Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adapting deep neural networks as models of human visual perception

Deep neural networks (DNNs) have recently been used to solve complex perceptual and decision tasks. In particular, convolutional neural networks (CNN) have been extremely successful for visual perception. In addition to performing well on the trained object recognition task, these CNNs also model brain data throughout the visual hierarchy better than previous models. However, these DNNs are still far from completely explaining visual perception in the human brain. In this thesis, we investigated two methods with the goal of improving DNNs’ capabilities to model human visual perception: (1) deep representational distance learning (RDL), a method for driving representational spaces in deep nets into alignment with other (e.g. brain) representational spaces and (2) variational DNNs that use sampling to perform approximate Bayesian inference. In the first investigation, RDL successfully transferred information from a teacher model to a student DNN. This was achieved by driving the student DNN’s representational distance matrix (RDM), which characterises the representational geometry, into alignment with that of the teacher. This led to a significant increase in test accuracy on machine learning benchmarks. In the future, we plan to use this method to simultaneously train DNNs to perform complex tasks and to predict neural data. In the second investigation, we showed that sampling during learning and inference using simple Bernoulliand Gaussian-based noise improved a CNN’s representation of its own uncertainty for object recognition. We also found that sampling during learning and inference with Gaussian noise improved how well CNNs predict human behavioural data for image classification. While these methods alone do not fully explain human vision, they allow for training CNNs that better model several features of human visual perception.
Free Time and Physical Activity Among Americans 15 Years or Older: Cross-Sectional Analysis of the American Time Use Survey

Introduction Many Americans fail to meet physical activity guidelines. We investigated whether this failure is due in part to a lack of free time. Methods We analyzed data from the American Time Use Survey, 2014 through 2016, with 32,048 respondents aged 15 years or older, categorizing every activity during a 24-hour period. Free or leisure time includes time spent socializing, being entertained, in sports and recreation activities, volunteering, in religious activities, taking classes for personal interest, and in associated travel time. Working in the labor market, education (unless only for personal interest), household work and home production (cooking, cleaning, child care, shopping), or self-care (sleeping, eating, grooming) are not free time. We stratified by sociodemographic characteristics, health, and body mass index, and we calculated descriptive statistics adjusted for the multistage sampling design. Results Americans averaged more than 5 hours (>300 minutes) of free time per day; no subgroup reported having less than 4.5 hours (270 minutes) of free time. Men had more free time (mean [standard deviation], 356 [3] min/d) and spent more on leisure time physical activity (mean [SD], 24 [3] min/d) than women did (free time mean [SD], 318 [2] min/d, P < .001; and leisure time physical activity mean [SD], 14 [1] min/d, P < .001). Compared with those with a higher income and a college education, those with income below 185% of federal poverty guidelines and those with a high school education reported more free time but spent more time on television, movies, and other screen time and less on physical activity (all comparisons P < .001). Conclusion Lack of free time is not responsible for low levels of leisure time physical activity at the population level.
Vehicle Deceleration Prediction Model to Reflect Individual Driver Characteristics by Online Parameter Learning for Autonomous Regenerative Braking of Electric Vehicles

The connected powertrain control, which uses intelligent transportation system information, has been widely researched to improve driver convenience and energy efficiency. The vehicle state prediction on decelerating driving conditions can be applied to automatic regenerative braking in electric vehicles. However, drivers can feel a sense of heterogeneity when regenerative control is performed based on prediction results from a general prediction model. As a result, a deceleration prediction model which represents individual driving characteristics is required to ensure a more comfortable experience with an automatic regenerative braking control. Thus, in this paper, we proposed a deceleration prediction model based on the parametric mathematical equation and explicit model parameters. The model is designed specifically for deceleration prediction by using the parametric equation that describes deceleration characteristics. Furthermore, the explicit model parameters are updated according to individual driver characteristics using the driver’s braking data during real driving situations. The proposed algorithm was integrated and validated on a real-time embedded system, and then, it was applied to the model-based regenerative control algorithm as a case study.
Rethinking Food Reward.

The conscious perception of the hedonic sensory properties of caloric foods is commonly believed to guide our dietary choices. Current and traditional models implicate the consciously perceived hedonic qualities of food as driving overeating, whereas subliminal signals arising from the gut would curb our uncontrolled desire for calories. Here we review recent animal and human studies that support a markedly different model for food reward. These findings reveal in particular the existence of subcortical body-to-brain neural pathways linking gastrointestinal nutrient sensors to the brain's reward regions. Unexpectedly, consciously perceptible hedonic qualities appear to play a less relevant, and mostly transient, role in food reinforcement. In this model, gut-brain reward pathways bypass cranial taste and aroma sensory receptors and the cortical networks that give rise to flavor perception. They instead reinforce behaviors independently of the cognitive processes that support overt insights into the nature of our dietary decisions. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Psychology, Volume 71 is January 4, 2020. Please see http://www.annualreviews. org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
Efficient Path Query Processing Over Massive Trajectories on the Cloud

A path query aims to find trajectories passing a given sequence of connected road segments within a time period. It is very useful in many urban applications: 1) traffic modeling, 2) frequent path mining, 3) intersection coordination, and 4) traffic anomaly detection. Existing solutions for path query processing are implemented based on single machines, which are not efficient for the following tasks: 1) indexing large-scale historical data; 2) handling real-time trajectory updates; and 3) processing concurrent path queries from urban data mining applications. In this paper, we design and implement a cloud-based path query processing framework based on Microsoft Azure. We modify existing suffix tree structure to index trajectories using Azure Table. The proposed system consists of two main parts: 1) back-end processing, which performs pre-processing (i.e., parsing and map-matching) and index building tasks with a distributed computing platform (i.e., Storm) used to efficiently handle massive real-time trajectory updates; and 2) query processing, which answers path queries using Azure Storm to improve efficiency and overcome I/O bottleneck. Extensive experiments are performed based on the real-time taxi trajectories from Guiyang City, the capital of Guizhou Province, China to confirm the system efficiency. We also demonstrate a real deployed traffic analysis system based on our query processing framework.
An Evaluation and Analysis of Static and Adaptive Bayesian Spam Filters

Spams and spamming methods are increasing vastly and getting complicated due to the rapid growth in networks, communications and technologies. Therefore, spam filters need to be tested continuously to evaluate their capabilities and efficiency in detecting and preventing spams. This paper discusses spams filtering problem using Bayesian classifier. It shows how using a combination of black and white lists and a customized spam filter based on users’ feedback can enhance the performance of Bayesian classifier. The paper evaluates three models of spam filters which are Static Bayesian Spam Filter, Light Adaptive Bayesian Spam Filter, and Enhanced Adaptive Bayesian Spam Filter. The experiments demonstrate that Enhanced Adaptive Bayesian Spam Filter, which is the one that uses black/white lists and users’ feedback, has the highest performance.
EVALUATION OF PSYCHOMOTOR INTERVENTIONS IN ELDERLY WITH MILD COGNITIVE DEFICIT 1

This study aimed to analyze the effect of psychomotor activities on the balance of elderly patients with Mild Cognitive Deficit. This is a quasi-experimental research carried out in two public health institutions with 43 elderly residents in Niterói and Rio de Janeiro/RJ, in the months of April-July/2014. Ten sessions of psychomotor activities were carried out, as well as assessments with the scales before and after activities. The instruments used were: Tinetti Scale and Equilibrium of the Motor Scale for the Elderly (MSE). The project was approved by the Ethics Committee (Protocol no 531,807/2014). The Kruskal-Wallis test, with confidence level of 95% and significance of 0.05 showed significant difference between the assessments carried out. In the first evaluation, Tinetti tests presented 22 elderly (51.16%), mean of 17.22 points, at high risk of falls; 11 elderly (25.58%) at moderate risk. The equilibrium MSE showed a mean of 79.81 points, equivalent to a lower classification. In turn, in the second evaluation, Tinetti presented only five elderly (11.62%) at high risk for falls and 28 elderly (65.11%) at moderate risk for falls and a mean of 20.67 points. Ten elderly showed no risk for falls. The equilibrium MSE obtained a mean of 92.37 points, shifting to normal medium. Therefore, the results showed that psychomotor activities favor the balance of elderly people with Mild Cognitive Deficit. Palavras-chave: Postural balance. Mild Cognitive Impairment. Elderly.
Release New Study Shows Superior Ability of PledOx to Reduce Chemotherapy Side Effects

Results of a preclinical study, comparing PledOx (calmangafodipir) with the clinically approved substance mangafodipir, are published in the latest number of Translational Oncology (link to article). The results show that calmangafodipir has a substantial and statistically significantly better protecting effect on blood-forming bone marrow than mangafodipir, when used as an adjunct (complement) to treatment with the chemotherapy drug oxaliplatin. Furthermore, the results of the study show that the risk of brain uptake of potentially harmful manganese is significantly less with PledOx, compared with mangafodipir. Hence, PledOx may result in a more efficacious and less troublesome chemotherapy.
Note on Comparison to Modern Trade Framework

In this note we contrast a framework developed in “Trading Across Borders in Online Auctions”to a framework currently adopted in international trade literature (which is developed in Eaton and Kortum (2002) and Melitz (2003). The discussion in this note is based on an answer we prepared to one of the referees’ questions. The framework developed in “Trading Across Borders in Online Auctions” is different from a modern international trade framework, albeit complementary. The focus of trade literature, represented by Eaton and Kortum (2002) or Melitz (2003), is on explaining aggregate (typically manufacturing) trade flows and it necessarily abstracts from many features of individual markets. Our paper is less ambitious in scope because we focus on one particular service market but the payoff is that we are able to model the key economic mechanisms of that market’s operation in much greater detail. One implication of this is that some counterfactuals we are able to perform may not be possible in the trade framework and those that are possible may yield implications that differ not only in the magnitude of the effects, but even in their sign. Let us first contrast some of the assumptions of the two approaches. Our objective in doing so is not to list the differences, which are numerous and often obvious, but to argue that the essence of the identification argument in these two settings is actually somewhat different. Following that, we will discuss the counterfactuals and conclude with some thoughts on calibration of Eaton-Kortum model to our data. In Eaton and Kortum framework (henceforth, EK framework), there are multiple manufacturing goods produced and desired by buyers (CES preferences across goods). Each good can be ∗Email: ekrasno1@jhu.edu. †Email: terwiesch@wharton.upenn. edu. ‡Email: ltierer1@jhu.edu.
Distal Trisomy 10 p and 4 q Monosomy : Associated with Marfanoid Features , Syndromic Aortic Root Dilatation and Intellectual Disability

1Cardiac sciences program, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2 Canada 2Genomic Laboratory/HSC, Diagnostic Services of Manitoba, 820 Sherbrook St, Winnipeg, MB, R3A 1K9 Canada 3CombiMatrix Diagnostics, 310 Goddard Suite 150 Irvine, CA, 92618, USA 4Program of Genetics and Metabolism, Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3A1R9 Canada Received date: 9 Dec 2015; Accepted date: 24 Dec 2015; Published date: 5 Jan 2016.
The Effects of Social Protection Program on Food Consumption and Poverty in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

This study examines the effects of Unconditional Cash Transfers scheme of Benazir Income Support Program on household food consumption pattern and poverty in the District Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. For this purpose, data has been collected randomly through a comprehensive questionnaire from 383 selected beneficiaries located in two villages, namely, Kot Doulat Zai and Batagram of the District Mardan. The methods of Flexible Linear Approximate Almost Ideal Demand (LA-AIDS) and poverty index have been used for the estimation of results. Firstly, investigating the impact of cash transfers on household consumption, it is found that cash transfers increased their expenditures on cereals, meat and decreased on pulses, dairy products and fruits/vegetables. Secondly, analyzing the role of cash transfers in householdâ€™s poverty reduction, the results showed that household consumption shortfall reduced from 21% to 14% and their consumption deprivation poverty decreased from 42% to 31%. These findings suggest that the Unconditional Cash Transfers scheme is affecting the household consumption pattern and has reduced their poverty. Hence, further increase in the amount of cash transfers, formulation and implementation of effective policies in this regard can improve the standard of living of the poor and the needy people in District Mardan and in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
OVERCOMING THE MAIN LIMITING FACTORS OF CACAO PRODUCTION IN CENTRAL AMERICA THROUGH THE USE OF IMPROVED CLONES DEVELOPED AT CATIE

Cacao cultivation has been an important component of Central American culture and commerce since pre-Columbian times. However, during the last decades of the 20 th century, cacao production declined considerably in this region due to the dramatic impact of pod diseases, the low yield-potential of the plantations, and the frequent periods of low prices. An expansion of the activity is currently underway encouraged by the improvement of international and local prices and the increased interest in the markets for Trinitario cacaos, which are prevalent in Central America. Success of these renovated efforts will depend on the ability to overcome the main biotic factors limiting cacao production: the incidence of frosty pod rot (FPR, Moniliophthora roreri) and to a lesser extent, black pod disease (BPD, Phytophthora palmivora), and the necessity to renovate/rehabilitate the unproductive and susceptible plantations using improved varieties. Clones resistant to FPR and/or BPD were identified in the International Cacao Genebank (IC3) by using artificial inoculation techniques developed at CATIE. They were incorporated in a breeding strategy initiated at CATIE in the late 1990’s to generate superior clones and hybrid families possessing disease resistance, high-yield and good quality. This effort has been supported by the World Cocoa Foundation, USDA-ARS, and CFC/Bioversity. The first outstanding clones were recently released for farmer observation and eventual use in six Central American countries through a regional cacao project (PCC), which is executed by CATIE and supported by NORAD (Norway) and farmer organizations. A comprehensive characterization/evaluation of the released clones was previously performed by using different agronomic, morphological, and phytopathological parameters. Selfand crosscompatibility were also determined. The results were complemented with a quality study supported by Guittard Chocolate Co. The establishment of 30 hectares of clonal gardens and 6 hectares of experimental field trials are part of the regional strategy in progress.
THE EFFECT OF DRIED FRUIT-VEGETABLE-HERB CONCENTRATE APPLIED IN COMPOUND FEEDSTUFFS ON REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE OF BROILER CHICKEN PARENT STOCK

The study aimed at evaluating the effect of phytobiotic from waste products being obtained in fruit, vegetable and herb processing on the performance and hatchability rates of broiler chicken breeder hens. The study material consisted of a group of ROSS 308 broiler chicken breeders, numbering 9900 birds. The control (group 1) was fed a standard feed, whereas experimental groups 2 and 3 were given the standard feed being supplemented with dried fruit-vegetable-herb concentrate in the amount of 1.5 and 3%, respectively. During the experiment, the following parameters were recorded: body weight, feed consumption, number of eggs per layer, egg weight, deaths and culling related to health problems. Based on the data being obtained from 70 experimental incubations, egg fertilisation and chick hatchability rates were calculated. Dried fruit-vegetable-herb concentrate favourably affected the final body weight of layers, decreased the mortality of hens and cocks, as well as induced an increase in the number and weight of eggs. An improvement in reproduction parameters was demonstrated, being expressed in higher fertilisation and hatchability rates. Feed consumption per egg gradually decreased together with an increase in the level of dried fruitvegetable-herb concentrate in feed.
19 Specific Immunotherapy and Central Immune System

Despite the current knowledge, the mechanisms by which the specific immunotherapy (SIT) achieves clinical improvement remains unclear. However, it is now clear that the immune tolerance is one of the major targets of this kind of treatment. Immune tolerance depends on different mechanisms, including T-cell anergy, T-cell depletion by apoptosis, and active immune suppression (Akdis & Akdis, 2011). One of the goals of SIT is the induction of tolerance to allergens to which the patient is sensitized. IL-10 is probably a relevant cytokine induced by this treatment and is associated to regulatory T cells (T-regs) that actively control or suppress the function of other cells, generally in an inhibitory pattern (Frew, 2010). The changes in microenvironment due to the decrease in histamine and PGE2 release by mast cell, and the IL-10 and TGF- release by dendritic cells (DC) could switch the T-cell population into T-regs. These alterations will then lead to tolerance (Schmidt-Weber & Blaser 2005). Much of the knowledge about SIT has been based on studies using subcutaneous route of administration (SCIT), but increasing data is now available based on studies using sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT). The sublingual mucosa, where the deposition of the extract occurs, has very particular characteristics, quite different from the cellular subcutaneous tissue. The dendritic cells present in the buccal region are distinct from the Langerhans cells present in the skin. These cells present, constitutively, receptors with high affinity for IgE, FcRI+, MHC class I and II molecules, as well as co-stimulation molecules, namely CD40, CD80/B7.1 and CD86/B7.2 (Allam et al., 2006). There is also expression of CD14, a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) receptor, which is relevant for the modulation of Th2 and Th1. In SLIT, the allergen is captured by the DC cell by C-lectin endocytosis receptors and/or by ligation to the IgE on the surface. After the internalization, the migration to the regional lymphoid nodules occurs, and it is then presented to the T cells (Geijtenbeek, 2006). A study that compares the DC population in the oral and nasal mucosa was able to demonstrate that only the DC myeloid type is profusely present in the oral region, in contrast with the nasal mucosa where both populations are present (Allam et al., 2006). Another very important difference is the high expression levels of FcRI in the oral mucosa, which is almost absent in the skin’s Langerhans cells (Allam et al., 2003). Furthermore, the expression levels of MHC class I and II molecules, CD40, CD80 and CD86 is significantly higher in oral DC than in the skin.
University of Birmingham Levels and trends of PBDEs and HBCDs in the global environment

In this paper, we have compiled and reviewed the most recent literature, published from January2010 to December 2012, relating to the human exposure, environmental distribution, behaviour, fate and concentration time trends of polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) flame retardants, in order to establish their current trends and priorities for future study. Due to the large volume of literature included, we have provided full detail of the reviewed studies as Electronic Supplementary Information and here summarise the most relevant findings. Decreasing time trends for penta-mix PBDE congeners were seen for soils in northern Europe, sewage sludge in Sweden and the USA, carp from a US river, trout from three of the Great Lakes and in Arctic and UK marine mammals and many birds, but increasing time trends continue in polar bears and some birds at high trophic levels in northern Europe. This may be partially a result of the time delay inherent in long-range atmospheric transport processes. In general, concentrations of BDE209 (the major component of the deca-mix PBDE product) are continuing to increase. Of major concern is the possible/likely debromination of the large reservoir of BDE209 in soils and sediments worldwide, to yield lower brominated congeners which are both more mobile and more toxic, and we have compiled the most recent evidence for the occurrence of this degradation process. Numerous studies reported here reinforce the importance o f this future concern. Time trends for HBCDs are mixed, with both increases and decreases evident in different matrices and locations and, notably, with increasing occurrence in birds of prey.
Macroeconomic Implications of Uniform Pricing

We compile a new database of grocery prices in Argentina. We find uniform pricing both within and across regions—i.e., prices almost do not vary within the stores of a chain. In line with uniform pricing, prices in stores of chains operating in one region react to changes in regional employment while prices in multiregion chains do not. Using a quantitative regional model with multiregion firms and uniform pricing, we find a one-half smaller elasticity of prices to a regional than an aggregate shock. This result highlights that some caution may be necessary when using regional shocks to estimate aggregate elasticities. (JEL D22, L11, L81, O14, O18, R32)