Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MULTIMODAL SEMI-SUPERVISED LEARNING FOR EMOTION RECOGNITION

Semi-Supervised Learning (SSL) techniques have found many applications where labeled data is scarce and/or expensive to obtain. However, SSL suffers from various inherent limitations that limit its performance in practical applications. A central problem is that the low performance that a classiﬁer can deliver on challenging recognition tasks reduces the trustability of the automatically labeled data. Another related issue is the noise accumulation problem – instances that are misclassiﬁed by the system are still used to train it in future iterations. In this paper, we propose to address both issues in the context of emotion recognition. Initially, we exploit the complementarity between audio-visual features to improve the performance of the classiﬁer during the supervised phase. Then, we iteratively re-evaluate the automatically labeled instances to correct possibly mislabeled data and this enhances the overall conﬁdence of the system’s predictions. Experimental results performed on the RECOLA database demonstrate that our methodology delivers a strong performance in the classiﬁcation of high/low emotional arousal (UAR = 76.5%), and signiﬁcantly outperforms traditional SSL methods by at least 5.0% (absolute gain).
Structure and Offender Behavior in Swedish Rape Cases: A Multidimensional Scaling Approach

A sample of Swedish rape cases (n = 28) that occurred during the years of 1998 and 2002 were selected with the primary objective of discovering differences in the behavioral structure of the offender depending on the nature of any prior relationship with the victim. Three offender categories were established: Intimate, Familiar and Friend. These were then used as boundaries for behavior elicited by the offenders and focal points of Modus Operandi (MO). The cases were coded by using binary variables designed during the present study based on variables discovered in previous studies on offender behavior in sexual crimes. Furthermore the variables' inter-correlation was analyzed with the use of Multidimensional Scaling (MDS). The authors found that the MDS divided the variables into four different categories instead of the original three that was expected, possibly indicating the existence of a novel MO that is not bound to any of our three categories. Research within the field of offender behavior in sexual assault crimes in Sweden is limited; hence this study aims to explore possible avenues of future scientific enquiries.
Girls and Boys: Economic Crisis, Fertility, and Birth Outcomes

We investigate the impact of an economic downturn on natality and birth weight for newborns when parents prefer sons. We examine South Korea, unexpectedly hit by the Asian financial crisis in 1997. For identification, we exploit regional and time variation in the crisis, focusing on women who were already pregnant when the downturn began. We find that the number of girls would have been 2% higher absent the crisis and that birth outcomes for girls were no better than those for boys—findings that differ from the Trivers–Willard Hypothesis. This relative disadvantage of girls is more severe among newborns who have at least two older siblings.
Exploiting Delay Budget Flexibility for Efficient Group Delivery in the Internet of Things

Further accelerated by the Internet of Things (IoT) concept, various devices are being continuously introduced into diverse application scenarios. To achieve unattended updates of IoT smart object(s), there remains a challenging problem concerning how to efficiently deliver messages to specific groups of target nodes, especially considering node mobility. In this paper, the relay selection problem is investigated on the basis of directional movement with randomness (e.g., typically associated with the searching or migrating behavior of animals). Unlike numerous works tackling one-to-one communication, we focus on efficient group delivery (one-to-many). A two-level delay budget model is considered to reflect the flexibility of delay tolerance, which brings potential efficiency gains for group delivery compared with using a single budget boundary. Following the description of the system model, a combinatorial bi-objective optimization problem is formulated and solutions are proposed. Simulation results show that the greedy algorithm can achieve comparable performance to an evolutionary algorithm when the delivery satisfaction outweighs efficiency. Furthermore, we show that our proposed greedy scheme can outperform the state-of-the-art when the delivery efficiency becomes increasingly important.
Mentalization mediates the relationship between borderline personality features and internalizing and externalizing psychopathology in adolescents

Abstract Background: Findings show that deficiencies in the ability to understand mental states are related to many forms of psychopathology. Mentalizing dysfunctions are suggested to be the core pathology underlying borderline personality disorder (BPD). Moreover, research suggests that BPD predicts psychopathology in general and findings display that diminished mentalization is related to a range of psychiatric disorders. As yet, no study has investigated the potential link between borderline personality features, mentalization and internalizing and externalizing psychopathology, and whether internalizing and externalizing psychopathology in BPD might be driven by impaired mentalization. Objective: In a cross-sectional study, 109 patients referred to a child and adolescent psychiatric clinic were assessed with a battery of self-report instruments to asses borderline personality features, mentalization, and internalizing and externalizing psychopathology. Method: Simple mediation model was used to examine whether mentalizing abilities mediated the relationship between borderline features and psychopathology in regard to externalizing and internalizing psychopathology in adolescents. Results: The results indicated that mentalization mediated the relationship between borderline personality features and both externalizing and internalizing psychopathology in adolescents, indicating that mentalization underlie externalizing and internalizing psychopathology in adolescents with borderline personality features. Conclusion: The current study is the first empirical study to evaluate mentalization as a mediating factor between adolescents who met full or sub-threshold criteria for BPD and psychopathology. Clinical implications are discussed.
The Big Five Social System Traits as the Source of Personality Traits, MBTI, Social Styles, Personality Disorders, and Cultures

This paper proposes the big five social system traits as the fixed, clear, and workable social solutions to the social issues under the different social conditions. Under the big five social system traits, different fixed and clear personal behaviors are developed by different people under different social conditions, so the big five social system traits are the source of different aspects of human behavior in terms of personality traits in the big five personality traits, personality types in the MBTI, social styles in the social style model, personality disorders in the DSM-5, social group deviances derived from the DSM-5, and religious, political, and economic systems in Western and Eastern cultures as described in this paper. The big five social system traits consist of sociality (individualistic-collectivistic-interdependent) traits to the issue of social formation, worldview traits (connective-competitive-territorial or people-tasks) to the issue of social boundary, awareness traits (concrete-imaginary) to the issue of social stress, activity traits (constructional-mobilized) to the issue of social duration, and legitimacy traits (authoritative-rational) to the issue of social uniformity. As a result, the big five social system traits provide the base for the unified theory of human behavior to unify different aspects of human behavior and to produce the common ground for diverse views to communicate.
Networks in juvenile myoclonic epilepsy Brain 2012 : 135 ; 3635 – 3644

1 Department of Neuroimaging, King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry, London SE5 8AF, UK 2 Department of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA 3 Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, WC1N 3BG, UK 4 Department of Neurology, Epilepsy Centre, University of Munich, Munich 81377, Germany 5 Epilepsy Society, MRI Unit, Chalfont St Peter SL9 0RJ, UK 6 Department of Psychology, King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry, London SE5 8AF, UK 7 Department of Clinical Neuroscience, King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry, London SE5 8AF, UK
Amendment history : Corrigendum ( March 2019 ) Expression of Concern ( March 2019 ) The HMGB 1 / RAGE axis triggers neutrophil-mediated injury amplification following necrosis

In contrast to microbially triggered inflammation, mechanisms promoting sterile inflammation remain poorly understood. Damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) are considered key inducers of sterile inflammation following cell death, but the relative contribution of specific DAMPs, including high–mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), is ill defined. Due to the postnatal lethality of Hmgb1-knockout mice, the role of HMGB1 in sterile inflammation and disease processes in vivo remains controversial. Here, using conditional ablation strategies, we have demonstrated that epithelial, but not bone marrow–derived, HMGB1 is required for sterile inflammation following injury. Epithelial HMGB1, through its receptor RAGE, triggered recruitment of neutrophils, but not macrophages, toward necrosis. In clinically relevant models of necrosis, HMGB1/RAGE-induced neutrophil recruitment mediated subsequent amplification of injury, depending on the presence of neutrophil elastase. Notably, hepatocyte-specific HMGB1 ablation resulted in 100% survival following lethal acetaminophen intoxication. In contrast to necrosis, HMGB1 ablation did not alter inflammation or mortality in response to TNFor FAS-mediated apoptosis. In LPS-induced shock, in which HMGB1 [. ] Research Article Hepatology Immunology Inflammation
Breakdown of Team Cognition and Team Performance : Examining the influence of media and overconfidence on mutual understanding , shared situation awareness and contextualization

7 Introduction and purpose . 11 Theoretical framework . 16 Team cognition . 16 Mutual understanding . 16 Shared situation awareness . 17 Contextualization . 17 Organizational media theories and the literature on overconfidence . 18 Media richness theory . 19 Early criticism of media richness theory . 20 The cognitive affective model of organizational communication . 21 and media synchronicity . 21 Research gaps . 21 Summary of research questions . 24 Article 1: Alignment of perceived mutual understanding and actual mutual understanding: Role of a distributed versus a co-located communication setting and overconfidence . 24 Article 2: Connecting the dots in counter-terrorism: The consequences of communication media for shared situation awareness and team performance . 25 Article 3: Overconfidence and the media, contextualization and team performance relationship: Towards a behavioral team communication model . 25 Article 4: Contextualization: The interactive role of overconfidence and perspective taking . 26 Contribution to theory . 26 Methods . 27 Overall research design . 27 Unit and level of analysis . 28 Development of the experimental simulation lab . 28 Data collection for the four articles . 30 Chapter 1: Alignment of Perceived Mutual Understanding and Actual Mutual Understanding: . 33 Role of a Distributed versus a Co-located Communication Setting and Overconfidence . 33 Chapter 2: Connecting the dots in counter-terrorism: . 65 The consequences of communication media for . 65 shared situation awareness and team performance . 65
An Insight into the Projection Characteristics of the Soil-Water Retention Surface

The soil-water retention surface (SWRS), which describes the variation of the degree of saturation (Sr) with suction (s) and void ratio (e), is of crucial importance for understanding and modeling the hydro-mechanical behavior of unsaturated soils. As a 3D surface in the Sr –e–s space, the SWRS can be projected onto the constant Sr, constant s, and constant e planes to form three different 2D projections, which is essential for establishing the SWRS and understanding its various characteristics. This paper presents a series of investigations on the various characteristics of the three SWRS projections. For the Sr –s and Sr –e relationships, (i) a tangential approximation approach is proposed to quantitatively capture their asymptotes, and (ii) a new criterion is presented to distinguish the low and high suction ranges within which these two relationships exhibit different features. On the other hand, a modified expression is introduced to better capture the characteristics of the s–e relationships. The various projection characteristics and the proposed approaches are validated using a wide set of experimental data from the literature. Studies presented in this paper are useful for the rational interpretation of the SWRS and the hydro-mechanical coupling behavior of unsaturated soils.
A Rapid Realist Review of Quality Care Process Metrics Implementation in Nursing and Midwifery Practice

Quality measurement initiatives promote quality improvement in healthcare but can be challenging to implement effectively. This paper presents a Rapid Realist Review (RRR) of published literature on Quality Care-Process Metrics (QCP-M) implementation in nursing and midwifery practice. An RRR informed by RAMESES II standards was conducted as an efficient means to synthesize evidence using an expert panel. The review involved research question development, quality appraisal, data extraction, and evidence synthesis. Six program theories summarised below identify the key characteristics that promote positive outcomes in QCP-M implementation. Program Theory 1: Focuses on the evidence base and accessibility of the QCP-M and their ease of use by nurses and midwives working in busy and complex care environments. Program Theory 2: Examines the influence of external factors on QCP-M implementation. Program Theory 3: Relates to existing cultures and systems within clinical sites. Program Theory 4: Relates to nurses’ and midwives’ knowledge and beliefs. Program Theory 5: Builds on the staff theme of Programme Theory four, extending the culture of organizational learning, and highlights the meaningful engagement of nurses and midwives in the implementation process as a key characteristic of success. Program Theory 6: Relates to patient needs. The results provide nursing and midwifery policymakers and professionals with evidence-based program theory that can be translated into action-orientated strategies to help guide successful QCP-M implementation.
New Keynesian Phillips Curves: A Reassessment Using Euro-Area Data

Using euro-area data, we re-examine the empirical success of New Keynesian Phillips Curves (NKPCs). The nature of our re-evaluation relies on the actual empirical underpinnings of such estimates: we find existing estimates un-robust and – given that key parameters are generally calibrated rather than estimated – potentially at odds with the data. We re-estimate with a wellspecified optimizing supply-side (which attempts to treat non-stationarity in factor income shares and mark-ups) and this allows us to derive estimates of technology parameters and marginal costs. Our resulting estimates of the euro-area NKPCs are robust, provide reasonable estimates for fixed-price durations and discount rates and embody plausible dynamic properties. Our method for identifying and estimating New Keynesian Phillips curves has general applicability to a wide set of countries and might also be used in identifying sectoral NKPCs. JEL Classification: E31
Explaining Foreign Holdings of Asia's Debt Securities: The Feldstein-Horioka Paradox Revisited*: Feldstein-Horioka Paradox Revisited

In this paper, we find that home bias is still present in all economies and regions, especially in the case of short-term debt securities, but that there are substantial variations among economies and regions in the strength of home bias, with the Eurozone economies, the US, and developing Asia showing relatively weak home bias and advanced Asia, especially Japan, showing relatively strong home bias. We then examine trends over time in foreign holdings of debt securities and find that capital has been flowing from the US and the Eurozone economies to both advanced Asia (especially Japan) and developing Asia and that foreign holdings of debt securities have been increasing in advanced as well as developing Asia but for different reasons. The main reason in the case of advanced Asia (especially Japan) appears to be higher risk-adjusted returns, whereas the main reason in the case of developing Asia appears to be the growth of debt securities markets combined with relatively weak home bias and (in the case of short-term securities) lower exchange rate volatility. Finally, we find that since the Global Financial Crisis, foreign holdings of debt securities have declined (i.e., that home bias has strengthened) in all economies and regions except developing Asia, where they have increased (except for a temporary decline in 2008) but where their share is still much lower than the optimal share warranted by the capital asset pricing market model.
Macroeconomic impacts and transmission channels of an epidemic shock: evidence from the economic performance of China during the 2003 SARS epidemic

ABSTRACT This paper uses the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic as a quasi-experiment to study the economic impact of epidemic shocks. It aims to answer the following two questions. 1) How does an epidemic affect various macroeconomic variable? 2) What are the transmission channels through which the epidemic shock affected firms? We build an epidemic shock macroeconomic model and use synthetic control method (SCM) and difference-in-differences (DID) estimator to estimate the impact of the 2003 SARS epidemic on the economic performance of China. We find that the SARS epidemic negatively affected China’s GDP growth rates and its levels of consumption, investment, and productivity. The lag time effect of SARS was very short because of the short duration of the outbreak and adequate market liquidity. We isolate and compare the effects of the SARS epidemic from the perspectives of changes in business cycles, labour supply shocks and external financing conditions on firms’ economic performance using firm-specific sensitivity estimates prior to the SARS epidemic. We find that the SARS epidemic had a larger negative impact on firms with higher sensitivity to business cycles and labour supply shocks.
Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress: A Critical Molecular Driver of Endothelial Dysfunction and Cardiovascular Disturbances Associated with Diabetes

Physical inactivity and sedentary lifestyle contribute to the widespread epidemic of obesity among both adults and children leading to rising cases of diabetes. Cardiovascular disease complications associated with obesity and diabetes are closely linked to insulin resistance and its complex implications on vascular cells particularly endothelial cells. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is activated following disruption in post-translational protein folding and maturation within the ER in metabolic conditions characterized by heavy demand on protein synthesis, such as obesity and diabetes. ER stress has gained much interest as a key bridging and converging molecular link between insulin resistance, oxidative stress, and endothelial cell dysfunction and, hence, represents an interesting drug target for diabetes and its cardiovascular complications. We reviewed here the role of ER stress in endothelial cell dysfunction, the primary step in the onset of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. We specifically focused on the contribution of oxidative stress, insulin resistance, endothelial cell death, and cellular inflammation caused by ER stress in endothelial cell dysfunction and the process of atherogenesis.
Exciton Delocalization in the B 808 – 866 Antenna of the Green Bacterium Chloroflexus aurantiacus as Revealed by Ultrafast Pump-Probe Spectroscopy

A model of pigment organization in the B808–866 bacteriochlorophyll a antenna of the green photosynthetic bacterium Chloroflexus aurantiacus based on femtosecond pump-probe studies is proposed. The building block of the antenna was assumed to be structurally similar to that of the B800–850 light-harvesting 2 (LH2) antenna of purple bacteria and to have the form of two concentric rings of N strongly coupled BChl866 pigments and of N/2 weakly coupled BChl808 monomers, where N 24 or 32. We have shown that the Qy transition dipoles of BChl808 and BChl866 molecules form the angles 43° 3° and 8° 4°, respectively, with the plane of the corresponding rings. Using the exciton model, we have obtained a quantitative fit of the pump-probe spectra of the B866 and B808 bands. The anomalously high bleaching value of the B866 band with respect to the B808 monomeric band provided the direct evidence for a high degree of exciton delocalization in the BChl866 ring antenna. The coherence length of the steady-state exciton wave packet corresponds to five or six BChl866 molecules at room temperature.
The Relationship Between the Chronicity and Severity of Abuse, Socio-economics, Psychosocial Factors, and Mental Health

The abuse and mental health of older persons are sources of great concern. However, there are limited data on the relation between the chronicity (frequency of abuse) by severity (minor, severe) of abuse (e.g. psychological, physical) and mental health (e.g. depression). Women/men aged 60–84 years from seven European cities (n=4,467) participated in this study, and data were analysed with bivariate/multivariate methods. High chronicity (frequency, median/above) of psychological and physical abuse independently of severity was related to depression and anxiety; financial and overall abuse to anxiety; and minor financial abuse and overall abuse to depression. Regressions showed that some factors (e.g. being from Greece) were associated with a lower depression/anxiety “risk” and others (e.g. low social support) with high risk. Low chronicity (frequency, below median) of psychological abuse was associated with a lower anxiety risk. The management of depression/anxiety, particularly anxiety, among elders should also consider the roles of abuse and social support.