Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Simulating Structure-from-Motion

The implementation of a Structure-from-Motion (SfM) pipeline from a synthetically generated scene as well as the investigation of the faithfulness of diverse reconstructions is the subject of this project. A series of different SfM reconstructions are implemented and their camera pose estimations are being contrasted with their respective ground truth locations. Finally, injection of ground truth location data into the rendered images in order to reduce the estimation error of the camera poses is studied as well.
Rényi divergence based covariance matching pursuit of joint sparse support

In this work, we consider the joint sparse support recovery problem where the goal is to recover the common support of multiple joint sparse vectors from their compressive, linear measurements. We propose a Rényi Divergence based Covariance Matching Pursuit (RD-CMP) algorithm which recovers the common support of the joint sparse signals as the hyperparameters of a joint sparsity inducing Gaussian signal prior. The support hyperparameters are learned as a set variable by solving a reverse information projection problem based on the α-Rényi information divergence. We show that the α-Rényi divergence objective can be expressed as a difference of two submodular functions, and propose an iterative majorization-minimization procedure to minimize the objective, with each iteration involving a greedy optimization. Through simulations, we demonstrate that the proposed RD-CMP algorithm is capable of recovering k-sparse support from fewer than k measurements per signal. Compared with existing covariance matching based joint sparse support recovery methods, RD-CMP is empirically shown to be several times faster in execution.
Stimulating knowledge discovery and sharing[28] (abstract only)

Most of the available knowledge management systems pay little attention to two important aspects: the need of supporting emerging communities of interest together with the official organizational structure; and the need of cluing together knowledge associated with any kind of involved entity including people, communities, and informal knowledge. The MILK system enhances knowledge discovery and sharing by providing services addressing these aspects and supplying innovative interfaces and interaction styles. The goal of MILK is to become a familiar environment integrated in the every-day activities of dynamic modern workers. To meet the users' needs, the solution proposed by MILK roots in ethnographic analysis capturing the common practices within an organization.
Chronic immobilization‐induced stress increases plasma testosterone and delays testicular maturation in pubertal rats

Summary. We investigated whether chronic stress, applied from prepuberty to early puberty, interferes with the spermatogenic and androgenic testicular functions. Male pubertal rats (40 days old) were immobilized 6 h per day for 15 days. Plasma concentrations of corticosterone, prolactin and testosterone were significantly augmented following immobilization, whereas plasma luteinizing hormone decreased and follicle‐stimulating hormone was not altered. Acute immobilization (5 min) increased prolactin and testosterone levels in control rats but caused a significantly higher increase in these hormones when superimposed on chronic stress. A lower extent of testicular maturation was observed in pubertal rats immobilized from prepuberty.
Smallholder Agriculture and Climate Change

Hundreds of millions of the world's poorest people directly depend on smallholder farming systems. These people now face a changing climate and associated societal responses. We use mapping and a literature review to juxtapose the climate fate of smallholder systems with that of other agricultural systems and population groups. Limited direct evidence contrasts climate impact risk in smallholder agricultural systems versus other farming systems, but proxy evidence suggests high smallholder vulnerability. Smallholders distinctively adapt to climate shocks and stressors. Their future adaptive capacity is uncertain and conditional upon the severity of climate change and socioeconomic changes from regional development. Smallholders present a greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation paradox. They emit a small amount of CO2 per capita and are poor, making GHG regulation unwarranted. But they produce GHG-intensive food and emit disproportionate quantities of black carbon through traditional biomass energy. Effectively ac.
Patients’ and carers’ perception of needs in a Polish sample

Background: The assessment of patients’ needs is an essential element of psychiatric health care planning and evaluation. Not much interest has been paid to the study of psychiatric patients’ needs in Poland so far. Aims: To assess the relation between inpatients’ and their key carers’ perception of needs in a Polish sample. Methods: Out of 324 inpatients invited to take part in the study, 60 sets were finally included. Patients and their carers were examined by means of CANSAS to rate patients’ and carers’ perception of needs. Results: The mean number of general needs indicated by patients themselves was 7.11 (± 2.98), and those indicated by carers equalled 9.53 (± 3.92). The more unmet needs identified by the patient, the more met and general needs of the patient identified by their carer (r = .27, p = .03; r = .38, p = .02, respectively). The more general needs perceived by the patient themself, the higher the indicator of unmet and general needs scored by their carer (r = .32, p = .01; r = .39, p = .001, respectively). Conclusions: There is a significant association between the inpatients’ and their carers’ perception of needs. Patients’ perspective should serve as a high priority in developing treatment plans.
Maternal and neonatal outcomes in triplet gestations by trial of labor versus planned cesarean delivery

Abstract Objective To determine the rate of vaginal delivery after vaginal trial of labor (TOL) among women with triplet gestations. Study design This is a retrospective cohort study of all women delivering a viable triplet gestation between 2005 and 2016. The primary outcome was rate of vaginal delivery among all women attempting vaginal delivery. Secondary outcomes included factors associated with undergoing triplet TOL, and maternal and neonatal complications by planned delivery approach. Results Of the 83 eligible women, 21 (25.3%) underwent TOL. A majority of these (57.1, 95% confidence interval 36.5–75.5%) achieved a vaginal delivery of all three triplets. Women who underwent TOL were more likely to be multiparous or to have spontaneous preterm labor. There were no differences in adverse maternal or neonatal outcomes by planned delivery approach. Conclusions The rate of vaginal delivery among women with triplet gestations is higher in this institution than in reported literature, without increased morbidity.
FISCAL POLICY AND GROWTH IN A MODEL WITH ADJUSTMENT COSTS TO INVESTMENT

This article presents a neoclassical growth model with adjustment costs to investment and a variety of different fiscal policies. The goal is to analyze how fiscal policies can influence investment decision, capital accumulation and productivity. The model is calibrated using Brazilian data and a set of experiments is performed to investigate the effect of different taxations. We find that tax on private bonds return has the most significant effect on capital level and productivity. This finding comes from the fact that, in equilibrium, an increase in taxation on bonds return decreases the present value of dividends and firm’s value throughout real interest rate.
Central nervous system infection due to Cryptococcus gattii sensu lato in India: Analysis of clinical features, molecular profile and antifungal susceptibility

Cryptococcus gattii species complex has evolved as a pathogen in the last two decades causing infection among both immunocompetent and immunocompromised hosts. We aimed to analyse the clinical features of CNS infection caused by C. gattii sensu lato, molecular and antifungal susceptibility profile of this pathogen. Cases diagnosed to have CNS cryptococcosis were included in the study. Cryptococcus recovered from patient's specimen was identified by standard protocol. Species confirmation, mating type and molecular type determination were performed by PCR based methods. Antifungal susceptibility was tested in VITEK2C to amphotericin B, 5‐flucytosine, fluconazole and voriconazole. Among 199 cases, 20 (10%) were due to C. gattii, comprising of 75% cryptococcal meningitis and 25% cryptococcoma cases. Young adult males were commonly affected. Headache and vomiting were prominent symptoms and 50% were immunocompromised. Among the isolates, 75%, 20% and 5% were C. tetragattii, C. gattii sensu stricto and C. bacillisporus respectively and all had mating type α. Four (20%) isolates of C. tetragattii and the only isolate of C. bacillisporus were resistant to fluconazole. The most common species isolated from south India is C. tetragattii. The study contributes to the epidemiology of C. gattii and reiterates the need for genotyping and antifungal susceptibility testing.
Synergetic spin crossover and fluorescence in one-dimensional hybrid complexes.

Hybrid materials integrated with a variety of physical properties, such as spin crossover (SCO) and fluorescence, may show synergetic effects that find applications in many fields. Herein we demonstrate a promising post-synthetic approach to achieve such materials by grafting fluorophores (1-pyrenecarboxaldehyde and Rhodamine B) on one-dimensional SCO Fe(II) structures. The resulting hybrid materials display expected one-step SCO behavior and fluorescent properties, in particular showing a coupling between the transition temperature of SCO and the temperature where the fluorescent intensity reverses. Consequently, synergetic effect between SCO and fluorescence is incorporated into materials despite different fluorophores. This study provides an effective strategy for the design and development of novel magnetic and optical materials.
Clinical feasibility of simultaneous multi-slice imaging with blipped-CAIPI for diffusion-weighted imaging and diffusion-tensor imaging of the brain

Background Simultaneous multi-slice (SMS) imaging is starting to be used in clinical situation, although evidence of clinical feasibility is scanty. Purpose To prospectively assess the clinical feasibility of SMS diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI) with blipped-controlled aliasing in parallel imaging for brain lesions. Material and Methods The institutional review board approved this study. This study included 156 hyperintense lesions on DWI from 32 patients. A slice acceleration factor of 2 was applied for SMS scans, which allowed shortening of the scan time by 41.3%. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was calculated for brain tissue of a selected slice. The contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), and fractional anisotropy (FA) were calculated in 36 hyperintense lesions with a diameter of three pixels or more. Visual assessment was performed for all 156 lesions. Tractography of the corticospinal tract of 29 patients was evaluated. The number of tracts and averaged tract length were used for quantitative analysis, and visual assessment was evaluated by grading. Results The SMS scan showed no bias and acceptable 95% limits of agreement compared to conventional scans in SNR, CNR, and ADC on Bland–Altman analyses. Only FA of the lesions was higher in the SMS scan by 9% (P = 0.016), whereas FA of the surrounding tissues was similar. Quantitative analysis of tractography showed similar values. Visual assessment of DWI hyperintense lesions and tractography also resulted in comparable evaluation. Conclusion SMS imaging was clinically feasible for imaging quality and quantitative values compared with conventional DWI and DTI.
Feeding mode and prey detectability half-lives in molecular gut-content analysis: an example with two predators of the Colorado potato beetle

Abstract The time during which prey remains are detectable in the gut of a predator is an important consideration in the interpretation of molecular gut-content data, because predators with longer detectability times may appear on the basis of unweighted data to be disproportionately important agents of prey population suppression. The rate of decay in detectability, typically expressed as the half-life, depends on many variables; one that has not been explicitly examined is the manner in which the predator processes prey items. The influence of differences in feeding mode and digestive physiology on the half-life of DNA for a single prey species, the Colorado potato beetle Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), is examined in two predators that differ dramatically in these attributes: the pink ladybeetle, Coleomegilla maculata (DeGeer), which feeds by chewing and then ingesting the macerated material into the gut for digestion; and the spined soldier bug, Podisus maculiventris (Say), which physically and enzymatically processes the prey extra-orally before ingestion and further digestion in the gut. In order to standardize the amount of DNA consumed per predator, a single L. decemlineata egg was used as the prey item; all predators were third instars. The PCR assay yields estimated prey DNA half-lives, for animals maintained under field temperatures, of 7.0 h in C. maculata and 50.9 h in P. maculiventris. The difference in the prey DNA half-lives from these two predators underscores the need to determine detectabilities from assemblages of predators differing in feeding mode and digestive physiology, in order to weight positives properly, and hence determine the predators' relative impacts on prey population suppression.
A footprint study of bond initiation in gold wire crescent bonding

The morphological features of the crescent bond footprints on the substrate after peeling the wire off were studied to gain an understanding of the effect of process parameters on the crescent bond formation. In the absence of any ultrasonic energy, metallurgical bonding initiated at the peripheral regions of the crescent bond. The bond strength improved at higher substrate temperatures and higher bonding force which promoted higher shear deformation of the substrate. The application of ultrasonic energy drastically improved the growth of micro welds along the bond interface and produced micro weld patterns on the footprint that are characteristic of the level of ultrasonic energy applied. The effect of these process parameters on the mechanisms of crescent bonding are discussed.
Substrate specificity of Escherichia coli MutY protein.

The MutY protein of Escherichia coli removes mismatched deoxyadenine residues from DNA. In this study, duplex oligodeoxynucleotides containing modified bases are used as model substrates for this enzyme. In contrast to a recent report [Lu, A. -L. , et al. (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270, 23582], dA:8-oxo-dG appears to be the preferred natural substrate for MutY, as evidenced by the specificity constants (kcat/Km) for dA:8-oxo-dG and dA:dG of 39 600 x 10(-6) and 383 x 10(-6) (min-1 nM-1), respectively. kcat for the duplex containing dA:dG was highest at lower pH; the rate of cleavage for the duplex containing dA:8-oxo-dG was unaffected over a pH range of 5.5-8.0. The presence of an 8-oxo function in dG increased significantly the rate of removal of dA from all substrates tested. Replacement of dA by rA reduced the specificity constant of dA:8-oxo-dG to 294 x 10(-6) (min-1 nM-1), whereas replacement of dA by 2'-O-methyladenosine virtually abolished enzymatic activity. Modifications of the dG moiety generally were better tolerated than those of dA; however, introduction of a methyl ether at the 6 position of dG produced a noncleavable substrate and replacement of dG by 2'-O-methylguanosine generated a substrate with a low specificity constant. Rates of cleavage of duplexes containing dA:dC and dA:tetrahydrofuran were three orders of magnitude lower than the reference substrate. Duplexes containing a carbocyclic analog of dA were not cleaved. A model is proposed to explain the recognition of DNA substrates by MutY and the catalytic properties of this enzyme.
The citalopram CIT-MD-18 pediatric depression trial: Deconstruction of medical ghostwriting, data mischaracterisation and academic malfeasance.

OBJECTIVE Deconstruction of a ghostwritten report of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled efficacy and safety trial of citalopram in depressed children and adolescents conducted in the United States. METHODS Approximately 750 documents from the Celexa and Lexapro Marketing and Sales Practices Litigation: Master Docket 09-MD-2067-(NMG) were deconstructed. RESULTS The published article contained efficacy and safety data inconsistent with the protocol criteria. Procedural deviations went unreported imparting statistical significance to the primary outcome, and an implausible effect size was claimed; positive post hoc measures were introduced and negative secondary outcomes were not reported; and adverse events were misleadingly analysed. Manuscript drafts were prepared by company employees and outside ghostwriters with academic researchers solicited as 'authors'. CONCLUSION Deconstruction of court documents revealed that protocol-specified outcome measures showed no statistically significant difference between citalopram and placebo. However, the published article concluded that citalopram was safe and significantly more efficacious than placebo for children and adolescents, with possible adverse effects on patient safety.
Histopathological and biochemical changes in rat thyroid following acute exposure to hexavalent chromium.

Chromium in hexavalent form is highly toxic and a known carcinogen, although its effects on thyroid structure and function are relatively unexplored. Workers in an industrial environment can be, at times, exposed to this form of chromium. The present study was, therefore, designed using laboratory rats as a model system to investigate the effect on thyroid structure and function following two acute intraperitoneal doses of 30 mg/kg b.w. potassium dichromate administered within 48 hours. The results showed that hypothalamic chromium concentration increased (p<0.05) while thyroid chromium concentration decreased (p<0.01). The excretion of chromium in urine increased (p<0.05). The treated thyroid sections revealed hyperplasia. Follicles were disorganized, clustered and collapsed, while some of them were fused. Interfollicular spaces widened. Morphometrical analysis showed significantly (p<0.001) increased number of follicles whereas the follicular size significantly decreased (p<0.001). Nuclei were regressed (p<0.001); nuclear shapes were irregular; round, oval and shrunken. The membrane on the apical as well as the basal lamina side showed disruption. Colloid retraction within the follicles was noticeable in some sections stained with Periodic acid Schiff (PAS). Serum free tetra-iodothyronine (FT4) and free tri-iodothyronine (FT3) levels decreased (p<0.01 and p<0.001, respectively), while serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) concentration increased (p<0.01). Ultrastructural analysis showed disrupted basal laminae of the follicles, regressed nuclei and disrupted cell organelles. Acridine orange stained thyroid cells demonstrated excessive dead cells, whereas DNA fragmentation assay demonstrated percent decrease of hypothalamic, pituitary and thyroidal total DNA.
Colour‐coded duplex imaging can safely replace diagnostic arteriography in patients with lower‐limb arterial disease

The purpose of this study was to review the outcome of adopting colour‐coded duplex ultrasonography as the primary imaging modality in patients with symptomatic lower‐limb arterial disease. Over a 12‐month period 467 consecutive lower‐limb duplex scans were performed of which 437 (94 per cent) were technically adequate. Of the 467 limbs, 184 (39 per cent) were managed conservatively, 230 (49 per cent) were referred for percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA), 41 (9 per cent) underwent reconstructive surgery and 12 (3 per cent) required diagnostic arteriography. In patients referred for PTA there were only 22 (10 per cent) unexpected findings; there was agreement about superficial femoral artery occlusion length in 95 (89 per cent) of 107 limbs and about the presence or absence of a superficial femoral artery stump in 91 (85 per cent) of 107 cases. In patients referred for surgery there were no unexpected findings. Colour‐coded duplex imaging can safely replace diagnostic arteriography in up to 97 per cent of lower limbs with arterial disease.
Phonological, Semantic, and Mediated Priming in Aphasia

An auditory lexical decision task was conducted to examine rhyme, semantic, and mediated priming in nonfluent and fluent aphasic patients and normal controls. Overall, monosyllabic word targets were responded to faster when preceded by rhyming word and nonword primes than unrelated primes. Similarly, semantically related primes facilitated lexical decisions to word targets. No evidence of mediated priming emerged. Results for individual subjects suggest differences in patterns across the subject groups. Implications of the findings for the integrity of lexical access in aphasic patients are considered.
The Effect of Pitching Biomechanics on the Upper Extremity in Youth and Adolescent Baseball Pitchers

Background Increased pitch counts have been linked to increased complaints of shoulder and elbow pain in youth baseball pitchers. Improper pitching mechanics have not been shown to adversely affect the upper extremity in youth pitchers. Hypothesis The correct performance of 5 biomechanical pitching parameters correlates with lower humeral internal rotation torque and elbow valgus load, as well as higher pitching efficiency, in youth and adolescent pitchers. Study Design Descriptive laboratory study. Methods In sum, 169 baseball pitchers (aged 9-18) were analyzed using a quantitative motion analysis system and a high-speed video while throwing fastballs. The correct performance of 5 common pitching parameters was compared with each pitcher's age, humeral internal rotation torque, elbow valgus load, and calculated pitching efficiency. Results Motion analysis correlated with video analysis for all 5 parameters (P <. 05). Youth pitchers (aged 9-13) performing 3 or more parameters correctly showed lower humeral internal rotation torque, lower elbow valgus load, and higher pitching efficiency (P <. 05). Conclusions Youth pitchers with better pitching mechanics generate lower humeral internal rotation torque, lower elbow valgus load, and more efficiency than do those with improper mechanics. Proper pitching mechanics may help prevent shoulder and elbow injuries in youth pitchers. Clinical Relevance The parameters described in this study may be used to improve the pitching mechanics of youth pitchers and possibly reduce shoulder and elbow pain in youth baseball pitchers.