Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Joint Segmentation of Multi-View Images by Region Correspondence

This paper presents a method to segment the object of interest from a set of multi-view images with minimal user interaction. Specifically, after the user segments an initial image, we first estimate the transformations between foreground and background of the segmented image and the neighboring image, respectively. From these transformations, we obtain regions in the neighboring image that respectively correspond to the foreground and the background of the segmented image. We are then able to segment the neighboring image based on these regions, and iterate this process to segment the whole image set. Transformation of foregrounds are estimated by feature-based registration with free-form deformation, while transformation of backgrounds are estimated by homography constrained to affine transformation. Here, both are based on correspondence point pairs. Segmentation is done by estimating pixel color distributions and defining a shape prior based on the obtained foreground and background regions and applying them to a Markov random field (MRF) energy minimization framework for image segmentation. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Constraining Extra Neutral Gauge Bosons with Atomic Parity Violation Measurements

The discovery of a new neutral gauge boson, Z ' , could provide the first concrete evidence of physics beyond the standard model. We explore how future parity violation experiments, especially atomic parity violation (APV) experiments, can be used to constrain Zbosons. We use the recent measurement of the 133 Cs nuclear weak charge to estimate lower bounds on the mass of Zbosons for a number of representative models and to put constraints on the couplings of a newly discovered Zboson. We also consider how these constraints might be improved by future APV experiments that will measure nuclear weak charges of multiple isotopes. We show how measurements of a single isotope, and combining measurements into ratios and differences, can be used to constrain the couplings of a Zand discriminate between models. We include in our results the constraints that can be obtained from the experiments Qweak and P2 that measure the proton weak charge. We find that current and future parity violation experiments could potentially play an important role in unravelling new physics if a Zwere discovered.
The Power of Brand Love

In this article we would like to respond to Romaniuk’s (2013) Viewpoint article ‘What’s (brand) love got to do with it? ’ and provide our point of view regarding brand love . While we agree with some of the limitations she points out in Batra et al.’s (2012) article, and acknowledge them, we disagree with her statement that there is ‘no evidence that building brand love leads to higher market share, sales or profitability’ (Romaniuk 2013, p . 185) . It is conceivable that there was no evidence when she wrote the article in 2013 . However, as this article illustrates, we have since 2013 conducted our own research based on more than 1 million respondents and 4,000 brands across 200 categories, and can provide evidence that brand love leads to greater profitability and total shareholder return .
Coseismic and early postseismic slips associated with the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake sequence: EOF analysis of GPS kinematic time series

GPS kinematic time series are analyzed to estimate slip distributions for the Mw 9.0 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake sequence. Empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis is employed to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio of the original time series. The coseismic, and subsequent postseismic, deformations of the foreshock can be described by a single mode, suggesting that the extent of the source for both events must be similar. The total moment magnitude of the afterslip following the foreshock is estimated to be Mw 7.1 with a decay time of 0.63 days. The magnitude of the afterslip was larger for its duration than was anticipated by the scaling law for a typical slow earthquake, although two previous earthquakes in adjacent regions showed the same tendency as that in the present case. The pattern of slip of the mainshock and the subsequent afterslips and aftershocks indicates that each slip occurs in a region adjacent to that of the previous slips in a complementary manner. Finally, in the course of the EOF analysis, the modes representing the thermal expansion of the GPS pillars are clearly identified.
Geochemistry of eclogite‐ and blueschist‐facies rocks from the Bantimala Complex, South Sulawesi, Indonesia: Protolith origin and tectonic setting

We present the first data on bulk‐rock major and trace element compositions for a suite of eclogite‐ and blueschist‐facies rocks from the Bantimala Complex, Indonesia, with the aim of better constraining the protolith origins and nature of the subducted crust. The eclogites can be classified into two groups: glaucophane‐rich eclogite and glaucophane‐free eclogite, whereas the blueschists are divided into albite–epidote glaucophanite and quartz–glaucophane schists. SiO2 contents of the eclogites are 43.3–49.6 wt%, with Na2O + K2O contents 3.7–4.7 wt%. The blueschists show a wider range of compositions, with SiO2 = 40.7–63.8 wt% and Na2O + K2O = 2.7–4.5 wt%. Trace element data suggest that the eclogite protoliths include both enriched and normal mid‐oceanic ridge basalt (E‐MORB and N‐MORB) and also gabbroic cumulates. The blueschists show more variation in protoliths, which include N‐MORB, Oceanic Island Basalt (OIB) and Island Arc Basalt (IAB). Plots of element concentrations against the immobile Zr show considerable mobility of large ion lithophiles but not of high field‐strength elements during high‐pressure metamorphism, and indicate that the high SiO2 content of some blueschists is probably due to metasomatism by a LILE‐rich siliceous aqueous fluid. Strong correlations between K, Rb, Ba and Cs suggests that enrichment of these elements occurred by a single process. All the protoliths were subducted, metamorphosed to blueschist/eclogite‐facies and subsequently exhumed. It is noteworthy that the samples deduced to have come from thicker‐crust environments (OIB, IAB) were subducted to shallower depths (blueschist‐facies) than MORB‐derived samples, all except one of which reached eclogite‐facies conditions. The geochemical data of this study demonstrate the variety of ocean floor types that were subducted under the southeast margin of Sundaland in the late Jurassic period.
The influence of disturbances and noise of normal distribution on the correctness of geological interpretation of seismic sections with increased resolution

Exploration for hydrocarbons is moving toward increasingly challenging areas, where current seismic imaging methods are reaching their limits. In complex geology, the conventional seismic approaches may fail and result in non-negligible in interpretation and geological model building. One of the problem which seriously disturb the correctness of data interpretation is the presence of noise and different perturbations, particularly when high resolution techniques were applied before. Even when using the most advanced methods of noise suppression or elimination, some signatures of noisy components remain within the processed data. Moreover, any attempt to attenuate these “artefacts” results in also attenuating real reflecting events. The paper presents one of the important problems that substantially affect the legibility and correctness of seismic sections interpretations, where procedures were applied to increase the resolution via widening the frequency range of the complex spectral characteristic. Particular attention has been paid to the analysis of disturbances, which can result from the application of the procedure for complex modification of a seismic record of the spectral characteristic. The fact that various geological environments generate different types of disturbances is an important problem, which primarily makes disturbances analysis difficult. Their common feature is their very unsystematic nature, and hence diverse disturbances value distributions, which can interfere with the input wave field, subject to modification, in various ways − both constructively and destructively. Hence the resultant wave field may contain both additional real information about the environment’s structure, and may also present an image resulting, inter alia, from the unintended elimination of actual reflections. The paper discusses the issue of normal distribution disturbances (so-called white noise). Despite the already very rich bibliography devoted to increasing seismic data resolution, the issue of disturbances is marginally considered, first of all due to the difficulties with formulating observations of a general nature.
The role of natriuretic peptides in defining the diagnosis and prognosis of medical diseases

Natriuretic peptides, BNP and NT-proBNP are increased in patients who have a higher myocardial wall tension. They have been extensively used to diagnose heart failure in patients presenting dyspnea. BNP and NT-proBNP serum levels are influenced by variables such as age, gender, body mass index and renal function. Lately, their increase in acute coronary syndromes, stable atherosclerotic coronary artery disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary hypertension and sepsis has been investigated. We review the diagnostic and prognostic value of circulating natriuretic peptides in the assessment of several medical diseases.
Summarizing Public Opinions in Tweets

The objective of Sentiment Analysis is to identify any clue of positive or negative emotions in a piece of text reflective of the authors opinions on a subject. When performed on large aggregations of user generated content, Sentiment Analysis may be helpful in extracting public opinions. We use Twitter for this purpose and build a classifier which classifies a set of tweets. Often, Machine Learning techniques are applied to Sentiment Classification, which requires a labeled training set of considerable size. We introduce the approach of using words with sentiment value as noisy label in a distant supervised learning environment. We created a training set of such Tweets and used it to train a Naive Bayes Classifier. We test the accuracy of our classifier using a hand labeled training set. Finally, we check if applying a combination of minimum word frequency threshold and Categorical Proportional Difference as the Feature Selection method enhances the accuracy.
SEAMOUNTS AND TUNA FISHERIES: TUNA HOTSPOTS OR FISHERMEN HABITS?

SUMMARY An objective method to identify and assess seamount aggregation of tuna schools is presented. The method combines statistical selection of active seamounts based on fleets fishing time and spatial point pattern analysis. The characteristics of the tuna catches for the 5 seamounts selected by this method in the Atlantic Ocean are briefly commented on the period 1999-2010 for the French and Spanish purse seine and baitboat fleets. Catches by km−2 are higher in the seamounts vicinity for both fleets. Species composition changes increasing big eye tunas proportion in catches and decreasing yellow fin and skipjack tunas proportion. Size frequency distributions show that smaller individuals are more frequent in the seamounts vicinity. However these patterns can vary between the seamounts considered. RESUME
Progressive shoaling of the equatorial Pacific thermocline over the last eight glacial periods

The depth of equatorial Pacific thermocline is diagnostic of the main modes of tropical climates. Past estimates of Pacific thermocline dynamics have been reconstructed either for the Last Glacial Maximum or on longer timescales at low resolution. Here we document a new high-resolution set of reconstructed past sea surface and subsurface waters temperatures from the southwestern subequatorial Pacific, core MD05-2930, in the Gulf of Papua, over the last 800 ka. We used two morphotypes of Globigerinoides ruber known to live at different water depths to reconstruct past stratification. We estimated calcification temperature of each morphotypes by Mg/Ca paleothermometry. Our subequatorial Pacific thermocline paleotemperature record indicates a response of the thermocline to both direct orbital forcing and glacial-interglacial changes. Our stratification record shows a systematic shallower glacial thermocline, whereas sea surface temperatures are characterized by precessional forcing. The record is indicative of a progressive long-term shoaling of the thermocline during the glacial stages during the late Pleistocene. The shoaling of the subequatorial Pacific thermocline is consistent with regional estimates. An enhanced South Pacific shallow overturning wind-driven circulation could have driven this progressive shoaling. We speculate that this late Pleistocene glacial shoaling of the thermocline could be related to an increase in the amplitude of the obliquity.
Van der Waals epitaxy of two-dimensional single-layer h-BN on graphite by molecular beam epitaxy: Electronic properties and band structure

We report on the controlled growth of h-BN/graphite by means of molecular beam epitaxy. X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy suggests the presence of an interface without any reaction or intermixing, while the angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) measurements show that the h-BN layers are epitaxially aligned with graphite. A well-defined band structure is revealed by ARPES measurements, reflecting the high quality of the h-BN films. The measured valence band maximum located at 2.8 eV below the Fermi level reveals the presence of undoped h-BN films (band gap ∼ 6 eV). These results demonstrate that, although only weak van der Waals interactions are present between h-BN and graphite, a long range ordering of h-BN can be obtained even on polycrystalline graphite via van der Waals epitaxy, offering the prospect of large area, single layer h-BN.We report on the controlled growth of h-BN/graphite by means of molecular beam epitaxy. X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy suggests the presence of an interface without any reaction or intermixing, while the angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) measurements show that the h-BN layers are epitaxially aligned with graphite. A well-defined band structure is revealed by ARPES measurements, reflecting the high quality of the h-BN films. The measured valence band maximum located at 2.8 eV below the Fermi level reveals the presence of undoped h-BN films (band gap ∼ 6 eV). These results demonstrate that, although only weak van der Waals interactions are present between h-BN and graphite, a long range ordering of h-BN can be obtained even on polycrystalline graphite via van der Waals epitaxy, offering the prospect of large area, single layer h-BN.
INVISIBLE WOMEN? EXPLAINING THE GENDER GAP IN CANDIDATES' NEWS MEDIA COVERAGE*

Past studies have documented differential coverage of men and women candidates that could be detrimental to the success of women candidates. Through developing both a media logic and a party logic for the coverage of political candidates, we investigate the possible mechanisms behind gender differences in the amounts of candidates’ news media coverage in the. The paper relies on the Media Content Data from the 2009 European Election Study based on media in 25 EU member states. Similarly to most previous research, the current paper finds evidence of a gender gap in the amount of media coverage. Moreover, when investigating highly prominent and competitive candidates only, the gender bias in media coverage remains. However, this paper also shows that the media largely follows the parties' pre-selection of viable candidates when deciding which candidates to cover. Thus, the gap in media coverage may not be as much about gender, as it is about whether women are selected by parties as ‘viable’ candidates.
How Our Majors Believe They Learn

In this study, I set out to gain a better understanding of the learning strategies typically used by sociology majors, whether and to what extent they engage in metacognitive strategies, and whether teaching about learning results in students reporting greater use of self-regulatory behaviors. I discuss the importance of self-regulated learning and metacognition for student success and describe the ways in which I incorporated instruction in these skills into an undergraduate theory course. Data collected over the past five semesters illustrate the positive effects of these activities on student motivation and use of cognitive and metacognitive strategies. Students report greater use of higher-level cognitive learning strategies such as critical thinking and are more intrinsically motivated as a result of taking the course. This quantitative investigation of students’ use of cognitive and metacognitive skills adds to McKinney’s (2007) qualitative research on the process of learning sociology.
The impact of accessibility on residential choice - empirical results of a discrete choice model

Transport in general, and accessibility of people, jobs and services in particular, is assumed to have an important impact on the residential choice behavior of households. After all, the amount of activities that can be deployed by the household members, whether labor, leisure or socially correlated, is determined by the accessibility of a location. The past decades, residential location choice of households has been subject of study of many researches. Nevertheless, the relation between accessibility and residential choice has shown to be hard to verify empirically. Such (empirical) knowledge, however, can help address many of the problems that urban regions are facing nowadays, like the (re-) location of residential areas and jobs, the planning of new infrastructure and predicting the amount of traffic generated by commuting and leisure activities. The first part of this paper gives an overview of the literature on residential choice behavior, with an emphasis on research that studied the relation with accessibility. Next, the results of a discrete choice model for the residential choice behavior of households will be presented. The model is estimated on the National Housing Survey, in which over 75 thousand Dutch households were inquired on their current and previous housing situation. Different aspects of the residential choice decision are incorporated in the model, like the dwelling type, the location of the dwelling and the characteristics of the household, all in relation with the influence of accessibility. The results show that individual accessibility measures, like migration distance, commuting distance and access to public transport for households without a car, have more impact than the often used general measures like the amount of jobs within 30 minutes travel time, which is apparently the same for all inhabitants in a region.
Causality Relationships in the Structure of Portugal's Balance of International Payments

This paper provides an empirical investigation of the causal relationship between the current account and foreign capital inflows in the case of the Portuguese economy, during the period 1980-2009. We utilize unit root and cointegration analysis to test for the existence of a long run relationship. Furthermore, we examine the type of Granger-causality among the two variables on the basis of an augmented VAR model. Our findings suggest that there exists a long run relationship between foreign capital inflows and current account position that is based upon a unidirectional causal long-run relationship, running from foreign capital inflows to current account position. In the short-run we find a bidirectional relationship between the two variables. The results indicate that policies design for attracting foreign capital should take into account their current account deficit inducing implications and that policies aiming to improve the management of foreign capital inflows have a role in addressing indebtedness and external imbalances concerns.
The estimation of latent heat flux: a reflection for the future

Currently, the cost of measuring turbulent fluxes is extremely high. Thus, the development of models and theories that use robust and low-cost equipment to estimate turbulent fluxes is becoming an increasingly interesting line of research. This paper describes the difficulties encountered throughout the study in estimating evapotranspiration. A set of experiments, (already published), were carried out to estimate average sensible and latent heat fluxes every 30 minutes. These experiments used different models based on the Surface Renewal Analysis (SR); the results are presented in this paper. Considering the fundamental importance of water in the agricultural industry, this article addresses the issue of implementing SR in the protocol for data acquisition-transfer in a network of agro-meteorological stations.
The Impact of Foreign Workers, Outflow Remittances on Economic Growth inSelected GCC Countries: ARDL Approach

This study investigates the impact of foreign workers and outflow remittances on economic growth of selected GCC countries, namely, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. The study covers the time from 1985 to 2014 and utilizes annual data obtained from World Bank and International Labour Organization, the study uses Autoregressive Distributed Lag approach (ARDL). The reason behind selection of these countries is that the three countries depend mostly on foreign worker in most of the sectors of their economies, besides, the outflow remittances from these countries are among the highest in GCC countries. The results of ARDL reveal that foreign workers contribute positively to economic growth while outflow remittances have negative significant impact on economic growth of countries of interest.
Expression and Purification of Recombinant Saposin B for Coenzyme Q10 Purification

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) plays a critical role in energy production in humans. Low levels of CoQ10 have been linked to diseases such as Parkinson's and Huntingtons's disease. CoQ10 levels decrease as we age, and use of statin drugs also lowers CoQ10 levels. Oral supplementation however increases CoQ10 levels. However, the lack of industrial sources of CoQ10 and the difficulty in CoQ10 purification has resulted the need to address these problems. Sporidiobolus johnsonii (S. johnsonii) has been reported as a natural producer of CoQ10. This work is aim to increase the production of CoQ10 in S. johnsonii through genetic engineering. Current purification methods for CoQ10 are difficult and expensive. A protein based purification method may alleviate the current problems associated with typical LC purification. Saposin B (Sap B) has been shown to bind with CoQ10 at selective pH's. We hypothesized that utilizing a Sap B coated support resin that an affinity purification method for CoQ10 could e produced. To this end, the recombinant Sap B was expressed and bound via a HIS-Tag to a sepharose IMAC bead. This work demonstrates that CoQ10 can be bound and released by a Sap B based affinity resin by manipulating the pH.
Lead Isotope Analyses of Metal Objects from the Apa Hoard and Other Early and Middle Bronze Age Items from Romania

Altogether 29 Early and Middle Bronze Age metal objects from Romania including six from the famous Apa hoard were analysed for their chemical compositions and lead isotope ratios. In order to determine the provenance of the copper, these geochemical signatures were compared with copper ores from geological deposits in central and southeastern Europe, which had been exploited in the Bronze Age. It can be concluded that the copper of the implements from the Apa hoard most likely derives from the east Alpine Mitterberg region while the other Middle and Late Bronze Age objects from Romania largely consist of Slovakian copper.