Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Contour-based object detection

The arrival of appearance-based image features has dramatically influenced the field of visual object recognition. Previous work has shown, however, that contour curvature and junctions are important for shape representation and detection. We investigate a local representation of contours for object detection that complements appearance-based information, such as texture. We present a non-parametric representation of contours, curvature, and junctions which enables their accurate localization. We combine contour and appearance information into a general, voting-based detection algorithm. Besides detecting objects, we demonstrate that this approach reveals the most relevant contours and junctions supporting each object hypothesis. The experiments confirm that our contourbased representation compliments appearance information and the performance of baseline voting methods is significantly improved.
In vitro imaging of the carotid artery with spatial compound imaging

With the aim of investigating possible improvements in visualization of carotid atherosclerotic plaque, a new dedicated off-line multi-angle ultrasound compound scanner has been built and tested on human tissues. Images were recorded from 7 insonification angles over a range of 42 degrees and the individual single-angle images were combined (averaged) into a single image (spatial compounding). This technique is denoted multiangle compound imaging (MACI). Compared to conventional B-mode imaging, this method features less angle-dependent images, since more scan lines are perpendicular (or nearly perpendicular) to the tissue interfaces. Further, the spatial compounding strongly diminishes the speckle pattern. These improvements are illustrated with in vitro images of human atherosclerotic plaque. spatial compound imaging, atherosclerotic plaque, linear array, speckle reduction
The Canarian Camel: A Traditional Dromedary Population

The domestic camel (dromedary) is the most important livestock species in the Canary Islands and the most important autochthonous European camel population. After six centuries of a successful adaptation process to the particular environment of the Canary Islands, the abandonment of traditional agriculture has led this population to a major bottleneck. Along with a lack of foreign genetic interchanges, this could lead the population to the brink of extinction. Genetic analysis using 13 microsatellites showed the closest genetic proximity to the North African (Tindouf, Algeria) camel population and a certain degree of sub-division, with significant genetic differences among breeders. An important level of genetic differentiation among the different populations analyzed was found with a global FST value of 0.116.
Applying the Lost-Letter Technique to Assess IT Risk Behaviour

Information security policies are used to mitigate threats for which a technical prevention is not feasible. Compliance with information security policies is a notoriously difficult issue. Social sciences could provide tools to empirically study compliance with policies. We use a variation of the lost-letter technique to study IT risk behaviour, using USB keys instead of letters. The observational lost-letter study by Farrington and Knight (1979) was replicated in a university setting by dropping 106 USB keys. Labels on the USB keys were used to vary characteristics of the alleged victim. Observers noted characteristics of people who picked a USB key up and whether the USB key was returned. Results show that USB keys in their original box are stolen more than used ones and that people aged 30 or younger and those who place a found USB key in their pocket are more likely to steal. This suggests that the decision to steal a USB key is taken at the moment of pick up, despite ample opportunity to return it. The lost USB key technique proved to be a feasible method of data collection to measure policy compliance and thus also risk behaviour.
Holonomic Control of a robot with an omni- directional drive

This paper shows how to control a robot with omnidirectional wheels, using as example robots with four motors, and generalizing to n motors. More than three wheels provide redundancy: many combinations of motors speeds can provide the same Euclidean movement. Since the system is over-determined, we show how to compute a set of consistent and optimal motor forces and speeds using the pseudoinverse of coupling matrices. This approach allows us also to perform a consistency check to determine whether a wheel is slipping on the floor or not. We show that it is possible to avoid wheel slippage by driving the robot with a motor torque under a certain threshold or handle it and make high accelerations possible.
Outcome of endoscopy-negative iron deficiency anemia in patients above 65

AbstractAfter the age of 65 years, iron deficiency anemia (IDA) requires the elimination of digestive neoplasia and is explored with upper and lower gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy. However, such explorations are negative in 14% to 37% of patients. To further evaluate this issue, we evaluated the outcomes of patients aged over 65 years with endoscopy-negative IDA.We retrospectively analyzed the outcomes of in-patients over the age of 65 years with IDA (hemoglobin <12 g/dL and ferritin <70 &mgr;g/L) who had negative complete upper and lower GI endoscopies in 7 tertiary medical hospitals. Death, the persistence of anemia, further investigations, and the final diagnosis for IDA were analyzed after at least 12 months by calling the patients’ general practitioners and using hospital records.Between 2004 and 2011, 69 patients (74% women) with a median age of 78 (interquartile range (IQR) 75–82) years and hemoglobin and ferritin levels of 8.4 (IQR 6.8–9.9) g/dL and 14 (IQR 8–27) &mgr;g/L, respectively, had endoscopy-negative IDA, and 73% of these patients received daily antithrombotics. After a follow-up of 41 ± 22 months, 23 (33%) of the patients were dead; 5 deaths were linked with the IDA, and 45 (65%) patients had persistent anemia, which was significantly associated with death (P = 0.007). Further investigations were performed in 45 patients; 64% of the second-look GI endoscopies led to significant changes in treatment compared with 25% for the capsule endoscopies. Conventional diagnoses of IDA were ultimately established for 19 (27%) patients and included 3 cancer patients. Among the 50 other patients, 40 (58%) had antithrombotics.In endoscopy-negative IDA over the age of 65 years, further investigations should be reserved for patients with persistent anemia, and second-look GI endoscopy should be favored. If the results of these investigations are negative, the role of antithrombotics should be considered.
Simulated Submillimetre Galaxy Surveys

Current submillimetre surveys are hindered in their ability to reveal detailed information on the epoch of galaxy formation and the evolutionary history of a high-redshift starburst galaxy population. The difficulties are due to the small primary apertures (D < 15 m) of existing submillimetre telescopes and the limited sensitivities of their first generation of bolometer cameras. This situation is changing rapidly due to a variety of powerful new ground-based, airborne and satellite FIR to millimetre wavelength facilities. Improving our understanding of the luminosity and clustering evolution provides the motivation for conducting cosmological submillimetre and millimetre surveys. It is therefore important that we quantify the limitations of the future surveys and the significance of the results that can be drawn from them. In this paper we present simulated surveys which are made as realistic as possible in order to address some key issues confronting existing and forthcoming surveys. We discuss the results from simulations with a range of wavelengths (200 um - 1.1 mm), spatial resolutions (6 arcsec - 27 arcsec) and flux densities (0.01-310 mJy). We address how the measured source-counts could be affected by resolution and confusion, by the survey sensitivity and noise, and by the sampling variance due to clustering and shot-noise.
Examining the consensus between human summaries: initial experiments with factoid analysis

We present a new approach to summary evaluation which combines two novel aspects, namely (a) content comparison between gold standard summary and system summary via factoids, a pseudo-semantic representation based on atomic information units which can be robustly marked in text, and (b) use of a gold standard consensus summary, in our case based on 50 individual summaries of one text. Even though future work on more than one source text is imperative, our experiments indicate that (1) ranking with regard to a single gold standard summary is insufficient as rankings based on any two randomly chosen summaries are very dissimilar (correlations average ρ = 0.20), (2) a stable consensus summary can only be expected if a larger number of summaries are collected (in the range of at least 30--40 summaries), and (3) similarity measurement using unigrams shows a similarly low ranking correlation when compared with factoid-based ranking.
Regulation of Muscle Stem Cell Functions: A Focus on the p38 MAPK Signaling Pathway

Formation of skeletal muscle fibers (myogenesis) during development and after tissue injury in the adult constitutes an excellent paradigm to investigate the mechanisms whereby environmental cues control gene expression programs in muscle stem cells (satellite cells) by acting on transcriptional and epigenetic effectors. Here we will review the molecular mechanisms implicated in the transition of satellite cells throughout the distinct myogenic stages (i.e., activation from quiescence, proliferation, differentiation, and self-renewal). We will also discuss recent findings on the causes underlying satellite cell functional decline with aging. In particular, our review will focus on the epigenetic changes underlying fate decisions and on how the p38 MAPK signaling pathway integrates the environmental signals at the chromatin to build up satellite cell adaptive responses during the process of muscle regeneration, and how these responses are altered in aging. A better comprehension of the signaling pathways connecting external and intrinsic factors will illuminate the path for improving muscle regeneration in the aged.
Facial expression recognition and the autism spectrum

An atypical recognition of facial expressions of emotion is thought to be part of the characteristics associated with an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis (DSM-5, 2013). However, despite over three decades of experimental research into facial expression recognition (FER) in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), conflicting results are still reported (Harms, Martin, and Wallace, 2010). The thesis presented here aims to explore FER in ASD using novel techniques, as well as assessing the contribution of a co-occurring emotion-blindness condition (alexithymia) and autism-like personality traits. Chapter 1 provides a review of the current literature surrounding emotion perception in ASD, focussing specifically on evidence for, and against, atypical recognition of facial expressions of emotion in ASD. The experimental chapters presented in this thesis (Chapters 2, 3 and 4) explore FER in adults with ASD, children with ASD and in the wider, typical population. In Chapter 2, a novel psychophysics method is presented along with its use in assessing FER in individuals with ASD. Chapter 2 also presents a research experiment in adults with ASD, indicating that FER is similar compared to typically developed (TD) adults in terms of the facial muscle components (action units; AUs), the intensity levels and the timing components utilised from the stimuli. In addition to this, individual differences within groups are shown, indicating that better FER ability is associated with lower levels of ASD symptoms in adults with ASD (measured using the ADOS; Lord et al. (2000)) and lower levels of autism-like personality traits in TD adults (measured using the Autism-Spectrum Quotient; (S. Baron-Cohen, Wheelwright, Skinner, Martin, and Clubley, 2001)). Similarly, Chapter 3 indicates that children with ASD are not significantly different from TD children in their perception of facial expressions of emotion as assessed using AU, intensity and timing components. Chapter 4 assesses the contribution of alexithymia and autism-like personality traits (AQ) to FER ability in a sample of individuals from the typical population. This chapter provides evidence against the idea that alexithymia levels predict FER ability over and above AQ levels. The importance of the aforementioned results are discussed in Chapter 5 in the context of previous research in the field, and in relation to established theoretical approaches to FER in ASD. In particular, arguments are made that FER cannot be conceptualised under an ‘all-or-nothing’ framework, which has been implied for a number of years (Harms et al., 2010). Instead it is proposed that FER is a multifaceted skill in individuals with ASD, which varies according to an individual’s skillset. Lastly, limitations of the research presented in this thesis are discussed in addition to suggestions for future research.
THE INFLUENCE OF GENDER, TEOG EXAM SCORES AND SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS ON THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF STUDENTS REGARDING READING AND INTERPRETATION OF THE FREQUENCY POLYGON AND HISTOGRAM

The aim of this current study was to investigate the effects of variables, such as gender, TEOG exam scores and socio-economic status on the 8th grade students about the reading and interpretation of the Frequency Polygon and Histogram. The study included 388 eighth grade students who were from four different middle schools. The researchers used a multiple choice statistics test in the collection of the data. This test contained 22 questions about the reading and interpretation of graphs and finding of the measures of both central tendency and dispersion. This test was developed by the researchers who piloted it and found its reliability of Cronbach's alpha value as 0.80. In the analysis of the data, the researchers used the paired samples t-test, independent samples t-test and two- way ANOVA. The study pointed out that the participants of this study were more successful in reading and interpretation of Frequency Polygon than Histogram. There was no statistically significant difference found with regard to the value of mode in both types of graphs between the achievement levels of the students. However, the study also indicated that the participants were more successful on the items that required the interpretations of standard deviations than the items which required the computation of standard deviations. Moreover, although gender was not a great factor on the accomplishment levels of the participants on the test, both TEOG exam scores and socio-economic status played prominent roles on the students’ achievements on the test. There was a positive relationship between the students’ achievement levels and socio-economic status on the statistics test.
Induction of Multiple Immune Regulatory Pathways with Differential Impact in HCV/HIV Coinfection

Persistent viral infections including HCV, HBV, and HIV are associated with increased immune regulatory pathways including the extrinsic FoxP3+CD4+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) and intrinsic inhibitory pathways such as programed death-1 (PD-1) and cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) with potentially reversible suppression of antiviral effector T cells (1–12). Immunological consequences of viral coinfections relative to these immune regulatory pathways and their interplay are not well-defined. In this study, we examined the frequency, phenotype, and effector function of circulating T cell subsets in patients with chronic HCV and/or HIV infection, hypothesizing that HCV/HIV coinfection will result in greater immune dysregulation with pathogenetic consequences (13, 14). We show that multiple T cell inhibitory pathways are induced in HCV/HIV coinfection including FoxP3+ Tregs, PD-1, and CTLA-4 in inverse association with overall CD4 T cell frequency but not with liver function or HCV RNA titers. The inverse association between CD4 T cell frequency and their FoxP3, PD-1, or CTLA-4 expression remained significant in all subjects combined regardless of HCV and/or HIV infection, suggesting a global homeostatic mechanism to maintain immune regulation relative to CD4 T cell frequency. PD-1 blockade rescued T cell responses to HIV but not HCV without significant impact by CTLA-4 blockade in vitro. Collectively, these findings highlight complex immune interactions in viral coinfections and differential regulatory pathways influencing virus-specific T cells that are relevant in immunotherapeutic development.
Reexamining the Link between African American Racial Identity and Well-being

For many African Americans, race is a substantial part of their self-definition, but not uniformly so. Understanding how well-being is influenced by the importance Black Americans place on their racial identity has been a key aim of psychology research over the last several decades. Most of this research has relied on adolescent samples, often from a limited geographic area. Using a nationally representative sample of African American adults, respondents to the 2010 General Social Survey, the present study reexamines this question. My results show that racial identity interacts with some sociodemographic variables as they influence certain dimensions of well-being, suggesting that racial identity may serve as a source of solidarity among lower-status Black Americans. However, there are no significant overall associations between the importance Black respondents place on racial identity and their happiness, health, financial satisfaction, or social trust. These findings call into question arguments against transracial adoption and claims that race must be “cultivated” in African Americans to maximize their well-being.
The Effects of Cognitive General Imagery Training on Decision-Making Abilities in Curling: A Single-Subject Multiple Baseline Approach

A single-subject multiple baseline design was used to assess the effects of cognitive general imagery training on the strategy performance of three curlers (Mage = 19.33, SD = 3.06) over 18 weeks. Visual and statistical analyses (i.e., response accuracy and response time) revealed that one curler improved her response accuracy and two curlers decreased their response time. These findings provide support for individual responses to the intervention, which may have been missed by a group-level analysis (Hrycaiko & Martin, 1996). These findings extend the literature by showing that a cognitive general imagery intervention can improve strategy performance in curling.
Nonlinear growth: an origin of hub organization in complex networks

Many real-world networks contain highly connected nodes called hubs. Hubs are often crucial for network function and spreading dynamics. However, classical models of how hubs originate during network development unrealistically assume that new nodes attain information about the connectivity (for example the degree) of existing nodes. Here, we introduce hub formation through nonlinear growth where the number of nodes generated at each stage increases over time and new nodes form connections independent of target node features. Our model reproduces variation in number of connections, hub occurrence time, and rich-club organization of networks ranging from protein–protein, neuronal and fibre tract brain networks to airline networks. Moreover, nonlinear growth gives a more generic representation of these networks compared with previous preferential attachment or duplication–divergence models. Overall, hub creation through nonlinear network expansion can serve as a benchmark model for studying the development of many real-world networks.
Experimental and Natural Warming Elevates Mercury Concentrations in Estuarine Fish

Marine food webs are the most important link between the global contaminant, methylmercury (MeHg), and human exposure through consumption of seafood. Warming temperatures may increase human exposure to MeHg, a potent neurotoxin, by increasing MeHg production as well as bioaccumulation and trophic transfer through marine food webs. Studies of the effects of temperature on MeHg bioaccumulation are rare and no study has specifically related temperature to MeHg fate by linking laboratory experiments with natural field manipulations in coastal ecosystems. We performed laboratory and field experiments on MeHg accumulation under varying temperature regimes using the killifish, Fundulus heteroclitus. Temperature treatments were established in salt pools on a coastal salt marsh using a natural temperature gradient where killifish fed on natural food sources. Temperatures were manipulated across a wider range in laboratory experiments with killifish exposed to MeHg enriched food. In both laboratory microcosms and field mesocosms, MeHg concentrations in killifish significantly increased at elevated temperatures. Moreover, in field experiments, other ancillary variables (salinity, MeHg in sediment, etc.) did not relate to MeHg bioaccumulation. Modeling of laboratory experimental results suggested increases in metabolic rate as a driving factor. The elevated temperatures we tested are consistent with predicted trends in climate warming, and indicate that in the absence of confounding factors, warmer sea surface temperatures could result in greater in bioaccumulation of MeHg in fish, and consequently, increased human exposure.
Molecular and Functional Signature of Heart Hypertrophy During Pregnancy

During pregnancy, the heart develops a reversible physiological hypertrophic growth in response to mechanical stress and increased cardiac output; however, underlying molecular mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we investigated pregnancy-related changes in heart structure, function, and gene expression of known markers of pathological hypertrophy and cell stretching in mice hearts. In late pregnancy, hearts show eccentric hypertrophy, as expected for a response to volume overload, with normal left ventricular diastolic function and a moderate reduction in systolic function. Pregnancy-related physiological heart hypertrophy does not induce expression changes of known markers of pathological hypertrophy like: &agr;- and &bgr;-myosin heavy chain, atrial natriuretic factor, phospholamban, and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase. Instead, it induces the remodeling of Kv4.3 channel and increased c-Src tyrosine kinase activity, a stretch-responsive kinase. Cardiac Kv4.3 channel gene expression was downregulated by ≈3- to 5-fold, both at the mRNA and protein levels, and was paralleled by a reduction in transient outward K+ currents, a longer action potential and by prolongation of the QT interval. Downregulation of cardiac Kv4.3 transcripts was mimicked by estrogen treatment in ovariectomized mice, and was prevented by the estrogen receptor antagonist ICI 182,780. c-Src activity increased by ≈2-fold in late pregnancy and after estrogen treatment. We propose that, in addition to mechanical stress, the rise of estrogen toward the end of pregnancy contributes to pregnancy-related heart hypertrophy by increased c-Src activity and that the rise of estrogen is one factor that down regulates cardiac Kv4.3 gene expression providing a molecular correlate for a longer QT interval in pregnancy.