Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Piecewise Mapping in HEVC Lossless Intra-Prediction Coding

The lossless intra-prediction coding modality of the High Efficiency Video Coding standard provides high coding performance while allowing frame-by-frame basis access to the coded data. This is of interest in many professional applications, such as medical imaging, automotive vision, and digital preservation in libraries and archives. Various improvements to lossless intra-prediction coding have been proposed recently, most of them based on sample-wise prediction using differential pulse code modulation (DPCM). Other recent proposals aim at further reducing the energy of intra-predicted residual blocks. However, the energy reduction achieved is frequently minimal due to the difficulty of correctly predicting the sign and magnitude of residual values. In this paper, we pursue a novel approach to this energy-reduction problem using piecewise mapping (pwm) functions. In particular, we analyze the range of values in residual blocks and apply accordingly a pwm function to map specific residual values to unique lower values. We encode the appropriate parameters associated with the pwm functions at the encoder, so that the corresponding inverse pwm functions at the decoder can map values back to the same residual values. These residual values are then used to reconstruct the original signal. This mapping is, therefore, reversible and introduces no losses. We evaluate the pwm functions on 4 × 4 residual blocks computed after DPCM-based prediction for lossless coding of a variety of camera-captured and screen content sequences. Evaluation results show that the pwm functions can attain the maximum bitrate reductions of 5.54% and 28.33% for screen content material compared with DPCM-based and block-wise intra-prediction, respectively. Compared with intra-block copy, piecewise mapping can attain the maximum bit-rate reductions of 11.48% for a camera-captured material.
Experimental cross-infections by Perkinsus marinus and P. chesapeaki in three sympatric species of Chesapeake Bay oysters and clams.

In controlled laboratory transmission experiments, uniform doses of axenic in vitro isolate cultures of Perkinsus marinus from a Crassostrea virginica oyster, and of independent P. chesapeaki isolates from Chesapeake Bay Mya arenaria and Macoma balthica clams, were used to reciprocally challenge Perkinsus sp. -free C. virginica, M. arenaria, and M. balthica experimental hosts. Following mantle cavity inoculations, all 3 experimental hosts acquired high incidences (30 to 100%) of infections by each of the 3 Perkinsus sp. isolates, based on PCR assays of DNAs from experimental host tissues that were collected through 60 d post-inoculation. Lesions containing proliferating pathogen cells were documented histologically in tissues of all experimental host species challenged with all isolates of both Perkinsus species. Experimental Perkinsus sp. challenge isolates were re-isolated and propagated in vitro from infected tissues of host molluscs from most (5 of 9) experimental treatment groups. Koch's postulates were generally satisfied to confirm experimental infections in all bivalve molluscs that were challenged with 3 isolates of 2 Perkinsus spp. These results suggest potential broad and overlapping host specificities for the 2 current Chesapeake Bay-endemic Perkinsus species: P. marinus and P. chesapeaki.
Gene-Gene-Environment Interactions of Serotonin Transporter, Monoamine Oxidase A and Childhood Maltreatment Predict Aggressive Behavior in Chinese Adolescents

Gene-environment interactions that moderate aggressive behavior have been identified independently in the serotonin transporter (5-HTT) gene and monoamine oxidase A gene (MAOA). The aim of the present study was to investigate epistasis interactions between MAOA-variable number tandem repeat (VNTR), 5-HTTlinked polymorphism (LPR) and child abuse and the effects of these on aggressive tendencies in a group of otherwise healthy adolescents. A group of 546 Chinese male adolescents completed the Child Trauma Questionnaire and Youth self-report of the Child Behavior Checklist. Buccal cells were collected for DNA analysis. The effects of childhood abuse, MAOA-VNTR, 5-HTTLPR genotypes and their interactive gene-gene-environmental effects on aggressive behavior were analyzed using a linear regression model. The effect of child maltreatment was significant, and a three-way interaction among MAOA-VNTR, 5-HTTLPR and sexual abuse (SA) relating to aggressive behaviors was identified. Chinese male adolescents with high expression of the MAOA-VNTR allele and 5-HTTLPR “SS” genotype exhibited the highest aggression tendencies with an increase in SA during childhood. The findings reported support aggression being a complex behavior involving the synergistic effects of gene-gene-environment interactions.
Speaker Meaning and Davidson on Metaphor: A Reply to McGuire

John Michael McGuire (2001) presents a dilemma for Donald Davidson's denial of metaphorical content in the latter's "What Metaphors Mean" (1978). Probably, says McGuire, Davidson has simply overlooked the possibility that speakers mean propositions when they speak metaphorically. If so, all Davidson is saying is that expressions (i.e., word, phrase, and sentence types) do not have additional metaphorical meanings. This is so obvious as to make Davidson's paper "insignificant" (McGuire 2001, p. 444). Besides which, McGuire continues, if Davidson intended to deny that speakers mean propositions in speaking metaphorically, his view is "obviously false" (ibid., p. 447). This again would make Davidson's supposedly classic paper "insignificant. " As I argue below, I think this harsh verdict of insignificance unwarranted. First, I believe it is quite clear that Davidson did not simply miss the possibility that speakers could mean things in metaphorical talk. Second, I believe Davidson's positive view, including its rejection of speaker meaning in metaphor, is not "obviously false. "
On optimisation of structures under stability constraints-a simple example

It is well known that optimisation of structures where instability phenomena are present can result in severe imperfection sensitivity [9, 10]. Classical examples are the simple Augusti model and stiffened plates [2, 4]. In both examples, the imperfection sensitivity is due to the interaction of two buckling modes. If the critical loads corresponding to the two buckling modes are well separated, the post-buckling paths are stable, however, when these loads approach to each other, secondary bifurcations occur on the primary post-buckling paths rendering the secondary post-buckling path highly unstable.
The Indonesian verbal suffix –nya; Nominalization or subordination?

The suffix ‑nya is one of the most frequent and polysemic suffixes in Indonesian. It can provide definite determination and topicalization. The “Verb‑nya“, which often appears in a topicalized subject Noun Phrase (NP), is generally labelled as a deverbal noun. Nevertheless, many syntactic constraints set it apart from Indonesian deverbal nouns. “Verb‑nya“ must be complemented by a NP, which can easily be reconstructed as a former subject: a sentence is topicalized and thus becomes a noun clause, generally the subject of the main clause Verb Phrase (VP). I argue that “Verb‑nya“ is a subordinate noun clause, almost always conveying causality. This causal noun clause, an innovation in formal written Indonesian (especially in the media), seems to fill a “gap“: the impossibility of beginning a sentence with a subordinating morpheme (‘that’, ‘because’).
Second-to-Fourth Digit Ratio Has a Non-Monotonic Impact on Altruism

Gene-culture co-evolution emphasizes the joint role of culture and genes for the emergence of altruistic and cooperative behaviors and behavioral genetics provides estimates of their relative importance. However, these approaches cannot assess which biological traits determine altruism or how. We analyze the association between altruism in adults and the exposure to prenatal sex hormones, using the second-to-fourth digit ratio. We find an inverted U-shaped relation for left and right hands, which is very consistent for men and less systematic for women. Subjects with both high and low digit ratios give less than individuals with intermediate digit ratios. We repeat the exercise with the same subjects seven months later and find a similar association, even though subjects' behavior differs the second time they play the game. We then construct proxies of the median digit ratio in the population (using more than 1000 different subjects), show that subjects' altruism decreases with the distance of their ratio to these proxies. These results provide direct evidence that prenatal events contribute to the variation of altruistic behavior and that the exposure to fetal hormones is one of the relevant biological factors. In addition, the findings suggest that there might be an optimal level of exposure to these hormones from social perspective.
The New Men

Science communication should include some account of doing science as well as of its product; new scientific knowledge. Fiction and drama are well placed to communicate the process of doing science although, in practice, popular novels on this theme are rare. One exception is the collectivist period in British history from the early 1930s to the late 1960s, when several science-trained authors wrote popular novels about doing science. They gave reasonably sophisticated accounts of the practice, philosophy, sociology and politics of science and their representations of these activities are outlined here. If historical context was a major factor in these novels being written, this may explain why contemporary popular fiction about science is hard to publish. The economic upheavals of 2008 may herald a new era of managed capitalism which might trigger a fresh wave of fictional representations of science.
Évaluation de l’implantation et des effets d’un programme de sensibilisation à l’agression indirecte auprès d’élèves du primaire

Cet article presente l’evaluation de l’implantation et des effets d’un programme visant a sensibiliser des eleves du 3e cycle du primaire sur le phenomene de l’agression indirecte. Les 188 participants a l’etude sont repartis en groupes experimental (N=91) et temoin (N=97). L’analyse d’implantation montre que des adaptations ont ete necessaires pour favoriser la reussite du programme en milieu scolaire primaire. Le programme, tel que presente, a toutefois suscite l’interet et la satisfaction de la majorite des participants. Les resultats pre- et post-traitement montrent, quant a eux, que le programme a favorise l’augmentation de certaines connaissances a propos de l’agression indirecte. Enfin, il semble encourager un changement de comportement dans les interactions sociales entre les eleves.
Assessing attachment: convergent validity of the adult attachment interview and the parental bonding instrument.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine whether or not the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) can provide information about parent-child attachment that is comparable to information obtained from the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI), a more complex measure of attachment. METHOD One hundred and thirty emotionally and/or behaviourally disturbed adolescents (73 male, 57 female; ages 13-19 years, x = 15.3 +/- 1.47 years) participating in a study of attachment and suicidality completed the PBI and the AAI. Data from these measures were compared within participants. RESULTS Maternal care and overprotection on the PBI differed significantly by AAI attachment classification (F3,122 = 2.79, p = 0.012), with autonomous participants showing the most optimal and unresolved participants the least optimal PBI results. Maternal love and maternal involvement/role reversal on the AAI were significant predictors of maternal care and maternal overprotection, respectively, on the PBI (R2 = 0.15; R2 = 0.16). These predictions improved when AAI scales measuring idealisation and involving anger towards the mother were included in the regression analyses (R2 = 0.35; R2 = 0.20). Autonomous participants on AAI showed the highest scale correlations across instruments. CONCLUSIONS Attachment information obtained from the PBI and the AAI is comparable in participants with optimal attachment histories, but not in participants showing idealisation or anger towards their mothers. Caution is, therefore, advisable when using the PBI to obtain attachment information in clinical samples where suboptimal attachment histories are likely.
Secure DCT-SVD Domain Image Watermarking : Embedding Data in All Frequencies

Both Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) and Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) have been used as mathematical tools for embedding data into an image. In the DCT-domain, the DCT coefficients are modified by the elements of a pseudo-random sequence of real values. In the SVD domain, a common approach is to modify the singular values by the singular values of a visual watermark. In this paper, we present a new robust hybrid watermarking schemes based on DCT and SVD. After applying the DCT to the cover image, we map the DCT coefficients in a zig-zag order into four quadrants, and apply the SVD to each quadrant. These four quadrants represent frequency bands from the lowest to the highest. The singular values in each quadrant are then modified by the singular values of the DCT-transformed visual watermark. We assume that the size of the visual watermark is one quarter of the size of the cover image. Modification in all frequencies enables a watermarking scheme that is robust to normal A/V processes or intentional attacks that destroy the watermark in either lower or higher frequencies. We show that embedding data in lowest frequencies is resistant to one set of attacks while embedding data in highest frequencies is resistant to another set of attacks. The only exception is the rotation attack for which the data embedded in middle frequencies survive better.
Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and the kidney

Purpose of reviewRecently, initial studies have been carried out in patients using monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) inhibitors. This review summarizes the known function of MCP-1 in regulating monocytes during inflammation and its role in inflammatory disease of the kidney. Recent findingsMCP-1 is one of the first chemokines described and plays an important role in renal inflammatory disease. The function of MCP-1 has been investigated and analyzed in both animal models of renal disease and renal patients. MCP-1 mediates firstly the release of monocytes from the bone marrow, and then generates a gradient in the endothelial glycocalyx to direct monocytes to sites of inflammation, thereby alleviating the migration of blood leukocytes into the inflamed tissue. In addition, MCP-1 has direct signaling effects in monocytes and influences migration, proliferation, and differentiation of leukocytes. Blockade of MCP-1 in several models of renal disease has ameliorated the disease, suggesting that inhibition of MCP-1 is a promising and valid strategy to treat patients with renal inflammatory disease. SummaryUnderstanding the role of MCP-1 in monocyte homeostasis and the implications of MCP-1 inhibition in renal disease will help in designing better diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in patients with inflammatory renal disease.
Losses in Families Affected by Dementia: Coping Strategies and Service Issues

This article presents results from a study which explored losses in families affected by dementia and how families dealt with such losses. Twenty persons caring for a partner with dementia were interviewed about their loss experiences and the impact of dementia on their families. Carers reported losses at different levels within the family, and a range of methods used to cope with loss and to maintain their family functioning were identified. Increased awareness about dementia-related family losses is encouraged and implications for service providers are presented.
DEMONSTRATION OF AN IRON-ACTIVATED ALDOLASE IN SONIC EXTRACTS OF BRUCELLA SUIS

methionine, glycine, and serine. Homocysteine was added at the rate of 10 mg per 100 ml of medium. The data show (figure 1) that, upon the addition of increasing levels of serine and phosphoserine (corrected for 1 moiety of phosphorus/ serine molecule), phosphoserine is from 2 to 3 times more effective than serine. It is recognized that the stimulation of cell growth herein observed may be attributed to factors other than those involved in $-oxidation of serine and subsequent transmethylation to form methionine. The increase of cell numbers in the presence of phosphoserine may be a reflection of a response to organically bound phosphorus in areas of metabolism other than the one under observation. The observations of Chargaff and Sprinson (J. Biol. Chem., 151, 273, 1943) and Kristoffersen and Nelson (J. Dairy Sci., 37, 635, 1954) concerning the inability of Escherichia coli and Lactobacillus casei to deaminate phosphoserine tend to eliminate the possible conversion of phosphoserine to a glycolytic intermediate, i.e., 3-phospoglyceric acid or 3-phosphopyruvic acid. The possibility exists that phosphorylation of serine facilitates the incorporation of serine into cellular proteins.
MUSLIM EDUCATION IN AFRICA: TRENDS AND ATTITUDES TOWARD FAITH-BASED SCHOOLS

R eligious affiliation is one of the most powerful predictors of educational attainment in Africa today. In most African countries, Muslims have fewer years of school and are less likely to be literate than Christians. For example, Muslims in Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria, have on average five fewer years of schooling than Christians. In a number of countries, Muslim children are less likely to be in school than Christian children. The explanations for Muslim disadvantage in the formal education sector are multitude, but this inequality is in part the result of historical processes and the structure of colonial education systems. During the colonial period, Christian missionaries provided the majority of formal education in Africa (Berman 1974; Woodberry 2004; Gallego and Woodberry 2010), and Muslims were frequently excluded from missionary schools or avoided them for fear of conversion (Abernethy 1969; Nasiru 1977; Bone 1982; Kasozi 1986; Musa 2005). As a result of the prominent role of Christian missionaries in the education sector, Africans who converted to Christianity were much more likely to receive formal education than those who did not. After independence from colonial rule, access to education in African countries gradually expanded. In particular, two major constraints in accessing education were reduced: cost and religious barriers to school entry. First, the widespread adoption of universal primary education (UPE) or free primary education (FPE) in Africa over the past two decades dramatically reduced the cost of attending school (UNESCO 2008). The effect of the removal of school fees on school attendance has been particularly pronounced among the poor (Muyanga et al. 2010; Bold et al. 2011). Second, education policies in the post-independence period have tended to liberalize the education sector, requiring faith-based schools to serve religiously diverse populations and prohibiting discrimination. African governments continue to rely heavily on religious institutions in the provision of education, particularly school infrastructure, but governments play a more direct role in the management of faith-based schools than during the colonial period.
Automatic Language-Independent Induction of Gazetteer Lists

Adaptation of existing Information Extraction (IE) systems to new languages and domains is the focus of much current research, but progress is often hindered by the lack of available resources to enable developers to get a new system up and running fast. It has previously been shown that a good set of gazetteer lists can have a vital role here, but creation of lists for a new language or domain can be time-consuming and laborious. In this paper we demonstrate a tool for inducing gazetteer lists from a small set of annotated corpora and creating a baseline IE system. We also describe an extension to this, using bootstrapping techniques in order to generate much larger volumes of noisy training texts. High quality results have been achieved in this way on Hindi, Chinese and Arabic.
Dejittered Spike-Conditioned Stimulus Waveforms Yield Improved Estimates of Neuronal Feature Selectivity and Spike-Timing Precision of Sensory Interneurons

What is the meaning associated with a single action potential in a neural spike train? The answer depends on the way the question is formulated. One general approach toward formulating this question involves estimating the average stimulus waveform preceding spikes in a spike train. Many different algorithms have been used to obtain such estimates, ranging from spike-triggered averaging of stimuli to correlation-based extraction of “stimulus-reconstruction” kernels or spatiotemporal receptive fields. We demonstrate that all of these approaches miscalculate the stimulus feature selectivity of a neuron. Their errors arise from the manner in which the stimulus waveforms are aligned to one another during the calculations. Specifically, the waveform segments are locked to the precise time of spike occurrence, ignoring the intrinsic “jitter” in the stimulus-to-spike latency. We present an algorithm that takes this jitter into account. “Dejittered” estimates of the feature selectivity of a neuron are more accurate (i.e., provide a better estimate of the mean waveform eliciting a spike) and more precise (i.e., have smaller variance around that waveform) than estimates obtained using standard techniques. Moreover, this approach yields an explicit measure of spike-timing precision. We applied this technique to study feature selectivity and spike-timing precision in two types of sensory interneurons in the cricket cercal system. The dejittered estimates of the mean stimulus waveforms preceding spikes were up to three times larger than estimates based on the standard techniques used in previous studies and had power that extended into higher-frequency ranges. Spike timing precision was ∼5 ms.
Association study of four polymorphisms in three folate-related enzyme genes with non-obstructive male infertility.

BACKGROUND Three typical folate metabolism enzymes-i.e. methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), methionine synthase (MS) and MS reductase (MTRR) in the folate cycle-play a critical role in DNA synthesis and methylation reactions. We evaluated whether polymorphisms of these three enzymes are associated with non-obstructive male infertility. METHOD Three hundred and sixty patients with non-obstructive infertility and 325 fertile men without any chromosomal abnormalities were included in this study. The single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis was performed by pyrosequencing and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis RESULTS The frequencies of MTHFR 677TT and MTRR 66GG genotypes were higher in non-obstructive infertile men compared with those in fertile men. By classifying 360 infertile patients into 174 azoospermia and 186 oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (OAT) subjects, the MTHFR 677TT and MS 2756GG types were significantly associated with the azoospermia group (P = 0.0227 and 0.0063, respectively). The frequency of MTRR 66GG was significant in the OAT group (P = 0.0014 versus fertile males). CONCLUSIONS By analysis of a large number of subjects and a more specific patient selection, we showed the first genetic evidence that MTHFR C677T, MS A2756G and MTRR A66G genotypes were independently associated with male infertility. Each SNP of the three enzymes may have a different impact on the folate cycle during spermatogenesis.