Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Long-Term Annual Mapping of Four Cities on Different Continents by Applying a Deep Information Learning Method to Landsat Data

Urbanization is a substantial contributor to anthropogenic environmental change, and often occurs at a rapid pace that demands frequent and accurate monitoring. Time series of satellite imagery collected at fine spatial resolution using stable spectral bands over decades are most desirable for this purpose. In practice, however, temporal spectral variance arising from variations in atmospheric conditions, sensor calibration, cloud cover, and other factors complicates extraction of consistent information on changes in urban land cover. Moreover, the construction and application of effective training samples is time-consuming, especially at continental and global scales. Here, we propose a new framework for satellite-based mapping of urban areas based on transfer learning and deep learning techniques. We apply this method to Landsat observations collected during 1984–2016 and extract annual records of urban areas in four cities in the temperate zone (Beijing, New York, Melbourne, and Munich). The method is trained using observations of Beijing collected in 1999, and then used to map urban areas in all target cities for the entire 1984–2016 period. The method addresses two central challenges in long term detection of urban change: temporal spectral variance and a scarcity of training samples. First, we use a recurrent neural network to minimize seasonal urban spectral variance. Second, we introduce an automated transfer strategy to maximize information gain from limited training samples when applied to new target cities in similar climate zones. Compared with other state-of-the-art methods, our method achieved comparable or even better accuracy: the average change detection accuracy during 1984–2016 is 89% for Beijing, 94% for New York, 93% for Melbourne, and 89% for Munich, and the overall accuracy of single-year urban maps is approximately 96 ± 3% among the four target cities. The results demonstrate the practical potential and suitability of the proposed framework. The method is a promising tool for detecting urban change in massive remote sensing data sets with limited training data.
MATERIAL AND METHODS Health risk assessment of fluoride in drinking water: a case study from Arcahaie and Cabaret (Haiti).

Fluorine participates in the formation of bones and teeth and helps to their solidification. In drinking water, one of the major sources of fluoride supply in the human body, WHO ranges the threshold value between 1 to 1.5 mg/L. Indeed, concentrations lower than 1 mg/L can cause dental caries, reduction of mineralization of bones and teeth. In contrast, a concentration greater than 1.5 mg/L is the cause of the increased prevalence of fluorosis in both endemic and non-endemic areas. In Haiti, concentrations ranging from 0-2 mg / L were obtained on samples from water resources of the hydrographic region “Center-South”. Samples from alluvial aquifers of Cabaret and Arcahaie had fluoride concentrations above 1.5 mg/L . Consumers of water from these aquifers are exposed to chronic hazards of dental fluorosis. Fluoride’s exposure is a major public health problem particularly for children. Indeed, intake of high water fluoride concentration during child’s growth and development stages has been associated with mental and physical problems.
Osteoarthritis progression of the shoulder: A long-term follow-up after mini-open rotator cuff repair

Objective: This study aimed to investigate whether (1) the primary repair of rotator cuff tears can prevent the progression of osteoarthritis (OA) and (2) the quality of postoperative cuff integrity affects the incidence of osteoarthritic changes. Methods: A total of 86 patients treated with mini-open repair for rotator cuff tears over a minimum of 10 years of follow-up (mean ± standard deviation 11.1 ± 1.0 years) were retrospectively analyzed. Preoperative and postoperative radiographs of the affected and unaffected sides were compared, and the degree of OA was evaluated using the Samilson and Prieto classification. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to evaluate cuff integrity, classify patients into good and poor cuff integrity groups, and compare the degree of OA between the two groups. Results: OA deteriorated either significantly or to a similar degree on both sides postoperatively. However, OA progressed in significantly more cases on the affected side. A comparison between the aforementioned cuff integrity groups showed that the postoperative OA of the poor cuff integrity group was significantly worse than that of the good cuff integrity group on the affected side. Conclusion: Our study showed that even if rotator cuff tears are repaired, the progression of osteoarthritic changes cannot be halted. The progression of OA was affected by cuff integrity. Rotator cuff dysfunction due to poor cuff integrity was a risk factor for shoulder arthritis.
Epidemiology, risk factors and characteristics of pediatric stroke: a nationwide population-based study

Background Stroke, classically characterized as an acute acquired neurological deficit, is an important leading cause of death and chronic morbidity in children. Aims This study reported the period prevalence, incidence and risk factors of pediatric stroke in Taiwan. Methods and procedures All Taiwan inhabitants aged 1 month to 18 years registered in the National Health Insurance Research Database between 2010 and 2011 were enrolled in this study. Factors including age, sex, location and household income levels were collected. Incidence, period prevalence, mortality rate and the possible risks were completely evaluated. Outcomes and results: Hemorrhagic stroke has a significantly higher mortality rate than ischemic stroke (27.6% vs. 10.2%, P<0.05). Risk factors or underlying diseases for stroke were identified in 77.8% of the patients and 16.2% had more than one risk factor. The most common risk factors were vascular diseases (26.3%), infection (14.0%) and cardiac disorders (9.1%). Conclusions and implications Infants younger than 2 years, boys and children in lower socioeconomic status have a significantly higher risk of stroke. Hemorrhagic stroke has a significantly higher mortality rate than ischemic stroke. More than half of the children with stroke had underlying diseases and the causes of hemorrhagic stroke are significantly different from ischemic stroke.
Simple arithmetic: not so simple for highly math anxious individuals

Abstract Fluency with simple arithmetic, typically achieved in early elementary school, is thought to be one of the building blocks of mathematical competence. Behavioral studies with adults indicate that math anxiety (feelings of tension or apprehension about math) is associated with poor performance on cognitively demanding math problems. However, it remains unclear whether there are fundamental differences in how high and low math anxious individuals approach overlearned simple arithmetic problems that are less reliant on cognitive control. The current study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine the neural correlates of simple arithmetic performance across high and low math anxious individuals. We implemented a partial least squares analysis, a data-driven, multivariate analysis method to measure distributed patterns of whole-brain activity associated with performance. Despite overall high simple arithmetic performance across high and low math anxious individuals, performance was differentially dependent on the fronto-parietal attentional network as a function of math anxiety. Specifically, low—compared to high—math anxious individuals perform better when they activate this network less—a potential indication of more automatic problem-solving. These findings suggest that low and high math anxious individuals approach even the most fundamental math problems differently.
A SEARCH FOR FAST RADIO BURSTS ASSOCIATED WITH GAMMA-RAY BURSTS

The detection of seven fast radio bursts (FRBs) has recently been reported. FRBs are short duration (∼1 ms), highly dispersed radio pulses from astronomical sources. The physical interpretation for the FRBs remains unclear but is thought to involve highly compact objects at cosmological distance. It has been suggested that a fraction of FRBs could be physically associated with gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). Recent radio observations of GRBs have reported the detection of two highly dispersed short duration radio pulses using a 12 m radio telescope at 1.4 GHz. Motivated by this result, we have performed a systematic and sensitive search for FRBs associated with GRBs. We have observed five GRBs at 2.3 GHz using a 26 m radio telescope located at the Mount Pleasant Radio Observatory, Hobart. The radio telescope was automated to rapidly respond to Gamma-ray Coordination Network notifications from the Swift satellite and slew to the GRB position within ∼140 s. The data were searched for pulses up to 5000 pc cm−3 in dispersion measure and pulse widths ranging from 640 μs to 25.60 ms. We did not detect any events ⩾6σ. An in depth statistical analysis of our data shows that events detected above 5σ are consistent with thermal noise fluctuations only. A joint analysis of our data with previous experiments shows that previously claimed detections of FRBs from GRBs are unlikely to be astrophysical. Our results are in line with the lack of consistency noted between the recently presented FRB event rates and GRB event rates.
Cement paste morphologies and effective diffusivity: using the Lattice Boltzmann method

A novel explicit modelling framework based upon correlated random field and level-set methods is presented and applied to cement paste hydration. Focus is then made on effective diffusive properties prediction through numerical homogenisation, using the Lattice Boltzmann method, exploring the stability limits and performance of this method for heterogeneous media. Une méthode originale de création de morphologies de pâtes de ciment en cours d’hydratation à l’aide d’excursions de champs aléatoires corrélés est introduite. On présente ensuite le calcul des propriétés diffusives effectives homogénéisées de ces pâtes à l’aide de la Méthode de Boltzmann sur gaz réseau, les limites de stabilité et de performances associées à cette méthode pour les matériaux hétérogènes, ainsi qu’une application aux pâtes de ciment en cours d’hydratation.
Missing Data Imputation for Supervised Learning

ABSTRACT Missing data imputation can help improve the performance of prediction models in situations where missing data hide useful information. This paper compares methods for imputing missing categorical data for supervised classification tasks. We experiment on two machine learning benchmark datasets with missing categorical data, comparing classifiers trained on non-imputed (i.e., one-hot encoded) or imputed data with different levels of additional missing-data perturbation. We show imputation methods can increase predictive accuracy in the presence of missing-data perturbation, which can actually improve prediction accuracy by regularizing the classifier. We achieve results comparable to the state-of-the-art on the Adult dataset with missing-data perturbation and -nearest-neighbors (-NN) imputation.
Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by chemoradiation and surgery with and without cetuximab in patients with resectable esophageal cancer: a randomized, open-label, phase III trial (SAKK 75/08)

Background This open-label, phase III trial compared chemoradiation followed by surgery with or without neoadjuvant and adjuvant cetuximab in patients with resectable esophageal carcinoma. Patients and methods Patients were randomly assigned (1 : 1) to two cycles of chemotherapy (docetaxel 75 mg/m2, cisplatin 75 mg/m2) followed by chemoradiation (45 Gy, docetaxel 20 mg/m2 and cisplatin 25 mg/m2, weekly for 5 weeks) and surgery, with or without neoadjuvant cetuximab 250 mg/m2 weekly and adjuvant cetuximab 500 mg/m2 fortnightly for 3 months. The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS). Results In total, 300 patients (median age, 61 years; 88% male; 63% adenocarcinoma; 85% cT3/4a, 90% cN+) were assigned to cetuximab (n = 149) or control (n = 151). The R0-resection rate was 95% for cetuximab versus 97% for control. Postoperative treatment-related mortality was 6% in both arms. Median PFS was 2.9 years [95% confidence interval (CI), 2.0 to not reached] with cetuximab and 2.0 years (95% CI, 1.5-2.8) with control [hazard ratio (HR), 0.79; 95% CI, 0.58-1.07; P = 0.13]. Median overall survival (OS) time was 5.1 years (95% CI, 3.7 to not reached) versus 3.0 years (95% CI, 2.2-4.2) for cetuximab and control, respectively (HR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.52-1.01; P = 0.055). Time to loco-regional failure after R0-resection was significantly longer for cetuximab (HR 0.53; 95% CI, 0.31-0.90; P = 0.017); time to distant failure did not differ between arms (HR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.64-1.59, P = 0.97). Cetuximab did not increase adverse events in neoadjuvant or postoperative settings. Conclusion Adding cetuximab to multimodal therapy significantly improved loco-regional control, and led to clinically relevant, but not-significant improvements in PFS and OS in resectable esophageal carcinoma. Clinical trial information NCT01107639.
Unsupervised Framework for Interactions Modeling between Multiple Objects

Extracting compound interactions involving multiple objects is a challenging task in computer vision due to different issues such as the mutual occlusions between objects, the varying group size and issues raised from the tracker. Additionally, the single activities are uncommon compared with the activities that are performed by two or more objects, e.g., gathering, fighting, running, etc. The purpose of this paper is to address the problem of interaction recognition among multiple objects based on dynamic features in an unsupervised manner. Our main contribution is twofold. First, a combined framework using a tracking-by-detection framework for trajectory extraction and HDPs for latent interaction extraction is introduced. Another important contribution is the introduction of a new dataset, the Cavy dataset. The Cavy dataset contains about six dominant interactions performed several times by two or three cavies at different locations. The cavies are interacting in complicated and unexpected ways, which leads to perform many interactions in a short time. This makes working on this dataset more challenging. The experiments in this study are not only performed on the Cavy dataset but we also use the benchmark dataset Behave. The experiments on these datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Although the our approach is completely unsupervised, we achieved satisfactory results with a clustering accuracy of up to 68.84% on the Behave dataset and up to 45% on the
Shaping the Current Waveform of an Active Filter for Optimized System Level Harmonic Conditioning

Harmonic voltages and currents in electrical systems, when present to a certain degree, represent not only a power quality problem but they are also strongly associated with the electrical system overall losses and they are arguably a source of instability and a safety concern. Mitigating harmonics distortion across the entire system by actively reducing harmonic currents propagation is an effective way of coping with these issues and can be dealt with the injection of a compensating current waveform with an active filter installed at a given bus. This paper shows how, by shaping the compensating current waveform in an optimal way, the overall electrical system harmonic distortion can be optimally reduced in a cost effective manner with a minimum size of the compensating device. The process of shaping this optimal compensating current is shown by how its components are defined by the optimization algorithm using the phase and amplitude of each harmonic as degrees of freedom in the process of finding the optimal waveform. A marine vessel distribution grid is used as representative example to prove the concept.
A Beginner's Guide to Analysis of RNA Sequencing Data

&NA; Since the first publications coining the term RNA‐seq (RNA sequencing) appeared in 2008, the number of publications containing RNA‐seq data has grown exponentially, hitting an all‐time high of 2,808 publications in 2016 (PubMed). With this wealth of RNA‐seq data being generated, it is a challenge to extract maximal meaning from these datasets, and without the appropriate skills and background, there is risk of misinterpretation of these data. However, a general understanding of the principles underlying each step of RNA‐seq data analysis allows investigators without a background in programming and bioinformatics to critically analyze their own datasets as well as published data. Our goals in the present review are to break down the steps of a typical RNA‐seq analysis and to highlight the pitfalls and checkpoints along the way that are vital for bench scientists and biomedical researchers performing experiments that use RNA‐seq.
Coupled Large Scale Hydromechanical Modelling for Caprock Failure Risk Assessment of CO2 Storage in Deep Saline Aquifers

This work presents a numerical strategy of large scale hydromechanical simulations to assess the risk of damage in caprock formations during a CO2 injection process. The proposed methodology is based on the development of a sequential coupling between a multiphase fluid flow (TOUGH2) and a hydromechanical calculation code (Code_Aster) that enables us to perform coupled hydromechanical simulation at a regional scale. The likelihood of different caprock damage mechanisms can then be evaluated based on the results of the coupled simulations. A scenario based approach is proposed to take into account the effect of the uncertainty of model parameters on damage likelihood. The developed methodology is applied for the caprock failure analysis of deep aquifer of the Dogger formation in the context of the Paris basin multilayered geological system as a demonstration example. The simulation is carried out at a regional scale (100 km) considering an industrial mass injection rate of CO2 of 10 Mt/y. The assessment of the stress state after 10 years of injection is conducted through the developed sequential coupling. Two failure mechanisms have been taken into account, namely the tensile fracturing and the shear slip reactivation of pre-existing fractures. To deal with the large uncertainties due to sparse data on the layer formations, a scenariobased strategy is undertaken. It consists in defining a first reference modelling scenario considering the mean values of the hydromechanical properties for each layer. A sensitivity analysis is then carried out and shows the importance of both the initial stress state and the reservoir hydraulic properties on the caprock failure tendency. On this basis, a second scenario denoted “critical” is defined so that the most influential model parameters are taken in their worst configuration. None of these failure criteria is activated for the considered conditions. At a phenomenological level, this study points out three key aspects for risk management. The maximum overpressure is reached rapidly after a couple of years, the lateral extension of the “overpressurized” zone induced by the injection is very large (> 50 km) and the most critical zone is the injection near zone (distance < 100 m) at the interface between the caprock and the reservoir layer.
Comparison of efficacy and safety between endoscopic submucosal dissection and transanal endoscopic microsurgery for the treatment of rectal tumor

Background/Aim: To compare the treatment efficacy and safety between endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) and transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM) for the treatment of rectal epithelial tumors, including large adenoma, cancer, and subepithelial tumors (SET). Patients and Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of the medical records of 71 patients with rectal tumors who were treated with ESD (48 patients) or TEM (23 patients) from January 2013 to December 2015. The patient group comprised 56 patients with epithelial tumors and 15 patients with SET. Treatment efficacy such as en bloc resection, procedure time, local recurrence, hospital stay, additional procedure rate, and safety between the treatment groups were evaluated and analyzed. Results: There were no significant differences in tumor size, location, macroscopic appearance, and histological depth between ESD and TEM groups. For ESD compared to TEM in rectal epithelial tumors, en bloc resection rates were 95% vs. 93.7% and R0 resection rates were 92.5% vs. 87.5% (P = 0.617); in rectal SET, en bloc resection rates were 100% vs. 100% and R0 resection rates were 87% vs. 85% (P = 0.91). The procedure time was 71.5 ± 51.3 min vs. 105.6 ± 28.2 min (P = 0.016) for epithelial tumors and 32.13 ± 13.4 min vs. 80.71 ± 18.35 min (P = 0.00) for SET, respectively. Hospital stay was 4.3 ± 1.2 days vs. 5.8 ± 1.8 days (P = 0.001) for epithelial tumors and 4.1 ± 4.1 days vs. 5.5 ± 2 days (P = 0.42) for rectal SET, respectively. There were no significant differences between recurrence rates, additional procedure rates, and complications in the two groups. Conclusions: ESD and TEM are both effective and safe for the treatment of rectal epithelial tumors and SET because of favorable R0 resection rates and recurrence rates. However, the ESD group showed shorter procedure times and hospital stays than the TEM group. Therefore, ESD should be considered more preferentially than TEM in the treatment of large rectal epithelial tumors and SET.
Is Optimism Associated With Healthier Cardiovascular-Related Behavior?: Meta-Analyses of 3 Health Behaviors

Optimistic people have reduced risk for cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular-related mortality compared with their less optimistic peers. One explanation for this is that optimistic people may be more likely to engage in healthy behavior like exercising frequently, eating fruits and vegetables, and avoiding cigarette smoking. However, researchers have not formally determined the extent or direction of optimism’s association with health behaviors. Moreover, it is unclear whether optimism temporally precedes health behaviors or whether the relationship is because of shared common causes. We conducted random effects meta-analyses examining optimism’s association with 3 health behaviors relevant for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. PubMed and PsycINFO databases were searched for studies published through November 2017 reporting on optimism’s relationship with physical activity, diet, and cigarette smoking. We identified 34 effect sizes for physical activity (n=90 845), 15 effect sizes for diet (n=47 931), and 15 effect sizes for cigarette smoking (n=15 052). Findings suggested that more optimistic individuals tended to engage in healthier behaviors compared with less optimistic individuals, but effect sizes were modest (ractivity=0.07, P<0.0001; rdiet=0.12, P<0.0001; and rsmoking=0.07, P=0.001). Most evidence was cross-sectional (≥53% of effect sizes) and did not consider sociodemographic characteristics (<53% of effect sizes) or psychological distress (<27% of effect sizes) as potential confounders. Optimism is associated with healthier behaviors that protect against cardiovascular disease, although most evidence was relatively low quality. Additional longitudinal and experimental research is required to determine whether optimism causally contributes to healthy behaviors and whether optimism could be an effective target for preventing cardiovascular disease.