Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Video and LIDAR Based Object Tracking Using Small-Region Growth

Constant fluctuations in outdoor environments cause many difficulties for object tracking. One of hard problems is to get high quality images. Indeed, with low quality images, many visual based methods may become invalid due to the missing of feature information required for object tracking. To address this sort of issue, laser range finder (LRF) measurements and raw pixel information based method is proposed in this paper. Given an object, it makes use of raw pixel information to locate interesting small region firstly. This region is then mapped into LRF space in which the region is grown to a complete region covering most part of the target through a bidirectional growth strategy. In the experiment, the proposed method is tested in a long-term video, and the results show its effectiveness.
An investigation of the success of hospital information systems implementation: A case study

A very important part in our society is healthcare. A Hospital Information System (HIS) is basically a computer system that can manage all the information to allow healthcare providers to do their jobs effectively. Due to the widespread use of such systems, it is necessary to have an approach for evaluation and tracking of a HIS project's success in hospitals which are using this technology. The present study measures the success of HIS in the selected hospitals in Isfahan province based on Ifinedo model. In addition, the most important critical success factors in these hospitals are identified. The required data have been collected using a structured questionnaire. Moreover, interviews are conducted by authors to introduce factors which affect lack of complete HIS implementation success in hospitals. The findings disclosed that although implementation of hospital information systems in the hospitals in Isfahan province is not completely successful, but this success has been satisfactory.
Exposures to Air Pollutants during Pregnancy and Preterm Delivery

The association between preterm delivery (PTD) and exposure to air pollutants has recently become a major concern. We investigated this relationship in Incheon, Republic of Korea, using spatial and temporal modeling to better infer individual exposures. The birth cohort consisted of 52,113 singleton births in 2001–2002, and data included residential address, gestational age, sex, birth date and order, and parental age and education. We used a geographic information system and kriging methods to construct spatial and temporal exposure models. Associations between exposure and PTD were evaluated using univariate and multivariate log-binomial regressions. Given the gestational age, birth date, and the mother’s residential address, we estimated each mother’s potential exposure to air pollutants during critical periods of the pregnancy. The adjusted risk ratios for PTD in the highest quartiles of the first trimester exposure were 1.26 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.11–1.44] for carbon monoxide, 1.27 (95% CI, 1.04–1.56) for particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 10 μm, 1.24 (95% CI, 1.09–1.41) for nitrogen dioxide, and 1.21 (95% CI, 1.04–1.42) for sulfur dioxide. The relationships between PTD and exposures to CO, NO2, and SO2 were dose dependent (p < 0.001, p < 0.02, p < 0.02, respectively). In addition, the results of our study indicated a significant association between air pollution and PTD during the third trimester of pregnancy. In conclusion, our study showed that relatively low concentrations of air pollution under current air quality standards during pregnancy may contribute to an increased risk of PTD. A biologic mechanism through increased prostaglandin levels that are triggered by inflammatory mediators during exposure periods is discussed.
and the generalized Kodama states.

Classical general relativity from quantum gravity and the generalized Kodama states. Abstract In this paper we investigate the relation between the CDJ matrix used for construction of the generalized Kodama states and the Weyl curvature tensor. By exploiting special self-duality relations unique to four dimensional spacetime, we show that the effects of quantum gravity in Ashtekar variables are neither in contradiction with the Einstein metric field equations of classical general relativity nor the semiclas-sical limit, and could potentially be used to corroborate both. We correlate the degrees of freedom in the quantized CDJ matrix with the corresponding degrees of freedom of the Riemann curvature tensor of spacetime for both the pure and for the generalized Kodama states. The implication is that quantum gravity in Ashtekar variables predicts distinguishable effects in the limit below the Planck scale through various consistency conditions, including a matter-induced distortion of the Weyl curvature tensor which is the main result of this work.
Effects of low dose of bisphenol A on the proliferation and mechanism of primary cultured prostate epithelial cells in rodents

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a well-known endocrine disruptor compound (EDC) that aggravates testosterone-induced benign prostate hyperplasia by increasing the relative weight of the ventral and dorsolateral prostate in rats. This phenomenon is primarily attributed to the exogenous estrogen effect of BPA. However, the direct effect of BPA on prostate cells has not been characterized. The present study investigated the proliferative effect and possible mechanisms of action of BPA on the prostatic epithelium of rats. The ventral prostate epithelial cells were cultured in vitro and the proliferation effects of BPA on cells were studied. The cells were identified as prostatic epithelial cells, and cell viability, cell apoptosis and the expressions of androgen receptors (AR) and estrogen receptors (ER), were detected. It was observed that 0.01–1 nM BPA promoted cell growth, with 1 nM BPA inducing the greatest increase in the rate of cell growth. However, BPA-treated cells exhibited no marked morphological changes compared with the control group. The cell apoptosis rate in each BPA-treated group was lower compared with the control group. The expression levels of ERα and ERβ increased, but the expression of AR decreased. The present study demonstrated that environmental exposure to BPA directly promoted the proliferation of prostate cells in rats through increasing the expression of estrogen receptors, reducing the expression of androgen receptors of the cells and decreasing apoptosis-induced cell death.
Endotoxin Adsorption Therapy for Septic Shock Using Polymyxin B‐Immobilized Fibers (PMX): Evaluation by High‐sensitivity Endotoxin Assay and Measurement of the Cytokine Production Capacity

Abstract: Because of its low sensitivity, the conventional measurement method for endotoxin (ET) is not the most appropriate for monitoring the effect of ET adsorption therapy. Thus, the efficacy of ET adsorption therapy was investigated using a newly developed high‐sensitivity ET assay method. The changes in the cytokine production capacity of whole blood were also examined. We treated 24 peritonitis patients who had developed postoperative septic shock with ET adsorption therapy using a column of polymyxin B‐immobilized fibers (PMX) and their serum ET levels were measured using the high‐sensitivity ET assay based on the kinetic turbidimetric Limulus assay. In addition, the changes in the tumor necrosis factor‐(TNF‐α) production capacity of whole blood following lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation and clinical outcome in the study patients were also examined. The 28‐day mortality rate was 12%. PMX‐direct hemoperfusion (PMX‐DHP) was associated with elevation of the mean arterial pressure and urine output, reduction in the mean dose requirement of vasopressor agents, and recovery from the shock state in all the patients. The PaO2/FIO2 ratio also showed significant improvement. Using the high‐sensitivity ET assay, ET was detected in the blood of 20 out of the 24 patients (80%) before the PMX‐DHP, and a significant reduction in the ET level was noted after the PMX‐DHP. The TNF‐α production capacity of whole blood, which was found to be lower in the septic shock patients than in healthy subjects, was significantly increased after PMX‐DHP. Elimination of ET by PMX‐DHP in septic shock patients was confirmed by the high‐sensitivity ET assay. PMX‐DHP is thus considered to be a useful adjuvant therapeutic technique in the treatment of septic shock. Also, PMX‐DHP might alleviate the immunosuppression associated with severe sepsis.
Factors influencing households' participation in recycling

The success of a recycling programme depends on the active and sustained participation of citizens in the correct separation and collection of recyclable waste. An effective study of strategies aimed at augmenting people's involvement in recycling involves understanding which factors influence the decision to co-operate with a recycling programme. This research investigates the influence of attitudes, incentives, presence of children in household and information through direct media, on households' participation in recycling. The results suggest that positive attitudes toward recycling and information are important factors in explaining recycling participation. Some guidelines that may be considered in future communication and intervention strategies designed to promote recycling participation are discussed.
Real-time visualization of network attacks on high-speed links

This article shows that malicious traffic flows such as denial-of-service attacks and various scanning activities can be visualized in an intuitive manner. A simple but novel idea of plotting a packet using its source IP address, destination IP address, and the destination port in a 3-dimensional space graphically reveals ongoing attacks. Leveraging this property, combined with the fact that only three header fields per each packet need to be examined, a fast attack detection and classification algorithm can be devised.
Some Open Questions about Symplectic 4-manifolds, Singular Plane Curves and Braid Group Factorizations

The topology of symplectic 4-manifolds is related to that of singular plane curves via the concept of branched covers. Thus, various classification problems concerning symplectic 4-manifolds can be reformulated as questions about singular plane curves. Moreover, using braid monodromy, these can in turn be reformulated in the language of braid group factorizations. While the results mentioned in this paper are not new, we hope that they will stimulate interest in these questions, which remain essentially wide open.
Randomized controlled trial of a collaborative care intervention to manage cancer-related symptoms: lessons learned

Background Collaborative care interventions to treat depression have begun to be tested in settings outside of primary care. However, few studies have expanded the collaborative care model to other settings and targeted comorbid physical symptoms of depression. Purpose The aims of this report were to: (1) describe the design and methods of a trial testing the efficacy of a stepped collaborative care intervention designed to manage cancer-related symptoms and improve overall quality of life in patients diagnosed with hepatobiliary carcinoma; and (2) share the lessons learned during the design, implementation, and evaluation of the trial. Methods The trial was a phase III randomized controlled trial testing the efficacy of a stepped collaborative care intervention to reduce depression, pain, and fatigue in patients diagnosed with advanced cancer. The intervention was compared to an enhanced usual care arm. The primary outcomes included the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale, Brief Pain Inventory, and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT)-Fatigue, and the FACT-Hepatobiliary. Sociodemographic and disease-specific characteristics were recorded from the medical record; Natural Killer cells and cytokines that are associated with these symptoms and with disease progression were assayed from serum. Results and Discussion The issues addressed include: (1) development of collaborative care in the context of oncology (e.g., timing of the intervention, tailoring of the intervention, ethical issues regarding randomization of patients, and changes in medical treatment over the course of the study); (2) use of a website by chronically ill populations (e.g., design and access to the website, development of the website and intervention, ethical issues associated with website development, website usage, and unanticipated costs associated with website development); (3) evaluation of the efficacy of intervention (e.g., patient preferences, proxy raters, changes in medical treatment, and inclusion of biomarkers as endpoints); and (4) analyses and interpretation of the intervention (e.g., confounding factors, dose and active ingredients, and risks and benefits of collaborative care interventions in chronically ill patients). Limitations The limitations to the study, although not fully realized at this time as the trial is ongoing, include: (1) heterogeneity of the diagnoses and treatments of participants; and (2) inclusion of caregivers as proxy raters but not as participants in the intervention. Conclusions Collaborative care interventions to manage multiple symptoms in a tertiary cancer center are feasible. However, researchers designing and implementing interventions that are web-based, target multiple symptoms, and for oncology patients may benefit from previous experiences.
Pretreatment neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio as a prognostic aid in colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND Colorectal cancers(CRC) are the third most common cancer in the western world, with surgery preferred for management of non-metastatic disease and post surgical treatment usually arranged according to the TNM staging system. However, there is still prognostic variation between patients who have the same stage. It is increasingly recognized that variations within disease course and clinical outcome in colorectal cancer patients are influenced by not only oncological characteristics of the tumor itself but also host response factors. Recent studies have shown correlation between the inflammatory response and clinical outcomes in various cancers. The neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been described as a marker for immune response to various stimuli including cancer. MATERIAL-METHODS Two hundred eighty-one CRC patients were included in our retrospective analysis, separated into two groups according to a cut-off value for the NLR. Patient data including age, gender, vertical penetration, anatomic location, and differentiation of the tumor, TNM stage, survival rate, and disease-free survival were analyzed for correlations with the NLR. RESULTS Using ROC curve analysis, we determined a cut-off value of 2.2 for NLR to be best to discriminate between patient survival in the whole group. In univariate analysis, high pretreatment NLR (p=0.001, 95%CI 1.483-4.846), pathologic nodal stage (p<0.001, 95%CI 1.082- 3.289) and advanced pathologic TNM stage (p<0.001, 95%CI 1.462-4.213) were predictive of shorter survival. In multivariate analysis, advanced pathologic TNM stage (p=0.001, 95%CI 1.303-26.542) and high pretreatment NLR (p=0.005, 95%CI 1.713-6.378) remained independently associated with poor survival. CONCLUSIONS High pre-treatment NLR is a significant independent predictor of shorter survival in patients with colorectal cancer. This parameter is a simple, easily accessible laboratory value for identifying patients with poorer prognosis.
Gleason and Fuhrman no longer make the grade

Grading is an important prognostic parameter for prostate adenocarcinoma and renal cell carcinoma (RCC); however, the most frequently used classifications fail to account for advances in our understanding of the diagnostic features, classification and/or behaviour of these tumours. In 2005 and 2014, the International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) proposed changes to Gleason scoring with the adoption of the ISUP grading for prostate cancer in 2014 (grade 1, score 3 + 3; grade 2, score 3 + 4; grade 3, score 4 + 3; grade 4, score 8; grade 5, score 9–10). Internationally the Fuhrman grading system is widely employed despite criticisms related to its application, validity, and reproducibility. In 2012, the ISUP established a grading system for RCC (grade 1, the nucleolus is not seen or is inconspicuous and basophilic at ×400 magnification; grade 2, nucleoli are eosinophilic and clearly visible at ×400 magnification; grade 3, nucleoli are clearly visible at ×100 magnification; grade 4, tumours show extreme pleomorphism or rhabdoid and/or sarcomatoid morphology). This grading has been validated for clear cell RCC and papillary RCC. It was further recommended that chromophobe RCC not be graded. For other morphotypes of RCC, ISUP grading has not been validated as a prognostic parameter, but can be used for descriptive purposes.
Expression of Fas ligand by human gastric adenocarcinomas: a potential mechanism of immune escape in stomach cancer

Background Despite being immunogenic, gastric cancers overcome antitumour immune responses by mechanisms that have yet to be fully elucidated. Fas ligand (FasL) is a molecule that induces Fas receptor mediated apoptosis of activated immunocytes, thereby mediating normal immune downregulatory roles including immune response termination, tolerance acquisition, and immune privilege. Colon cancer cell lines have previously been shown to express FasL and kill lymphoid cells by Fas mediated apoptosis in vitro. Many diverse tumours have since been found to express FasL suggesting that a “Fas counterattack” against antitumour immune effector cells may contribute to tumour immune escape. Aim To ascertain if human gastric tumours express FasL in vivo, as a potential mediator of immune escape in stomach cancer. Specimens Thirty paraffin wax embedded human gastric adenocarcinomas. Methods FasL protein was detected in gastric tumours using immunohistochemistry; FasL mRNA was detected in the tumours using in situ hybridisation. Cell death was detected in situ in tumour infiltrating lymphocytes using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL). Results Prevalent expression of FasL was detected in all 30 resected gastric adenocarcinomas examined. In the tumours, FasL protein and mRNA were co-localised to neoplastic gastric epithelial cells, confirming expression by the tumour cells. FasL expression was independent of tumour stage, suggesting that it may be expressed throughout gastric cancer progression. TUNEL staining disclosed a high level of cell death among lymphocytes infiltrating FasL positive areas of tumour. Conclusions Human gastric adenocarcinomas express the immune downregulatory molecule, FasL. The results suggest that FasL is a prevalent mediator of immune privilege in stomach cancer.
Influencing factors on chronic endothelial cell loss characterised in a homogeneous group of patients

Background/aim: Advanced donor age, long death to excision time interval, and factors related to organ culture can trigger unfavourable intracellular processes in the graft endothelium and contribute to chronic endothelial cell loss after penetrating keratoplasty. The aim of this study was to investigate factors influencing chronic endothelial cell loss in a homogeneous group of patients. Methods: 177 patients after first normal risk keratoplasties for keratoconus were retrospectively selected from the quality control database of our clinic. For 71 of them at least four central endothelial cell density values were documented in follow up. From these patients, only those 53 without any further intraocular procedures, without glaucoma, and without graft rejection were considered. A scatter plot of logarithmised endothelial cell density values against postoperative time was drawn for each patient. The slope of the regression line then equals the constant of decay in central endothelial cell density. The influence of donor age and storage time in organ culture on this index value of cell loss was investigated by means of linear regression analysis. Results: Mean loss of central endothelial cell density was 16.7% per year. Regression analysis revealed a statistically significant negative linear effect of both postmortem time (β = –0.324; p = 0.014) and donor age (β = –0.282; p = 0.036) and a trend for storage time in organ culture (β = –0.195; p = 0.142) in a combined linear regression model. Conclusion: Increased postmortem time and advanced donor age exert a significant negative effect on chronic endothelial cell loss. Storage time in organ culture seems to be third influencing factor. These negative influences may be reduced by compensating advanced donor age with minimised postmortem and storage time.
Authentication via keystroke dynamics

In an effort to confront the challenges brought forward by the networking revolution of the past few years, we present improved techniques for authorized access to computer system resources and data. More than ever before, the Internet is changing computing as we know it. The possibilities of this global network seem limitless; unfortunately, with this global access comes increased chances of malicious attack and intrusion. Alternatives to traditional access control measures are in high demand. In what follows we present one such alternative: computer access via keystroke dynamics. A database of 42 profiles was constructed based on keystroke patterns gathered from various users performing structured and unstructured tasks. We study the performance of a system for recognition of these users, and present a toolkit for analyzing system performance under varying criteria.
Convex drawings of graphs in two and three dimensions (preliminary version)

We provide O(n) -time algorithms for constructing the following types of drawings of n-vertex 3-connected planar graphs: ● 2D convex grid drawings with (3n) x (3n/2) area under the edge L1-resolution rule; ● 2D strictly convex grid drawings with 0(n3) x O(T13 ) area under the edge resolution rule; c 2D strictly convex drawings with O(1) x O(n) area under the vertex-resolution rule, and with vertex coordinates represented by O(n log n)-bit rational numbers; . 3D convex drawings with O(1) x O(1) x O(n) volume under the vertex-resolution rule, and with vertex coordinates represented by O(n log n)-bit rational numbers, We also show the following lower bounds: ● For infinitely many n-vertex graphs G, if G has a straightline 2D convex drawing in a w x h gnd satisfying the edge L1-resolution rule then w, h > 5n/6 + Q(l) a,. d w + h ~ 8n/3 + 0(1). ● For infinitely many bounded-degree trlconnected planar graphs G with n vertices, any 3D convex drawing of G must have volume 2QfnJ under the angular resolution rule,
Improved Consistency of Climate Projections over Europe after Accounting for Atmospheric Circulation Variability

AbstractThe influence of atmospheric circulation on winter temperature and precipitation trends over Europe in the period 2006–50 is investigated in a 21-member initial condition ensemble from a fully coupled global climate model and in a multimodel framework consisting of 40 different models. Five versions of a dynamical adjustment method based on empirical orthogonal function analysis of sea level pressure are introduced, and their performance in removing the effect of atmospheric circulation on temperature and precipitation is tested. The differences in atmospheric circulation as simulated by different models in their control runs and under the historical and representative concentration pathway 8.5 (RCP8.5) forcing scenarios are investigated. Dynamical adjustment is applied to the multimodel ensemble to demonstrate that a substantial fraction of the uncertainty in projected European temperature and precipitation trends is explained by atmospheric circulation variability. A statistically significant re.