Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Visual Features for Scene Recognition and Reorientation

In this thesis, I investigate how scenes are represented by the human visual system and how observers use visual information to reorient themselves within a space. Scenes, like objects, are three-dimensional spaces that are experienced through twodimensional views and must be recognized from many different angles. Just as people show a preference for canonical views of objects, which best show the object's surfaces and shape, people also show a preference for canonical views of scenes, which show as much of the surrounding scene layout as possible. Unlike objects, scenes are spaces which envelope the observer and thus a large portion of scene processing must take place in peripheral vision. People are able to perform many scene perception tasks, such as determining whether a scene contains an animal, quickly and easily in peripheral vision. This is somewhat surprising because many perceptual tasks with simpler stimuli, such as spotting a randomly-rotated T among randomly-rotated Ls, are not easily performed in the periphery and seem to require focal attention. However, a statistical summary model of peripheral vision, which assumes that the visual system sees a crowded, texture-like representation of the world in the periphery, predicts human performance on scene perception tasks, as well as predicting performance on peripheral tasks with letter stimuli. This peripheral visual representation of a scene may actually be critical for an observer to understand the spatial geometry of their environment. People's ability to reorient by the shape of an environment is impaired when they explore the space with central vision alone, but not when they explore the space with only peripheral vision. This result suggests that peripheral vision is well-designed for navigation: the representation in peripheral vision is compressed, but this compression preserves the scene layout information that is needed for understanding the three-dimensional geometry of a space. Thesis Supervisor: Ruth Rosenholtz, PhD Title: Principal Investigator
Industry Level Supplier-Driven it Spillovers

We model and estimate the effects to downstream productivity from information technology (IT) investments made upstream. Specifically, we examine how an industry's productivity is affected by the IT capital stock of its suppliers. These supplier-driven IT spillovers occur because, due to competition in the supplying industry, quality benefits from suppliers' IT investments can pass downstream. If the output deflators of supplying industries (consequently the intermediate input deflator of the using industries) do not capture the quality improvement from IT, then the output productivity of the supplying industries is mismeasured or misassigned. We develop and empirically test a model capturing these supplier-driven effects using data on 85 manufacturing industries at the three-digit SIC code level. We find that for a 10.5% increase in suppliers' IT capital, the suppliers' output increases by 0.63%--0.70%, which is more than covering the cost of the increase in suppliers' IT capital. In addition, this increase in suppliers' IT capital increases the average downstream industry's output by $66--$72 million, thereby confirming substantial supplier-driven IT spillovers downstream. We also infer the magnitude of the measurement error of the price deflator of the intermediate input resulting from the failure to account for IT-related quality improvement, finding that the measured price deflator overestimates the true deflator by approximately 30% at the mean level of IT capital.
Remote ischemic preconditioning of cardiomyocytes inhibits the mitochondrial permeability transition pore independently of reduced calcium‐loading or sarcKATP channel activation

Ischemic preconditioning (IPC) inhibits Ca2+‐loading during ischemia which contributes to cardioprotection by inhibiting mechanical injury due to hypercontracture and biochemical injury through mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) pores during reperfusion. However, whether remote‐IPC reduced Ca2+‐loading during ischemia and its subsequent involvement in inhibiting MPT pore formation during reperfusion has not been directly shown. We have developed a cellular model of remote IPC to look at the impact of remote conditioning on Ca2+‐regulation and MPT pore opening during simulated ischemia and reperfusion, using fluorescence microscopy. Ventricular cardiomyocytes were isolated from control rat hearts, hearts preconditioned with three cycles of ischemia/reperfusion or naïve myocytes remotely conditioned with effluent collected from preconditioned hearts. Both conventional‐IPC and remote‐IPC reduced the loss of Ca2+‐homeostasis and contractile function following reenergization of metabolically inhibited cells and protected myocytes against ischemia/reperfusion injury. However, only conventional‐IPC reduced the Ca2+‐loading during metabolic inhibition and this was independent of any change in sarcKATP channel activity but was associated with a reduction in Na+‐loading, reflecting a decrease in Na/H exchanger activity. Remote‐IPC delayed opening of the MPT pores in response to ROS, which was dependent on PKCε and NOS‐signaling. These data show that remote‐IPC inhibits MPT pore opening to a similar degree as conventional IPC, however, the contribution of MPT pore inhibition to protection against reperfusion injury is independent of Ca2+‐loading in remote IPC. We suggest that inhibition of the MPT pore and not Ca2+‐loading is the common link in cardioprotection between conventional and remote IPC.
Sociology of small things : Olive Schreiner, Eleanor Marx, Amy Levy and the intertextualities of feminist cultural politics in 1880s London

This thesis investigates the cultural politics of a small group of women through their writing and other activities in 1880s London. Focussed on Olive Schreiner, Eleanor Marx and Amy Levy and the connections they had to one another and to other women, such as Henrietta Frances Lord, Clementina Black and Henrietta Muller, it explores key events in their everyday lives, the writings and texts they produced. It analyses a wide selection of textual sources, re-reading these for small details, intertextual connections and points of disjuncture, to allow for different ways of understanding the mechanics of feminist cultural politics as produced and performed by these interconnected women. Small things in texts can be revealing about such women’s everyday lives and connectedly the cultural politics which underpinned their actions, thus contributing to knowledge about how writing was used strategically and imaginatively to challenge, side-step and overcome oppression and inequality, in these years in London and after. Using the term ‘writing’ in a broad sense to include letters and diaries and other archival sources such as newspaper articles, reviews and manuscript drafts, as well as some selected published work and biographies, the thesis is anchored around four event-driven investigations: Olive Schreiner being accosted by a policeman; the first public performance of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House; the writing of a letter mentioning Eleanor Marx; and, the death of Amy Levy. Relatedly, there are discussions concerning working with historical documents, documenting and archiving the past, researching and representing the past in the present. These investigations allow for the operationalization of a research approach framed by ideas concerning micro, small-scale, everyday life and its qualitative aspects, which together contribute to a re-conceptualisation of a ‘sociology of small things. ’ Specifically, it is argued that close and small-scale studies of women’s writing, whether undertaken alone or connected to others, sheds light on the importance of relationship dynamics in connection with writing output, on what writing was produced and what role each text played in larger scale political agendas. Concepts such as palimpsest, liminality and bricolage are interrogated with respect to researching and representing the spatial and temporal interconnectedness of the selected authors and textual sources. And contributions are made to contemporary thinking about epistolarity and social networks, focussing on reciprocity, gift-giving and receiving and notions of ‘letterness,’ along with the defining of boundaries, and the value of determining the nature of ties between women. The thesis also argues that the relationships between intimacy and distance, interiority and exteriority, public and private, are frayed with complicated overlaps.
CP-decomposition with Tensor Power Method for Convolutional Neural Networks compression

Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) has shown a great success in many areas including complex image classification tasks. However, they need a lot of memory and computational cost, which hinders them from running in relatively low-end smart devices such as smart phones. We propose a CNN compression method based on CP-decomposition and Tensor Power Method. We also propose an iterative fine tuning, with which we fine-tune the whole network after decomposing each layer, but before decomposing the next layer. Significant reduction in memory and computation cost is achieved compared to state-of-the-art previous work with no more accuracy loss.
Are Unsolicited Credit Ratings Lower? International Evidence from Bank Ratings

In recent years credit rating agencies have started rating firms who have not asked for a rating. Recipients of unsolicited ratings argue that the assigned ratings are too low and reflect a lack of comprehensive knowledge of the rated firms. We set out to examine these claims using a comprehensive and international sample of 1,060 bank ratings. Our results show that there is a significant difference in the distributions of ratings, and the shadow group has lower ratings. The results also indicate that banks that received shadow ratings are smaller and have weaker financial profiles than banks that have other ratings. This explains, in part, the lower ratings. In addition, we develop a model to explain bank ratings. The two-step treatment effects model shows that bank size, profitability, asset quality, liquidity, and sovereign credit risk are important factors in determining bank ratings. Copyright Blackwell Publishers Ltd, 2005.
Accounting for the anisoplanatic point spread function in deep wide-field adaptive optics images

In this paper we present the approach we have used to determine and account for the anisoplanatic point spread function (PSF) in deep adaptive optics (AO) images for the Survey of a Wide Area with NACO (SWAN) at the ESO VLT. The survey comprises adaptive optics observations in the Ks band totaling ∼30 arcmin 2 , assembled from 42 discrete fields centered on different bright stars suitable for AO guiding. We develop a parametric model of the PSF variations across the field of view in order to build an accurate model PSF for every galaxy detected in each of the fields. We show that this approach is particularly convenient, as it uses only easily available data and makes no uncertain assumptions about the stability of the isoplanatic angle during any given night. The model was tested using simulated galaxy profiles to check its performance in terms of recovering the correct morphological parameters; we find that the results are reliable up to Ks ∼ 20. 5( KAB ∼ 22.3) in a typical SWAN field. Finally, the model obtained was used to derive the first results from five SWAN fields, and to obtain the AO morphology of 55 galaxies brighter than Ks = 20. These preliminary results demonstrate the unique power of AO observations to derive the details of faint galaxy morphologies and to study galaxy evolution.
Expression and Endocytosis of Lysosomal Aspartylglucosaminidase in Mouse Primary Neurons

Aspartylglucosaminuria (AGU) is a neurodegenerative lysosomal storage disease that is caused by mutations in the gene encoding for a soluble hydrolase, aspartylglucosaminidase (AGA). In this study, we have used our recently developed mouse model for AGU and analyzed processing, intracellular localization, and endocytosis of recombinant AGA in telencephalic AGU mouse neurons in vitro. The processing steps of AGA were found to be similar to the peripheral cells, but both the accumulation of the inactive precursor molecule and delayed lysosomal processing of the enzyme were detected. AGA was distributed to the cell soma and neuronal processes but was not found in the nerve terminals. Endocytotic capability of cultured telencephalic neurons was comparable to that of fibroblasts, and endocytosis of AGA was blocked by free mannose-6-phosphate (M6P), indicating that uptake of the enzyme was mediated by M6P receptors (M6PRs). Uptake of extracellular AGA was also studied in the tumor-derived cell lines rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) and mouse neuroblastoma cells (N18), which both endocytosed AGA poorly as compared with cultured primary neurons. Expression of cation-independent M6PRs (CI-M6PRs) in different cell lines correlated well with the endocytotic capability of these cells. Although a punctate expression pattern of CI-M6PRs was found in fibroblasts and cultured primary neurons, the expression was beyond the detection limit in PC12 and N18 cells. This indicates that PC12 and N18 are not feasible cell lines to describe neuronal uptake of mannose-6-phosphate-tagged proteins. This in vitro data will form an important basis for the brain-targeted therapy of AGU.
Classifying Exchange Rate Regimes by Regression Methods

A new and easily implemented regression method is proposed for distinguishing floating from pegged regimes, whilst simultaneously identifying anchors of pegged currencies. The method can distinguish pegs with occasional devaluations from floats, and can be used to generate annual regime classifications. The method largely confirms the accuracy of the IMF’s de facto classification, but also shows that a significant minority of managed floats is close to being US dollar pegs. Even flexible managed floats have a strong tendency to track the US dollar.
DARK MATTER IN THE GALAXY CLUSTER CL J1226+3332 AT z = 0.89

We present a weak-lensing analysis of the galaxy cluster CL J1226+3332 at z ≃ 0.89 using Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys images. The cluster is the hottest (>10 keV), most X-ray luminous system at z > 0.6 known to date. The relaxed X-ray morphology, as well as its high temperature, is unusual at such a high redshift. Our mass reconstruction shows that on a large scale the dark matter distribution is consistent with a relaxed system with no significant substructures. However, on a small scale, the cluster core is resolved into two mass clumps highly correlated with the cluster galaxy distribution. The dominant mass clump lies close to the brightest cluster galaxy, whereas the other less massive clump is located ∼40″(∼310 kpc) to the southwest. Although this secondary mass clump does not show an excess in the X-ray surface brightness, the gas temperature of the region is much higher (12–18 keV) than those of the rest. We propose a scenario in which the less massive system has already passed through the main cluster and the X-ray gas has been stripped during this passage. The elongation of the X-ray peak toward the southwestern mass clump is also supportive of this possibility. We measure significant tangential shears out to the field boundary (∼1.5 Mpc), which are well described by a Navarro–Frenk–White profile with a concentration parameter of c200 = 2.7 ± 0.3 and a scale length of rs = 78″ ± 19″ (∼600 kpc) with χ2/dof = 1.11. Within the spherical volume r200 = 1.6 Mpc, the total mass of the cluster becomes M(r < r200) = (1.4 ± 0.2) × 1015 M☉. Our weak-lensing analysis confirms that CL1226+3332 is indeed the most massive cluster known to date at z > 0.6.
Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum M.) Sprout Treated with Methyl Jasmonate (MeJA) Improved Anti-Adipogenic Activity Associated with the Oxidative Stress System in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes

Buckwheat sprouts contain various bioactive compounds including rutin which have a number of biological activities. We have previously shown that buckwheat sprouts (TBWE) treated with methyl jasmonate (MeJA) significantly increased the amount of phenolics and the antioxidant activity. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the effect of TBWE on anti-adipogenesis and pro-oxidant enzyme in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. We also evaluated the anti-oxidative activity of TBWE in adipocytes by using the nitroblue tetrazolium assay. Our data showed that TBWE markedly inhibited adipocyte differentiation and ROS production in 3T3-L1 cells compared with control groups. Moreover, TBWE has strongly shown the inhibition of adipogenic transcription factor as well as pro-oxidant enzymes. Together, we demonstrate that the MeJA treatment significantly increased the amount of phenolic compound, resulting in the suppression of adipogenesis and ROS production in the 3T3-L1 cells. These findings indicate that TBWE has the potential for anti-adipogenesis activity with anti-oxidative properties.
Public investment in agricultural R&D and extension

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effects of public investment in agricultural R&D and extension on broadacre farming productivity in Australia. Design/methodology/approach - – An autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) regression model is applied to estimate the effects of public investment in agricultural R&D and extension on Australian braodacre productivity. Findings - – The study reveals that public investment in agricultural R&D and extension has contributed almost two-thirds of average annual broadacre productivity growth between 1952-1953 and 2006-2007, the average internal rate of return to public investment in agricultural R&D and extension was 28.4 and 47.5 per cent a year, respectively, and overseas spill-ins is an important source of domestic agricultural productivity growth. Practical implications - – Policy implications: the findings suggest that increasing public investment in agricultural R&D and extension and maintaining agricultural R&D policy stability are equally important to have a sustained long-term agricultural productivity growth, and maintaining an open trade and investment regime is important to benefit from foreign knowledge spillovers which is especially important for developing countries. Originality/value - – This paper contributes to the existing literature by employing more sophisticated econometric techniques with an extended data set for the period from 1952-1953 to 2006-2007. The study separates the contribution of public R&D investment and the extension investment, and also takes into account the contribution of overseas public investment on the TFP growth in the Australian broadacre sector.
Impact Assessments in Finance and Private Sector Development: What Have We Learned and What Should We Learn ?

Until recently rigorous impact evaluations have been rare in the area of finance and private sector development. One reason for this is the perception that many policies and projects in this area lend themselves less to formal evaluations. However, a vanguard of new impact evaluations on areas as diverse as fostering microenterprise growth, microfinance, rainfall insurance, and regulatory reform demonstrates that in many circumstances serious evaluation is possible. The purpose of this paper is to synthesize and distill the policy and implementation lessons emerging from these studies, use them to demonstrate the feasibility of impact evaluations in a broader array of topics, and thereby help prompt new impact evaluations for projects going forward.
Supporting Literacy Across the Sunshine State: A Study of Florida Middle School Reading Coaches

WWC quick reviews are based on the evidence published in the report cited and rely on effect sizes and significance levels as reported by study authors. WWC does not confirm study authors’ findings or contact authors for additional information about the study. The WWC rating refers only to the results summarized above and not necessarily to all results presented in the study. WWC Quick Review of the Report “Supporting Literacy Across the Sunshine State: A Study of Florida Middle School Reading Coaches”†
Evolution of Response Time Distribution in Menu Search

This paper presents an ACT-R model of a realistic menu item selection task from a previous study. The model aims to explain observed trends in both the mean and dispersion of response time (RT) with respect to both menu length and amount of practice. Our model follows previous work in assuming that the primary strategies for determining the location of the target menu item are visual search and recall from memory. The model introduces a hypothesis about how the visual search is performed that yields a very good fit with no free parameters for the slope of the linear relationship between RT and menu length. We validated this hypothesis by testing the model’s predictions for the dispersion of RT. The model was also used to generate predictions to test the hypothesis that the observed RT reduction with practice could be predicted as the sum of the time required for initiating the task and the lesser of the realized visual search time or realized recall time. The model generated predictions for both means and dispersion of RT as a function of practice.
Hodgkin's Disease in Patients with HIV Infection

Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) represents one of the most common non-AIDS-defining cancers with an increasing incidence overtime. Clinically, patients present advanced stages of disease with extranodal involvement in the majority of cases. In the last years, significant improvements in the treatment of patients with HL and HIV infection have been achieved. In the lack of randomized trials, several phase II studies have showed that in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) the same regimens employed in HIV-negative patients with HL can be used in HIV setting with similar results. Moreover, in the last years the feasibility of high dose chemotherapy and peripheral stem cell rescue has allowed to save those patients who failed the upfront treatment. Finally, in the near future, a better integration of diagnostic tools (including PET scan), chemotherapy (including new drugs), radiotherapy, HAART, and supportive care will significantly improve the outcome of these patients.
Broad iron L line and X-ray reverberation in 1H0707-495

A detailed analysis of a long XMM-Newton observation of the narrow-line type 1 Seyfert galaxy 1H0707-495 is presented, including spectral fitting, spectral variability and timing studies. The two main features in the spectrum are the drop at ? 7? keV and a complex excess below 1? keV. These are well described by two broad, K and L, iron lines. Alternative models based on absorption, although they may fit the high-energy drop, cannot account for the 1? keV complexity and the spectrum as a whole. Spectral variability shows that the spectrum is composed of at least two components, which are interpreted as a power law dominating between 1-4? keV and a reflection component outside this range. The high count rate at the iron L energies has enabled us to measure a significant soft lag of ? 30 s between 0.3-1 and 1-4? keV, meaning that the direct hard emission leads the reflected emissions. We interpret the lag as a reverberation signal originating within a few gravitational radii of the black hole.