Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Creating a test collection to evaluate diversity in image retrieval

This paper describes the adaptation of an existing test collection for image retrieval to enable diversity in the results set to be measured. Previous research has shown that a more diverse set of results often satisfies the needs of more users better than standard document rankings. To enable diversity to be quantified, it is necessary to classify images relevant to a given theme to one or more sub-topics or clusters. We describe the challenges in building (as far as we are aware) the first test collection for evaluating diversity in image retrieval. This includes selecting appropriate topics, creating sub-topics, and quantifying the overall effectiveness of a retrieval system. A total of 39 topics were augmented for cluster-based relevance and we also provide an initial analysis of assessor agreement for grouping relevant images into sub-topics or clusters.
Characteristics of Fluent Skills in a Complex, Dynamic Problem-Solving Task

We examined critical characteristics of fluent cognitive skills, using the Georgia Tech Aegis Simulation Program, a tactical decision-making computer game that simulates tasks of an anti-air-warfare coordinator. To characterize learning, we adopted the unit-task analysis framework, in which a task is decomposed into several unit tasks that are further decomposed into functional-level subtasks. Our results showed that learning at a global level could be decomposed into learning smaller component tasks. Further, most learning was associated with a reduction in cognitive processes, in which people make inferences from the currently available information. Eye-movement data also revealed that the time spent on task-irrelevant regions of the display decreased more than did the time spent on task-relevant regions. In sum, although fluency in dynamic, complex problem solving was achieved by attaining efficiency in perceptual, motor, and cognitive processes, the magnitude of the gains depended on the preexisting fluency of the component skills. These results imply that a training program should decompose a task into its component skills and emphasize those components with which trainees have relatively little prior experience. Actual or potential applications of this research include learning and training of complex tasks as well as evaluation of performance on those tasks.
Due Diligence on the Bidder and the Certification Effect

Target firm shareholder wealth in stock swap transactions depends on the value of the bidder’s shares, while the bidder has the incentives to inflate its stock price. This motivates the target to carry out a due diligence investigation that will certify the bidder’s value. We show that targets do perform such due diligence, and that bidders targeting firms with reputable due diligence accountants experience a positive certification effect manifested in higher excess returns at the announcement of stock swap transactions. This effect in turn spills over into higher target firm returns in such deals because the bidder’s value is certified. The certification effect is concentrated in settings with greater uncertainty about the bidder’s worth, and is not present when the due diligence provider cannot be deemed independent. JEL Classification: G14; G34; M41
Cardiac mechanics and dysfunction with anthracyclines in the community: results from the PREDICT study

Background Our objective was to determine the relevance of changes in myocardial mechanics in diagnosing and predicting cancer therapeutics-related cardiac dysfunction (CTRCD) in a community-based population treated with anthracyclines. Methods Quantitative measures of cardiac mechanics were derived from 493 echocardiograms in 165 participants enrolled in the PREDICT study (A Multicenter Study in Patients Undergoing AnthRacycline-Based Chemotherapy to Assess the Effectiveness of Using Biomarkers to Detect and Identify Cardiotoxicity and Describe Treatment). Echocardiograms were obtained primarily at baseline (prior to anthracyclines), 6 and 12 months. Predictors included changes in strain; strain rate; indices of contractile function derived from the end-systolic pressure–volume relationship (end-systolic elastance (Eessb) and the left ventricular (LV) volume at an end-systolic pressure of 100 mm Hg (V100)); total arterial load (effective arterial elastance (Ea)) and ventricular–arterial coupling (Ea/Eessb). Logistic regression models determined the diagnostic and prognostic associations of changes in these measures and CTRCD, defined as a LV ejection fraction decline ≥10 to <50%. Results By 12 months, 31 participants developed CTRCD. Longitudinal and circumferential strain and strain rate, V100, Ea, and Ea/Eessb each demonstrated significant diagnostic associations, with a 1–7% increased odds of CTRCD (p<0.05). Changes in longitudinal strain rate (area under the curve (AUC) 0.719 (95% CI 0.595 to 0.843)), V100 (AUC 0.796 (95% CI 0.686 to 0.903)) and Ea (AUC 0.742 (95% CI 0.632 to 0.852)) from baseline to 6 months were individually predictive of CTRCD at 12 months. Conclusions Changes in non-invasively derived measures of myocardial mechanics are diagnostic and predictive of cardiac dysfunction with anthracycline chemotherapy in community populations. Our findings support the non-invasive assessment of measures of myocardial mechanics more broadly in clinical practice and emphasise the role of serial assessments of these measures during and after cardiotoxic cancer therapy. Trial registration number NCT01032278; Pre-results.
Analysis and Interpretation of Brain Wave Signals

Brainwave Computer Interface (BCI) application has the potential to improve the quality of life for disabled patients and overall improvement of human thought concentration. In this paper, BCI is implemented using NeuroSky's EEG biosensor. Brain wave signal analysis is presented through the consideration of a noisy environment to simulate a BCI in real world application. A total of 256 data points are acquired in each thought. The data are documented using MATLAB software via Bluetooth. A real time recording is implemented with different captured thoughts among seven participants. The standard deviation of the Mean Sample Value (MSV) and Value Above Zero(VAZ) shows high variation for the thought of backward, forward, left and move in comparison of each trial. The VAZ rate and Zero Crossing Rate (ZCR) have very minimal standard deviation in comparison of each trial. This shows that the environment could affect the concentration of the signals. The average of the results of each thought is also presented, in which each thought has distinct characteristics among other thoughts. This means that classification is possible even noise or interruption is present in the surroundings and wireless transmission is utilized. The total number of peak points was recorded in each EEG sample. Also, the correlation coefficients among three participants having the same tasked were analyzed.
Depression in Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Members of the Canadian Armed Forces.

PURPOSE Lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals have been shown to have different risks for mood and anxiety disorders than heterosexuals in population studies, but there is a paucity of research in this area in military populations. This study examined the relationship between sexual orientation and depression in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). METHODS Data were drawn from the Canadian Forces Mental Health Survey 2013 (n = 8165), a representative sample of Regular and Reserve members of the Canadian military. Binomial logistic regression was used to predict 12-month and lifetime odds ratios for major depressive episode (MDE) stratified by sexual orientation and sex. RESULTS Gay male members had higher risk (AOR = 3.80, 95% CI 1.60-9.05) for lifetime MDE, but not for past 12-month MDE compared to heterosexual males. There was no significant difference in risk for lesbians or bisexuals compared to heterosexuals. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that gay male members of the CAF are at higher risk for a history of MDE, but not current MDE. This may be a result of ongoing discrimination and stigma faced by gay men in the military or may reflect MDE that occurred before military service. The lack of difference in MDE risk for lesbian and bisexual members compared to heterosexual members is an important positive finding.
Explicit Construction of Families of LDPC Codes with Girth at Least Six

LDPC codes are serious contenders to Turbo codes in terms of decoding performance. One of the main problems is to give an explicit construction of such codes whose Tanner graphs have known girth. For a prime power q and m ≥ 2, Lazebnik and Ustimenko construct a q-regular bipartite graph D(m, q) on 2qm vertices, which has girth at least 2dm/2e+ 4. We regard these graphs as Tanner graphs of binary codes LU(m, q). We can determine all the parameters of LU(2, q). We know that their girth is 6 and their diameter is 4. We know that LU(3, q) has girth 8 and diameter 6 and we conjecture its dimension. We find some interesting LDPC codes by our partial row construction.
Semantically-aware blendshape rigs from facial performance measurements

We present a framework for automatically generating personalized blendshapes from actor performance measurements, while preserving the semantics of a template facial animation rig. Firstly, we capture various poses from the subject with our photogrammetry apparatus. The 3D reconstruction from each pose is then corresponded by an image-based tracking algorithm. The core of our framework is an optimization algorithm which iteratively refines the initial estimation of the blendshapes such that they can fit the performance measurements better. This framework facilitates creation of an ensemble of realistic digital-double face rigs for each individual with consistent behavior across the character set.
Energy efficient multi-flow routing in mobile Sensor Networks

Controlled mobility is one of the most complex challenges in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN). Only a few routing protocols consider controlled mobility in order to extend the network lifetime. They are all designed to optimize the physical route topology from a source to a destination. However, there is often more than one sensor which reports an event to the sink in WSN. In existing solutions, this leads to oscillation of nodes which belong to different routes and their premature death. Experiments show that the need of a routing path merge solution is high. As a response we propose the first routing protocol which locates and uses paths crossing to adapt the topology to the network traffic in a fully localized way while still optimizing energy efficiency. Furthermore the protocol makes the intersection to move away from the destination, getting closer to the sources, allowing higher data aggregation and energy saving. Our approach outperforms existing solutions and extends network lifetime up to 37%.
LS Channel Estimation and Signal Separation for UHF RFID Tag Collision Recovery on the Physical Layer

In a passive ultra-high frequency (UHF) radio-frequency identification (RFID) system, tag collision is generally resolved on a medium access control (MAC) layer. However, some of collided tag signals could be recovered on a physical (PHY) layer and, thus, enhance the identification efficiency of the RFID system. For the recovery on the PHY layer, channel estimation is a critical issue. Good channel estimation will help to recover the collided signals. Existing channel estimates work well for two collided tags. When the number of collided tags is beyond two, however, the existing estimates have more estimation errors. In this paper, we propose a novel channel estimate for the UHF RFID system. It adopts an orthogonal matrix based on the information of preambles which is known for a reader and applies a minimum-mean-square-error (MMSE) criterion to estimate channels. From the estimated channel, we could accurately separate the collided signals and recover them. By means of numerical results, we show that the proposed estimate has lower estimation errors and higher separation efficiency than the existing estimates.
An evolutionary approach to determining hidden lines from a natural sketch

This paper focuses on the identification of hidden lines and junctions from natural sketches of drawings that exhibit an extended-trihedral geometry. Identification of hidden lines and junctions is essential in the creation of a complete 3D model of the sketched object, allowing the interpretation algorithms to infer what the unsketched back of the object should look like. This approach first labels the sketched visible edges of the object with a geometric edge label, obtaining a labelled junction at each of the visible junctions of the object. Using a dictionary of junctions with visible and hidden edges, these labelled visible junctions are then used to deduce the edge interpretation and orientation of some of the hidden edges. A genetic algorithm is used to combine these hidden edges into hidden junctions, evolving the representation of the hidden edges and junctions until a feasible hidden view representation of the object is obtained.
Interleukin 1 Type 1 Receptor Restore: A Genetic Mouse Model for Studying Interleukin 1 Receptor-Mediated Effects in Specific Cell Types

Interleukin-1 (IL-1) mediates diverse neurophysiological and neuropathological effects in the CNS through type I IL-1 receptor (IL-1R1). However, identification of IL-1R1-expressing cell types and cell-type-specific functions of IL-1R1 remains challenging. In this study, we created a novel genetic mouse model in which IL-1R1 gene expression is disrupted by an intronic insertion of a loxP flanked disruptive sequence that can be deleted by Cre recombinase, resulting in restored IL-1R1 gene expression under its endogenous promoters. A second mutation was introduced at stop codon of the IL-1R1 gene to allow tracking of the restored IL-1R1 protein by a 3HA tag and IL-1R1 mRNA by tdTomato fluorescence. These animals were designated as IL-1R1r/r and exhibited an IL-1R1 knock-out phenotype. We used IL-1R1 globally restored mice (IL-1R1GR/GR) as an IL-1R1 reporter and observed concordant labeling of IL-1R1 mRNA and protein in brain endothelial cells. Two cell-type-specific IL-1R1 restore lines were generated: Tie2Cre-IL-1R1r/r and LysMCre-IL-1R1r/r. Brain endothelial COX-2 expression, CNS leukocyte infiltration, and global microglia activation induced by intracerebroventricular injection of IL-1β were not observed in IL-1R1r/r or LysMCre-IL-1R1r/r mice, but were restored in Tie2Cre-IL-1R1r/r mice. These results reveal IL-1R1 expression in endothelial cells alone is sufficient to mediate these central IL-1-induced responses. In addition, ex vivo IL-1β stimulation increased IL-1β expression in bone marrow cells in wild-type, Tie2Cre-IL-1R1r/r, and LysMCre-IL-1R1r/r, but not IL-1R1r/r mice. These results demonstrate this IL-1R1 restore model is a valuable tool for studying cell-type-specific functions of IL-1R1.
Multiple membership multiple classification (MMMC) models

In the social and other sciences many data are collected with a known but complex underlying structure. Over the past two decades there has been an increase in the use of multilevel modelling techniques that account for nested data structures. Often however the underlying data structures are more complex and cannot be fitted into a nested structure. First, there are cross-classified models where the classifications in the data are not nested. Secondly, we consider multiple membership models where an observation does not belong simply to one member of a classification. These two extensions when combined allow us to fit models to a large array of underlying structures. Existing frequentist modelling approaches to fitting such data have some important computational limitations. In this paper we consider ways of overcoming such limitations using Bayesian methods, since Bayesian model fitting is easily accomplished using Monte Carlo Markov chain (MCMC) techniques. In examples where we have been able to make direct comparisons, Bayesian methods in conjunction with suitable ‘diffuse’ prior distributions lead to similar inferences to existing frequentist techniques. In this paper we illustrate our techniques with examples in the fields of education, veterinary epidemiology, demography, and public health illustrating the diversity of models that fit into our framework.
Noradrenergic modulatoins of odor learning and odor representation in the rat

How experience alters neuronal ensemble dynamics and how locus coeruleus-mediated norepinephrine release facilitates memory formation in the brain are the topics of this thesis. Here we employed a visualization technique, cellular compartment analysis of temporal activity by fluorescence in situ hybridization (catFISH), to assess activation patterns of neuronal ensembles in the olfactory bulb (OB) and anterior piriform cortex (aPC) to repeated odor inputs. Two associative learning models were used, early odor preference learning in rat pups and adult rat go-no-go odor discrimination learning. With catFISH of an immediate early gene, Arc, we showed that odor representation in the OB and aPC was sparse (~5-10%) and widely distributed. Odor associative learning enhanced the stability of the rewarded odor representation in the OB and aPC. The stable component, indexed by the overlap between the two ensembles activated by the rewarded odor at two time points, increased from ~25% to ~50% (p = 0.004-1.43E⁻4; Chapter 3 and 4). Adult odor discrimination learning promoted pattern separation between rewarded and unrewarded odor representations in the aPC. The overlap between rewarded and unrewarded odor representations reduced from ~25% to ~14% (p = 2.28E⁻⁵). However, learning an odor mixture as a rewarded odor increased the overlap of the component odor representations in the aPC from ~23% to ~44% (p = 0.010; Chapter 4). Blocking both α- and β-adrenoreceptors in the aPC prevented highly similar odor discrimination learning in adult rats, and reduced OB mitral and granule ensemble stability to the rewarded odor. Similar treatment in the OB only slowed odor discrimination learning. However, OB adrenoceptor blockade disrupted pattern separation and ensemble stability in the aPC when the rats demonstrated deficiency in discrimination (Chapter 5). In another project, the role of α₂-adrenoreceptors in the OB during early odor preference learning was studied. OB α2-adrenoceptor activation was necessary for odor learning in rat pups. α₂-adrenoceptor activation was additive with β-adrenoceptor mediated signalling to promote learning (Chapter 2). Together, these experiments suggest that odor representations are highly adaptive at the early stages of odor processing. The OB and aPC work in concert to support odor learning and top-down adrenergic input exerts a powerful modulation on both learning and odor representation.
Monitoring the performance of human and automated scores for spoken responses

As automated scoring systems for spoken responses are increasingly used in language assessments, testing organizations need to analyze their performance, as compared to human raters, across several dimensions, for example, on individual items or based on subgroups of test takers. In addition, there is a need in testing organizations to establish rigorous procedures for monitoring the performance of both human and automated scoring processes during operational administrations. This paper provides an overview of the automated speech scoring system SpeechRaterSM and how to use charts and evaluation statistics to monitor and evaluate automated scores and human rater scores of spoken constructed responses.
Search for anisotropy and point sources of cosmic rays with the KASCADE-Grande experiment

The KASCADE-Grande experiment, located on site of the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe in Germany, is a multi-detector setup for measuring extensive air showers of primary energies up to 1 EeV. The main component for measuring showers of the highest energies is the newly added Grande array, which consists of 37 scintillation detector stations, spanning an area of nearly 0.5 km2. Based on the reconstruction of the arrival directions of individual showers, searches for both large scale anisotropies and point sources are performed. The present state of the ongoing analysis will be presented.
Relationships Between Muscle Power Output Using the Stretch-Shortening Cycle and Eccentric Maximum Strength

Miyaguchi, K and Demura, S. Relationships between muscle power output using the stretch-shortening cycle and eccentric maximum strength. J Strength Cond Res 22(6): 1735-1741, 2008-This study aimed to examine the relationships between muscle power output using the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) and eccentric maximum strength under elbow flexion. Eighteen young adult males pulled up a constant light load (2 kg) by ballistic elbow flexion under the following two preliminary conditions: 1) the static relaxed muscle state (SR condition), and 2) using the SSC with countermovement (SSC condition). Muscle power was determined from the product of the pulling velocity and the load mass by a power measurement instrument that adopted the weight-loading method. We assumed the pulling velocity to be the subject's muscle power parameters as a matter of convenience, because we used a constant load. The following two parameters were selected in reference to a previous study: 1) peak velocity (m·s−1) (peak power) and 2) 0.1-second velocity during concentric contraction (m·s−1) (initial power). Eccentric maximum strength by elbow flexion was measured by a handheld dynamometer. Initial power produced in the SSC condition was significantly larger than that in the SR condition. Eccentric maximum strength showed a significant and high correlation (r = 0.70) with peak power in the SSC condition but not in the SR condition. Eccentric maximum strength showed insignificant correlations with initial power in both conditions. In conclusion, it was suggested that eccentric maximum strength is associated with peak power in the SSC condition, but the contribution of the eccentric maximum strength to the SSC potentiation (initial power) may be low.
Towards distributed awareness - an artifact based approach

Perception is a central issue for many applications in ubiquitous computing. However, in current implementations, sensing and distributed perception is re-invented over and over again. Identifying commonalities and synthesizing a common model would be more effective both from an economic as well as scientific perspective. We have analyzed the properties of ubicomp perception systems and used their characteristics as a main input for the design of a perception model. We present a layered perception model, discriminating functionality on artifact, setting, and application level. On the artifact layer, data collection, perception, and recognition for the particular artifact is modelled and implemented. The setting layer deals with perception and recognition tasks for a tightly coupled group of artifacts. In the application layer, perception and application-specific recognition resides. The approach was evaluated by building applications, two of which are also reported in the paper. The wider applicability of the model was assessed by analyzing further applications and how they map onto the artifact-based approach.