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Uncertainty Quantification for Gradient-Based Explanations in Neural Networks
No full textExplanation methods help understand the reasons for a model's prediction. These methods are increasingly involved in model debugging, performance optimization, and gaining insights into the workings of a model. With such critical applications of these methods, it is imperative to measure the uncertainty associated with the explanations generated by these methods. In this paper, we propose a pipeline to ascertain the explanation uncertainty of neural networks by combining uncertainty estimation methods and explanation methods. We use this pipeline to produce explanation distributions for the CIFAR-10, FER+, and California Housing datasets. By computing the coefficient of variation of these distributions, we evaluate the confidence in the explanation and determine that the explanations generated using Guided Backpropagation have low uncertainty associated with them. Additionally, we compute modified pixel insertion/deletion metrics to evaluate the quality of the generated explanations.</p
Spoken in jest, detected in earnest:A systematic review of sarcasm recognition - multimodal fusion, challenges, and future prospects
No full textSarcasm, a common feature of human communication, poses challenges in interpersonal interactions and human-machine interactions. Linguistic research has highlighted the importance of prosodic cues, such as variations in pitch, speaking rate, and intonation, in conveying sarcastic intent. Although previous work has focused on text-based sarcasm detection, the role of speech data in recognizing sarcasm has been underexplored. Recent advancements in speech technology emphasize the growing importance of leveraging speech data for automatic sarcasm recognition, which can enhance social interactions for individuals with neurodegenerative conditions and improve machine understanding of complex human language use, leading to more nuanced interactions. This systematic review is the first to focus on speech-based sarcasm recognition, charting the evolution from unimodal to multimodal approaches. It covers datasets, feature extraction, and classification methods, and aims to bridge gaps across diverse research domains. The findings include limitations in datasets for sarcasm recognition in speech, the evolution of feature extraction techniques from traditional acoustic features to deep learning-based representations, and the progression of classification methods from unimodal approaches to multimodal fusion techniques. In so doing, we identify the need for greater emphasis on cross-cultural and multilingual sarcasm recognition, as well as the importance of addressing sarcasm as a multimodal phenomenon, rather than a text-based challenge.<br/
Microtensile bond strength of a three-step etch-and-rinse adhesive two years after the expiration date
No full textCan adhesives still be safely used two years past their expiration date? In an experimental laboratory study, the bond strength of the etch-and-rinse adhesive OptiBond FL was measured two years after its expiration date. Microtensile bond strength testing was performed on 1 1 mm specimens of human enamel and dentin. Statistical analyses were conducted using an independent t-test or a Mann-Whitney U-test. Three specimens were excluded due to air bubbles and testing errors, while 20 dentin specimens in the expired adhesive group failed pretest (0 MPa). The enamel groups were analyzed and showed no significant difference in bond strength between the in-date and expired adhesives (p = 0.77). For dentin, a Mann-Whitney U-test revealed a significantly lower bond strength with the expired adhesive (p = less than 0,001). The conclusion of this study is that an expired etch-and-rinse adhesive may still be effective for enamel bonding, whereas bonding to dentin is significantly weakened.</p
Anxiety and beyond:Diversity in ventral hippocampus circuits and function
No full textThe ventral hippocampus (vHPC), initially implicated in anxiety regulation, is now recognized for its broader role in integrating emotional, motivational, and contextual information. This review synthesizes recent insights from rodent research presented at our 2025 Society for Neuroscience minisymposium, detailing how local inhibitory microcircuits, long-range projection–defined pathways, and neuromodulatory inputs interact to shape fear, anxiety, and reward behaviors. We emphasize how distinct circuits segregate fear and anxiety, resolve approach–avoidance conflicts, and integrate reward history. Serotonergic modulation, particularly from the median raphe, emerges as a critical regulator of vHPC dynamics, with pronounced sex-specific functional implications. Finally, we examine how vCA1 ensemble activity encodes emotionally salient stimuli and supports latent state inference, thereby enabling flexible decision-making under uncertainty. Collectively, these findings recast the vHPC as a modular, computationally rich structure essential for adaptive behavior, which may provide new insights into circuit-level dysfunction in affective disorders
Renal resistance trajectories during hypothermic machine perfusion in kidneys donated after circulatory death:Associations with donor characteristics and posttransplant outcomes—An analysis of COMPARE trial data
No full textRenal resistance (RR) during hypothermic perfusion is commonly used as a factor to assess kidney quality, with most studies focusing on terminal RR measurements. We fitted a linear model to the entire RR trajectory using data from the randomized Consortium for Organ Preservation in Europe COMPARE trial and explored the relationship between the RR trajectory, donor characteristics, and posttransplant outcomes, also assessing the prognostic value of terminal RR for delayed graft function (DGF). Donor weight (F = 5.32; P = .005) and cause of death (F = 2.91; P = .008) were associated with the RR trajectory, whereas active oxygenation had no effect (F = 1.12; P = .33). The RR trajectory did not predict DGF (F = 1.93; P = .15), biopsy-proven acute rejection (F = 0.41; P = .66), 1-year kidney function (F = 0.61; P = .54), or 1-year graft survival (F = 0.47; P = .63). Terminal RR independently predicted DGF (odds ratio 1.14; 95% CI, 1.009-1.298; P = .03) but had limited prognostic value (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.55-0.71), aligning with previous research. Our findings suggest that the RR trajectory reflects the kidney's intrinsic response to perfusion, with donor weight and cause of death potentially influencing its progression. The absence of a relation between the RR trajectory and posttransplant outcomes stresses that using RR as a standalone criterion for kidney discard is not justified and may lead to unnecessary discard. Our findings also call for further validation in larger, more diverse cohorts.</p
De verjaringsregel van art. 3:310 lid 4 BW:Enkele bezwaren uitgelicht mede naar aanleiding van rechtspraak over bestuurdersaansprakelijkheid
No full textBij schade die is veroorzaakt door strafbare feiten wordt op grond van art. 3:310 lid 4 BW de civiele verjaringstermijn van rechtsvorderingen tot schadevergoeding verlengd tot het moment dat het recht tot strafvordering verjaart. De auteurs bespreken hoe deze bepaling wordt toegepast in de praktijk en geven eenkritische analyse
Combining online and offline participatory processes for local policymaking
No full textWestern democracies have recently experienced a proliferation of various forms of democratic innovations such as the deliberative mini-public (hereafter: DMP). In a DMP, a small group of citizens provides policy recommendations after partaking in intensive and moderated deliberations. The advantage of DMPs is that they potentially offer epistemically better and socially more acceptable solutions, increase citizen involvement, and create more trust in and/or satisfaction with the democratic system. However, DMPs are criticized for bypassing the will of the broader society in public decision-making and for lacking outcome implementation. Adding a maxi-public to a DMP could potentially mitigate these issues. We studied three Dutch cases in which a DMP was preceded by an online maxi-public. We find that policymakers experienced that the recommendations of the hybrid participatory processes carried more weight in the decision-making process compared to only conducting a mini-public or a maxi-public. Policymakers particularly valued the high number of citizens participating in the maxi-public and the deliberated recommendations produced by the mini-public based on the insights derived from the maxi-public. However, we observe that the outcome implementation differs between the three case studies. In this chapter, we investigate how design choices can explain these differences
Recente vondsten uit de leeropgraving rond Klooster Ter Apel:Zien hoe de geschiedenis letterlijk onder je voeten ligt
No full textDe 2-jaarlijkse leeropgraving werd in mei van dit jaar hervat in Ter Apel, wederom onder leiding van de Rijksuniversiteit Groningen {RUG) met extra mankracht en expertise van de Stichting Archeologie en Monument {SAM). Dit artikel concentreert zich op recente vondsten uit de zuidflank, aangevuld met informatie die nog niet eerder werdgepubliceerd
Finding a future for postconsumer plastics:An exploration of advanced polypropylene modification reactions
No full textWe made an attempt to chip away at society’s waste problem, but what to do when our products are out of service? For the common plastic polypropylene, reassignment as part of a roofing material seemed a most interesting solution. To accomplish this, the plastic needs to be made less stiff, or the roof will be too fragile. Unfortunately, the plastic’s nature tends to steer us in a different direction.Through the aid of a second material, we found a way to steer the plastic’s properties back on track, but not sufficiently so. However, as we later found out, the first path we wanted to take turned out to be a dead-end anyway. Therefore, we investigated a second pathway that proved even more challenging, and which did even less to make the plastic less stiff than the first pathway.At this point, we shifted our perspective. The plastic would not be the sole component in the roofing material, but would be mixed in with another material, bitumen. Instead of keeping the focus solely on the plastic, we started testing how to make the mixture of these materials less stiff. Though unable to prepare a mixture that was flexible enough, we did find another way to steer the properties. Combining all pathways of this exploration, one might be able to find the sweet-spot to ensure the correct properties of the roofing material. That would go a long way to address our waste problem for one of the most common plastics in use