Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Robust faces manifold modeling: Most expressive Vs. most Sparse criterion

Robust face image modeling under uncontrolled conditions is crucial for the current face recognition systems in practice. One approach is to seek a compact representation of the given image set which encodes the intrinsic lower dimensional manifold of them. Among others, Local Linear Embedding (LLE) is one of the most popular method for that purpose. However, it suffers from the following problems when used for face modeling: 1) it is not robust under uncontrolled conditions (e.g., the underlying images may contain large appearance distortions such as partial occlusion or extreme illumination variations); 2) a fixed neighborhood size is used for all the local patches without considering the actual distribution of samples in the input space; 3) the modeled local structures may not contain enough discriminative information which is essential to the later recognition stage. In this paper, we introduce the Sparse Locally Linear Embedding (SLLE) to address these issues. By replacing the most-expressive type criterion in modeling local patches in LLE with a most-sparse one, SLLE essentially finds and models more discriminative patches. This gives higher model flexibility in the sense of less sensitiveness to incorrect model and higher robustness to outliers. The feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method is verified with encouraging results on a publicly available face database.
Analytical performance evaluation of ultra-wideband multiple access schemes for different wireless sensor network application environments

One of the most promising uses for ultra-wideband (UWB) is wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Since WSNs offer a wide variety of services for different application areas, the UWB propagation channel characteristics of each application environment show fundamental differences from each other in many aspects. A reliable and energy-efficient multiple access scheme is thus required to coordinate the transmissions of sensor nodes in these various application channel environments. We develop an analytical framework for evaluating the performance of UWB time-hopping (TH), direct sequence (DS) and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) multiple access schemes with multi-node interference in the following UWB propagation channel environments that have a high importance for WSN applications: residential, office, suburban outdoor, industrial and agricultural. The objective is to determine the most appropriate multiple access scheme to be applied for a particular WSN application channel environment. Performance is evaluated in terms of the average information throughput efficiency, a relevant progress-related measure for multihop WSNs. The mathematical expression of this metric is derived in detail, and is used in numerical evaluations for assessing the performance of the three schemes operating under UWB propagation channel models of the various environments that are characterised by distinct channel parameters and specific valid distance ranges. TH-UWB is shown to be the most suitable multiple access scheme to be adopted for UWB WSNs. It outperforms both the DS-UWB and OFDM-UWB schemes for all application environments and is the most robust and energy efficient. OFDM-UWB is the poorest performing whereas DS-UWB provides similar performance to TH-UWB below a specific threshold number of interfering nodes.
Increased risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome following controlled ovarian hyperstimulation in patients with vascular endothelial growth factor +405 cc genotype

Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is a serious complication following controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) for in vitro fertilization. OHSS has a range of clinical features from mild abdominal distention to severe thromboembolic events. Several clinical manifestations of OHSS such as ascites and hemoconcentration can be attributed to increased vascular permeability. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptor VEGFR2 have been identified as an important signaling system in mediating this increase. There is considerable genetic variation in the VEGF/R2 signaling system. We present the first study to examine if single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the genes encoding the VEGF/R2 signaling system are associated with OHSS following COH. Blood samples from 53 OHSS patients and 100 controls were analyzed for six SNPs of interest. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated by a multivariate logistic regression model. We found an association between the VEGF +405cc genotype and OHSS (OR 3.4, 95% CI 1.01–11.7). This finding requires confirmation from other patient populations.
Ubiquitin C-terminal Hydrolase-L1 Protects Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator from Early Stages of Proteasomal Degradation*

ΔF508 cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) degradation involves ubiquitin modification and efficient proteasomal targeting of the nascent misfolded protein. We show that a deubiquitinating enzyme, ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase-L1 (UCH-L1), is highly expressed in cystic fibrosis (CF) airway epithelial cells in vitro and in vivo. We hypothesized that the elevation in UCH-L1 in CF cells represents a cellular adaptation to counterbalance excessive proteasomal degradation. The bronchial epithelial cell lines IB3-1 (CF, high UCH-L1 expression) and S9 (non-CF, low UCH-L1 expression) were transiently transfected with wild type (WT) or ΔF508 CFTR, WT UCH-L1 or small interfering RNA-UCH-L1, and a variety of ubiquitin mutants. We observed a positive correlation between UCH-L1 expression and steady state levels of WT- or ΔF508-CFTR, and this stabilizing effect was confined to the early stages of CFTR synthesis. Immunolocalization of UCH-L1 by confocal microscopy revealed a partial co-localization with a ribosomal subunit and the endoplasmic reticulum. The UCH-L1-associated increase in CFTR levels was correlated with an increase in ubiquitinated CFTR (CFTR-Ub). Co-transfection with mutant ubiquitins and treatment with proteasome inhibitors suggested that UCH-L1 was reducing the proteasomal targeting of CFTR during synthesis by shortening conjugated polyubiquitin chains. Although not sufficient by itself to rescue mutant CFTR therapeutically, the elevation of UCH-L1 and its effect on CFTR processing provides insight into its potential roles in CF and other diseases.
Patient-rating of long term results of silicone implant arthroplasty of the scaphoid

Thirty-two patients had silicone implant arthroplasty of the scaphoid in our unit between 1974-1988. Ten years later eight had had their implants removed because they had failed. Twenty-four of the 32 were reviewed at an intermediate clinical follow up examination between 1988-89 and 21 by patient rated wrist evaluation 10 years later. Grip strength compared to the non-injured hand varied between 38% and 136% (mean (SD) 78 (25)%). Nine of the 24 wrists showed no signs of bone cysts, while 15 had intraosseous cysts of various sizes. Patient-rated evaluation gave a median subjective long term overall wrist score of 25, a pain score of 27, and a function score of 22 on a scale from 0 (best) to 100 (worst). Nine out of 21 patients had little or no pain, and 13 out of 21 had total scores of under 25. Many of these patients reported good subjective benefit from silicone scaphoid arthroplasty.
Vitamin D status and longitudinal lung function decline in the Lung Health Study

Low blood vitamin D levels have been postulated to be a risk factor for worse lung function, based largely on cross-sectional data. We sought to use longitudinal data to test the hypothesis that baseline plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) is lower in subjects with more rapid lung function decline, compared to those with slow lung function decline. We conducted a nested, matched case–control study in the Lung Health Study 3 cohort. Cases and controls were continuous smokers with rapid and slow lung function decline, respectively, over ∼6 yrs of follow-up. We compared baseline 25(OH)D levels between cases and controls, matching date of phlebotomy and clinical centre. Among 196 subjects, despite rapid and slow decliners experiencing strikingly and significantly different rates of decline of forced expiratory volume in 1 s (-152 versus -0.3 mL·yr−1; p<0.001), there was no significant difference in baseline 25(OH)D levels (25.0 versus 25.9 ng·mL−1; p = 0.54). There was a high prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency (35%) and deficiency (31%); only 4% had a normal 25(OH)D level in the winter. Although vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency are common among continuous smokers with established mild-to-moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, baseline 25(OH)D levels are not predictive of subsequent lung function decline.
Revertant mutants modify, but do not rescue, the gating defect of the cystic fibrosis mutant G551D‐CFTR

Malfunction of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), a gated pathway for chloride movement, causes the common life‐shortening genetic disease cystic fibrosis (CF). Gene changes (called second‐site mutations or revertants) that restore function to F508del, the most common CF mutation, also alter the behaviour of the CF mutant G551D. Revertants have direct impact on the structure of CFTR, but they exert their effects in a mutation‐specific way. Information about the action of revertants assists the development of new therapies that target the root cause of CF.
Analysis of LaCrosse virus S mRNA 5' termini in infected mosquito cells and Aedes triseriatus mosquitoes

Nucleotide sequences were determined for the 5' termini of La Crosse virus (LAC) S segment mRNA from persistently infected mosquito cell cultures (C6/36 from Aedes albopictus) and embryos (Aedes triseriatus). LAC primes transcription of its mRNA with "scavenged" 5' caps and adjacent oligonucleotides from host mRNAs, and these non-virus-encoded 5'-terminal extensions are heterogeneous in infected mammalian cells. The nature of mosquito host-derived primers has not been previously investigated. During early C6/36 cell infection, LAC mRNA 5'-terminal sequences were heterogeneous, but variability decreased as infection persisted. One predominant sequence, 5' CCACTCGCCACT (sequence 1), was observed throughout C6/36 cell infection but was more prevalent after 15 days postinfection. This LAC mRNA 5'-terminal sequence comprised 81% of the scavenged host oligonucleotides from vertically infected A. triseriatus eggs during embryogenesis. As these embryos progressed in the dormant overwintering stage (diapause), the predominant scavenged sequence became 5' AGGAAAAGATGGT (sequence 2), and sequence 1 became less prevalent. As the eggs emerged from diapause, the LAC mRNA 5' termini were more variable; 33% had sequence 1, and the remainder were heterogeneous. In post-diapausing eggs, 100% of viral mRNAs had sequence 1 at their 5' termini. Molecular analyses thus revealed continuous but selective LAC cap scavenging during persistent C6/36 cell infection and during embryogenesis and diapause in A. triseriatus eggs. The variety of host-derived sequences was limited in both biosynthetically active (embryonating) and dormant (diapausing) eggs.
Connection discrepancies: Unmasking further layers of the digital divide

In assessing the integration of the Internet into society, scholars have documented that certain sectors of the population are disadvantaged by their lack of access to computer resources. The disadvantaged have traditionally included the less educated, non-whites, females, the elderly and lower income people. Scholars are now beginning to address differences in Internet experiences among Internet users, but most studies fail to account for the type of connection people use to access the Internet. The purpose of this study is to expand the level of information surrounding Internet connections. This study finds that (1) most Internet data sources fail to ask questions about types of Internet connections; (2) broadband users experience the Internet differently; and, (3) in determining who is likely to spend more time online, the type of connection is more important than other digital divide demographics such as education, race or gender. Subsequently, those engaged in the exploration of our Internet society should start controlling for how Internet users connect to the World Wide Web.
La rutina de ordeño en la prevalencia de la mastitis subclínica en lecherías del sur del Ecuador

INTRODUCCIONLa mastitis es una enfermedad de la glandula mamaria que afecta sobre todo a las vacas de alta produccion, puede presentarse de forma sintomatica (clinica) y asintomatica (subclinica) que, al no poder ser identificada pasa desapercibida. Martinez, Cruz-Carrillo, Millan, & Moreno-Figueroa (2015) determinaron que la forma clinica se presenta apenas en un 0.66%, mientras que la subclinica en un 98.6%; ademas, se caracteriza por disminucion del volumen de produccion, y el aumento de celulas somaticas con cambios importantes en la composicion de la leche, lo que afecta su calidad y la economia del productor.Manjarrez, Diaz, Salazar, Valladares, Gutierrez et al. (2012) observaron que en hatos pequenos existia una mayor prevalencia de mastitis subclinica; ademas, segun los mismos autores, el ordeno no higienico predispone al desarrollo de esta enfermedad. Segun Ramirez (2015), las vacas a las cuales no se realiza una correcta rutina de ordeno (lavado, secado, despunte, pre-sellado, sellado) tienen mayor riesgo de contraer mastitis subclinica; asi mismo, considera que la higiene de la ubre es el principal factor que predispone la presencia de esta enfermedad. Por lo cual el objetivo del estudio fue determinar la influencia de la rutina de ordeno y tamano del hato sobre la prevalencia de la mastitis subclinica en la region centro sur del Ecuador.
Effekt von Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2 auf die Knorpel-/Knochenregeneration am Kaninchenmodell - Histologische und Immunhistologische Ergebnisse

Diese Arbeit zeigt die histologischen und immunhistologischen Ergebnisse nach retroviraler BMP2-Transduktion im osteochondralen Defekt des Kaninchens im Vergleich zu einer Kontrollgruppe und einer Plasmid-BMP2 Gruppe. In standardisierte, osteochondrale Defekte wurden je nach Gruppe Fibrin Clots mit behandelten (rv-BMP-2-Transduktion, Plasmid-BMP-2-Transfektion) oder unbehandelten Chondrozyten implantiert. Nach vier bzw. zwolf Wochen wurde das Ersatzgewebe histologisch (HE, Alcian-Blau, Berliner-Blau, Toluidin-Blau) und immunhistologisch (Farbung fur Col1, Col2, Aggrecan, Aggrecan-Link-Protein) analysiert. Es zeigte sich, dass Chondrozyten nach retroviraler BMP-2-Transduktion eine erhohte Produktion von Kollagen II sowie einen erhohten Proteoglykangehalt innerhalb des Reparaturgewebes erreichten. Der ICRS-Punktwert verbesserte sich im Vergleich zur Kontroll- und Plasmid-BMP-2 Gruppe.
Suboptimal initiation predicts short‐term prognosis and vulnerability among very elderly patients who start haemodialysis

A recent, growing concern regarding haemodialysis in Japan is a sustained increase in the elderly population. Among very elderly people who start haemodialysis, the prognosis is considered to be poor; however, this has not been fully elucidated. This study aimed to discover the short‐term prognosis and related factors in very elderly patients who commence haemodialysis.
Use, user, and usability research for mobile geo-applications for personal orientation and navigation

This paper deals with the communication of a specific type of information: geographic information. Map displays are the major communication tool, but are nowadays embedded in more complex information systems in which for example, hard- and software, user interfaces, (connections to) databases and other means of communication also play a role. This is demonstrated by a research project directed towards the improvement of mobile geo-applications for pedestrian navigation. In this research a user-centered design methodology has been applied. This paper emphasizes the use, user and usability research that has been executed in the requirement analysis stage of the user-centered design process. So far, this stage has been neglected in the geographic and cartographic information domain. Another problem is that the required user research has not often been executed in the proper field context. Therefore, a unique technical solution for observing the users who are interacting with their pedestrian navigation system, and, at the same time, with their geographic environment, is presented in this paper as well. The current outcome is a conceptual design of a prototype of an improved pedestrian navigation system.
Subpopulation Analysis of Heteroresistance to Fluoroquinolone in Mycobacterium tuberculosis Isolates from Beijing, China

ABSTRACT The presence of heteroresistance was represented by 23% of 235 fluoroquinolone (FQ)-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates in Beijing, China, from 2008 to 2010. The main mechanism of FQ heteroresistance is due to the segregation of a single M. tuberculosis strain in patients; the majority of isolates with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis contained a mixture of bacterial subpopulations consisting of various mutant types, suggesting that the improper use of FQ is the major cause of FQ resistance.
Differential distribution of nerve terminals immunoreactive for substance P and cholecystokinin in the sympathetic preganglionic cell column of the filefish Stephanolepis cirrhifer

Immunoreactivity for substance P and cholecystokinin‐8 was examined in the nerve fibers in the central autonomic nucleus, a cell column for sympathetic preganglionic neurons, in the filefish Stephanolepis cirrhifer. Substance P‐immunoreactive fibers were distributed throughout the entire rostrocaudal extent, but were more abundant in the caudal part of the column, where substance P‐immunoreactive varicosities sometimes made contacts with the sympathetic preganglionic neurons. Cholecystokinin‐8‐immunoreactive fibers were found almost entirely in the rostral part of the column, where a dense network of varicosities was in close apposition to a considerable number of the sympathetic preganglionic neurons. Double labeling immunohistochemistry showed that substance P fibers and cholecystokin‐8 fibers were entirely different, and distinct from serotonin‐immunoreactive fibers. By using immunoelectron microscopy, synaptic specialization was sometimes observed between the dendrites of preganglionic neurons and varicosities immunoreactive for substance P and cholecystokinin‐8. Substance P‐ and cholecystokinin‐8 fibers were seen from the descending trigeminal tract, through the dorsolateral funiculus and the ventral portion of the dorsal horn, to the central autonomic nucleus. After colchicine treatment, substance P‐immunoreactive perikarya were found in the cranial and spinal sensory ganglia. These results suggest that the sympathetic preganglionic neurons of the filefish receive innervation by substance P fibers and cholecystokinin fibers, and that the former might be of primary sensory origin. Topographical distribution of cholecystokinin‐8‐immunoreactive terminals in the central autonomic nucleus along the rostrocaudal extent might underlie the differential regulation of sympathetic activity via a distinct population of sympathetic preganglionic neurons. J. Comp. Neurol. 428:174–189, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Flexible pseudo-relevance feedback via selective sampling

Although Pseudo-Relevance Feedback (PRF) is a widely used technique for enhancing average retrieval performance, it may actually hurt performance for around one-third of a given set of topics. To enhance the reliability of PRF, Flexible PRF has been proposed, which adjusts the number of pseudo-relevant documents and/or the number of expansion terms for each topic. This paper explores a new, inexpensive Flexible PRF method, called Selective Sampling, which is unique in that it can skip documents in the initial ranked output to look for more “novel” pseudo-relevant documents. While Selective Sampling is only comparable to Traditional PRF in terms of average performance and reliability, per-topic analyses show that Selective Sampling outperforms Traditional PRF almost as often as Traditional PRF outperforms Selective Sampling. Thus, treating the top P documents as relevant is often not the best strategy. However, predicting when Selective Sampling outperforms Traditional PRF appears to be as difficult as predicting when a PRF method fails. For example, our per-topic analyses show that even the proportion of truly relevant documents in the pseudo-relevant set is not necessarily a good performance predictor.
Functional Interfaces vs. Function Types in Java with Lambdas

In several steps the Java type system is extended by features, which we know from functional programming languages. In Java 5.0 [GJSB05] generic types as well as a limited form of existential types (bounded wildcards) are introduced. In Java 8 the language will be expanded by lambda expressions, functional interfaces as target types, method and constructor references and default methods. In an earlier approach real function types were introduced as types of lambdas. The function types have been replaced by functional interfaces (interfaces with one method).
Cognitive Consequences of Two‐Thirds Anterior Temporal Lobectomy on Verbal Memory in 144 Patients: A Three‐Month Follow‐Up Study

Previous studies have shown that left temporal lobectomy for intractable epilepsy can lead to verbal memory deficits. However, patients with left temporal lobe epilepsy (LTLE) frequently have impaired verbal memory preoperativel. The present analysis of 144 patients who underwent temporal lobe resections for either left (n = 68) or right (n = 76) temporal lobe epilepsy (LTLE, RTLE) addressed the questions of (a) whether a left two‐thirds anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL) increases deficits in these qualitative aspects of verbal memory already impaired preoperatively, and (b) whether other aspects of verbal memory are additionally affected. We also evaluated possible determinants of preoperative abilities and postoperative changes, using multiple regression analysis. Preoperatively, patients with LTLE differed from patients with RTLE only in poorer performance on measures of long‐term consolidation/retrieval (delayed recall). This was related to hippocampal pathology and seizure severity. Only left temporal lobe resections resulted in significant deterioration in verbal learning and memory. Acquisition over learning trials and recognition deteriorated most markedly, whereas performance in long‐term consolidation/retrieval showed only minor changes. Preoperative performance levels, chronological age, the extent of the en bloc resection, preoperative performance on figural memory, and preoperative seizure severity were valuable determinants of postoperative changes in acquisition and recognition. In contrast, changes in consolidation/retrieval related only to preoperative ability. Left two‐thirds ATL leads to new impairment in addition to preexisting memory deficits. The finding that left temporal lobectomy affects verbal acquisition and recognition more than long‐term consolidatiodretrieval, including the different determinants of these changes, most likely reflects the differential effects of surgery on mesial temporal and neocortical temporal functions.