Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fd-Mobilenet: Improved Mobilenet with a Fast Downsampling Strategy

We present Fast-Downsampling MobileNet (FD-MobileNet), an efficient and accurate network for very limited computational budgets (e.g., 10–140 MFLOPs). Our key idea is applying a fast downsampling strategy to Mobile Net framework. In FD-Mobile Net, we perform $32\times$ downsampling within 12 layers, only half the layers in the original MobileNet. This design brings three advantages: (i) It remarkably reduces the computational cost. (ii) It increases the information capacity and achieves significant performance improvements. (iii) It is engineering-friendly and provides fast actual inference speed. Experiments on ILSVRC 2012 and PASCAL VOC datasets demonstrate that FD-Mobile Net consistently outperforms MobileNet and achieves comparable results with ShufflieNet under different computational budgets, for instance, surpassing Mobile-Net by 5.5% on the ILSVRC 2012 top-l accuracy and 8.3% on the VOC 2007 mAP under a complexity of 12 MFLOPs. On an ARM-based device, FD-Mobile Net achieves $1.11\times$ inference speedup over Mobile Net and $1.82\times$ over Shufflie Net under the same complexity.
Learning Semantic Segmentation with Diverse Supervision

Models based on deep convolutional neural networks (CNN) have significantly improved the performance of semantic segmentation. However, learning these models requires a large amount of training images with pixel-level labels, which are very costly and time-consuming to collect. In this paper, we propose a method for learning CNNbased semantic segmentation models from images with several types of annotations that are available for various computer vision tasks, including image-level labels for classification, box-level labels for object detection and pixel-level labels for semantic segmentation. The proposed method is flexible and can be used together with any existing CNNbased semantic segmentation networks. Experimental evaluation on the challenging PASCAL VOC 2012 and SIFTflow benchmarks demonstrate that the proposed method can effectively make use of diverse training data to improve the performance of the learned models.
The Synechocystis Manganese Exporter Mnx Is Essential for Manganese Homeostasis in Cyanobacteria1

In cyanobacteria, the manganese transporter Mnx is central in maintaining Mn homeostasis by avoiding toxic cytoplasmic Mn accumulation and ensuring Mn provision to photosystem II in the thylakoid lumen. The essential micronutrient manganese (Mn) functions as redox-active cofactor in active sites of enzymes and, thus, is involved in various physiological reactions. Moreover, in oxygenic photosynthetic organisms, Mn is of special importance, since it is central to the oxygen-evolving complex in photosystem II. Although Mn is an essential micronutrient, increased amounts are detrimental to the organism; thus, only a small window exists for beneficial concentrations. Accordingly, Mn homeostasis must be carefully maintained. In contrast to the well-studied uptake mechanisms in cyanobacteria, it is largely unknown how Mn is distributed to the different compartments inside the cell. We identified a protein with so far unknown function as a hypothetical Mn transporter in the cyanobacterial model strain Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 and named this protein Mnx for Mn exporter. The knockout mutant Δmnx showed increased sensitivity toward externally supplied Mn and Mn toxicity symptoms, which could be linked to intracellular Mn accumulation. 54Mn chase experiments demonstrated that the mutant was not able to release Mn from the internal pool. Microscopic analysis of a Mnx::yellow fluorescent protein fusion showed that the protein resides in the thylakoid membrane. Heterologous expression of mnx suppressed the Mn-sensitive phenotype of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant Δpmr1. Our results indicate that Mnx functions as a thylakoid Mn transporter and is a key player in maintaining Mn homeostasis in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. We propose that Mn export from the cytoplasm into the thylakoid lumen is crucial to prevent toxic cytoplasmic Mn accumulation and to ensure Mn provision to photosystem II.
Identification of virus‐derived siRNAs and their targets in RBSDV‐infected rice by deep sequencing

RNA interference (RNAi) is a conserved mechanism against viruses in plants and animals. It is thought to inactivate the viral genome by producing virus‐derived small interfering RNAs (vsiRNAs). Rice black‐streaked dwarf virus (RBSDV) is transmitted to plants by the small brown planthopper (Laodelphax striatellus), and seriously threatens production of rice in East Asia, particularly Oryza sativa japonica subspecies. Through deep sequencing, genome‐wide comparisons of RBSDV‐derived vsiRNAs were made between the japonica variety Nipponbare, and the indica variety 9311. Four small RNA libraries were constructed from the leaves and shoots of each variety. We found 659,756 unique vsiRNAs in the four samples, and only 43,485 reads were commonly shared. The size distributions of vsiRNAs were mostly 21‐ and 22‐nt long, and A/U bias (66‐68%) existed at the first nucleotide of vsiRNAs. Additionally, vsiRNAs were continuously but heterogeneously distributed along S1‐S10 segments of the RBSDV genome. Distribution profiles of vsiRNA hotspots were similar in different hosts and tissues, and the 5′‐ and 3′‐terminal regions of S4, S5, and S8 had more hotspots. Distribution and abundance of RBSDV vsiRNAs could be useful in designing efficient targets for exploiting RNA interference for virus resistance. Degradome analysis found 25 and 11 host genes appeared to be targeted by vsiRNAs in 9311 and Nipponbare. We report for the first time vsiRNAs derived from RBSDV‐infected rice.
Error Correction and the Structure of Inter-Trial Fluctuations in a Redundant Movement Task

We study inter-trial movement fluctuations exhibited by human participants during the repeated execution of a virtual shuffleboard task. Focusing on skilled performance, theoretical analysis of a previously-developed general model of inter-trial error correction is used to predict the temporal and geometric structure of variability near a goal equivalent manifold (GEM). The theory also predicts that the goal-level error scales linearly with intrinsic body-level noise via the total body-goal sensitivity, a new derived quantity that illustrates how task performance arises from the interaction of active error correction and passive sensitivity properties along the GEM. Linear models estimated from observed fluctuations, together with a novel application of bootstrapping to the estimation of dynamical and correlation properties of the inter-trial dynamics, are used to experimentally confirm all predictions, thus validating our model. In addition, we show that, unlike “static” variability analyses, our dynamical approach yields results that are independent of the coordinates used to measure task execution and, in so doing, provides a new set of task coordinates that are intrinsic to the error-regulation process itself.
A dopamine and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor (bupropion) does not alter exercise performance of bank voles

Abstract Physical performance is determined both by biophysical and physiological limitations and behavioral characteristic, specifically motivation. We applied an experimental evolution approach combined with pharmacological manipulation to test the hypothesis that evolution of increased aerobic exercise performance can be triggered by evolution of motivation to undertake physical activity. We used a unique model system: bank voles from A lines, selected for high swim-induced aerobic metabolism (VO2swim), which achieved a 61% higher mass-adjusted VO2swim than those from unselected C lines. Because the voles could float on the water surface with only a minimum activity, the maximum rate of metabolism achieved in that test depended not only on their aerobic capacity, but also on motivation to undertake intensive activity. Therefore, we hypothesized that signaling of neurotransmitters putatively involved in regulating physical activity (dopamine and noradrenaline) had changed in response to selection. We measured VO2swim after intraperitoneal injections of saline or the norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitor bupropion (20 mg/kg or 30 mg/kg). Additionally, we measured forced-exercise VO2 (VO2max). In C lines, VO2swim (mass-adjusted mean ± standard error (SE): 4.0 ± 0.1 mLO2/min) was lower than VO2max (5.0 ± 0.1 mLO2/min), but in A lines VO2swim (6.0 ± 0.1 mLO2/min) was as high as VO2max (6.0 ± 0.1 mLO2/min). Thus, the selection effectively changed both the physiological–physical performance limit and mechanisms responsible for the willingness to undertake vigorous locomotor activity. Surprisingly, the drug had no effect on the achieved level of VO2swim. Thus, the results did not allow firm conclusions concerning involvement of these neurotransmitters in evolution of increased aerobic exercise performance in the experimental evolution model system.
Pose Flow: Efficient Online Pose Tracking

Multi-person articulated pose tracking in unconstrained videos is an important while challenging problem. In this paper, going along the road of top-down approaches, we propose a decent and efficient pose tracker based on pose flows. First, we design an online optimization framework to build the association of cross-frame poses and form pose flows (PF-Builder). Second, a novel pose flow non-maximum suppression (PF-NMS) is designed to robustly reduce redundant pose flows and re-link temporal disjoint ones. Extensive experiments show that our method significantly outperforms best-reported results on two standard Pose Tracking datasets by 13 mAP 25 MOTA and 6 mAP 3 MOTA respectively. Moreover, in the case of working on detected poses in individual frames, the extra computation of pose tracker is very minor, guaranteeing online 10FPS tracking. Our source codes are made publicly available(this https URL).
Quantitative MR Evaluation of Chronic Pancreatitis: Extracellular Volume Fraction and MR Relaxometry.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine if extracellular volume fraction and T1 mapping can be used to diagnose chronic pancreatitis (CP). MATERIALS AND METHODS This HIPAA-compliant study analyzed 143 consecutive patients with and without CP who underwent MR imaging between May 2016 and February 2017. Patients were selected for the study according to inclusion and exclusion criteria that considered history and clinical and laboratory findings. Eligible patients (n = 119) were grouped as normal (n = 60) or with mild (n = 22), moderate (n = 27), or severe (n = 10) CP on the basis of MRCP findings using the Cambridge classification as the reference standard. T1 maps were acquired in unenhanced and late contrast-enhanced phases using a 3D dual flip-angle gradient-echo sequence. All patients were imaged on the same 3-T scanner using the same imaging parameters, contrast agent, and dosage. RESULTS Mean extracellular volume fractions and T1 relaxation times were significantly different within the study groups (one-way ANOVA, p < 0.001). Using the AUC curve analysis, extracellular volume fraction of > 0.27 showed 92% sensitivity (54/59) and 77% specificity (46/60) for the diagnosis of CP (AUC = 0.90). A T1 relaxation time of > 950 ms revealed 64% sensitivity (38/59) and 88% specificity (53/60) (AUC = 0.80). Combining extracellular volume fraction and T1 mapping yielded sensitivity of 85% (50/59) and specificity of 92% (55/60) (AUC = 0.94). CONCLUSION Extracellular volume fraction and T1 mapping may provide quantitative metrics for determining the presence and severity of acinar cell loss and aid in the diagnosis of CP.
Scanning Electron Microscopy–Energy‐Dispersive X‐Ray (SEM/EDX): A Rapid Diagnostic Tool to Aid the Identification of Burnt Bone and Contested Cremains

This study investigates the use of Scanning electron microscopy–energy‐dispersive X‐ray (SEM‐EDX) as a diagnostic tool for the determination of the osseous origin of samples subjected to different temperatures. Sheep (Ovis aries) ribs of two experimental groups (fleshed and defleshed) were burned at temperatures of between 100°C and 1100°C in 100°C increments and subsequently analyzed with the SEM‐EDX to determine the atomic percentage of present elements. Three‐factor ANOVA analysis showed that neither the exposure temperature, nor whether the burning occurred with or without soft tissue present had any significant influence on the bone's overall elemental makeup (p > 0.05). The Ca/P ratio remained in the osseous typical range of between 1.6 and 2.58 in all analyzed samples. This demonstrates that even faced with high temperatures, the overall gross elemental content and atomic percentage of elements in bone remain stable, creating a unique “fingerprint” for osseous material, even after exposure to extreme conditions.
TGF-b Superfamily Cytokine MIC-1/GDF15 Is a Physiological Appetite and Body Weight Regulator

The TGF-b superfamily cytokine MIC-1/GDF15 circulates in all humans and when overproduced in cancer leads to anorexia/cachexia, by direct action on brain feeding centres. In these studies we have examined the role of physiologically relevant levels of MIC-1/GDF15 in the regulation of appetite, body weight and basal metabolic rate. MIC-1/GDF15 gene knockout mice (MIC-1−/−) weighed more and had increased adiposity, which was associated with increased spontaneous food intake. Female MIC-1−/− mice exhibited some additional alterations in reduced basal energy expenditure and physical activity, possibly owing to the associated decrease in total lean mass. Further, infusion of human recombinant MIC-1/GDF15 sufficient to raise serum levels in MIC-1−/− mice to within the normal human range reduced body weight and food intake. Taken together, our findings suggest that MIC-1/GDF15 is involved in the physiological regulation of appetite and energy storage.
Risso's dolphins plan foraging dives

ABSTRACT Humans remember the past and use that information to plan future actions. Lab experiments that test memory for the location of food show that animals have a similar capability to act in anticipation of future needs, but less work has been done on animals foraging in the wild. We hypothesized that planning abilities are critical and common in breath-hold divers who adjust each dive to forage on prey varying in quality, location and predictability within constraints of limited oxygen availability. We equipped Risso's dolphins with sound-and-motion recording tags to reveal where they focus their attention through their externally observable echolocation and how they fine tune search strategies in response to expected and observed prey distribution. The information from the dolphins was integrated with synoptic prey data obtained from echosounders on an underwater vehicle. At the start of the dives, whales adjusted their echolocation inspection ranges in ways that suggest planning to forage at a particular depth. Once entering a productive prey layer, dolphins reduced their search range comparable to the scale of patches within the layer, suggesting that they were using echolocation to select prey within the patch. On ascent, their search range increased, indicating that they decided to stop foraging within that layer and started searching for prey in shallower layers. Information about prey, learned throughout the dive, was used to plan foraging in the next dive. Our results demonstrate that planning for future dives is modulated by spatial memory derived from multi-modal prey sampling (echoic, visual and capture) during earlier dives. Highlighted Article: Perceptual, spatial memory and sensorimotor control information are integrated by Risso's dolphins to adaptively plan foraging on prey of varying quality and predictability in multiple depth layers.
Aggressive percutaneous mechanical thrombectomy of deep venous thrombosis: early clinical results.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate percutaneous mechanical thrombectomy for deep venous thrombosis (DVT). DESIGN A retrospective analysis. SETTING Tertiary academic medical center. PATIENTS Thirty patients with DVT who underwent percutaneous mechanical thrombectomy. INTERVENTIONS Percutaneous mechanical thrombectomy of upper or lower extremity DVT. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Thrombus removal, patency, and valvular function. Venography and intravascular ultrasonography assessed periprocedural lysis. Duplex ultrasonography assessed patency and valvular function before and after the procedure. RESULTS Fourteen patients had iliofemoral, 6 had iliofemoropopliteal, 5 had femoropopliteal, and 5 had subclavian vein thromboses. Mean age was 50.9 years (range, 15-78 years); 10 patients (33%) had a documented hypercoagulable state. There was 100% technical success in crossing the DVT, with treatment performed in a single setting in 24 patients (80%). Mean +/- SD procedural time was 145 +/- 35 minutes; range, 55-210 minutes. Mean thrombolytic dose was 6.2 mg of tenecteplase with the Trellis-8 and 10 mg with the AngioJet. Adjunctive procedures were required in 28 patients (percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and stent placement in 17 and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty alone in 11). Recoverable inferior vena cava filters were placed in 21 patients and retrieved within 4 weeks. There were no clinically significant periprocedural pulmonary emboli; however, 5 patients (17%) had evidence of pulmonary embolism on computed tomographic angiography (all in patients without inferior vena cava filters). Venous patency was maintained in 27 patients (90%) and lower extremity valvular function was maintained in 22 (88%) of 25 treated lower limbs, with a mean follow-up of 6.2 months (range, 3-24 months). CONCLUSIONS Percutaneous mechanical thrombectomy is effective in the treatment of acute DVT in the upper and lower extremity to restore venous patency. In the lower extremity, valvular function is maintained acutely. Continued surveillance and follow-up will be necessary to determine whether valvular function is maintained long-term.
Incidental Findings on FDG PET/CT in Head and Neck Cancer

Objective 18F-fluoro-deoxy-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) imaging is common in head and neck cancer and often identifies incidental findings that necessitate additional patient evaluations. Our goal was to assess the frequency and nature of these incidental imaging findings on FDG-PET/CT. Study Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Tertiary medical center. Subjects and Methods All patients with head and neck cancer who had undergone FDG-PET/CT imaging between January 2014 and June 2015 at our institution were evaluated for incidental findings. Results A total of 293 patients met criteria; more than one-third (n = 103) had at least 1 finding unrelated to their head and neck cancer, for a total of 134 incidental findings. Incidental findings within the head and neck (33.5% of all) excluding the thyroid were most common: 35% incidental findings were concerning for malignancy; of these, 25.5% were malignant with further workup. Recommendations were given by the head and neck radiologist on 72 (53.7%) findings: 74.5% of potentially malignant findings and 42.5% of benign findings had recommendations for follow-up. Significantly more patients with findings described as malignant were given recommendations for follow-up (P = .0004). Conclusion Incidental findings on FDG-PET/CT are present in more than one-third of patients with head and neck cancer. More than one-third of incidental findings were concerning for malignancy. This study illustrates how the incidental findings discovered on FDG PET/CT frequently necessitate additional evaluations unrelated to the index head and neck cancer. The impact of these additional assessments on the cost and quality of health care warrants future evaluation.
Time Trends and Educational Inequalities in Out‐of‐Hospital Coronary Deaths in Norway 1995–2009: A Cardiovascular Disease in Norway (CVDNOR) Project

Background Recent time trends and educational gradients characterizing out‐of‐hospital coronary deaths (OHCD) are poorly described. Methods and Results We identified all deaths from coronary heart disease occurring outside the hospital in Norway during 1995 to 2009. Time trends were explored using Poisson regression analysis with year as the independent, continuous variable. Information on the highest achieved education was obtained from The National Education Database and classified as primary (up to 10 years of compulsory education), secondary (high school or vocational school), or tertiary (college/university). Educational gradients in OHCD were explored using Poisson regression, stratified by sex and age (<70 and ≥70 years), and results were expressed as incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and 95%CIs. Of 100 783 coronary heart disease deaths, 58.8% were OHCDs. From 1995 to 2009, age‐adjusted OHCD rates declined across all education categories (primary, secondary, and tertiary) in younger men (IRR=0.35; 95%CI 0.32‐0.38; IRR=0.38; 95%CI 0.35‐0.42; IRR=0.33; 95%CI 0.28‐0.40), younger women (IRR=0.47; 95% CI 0.40‐0.56; IRR=0.55; 95%CI 0.45‐0.67; IRR=0.28; 95% CI 0.16‐0.47), older men (IRR=0.20; 95%CI 0.19‐0.22; IRR=0.20; 95%CI 0.18‐0.22; IRR=0.20; 95%CI 0.17‐0.23), and older women (IRR=0.26; 95%CI 0.24‐0.28; IRR=0.25; 95%CI 0.23‐0.28; IRR=0.28; 95%CI 0.22‐0.34). Tertiary education was associated with lower risk of OHCD compared to primary education (IRR=0.37; 95%CI 0.35‐0.40 in younger men, IRR=0.26; 95%CI 0.22‐0.30 in younger women, IRR=0.52; 95%CI 0.49‐0.55 in older men, and IRR=0.61; 95%CI 0.57‐0.66 in older women). These gradients did not change over time (P interaction=0.25). Conclusions Although OHCD rates declined substantially during 1995 to 2009, they displayed educational gradients that remained constant over time.
Aging‐associated changes in hippocampal glycogen metabolism in mice. Evidence for and against astrocyte‐to‐neuron lactate shuttle

Lactate derived from astrocytic glycogen has been shown to support memory formation in hippocampi of young animals, inhibiting it in old animals. Here we show, using quantitative mass spectrometry‐based proteomics, immunofluorescence, and qPCR that aging is associated with an increase of glycogen metabolism enzymes concentration and shift in their localization from astrocytes to neurons. These changes are accompanied with reorganization of hippocampal energy metabolism which is manifested by elevated capacity of aging neurons to oxidize glucose in glycolysis and mitochondria, and decreased ability for fatty acids utilization. Our observations suggest that astrocyte‐to‐neuron lactate shuttle may operate in young hippocampi, however, during aging neurons become independent on astrocytic lactate and the metabolic crosstalk between the brain's cells is disrupted.
Control of adhesion through surface roughness in a flat probe geometry

The goal of this work is to study the effect of surface roughness on the debonding micromechanisms of a soft adhesive. We performed probe tests using a model acrylic latex pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) against various rough stainless steel surfaces, made by varying their degree of polishing. A dual effect of the roughness on the micromechanisms was observed: an enhancement of cavitation at the beginning of the debonding, and a decrease in the expansion rate of the cavities in a later stage of the test.