Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
3D lighting-based image forgery detection using shape-from-shading

This paper concentrates on lighting-based forensics. We first show how to fool the forgery detector based on 2D lighting coefficients using a simple counter-forensic strategy. This intermediary result advocates the use of more involved 3D lighting coefficients for forensics purposes. Such a research line means that we need at least an approximation of the 3D surface of the suspect object. Contrary to previous approaches that concentrated on particular kind of shapes (e.g. human faces), we propose a promising approach based on shape-from-shading. This new 3D lighting-based forensic method is more general as the 3D shape is learned from the picture itself. Furthermore, the results are in par with the less general state-of-the-art methods.
mRNA-programmed translation pauses in the targeting of E. coli membrane proteins

In all living organisms, ribosomes translating membrane proteins are targeted to membrane translocons early in translation, by the ubiquitous signal recognition particle (SRP) system. In eukaryotes, the SRP Alu domain arrests translation elongation of membrane proteins until targeting is complete. Curiously, however, the Alu domain is lacking in most eubacteria. In this study, by analyzing genome-wide data on translation rates, we identified a potential compensatory mechanism in E. coli that serves to slow down the translation during membrane protein targeting. The underlying mechanism is likely programmed into the coding sequence, where Shine–Dalgarno-like elements trigger elongation pauses at strategic positions during the early stages of translation. We provide experimental evidence that slow translation during targeting and improves membrane protein production fidelity, as it correlates with better folding of overexpressed membrane proteins. Thus, slow elongation is important for membrane protein targeting in E. coli, which utilizes mechanisms different from the eukaryotic one to control the translation speed. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.03440. 001
Combining workflow and PDM based on the workflow management coalition and STEP standards: the case of axalant

Product data management (PDM) current technology has several pitfalls such as lack of compliance of workflow modules to standards as well as lack of interoperability between these systems. This paper illustrates the extension of the current workflow management system part of the PDM system axalant to support engineering processes management. The extension was based on an analysis of the workflow management coalition and STEP standards and, through the extension described in the paper, now axalant complies with these standards. Because of this it is now possible to exchange workflow data with existing workflow systems on the market. In this paper the two standards are analysed, the required workflow architecture is specified, and the resulting implementation is described. The necessary enhancements include the extension of the data model of axalant, the modification of the corresponding software, the modification of the user interface and the link to the interface between axalant and ProView, which helps to generate graphical process definitions. Major achievements consist of the enhancement of process design through the creation of building blocks (split- and join-operations) as well as the enhancement of organizational structure through the usage of roles as a resource for process activities. Moreover, the paper adds flexibility for axalant to handle changes, and axalant is able to generate workflow templates and ad-hoc processes and to communicate with external workflow systems.
THE EFFECTS OF CHANGE MANAGEMENT IN AN ORGANISATION : A CASE STUDY OF NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF RWANDA ( NUR )

Change has become a constant phenomenon which must be managed properly for an organization to survive. Knowledge and awareness about many of the critical issues involved in the management of such change is often lacking. This study sought to find out the effects of change management in National University of Rwanda. It was guided by the following specific objectives: to analyze the effect of change management on organization culture at National University of Rwanda; to determine the effect of change management on Organization structure at National University of Rwanda; and to investigate the effect of change management on leadership at National University of Rwanda. This study used a descriptive case study approach. A purposive sample of 57 senior staff members directly involved in managing organizational change participated. Data collection was based on secondary and primary sources. The data collected from questionnaires and secondary sources was summarized according to the study themes; being change management and its effects on organizational structure, culture and leadership. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics like mean, mode, median and frequencies. Results were presented inform of charts and tables for quantitative data and in prose for qualitative data. This study found that there are changes in the management of faculties. There are also changes in the requirements and performance of the staff, where administrative staffs are now to have at least a bachelor’s degree in relation to the positions they occupy. Previously, there were no such restrictions and conditions to occupy such slots. The University Administration has introduced the idea of performance contracting; where employees are required to set targets from which they are evaluated. Module system was introduced to replace classical way of teaching. These changes were found to affect the organization human resources in terms of downsizing, outsourcing and recruiting more staff to fill some new posts. Technological changes in terms of enhanced internet bandwidth in the university have considerably had a significant impact on the operations of the university both in Academic and administration. 1.
Uncovering Growth-Suppressive MicroRNAs in Lung Cancer

Purpose: MicroRNA (miRNA) expression profiles improve classification, diagnosis, and prognostic information of malignancies, including lung cancer. This study uncovered unique growth-suppressive miRNAs in lung cancer. Experimental Design: miRNA arrays were done on normal lung tissues and adenocarcinomas from wild-type and proteasome degradation-resistant cyclin E transgenic mice to reveal repressed miRNAs in lung cancer. Real-time and semiquantitative reverse transcription-PCR as well as in situ hybridization assays validated these findings. Lung cancer cell lines were derived from each transgenic line (designated as ED-1 and ED-2 cells, respectively). Each highlighted miRNA was independently transfected into these cells. Growth-suppressive mechanisms were explored. Expression of a computationally predicted miRNA target was examined. These miRNAs were studied in a paired normal-malignant human lung tissue bank. Results: miR-34c, miR-145, and miR-142-5p were repressed in transgenic lung cancers. Findings were confirmed by real-time and semiquantitative reverse transcription-PCR as well as in situ hybridization assays. Similar miRNA profiles occurred in human normal versus malignant lung tissues. Individual overexpression of miR-34c, miR-145, and miR-142-5p in ED-1 and ED-2 cells markedly repressed cell growth. Anti-miR cotransfections antagonized this inhibition. The miR-34c target, cyclin E, was repressed by miR-34c transfection and provided a mechanism for observed growth suppression. Conclusions: miR-34c, miR-145, and miR-142-5p were repressed in murine and human lung cancers. Transfection of each miRNA significantly repressed lung cancer cell growth. Thus, these miRNAs were growth suppressive and are proposed to exert antineoplastic effects in the lung.
Learning sign language by watching TV (using weakly aligned subtitles)

The goal of this work is to automatically learn a large number of British sign language (BSL) signs from TV broadcasts. We achieve this by using the supervisory information available from subtitles broadcast simultaneously with the signing. This supervision is both weak and noisy: it is weak due to the correspondence problem since temporal distance between sign and subtitle is unknown and signing does not follow the text order; it is noisy because subtitles can be signed in different ways, and because the occurrence of a subtitle word does not imply the presence of the corresponding sign. The contributions are: (i) we propose a distance function to match signing sequences which includes the trajectory of both hands, the hand shape and orientation, and properly models the case of hands touching; (ii) we show that by optimizing a scoring function based on multiple instance learning, we are able to extract the sign of interest from hours of signing footage, despite the very weak and noisy supervision. The method is automatic given the English target word of the sign to be learnt. Results are presented for 210 words including nouns, verbs and adjectives.
ZPRED: Predicting the distance to the membrane center for residues in alpha-helical membrane proteins

MOTIVATION Prediction methods are of great importance for membrane proteins as experimental information is harder to obtain than for globular proteins. As more membrane protein structures are solved it is clear that topology information only provides a simplified picture of a membrane protein. Here, we describe a novel challenge for the prediction of alpha-helical membrane proteins: to predict the distance between a residue and the center of the membrane, a measure we define as the Z-coordinate. Even though the traditional way of depicting membrane protein topology is useful, it is advantageous to have a measure that is based on a more "physical" property such as the Z-coordinate, since it implicitly contains information about re-entrant helices, interfacial helices, the tilt of a transmembrane helix and loop lengths. RESULTS We show that the Z-coordinate can be predicted using either artificial neural networks, hidden Markov models or combinations of both. The best method, ZPRED, uses the output from a hidden Markov model together with a neural network. The average error of ZPRED is 2.55A and 68.6% of the residues are predicted within 3A of the target Z-coordinate in the 5-25A region. ZPRED is also able to predict the maximum protrusion of a loop to within 3A for 78% of the loops in the dataset. AVAILABILITY Supplementary information and training data is available at http://www.sbc. su.se/~erikgr/.
Interruptions and Silences in Conversations: A Turn-Taking Analysis

This study is set to investigate the purposes behind interruptions and the meanings of silences in conversations. The data are taken from three casual conversations among friends. To analyze the data, the recorded conversations are first transcribed based on Jefferson’s the Glossary of Transcript Symbols (Jefferson, 2004). The transcribed conversations are analyzed using turn-taking approach in Conversation Analysis. To interpret the results of analysis, inferential method is applied. As the findings, the writers find that speakers interrupt for two purposes: to complete turns and to cut them. To go deeper, speakers interrupt when they have shared knowledge and/or similar perspective on something. In terms of silence, the meanings behind it are highly dependent on what are uttered prior to or after the occurrence of silence. Silences can indicate topic switch, speaker’s wish to continue the same topic, and disagreement. In a conversation, silences lead to awkward situations among speakers and show troubles in conversation flows.
Two applications of the Pattern Matrix Method

Pattern matrices are a special construction of matrices from a given function φ with the property that the singular values of the matrices correspond nicely to the Fourier coefficients of φ. Also, the eigenvalues “corresponding” to φ̂(S) have an inverse exponential dependence on the size of S. Hence, if φ has mass only on the high-degree Fourier coefficients, then the corresponding pattern matrix has very small singular values.
An Axiomatic Study of Learned Term-Weighting Schemes

At present, there exists many term-weighting schemes each based on different underlying models of retrieval. Learning approaches are increasingly being applied to the termweighting problem, further increasing the number of useful term-weighting approaches available. Many of these termweighting schemes have certain features and properties in common. As such, it is beneficial to formally model these common features and properties. In this paper, we introduce a term-weighting scheme that has been developed incrementally using an evolutionary learning approach. We analyse one such term-weighting function produced from the evolutionary approach by decomposing it into inductive query and document growth functions. Consequently, we show that it is consistent with a number of axioms previously postulated for term-weighting schemes. Interestingly, we show that a further constraint can be derived from the resultant scheme. Finally, we empirically validate our analysis, and the newly developed constraint, by showing that the newly developed nonparametric term-weighting scheme can outperform BM25 and the pivoted document length normalisation scheme over many different query types and collections. We conclude that the scheme produced from the learning approach adds further evidence to the validity of the axioms.
Disentangling occupational and health paths : employment, working conditions and health interactions

The objective of this Ph.D. Dissertation is to disentangle some of the many interrelationships between work, employment and health, mostly in a longitudinal approach. Establishing causal relationships between these three concepts is not easy, as many statistical biases generally undermine estimates, including selection biases and the three classical sources of endogeneity. This thesis proposes in a first chapter to study the effect of a mental health shock on workers’ ability to remain in employment. The second chapter explores the possible sources of heterogeneity in the role of working conditions on health status by examining the effects of variable early-career exposures in terms of intensity and nature on the onset of chronic diseases. Finally, the third chapter deals with the end of the career and the decision to retire. The French panel data from the Health and Professional Path (Sip, Sante et Itineraire Professionnel) survey with more than 13,000 respondents is used in this work, as well as several methodologies in order to take into account endogeneity biases, in particular methods relying on instrumental variables and methods for public policy evaluation (matching and difference-in-differences). The results confirm that employment, health and work are intimately related, with clear consequences of health shocks on employment and, conversely, a preponderant role of work on the determination of health status.
Enteric-coated, highly standardized cranberry extract reduces risk of UTIs and urinary symptoms during radiotherapy for prostate carcinoma

Background Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) proanthocyanidins can interfere with adhesion of bacteria to uroepithelial cells, potentially preventing lower urinary tract infections (LUTIs). Because LUTIs are a common side effect of external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) for prostate cancer, we evaluated the clinical efficacy of enteric-coated tablets containing highly standardized V. msacrocarpon (ecVM) in this condition. Methods A total of 370 consecutive patients were entered into this study. All patients received intensity-modulated radiotherapy for prostate cancer; 184 patients were also treated with ecVM while 186 served as controls. Cranberry extract therapy started on the simulation day, at which time a bladder catheterization was performed. During EBRT (over 6–7 weeks), all patients underwent weekly examination for urinary tract symptoms, including regular urine cultures during the treatment period. Results Compliance was excellent, with no adverse effects or allergic reactions being observed, apart from gastric pain in two patients. In the cranberry cohort (n = 184), 16 LUTIs (8.7%) were observed, while in the control group (n = 186) 45 LUTIs (24.2%) were recorded. This difference was statistically significant. Furthermore, lower rates of nocturia, urgency, micturition frequency, and dysuria were observed in the group that received cranberry extract. Conclusion Cranberry extracts have been reported to reduce the incidence of LUTIs significantly in women and children. Our data extend these results to patients with prostate cancer undergoing irradiation to the pelvis, who had a significant reduction in LUTIs compared with controls. These results were accompanied by a statistically significant reduction in urinary tract symptoms (dysuria, nocturia, urinary frequency, urgency), suggesting a generally protective effect of cranberry extract on the bladder mucosa.
Association of antibiotic resistance and higher internalization activity in resistant Helicobacter pylori isolates.

OBJECTIVES Helicobacter pylori resistance to antibiotics is the main factor for therapy failure, while other features remain largely unknown. The aims of this study are to investigate the relationship of antibiotic resistance and in vitro internalization activity between cure and failure isolates and to determine whether failures are associated with persistence of the same predominant strain. METHODS Fifty-three isolates from forty-seven patients (cure group, n = 31; failure group, n = 16) receiving one of two lansoprazole-based therapies before and/or after therapy were investigated. Antibiotic susceptibility was determined by Etest. Genotyping was determined by cagA, babA, vacA and RAPD analyses. Target cells of internalization assay were AGS cells. RESULTS Five of six paired pre- and post-treatment isolates had the same predominant genetic profiles and exhibited similarly high internalization activities. The A2143G point mutation of the 23S rRNA gene conferred clarithromycin resistance. Moreover, increased antibiotic resistance after therapy was found for these five cases. Pre-treatment isolates from the failure group (n = 11) had higher level of internalization activity than those from the cure group (n = 31) (P = 0.00005). Antibiotic-resistant strains were significantly associated with higher internalization activity than were susceptible strains (metronidazole, P < 0.005; clarithromycin, P < 0.005). CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that resistant H. pylori strains are associated with antibiotic resistance and superior internalization activity, protecting them against antibiotic treatment.
Clinical assessment of three common tests for traumatic anterior shoulder instability.

BACKGROUND Although traumatic anterior shoulder instability is common, the usefulness of various physical examination tests as tools for the diagnosis of this condition has been studied infrequently. We hypothesized that (1) such tests would be specific but not sensitive for this condition, (2) the usefulness of the anterior drawer test would be limited because of pain during the test, and (3) an anterior drawer test would be a useful adjunct for making the diagnosis if it reproduced the instability symptoms. METHODS Between 2000 and 2004, 363 patients underwent a physical examination followed by shoulder arthroscopy. Forty-six patients with traumatic anterior shoulder instability that had been noted arthroscopically or documented radiographically after the trauma were included in our study group, and the remaining patients served as controls. The clinical usefulness of three tests (anterior apprehension, relocation, and anterior drawer tests) performed during the physical examination to make a diagnosis of traumatic anterior instability then was evaluated with statistical methods to assess their sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios. RESULTS If demonstration (or relief) of apprehension was used as the diagnostic criterion for a positive test, the sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratio were 72%, 96%, and 20.2, respectively, for the apprehension test and 81%, 92%, and 10.4, respectively, for the relocation test. If pain (or relief of pain) was used as the diagnostic criterion for a positive test, the values for the sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratio of both tests were lower. The anterior drawer test could be performed successfully in the physician's office for 87% of the patients. If reproduction of instability symptoms was used as the criterion for a positive anterior drawer test, the sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratio values of that test were 53%, 85%, and 3.6, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The three physical examination tests for traumatic anterior shoulder instability are specific but not sensitive. Apprehension is a better criterion than pain for a positive apprehension or relocation test. The anterior drawer test (when pain does not prevent it from being performed) is helpful for diagnosing traumatic anterior instability. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Diagnostic Level I. See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Positively vivid visions: Making followers feel capable and happy

A number of leadership theories have highlighted the positive impact that a leader’s vision can have on follower outcomes. Although significant research has examined the impact of vision, our understanding of the mechanisms underlying this relationship is incomplete. Here, we use self-concept-based theory (Shamir et al., 1993) to explore how the strength of the vision being propounded and the way that it is expressed by leaders influence collective work beliefs. Using a matched sample of teachers and principals, we observe that inspirational visions are positively associated with group affective tone and that future-oriented visions are positively associated with collective efficacy and group affective tone, with all relationships mediated by visioning behaviour. Thus, employees whose leaders exhibit strong visions feel more collectively capable (higher levels of collective efficacy) and happier (higher levels of group affective tone) than employees whose leaders exhibit weak visions, especially when messages are delivered in an emotionally positive way. We conclude that visions contain distinct vision strength themes that differ in terms of their motivating capacity and offer important practical implications and suggestions for future research.