Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interactive multiclass segmentation using superpixel classification

This paper adresses the problem of interactive multiclass segmentation. We propose a fast and efficient new interactive segmentation method called Superpixel Classification-based Interactive Segmentation (SCIS). From a few strokes drawn by a human user over an image, this method extracts relevant semantic objects. To get a fast calculation and an accurate segmentation, SCIS uses superpixel over-segmentation and support vector machine classification. In this paper, we demonstrate that SCIS significantly outperfoms competing algorithms by evaluating its performances on the reference benchmarks of McGuinness and Santner.
Modulation of TTX-R INa by PKC and PKA and Their Role in PGE2-Induced Sensitization of Rat Sensory Neurons In Vitro

A tetrodotoxin-resistant voltage-gated Na+current (TTX-R INa) appears to be the current primarily responsible for action potential generation in the cell body and terminals of nociceptive afferents. Although other voltage-gated Na+ currents are modulated by the activation of protein kinase C (PKC), protein kinase A (PKA), or both, the second messenger pathways involved in the modulation of TTX-RINa are still being defined. We have examined the modulation of TTX-R INa in isolated sensory neurons with whole-cell voltage-clamp recording. Activation of either PKC or PKA increased TTX-RINa. PKA activation also produced a leftward shift in the conductance–voltage relationship of TTX-RINa and an increase in the rates of current activation, deactivation, and inactivation. Inhibitors of PKC decreased TTX-R INa, whereas inhibitors of PKA had no effect on the current. Investigating the interaction between PKC and PKA revealed that although inhibitors of PKA had little effect on PKC-induced modulation of TTX-R INa, inhibitors of PKC significantly attenuated PKA-induced modulation of the current. Finally, although PGE2-induced modulation of TTX-R INa was more similar to PKA-induced modulation of the current than to PKC-induced modulation, PGE2-induced effects were inhibited by inhibitors of both PKC and PKA. Thus, although TTX-R INa is a common target for cellular processes involving the activation of either PKA or PKC, PKC activity is necessary to enable subsequent PKA-mediated modulation of TTX-R INa.
Altered Actions of Memantine and NMDA-Induced Currents in a New Grid2-Deleted Mouse Line

Memantine is a non-competitive antagonist of the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, and is an approved drug for the treatment of moderate-to-severe Alzheimer’s disease. We identified a mouse strain with a naturally occurring mutation and an ataxic phenotype that presents with severe leg cramps. To investigate the phenotypes of these mutant mice, we screened several phenotype-modulating drugs and found that memantine (10 mg/kg) disrupted the sense of balance in the mutants. Moreover, the mutant mice showed an attenuated optokinetic response (OKR) and impaired OKR learning, which was also observed in wild-type mice treated with memantine. Microsatellite analyses indicated that the Grid2 gene-deletion is responsible for these phenotypes. Patch-clamp analysis showed a relatively small change in NMDA-dependent current in cultured granule cells from Grid2 gene-deleted mice, suggesting that GRID2 is important for correct NMDA receptor function. In general, NMDA receptors are activated after the activation of non-NMDA receptors, such as AMPA receptors, and AMPA receptor dysregulation also occurs in Grid2 mutant mice. Indeed, the AMPA treatment enhanced memantine susceptibility in wild-type mice, which was indicated by balance sense and OKR impairments. The present study explores a new role for GRID2 and highlights the adverse effects of memantine in different genetic backgrounds.
Weighted Queries on Binary Relations and Multi-Labeled Trees

The common way to search large indexed databases is through conjunctive queries on binary relations, such as those associating keywords to web page references. We extend this model by adding positive weights to the terms of the query. In this context we give and analyze two algorithms to answer such queries in a pertinent way. We extend this approach to solve weighted queries on tree-structured objects such as file-systems or XML documents.
Thinking outside the box: processing instruction and individual differences in working memory capacity

Processing Instruction is a pedagogic intervention that manipulates the L2 input learners are exposed to in the classroom. Proponents of this intervention claim that it poses a minimal strain on learners’ processing resources. While there has been extensive research on the benefits of Processing Instruction in general and the role of individual differences in particular, no conclusive evidence has been found regarding the role of individual differences in Working Memory Capacity. To explore the question whether Processing Instruction is equally beneficial for learners at different points of the Working Memory Capacity spectrum, a case study on the effects of computer-delivered Processing Instruction has been conducted. German switch prepositions were the target feature and students’ instructional gains were evaluated through sentence- and discourse-level tasks in a pre- and post-test design. Additionally, students’ on-task performance was recorded during instruction. The Working Memory Capacity scores were supplemented with questionnaire data on potential mediating variables such as motivation, anxiety, personality, and aptitude. The analysis of individual learner profiles addressed yet another gap in the literature: Robinson’s (2001) work, Snow’s (1989) aptitude-treatment interaction concept, and Dornyei & Skehan’s (2003) perspective on individual differences all demand a look at the bigger picture. Yet much of the Second Language Acquisition research to date has operationalised Working Memory according to Baddeley & Hitch’s (1974) model, using quasi-experimental research designs – which usually fail to capture the complex and dynamic nature of Working Memory. This study addressed this gap with attention to the operationalisation of Working Memory, the analysis of task demands as well as perceived difficulty, and a focus on the interplay of several learner variables. Results seem to support the importance of Working Memory for Second Language Acquisition, at least in the short run. However, they also show a clear impact of participant-treatment interactions which might not have become evident in a group-comparison study.
Estimating directional magnetic polarizabilities of metallic objects using planar time-domain electromagnetic induction sensor

Directional magnetic polarizabilities are intrinsic features of metallic objects, closely related to their geometrical and material properties. They are therefore considered as key parameters for characterization and classification of metallic targets using electromagnetic induction (EMI) sensing. This paper deals with the problem of estimating time-dependent directional magnetic polarizabilities and the location of an obscure metallic target using induced voltage measurements from a planar time-domain (TD) EMI sensor. We present a modeling and parameter estimation methodology, enabling determination of a full time-decay curve of directional magnetic polarizabilities over a specified time window. Performance of the proposed estimation algorithm is evaluated in laboratory environment using our experimental planar TD EMI sensor and three metallic test samples. For a given testing scenario, the algorithm was able to correctly identify dominant magnetic polarizabilities of each target, irrespective of its location. Target positions were estimated with a minimum accuracy of ± 4 mm for x- and y-coordinates, and ± 8 mm for z-coordinates.
Automatic Detection of Brain Functional Disorder Using Imaging Data

Recently, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) is getting a lot of attention mainly for two reasons. First, it is one of the most commonly f ound childhood behavioral disorders. Around 5-10 % of the children all over the world are diagnosed with ADHD. Se cond, the root cause of the problem is still unknown and therefore no bi ological measure exists to diagnose ADHD. Instead, doctors need to diagnose it based on the clini ca symptoms, such as inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity, which are all subjective. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data has beco m a popular tool to understand the functioning of the brain such as identifying th e brain regions responsible for different cognitive tasks or analyzing the statistical differences o f the brain functioning between the diseased and control subjects. ADHD is also being studied using the fM RI data. In this dissertation we aim to solve the problem of automatic diagnosis of the ADHD subje cts using their resting state fMRI (rs-fMRI) data. As a core step of our approach, we model the functions of a brai n as a connectivity network, which is expected to capture the information about how synch ronous different brain regions are in terms of their functional activities. The network is constr uc ed by representing different brain regions as the nodes where any two nodes of the network are conne ted by an edge if the correlation of the activity patterns of the two nodes is higher than some t hr shold. The brain regions, represented as the nodes of the network, can be selected at differe nt granularities e.g. single voxels or cluster of functionally homogeneous voxels. The topologic al differences of the constructed networks of the ADHD and control group of subjects are then explo ited in the classification approach. We have developed a simple method employing the Bag-of-Word s (BoW) framework for the classification of the ADHD subjects. We represent each no de in the network by a 4-D feature vector: node degree and 3-D location. The 4-D vectors of all t he network nodes of the training data are then grouped in a number of clusters using K-means; where each such cluster is termed as a
Wind energy conversion system using PMSG

The applications of wind energy develops much more rapidly than the other renewable resources such as solar, geothermal etc. in the 21st century. It becomes the third core energy resource following non conventional fuels as oil and chemical. Electrical energy generated by wind power plants is the fastest developing and most promising renewable energy source. The wind is a clean, free and inexhaustible energy source. The origin of wind is simple. Wind turbines are classified into two types as fixed speed and variable speed wind turbine. A variable speed wind turbine provides more energy than the fixed speed wind turbines, reduce power fluctuations and improve reactive power supply. Basically direct drive PMSG (Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator) and DFIG (Double Fed Induction Generator) are used in variable speed wind turbine generator. In this paper, the Matlab simulations of a Wind Energy Conversion System with PMSG and variable-speed wind turbine have been discussed.
The Status of Women in STEM in Higher Education: A Review of the Literature 2007–2017

ABSTRACT Increased efforts to diversify science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in the United States have drastically increased the number of studies offering insight into the experiences of women in STEM programs in higher education. This paper presents a thematic review of the literature regarding their status from 2007 to 2017 including journals, trade magazines, theses, and dissertations. It focuses on areas of recruitment, retention, barriers, and faculty issues. Stereotypes, biases, campus culture, classroom experiences, identity, and sense of belonging are also explored. The author additionally identifies gaps and suggests related areas for new research as well as implications for librarians.
Effects of flow volume and grain size on mobility of dry granular flows of angular rock fragments: A functional relationship of scaling parameters

[1] Flows of angular rock fragments are released down a concave upward chute in the laboratory to study their mobility. This mobility is measured as the reciprocal of the apparent coefficient of friction that is equal to the vertical drop of the center of mass of the granular material divided by its horizontal distance of travel. Our experiments show that the finer the grain size (with all the other features the same), the larger the mobility of the center of mass. We believe this to be due to the fact that in finer grain size flows there are less agitated particles per unit of flow mass, so that these flows dissipate less energy per unit of travel distance. Our experiments show also that the larger the volume (with all the other features the same), the larger the apparent coefficient of friction. We believe this to be so because the frontal portion of a flow reaches the less steep part of a curved slope and stops before the rear portion, preventing the rear portion and the center of mass from traveling farther downhill. This phenomenon (which is more prominent in larger-volume flows, whose rear and frontal ends are more distant) counteracts the decrease of energy dissipation per unit of flow mass because of the decrease of particle agitation per unit of flow mass that is expected when the volume of a flow increases (with all the other features the same). Our analysis generates a functional relationship between the dimensionless apparent coefficient of friction and a scaling parameter whose numerator is equal to the mean grain size multiplied by the cube root of the deposit volume and whose denominator is the square of the channel width. The purpose of our experiments is to understand the dynamics of rock avalanches and dense pyroclastic flows.
Papillomaviruses in Multiple Tumours of Twin Goats

In situ hybridisation, polymerase chain reaction as well as L1 antigen immunolabelling indicated the presence of Papillomavirus in tumour samples of twin goats. These findings suggest that caprine PVs may play a role in cutaneous and ocular tumour development, similarly to what has been suggested for humans.
Can Intercultural Experiences Foster Creativity? The Relevance, Theory and Evidence

ABSTRACT This article focuses on the relationship between intercultural experience and creativity, with a specific focus on the idea that engagement with cultural diversity can foster creativity. Having highlighted both the need for creativity and various challenges associated with defining and measuring it, a comprehensive theoretical rationale for the potential of intercultural experiences to enhance creativity is presented. This is accompanied by a thorough review of fourteen relevant empirical studies. Overall, the article highlights a growing body of empirical data supporting the argument that intercultural experiences can enhance creativity, but also draws attention to the complexity of this process, including multiple factors which influence this relationship.
Receiver Architectures for MIMO-OFDM Based on a Combined VMP-SP Algorithm

Iterative information processing, either based on heurist ics or analytical frameworks, has been shown to be a very powerful tool for the design of efficient, yet feas ible, wireless receiver architectures. Within this context, algorithms performing message-passing on a probabilistic graph, such as the sum-product (SP) and variational message passing (VMP) algorithms, have become increasingly popular. In this contribution, we apply a combined VMP-SP message-passing technique to the design of receivers for MIMO-ODFM systems. The message-passing equations of the combined scheme can be obtained from the equations of the stationary points of a constrained region-based free energy approximation. When applied to a MIMO-OFDM probabilistic model, we obtain a generic receiver architecture performing iterative channel weight and noise precision estimation, equalization and data decoding. We show that this generic scheme can be particularized to a variety of different receiver structures, ranging from high-performance iterative stru ctures to low complexity receivers. This allows for a flexible design of the signal processing specially tail ored for the requirements of each specific application. The numerical assessment of our solutions, based on Monte Carlo simulations, corroborates the high performance of the proposed algorithms and their superiority to heuristic approaches.
MetaPush: Cellular-Friendly Server Push For HTTP/2

MetaPush is a novel server push framework aiming at reducing web page load time. The key idea is to strategically leverage Server Push, a built-in feature in HTTP/2, to preemptively push web pages' metadata, which can later be leveraged by the client to early-fetch critical resources. We demonstrate MetaPush is particularly suitable for cellular networks, providing negligible bandwidth overhead (around 0.4%), improved page load time (up to 45%), and reduced radio energy utilization (up to 37%) over HSPA+ networks.
MULTIMODE HONG–OU–MANDEL INTERFEROMETRY

We review some recent experiments based upon multimode two-photon interference of photon pairs created by spontaneous parametric down-conversion. The new element provided by these experiments is the inclusion of the transverse spatial profiles of the pump, signal and idler fields. We discuss multimode Hong–Ou–Mandel interference, and show that the transverse profile of the pump beam can be manipulated in order to control two-photon interference. We present the basic theory and experimental results as well as several applications to the field of quantum information.
Neurobiology 130/230. Visual Object Recognition Beware: These Are Preliminary Notes. in the Future, They Will Become Part of a Textbook on Visual Object Recognition. Chapter 2: Starting from the Very Beginning

Visual input and natural image statistics. The retina and the thalamus. Let there be light. And there was light. Vision starts when photons reflected from objects in the world impinge on the retina. This light signal from photons is transduced into electrical signals at the level of the photoreceptors, one of the astounding feats of evolution. We start by discussing some of the basic properties of natural images and then provide a succinct description of the early stages in vision from the retina all the way to primary visual cortex. 2.1 Natural image statistics Let us consider a digital grayscale image of 100 x 100 pixels. This is a far cry from the complexity of real visual input. Yet, if each pixel can take 256 possible shades of gray, then, even for such a simple image patch, there is a large number of possible images. There are 256 possible one-pixel images. There are 256x256 possible two-pixel images. All in all, there are 256 10,000 possible 100x100 images. This is a pretty large number. It turns out that the distribution of 100x100 natural image patches includes only a small subset of this number. Before describing why this is so, let us reflect a minute on the meaning of " natural ". Imagine that we attach a digital camera to our forehead and go around a forest, a street or a beach, taking several pictures per second. Then, we extract all possible 100x100 image patches from those digital images. This gives a pragmatic definition of natural images and patches of natural images. While in principle any of the 256 10,000 patches could show up in the natural world, there are strong correlations and constraints in the way natural images look. First, there is a very strong correlation between the grayscale intensities of two adjacent pixels (Figure 2.1). In other words, grayscale intensities in natural images typically change in a smooth manner and contain surfaces of approximately uniform intensity separated by edges that represent discontinuities. Overall, edges constitute a small fraction of the image. The autocorrelation function 1 of a natural image typically shows a strong peak at small pixel separations followed by a gradual drop (for a review of the properties of natural images, see (Simoncelli and Olshausen, 2001)). 1 For a single valued function f(x) defined over a domain D, the autocorrelation function is: R(λ) = f D ∫ (x) f …
Introduction to Monograph on Observational Data Analysis

espanolEn la breve Introduccion se muestra el agradecimiento a Anales de Psicologia por la publicacion del numero monografico. La satisfaccion por la publicacion de este numero monografico se centra en diferentes motivos, como el avance cuantitativo y cualitativo de la produccion cientifica sobre la metodologia observacional que se ha producido en el ultimo cuarto de siglo, superandose la respuesta a criticas continuadas que han recibido por considerarse meramente estudios descriptivos, el interes creciente en el estudio de la cotidianeidad desde muchas facetas diversificadas, y por los avances metodologicos realizados en los ultimos anos. Como consecuencia de estos avances, la produccion cientifica ha ido alcanzando cotas satisfactorias en la publicacion y difusion de trabajos realizados. Asimismo, se comenta brevemente cada uno de los trabajos que conforman este numero monografico. EnglishIn our introduction, we express our gratitude to Anales de Psicologia for publishing this monograph, which embodies many of the achievements that have been made in observational data analysis over the past quarter of a century. Scientific production in the area of observational methodology has improved both quantitatively and qualitatively over this period, helping to overcome the negative perceptions perpetuated by critics who viewed it as a merely descriptive methodology. Another source of satisfaction is the growing interest in the study of everyday behavior from multiple angles and perspectives, and the methodological advances that have paved the way for even further developments. Thanks to this progress, the publication and dissemination of research grounded in observational methodology has reached satisfactory levels. The introduction concludes with a brief description of the articles included in the monograph
Investigating the Host Binding Signature on the Plasmodium falciparum PfEMP1 Protein Family

The Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) family plays a central role in antigenic variation and cytoadhesion of P. falciparum infected erythrocytes. PfEMP1 proteins/var genes are classified into three main subfamilies (UpsA, UpsB, and UpsC) that are hypothesized to have different roles in binding and disease. To investigate whether these subfamilies have diverged in binding specificity and test if binding could be predicted by adhesion domain classification, we generated a panel of 19 parasite lines that primarily expressed a single dominant var transcript and assayed binding against 12 known host receptors. By limited dilution cloning, only UpsB and UpsC var genes were isolated, indicating that UpsA var gene expression is rare under in vitro culture conditions. Consequently, three UpsA variants were obtained by rosette purification and selection with specific monoclonal antibodies to create a more representative panel. Binding assays showed that CD36 was the most common adhesion partner of the parasite panel, followed by ICAM-1 and TSP-1, and that CD36 and ICAM-1 binding variants were highly predicted by adhesion domain sequence classification. Binding to other host receptors, including CSA, VCAM-1, HABP1, CD31/PECAM, E-selectin, Endoglin, CHO receptor “X”, and Fractalkine, was rare or absent. Our findings identify a category of larger PfEMP1 proteins that are under dual selection for ICAM-1 and CD36 binding. They also support that the UpsA group, in contrast to UpsB and UpsC var genes, has diverged from binding to the major microvasculature receptor CD36 and likely uses other mechanisms to sequester in the microvasculature. These results demonstrate that CD36 and ICAM-1 have left strong signatures of selection on the PfEMP1 family that can be detected by adhesion domain sequence classification and have implications for how this family of proteins is specializing to exploit hosts with varying levels of anti-malaria immunity.