Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gesture recognition using hybrid generative-discriminative approach with Fisher Vector

Gesture recognition is used for many practical applications such as human-robot interaction, medical rehabilitation and sign language. In this paper, we apply a hybrid generative-discriminative approach by using the Fisher Vector to improve the recognition performance. The strategy is to merge the generative approach of Hidden Markov Model dealing with spatio-temporal motion data with the discriminative approach of Support Vector Machine focusing on the classification task. The motion segments are encoded into HMMs, and each segment is converted to FV, whose elements can be obtained as the derivative of the probability of the segment being generated by the HMMs with respect to their parameters. SVM is subsequently trained by the FVs. An input gesture can be classified to corresponding gesture category by SVM. In the experiments, we test our approach by comparing three HMM chain models and four categorization methods on dataset provided by the ChaLearn Looking at People Challenge 2014 (LAP 2014). The results show that similar gesture patterns are clustered closely in several categories. Our approach based left-to-right HMMs outperforms other gesture recognition methods. More specifically, the hybrid generative-discriminative approach overcomes the standard HMM approach and the generative kernel approach overcomes the generative embedding approach. For these results, our approach is effective to improve the recognition performance.
Novel, Potent Inhibitors of Human Kv1.5 K+ Channels and Ultrarapidly Activating Delayed Rectifier Potassium Current

We have identified a series of diphenyl phosphine oxide (DPO) compounds that are potent frequency-dependent inhibitors of cloned human Kv1.5 (hKv1.5) channels. DPO inhibited hKv1.5 expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells in a concentration-dependent manner preferentially during channel activation and slowed the deactivating tail current, consistent with a predominant open-channel blocking mechanism. Varying kinetics of DPO interaction with Kv1.5 channels resulted in differing potencies and frequency dependencies of inhibition that were comparable for both expressed hKv1.5 current and native ultrarapidly activating delayed rectifier potassium current (IKur) in human atrial myocytes. Selectivity of DPO versus other cardiac K+ channels was demonstrated in human atrial myocytes (IKur versus transient outward potassium current) and guinea pig ventricular myocytes [IKur versus rapidly activating delayed rectifier potassium current (IKr), slowly activating delayed rectifier potassium current (IKs) and inward rectifier potassium current (IK1), and one compound (DPO-1) was shown to be 15-fold more selective for Kv1.5 versus Kv3.1 channels expressed in Xenopus oocytes. DPO-1 also prolonged action potentials of isolated human atrial but not ventricular myocytes, in contrast to the effect of a selective IKr blocker. The selectivity and kinetics of inhibition hKv1.5 and IKur by DPO and the resulting selective prolongation of atrial repolarization could provide an effective profile for treatment of supraventricular arrhythmias.
Efficient design of indoor positioning systems based on location fingerprinting

This paper presents results of systematic study to improve designing of indoor positioning systems based on location fingerprinting technique. Thus far, researchers have been focusing on improving this type of positioning systems by arbitrarily selecting one of available pattern classification techniques. On the contrary, this study suggests a modeling framework which can be used as a tool to efficiently design such systems. Using the proposed framework, this paper quantifies accuracy and precision improvement resulted from adjusting system parameters. Consequentially, deployment and performance tuning time which is the most time-consuming process of the fingerprinting technique can be reduced. A system model based on proposed framework is validated with a prototype in which both model and prototype utilize simple Euclidean distance as a technique for location determination.
The Role of Social Novelty in Risk Seeking and Exploratory Behavior: Implications for Addictions

Novelty preference or sensation seeking is associated with disorders of addiction and predicts rodent compulsive drug use and adolescent binge drinking in humans. Novelty has also been shown to influence choice in the context of uncertainty and reward processing. Here we introduce a novel or familiar neutral face stimuli and investigate its influence on risk-taking choices in healthy volunteers. We focus on behavioural outcomes and imaging correlates to the prime that might predict risk seeking. We hypothesized that subjects would be more risk seeking following a novel relative to familiar stimulus. We adapted a risk-taking task involving acceptance or rejection of a 50:50 choice of gain or loss that was preceded by a familiar (pre-test familiarization) or novel face prime. Neutral expression faces of males and females were used as primes. Twenty-four subjects were first tested behaviourally and then 18 scanned using a different variant of the same task under functional MRI. We show enhanced risk taking to both gain and loss anticipation following novel relative to familiar images and particularly for the low gain condition. Greater risk taking behaviour and self-reported exploratory behaviours was predicted by greater right ventral putaminal activity to novel versus familiar contexts. Social novelty appears to have a contextually enhancing effect on augmenting risky choices possibly mediated via ventral putaminal dopaminergic activity. Our findings link the observation that novelty preference and sensation seeking are important traits predicting the initiation and maintenance of risky behaviours, including substance and behavioural addictions.
Apc inhibition of Wnt signaling regulates supernumerary tooth formation during embryogenesis and throughout adulthood

The ablation of Apc function or the constitutive activation ofβ -catenin in embryonic mouse oral epithelium results in supernumerary tooth formation, but the underlying mechanisms and whether adult tissues retain this potential are unknown. Here we show that supernumerary teeth can form from multiple regions of the jaw and that they are properly mineralized, vascularized, innervated and can start to form roots. Even adult dental tissues can form new teeth in response to either epithelial Apc loss-of-function or β-catenin activation, and the effect of Apc deficiency is mediated by β-catenin. The formation of supernumerary teeth via Apc loss-of-function is non-cell-autonomous. A small number of Apc-deficient cells is sufficient to induce surrounding wild-type epithelial and mesenchymal cells to participate in the formation of new teeth. Strikingly, Msx1, which is necessary for endogenous tooth development, is dispensable for supernumerary tooth formation. In addition, we identify Fgf8, a known tooth initiation marker, as a direct target of Wnt/β-catenin signaling. These studies identify key mechanistic features responsible for supernumerary tooth formation.
Source Retrieval Plagiarism Detection based on Weighted Noun phrase and Key phrase Extraction

This paper describes an approach for source retrieval task of PAN 2015 competition. We apply two methods to extract important terms, namely weighted noun phrases and keyword phrases which are extracted from long sentences in terms of word count. Queries are constructed from top marked sentences. The prepared system tries to gather a complete dataset of downloaded sources and employ it in query filtering operations. The ChatNoir search API is used for submitted queries. Each query is split into two sub-queries and the system extract one snippet for each of sub-queries and exploits them in downloading operation. The evaluation results show high scores for three measures: recall, total queries number and no detection.
Temporal Auditory and Visual Motion Processing of Children Diagnosed with Auditory Processing Disorder and Dyslexia

Objective: Auditory processing disorder (APD) is diagnosed on the basis of listening difficulties despite normal audiogram, although the cause is unknown. This study examined the hypothesis that the underlying cause of APD is a modality-specific deficit in auditory temporal processing and also considered how far the auditory impairments in APD differ from those in children with dyslexia. Design: Performance of children diagnosed with APD (N = 22) was compared with that of a normative group (N = 98) as well as with children with dyslexia (N = 19) on a battery of temporal auditory tasks; 2-Hz frequency modulation (FM), 40-Hz FM, and iterated rippled noise detection as well as a control task (240-Hz FM), which is thought to draw on peripheral spectral mechanisms. Visual tasks were coherent form and coherent motion detection. Results: On average, the APD group performed more poorly than the normative group on the 40-Hz FM, 240-Hz FM, and iterated rippled noise tasks. There were no significant differences between the APD and dyslexia group's performance and no evidence for a specific temporal auditory impairment. A higher proportion of children in the APD group performed poorly (<−1 SD) on the visual tasks than those in the normative group. Auditory psychophysical performance correlated positively with the performance on the SCAN-C, a standardized test of auditory processing, but not with reading ability. Conclusions: The research did not support a modality-specific impairment of temporal auditory processing as being the underlying cause of APD. In both the APD and dyslexia groups, a similar proportion displayed poor auditory performance, and this does not seem entirely accounted for by attention or performance I.Q. However, the significance of these auditory difficulties is uncertain. Serious difficulties with auditory assessment were also identified. Currently, auditory perceptual deficits may be better seen as a part of a multifactorial description of learning problems rather than as part of a diagnostic category in their own right.
Inhibition of 6‐phosphofructo‐2‐kinase suppresses fibroblast‐like synoviocytes‐mediated synovial inflammation and joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis

Abnormal glycolytic metabolism contributes to joint inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aims of this study were to investigate the role of 6‐phosphofructo‐2‐kinase/fructose‐2,6‐bisphosphatase 3 (PFKFB3), a bifunctional enzyme that controls the glycolytic rate, in regulating fibroblast‐like synoviocyte (FLS)‐mediated synovial inflammation and invasiveness in RA.
Translation Reinitiation Relies on the Interaction between eIF3a/TIF32 and Progressively Folded cis-Acting mRNA Elements Preceding Short uORFs

Reinitiation is a gene-specific translational control mechanism characterized by the ability of some short upstream uORFs to retain post-termination 40S subunits on mRNA. Its efficiency depends on surrounding cis-acting sequences, uORF elongation rates, various initiation factors, and the intercistronic distance. To unravel effects of cis-acting sequences, we investigated previously unconsidered structural properties of one such a cis-enhancer in the mRNA leader of GCN4 using yeast genetics and biochemistry. This leader contains four uORFs but only uORF1, flanked by two transferrable 5′ and 3′ cis-acting sequences, and allows efficient reinitiation. Recently we showed that the 5′ cis-acting sequences stimulate reinitiation by interacting with the N-terminal domain (NTD) of the eIF3a/TIF32 subunit of the initiation factor eIF3 to stabilize post-termination 40S subunits on uORF1 to resume scanning downstream. Here we identify four discernible reinitiation-promoting elements (RPEs) within the 5′ sequences making up the 5′ enhancer. Genetic epistasis experiments revealed that two of these RPEs operate in the eIF3a/TIF32-dependent manner. Likewise, two separate regions in the eIF3a/TIF32-NTD were identified that stimulate reinitiation in concert with the 5′ enhancer. Computational modeling supported by experimental data suggests that, in order to act, the 5′ enhancer must progressively fold into a specific secondary structure while the ribosome scans through it prior uORF1 translation. Finally, we demonstrate that the 5′ enhancer's stimulatory activity is strictly dependent on and thus follows the 3′ enhancer's activity. These findings allow us to propose for the first time a model of events required for efficient post-termination resumption of scanning. Strikingly, structurally similar RPE was predicted and identified also in the 5′ leader of reinitiation-permissive uORF of yeast YAP1. The fact that it likewise operates in the eIF3a/TIF32-dependent manner strongly suggests that at least in yeasts the underlying mechanism of reinitiation on short uORFs is conserved.
Dealing with tight couplings and multiple interactions in complex technological systems

In this paper we discuss the challenges of dealing with interdependencies in complex assemblages of heterogeneous and interconnected information systems (IS), which we conceptualize as organizationwide information infrastructures. We draw on Perrow’s studies of complex technological systems, where interactions, mechanisms, and couplings are emphasized. We base our paper on an empirical case study from a Norwegian hospital, where a seemingly trivial project aimed at the introduction of scanners turned out to be more complex than expected. This we claim is partly due to the interdependencies and tight couplings between information systems, actors, and work practices in the hospital environment. The paper’s main focus is on describing what it entails in practice to deal with these interdependencies during and after implementation. We emphasize the work of sorting out and dealing with various types of interactions and couplings.
Conjunctive Queries and Mappings With Unequalities

We study conjunctive queries with unequalities (x ≠ y) and we identify cases when query containment can still be characterized by the existence of homomorphisms. We also identify a class of GLAV-like database schema mappings with unequalities, for which the chase theorem holds, and thus data exchange has the same complexity as for GLAV mappings. Finally, we define a notion of consistency and provide an algorithm to check whether a set of mappings is consistent. Comments University of Pennsylvania Department of Computer and Information Science Technical Report No. MSCIS-08-37 This technical report is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn. edu/cis_reports/906 Conjunctive queries and mappings with unequalities Grigoris Karvounarakis Val Tannen Computer and Information Science Department University of Pennsylvania {gkarvoun,val}@cis.upenn. edu Abstract We study conjunctive queries with unequalities (x 6= y) and we identify cases when query containment can still be characterized by the existence of homomorphisms. We also identify a class of GLAV-like database schema mappings with unequalities, for which the chase theorem holds, and thus data exchange has the same complexity as for GLAV mappings. Finally, we define a notion of consistency and provide an algorithm to check whether a set of mappings is consistent.We study conjunctive queries with unequalities (x 6= y) and we identify cases when query containment can still be characterized by the existence of homomorphisms. We also identify a class of GLAV-like database schema mappings with unequalities, for which the chase theorem holds, and thus data exchange has the same complexity as for GLAV mappings. Finally, we define a notion of consistency and provide an algorithm to check whether a set of mappings is consistent.
ERROR ESTIMATES FOR THE FINITE ELEMENT APPROXIMATION OF A SEMILINEAR ELLIPTIC CONTROL PROBLEM WITH STATE CONSTRAINTS AND FINITE DIMENSIONAL CONTROL SPACE

The finite element approximation of optimal control problems for semilinear elliptic partial differential equation is considered, where the control belongs to a finite-dimensional set and state constraints are given in finitely many points of the domain. Under the standard linear independency condition on the active gradients and a strong second-order sufficient optimality condition, optimal error estimates are derived for locally optimal controls.
Transgenic Alfalfa Plants Expressing the Sweetpotato Orange Gene Exhibit Enhanced Abiotic Stress Tolerance

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), a perennial forage crop with high nutritional content, is widely distributed in various environments worldwide. We recently demonstrated that the sweetpotato Orange gene (IbOr) is involved in increasing carotenoid accumulation and enhancing resistance to multiple abiotic stresses. In this study, in an effort to improve the nutritional quality and environmental stress tolerance of alfalfa, we transferred the IbOr gene into alfalfa (cv. Xinjiang Daye) under the control of an oxidative stress-inducible peroxidase (SWPA2) promoter through Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. Among the 11 transgenic alfalfa lines (referred to as SOR plants), three lines (SOR2, SOR3, and SOR8) selected based on their IbOr transcript levels were examined for their tolerance to methyl viologen (MV)-induced oxidative stress in a leaf disc assay. The SOR plants exhibited less damage in response to MV-mediated oxidative stress and salt stress than non-transgenic plants. The SOR plants also exhibited enhanced tolerance to drought stress, along with higher total carotenoid levels. The results suggest that SOR alfalfa plants would be useful as forage crops with improved nutritional value and increased tolerance to multiple abiotic stresses, which would enhance the development of sustainable agriculture on marginal lands.
Teaching and learning perspective on system development in large teams

This paper covers aims and objectives, the approaches, shared experiences and issues faced in teaching and learning of the ICT Analysis and ICT Design pair of subjects within the core block of ICT Engineering courses at the Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) in Australia. Both practice based subjects, synthesize into a coherent whole, teaching and learning components of all subjects in the ICT Engineering curriculum. One of the main goals of the ICTA and ICTD pair is to close the gap between the students' individualistic tendencies, unplanned and unbudgeted efforts, as well as uncoordinated actions that often characterize teaching and learning approaches to engineering subjects. Additionally, modern industry expects from engineering graduates both leadership skills and team based skills in the development of complex systems. This includes the ability to work in well-planned, process driven, budgeted and coordinated environment. Fundamentally, the course's subjects are adaptive and evolutionary; however, the key challenge is to keep a fine balance between academic concerns and fast changing industry needs.
With the best of intentions: a large sample test of the intention‐behaviour gap in pro‐environmental consumer behaviour

In spite of its importance, there is a surprising dearth of consumer research on the environmental impact of increasing consumption as a whole.consumers perceive environmental problems only from a supply perspective. and show little knowledge of the links between consumption patterns and environmental degradation (Heath and Chatzidakis, 2012, p. 658) Many consumers intend to make pro-environmental purchases; however, this is not always what occurs. A gap exists between consumer intentions to purchase environmentally friendly products and their actual purchase behaviour. The current study uses a large sample of Australian consumers ( N = 772) to test Carrington, Neville and Whitwell’s (2010) conceptual model of the intention-behaviour gap. Responses showed that implementation intentions mediated the relationship between intention and pro-environmental consumer behaviour. Behavioural control and environmental involvement were found to moderate the relationship between implementation intentions and behaviour. Shopping context was found to moderate the relationship between intention and implementation intentions. The findings have theoretical implications for furthering understanding of pro-environmental consumer behaviour, and practical implications regarding how to generate socially beneficial behaviours.
A Research Agenda for Helminth Diseases of Humans: Intervention for Control and Elimination

Recognising the burden helminth infections impose on human populations, and particularly the poor, major intervention programmes have been launched to control onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis, soil-transmitted helminthiases, schistosomiasis, and cysticercosis. The Disease Reference Group on Helminth Infections (DRG4), established in 2009 by the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), was given the mandate to review helminthiases research and identify research priorities and gaps. A summary of current helminth control initiatives is presented and available tools are described. Most of these programmes are highly dependent on mass drug administration (MDA) of anthelmintic drugs (donated or available at low cost) and require annual or biannual treatment of large numbers of at-risk populations, over prolonged periods of time. The continuation of prolonged MDA with a limited number of anthelmintics greatly increases the probability that drug resistance will develop, which would raise serious problems for continuation of control and the achievement of elimination. Most initiatives have focussed on a single type of helminth infection, but recognition of co-endemicity and polyparasitism is leading to more integration of control. An understanding of the implications of control integration for implementation, treatment coverage, combination of pharmaceuticals, and monitoring is needed. To achieve the goals of morbidity reduction or elimination of infection, novel tools need to be developed, including more efficacious drugs, vaccines, and/or antivectorial agents, new diagnostics for infection and assessment of drug efficacy, and markers for possible anthelmintic resistance. In addition, there is a need for the development of new formulations of some existing anthelmintics (e.g., paediatric formulations). To achieve ultimate elimination of helminth parasites, treatments for the above mentioned helminthiases, and for taeniasis and food-borne trematodiases, will need to be integrated with monitoring, education, sanitation, access to health services, and where appropriate, vector control or reduction of the parasite reservoir in alternative hosts. Based on an analysis of current knowledge gaps and identification of priorities, a research and development agenda for intervention tools considered necessary for control and elimination of human helminthiases is presented, and the challenges to be confronted are discussed.
THE NITROUS OXIDE METHOD FOR THE QUANTITATIVE DETERMINATION OF CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW IN MAN: THEORY, PROCEDURE AND NORMAL VALUES.

In 1945 the authors reported the determination of cerebral blood. flow in man by the use of nitrous oxide in low concentration, a technique which permitted for the first time quantitative clinical measurement of this important physiologic function (1). Since that time numerous modifications have been made in the procedure (2) and the underlying theory has been subjected to extensive experimental evaluation. The present report constitutes a description of the technique as we have now employed it in over 300 determinations, an examination of its underlying theory and validity, and values obtained with its use in 34 studies on 14 normal young men.