Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Watershed-based image segmentation with fast region merging

A hybrid image segmentation algorithm is proposed which combines edge- and region-based techniques through the morphological algorithm of watersheds and consists of the following steps: (a) edge-preserving noise reduction, (b) gradient approximation, (c) detection of watersheds on gradient magnitude image, and (d) hierarchical region merging (HRM) in order to get semantically meaningful segmentations. HRM uses the region adjacency graph (RAG) representation of the image regions. At each step, the most similar pair of regions is determined (minimum cost RAG edge), the regions are merged and the RAG is updated. Traditionally, the above is implemented by storing all the RAG edges in a priority queue (heap). We propose a significantly faster algorithm which maintains an additional graph, the most similar neighbor graph, through which the priority queue size and processing time are drastically reduced. In addition, this region based representation provides one-pixel wide, closed, and accurately localized contours/surfaces. Experimental results using 2D real images are presented.
Oxidative Status in Patients with Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo.

OBJECTIVE Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the most frequent peripheral vestibular disorder and is particularly seen among older patients suffering from vertigo. The brief vertigo attacks in and imbalance symptoms of BPPV are caused by freely floating otoconia within the semicircular canals. The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the role of oxidative stress, using native thiol/disulfide (SH/SS) homeostasis as a novel indicator, in the etiology of BPPV. MATERIALS AND METHODS The 62 participants in the study included 31 patients with BPPV and, as the control group, 31 healthy individuals without any cochleovestibular disorders. RESULTS Patients with BPPV initially had significantly lower native SH levels and significantly lower SH/total thiol (TT) ratios, as well as significantly higher SS/SH and SS/TT ratios, than the healthy controls. After successful treatment of their vertigo, which was confirmed based on the results obtained from the second blood sample, patients with BPPV still had lower SH levels and SH/TT ratios and significantly higher SS/SH and SS/TT ratios than the healthy controls. CONCLUSION Our results suggest a role of oxidative stress in the development of BPPV, through both calcium metabolism and the direct toxic effects of free oxygen radicals, including the triggering of apoptosis.
R 1 1 Putting Facial Expressions Back in Context

Imagine yourself walking alone down a dark alley after midnight. Suddenly, you freeze. The man seen in Figure 11.1 is standing straight ahead of you. In a split second, you recognize the anger so strongly evident by the expression on his face and by his tightly clenched fist. Terrified, you turn around, running for your life. Two long minutes later, you are safe in the main street. Admittedly, this scenario might seem to be taken from yet another rejected Hollywood script, and such an event would certainly prove quite rare in our everyday life. Nevertheless, it captures an essential but seemingly forgotten truth, namely, that facial expressions are typically perceived in a rich context (Russell, 2003; Trope, 1986). In our everyday experiences, angry faces might be accompanied by clenched fists, sad faces are more frequent at funerals than at weddings, and disgusted faces seem to be paired with that unidentified lump of mold growing at the back of our refrigerator. From an evolutionary standpoint, it seems safe to assume that our ancestors had no exposure to isolated facial expres-
Skeletal Muscle Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Phosphorylation and Lactate Accumulation During Sprint Exercise in Normoxia and Severe Acute Hypoxia: Effects of Antioxidants

Compared to normoxia, during sprint exercise in severe acute hypoxia the glycolytic rate is increased leading to greater lactate accumulation, acidification, and oxidative stress. To determine the role played by pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) activation and reactive nitrogen and oxygen species (RNOS) in muscle lactate accumulation, nine volunteers performed a single 30-s sprint (Wingate test) on four occasions: two after the ingestion of placebo and another two following the intake of antioxidants, while breathing either hypoxic gas (PIO2 = 75 mmHg) or room air (PIO2 = 143 mmHg). Vastus lateralis muscle biopsies were obtained before, immediately after, 30 and 120 min post-sprint. Antioxidants reduced the glycolytic rate without altering performance or VO2. Immediately after the sprints, Ser293- and Ser300-PDH-E1α phosphorylations were reduced to similar levels in all conditions (~66 and 91%, respectively). However, 30 min into recovery Ser293-PDH-E1α phosphorylation reached pre-exercise values while Ser300-PDH-E1α was still reduced by 44%. Thirty minutes after the sprint Ser293-PDH-E1α phosphorylation was greater with antioxidants, resulting in 74% higher muscle lactate concentration. Changes in Ser293 and Ser300-PDH-E1α phosphorylation from pre to immediately after the sprints were linearly related after placebo (r = 0.74, P < 0.001; n = 18), but not after antioxidants ingestion (r = 0.35, P = 0.15). In summary, lactate accumulation during sprint exercise in severe acute hypoxia is not caused by a reduced activation of the PDH. The ingestion of antioxidants is associated with increased PDH re-phosphorylation and slower elimination of muscle lactate during the recovery period. Ser293 re-phosphorylates at a faster rate than Ser300-PDH-E1α during the recovery period, suggesting slightly different regulatory mechanisms.
Spatial Sign Preprocessing: A Simple Way To Impart Moderate Robustness to Multivariate Estimators

The spatial sign is a multivariate extension of the concept of sign. Recently multivariate estimators of covariance structures based on spatial signs have been examined by various authors. These new estimators are found to be robust to outlying observations. From a computational point of view, estimators based on spatial sign are very easy to implement as they boil down to a transformation of the data to their spatial signs, from which the classical estimator is then computed. Hence, one can also consider the transformation to spatial signs to be a preprocessing technique, which ensures that the calibration procedure as a whole is robust. In this paper, we examine the special case of spatial sign preprocessing in combination with partial least squares regression as the latter technique is frequently applied in the context of chemical data analysis. In a simulation study, we compare the performance of the spatial sign transformation to nontransformed data as well as to two robust counterparts of partial least squares regression. It turns out that the spatial sign transform is fairly efficient but has some undesirable bias properties. The method is applied to a recently published data set in the field of quantitative structure-activity relationships, where it is seen to perform equally well as the previously described best linear model for these data.
Sharing Concerns: Interpersonal Worry Regulation in Romantic Couples

Two dyadic studies investigated interpersonal worry regulation in heterosexual relationships. In Study 1, we video-recorded 40 romantic couples discussing shared concerns. Male partners’ worry positively predicted female partners’ interpersonal calming attempts, and negatively predicted female partners’ interpersonal alerting attempts (i.e., attempts to make their partners appreciate the seriousness of concerns). Video-cued recall data also indicated that changes in partner A’s worry over time positively predicted partner B’s motivation to reduce partner A’s worry, and that this effect was stronger when B was the female partner. Study 2 was a dyadic survey of 100 couples. Individual differences in partner A’s negative affect were positive predictors of partner B’s interpersonal calming, and individual differences in partner A’s expressive suppression were negative predictors of partner B’s interpersonal calming. Further, individual differences in male partners’ expressivity were significant positive predictors of female partners’ interpersonal calming, and individual differences in male partners’ reappraisal were significant positive predictors of female partners’ interpersonal alerting. These findings suggest that interpersonal worry regulation relates to partners’ expression and intrapersonal regulation of worry, but not equally for men and women.
Traffic-Aware Cell Management for Green Ultradense Small-Cell Networks

To reduce the power consumption of fifth-generation ultradense small-cell networks, base stations can be switched to low-power sleep modes when local traffic levels are low. In this paper, a novel sleep mode control algorithm is proposed to control such sleep modes. The algorithm innovates a concept called traffic-aware cell management (TACM). It involves cell division, cell death, and cell migration to represent adaptations of networks, where the state transitions of base stations are controlled. Direction of arrival (DOA) is adopted for distributed decision making. The TACM algorithm aims at reducing the network power consumption while alleviating the impacts of applying sleep modes, such as mitigating system overheads and reducing user transmission power. The TACM algorithm is compared with a recent consolidated baseline scheme by simulation on networks with unbalanced traffic distributions and with base stations at random locations. In contrast, the TACM algorithm shows a significant improvement in mitigating system overheads due to the absence of load information exchange overhead and up to 72 times less switching frequency. Up to 81% network power consumption can be reduced compared with the baseline scheme if considering high energy consumption of switching transient states. In addition, at a low traffic level, average uplink transmission power is reduced by 79% comparatively. Furthermore, the impact of important performance-governing parameters of the TACM algorithm is analyzed. The insensitivity to the estimation accuracy of DOA is also demonstrated. The results show that the proposed TACM algorithm has a comprehensive advantage of power reduction and overhead mitigation over the baseline scheme.
Time of breeding and female condition affect chick-growth in the Chilean Swallow (Tachycineta meyeni)

Abstract We analysed growth of nestling Chilean Swallows (Tachycineta meyeni) over four consecutive breeding seasons and determined the factors that explain variation in growth rate, asymptotic body mass and length of the nestling period. As the breeding season advanced nestlings grew more slowly and attained lower asymptotic mass, but the length of the nestling period and nestling survival did not show any seasonal trend. Asymptotic body mass of nestlings increased with female body condition, which was negatively correlated with time of breeding, suggesting that a seasonal decline in asymptotic body mass could be the result of changes in environmental conditions or lower quality of females breeding later in the season. There was no relationship between average minimum ambient temperature and either growth rate or asymptotic mass during the nestlings first 10 days. However, short periods of poor weather and snowfall had a significant effect on nestling survival. Growth rate (0.43) was lower than that of other Tachycineta species nesting at similar latitudes in the northern hemisphere but similar to those of subtropical species of the genus, suggesting that the factors that have influenced the evolution of this life-history trait differ between Chilean Swallows and other species of Tachycineta.
More Than the Verbal Stimulus Matters: Visual Attention in Language Assessment for People With Aphasia Using Multiple-Choice Image Displays.

Purpose Language comprehension in people with aphasia (PWA) is frequently evaluated using multiple-choice displays: PWA are asked to choose the image that best corresponds to the verbal stimulus in a display. When a nontarget image is selected, comprehension failure is assumed. However, stimulus-driven factors unrelated to linguistic comprehension may influence performance. In this study we explore the influence of physical image characteristics of multiple-choice image displays on visual attention allocation by PWA. Method Eye fixations of 41 PWA were recorded while they viewed 40 multiple-choice image sets presented with and without verbal stimuli. Within each display, 3 images (majority images) were the same and 1 (singleton image) differed in terms of 1 image characteristic. The mean proportion of fixation duration (PFD) allocated across majority images was compared against the PFD allocated to singleton images. Results PWA allocated significantly greater PFD to the singleton than to the majority images in both nonverbal and verbal conditions. Those with greater severity of comprehension deficits allocated greater PFD to nontarget singleton images in the verbal condition. Conclusion When using tasks that rely on multiple-choice displays and verbal stimuli, one cannot assume that verbal stimuli will override the effect of visual-stimulus characteristics.
Federal Reserve Bank of New York Staff Reports Evaluating the Riskiness of Initial Public Offerings : 1980-2000

In the wake of the dot.com collapse, investor sentiment toward initial public offerings (IPOs) has turned negative. To many investors, IPOs have come to symbolize the insider abuses and stock market excesses of the Internet bubble period; to others, investing in IPOs is inherently fraught with danger. This paper asks the question, Have IPOs indeed become more perilous to the investing public over time? I employ two approaches to investigate the post-issue riskiness of IPOs for the 1980-2000 period. First, I compare the stock price volatility for issuing and nonissuing firms. Second, I use a qualitative model to estimate the likelihood that new issues will survive in the aftermarket. Both methodologies show that the riskiness of IPO shares relative to the shares of a nonissuing peer group has increased roughly 30 percent in the 1990s. Although the proliferation of Internet companies in this period helps account for the increased risk, my empirical analysis reveals a more gradual shift in risk that cannot be fully explained by the high-tech bubble. Specifically, I find that companies taken public by toptier underwriters or funded by venture capital exhibit higher relative volatility and a lower likelihood of survival.
Determination of Lead, Cadmium, and Persistent Organic Pollutants in Wild and Orchard-Farm-Grown Fruit in Northeastern Poland

The concentrations of the heavy metals lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) were determined in berries (blackberry, raspberry, bilberry, wild strawberry), and hazelnuts picked from plants in the wild as well as in fruit (blackberry, raspberry, blueberry) and hazelnuts picked from orchard-farmed plants in northeastern Poland. The levels of seven congeners of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB7), γ isomer of hexachlorocyclohexane (γ-HCH), and sum of dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane and its metabolites (ΣDDT) were also measured in plants and nuts. In addition, the concentrations of Pb, Cd, PCB7, γ-HCH, and ΣDDT were determined in the surface samples of soil from the sites of fruit picking. The highest acceptable concentrations based upon Polish standards for Pb and Cd were not exceeded in forest fruit. In wild berries, Pb occurred at a level below the detection limit, whereas the concentration of Cd ranged from 6 to 49 μg/kg fresh weight. The levels were Cd 72 μg/kg fresh weight and Pb 290 μg/kg fresh weight in raspberries from orchard plants and exceeded the maximal acceptable limit of 50 μg/kg for Cd and 200 μg/kg for Pb. The level of Pb at 210 μg/kg fresh weight in hazelnuts from orchard plants also exceeded maximal acceptable limits. Individual samples of fruit, regardless of their origin, were found to contain trace amounts of organic pollutants such as 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethylene (p,p'–DDE) and PCB congeners 101 and 118. All soil samples contained from 3.2 to 14.9 mg/kg dry weight concentrations of Pb and most soil samples also contained Cd. Further, individual soil samples were found to contain high levels of ΣDDT (145 μg/kg), including p,p'-DDT at a concentration of 67 μg/kg. The concentrations of persistent organic pollutants (POP) in wild and orchard-farm-grown fruit in northeastern Poland were generally below threshold permissible limits, and no correlation was found between levels of contaminants in soils and POP concentrations in fruit.
Psychological autopsy study comparing suicide decedents, suicide ideators, and propensity score matched controls: results from the study to assess risk and resilience in service members (Army STARRS)

Background The suicide rate has increased significantly among US Army soldiers over the past decade. Here we report the first results from a large psychological autopsy study using two control groups designed to reveal risk factors for suicide death among soldiers beyond known sociodemographic factors and the presence of suicide ideation. Methods Informants were next-of-kin and Army supervisors for: 135 suicide cases, 137 control soldiers propensity-score-matched on known sociodemographic risk factors for suicide and Army history variables, and 118 control soldiers who reported suicide ideation in the past year. Results Results revealed that most (79.3%) soldiers who died by suicide have a prior mental disorder; mental disorders in the prior 30-days were especially strong risk factors for suicide death. Approximately half of suicide decedents tell someone that they are considering suicide. Virtually all of the risk factors identified in this study differed between suicide cases and propensity-score-matched controls, but did not significantly differ between suicide cases and suicide ideators. The most striking difference between suicides and ideators was the presence in the former of an internalizing disorder (especially depression) and multi-morbidity (i.e. 3+ disorders) in the past 30 days. Conclusions Most soldiers who die by suicide have identifiable mental disorders shortly before their death and tell others about their suicidal thinking, suggesting that there are opportunities for prevention and intervention. However, few risk factors distinguish between suicide ideators and decedents, pointing to an important direction for future research.
Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities of extracts from Musa sapientum peel.

BACKGROUND Many parts of Musa sapientum Linn. (Musaceae) are used in Thai traditional medicine as drugs, food supplements and cosmetics. The banana peel is used as an astringent in foot care, the unripe fruit is used to treat diarrhea and, the ripe fruit is used as tonic. OBJECTIVE To evaluate anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities of banana peel extracts obtained from different extraction methods and to determine their total phenolic content. MATERIAL AND METHOD Four extraction methods were used to extract unripe and ripe peels. Nitric oxide inhibitory and DPPH scavenging assays were used to evaluate anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, respectively. Folin-Ciocalteu's reagent was used to determine total phenolic content. RESULTS The water extract of fresh ripe peel exhibited the most potent NO inhibitory activity (IC50 = 6.68 +/- 0.34 microg/ml), but apparently exhibited no antioxidant activity. The decoction extract of fresh unripe peel exhibited strong antioxidant activity as well as had the highest total phenolic compound. The antioxidant activity exhibited a correlation with the total phenolic content. CONCLUSION This study supports the use of Musa sapientum peel in Thai Traditional Medicine for treatment of inflammatory-related diseases.
Reversals and limitations on high-intensity, life-sustaining treatments

Importance Critically ill patients often receive high-intensity life sustaining treatments (LST) in the intensive care unit (ICU), although they can be ineffective and eventually undesired. Determining the risk factors associated with reversals in LST goals can improve patient and provider appreciation for the natural history and epidemiology of critical care and inform decision making around the (continued) use of LSTs. Methods This is a single institution retrospective cohort study of patients receiving life sustaining treatment in an academic tertiary hospital from 2009 to 2013. Deidentified patient electronic medical record data was collected via the clinical data warehouse to study the outcomes of treatment limiting Comfort Care and do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders. Extended multivariable Cox regression models were used to estimate the association of patient and clinical factors with subsequent treatment limiting orders. Results 10,157 patients received life-sustaining treatment while initially Full Code (allowing all resuscitative measures). Of these, 770 (8.0%) transitioned to Comfort Care (with discontinuation of any life-sustaining treatments) while 1,669 (16%) patients received new DNR orders that reflect preferences to limit further life-sustaining treatment options. Patients who were older (Hazard Ratio(HR) 1.37 [95% CI 1.28–1.47] per decade), with cerebrovascular disease (HR 2.18 [95% CI 1.69–2.81]), treated by the Medical ICU (HR 1.92 [95% CI 1.49–2.49]) and Hematology-Oncology (HR 1.87 [95% CI 1.27–2.74]) services, receiving vasoactive infusions (HR 1.76 [95% CI 1.28, 2.43]) or continuous renal replacement (HR 1.83 [95% CI 1.34, 2.48]) were more likely to transition to Comfort Care. Any new DNR orders were more likely for patients who were older (HR 1.43 [95% CI 1.38–1.48] per decade), female (HR 1.30 [95% CI 1.17–1.44]), with cerebrovascular disease (HR 1.45 [95% CI 1.25–1.67]) or metastatic solid cancers (HR 1.92 [95% CI 1.48–2.49]), or treated by Medical ICU (HR 1.63 [95% CI 1.42–1.86]), Hematology-Oncology (HR 1.63 [95% CI 1.33–1.98]) and Cardiac Care Unit-Heart Failure (HR 1.41 [95% CI 1.15–1.72]). Conclusion Decisions to reverse or limit treatment goals occurs after more than 1 in 13 trials of LST, and is associated with older female patients, receiving non-ventilator forms of LST, cerebrovascular disease, and treatment by certain medical specialty services.
A random walk description of the heterogeneous glassy dynamics of attracting colloids

We study the heterogeneous dynamics of attractive colloidal particles close to the gel transition using confocal microscopy experiments combined with a theoretical statistical analysis. We focus on single particle dynamics and show that the self-part of the van Hove distribution function is not the Gaussian expected for a Fickian process, but that it reflects instead the existence, at any given time, of colloids with widely different mobilities. Our confocal microscopy measurements can be described well by a simple analytical model based on a conventional continuous time random walk picture, as already found for several other glassy materials. In particular, the theory successfully accounts for the presence of broad tails in the van Hove distributions that exhibit exponential, rather than Gaussian, decay at large distance.