Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fusion of Gabor Filter and Co-occurrence Probability Features for Texture Recognition

This paper explores a design-based method to fuse Gabor filter features and co-occurrence probability features for improved texture recognition. The fused feature set utilizes both the Gabor filter’s capability of accurately capturing lower frequency texture information and the co-occurrence probability’s capability in texture information relevant to higher frequency components. Fisher linear discriminant analysis indicates that the fused features have much higher feature space separation than the pure features. Image texture segmentation results are presented that also demonstrate the improvement using the fused feature sets.
Models for managing wildlife disease

SUMMARY Modelling wildlife disease poses some unique challenges. Wildlife disease systems are data poor in comparison with human or livestock disease systems, and the impact of disease on population size is often the key question of interest. This review concentrates specifically on the application of dynamic models to evaluate and guide management strategies. Models have proved useful particularly in two areas. They have been widely used to evaluate vaccination strategies, both for protecting endangered species and for preventing spillover from wildlife to humans or livestock. They have also been extensively used to evaluate culling strategies, again both for diseases in species of conservation interest and to prevent spillover. In addition, models are important to evaluate the potential of parasites and pathogens as biological control agents. The review concludes by identifying some key research gaps, which are further development of models of macroparasites, deciding on appropriate levels of complexity, modelling genetic management and connecting models to data.
Always On(line)?: User Experience of Smartwatches and their Role within Multi-Device Ecologies

Users have access to a growing ecosystem of devices (desktop, mobile and wearable) that can deliver notifications and help people to stay in contact. Smartwatches are gaining popularity, yet little is known about the user experience and their impact on our increasingly always online culture. We report on a qualitative study with existing users on their everyday use of smartwatches to understand both the added value and the challenges of being constantly connected at the wrist. Our findings show that users see a large benefit in receiving notifications on their wrist, especially in terms of helping manage expectations of availability. Moreover, we find that response rates after viewing a notification on a smartwatch change based on the other devices available: laptops prompt quicker replies than smartphones. Finally, there are still many costs associated with using smartwatches, thus we make a series of design recommendations to improve the user experience of smartwatches.
“No Excuses” Charter Schools: A Meta-Analysis of the Experimental Evidence on Student Achievement

ABSTRACT Many most well-known charter schools in the United States use a “No Excuses” approach. We conduct the first meta-analysis of the achievement impacts of No Excuses charter schools, focusing on experimental, lottery-based studies. We estimate that No Excuses charter schools increase student math and literacy achievement by 0.25 and 0.17, respectively, for approximately each year of attendance. These are large and meaningful gains. Moreover, these effects are substantially larger than those of attending other kinds of charter schools. We discuss policy implications and offer necessary caveats.
Deep transfer learning for aortic root dilation identification in 3D ultrasound images

Abstract Pre-operative planning of valve-sparing aortic root reconstruction relies on the automatic discrimination of healthy and pathologically dilated aortic roots. The basis of this classification are features extracted from 3D ultrasound images. In previously published approaches, handcrafted features showed a limited classification accuracy. However, feature learning is insufficient due to the small data sets available for this specific problem. In this work, we propose transfer learning to use deep learning on these small data sets. For this purpose, we used the convolutional layers of the pretrained deep neural network VGG16 as a feature extractor. To simplify the problem, we only took two prominent horizontal slices throgh the aortic root, the coaptation plane and the commissure plane, into account by stitching the features of both images together and training a Random Forest classifier on the resulting feature vectors. We evaluated this method on a data set of 48 images (24 healthy, 24 dilated) using 10-fold cross validation. Using the deep learned features we could reach a classification accuracy of 84 %, which clearly outperformed the handcrafted features (71 % accuracy). Even though the VGG16 network was trained on RGB photos and for different classification tasks, the learned features are still relevant for ultrasound image analysis of aortic root pathology identification. Hence, transfer learning makes deep learning possible even on very small ultrasound data sets.
Pharmacokinetics of levosimendan and its metabolites during and after a 24-hour continuous infusion in patients with severe heart failure.

OBJECTIVE Levosimendan is a new calcium sensitizer with additional vasodilatory properties developed for the short-term intravenous treatment of congestive heart failure. The aims of the present study were to determine the pharmacokinetics and hemodynamic effects of levosimendan and its metabolites during and after a 24-hour levosimendan infusion. METHODS The study was an open-label, non-randomized, phase II study in 2 centers. Twelve patients with NYHA III-IV heart failure received 0.2 microg/kg/min continuous infusion of levosimendan for 24 hours. Blood samples for the determination of plasma concentrations of the parent drug and the metabolites were drawn repeatedly during the infusion and the 2-week follow-up period. Heart rate from Holter recordings and blood pressure were measured. RESULTS The elimination half-life of levosimendan was 1.3 hours and that of the metabolites 75-78 hours. The mean maximum increase in heart rate of 10 bpm (p < 0.005) and the mean maximum decreases in systolic and diastolic blood pressure of 12 mmHg and 8 mmHg (p < 0.05 for both), respectively, were observed during the first day after stopping levosimendan infusion. The hemodynamic effects slowly declined during the follow-up, and after 1 week no statistically significant differences compared with baseline were observed. No increase in ventricular arrhythmias was seen. CONCLUSION A 24-hour infusion of levosimendan induces hemodynamic effects lasting several days after stopping the infusion. The prolongation of the effects beyond the infusion period is most likely due to an active metabolite with a long half-life.
Are migratory behaviours of bats socially transmitted?

To migrate, animals rely on endogenous, genetically inherited programmes, or socially transmitted information about routes and behaviours, or a combination of the two. In long-lived animals with extended parental care, as in bats, migration tends to be socially transmitted rather than endogenous. For a young bat to learn migration via social transmission, they would need to follow an experienced individual, most likely one roosting nearby. Therefore, we predicted that bats travelling together originate from the same place. It is also likely that young bats would follow their mothers or other kin, so we predicted that bats travelling together are more closely related to each other than bats not travelling together. To test our predictions, we used microsatellite genotypes and stable isotope values of δ13C, δ15N and δ2H to analyse the relatedness and geographical origins of migrating hoary bats (Lasiurus cinereus/Aeorestes cinereus (Baird et al. 2015 J. Mammal. 96, 1255–1274 (doi:10.1093/jmammal/gyv135)); n = 133) and silver-haired bats (Lasionycteris noctivagans; n = 87) killed at wind turbines over two consecutive autumn migrations. Contrary to our predictions, there was no evidence that related dyads of hoary bats or silver-haired bats were killed on the same night more frequently than expected by chance, or that the number of days between the fatalities of dyad members was influenced by relatedness or latitude of origin. Our data suggest that these bats do not socially transmit migration routes and behaviours among close kin.
RECOVERING 3-D OBJECT GEOMETRY USING A GENERIC CONSTRAINT DESCRIPTION

A knowledge based approach for the surface reconstruction of buildings to be used in computer graphic applications is presented. Using a calibrated stereo camera pair, scene depth is estimated by correspondence analysis. To compensate for noisy and not dense depth maps we use a-priori knowledge about the scene to further increase the quality of the reconstruction results. Symbols are assigned to the image content which are used to establish an interpretation of the scene in form of a semantic net. Together with the scene description additional geometric constraints can be selected from a generic knowledge base. Each of these constraints describes a relationship either between parts of the model (e.g. the perpendicularity of two walls) or between the 3-D scene and extracted 2-D image features (e.g. edges or depth information). In the latter case 3-D edges and orientations of model parts are linked by constraints to the respective 2-D feature. Due to noisy data the resulting set of constraints normally lacks consistency. Numerical optimization is applied to solve this inconsistency, thus determining the model which best meets all imposed constraints. They are used both for restoring the object's geometry from the data and incrementally adding new camera viewpoints as parts to the scene description. In this mode the constraints are minimized by optimizing the camera pose and orientation.
Two-dimensional Laser Scanner with Low Mechanical Cross Coupling based on Piezoelectric Actuators

Traditional two-dimensional laser scanners usually employ two-degree-of-freedom flexible hinges. However, these flexible hinges suffer from mechanical cross coupling between axes, which will reduce the scanning accuracy and stability. To overcome the above disadvantages, a compact novel laser scanner based on piezoelectric actuators is presented. The scanner uses only three one-dimensional flexible hinges to achieve two-axis feature. The mechanical structure and principle are detailed. Then the capabilities of the scanner are tested by a performance test system. The test results show that the scanner has a tilt angle of 43.19 mrad for X-axis with resonance frequency at 149.21 Hz and 2.41 mrad for Y-axis with resonance frequency at 232.59 Hz. Its scanning nonlinearity is reduced from 3% to 0.5% for X-axis and from 6% to 1% after compensation. The test results and the actual scanning images prove the low mechanical cross
Synthesis of 1-benzyl-3-(3,5-dimethylbenzyl)Uracil Derivatives with Potential Anti-HIV Activity

Background: Nine novel uracil analogues were synthesized and evaluated as inhibitors of HIV-1. Methods: Key structural modifications included replacement of the 6-chloro group of 1-benzyl-6-chloro-3-(3,5-dimethylbenzyl)uracil by other functional groups or N1-alkylation of 3-(3,5-dimethylbenzyl)-5-fluorouracil. Results: These compounds showed only micromolar potency against HIV-1 in MT-4, though two of them; 6-azido-1-benzyl-3-(3,5-dimethylbenzyl) uracil and 6-amino-1-benzyl-3-(3,5-dimethylbenzyl) uracil were highly potent (half maximal effective concentration =0.067 and 0.069 μM) and selective (selectivity index =685 and 661), respectively. Structure–activity relationships among the newly synthesized uracil analogues suggest the importance of the H-bond formed between 6-amino group of 6-amino-1-benzyl-3-(3,5-dimethylbenzyl) uracil and amide group of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase. Conclusions: We discovered two 6-substituted 1-benzyl-3-(3,5-dimethylbenzyl) uracils, (6-azido-1-benzyl-3-(3,5-dimethylbenzyl) uracil and 6-amino-1-benzyl-3-(3,5-dimethylbenzyl) uracil) as novel anti-HIV agents. These compounds should be further pursued for their toxicity and pharmacokinetics in vivo as well as antiviral activity against non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor-resistant strains.
Characterization of macromolecular systems by mass spectrometry and hyphenated techniques

The focus of this thesis was to gain in-depth structural information of synthetic polymers by the application of several combined techniques. The second chapter provides an overview about the influence of the polymer architecture on its characterization by mass spectrometry and complementary methods. In the third chapter, we demonstrate the use of MS, more specifically MALDI-ToF MS, which provides molar masses and dispersity values for poly(furfuryl glycidyl ether) (PFGE). The second example is the study of poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PNiPAm) copolymers with glyco-monomers with specific combinations of matrices and cationization agents. The fourth chapter will combine three different examples regarding linear, star-shaped and hybrid polymers, which were analyzed by advanced techniques. The linear copolymers were analyzed by separating them according to their chemical heterogeneity using liquid absorption chromatography at critical conditions (LACCC) of poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (PEtOx), followed by automated spotting onto a MALDI target, which was subsequently analyzed by MALDI. Secondly, star-shaped polymers: [poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)-b-PEtOx]8 were monitored firstly by using LACCC of linear PEO as first separation dimension and furthermore injected onto an SEC column confirming the molar mass. Lastly, a hybrid PEO star-shaped polymer was investigated using MALDI to verify the complete functionality of the core with PEO arms. Finally, the last chapter will focus on the creation of a software to obtain information regarding average composition, overcoming isotopic, overlapping peaks and isobaric species from MS spectra. Moreover, the quantitative studies were carried out by correction of the mass discrimination and isotopic abundance. Consequently, advanced analytical techniques such as different ionization techniques within MS, a range of chromatographic hyphenation and computational methods are implemented for elucidating the complexity of synthetic polymers.
Labor Supply Responses to Social Security

The President’s Commission to Strengthen Social Security suggests three plans for reforming Social Security. These plans divert various amounts of the payroll tax to a personal account if the worker chooses to participate in the account. In return, Social Security benefits are offset using accounts with real returns ranging from 2% to 3.5%. In addition, the second and third plans proposed by the Commission include features that are designed to balance the finances of the system by reducing the rate of growth of benefits relative to the levels prescribed under current law, to make the system more redistributive, and to make other changes. When “personal accounts ” are mentioned, most people think of accounts that are in some sense separate and shielded from the uncertainties of the Social Security system. That is not the case for the personal accounts proposed by the Commission. Because the participating individual is not entitled to the principal in the account, participating in the account does not shield the individual from the political risks of being in the Social Security system. As a result, the reduction in political risk fostered by the Commission’s proposals comes mainly from the improvement in the financial status of the system fostered by other provisions of the recommended plans. Measures to improve the benefits of low-income individuals, widows and widowers and to enhance the rewards to retirement all create incentive effects that are also discussed in the paper.
Factors associated with quality of life in patients with chronic respiratory failure due to kyphoscoliosis

Objectives. Patients with chronic respiratory failure due to kyphoscoliosis (CHRF-KS) constitute a specific population with impaired health-related quality of life (HRQL). Thus far, no studies have examined factors related to HRQL. The objective of the present study was to identify clinical, functional and exertion-related factors associated with HRQL. Methods. We investigated 27 patients (12 males). Respiratory function tests, dyspnea ratings, peripheral and respiratory muscle function and exercise testing were performed. The Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire (CRDQ) was used to assess HRQL. Bivariate correlations were used to investigate the relationships between CRDQ dimensions and the clinical, functional and exertion-related characteristics of the study participants. Results. The general characteristics of the study sample were as follows: age: 61 (IQR: 12) years, FVC: 32.6% (IQR: 10.2) and pCO2: 48 mmHg (IQR: 8.7). Peripheral muscle strength, dyspnea and exercise capacity were identified as significant factors associated with poorer HRQL. The CRDQ dimensions of fatigue and emotional function showed greater correlations with the patients' general characteristics. Dyspnea CRDQ scores did not correlate with dyspnea in any of the scales used. Conclusion. Of the various factors examined, dyspnea, exercise capacity and peripheral muscle strength have been identified as significant factors associated with HRQL in CHRF-KS patients.
Mesenteric Castleman disease: Sonographic diagnosis

Castleman disease,' also known as giant lymph node hyperplasia,' lymphoid hamar t~rna ,~ angiomatous lymphoid hyperplasia,* and angiofollicular mediastinal lymph node hyperpla~ia,~ is a relatively rare, benign disorder. In 70% of cases this idiopathic tumor occurs in the mediastinurn. 's5 The neck,6 retr~peri toneum,~,~ pancreas,' pelvic cavity," and axillary and inguinal lymph nodes" are uncommon sites of involvement. Mesenteric Castleman tumors are considered very rare. To our knowledge, only 12 cases have been reported.l1,l2 We report the sono-
The synergy of ultrasonic experiments, numerical analyses of wave propagation and scattering theories in cementitious materials

The final properties of cementitious materials (strength and durability) strongly depend on the mix proportions and the fresh state of the latter. It is therefore imperative to investigate the early stages, assess the quality of the mixes as well as monitor their time evolution. In this direction, ultrasonic measurements, since many decades, have been proposed as the most efficient tool for quality control and condition characterization due to their ability to inspect, detect, locate and continuously monitor the material’s performance throughout the entire lifetime. However, wave propagation can be quite complicated, especially if the material heterogeneity and wave-microstructure interactions are taken into account. For this reason, in the current study, the ultrasonic experiments are complemented by numerical analyses of wave propagation offering the advantage of easier, faster, repeatable and parametric implementation. The strong dispersion and attenuation trends observed in both the experiments and the numerical tests make, herein, the additional implementation of scattering theories necessary as the third pillar. The results show good match between the experimental and the numerical methods as well as between the numerical simulations and scattering theories, thus providing a more holistic insight of wave propagation in microstructured cementitious materials. In the framework of this study, cement pastes and mortars (containing sand or glass beads as aggregates) are investigated, while the results are demonstrated in terms of pulse velocity and attenuation as a function of frequency revealing interesting information on the influence of the aggregate content on the quality of the mixes.
Multihormonal Regulation of Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase Gene Transcription

The most important goal of our laboratory is to understand how several hormones, each of which presumably has a unique mechanism of action, provide an integrated biological response. We have concentrated our efforts on the regulation of the enzyme phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) (EC 4.1.1.32) in cultured H4IIE cells, a clone of Reuber H35 rat hepatoma cells. PEPCK catalyzes the conversion of oxalacetate to phosphoenolpyruvate and is a rate-limiting gluconeogenic enzyme. Cyclic AMP, which mediates the action of glucagon, and glucocorticoids increase the rate of synthesis of this protein and enhance gluconeogenesis. '*2 Insulin decreases the rate of synthesis of PEPCK and correspondingly decreases glucone~genesis. '~~ By coupling measurements of PEPCK synthesis with assays capable of quantitating the activity and the amount of mRNA coding for PEPCK (mRNApepcK), we were able to exclude the following possibilities as means of hormonal control: alterations of mRNAPEPCK translational efficiency, alterations in the rate of mRNAPEPCK egress from the nucleus, and changes in the rate of degradation of mRNAPEPCK in the nucleus or cytoplasm.2-M Our interpretation of these studies was that CAMP, glucocorticoids, and insulin affect mRNAPEPCK production. The purpose of the studies described in this paper was to determine whether each of these molecules regulated PEPCK synthesis at the level of PEPCK gene transcription and then to explore how they acted in concert. Steroid hormones are thought to regulate metabolic processes by affecting the rate of transcription of specific genes. The first step in this action involves the binding of the ligand to intracellular receptors. The hormone-receptor complex binds in a sitespecific manner to DNA, and thereby regulates the transcription of specific genes.
Diabetes mellitus and nontraumatic lower extremity amputation in black and white Americans: the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Epidemiologic Follow-up Study, 1971-1992.

BACKGROUND The comparative long-term risk of non-traumatic lower extremity amputation (LEA) in black and white Americans, 2 groups with strikingly different rates of diabetes mellitus, is not known. OBJECTIVE To examine the 20-year incidence of LEA in relation to race and diabetes mellitus. METHODS The 14 407 subjects in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Epidemiologic Follow-up Study were observed prospectively between 1971 and 1992. Prevalent diabetes mellitus was ascertained at the baseline examination, and incident diabetes mellitus, during follow-up. Lower extremity amputation was ascertained from hospital discharge records. Cox regression analysis was used to estimate associations between race, diabetes mellitus, and risk of first LEA. RESULTS During the study period, 158 LEAs occurred among 108 subjects. While black subjects constituted 15.2% of the cohort, they represented 27.8% of the subjects with amputation (P = .002). The 20-year age-adjusted rate ratio of first LEAs for black subjects-white subjects was 2.14. Regression analyses confirmed the importance of diabetes mellitus as a key LEA risk factor. The association between prevalent diabetes mellitus and LEA risk was substantially higher (relative risk [RR], 7.19; 95% confidence interval [CI], 4.61-11.22) than that for incident diabetes mellitus (RR, 3.15 [CI, 1.84-5.37]), highlighting the importance of diabetes mellitus duration on LEA risk. While preliminary analyses adjusted for age and diabetes indicated a significant association between race and LEA risk (RR, 1.93 [95% CI, 1.26-2.96]), the effect of race diminished (RR, 1.49 [95% CI, 0.95-2.34]) following adjustment for education, hypertension, and smoking. CONCLUSIONS Although black subjects experienced higher age- and diabetes mellitus-adjusted rates of amputation than their white counterparts, a combination of social and environmental factors may account for the apparent ethnic difference. More research into nonbiological factors associated with LEA may reduce the occurrence of these procedures in both black and white individuals.