. Results The results showed that the cultivated site presented a greater availability of water and dissolved organic carbon, these conditions promoted mineralization processes mediated by heterotrophic microorganisms, while the abandoned land was limited by water and dissolved organic nitrogen. The low amount of dissolved organic matter promoted nitrification, which is mediated by autotrophic microorganisms. The microbial N immobilization process and specific phosphatase activity were both favored in the native grassland. As expected, differences in bacterial taxonomical composition were observed among sites. The abandoned site exhibited similar compositions than native grassland, while the cultivated site differed. Discussion The results suggest that the transformation of native grassland into agricultural land induces drastic changes in soil nutrient dynamics as well as in the bacterial community. However, with the absence of agricultural practices, some of the soil characteristics analyzed slowly recovers their natural state.
Improved Performance of Bottom-Contact Organic Thin-Film Transistor Using Al Doped HfO2 Gate Dielectric

Aluminum doped HfO<sub>2</sub> (HfAlO) prepared by atomic layer deposition is investigated as gate dielectric for low-voltage organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs). The HfAlO film exhibits a low leakage current density of 4.92 × 10<sup>-8</sup> A/cm<sup>2</sup> at -3 MV/cm, which is ~70% smaller than its HfO<sub>2</sub> counterpart. In addition, copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) OTFT with HfAlO dielectric has an average mobility μ (2.58± 0.32 × 10<sup>-3</sup> cm<sup>2</sup>/Vs) increased by 58%, sub-threshold slope SS (0.9 ± 0.11 V/decade) decreased by 11%, and ON/OFF ratio I<sub>ON</sub>/I<sub>OFF</sub> (3.1 ± 1.3 × 10<sup>3</sup>) increased by 86% as compared with those with HfO<sub>2</sub> as gate dielectric (μ = 1.63 ± 0.27 × 10<sup>-3</sup> cm<sup>2</sup>/Vs; SS = 1.01 ± 0.1 V/decade; ION/IOFF = 1.7 ± 0.77 × 10<sup>3</sup>). All these could be ascribed to the inclusion of Al in the HfO<sub>2</sub> film, which increases the conduction band offset and the bandgap and improves the dielectric and interface quality. The temperature effect on the performance of OTFTs is also investigated.
Regulation of Epithelial Na+ Transport by Soluble Adenylyl Cyclase in Kidney Collecting Duct Cells*

Alkalosis impairs the natriuretic response to diuretics, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. The soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC) is a chemosensor that mediates bicarbonate-dependent elevation of cAMP in intracellular microdomains. We hypothesized that sAC may be an important regulator of Na+ transport in the kidney. Confocal images of rat kidney revealed specific immunolocalization of sAC in collecting duct cells, and immunoblots confirmed sAC expression in mouse cortical collecting duct (mpkCCDc14) cells. These cells exhibit aldosterone-stimulated transepithelial Na+ currents that depend on both the apical epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC) and basolateral Na+,K+-ATPase. RNA interference-mediated 60-70% knockdown of sAC expression comparably inhibited basal transepithelial short circuit currents (Isc) in mpkCCDc14 cells. Moreover, the sAC inhibitors KH7 and 2-hydroxyestradiol reduced Isc in these cells by 50-60% within 30 min. 8-Bromoadenosine-3′,5′-cyclic-monophosphate substantially rescued the KH7 inhibition of transepithelial Na+ current. Aldosterone doubled ENaC-dependent Isc over 4 h, an effect that was abolished in the presence of KH7. The sAC contribution to Isc was unaffected with apical membrane nystatin-mediated permeabilization, whereas the sAC-dependent Na+ current was fully inhibited by basolateral ouabain treatment, suggesting that the Na+,K+-ATPase, rather than ENaC, is the relevant transporter target of sAC. Indeed, neither overexpression of sAC nor treatment with KH7 modulated ENaC currents in Xenopus oocytes. ATPase and biotinylation assays in mpkCCDc14 cells demonstrated that sAC inhibition decreases catalytic activity rather than surface expression of the Na+,K+-ATPase. In summary, these results suggest that sAC regulates both basal and agonist-stimulated Na+ reabsorption in the kidney collecting duct, acting to enhance Na+,K+-ATPase activity.
Art & social transformation : theories and practices in contemporary art for radical social change

Critical writing on public art in the late 20th century in the UK and USA either legitimized public art as an extension of studio art intended to widen its public, or implied a new relation to public space as demonstrated in texts by Cork (1995) and Phillips (1988) respectively. This suggests a polarization of art's aesthetic and social dimensions. A deeper understanding of the relation between these dimensions is found in the work of Marcuse, Bloch and Adorn°. Marcuse, in his early work, sees art as serving the needs of bourgeois society by displacing ideas of a better world to an independent aesthetic realm; Bloch sees art as giving form to hope, shaping a recurrent aspiration for a better world; Adorn° sees the tension between the aesthetic and social dimensions of art as unresolvable, and, like Marcuse in his later work, sees art's autonomy as a space of criticality. But, as Bloch argues, conditions for change are noncontemporaneous, fostering culture which is both progressive and regressive. In this respect, Gablik's appropriations of other cultures may be seen as regressive, whilst Lippard's concern for locality offers art a basis for progressive intervention. The introduction of the local, as a point of reference alongside the aesthetic and social, leads to consideration of three cases of art practice: Common Ground's Parish Maps (1986-96), the Visions of Utopia Festival coordinated by the Artists Agency (1996-8), and 90% Crude (1996--), a project by PLATFORM in London. The originality of the thesis is in its investigation of these cases; and equally in making connections between them and the elements of art criticism and critical theory noted above. Art & Social Transformation 2 ART & SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION: THEORIES AND PRACTICES IN CONTEMPORARY ART FOR RADICAL SOCIAL CHANGE c. 1967-99 GENERAL INTRODUCTION
Prenatal diagnosis in multiple gestation: 20 Years' experience with amniocentesis

Three hundred and thirty‐nine cases of multiple gestation underwent prenatal diagnosis by amniocentesis. The spontaneous abortion rate (to 28 weeks) in this group was 3.57 per cent compared with our singleton abortion rate of 0.60 per cent. The perinatal mortality rate (PMR) and prematurity rate were not different from the singletons, and compared favourably with the PMR reported in the literature for multiple gestations which did not undergo any intervention during pregnancy. This increased abortion rate following amniocentesis may only represent the increased natural loss rate in multiple gestations, and not indicate any increased risk added by the procedure.
A LOV Protein Modulates the Physiological Attributes of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri Relevant for Host Plant Colonization

Recent studies have demonstrated that an appropriate light environment is required for the establishment of efficient vegetal resistance responses in several plant-pathogen interactions. The photoreceptors implicated in such responses are mainly those belonging to the phytochrome family. Data obtained from bacterial genome sequences revealed the presence of photosensory proteins of the BLUF (Blue Light sensing Using FAD), LOV (Light, Oxygen, Voltage) and phytochrome families with no known functions. Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri is a Gram-negative bacterium responsible for citrus canker. The in silico analysis of the X. axonopodis pv. citri genome sequence revealed the presence of a gene encoding a putative LOV photoreceptor, in addition to two genes encoding BLUF proteins. This suggests that blue light sensing could play a role in X. axonopodis pv. citri physiology. We obtained the recombinant Xac-LOV protein by expression in Escherichia coli and performed a spectroscopic analysis of the purified protein, which demonstrated that it has a canonical LOV photochemistry. We also constructed a mutant strain of X. axonopodis pv. citri lacking the LOV protein and found that the loss of this protein altered bacterial motility, exopolysaccharide production and biofilm formation. Moreover, we observed that the adhesion of the mutant strain to abiotic and biotic surfaces was significantly diminished compared to the wild-type. Finally, inoculation of orange (Citrus sinensis) leaves with the mutant strain of X. axonopodis pv. citri resulted in marked differences in the development of symptoms in plant tissues relative to the wild-type, suggesting a role for the Xac-LOV protein in the pathogenic process. Altogether, these results suggest the novel involvement of a photosensory system in the regulation of physiological attributes of a phytopathogenic bacterium. A functional blue light receptor in Xanthomonas spp. has been described for the first time, showing an important role in virulence during citrus canker disease.
Maternal blood viscosity and uteroplacental blood flow velocity waveforms in normal and complicated pregnancies

Summary. According to the Poiseuille‐Hagen law, viscosity influences flow resistance. A possible effect of blood viscosity upon the resistance index of the uteroplacental circulation as measured by continuous wave Doppler ultrasound was investigated in 50 pregnant women. It was found that blood viscosity variables explained only about 10% of the variation in the resistance index in all patients, which was not statistically significant. It is suggested, therefore, that the vascular contribution to flow resistance may be more important.
Node-Based Rate Constraints for QoS Flows in Wireless Ad-Hoc Networks

This paper proposes a set of node-based rate constraints called NABE (node-based available bandwidth estimation) to model the interference relationship among nodes in a wireless ad hoc network and to provide rate constraints for its QoS flows. We evaluate the performance of NABE from three different perspectives: its capacity, its complexity to implement the MAC layer protocol and its efficiency. Our simulation results demonstrate that, NABE can always admit the feasible flows as well as make full use of the bandwidth resource when serving as an admission control scheme in the presence of both intra-flow and inter-flow interference.
Protective Effects of Astaxanthin on ConA-Induced Autoimmune Hepatitis by the JNK/p-JNK Pathway-Mediated Inhibition of Autophagy and Apoptosis

Objective Astaxanthin, a potent antioxidant, exhibits a wide range of biological activities, including antioxidant, atherosclerosis and antitumor activities. However, its effect on concanavalin A (ConA)-induced autoimmune hepatitis remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effects of astaxanthin on ConA-induced hepatitis in mice, and to elucidate the mechanisms of regulation. Materials and Methods Autoimmune hepatitis was induced in in Balb/C mice using ConA (25 mg/kg), and astaxanthin was orally administered daily at two doses (20 mg/kg and 40 mg/kg) for 14 days before ConA injection. Levels of serum liver enzymes and the histopathology of inflammatory cytokines and other maker proteins were determined at three time points (2, 8 and 24 h). Primary hepatocytes were pretreated with astaxanthin (80 μM) in vitro 24 h before stimulation with TNF-α (10 ng/ml). The apoptosis rate and related protein expression were determined 24 h after the administration of TNF-α. Results Astaxanthin attenuated serum liver enzymes and pathological damage by reducing the release of inflammatory factors. It performed anti-apoptotic effects via the descending phosphorylation of Bcl-2 through the down-regulation of the JNK/p-JNK pathway. Conclusion This research firstly expounded that astaxanthin reduced immune liver injury in ConA-induced autoimmune hepatitis. The mode of action appears to be downregulation of JNK/p-JNK-mediated apoptosis and autophagy.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Pig Farming

We conducted a study among a group of 26 regional pig farmers to determine the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus prevalence rate and found it was >760 times greater than the rate of patients admitted to Dutch hospitals. While spa-type t108 is apparently a more widespread clone among pig farmers and their environment, we did find other spa-types.
Curcumin alleviates lung injury in diabetic rats by inhibiting nuclear factor‐κB pathway

Curcumin is a polyphenolic compound that is extracted from Curcuma longa. It has broad anti‐inflammation and anti‐tumor activities. Curcumin was previously reported to exert beneficial effects on diabetes. However, the effect of curcumin on diabetes‐induced lung injury is not yet clear. In this study, the effects of curcumin on lung injury induced by diabetes was explored using quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunohistochemistry and electrophoretic mobility shift assay. The results of this study showed that curcumin reduced oxidative stress level, inhibited the synthesis of nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2, and reduced inflammatory responses in the lungs of diabetic rats, thereby alleviating diabetes‐induced lung injury. Further study of the mechanism revealed that curcumin inhibited the activation of nuclear factor (NF)‐κB which is a key player in inflammatory responses. In summary, our study demonstrated that curcumin inhibited the activation of NF‐κB in the lungs of diabetic rats, thus reducing pulmonary inflammatory responses and oxidative stress, and ultimately relieving diabetes‐induced lung injury. This study suggests that curcumin may be a promising agent to alleviate diabetic lung injury and also provides theoretical foundation for the development of diabetes therapy.
Recurrent Spatial Transformer Networks

We integrate the recently proposed spatial transformer network (SPN) [Jaderberg et. al 2015] into a recurrent neural network (RNN) to form an RNN-SPN model. We use the RNN-SPN to classify digits in cluttered MNIST sequences. The proposed model achieves a single digit error of 1.5% compared to 2.9% for a convolutional networks and 2.0% for convolutional networks with SPN layers. The SPN outputs a zoomed, rotated and skewed version of the input image. We investigate different down-sampling factors (ratio of pixel in input and output) for the SPN and show that the RNN-SPN model is able to down-sample the input images without deteriorating performance. The down-sampling in RNN-SPN can be thought of as adaptive down-sampling that minimizes the information loss in the regions of interest. We attribute the superior performance of the RNN-SPN to the fact that it can attend to a sequence of regions of interest.
Let Go of Your (Inflated) Ego: Caring more about Others Reduces Narcissistic Tendencies

Narcissists are known for having excessively positive self-views, but an equally defining characteristic of narcissism may be a disregard of other people. Could encouraging people to care more about others, or feel more connected to them, reduce narcissism? We describe a series of studies demonstrating that a more communal focus on others reduces narcissistic tendencies. In particular, repeating communal selfstatements (i.e., “I am a caring person”), recalling a time when one was caring, feeling empathy, focusing on monetary expenditures (which increases a sense of dependence on others), and interdependent selfconstrual all situationally reduce narcissism. These effects occur on a small scale but are significant because they establish that communal focus causes changes in narcissism. They also suggest that narcissism may have a state-like or context-dependent component, fluctuating across time and situations. Everyone may have the propensity to be narcissistic, but caring more about others may help to curb narcissism. Steve Jobs, co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple Inc., was a great innovator and widely influential. He was also likely narcissistic (Henriques, 2012; Nadler, 2012; Thompson, 2011). He was noted for being manipulative, arrogant, self-absorbed, and pre-occupied with his own sense of importance and brilliance. Professional golfer Tiger Woods might also be narcissistic (Cosico, 2010). He has similarly been described as self-absorbed, arrogant, and obsessed with admiration, power, and attention. In addition to such grandiosity and self-absorption, Jobs and Woods may be notable for their ill-treatment of others. Despite being one of the world’s wealthiest people, Jobs was criticized for his lack of charity. He insisted that he could do more good putting money into his own company, Apple Inc., than by donating to charitable organizations. He was also known for bullying employees and lacking compassion. Tiger Woods had multiple extra-marital affairs and described his sexual conquests as motivated by power and the excitement of using women as sex objects. As these examples illustrate, although narcissists are known for having excessively positive self-views, an equally defining characteristic of narcissism may be a disregard of other people. In this article, we explore this aspect of narcissism and the possibility that encouraging people to care more about others, or to feel more connected to them, can reduce narcissistic tendencies.
A preliminary assessment of the use of household budget survey data for the prediction of individual food consumption

Abstract Objective To compare individualised household budget survey (HBS) data with food consumption values derived from individual nutrition surveys (INSs). Setting Four European countries: Belgium, 1980–85 and 1987–88; Greece, 1993–94; Norway, 1992–94; and the United Kingdom, 1985–88. Design Household budget survey data were individualised with non-parametric models. Individual nutrition survey data were converted into ‘HBS-like’ estimates, with the application of recipe-based calculations and yield factors for weight changes during food preparation. To correct for over- and underreporting or recording in both surveys, quantities (in g day−1) of 14 principal food groups were expressed as fractions of total food quantity (in g day−1). For each food group, INS and HBS-derived mean values were calculated for 24 research units, jointly defined by country (four countries involved), gender (male, female) and age (younger, middle-aged and older). Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated and correlation diagrams were drawn. Conclusion The results of this preliminary analysis show that there is value in the nutritional information derived from HBSs. However, additional and more sophisticated work is required, in order to derive reliable point and interval estimates of individual food consumption based on HBS data.
Concordance of the tuberculin skin test and T-SPOT®.TB test results in kidney transplant candidates

Background: Detection of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in transplant candidates is very important. The tuberculin skin test (TST) and interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) are standard immunologic tools for LTBI detection. The aim of this study was to compare the TST results and T-SPOT®. TB test (a type of IGRAs) in kidney transplant candidates for the screening of LTBI and follow the patients with positive test for an activation of tuberculosis (TB) after transplantation and using anti-TB prophylaxis. Materials and Methods: This study was a prospective study and carried out in 44 renal transplant candidates from March 2010 to February 2011 in the teaching hospitals of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran. TST and T-SPOT®. TB test were performed and their results evaluated. Patients with a positive skin test and/or T-SPOT®. TB test were started on anti-TB prophylaxis and followed after transplantation for an activation of their LTBI for 1 year. Results: Overall, 8 (18.2%) patients were positive for TST and 6 (13.6%) patients for T-SPOT®. TB test. The agreement between TST and T-SPOT®. TB test was moderate (κ = 0.49, 95% confidence interval 0.145-0.839). The overall agreement between TST and T-SPOT®. TB test was 86%. No relation was found between the underlying diseases and TST or T-SPOT®. TB test positivity. Although isoniazid prophylaxis was used for patients with positive TST and/or T-SPOT®. TB test, one patient had reactivation of TB. Conclusion: In kidney transplant candidates both TST and T-SPOT®. TB test were comparable for the diagnosis of LTBI with reasonable agreement between the tests. However, further studies are needed to determine the ability of T-SPOT®. TB test to detect LTBI and to evaluate the need for prophylaxis in these patients.