Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Image pre-classification based on saliency map for image retrieval

In content-based image retrieval, it is helpful to add a pre-classification module to classify a query image into attentive class or non-attentive class. Based on the pre-classification result, a suitable retrieval strategy is adopted for the query image presented. In this paper, we proposed a Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) classifier with the features extracted from saliency map to classify both the query image and database images into attentive images and non-attentive classed. A dataset of 1,000 images was selected from the 7,346 Hemera color image database for our experiments. Various features extracted from the saliency map are investigated, including the number and the average size of saliency regions, the variance of the sizes of saliency regions, as well as the sizes of the three most conspicuous saliency regions. The number and average size of saliency regions in the saliency map are shown to be the most discriminative features with which a classification rate of better than 98% can be achieved. To facilitate multi-strategy image retrieval, we define an attentive index between 0 and 1 based on the two most discriminative features to indicate how attentive an image is. Finally, two image retrieval strategies based on the attentive index are proposed, and the corresponding image retrieval performances are evaluated on the 7,346 Hemera color image database with a comparison with the other conventional image retrieval methods.
Adaptive formation control and target tracking in a class of multi-agent systems: Formation maneuvers

In this article we develop a direct adaptive fuzzy control based methodology for formation control and target tracking in a class of multi-agent systems with nonlinear and uncertain dynamics. The agents are assumed to be able to measure only their relative position to the other agents and the target and high gain observers are applied to estimate the derivatives of the combined tracking and formation errors. Various formation maneuvers such as contraction/expansion, rotation, and reconfiguration of the formation are also considered. Bounding and sliding mode control terms are used to guarantee stability and robust performance. Simple numerical simulations are also provided to verify the effectiveness of the algorithm.
Super‐resolution methods in MRI: Can they improve the trade‐off between resolution, signal‐to‐noise ratio, and acquisition time?

Improving the resolution in magnetic resonance imaging comes at the cost of either lower signal‐to‐noise ratio, longer acquisition time or both. This study investigates whether so‐called super‐resolution reconstruction methods can increase the resolution in the slice selection direction and, as such, are a viable alternative to direct high‐resolution acquisition in terms of the signal‐to‐noise ratio and acquisition time trade‐offs. The performance of six super‐resolution reconstruction methods and direct high‐resolution acquisitions was compared with respect to these trade‐offs. The methods are based on iterative back‐projection, algebraic reconstruction, and regularized least squares. The algorithms were applied to low‐resolution data sets within which the images were rotated relative to each other. Quantitative experiments involved a computational phantom and a physical phantom containing structures of known dimensions. To visually validate the quantitative evaluations, qualitative experiments were performed, in which images of three different subjects (a phantom, an ex vivo rat knee, and a postmortem mouse) were acquired with different magnetic resonance imaging scanners. The results show that super‐resolution reconstruction can indeed improve the resolution, signal‐to‐noise ratio and acquisition time trade‐offs compared with direct high‐resolution acquisition. Magn Reson Med, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Information Domain Approach to the Investigation of Cardio-Vascular, Cardio-Pulmonary, and Vasculo-Pulmonary Causal Couplings

The physiological mechanisms related to cardio-vascular (CV), cardio-pulmonary (CP), and vasculo-pulmonary (VP) regulation may be probed through multivariate time series analysis tools. This study applied an information domain approach for the evaluation of non-linear causality to the beat-to-beat variability series of heart period (t), systolic arterial pressure (s), and respiration (r) measured during tilt testing and paced breathing (PB) protocols. The approach quantifies the causal coupling from the series i to the series j (Cij) as the amount of information flowing from i to j. A measure of directionality is also obtained as the difference between two reciprocal causal couplings (Di,j = Cij − Cji). Significant causal coupling and directionality were detected respectively when the median of Cij over subjects was positive (Cij > 0), and when Di,j was statistically different from zero (Di,j > 0 or Di,j < 0). The method was applied on t, s, and r series measured in 15 healthy subjects (22–32 years, 8 males) in the supine (su) and upright (up) positions, and in further 15 subjects (21–29 years, 7 males) during spontaneous (sp) and paced (pa) breathing. In the control condition (su, sp), a significant causal coupling was observed for Crs, Crt, Cst, and Cts, and significant directionality was present only from r to t (Dr,t > 0). During head-up tilt (up, sp), Crs was preserved, Crt decreased to zero median, and Cst and Cts increased significantly; directionality vanished between r and t (Dr,t = 0) and raised from s to t (Ds,t > 0). During PB (su, pa), Crs increased significantly, Crt and Cts were preserved, and Cst decreased to zero median; directionality was preserved from r to t (Dr,t > 0), and raised from r to s (Dr,s > 0). These results suggest that the approach may reflect modifications of CV, CP, and VP mechanisms consequent to altered physiological conditions, such as the baroreflex engagement and the dampening of respiratory sinus arrhythmia induced by tilt, or the respiratory driving on arterial pressure induced by PB. Thus, it could be suggested as a tool for the non-invasive monitoring of CV and cardiorespiratory control systems in normal and impaired conditions.
Bringing Psychological Safety to the Field of Human Development: An Introduction

Human development is characterized by individual agency to create change, to a greater or lesser extent depending on contextual circumstances. This special issue focuses on psychological safety as a construct that may help developmentalists understand the way that individual and contextual factors come together to limit or support agency to shape one’s development. This introduction to the issue on psychological safety frames this construct and the included articles through the lens of relational developmental systems theory. Specifically, authors explore psychological safety as a construct at the intersection of individual context. They use multiple methods and draw across disciplines to explore psychological safety in adolescence, during the transition to parenthood, in the workplace, and at the organizational level. Overall, findings suggest that additional research and practical focus on psychological safety may increase the likelihood that individuals may enact their agency to engage in opportunities and experiences that support human development.
From an Honored Value to a Harmful Choice

This article analyzes how Barack Obama and Mitt Romney discussed electoral participation in campaign 2012 and compares their statements to those made by presidential nominees over the past 16 elections. Findings show that, overall, presidential candidates have depicted voting as a choice (not a right, duty, or value) and as harmful and divisive (as opposed to helpful or honorable). The data also reveal significant differences over the years, as candidates in the 1950s and 1960s were more likely to talk about voting as a value than transpires today and as candidates prior to the 1980s largely refrained from describing voting as a negative act. The article concludes by addressing how the campaign process has sharpened and politicized discussions of electoral participation over the years and what these shifts might mean for the contemporary campaign context.
Multiplex PCR-Identified Cutaneous Tuberculosis Evoked by Mycobacterium bovis BCG Vaccination in a Healthy Baby

ABSTRACT This is the first identified case of Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG)-derived cutaneous tuberculosis that localizes at a place different from the vaccination site in hosts without immune deficiency. A healthy baby with a developing abscess is described. A multiplex PCR identified the abscess as originating from M. bovis BCG Tokyo 172.
THE STABILITY OF MEASUREMENT OF AUTONOMIC BALANCE

A recent article in this Journal (1) described a factor analysis of twenty physiological measures for 62 children ranging in age from 6 to 11 years. A two-factor solution was regarded as best describing the data. One of these two factors was believed to represent the autonomic nervous system, and seven of the tests which correlated with it were utilized in deriving, by means of the technique of multiple correlation, a regression equation for estimating the factor for individual subjects. Scores obtained by inserting individual data in the regression equation were termed measures of autonomic balance, and were shown to be distributed continuously in the population studied. It was believed that the results might be regarded as a. substantiation of the Eppinger and Hess concept of vagotonia and sympathicotonia, and that this technique afforded the first means of quantitatively measuring the unitary functioning of the autonomic nervous system. Measures of autonomic balance were shown to be relatively stable in this child population over periods of at least 6 months and one year. No evidence was available at the time of that publication, however, concerning the stability of the factor solution itself. The present report contains the first evidence pertaining to this question. The factor solution referred to above had been derived from data collected during the winter months of 1940. Measurements made during the winter of 1941 have now been intercorrelated and submitted to factor analysis. Again, a two-factor pattern seems to be the most valid description. The autonomic factor and the regression equations for the two solutions may be compared by inspecting Table I. Only the 1941 factor is completely reproduced. The second factor in both solutions appeared to describe individual differences in tension of skeletal musculature, and is to be discussed elsewhere (2). It should be pointed out in connection with Table I that although the factor weights for individual tests change slightly, the directions of the seven tests which had been used in the 1940 regres-
A Panel Data Analysis of the Repayment Capacity of Farmers

Using a balanced panel of 264 unique Illinois farmers from 2000 to 2004, this study identifies the most pertinent factors that explain the repayment capacity of farmers. After correcting for endogeneity bias caused by farmer-specific effects, one year lagged debt-to-asset ratio and soil productivity are both found to be significantly correlated with the coverage ratio at the 5% significance level using random effects. The finding is significant because it can enhance agricultural lenders ability to assess creditworthiness, screen borrowers, manage loan loss reserves, and price loans, thereby decreasing lenders costs associated with defaulted loans and ultimately reducing the costs borne by the government and taxpayers.
An efficient hybrid localization scheme for Heterogeneous Wireless Networks

The ability to track and locate physical entities is a fundamental requirement for Cyber-Physical Systems (CPSs), especially in an ad-hoc wireless environment. In Heterogeneous Wireless Networks (HWNs), hybrid localization schemes are needed due to the coexistence of both accurate and coarse measurement mechanisms. However, current localization schemes cannot fully satisfy HWNs' accuracy requirements. Therefore, we propose a universal measurement metric called Direct Proportion Distance (DPD) that can leverage most existing measurement mechanisms such as TOA/TDOA, RSS, AOA, Link Diagnosis (LD) and Signal Coverage Detection (SCD). We also prove that DPD is directly proportional to the physical distance between two wireless nodes. Based on this metric, we present three new localization algorithms and compare them with classical methods. The experiments verify that our method performs better than previous localization algorithms when both accurate and coarse measurements are fully utilized.
Multistage Adaptive Robust Optimization for the Unit Commitment Problem

The growing uncertainty associated with the increasing penetration of wind and solar power generation has presented new challenges to the operation of large-scale electric power systems. Motivated by these challenges, we present a multistage adaptive robust optimization model for the most critical daily operational problem of power systems, namely, the unit commitment (UC) problem, in the situation where nodal net electricity loads are uncertain. The proposed multistage robust UC model takes into account the time causality of the hourly unfolding of uncertainty in the power system operation process, which we show to be relevant when ramping capacities are limited and net loads present significant variability. To deal with large-scale systems, we explore the idea of simplified affine policies and develop a solution method based on constraint generation. Extensive computational experiments on the IEEE 118-bus test case and a real-world power system with 2,736 buses demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is effective in handling large-scale power systems and that the proposed multistage robust UC model can significantly outperform the deterministic UC and existing two-stage robust UC models in both operational cost and system reliability.
Affective gaming: measuring emotion through the gamepad

In search of suitable methods for measuring the affective state of video-game players, this study investigates the hypothesis that the player's state of arousal will correspond with the pressure used to depress buttons on a gamepad. A video game was created that would detect the force of each button press during play. It was found that as the difficulty level of the game increased, players would hit the gamepad buttons significantly harder.
Primary thyroid-like low-grade nasopharyngeal papillary adenocarcinoma

Rationale: Primary thyroid-like low-grade nasopharyngeal papillary adenocarcinoma (TL-LGNPPA) is an extremely rare malignant nasopharyngeal tumor with features resembling papillary thyroid carcinoma including nuclear positive expression of thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1). Patient concerns: A 64-year-old male presented with nasal bleeding and a foreign body sensation of the nasopharynx. Laryngoscopy revealed a 2.0-cm broad-based mass with a smooth surface on the posterior wall of the nasopharynx. A biopsy was obtained. Diagnoses: Histopathologic examination demonstrated tumor cells arranged in both papillary and glandular architecture. The tumor cells express nuclear immunoreactivity for TTF-1. The diagnosis of TL-LGNPPA was made. Interventions: After the patient was diagnosed with TL-LGNPPA, he underwent complete surgical resection. Outcomes: There was no recurrence or evidence of metastatic disease at the 12-month follow-up. Lessons: TL-LGNPPA is easy to misdiagnose as metastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma or other relative primary adenocarcinomas. It is important to have a broad differential diagnosis and know the key features of each entity because the prognosis and clinical treatment of each may differ.
Empirical evidence of bias. Dimensions of methodological quality associated with estimates of treatment effects in controlled trials.

OBJECTIVE To determine if inadequate approaches to randomized controlled trial design and execution are associated with evidence of bias in estimating treatment effects. DESIGN An observational study in which we assessed the methodological quality of 250 controlled trials from 33 meta-analyses and then analyzed, using multiple logistic regression models, the associations between those assessments and estimated treatment effects. DATA SOURCES Meta-analyses from the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Database. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The associations between estimates of treatment effects and inadequate allocation concealment, exclusions after randomization, and lack of double-blinding. RESULTS Compared with trials in which authors reported adequately concealed treatment allocation, trials in which concealment was either inadequate or unclear (did not report or incompletely reported a concealment approach) yielded larger estimates of treatment effects (P < .001). Odds ratios were exaggerated by 41% for inadequately concealed trials and by 30% for unclearly concealed trials (adjusted for other aspects of quality). Trials in which participants had been excluded after randomization did not yield larger estimates of effects, but that lack of association may be due to incomplete reporting. Trials that were not double-blind also yielded larger estimates of effects (P = .01), with odds ratios being exaggerated by 17%. CONCLUSIONS This study provides empirical evidence that inadequate methodological approaches in controlled trials, particularly those representing poor allocation concealment, are associated with bias. Readers of trial reports should be wary of these pitfalls, and investigators must improve their design, execution, and reporting of trials.
Comparison of anthropometric-based equations for estimation of body fat percentage in a normal-weight and overweight female cohort: validation via air-displacement plethysmography

Abstract Objective To evaluate the accuracy of the most commonly used anthropometric-based equations in the estimation of percentage body fat (%BF) in both normal-weight and overweight women using air-displacement plethysmography (ADP) as the criterion measure. Design A comparative study in which the equations of Durnin and Womersley (1974; DW) and Jackson, Pollock and Ward (1980) at three, four and seven sites (JPW3, JPW4 and JPW7) were validated against ADP in three groups. Group 1 included all participants, group 2 included participants with a BMI<25·0 kg/m2 and group 3 included participants with a BMI≥25·0 kg/m2. Setting Human Performance Laboratory, Institute for Sport and Health, University College Dublin, Republic of Ireland. Subjects Forty-three female participants aged between 18 and 55 years. Results In all three groups, the %BF values estimated from the DW equation were closer to the criterion measure (i.e. ADP) than those estimated from the other equations. Of the three JPW equations, JPW3 provided the most accurate estimation of %BF when compared with ADP in all three groups. Conclusion In comparison to ADP, these findings suggest that the DW equation is the most accurate anthropometric method for the estimation of %BF in both normal-weight and overweight females.
Analysing Web Service Composition with PEPA

Web services are an emerging paradigm aiming to offer the interoperability afforded by web applications combined with rich client interaction. Web service composition allows a distributed application to be constructed from a number of previously published web services. This component-based style of implementation offers many benefits to the developer, but the reliance of third party hardware and software only exacerbates the unpredictability of application performance. In this paper we present a first step towards addressing this problem, demonstrating an automatic mechanism for developing a performance model based on a web service composition. The web service composition language that we consider is the Business Process Execution Language for Web Services (BPEL4WS or simply BPEL) [3]. It is an XML-based language and is implemented as a high level specification. This specification provides a means for using a composition of web services to perform applications, normally the automation of a business process incorporating:
Regulation of preprocambial cell state acquisition by auxin signaling in Arabidopsis leaves

The principles underlying the formation of veins in the leaf have long intrigued developmental biologists. In Arabidopsis leaves, files of anatomically inconspicuous subepidermal cells that will elongate into vein-forming procambial cells selectively activate ATHB8 gene expression. The biological role of ATHB8 in vein formation and the molecular events that culminate in acquisition of the ATHB8 preprocambial cell state are unknown, but intertwined pathways of auxin transport and signal transduction have been implicated in defining paths of vascular strand differentiation. Here we show that ATHB8 is required to stabilize preprocambial cell specification against auxin transport perturbations, to restrict preprocambial cell state acquisition to narrow fields and to coordinate procambium formation within and between veins. We further show that ATHB8 expression at preprocambial stages is directly and positively controlled by the auxin-response transcription factor MONOPTEROS (MP) through an auxin-response element in the ATHB8 promoter. We finally show that the consequences of loss of ATHB8 function for vein formation are masked by MP activity. Our observations define, at the molecular level, patterning inputs of auxin signaling in vein formation.
RNA‐Seq‐based toxicogenomic assessment of fresh frozen and formalin‐fixed tissues yields similar mechanistic insights

Formalin‐fixed, paraffin‐embedded (FFPE) pathology specimens represent a potentially vast resource for transcriptomic‐based biomarker discovery. We present here a comparison of results from a whole transcriptome RNA‐Seq analysis of RNA extracted from fresh frozen and FFPE livers. The samples were derived from rats exposed to aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and a corresponding set of control animals. Principal components analysis indicated that samples were separated in the two groups representing presence or absence of chemical exposure, both in fresh frozen and FFPE sample types. Sixty‐five percent of the differentially expressed transcripts (AFB1 vs. controls) in fresh frozen samples were also differentially expressed in FFPE samples (overlap significance: P < 0.0001). Genomic signature and gene set analysis of AFB1 differentially expressed transcript lists indicated highly similar results between fresh frozen and FFPE at the level of chemogenomic signatures (i.e., single chemical/dose/duration elicited transcriptomic signatures), mechanistic and pathology signatures, biological processes, canonical pathways and transcription factor networks. Overall, our results suggest that similar hypotheses about the biological mechanism of toxicity would be formulated from fresh frozen and FFPE samples. These results indicate that phenotypically anchored archival specimens represent a potentially informative resource for signature‐based biomarker discovery and mechanistic characterization of toxicity. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.