Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hyperspectral Image Classification Based on 3-D Octave Convolution With Spatial–Spectral Attention Network

In recent years, with the development of deep learning (DL), the hyperspectral image (HSI) classification methods based on DL have shown superior performance. Although these DL-based methods have great successes, there is still room to improve their ability to explore spatial–spectral information. In this article, we propose a 3-D octave convolution with the spatial–spectral attention network (3DOC-SSAN) to capture discriminative spatial–spectral features for the classification of HSIs. Especially, we first extend the octave convolution model using 3-D convolution, namely, a 3-D octave convolution model (3D-OCM), in which four 3-D octave convolution blocks are combined to capture spatial–spectral features from HSIs. Not only the spatial information can be mined deeply from the high- and low-frequency aspects but also the spectral information can be taken into account by our 3D-OCM. Second, we introduce two attention models from spatial and spectral dimensions to highlight the important spatial areas and specific spectral bands that consist of significant information for the classification tasks. Finally, in order to integrate spatial and spectral information, we design an information complement model to transmit important information between spatial and spectral attention features. Through the information complement model, the beneficial parts of spatial and spectral attention features for the classification tasks can be fully utilized. Comparing with several existing popular classifiers, our proposed method can achieve competitive performance on four benchmark data sets.
INJURY ESTABLISHES CONSTITUTIVE µ-OPIOID RECEPTOR ACTIVITY LEADING TO LASTING ENDOGENOUS ANALGESIA AND DEPENDENCE

OF DISSERTATION INJURY ESTABLISHES CONSTITUTIVE μ-OPIOID RECEPTOR ACTIVITY LEADING TO LASTING ENDOGENOUS ANALGESIA AND DEPENDENCE Injury causes increased pain sensation in humans and animals but the mechanisms underlying the emergence of persistent pathological pain states, which arise in the absence of on-going physical damage, are unclear. Therefore, elucidating the physiological regulation of such intractable pain is of exceptional biomedical importance. It is well known that endogenous activation of μ-opioid receptors (MORs) provides relief from acute pain but the consequences of prolonged endogenous opioidergic signaling have not been considered. Here we test the hypothesis that the intrinsic mechanisms of MOR signaling promote pathological sensitization of pain circuits in the spinal cord. We found that tissue inflammation produces agonist-independent MOR signaling in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, which tonically represses hyperalgesia for months, even after complete recovery from injury and re-established normal pain thresholds. Disruption of this constitutive activity with MOR inverse agonists reinstated pain and precipitated cellular, somatic and aversive signs of physical withdrawal. This phenomenon required N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor activation of calcium-sensitive adenylyl cyclase type 1. Thus, we present a novel mechanism of long-lasting opioid analgesia that regulates the transition from acute to chronic pain while, in parallel, generates physical dependence. In conclusion we propose that the prevalence of chronic pain syndromes may result from a failure in constitutive signaling of spinal MORs and a loss of endogenous analgesic control.
Unravelling Cooperative Learning in Higher Education: A Review of Research.

Teaching and learning have evolved over the years. While the use of lecture is still the dominant mode of teaching in educational institutions, there has been consensus that students need to be active in learning, for which traditional styles of teaching may not be well suited. This calls for an alternative instructional mode: cooperative learning to promote active learning among students. In higher education, interest in cooperative learning has gained momentum since the early 1980s, and this kind of teaching and learning can be conducted in many ways. The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of existing evidence pertinent to cooperative learning. In this review, cooperative learning is defined and elements inherent in this pedagogy are discussed. Theoretical perspectives relating to cooperative learning are also outlined. The outcomes pertaining to cooperative learning are then presented, followed by the influence of context on cooperative learning. This review is organized and structured as such to serve as a basis of reference for further research in the field.
Optimal DoS Attack Against LQR Control Channels

This brief investigates the problem of denial-of-service (DoS) attacks against linear quadratic regulator (LQR) control channels. Owing to energy constraints, the attacker can only launch consecutive DoS attacks with a certain length $m$ to block communication channels between the controller and actuator. We consider two compensation strategies commonly found in the literature, namely, zero-input and hold-input when control packets are blocked. It is shown that jamming from the initial instant is not always optimal for attackers. Necessary and sufficient conditions are given to ensure the optimality of blocking from the initial instant despite the randomness of initial states. In the case where attackers know the initial state, a finite-interval search method is given to obtain the optimal starting instant of DoS attacks. Numerical examples illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods.
Leiden University Computer Science Bioinformatics Track Predicting beneficial alleles using comparative genomics

Motivation: Over the last years there have been many e ↵ orts in predicting the possible deleterious e ↵ ect of genetic variants. However, due to an increase in longevity research and research into protective variants, there is an increasing need for predicting protective alleles and alleles that have a beneﬁcial e ↵ ect on human functioning. Methods: We created an evolutionary model based on the human-derived allele frequency (DAF), i.e. the allele frequency of alleles not yet present in our last common ancestor with the chimpanzee. Based on this model we generated a training set containing three types of variants: beneﬁcial variants, deleterious variants, and neutral variants. The idea behind the model is that beneﬁcial alleles will be overrepresented in the variants with a high DAF since beneﬁcial alleles ﬁxate relatively rapidly. A balance between new alleles and negative selection pressure keeps the low DAF variants enriched for deleterious variants. Neutral variants only encountering pressures from random genetic drift can be found all over the DAF spectrum and since the extreme ends are enriched for deleterious alleles and beneﬁcial alleles the middle part of the spectrum should be enriched for neutral alleles. After labeling all variants in ExAC according to these principals, we collected a broad range of genetic and genomic features for each of the labeled variants. Using this dataset we trained a classiﬁer to separate the three classes and assessed its performance. Results: The model was successful in separating the three classes in our training set. The model could also separate pathogenic variants and benign variants from the ClinVar database. When inspecting beneﬁcially predicted variants we found that they often associate to beneﬁcial traits in genome-wide association studies. We found that deleterious alleles are di ↵ erent from the other alleles because of their higher conservation, where beneﬁcial alleles could be distinguished because of their higher mutability. Lastly, we show that according to the model a cohort of cognitively healthy centenarians is enriched for beneﬁcial alleles.
A configurational approach to the determinants of women on boards

JEL Classification: M14, G30, G40 DOI: 10.22495/cocv17i4art8 This study applies a qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to test how configurations of gender equality, masculinity, highly educated women, and happiness, alone or in different combinations, explain the presence or absence of women on the board of directors (WoB). The global solution has considerable explanatory coverage and presents four alternative combinations conducive to both the presence and absence of WoB. Overall, the results show that the absence of gender equality is almost a necessary condition for the absence of WoB. The other conditions, per se, are not enough to explain the presence or absence of WoB, but in different combinations they are. For example, the combination of highly educated women, gender equality, and happiness is the solution with a higher consistent value to explain the presence of WoB. In this study, we sought to contribute with a novel, and far-reaching way of considering the determinants of the presence of WoB, moving past the typical determinants of WoB such as board size and board independence, or board members characteristics (such as experience or age) and shifting the focus solely from the corporate context to broader social, cultural and political contexts. The study presents recommendations for academics, practitioners, and policymakers, particularly to consider different determinants of underrepresentation of WoB and how new initiatives shall be implemented to advance the field and transition to economies and societies with greater social justice and gender equality.
The complete mitochondrial genome of natural hybridization of Anser albifrons and Anser fabalisthe (Anser albifrons × Anser fabalis)

Abstract Hybridization between birds in wild nature is an interesting phenomenon in the wild, but not common in waterfowl in the wild. In this study, we report the complete mtDNA of the natural hybridization bird between Anser albifrons and Anser fabalis. The complete mtDNA of the hybridization is 16,740 bp in length, contains the typical set of 37 genes, including 13 PCGs, two rRNAs, 22 tRNAs, and a 1177 bp CR. In the 13 PCGs, ATG is generally as the start codon, TAA is the most frequent stop codon, one of three, TAA, TAG, and T-, commonly observed. All tRNAs can be folded into canonical cloverleaf secondary structures except for tRNASer (AGY) and tRNALeu (CUN) missing the “DHU” arm. The new mtDNA sequence contains 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA of rRNAs, separated with tRNAval. The CR is 1177 bp in length, located between tRNAGlu and tRNAPhe. Our phylogenetic trees suggest the hybridization has a close genetic relationship among Anser species.
Using modern and paleoceanographic isotopic systems to reconstruct Late Holocene temporal oceanographic variability in the rapidly warming Gulf of Maine

The Gulf of Maine, a semi-enclosed sea on the east coast of North America, has been warming faster than most of the rest of the world’s oceans over the last three decades. Since the installment of the Boothbay Harbor (Maine) sea surface temperature (SST) record in 1905, surface waters have warmed by more than 2°C, with more rapid warming seen recently. However, it is unclear when this pronounced warming in the Gulf of Maine began or whether the warming in recent decades is the result of natural variability, anthropogenic causes, or a combination of both. Such considerations are not only of grave concern for Gulf of Maine ecosystems and the many economically important fisheries in the region but also for other regions of the world’s oceans that are predicted to warm in the future with anthropogenic climate change. This dissertation uses stable and radiogenic isotopes, in both the modern waters of the Gulf of Maine and preserved Arctica islandica shells collected in the western Gulf of Maine, in order to reconstruct hydrographic variability in the region from several centuries before the instrumental record began up until present day. Isotopic investigations (d18Owater, d15NNO3-, d18ONO3-) of modern water samples collected at varying depths throughout the Gulf of Maine enable a better understanding of factors, including ocean circulation and nitrogen cycling processes, which dictate isotopic systems in today’s waters. Such investigations lend both insight into modern processes, such as the presence of nitrification in the upper water column, as well as aid in the interpretation of isotopic variability preserved in the geologic record. Furthermore, d15N in periostracum (the brown, protein rich layer on the outside of shells) of A. islandica shells is investigated as a new proxy for d15N and therefore water mass source variability. Using compound specific nitrogen isotopes of amino acid, we show that this proxy
An Acoustic Study on the Texture of Cellular Brittle Foods

Crispness, crunchiness and crackliness are the essential qualities for food that is cellularly brittle. The relationship between acoustic sensations and perception of texture has been studied in cellular brittle foods. This article aims to review the progress of measuring acoustics in brittle food to predict human perception of sound/vibration. In doing so, the techniques used for sound/vibration recording, acoustic parameters related to food sensory properties, and the stimulus test of acoustic/vibration on human perception of food texture will be reviewed. Lastly, the mainstream direction of this field of research will be summarized. Additionally, prospective research for the future in this area of study is provided.
Potential Role of the Resident Mesenchymal Stem-Like Cells in Renal Fibrogenesis after Ureteral Obstruction

The mechanisms of renal fibrogenesis after ureteral obstruction remain unclear. We tried to primarily expand mesenchymal stem cells from renal tissues and then investigated their role in fibrogenesis after ureteral obstruction. Unilateral ureteral obstruction was induced by ligating the left ureteral duct of adult C57BL/6 mice. We collected the kidneys for experiments at 2, 7, and 14 days after operation. Histological analysis showed obviously fibrotic changes in the left kidney at 7 days and further increased at 14 days after ureteral obstruction. To expand mesenchymal stem cells, we minced the renal tissues into small explants (about 1 mm3) and cultured onto 10 cm dishes. Interestingly, the outgrowth of cells was observed significantly earlier from the explants of the obstructed left kidney than that of the unobstructed right kidney. These expanded cells showed the potency of adipogenic, osteogenic, and chondrogenic differentiations and positively expressed with CD44 and partly expressed with CD90, CD105, and CD106, but negatively expressed with CD34, CD45, and FSP1, suggesting the phenotype of mesenchymal stem-like cells (MSLCs). The mouse fibrosis RT2 profiler PCR array showed that many genes were changed over 2-fold in the MSLCs expanded from both kidneys at 2, 7, and 14 days after operation. Interestingly, profibrotic genes were prevalently enhanced in the left kidney with ureteral obstruction. Histological analysis also showed obviously infiltration of inflammatory cells in the left kidney at 14 days after operation. Our data indicate the potential role of resident MSLCs in renal fibrogenesis after ureteral obstruction, but further experiments are required to understand the relevant mechanisms.
Dose-response relationships for female radium dial workers: A new look

The values of initial systemic intake and of skeletal dose for all of the U.S. radium cases have recently been revised. This revision was required following the demonstrations by Rundo and by Keane that humans who were exposed to radium as adults lost radium at a rate that depended on the quantity of radium originally deposited within their bodies. These new values have been used to define new dose-response relationships for both the bone sarcomas and the carcinomas arising in the paranasal sinuses and mastoid air cells induced by internally deposited radium. The population examined was employed in the U.S. dial painting industry prior to 1950 and consisted of 1530 female dial workers for whom radium body burden measurements were available. By the end of 1990, 46 cases of bone sarcomas and 19 cases of head carcinomas had been diagnosed in this cohort. The head carcinoma incidence can be adequately fitted by a simple linear function, as was found in previous analyses. The bone sarcoma cases were previously fitted by a dose-squared-exponential function. With the revised values of systemic intake, the sarcoma results could not be satisfactorily fitted with this expression. When the exponent on D was increased to largermore » values, excellent fits were obtained. « less
Relationship Between Iranian L2 Learners’ Intercultural Communicative Competence and Personality Traits

The rapid development of communication technologies has facilitated communication between citizens with diverse personality traits. As intercultural communicative competence (ICC) has recently found its way into L2 theory and research, not only is it important for L2 learners to gain knowledge of ICC but also it is essential to be aware of personality traits. Therefore, through investigating the (possible) relationship between ICC and personality traits, this study was an attempt to gain knowledge of L2 learners’ ICC and personality traits/types profiles. For this purpose, 165 upper-intermediate L2 learners (70 males and 95 females) participated in this study. Then, they filled out the ICC questionnaire and the MyersBriggs Type Indicator (MBTI) in different sessions. Data were analyzed through Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients, independent samples t-test, and one–way ANOVA. Results indicated that (1) the participants were stronger at the introvert trait and extravert, intuitive, feeling, and judging type, (2) there was no relationship between the eight personality traits and the ICC scores, (3) the participants’ gender differences had no significant effect on their ICC scores, (4) and there were no statistically significant differences between the participants’ ICC scores for the three age groups. Findings are theoretically and practically significant. Pedagogical implications and suggestions are discussed in detail.
The impact of IFRS 9 impairment calculation on European banks’ market rating

Following the financial crisis, the set of rules governing international accounting needed to be reshaped so that financial disturbance could be predicted in future. As of 1 January 2018, IFRS 9 specified how financial instruments should classify and measure and how impairment should be recognised. In this paper our objective has been to identify IFRS 9 financial statement figures significantly affecting the market rate of financial institutions. We have found that the market was more affected by the volume of financial instruments and impairments than by their evolution in time.
Molecular Characterization of Hospital- and Community-Acquired Streptococcus agalactiae Isolates among Nonpregnant Adults in Isfahan, Iran

Background: The increasing incidence of Group B Streptococcus (GBS) infection among nonpregnant adults has become of growing clinical and public health concern. The current study investigated the distribution of important virulence determinants and antibiotic susceptibility of GBS isolates causing community acquired (CA) and hospital acquired (HA) infections among nonpregnant adults. Materials and Methods: A total of 62 GBS, including 31 CA GBS and 31 HA GBS, were collected from a teaching hospital in Isfahan, Iran. Capsular polysaccharide genotypes (CPS), PI 1, PI 2a, PI 2b, and hypervirulent GBS adhesin (hvgA) virulence genes and antibiotic resistance profiling were determined. Results: There were 19 (30.6%) cases of underlying disease that diabetes mellitus (20.9%) was most common. The rate of multidrug resistant GBS strains was accounted for 29%. Distribution of macrolide resistant phenotypes was as follows: constitutive macrolides, lincosamides, and streptogramin B (MLSB) (15 isolates); inducible resistance to MLSB; and L phenotype (each 5 isolates) and M phenotype (1 isolate). V and Ia serotypes were the most predominant capsular type in HA GBS and CA GBS isolates, respectively. The most frequent pilus types were PI 1, PI 1+PI 2a, PI 1+PI 2b, and PI 2a. PI 1 and PI 1+PI 2a had significantly different distributions between CA and HA GBS isolates. Three CA GBS isolates (9.6%) were positive for hvgA gene that belonged to clonal complex 17/sequence type 17/CPS III/PI 1+PI 2b lineage. Conclusion: There was a significant difference in the distribution of PIs among CA GBS and HA GBS isolates in our region.
Employee outcomes of supporting and valuing diversity: mediating role of diversity climate

Purpose – Diversity management is gaining attention in the organisations. This study theorizes and tests a model linking efforts to support diversity and organizational value of diversity with job satisfaction and organizational identification and proposes that these relationships are mediated by an organization’s diversity climate. Design/methodology/approach – Employee survey was used to collect data from employees at an Australian manufacturing organisation. Structural equation modelling in AMOS was performed for the proposed model, controlling for age and gender. Findings – The mediating role of diversity climate in the relationship of organizational value of diversity and outcomes (job satisfaction and organizational identification) is significant. We discuss theoretical, research, and practical contributions. Originality – The present study extends the literature by testing a mediation model derived from signaling theory and social exchange theory. Keywords: Diversity climate, efforts to support diversity, organizational value of diversity, job satisfaction, organizational identification
Discovery of a Major East Pacific Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) Nesting Population in Northwest Costa Rica

Abstract. Here we report on a newly discovered nesting population of east Pacific green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in northwest Costa Rica at San José Island, Murcíelago Archipelago, that rivals those of Mexico and the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. A total of 1232 individual green turtles were tagged over 4 nesting seasons (2012–2013 to 2015–2016). Mean (± SD) annual number of nests (1077 ± 414; range, 490-1698 nests) and females (306 ± 133; range, 164-466 females) was higher than those previously reported for Pacific Costa Rica. The number of deposited nests was similar to that registered on the Galápagos main beaches, but density of nests (number of nests/km) was the second highest for any green turtle beach in the eastern Pacific. Reproductive output was similar (mean clutch frequency: 4.4 ± 2.2 clutches and mean clutch size: 75.8 ± 14.6 eggs/clutch), and mean hatching success was higher (0.89 ± 0.14) than those reported at other sites in the eastern Pacific. Because the study site was located on an island within a protected area, several of the common threats that sea turtles face at more accessible mainland sites (i.e., egg poaching, tourist development, and predation by large mammals) were absent. Our data indicate that San José Island is the most important nesting site for east Pacific green turtles in Central America. The large size of this population, along with its isolated and protected status, suggest that this rookery is making a significant contribution to the conservation of east Pacific green turtles. Additional information at the country level will help determine the relative importance of Costa Rica for green turtle nesting in the broad eastern Pacific region.