Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Deep Portrait Image Completion and Extrapolation

General image completion and extrapolation methods often fail on portrait images where parts of the human body need to be recovered - a task that requires accurate human body structure and appearance synthesis. We present a two-stage deep learning framework for tackling this problem. In the first stage, given a portrait image with an incomplete human body, we extract a complete, coherent human body structure through a human parsing network, which focuses on structure recovery inside the unknown region with the help of full-body pose estimation. In the second stage, we use an image completion network to fill the unknown region, guided by the structure map recovered in the first stage. For realistic synthesis the completion network is trained with both perceptual loss and conditional adversarial loss. We further propose a face refinement network to improve the fidelity of the synthesized face region. We evaluate our method on publicly-available portrait image datasets, and show that it outperforms other state-of-the-art general image completion methods. Our method enables new portrait image editing applications such as occlusion removal and portrait extrapolation. We further show that the proposed general learning framework can be applied to other types of images, e.g. animal images.
Computer Based Mastery Learning in Developmental Mathematics Classrooms

Department of Mathematics and Statistics University of Arkansas at Little Rock 2801 South University Little Rock, AR 72204 ABSTRACT: Failures of developmental mathematics education are no secret. As a response to improve the success of students enrolled in these courses, different redesign efforts have been implemented across the country. This study reports on one redesign effort that began in Fall 2012. The new design consisted of mastery learning in computer-based developmental mathematics classrooms. Data from the design were gathered and statistically analyzed with regard to completion rates, length of completion time in the program, success in college-level mathematics courses upon program completion, and contributing factors to students’ success in the program. Findings indicate that this type of redesign may not lead to dramatic results in student success and outcomes of these courses. Further research is needed to continue to find ways to better serve this population of students.
The Bystander Behavior (For Friends) Scale: Factor Structure and Correlation With Prior Victimization

The Bystander Behavior (for Friends) Scale (BBS) offers a promising method of studying prosocial bystander behavior in the context of sexual assault and intimate partner violence. The underlying structure of the BBS has only been studied in the development sample, which was predominantly White and from one university in the Northeast region of the United States. This single sample raises questions about the replicability and generalizability of the factor structure. In addition, confirmatory factor analytic (CFA) methods, which are favored for binary data, were not used in the developmental sample. There also is limited research on individual characteristics that may relate to engagement in different types of bystander behavior. The primary aims of the current study were to (a) use CFA to evaluate the factor structure of the BBS in a sample of university undergraduates recruited from four universities and (b) test associations between prior victimization (general and family-specific) and BBS factors. University undergraduates (n = 556) from four U.S. universities comprised the sample. Weighted least squares CFA confirmed the original four-factor model of the BBS, namely, Risky Situations, Accessing Resources, Proactive Behaviors, and Party Safety. The Proactive Behaviors factor was positively associated with both general and family-specific prior victimization. The Risky Situations and Party Safety factors were positively associated with general prior victimization but were not associated with family-specific prior victimization. The Accessing Resources factor was not associated with either general or family-specific prior victimization. The BBS is multidimensional, and the factor structure is robust. The different associations between certain types of bystander behavior and prior victimization highlight the potential value in considering the BBS factors separately.
Silver lining of envy on social media? The relationships between post content, envy type, and purchase intentions

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the prevalence of benign and malicious envy on social media, and to examine the relationships between shared content (experiential vs material purchases), envy type (benign vs malicious), and purchase intention (toward the same vs a superior object). Design/methodology/approach Three studies (N=622) were conducted to ask participants to recall the last time they experienced envy due to browsing social media, report an envy-triggering post about either an experiential or a material purchase shared by others and read a post about a friend’s newly bought MacBook in either an experiential or a material phrasing. The degrees of benign and malicious envy were measured, as well as the future purchase intentions toward the same and a superior object. Findings The results showed that most of the envious emotions were actually benign envy. Although there was no main effect of purchase type on envy type, both experiential purchases and phrasings were less likely to be perceived as showing off, and therefore triggered less malicious envy. Furthermore, benign envy was positively associated with the purchase intention of the same envied purchase, and malicious envy was positively associated with the purchase intention of something even superior. Originality/value As browsing other’s social news sometimes evokes envy, people were concerned about the negative effects of envy on consumers. However, this paper addressed the positive effects of envy which comes along with a motivation of moving up. This positive motivation can also be utilized for social media advertising.
Structure–function analyses of the ion channel TRPC3 reveal that its cytoplasmic domain allosterically modulates channel gating

The transient receptor potential ion channels support Ca2+ permeation in many organs, including the heart, brain, and kidney. Genetic mutations in transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily C member 3 (TRPC3) are associated with neurodegenerative diseases, memory loss, and hypertension. To better understand the conformational changes that regulate TRPC3 function, we solved the cryo-EM structures for the full-length human TRPC3 and its cytoplasmic domain (CPD) in the apo state at 5.8- and 4.0-Å resolution, respectively. These structures revealed that the TRPC3 transmembrane domain resembles those of other TRP channels and that the CPD is a stable module involved in channel assembly and gating. We observed the presence of a C-terminal domain swap at the center of the CPD where horizontal helices (HHs) transition into a coiled-coil bundle. Comparison of TRPC3 structures revealed that the HHs can reside in two distinct positions. Electrophysiological analyses disclosed that shortening the length of the C-terminal loop connecting the HH with the TRP helices increases TRPC3 activity and that elongating the length of the loop has the opposite effect. Our findings indicate that the C-terminal loop affects channel gating by altering the allosteric coupling between the cytoplasmic and transmembrane domains. We propose that molecules that target the HH may represent a promising strategy for controlling TRPC3-associated neurological disorders and hypertension.
School Leaders’ Conceptualizations of Teacher Care for African American Middle School Students

SCHOOL LEADERS’ CONCEPTUALIZATIONS OF TEACHER CARE FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS Violet K. Whiteman Old Dominion University, 2018 Director: Dr. Steve Myran The purpose of this case study was to describe middle school leaders’ conceptualizations of caring teacher behaviors for African American middle school students. The qualitative case study focused on school leaders’ conceptualizations/identification of critical incidents (Flanagan, 1954) of care for African American middle school students. Noddings’ (1988) plan of action for implementing an ethic of care, including modeling, dialogue, practice, and confirmation, was used to inform the study. Data were collected through interviews, discussions of identified incidents of care, and observation documentation from the middle school leaders participating in the study. Themes identified from the study included: build relationships, identify and respond to students’ needs, create an emotionally safe classroom environment, and extend contact with students. Results indicated that middle school leaders’ conceptualizations of care were reflective of Noddings’ (1988) plan for implementing an ethic of care. One subtheme, communication with students, revealed the use of purposeful side conversations as an effective way to engage in dialogue with students regarding behavioral issues and other concerns. This is reflective of research on care for African American students, since these students want teachers who do not embarrass them or punish them unfairly (Casteel, 2000). Adding purposeful side conversations to Noddings’ (1984) dialogue component may be a way to reframe the narrative of dialogue to accommodate the care needs of African American middle school students.
The E3 ubiquitin ligase HERC1 controls the ERK signaling pathway targeting C-RAF for degradation

The RAF/MEK/ERK cascade is a conserved intracellular signaling pathway that controls fundamental cellular processes including growth, proliferation, differentiation, survival and migration. Aberrant regulation of this signaling pathway has long been associated with human cancers. A major point of regulation of this pathway occurs at the level of the serine/threonine protein kinase C-RAF. Here, we show how the E3 ubiquitin ligase HERC1 regulates ERK signaling. HERC1 knockdown induced cellular proliferation, which is associated with an increase in ERK phosphorylation and in C-RAF protein levels. We demonstrate that overexpression of wild-type C-RAF is sufficient to increase ERK phosphorylation. Experiments with pharmacological inhibitors of RAF activity, or with interference RNA, show that the regulation of ERK phosphorylation by HERC1 is RAF-dependent. Immunoprecipitation, pull-down and confocal fluorescence microscopy experiments demonstrate an interaction between HERC1 and C-RAF proteins. Mechanistically, HERC1 controls C-RAF stability by regulating its polyubiquitylation in a lysine 48-linked chain. In vitro ubiquitylation assays indicate that C-RAF is a substrate of the E3 ubiquitin ligase HERC1. Altogether, we show how HERC1 can regulate cell proliferation through the activation of ERK signaling by a mechanism that affects C-RAF’s stability.
Simultaneously Measuring Image Features and Resolution in Live-Cell STED Images

Reliable interpretation and quantification of cellular features in fluorescence microscopy requires an accurate estimate of microscope resolution. This is typically obtained by measuring the image of a non-biological proxy for a point-like object, such as a fluorescent bead. While appropriate for confocal microscopy, bead-based measurements are problematic for Stimulated Emission Depletion (STED) and similar techniques where the resolution depends critically on the choice of fluorophore and acquisition parameters. We demonstrate that for a known geometry, e.g. tubules, the resolution can be accurately measured by fitting a model that accounts for both the Point Spread Function (PSF) and the fluorophore distribution. To address the problem of coupling between tubule diameter and PSF width, we developed a technique, Nested-loop Ensemble PSF (NEP) fitting. NEP fitting enables extraction of the size of cellular features and the PSF in fixed-cell and live-cell images without relying on beads or pre-calibration. We validate our technique using fixed microtubules and apply it to measure the diameter of endoplasmic reticulum tubules in live COS-7 cells. NEP fitting has been implemented as a plugin for the PYthon Microscopy Environment (PYME), a freely available and open source software.
Multifractal evidence of nonlinear interactions stabilizing posture for phasmids in windy conditions: A reanalysis of insect postural-sway data

The present work is a reanalysis of prior work documenting postural sway in phasmids (i.e., “stick insects”) [1]. The prior work pursued the possibility that postural sway was an evolutionary adaptation supporting motion camouflage to avoid the attention of predators. For instance, swaying along with leaves blown by the wind might reduce the likelihood of standing out to a predator. The present work addresses the alternative—but by no means conflicting and perhaps more explanatory—proposal that phasmid postural sway carries evidence of the tensegrity-like structures allowing postural stabilization under wind-like stimulation. Tensegrity structures are prestressed architectures embodying nonlinear interactions across scales of space and time that provide context-sensitive responses faster than neural tissue can support. Multifractal modeling of the postural-displacement series initially recorded in [1] offers a metric equally effective for quantifying complexity of phasmid postural sway under wind stimulation as for quantifying complexity of human postural sway [2–7]. Furthermore, multifractal modeling offers a means to demonstrate empirically the nonlinear interactions across space and time scales in body-wide coordination that tensegrity-based hypotheses predict. Specifically, multifractal modeling allows diagnosing the strength and direction of nonlinear interactions across time scale as the difference between multifractal estimates for the original postural-displacement series and for a sample of best-fitting linear models of the series. The reduction of postural sway directly following the application of wind stimulus appears as a significant decrease in the multifractal structure for original postural-displacement series as compared to best-fitting linear models of those series. This decrease indicates the capacity for nonlinear interactions across time scale to constrict variability, which is an aspect of nonlinear dynamics often overshadowed by the possibility that nonlinearity can produce more variability. This work offers the longer-range opportunity that multifractal modeling could provide a common language within which to coordinate behavioral sciences across a wide range of species.
Inhibition of LY294002 in retinal neovascularization via down-regulation the PI3K/AKT-VEGF pathway in vivo and in vitro.

AIM To investigate the effects of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor LY294002 on retinal neovascularization (RNV) in the oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) mouse model and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). METHODS C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into normoxia-control, OIR-control and LY294002 treatment groups. LY294002 or phosphate-buffered solution was intraperitoneally injected daily into mouse pups from P6 to P9 in LY294002 treatment group or OIR-control group. Morphological and pathological changes in RNV, as well as expression levels of PI3K, serine-threonine kinase (AKT) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were observed. HUVECs treating with LY294002 were exposed to hypoxia; the expression of PI3K, AKT and VEGF were examined by Western blot and RT-PCR analyses. RESULTS Compared with the OIR-control group, LY294002 significantly inhibit RNV. Adenosine diphosphatase (ADPase) staining and hematoxylin and eosin staining indicated that the clock hour scores of neovascularization and the nuclei of pre-retinal neovascular cells in the LY294002 treatment group were clearly less than those in the OIR-control group (1.41±0.52 vs 6.20±1.21; 10.50±1.58 vs 22.25±1.82, both P<0.05). Intravitreal injection of LY294002 (in the LY294002 treatment group) markedly decreased PI3K/AKT-VEGF expression compared with the OIR-control group by immunohistochemistry, Western blotting and RT-PCR (all P<0.05). In HUVECs treated with hypoxia, expression of PI3K, AKT and VEGF were downregulated in the hypoxia-LY294002 group (all P<0.05). CONCLUSION The PI3K inhibitor LY294002 can inhibit RNV by downregulating PI3K, AKT, and VEGF expression in vivo and in vitro. LY294002 may provide an effective method for preventing retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).
I shall, we shall, and all others will: paradoxical information security behaviour

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the lemming effect as a possible cause for the privacy paradox in information security.Design/methodology/approachBehavioural threshold analysis is used to test for the presence of the lemming effect in information security behaviour. Paradoxical behaviour may be caused by the influential nature of the lemming effect. The lemming effect is presented as a possible cause of the privacy paradox.FindingsThe behavioural threshold analysis indicates that the lemming effect is indeed present in information security behaviour and may lead to paradoxical information security behaviour.Practical implicationsThe analysis of the lemming effect can be used to assist companies in understanding the way employees influence each other in their behaviour in terms of security. By identifying possible problem areas, this approach can also assist in directing their information security education endeavours towards the most relevant topics.Originality/valueThis research describes the first investigation of the lemming effect in information security by means of behavioural threshold analysis in practice.
On the Prediction of Students' Quiz Score by Recurrent Neural Network

: In this paper, we explore the factor for improving the performance of prediction of students’ quiz scores by using a Recurrent Neural Network. The proposed method is applied to the log data of 2693 students in 15 courses that were conducted with following the common syllabus by 10 teachers. The experimental results show that in the case where the same teacher is not included in both training and test data, the accuracy of prediction slightly lower. We also show that at the beginning of a course, it is better to construct a prediction model including various items of learning logs, however, in the latter half, it is better to update the model by using selected information only.
Structure, histochemistry, ontogenetic development, and regeneration of the ocellus of Cladonema radiatum dujardin (cnidaria, hydrozoa, anthomedusae)

The ectodermal eyes, 45–55 μm in diameter, of the cnidarian hydrozoan Cladonema radiatum Dujardin possess a lens approximately 15 μm in diameter enveloped by an eyecup (retina). An overlying layer of intensely vacuolated distal process of the adjoining epithelial cells forms a transparent cornea. The eyecup is composed of three cell types: basal cells, melanin‐containing pigment cells, and photoreceptor cells. The last two cell types occur in the ratio of approximately 2:1. Histogenesis of the eye both during ontogeny and regeneration is described from light and electron microscopic investigations. During ontogeny the cell types forming the retina are derived from a compact group of morphologically undifferentiated cells, but during regeneration a primordium is formed by regeneration cells. In both cases the lens is built from distal nonnucleated cytoplasmic portions pinched off from the pigment cells. The cornea is formed by distal lamellar processes of the ocellus adjoining the epithelial cells. Through EM‐histochemical methods (silver impregnation and DOPA‐oxidase reaction) the pigment of the chromatophores of the retina was identified as melanin.
Evaluation of serum uric acid level in systemic lupus erythematosus patients with normal and high pulmonary arterial hypertension

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a life-threatening multisystem inflammatory condition affected any organ system. Considering the role of uric acid as a pro-inflammatory compound in high pulmonary arterial pressure, serum levels of uric acid and its relation to severity and duration of the disease were assessed in SLE patients. Methods: As a cross-sectional study, 75 patients with SLE were enrolled in Imam Khomeini Hospital and Sahand Clinic. Serum uric acid level was measured by pars azmoon kit. Pearson correlation coefficient and T-test were used for statistical analysis of data. Results: The mean duration of SLE was 56.44 ± 40.57 months. High serum uric acid was observed in 13.3% of patients with SLE. Moreover, 8% of these patients had high pulmonary arterial pressure. Serum uric acid in patients with high pulmonary artery pressure was significantly higher than patients with normal pulmonary artery pressure (P < 0.01). Furthermore, a significant relation was seen between severity of SLE disease with serum uric acid level and pulmonary artery systolic pressure (P < 0.05). However, there was no significant correlation between serum uric acid level and duration of the disease (p = 0.90, r = 0.016). Conclusion: According to these results, a significantly increased level of serum uric acid was observed in patients with pulmonary arterial pressure. Hence, serum uric acid level could be a prognostic marker of pulmonary arterial pressure in SLE patients which correlates with disease severity. It also would help to reduce clinical demands for echocardiography in patients with normal uric acid levels.
Baseline patient factors impact on the clinical efficacy of benralizumab for severe asthma

Benralizumab is an anti-eosinophilic monoclonal antibody that reduces exacerbations and improves lung function for patients with severe, uncontrolled asthma with eosinophilic inflammation. We evaluated the impact of baseline factors on benralizumab efficacy for patients with severe asthma. This analysis used pooled data from the SIROCCO (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT01928771) and CALIMA (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT01914757) Phase III studies. Patients aged 12–75 years with severe, uncontrolled asthma receiving high-dosage inhaled corticosteroids plus long-acting β2-agonists received benralizumab 30 mg subcutaneously every 8 weeks (Q8W, first three doses every 4 weeks (Q4W)), Q4W or placebo. Baseline factors that influenced benralizumab efficacy were evaluated, including oral corticosteroid (OCS) use, nasal polyposis, pre-bronchodilator forced vital capacity (FVC), prior year exacerbations and age at diagnosis. Efficacy outcomes included annual exacerbation rate and change in pre-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 s at treatment end relative to placebo. Benralizumab Q8W treatment effect was enhanced with each baseline factor for all patients and those with ≥300 eosinophils·μL−1 relative to the overall population. OCS use, nasal polyposis and FVC <65% of predicted were associated with greater benralizumab Q8W responsiveness for reduced exacerbation rate for patients with <300 eosinophils·μL−1. Baseline clinical factors and blood eosinophil counts can help identify patients potentially responsive to benralizumab. Key baseline factors can aid in identifying patients who may respond to benralizumab http://ow.ly/uPVX30ltHTF