Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dense Connectivity Based Two-Stream Deep Feature Fusion Framework for Aerial Scene Classification

Aerial scene classification is an active and challenging problem in high-resolution remote sensing imagery understanding. Deep learning models, especially convolutional neural networks (CNNs), have achieved prominent performance in this field. The extraction of deep features from the layers of a CNN model is widely used in these CNN-based methods. Although the CNN-based approaches have obtained great success, there is still plenty of room to further increase the classification accuracy. As a matter of fact, the fusion with other features has great potential for leading to the better performance of aerial scene classification. Therefore, we propose two effective architectures based on the idea of feature-level fusion. The first architecture, i.e., texture coded two-stream deep architecture, uses the raw RGB network stream and the mapped local binary patterns (LBP) coded network stream to extract two different sets of features and fuses them using a novel deep feature fusion model. In the second architecture, i.e., saliency coded two-stream deep architecture, we employ the saliency coded network stream as the second stream and fuse it with the raw RGB network stream using the same feature fusion model. For sake of validation and comparison, our proposed architectures are evaluated via comprehensive experiments with three publicly available remote sensing scene datasets. The classification accuracies of saliency coded two-stream architecture with our feature fusion model achieve 97.79%, 98.90%, 94.09%, 95.99%, 85.02%, and 87.01% on the UC-Merced dataset (50% and 80% training samples), the Aerial Image Dataset (AID) (20% and 50% training samples), and the NWPU-RESISC45 dataset (10% and 20% training samples), respectively, overwhelming state-of-the-art methods.
The Long-Run Performance Following Convertible Debt Offerings: Does The Design Matter?

This paper examines the impact of convertible debt design on the long-run stock price performance of the issuing firms in France. More specifically, we divide French convertible bonds (CBs) into three categories; namely, debt-like, mixed, and equity-like CBs, based on their total conversion probability, which integrates the possibility of early exercise of the call feature. In line with previous empirical studies, our results show that French CB issuers experience a substantial increase in their stock price profitability before the offering followed by significant under-performance over the three year post-issue event window. However, the breakdown of our sample into three groups of CBs depending on their design reveals, on one hand, a strong evidence of stock price run-up before the offering only for equity-like and mixed CBs. On the other hand, the post-issue performance is worse only for equity-like issuers, indicating that the post-issue performance is poorer the more the convertible debt issuer's stock is over-valued prior to the offering. This finding is consistent with the market timing hypothesis.
Siamese Networks : A Thing or Two to Know

Siamese networks are non-linear deep models that have found their ways in a broad set of problems in learning theory, mainly because of their embedding capabilities. In this paper, we study Siamese networks from a new perspective and question the validity of their training procedure. We show that in the majority of cases, the objective of a Siamese network is endowed with an invariance property. Neglecting the invariance property leads to a hindrance in training the Siamese networks. To alleviate this issue, we propose two Riemannian structures and generalize a well-established accelerated stochastic gradient descent method to take into account the proposed Riemannian structures. Our empirical evaluations suggest that by making use of the Riemannian geometry, state-of-the-art performances can be achieved for the challenging problem of fine-grained image classification.
The bimodal role of matrix metalloproteinases and their inhibitors in etiology and pathogenesis of endometriosis

Aberrant regulation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) may be the primary cause of endometrial lesion formation in a group of predisposed women. Prospect for the genuine origin of endometriosis is ongoing, since retrograde menstruation leads to presence of endometrial debris in peritoneal cavity of many women, which do not experience endometriosis. Tissue remodeling is regulated precisely by a balance of MMPs and their inhibitors. Interplay between factors enhancing and suppressing matrix turnover is crucial for cyclic preparation of endometrium for embryo implantation, and endometrial shedding and renewal in physiology of primates. Disorders of the regulation of matrix remodeling leads to augmentation of implantation and invasive growth of ectopic endometrial tissue. Moreover, endometriosis-induced changes in the matrix balance leads to adhesion formation, ovulatory dysfunction and fertility impairment. The review summarizes the current knowledge regarding the regulation of extracellular matrix turnover in the physiology of the endometrial cycle and in the development of endometriosis, as well as the pathophysiology of ovulatory dysfunction in endometriotic women. Therapeutic modalities utilizing modulation of tissue remodeling were discussed.
Role of autophagy in a model of obesity: A long-term high fat diet induces cardiac dysfunction

Obesity may induce end-organ damage through metabolic syndrome, and autophagy serves a vital role in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome. The purpose of the present study was to define the roles of autophagy and mitophagy in high fat diet (HFD)-induced cardiomyopathy. Male, 8 week-old C57BL/6 mice were fed either a HFD (60% kcal) or a diet of normal chow (NC; 10% kcal) for 42 weeks. Glucose tolerance tests were performed during the feeding regimes. Blood samples were collected for assaying serum triglyceride with the glycerol-3-phosphate oxidase phenol and aminophenazone (PAP) method and total cholesterol was tested with the cholesterol oxidase-PAP method. Myocardial function was assessed using echocardiography and hemodynamic analyses. Western blot analysis was employed to evaluate endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS), autophagy and mitochondrial function. Electron microscopy was used to assess the number of lipid droplets and the degree of autophagy within the myocardium. The body weight and adipose tissue weight of mice fed the HFD were increased compared with the NC mice. The serum levels of blood glucose, total cholesterol and triglyceride were significantly increased following 42 weeks of HFD feeding. The results of the glucose tolerance tests additionally demonstrated metabolic dysregulation in HFD mice. In addition, HFD mice exhibited hemodynamic and echocardiographic evidence of impaired diastolic and systolic function, including alterations in the cardiac output, end-diastolic pressure, end-diastolic volume and left ventricular relaxation time constant (tau) following HFD intake. Furthermore, a HFD resulted in increased ERS, and a downregulation of the autophagy and mitophagy level. The present study investigated cardiac function in obese HFD-fed mice. These results aid the pursuit of novel therapeutic targets to combat obesity-associated cardiomyopathy.
Prevalence of symptomatic urinary tract infections and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of isolated uropathogens in kohat region of Pakistan

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a one of the most frequent and contagious infection. Due to its complexity, it damages various types of delicate organs in the human body such as urethra, ureters and bladder.1 UTIs is more common in females especially in pregnant women as a result of anatomical difference and the decrease level of urination during pregnancy.2,3 Pregnancy increases bactriuria which leads to pyelonephritis and obstetric such as higher fetal mortality rates, low-birth weight and prematurity.4 It has been estimated that about 150 million peoples were diagnosed worldwide for the presence of Gram negative bacteremia which is the significant cause of UTI in all ages specifically in the old age peoples.5 Fifteen to twenty percent of the urinary tract infection is caused by Gram positive bacteria and about eighty to eighty five percent is caused by Gram negative bacteria. The mechanisms of pathogenesis depend on the causative agent and its virulence factors.6–9
The jet-disk symbiosis without maximal jets: 1D hydrodynamical jets revisited

In this work we discuss the recent criticism by Zdziarski (2016, A&A, 586, A18) of the maximal jet model derived in Falcke & Biermann (1995, A&A, 293, 665). We agree with Zdziarski that in general a jet’s internal energy is not bounded by its rest-mass energy density. We describe the effects of the mistake on conclusions that have been made using the maximal jet model and show when a maximal jet is an appropriate assumption. The maximal jet model was used to derive a 1D hydrodynamical model of jets in agnjet, a model that does multiwavelength fitting of quiescent/hard state X-ray binaries and low-luminosity active galactic nuclei. We correct algebraic mistakes made in the derivation of the 1D Euler equation and relax the maximal jet assumption. We show that the corrections cause minor differences as long as the jet has a small opening angle and a small terminal Lorentz factor. We find that the major conclusion from the maximal jet model, the jet-disk symbiosis, can be generally applied to astrophysical jets. We also show that isothermal jets are required to match the flat radio spectra seen in low-luminosity X-ray binaries and active galactic nuclei, in agreement with other works.
Modeling Automation

This paper points out that modeling automation as factor-augmenting technological change has several unappealing implications. Instead, modeling it as the process of machines replacing tasks previously performed by labor is both descriptively realistic and leads to distinct and empirically plausible predictions. In contrast to factor-augmenting technological change, the substitution of machines for labor in additional tasks always reduces the labor share in national income and can reduce the equilibrium wage (for realistic parameter values). This approach to automation also enables a discussion of several new forces at work, including the introduction of new tasks, changes in the comparative advantage of labor relative to capital, the deepening of automation (whereby machines become more productive in tasks that are already automated), and the role of the elasticity of substitution and capital accumulation in the long-run adjustment of the economy.
When Men Perceive Anti-male Bias: Status-Legitimizing Beliefs Increase Discrimination Against Women

This research examines how increasing perceptions of anti-male bias lead men who endorse the gender status hierarchy to perpetuate social inequality. For men primed with anti-male bias, greater status-legitimizing belief (SLB) endorsement was associated with more negative evaluations of a female target and less desire to help her. SLB endorsement was unrelated to evaluations and helping when men were primed with bias against an outgroup (Study 1). Furthermore, when men perceived anti-male bias, priming SLB caused more negative evaluations and fewer helping intentions toward female targets (Study 2). An analysis of the free-response feedback that participants provided targets revealed ingroup favoritism; men primed with SLBs provided male targets more constructive feedback than they did to female targets (Study 2). Thus, some men may be particularly likely to display discrimination against women when they perceive bias against their own group. We discuss how this behavior may perpetuate social disparities.
Derecho

Cloud computing services often replicate data and may require ways to coordinate distributed actions. Here we present Derecho, a library for such tasks. The API provides interfaces for structuring applications into patterns of subgroups and shards, supports state machine replication within them, and includes mechanisms that assist in restart after failures. Running over 100Gbps RDMA, Derecho can send millions of events per second in each subgroup or shard and throughput peaks at 16GB/s, substantially outperforming prior solutions. Configured to run purely on TCP, Derecho is still substantially faster than comparable widely used, highly-tuned, standard tools. The key insight is that on modern hardware (including non-RDMA networks), data-intensive protocols should be built from non-blocking data-flow components.
The Teratogenicity of Methamphetamine is Influenced by Housing Conditions of Pregnant Mice

ABSTRACTOur previous study suggested that the teratogenic effect of methamphetamine (MAMP) may be influenced by the housing conditions under which drug‐treated pregnant animals were kept (Yamamoto et al., 1992). In the present study, pregnant mice were housed individually and their teratological data were compared with those obtained in the previous study where pregnant females were housed in aggregated groups. Pregnant mice were individually housed in a plastic cage and they received i.p. 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, or 21 mg/kg MAMP hydrochloride on day 8 of pregnancy (plug day = day 0). All the pregnant females treated with MAMP survived to term; this was in contrast to the high mortality rate of the animals which were treated with MAMP and kept in groups. No significant difference in the number of implantations and the resorption rate was noted between the control and treated groups. Malformed fetuses (externally, skeletally or viscerally) were encountered in the MAMP‐treated groups at prevalence rates of 0.6–3.2%, but the rates were not significantly different from the control value. The incidence of malformations was significantly lower in the groups kept in solitary conditions than in aggregated groups examined previously. The present study showed that crowding of pregnant females can potentiate the teratogenic effects of MAMP in mice. Some maternal physiological alterations caused by crowded environment such as stress‐induced glucocorticoid secretion and maternal hyperthermia may be responsible for the potentiated teratogenicity of MAMP in crowded housing conditions.
Understanding the cultural meanings of stroke in the Ghanaian setting: A qualitative study exploring the perspectives of local community residents

Background: Stroke has undergone different medical constructions over the years. While the medical profession posits that disease is a biological condition, universal and unchanging, social constructionists perceive illness as the social meaning of the biological condition. Even though the medical notion of stroke is monolithic and sometimes contradicts the representations by local community residents, little attention has been paid to understanding the cultural meanings of stroke. This study explores the cultural meanings of stroke in five different cultural settings across Ghana. Methods: 30 focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with local community members in five communities (Ga Mashie, Tafo, Gyegyeano, Chanshegu and Agorve) located in five regions in Ghana. The FGDs were conducted in Ga, Twi, Fante, Ewe and Dagbani, and were transcribed verbatim into English. The transcripts were analysed thematically. Results: The local words used for stroke in all the five cultural settings focused on physical disability associated with stroke after its onset, and this formed the dominant source of fear about the condition. Participants mentioned that spiritual and left-side stroke have the most debilitating impact on the sufferer. Although there was a general consensus that anyone can be at risk of stroke, there was a gender dynamics in the explanation of risk relativity. Participants believed that stroke can be cured through early detection and treatment, use of herbal medicines, and availability of financial resources. Compared to other disabling conditions, the community residents perceived stroke to be more severe due to the multifaceted disabilities associated with the condition. Conclusions: This study showed that the social meanings of stroke in the five communities are multifaceted, and reflected co-existence of biomedical and cultural frameworks. The findings showed the need to pay good attention to the sociocultural context when developing interventions strategies on stroke prevention and control in Ghana.
Interactions between organisms and parent materials of a constructed Technosol shape its hydrostructural properties

Abstract. There is no information on how organisms influence hydrostructural properties of constructed Technosols and how such influence will be affected by the parent-material composition factor. In a laboratory experiment, parent materials, which were excavated deep horizons of soils and green waste compost (GWC), were mixed at six levels of GWC (from 0 to 50 %). Each mixture was set up in the presence/absence of plants and/or earthworms, in a full factorial design (n = 96). After 21 weeks, hydrostructural properties of constructed Technosols were characterized by soil shrinkage curves. Organisms explained the variance of hydrostructural characteristics (19 %) a little better than parent-material composition (14 %). The interaction between the effects of organisms and parent-material composition explained the variance far better (39 %) than each single factor. To summarize, compost and plants played a positive role in increasing available water in macropores and micropores; plants were extending the positive effect of compost up to 40 and 50 % GWC. Earthworms affected the void ratio for mixtures from 0 to 30 % GWC and available water in micropores, but not in macropores. Earthworms also acted synergistically with plants by increasing their root biomass, resulting in positive effects on available water in macropores. Organisms and their interaction with parent materials positively affected the hydrostructural properties of constructed Technosols, with potential positive consequences on resistance to drought or compaction. Considering organisms when creating Technosols could be a promising approach to improve their fertility.
Sales Performance and Social Preferences

We use an incentivized experimental game to uncover heterogeneity in other-regarding preferences among salespeople in a large Austrian retail chain. Our results show that the majority of agents take the welfare of others into account but a significant fraction reveals self-regarding behavior. Matching individual behavior in the game with firm data on sales performance shows that higher concern for others is significantly associated with higher revenue per customer. At the same time, it is also associated with fewer sales per day. Both effects offset each other, so that the overall association with total sales revenue becomes insignificant. Our findings highlight the nuanced role of self- vs. other-regarding concerns in sales contexts with important implications for management and marketing research.
Probing dust settling in proto-planetary discs with ALMA

Investigating the dynamical evolution of dust grains in proto-planetary discs is a key issue to understand how planets should form. We identify under which conditions dust settling can be constrained by high angular resolution observations at mm wavelengths, and which observational strategies are suited for such studies. Exploring a large range of models, we generate synthetic images of discs with different degrees of dust settling, and simulate high angular resolution (˜0.05-0.3 arcsec) Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of these synthetic discs. The resulting data sets are then analysed blindly with homogeneous disc models (where dust and gas are totally mixed) and the derived disc parameters are used as tracers of the settling factor. Our dust discs are partially resolved by ALMA and present some specific behaviours on radial and mainly vertical directions, which can be used to quantify the level of settling. We find out that an angular resolution better than or equal to ˜0.1 arcsec (using 2.3 km baselines at 0.8mm) allows us to constrain the dust scale height and flaring index with sufficient precision to unambiguously distinguish between settled and non-settled discs, provided the inclination is close enough to edge-on (i ≥ 75°). Ignoring dust settling and assuming hydrostatic equilibrium when analysing such discs affect the derived dust temperature and the radial dependency of the dust emissivity index. The surface density distribution can also be severely biased at the highest inclinations. However, the derived dust properties remain largely unaffected if the disc scale height is fitted separately. ALMA has the potential to test some of the dust settling mechanisms, but for real discs, deviations from ideal geometry (warps, spiral waves) may provide an ultimate limit on the dust settling detection.
A test of the initiation–termination model of worry

An initial test of the initiation–termination model of worry was conducted in a sample of 51 individuals (half of whom had at least one anxiety disorder). On multiple occasions each day, participants were prompted to answer a variety of questions regarding their worrying. Worrying about new topics was presumed to reflect ease of worry initiation, whereas continuing to worry about the same topics and the duration of worrying were presumed to reflect difficulty with worry termination. Results aggregated across the sampling period revealed that worry initiation and termination incrementally predicted global worry and anxiety severity and were differentially associated with depression severity and emotion-induced blindness. Multilevel modeling indicated that, within participants, worry initiation and termination were differentially associated with the perceived costs of undesirable outcomes and with worry beliefs.
Experimental Design of Photo-Fenton Reactions for the Treatment of Car Wash Wastewater Effluents by Response Surface Methodological Analysis

Establishing a treatment process for practical and economic disposal of car wash wastewater has become an urgent environmental concern. Photo-Fenton’s process as one of the advanced oxidation processes is a potentially useful oxidation process in treating such wastewater. Lab-scale experiments with UV source, coupled with Fenton’s reagent, showed that hydrocarbon oil is degradable through such a process. The feasibility of photo-Fenton’s process to treat wastewater from a car wash is investigated in the present study. A factorial design based on the response surface methodology was applied to optimize the photo-Fenton oxidation process conditions using chemical oxygen demand (COD) reduction as the target parameter to optimize. The reagent (Fe2+ and H2O2 concentration) and pH are used as the controlling factors to be optimized. Maximal COD reduction (91.7%) was achieved when wastewater samples were treated at pH 3.5 in the presence of hydrogen peroxide and iron in amounts of 403.9 and 48.4 mg/L, respectively.