Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Using SPOT 5 fusion-ready imagery to detect Chinese tamarisk (saltcedar) with mathematical morphological method

Chinese tamarisk (saltcedar) is a deciduous shrub that occurs widely across the Yellow River Delta in China. The spatial structure of Chinese tamarisk is believed to have an influence on the landscape and habitats of rare birds. In this study, first, Chinese tamarisk is detected using Canny edge detector and mathematical morphological operators based on SPOT 5 fusion-ready imagery. Then the numbers, areas, locations, and patch spacing of Chinese tamarisk patches are calculated. The experiments show that the detection accuracy of Chinese tamarisk patches is about 93.4% after the disconnection of connected patches. The distribution orientation of about 70% of the patches is approximately south–north. About 91% of the minimum distances among the patches are between 12.5 and 57.5 m. The rose graph indicates that the main azimuth between patches is north–northwest, and the second is northeast and southeast. The present study indicates that the integrating Canny edge detector with the algorithms for extracting circular and elliptical objects based on mathematical morphology is simple and effective for detecting Chinese tamarisk patches and is easy to identify the spatial structure of Chinese tamarisk patches, which reduces the time and labor for the visual interpretation of Chinese tamarisk patches.
Difficulties in Generating Specific Antibodies for Immunohistochemical Detection of Nitrosylated Tubulins

Protein S-nitrosylation, the covalent attachment of a nitroso moiety to thiol groups of specific cysteine residues, is one of the major pathways of nitric oxide signaling. Hundreds of proteins are subject to this transient post-translational modification and for some the functional consequences have been identified. Biochemical assays for the analysis of protein S-nitrosylation have been established and can be used to study if and under what conditions a given protein is S-nitrosylated. In contrast, the equally desirable subcellular localization of specific S-nitrosylated protein isoforms has not been achieved to date. In the current study we attempted to specifically localize S-nitrosylated α- and β-tubulin isoforms in primary neurons after fixation. The approach was based on in situ replacement of the labile cysteine nitroso modification with a stable tag and the subsequent use of antibodies which recognize the tag in the context of the tubulin polypeptide sequence flanking the cysteine residue of interest. We established a procedure for tagging S-nitrosylated proteins in cultured primary neurons and obtained polyclonal anti-tag antibodies capable of specifically detecting tagged proteins on immunoblots and in fixed cells. However, the antibodies were not specific for tubulin isoforms. We suggest that different tagging strategies or alternative methods such as fluorescence resonance energy transfer techniques might be more successful.
A MOLECULAR LINE SCAN IN THE HUBBLE DEEP FIELD NORTH

We present a molecular line scan in the Hubble Deep Field North (HDF-N) that covers the entire 3 mm window (79–115 GHz) using the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer. Our CO redshift coverage spans z ≲ 0.45, 1 ≲ z ≲ 1.9 and all z ≳ 2. We reach a CO detection limit that is deep enough to detect essentially all z > 1 CO lines reported in the literature so far. We have developed and applied different line-searching algorithms, resulting in the discovery of 17 line candidates. We estimate that the rate of false positive line detections is ∼2/17. We identify optical/NIR counterparts from the deep ancillary database of the HDF-N for seven of these candidates and investigate their available spectral energy distributions. Two secure CO detections in our scan are identified with star-forming galaxies at z = 1.784 and at z = 2.047. These galaxies have colors consistent with the “BzK” color selection and they show relatively bright CO emission compared with galaxies of similar dust continuum luminosity. We also detect two spectral lines in the submillimeter galaxy HDF 850.1 at z = 5.183. We consider an additional nine line candidates as high quality. Our observations also provide a deep 3 mm continuum map (1σ noise level = 8.6 μJy beam−1). Via a stacking approach, we find that optical/MIR bright galaxies contribute only to <50% of the star formation rate density at 1 < z < 3, unless high dust temperatures are invoked. The present study represents a first, fundamental step toward an unbiased census of molecular gas in “normal” galaxies at high-z, a crucial goal of extragalactic astronomy in the ALMA era.
Different progenitors of short hard gamma-ray bursts

We consider the spatial offsets of short hard gamma-ray bursts (SHBs) from their host galaxies. We show that all SHBs with extended-duration soft emission components lie very close to their hosts. We suggest that neutron star‐black hole binary mergers offer a natural explanation for the properties of this extended-duration/low-offset group. SHBs with large offsets have no observed extended emission components and are less likely to have an optically detected afterglow, properties consistent with neutron star‐neutron star binary mergers occurring in low-density environments.
Rare congenital pulmonary malformation with diagnostic challenging: congenital pulmonary lymphangiectasia, report of four autopsy cases and review of literature

Abstract Congenital pulmonary lymphangiectasia (CPL) is a rare congenital disorder that typically presents with intractable respiratory failure in the first few days of life. There is an association non-immun hydrops and CPL. In this study we reviewed four CPL cases between January2006 and January 2014 among 684 fetal-pediatric autopsies. All cases were in the second trimester. In light microscopy there were marked dilatated channels in the subpleural -peribronchial-subseptal region of the lungs. The channels were lined with flattened cells which were expressing CD 31 and D2-40, negative for CD34. Although pulmonary interstitial emphysema (PIE) was considered an important differential diagnosis, a giant cell reaction surrounding the interstitial cystic lesions, a histological hallmark of PIE. CPL is characterized by dilatation of the pulmonary lymphatic vessels and occurs as a congenital anomaly. Noonan classified it into three groups. Primary developmental defect of pulmonary lymphatics is group 3. Group 3 is called also as CPL; normal regression of the connective tissue elements fails to occur after the 16th week of fetal life, associated with an aggressive clinical course, poor prognosis. In fetal autopsy examination CPL should be recognized if there is a fetus with pleural effusion, non-immune hydrops. There is no clinical evidence for CPL.
Protection of chickens against infectious bronchitis virus with a multivalent DNA vaccine and boosting with an inactivated vaccine

The protective efficacy of DNA plasmids encoding avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) S1, N, or M protein was investigated in chickens. Chickens were inoculated monovalently (with plasmid pVAX1-16S1, pVAX1-16M, or pVAX1-16N alone) or multivalently (combination of the three different plasmids, pVAX1-16S1/M/N). A prime-boost immunization protocol against IBV was developed. Chickens were immunized with the multivalent DNA vaccine twice and then boosted with an inactivated vaccine once. Antibody titers of the chickens immunized with pVAX1-16S1/M/N were much higher than those of the monovalent groups (p < 0.01). A protective rate up to 90% was observed in the pVAX1-16S1/M/N group. The serum antibody titers in the prime-boost birds were significantly higher than those of the multivalent DNA vaccine group (p < 0.01) but not significantly different compared to the inactivated vaccine group at 49 days of age. Additionally, the prime-boost group also showed the highest level of IBV-specific cellular proliferation compared to the monovalent groups (p < 0.01) but no significant difference was found compared to the multivalent DNA vaccine group, and the prime-boost group completely protected from followed viral challenge.
Deep Identity-aware Transfer of Facial Attributes

This paper presents a Deep convolutional network model for Identity-Aware Transfer (DIAT) of facial attributes. Given the source input image and the reference attribute, DIAT aims to generate a facial image that owns the reference attribute as well as keeps the same or similar identity to the input image. In general, our model consists of a mask network and an attribute transform network which work in synergy to generate a photo-realistic facial image with the reference attribute. Considering that the reference attribute may be only related to some parts of the image, the mask network is introduced to avoid the incorrect editing on attribute irrelevant region. Then the estimated mask is adopted to combine the input and transformed image for producing the transfer result. For joint training of transform network and mask network, we incorporate the adversarial attribute loss, identity-aware adaptive perceptual loss, and VGG-FACE based identity loss. Furthermore, a denoising network is presented to serve for perceptual regularization to suppress the artifacts in transfer result, while an attribute ratio regularization is introduced to constrain the size of attribute relevant region. Our DIAT can provide a unified solution for several representative facial attribute transfer tasks, e.g., expression transfer, accessory removal, age progression, and gender transfer, and can be extended for other face enhancement tasks such as face hallucination. The experimental results validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Even for the identity-related attribute (e.g., gender), our DIAT can obtain visually impressive results by changing the attribute while retaining most identity-aware features.
Generalized Code-Multiplexing for UWB Communications

Code-multiplexed transmitted reference (CM-TR) and code-shifted reference (CSR) have recently drawn attention in the field of ultra-wideband communications mainly because they enable noncoherent detection without requiring either a delay component, as in transmitted reference, or an analog carrier, as in frequency-shifted reference, to separate the reference and data-modulated signals at the receiver. In this paper, we propose a generalized code-multiplexing (GCM) system based on the formulation of a constrained mixed-integer optimization problem. The GCM extends the concept of CM-TR and CSR while retaining their simple receiver structure, even offering better bit-error-rate performance and a higher data rate in the sense that more data symbols can be embedded in each transmitted block. The GCM framework is further extended to the cases when peak power constraint is considered and when inter-frame interference exists, as typically occurs in high data-rate transmissions. Numerical simulations performed over demanding wireless environments corroborate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Interception of two spheres with slip surfaces in linear Stokes flow

The interception of two spherical particles with arbitrary size in an infinite linear ambient Stokes flow is considered. The particle surfaces allow for slip according to the Navier–Maxwell–Basset law relating the shear stress to the tangential velocity. At any instant, the flow is computed in a frame of reference with origin at the centre of one particle using a cylindrical polar coordinate system whose axis of revolution passes through the centre of the second particle. Taking advantage of the axial symmetry of the boundaries of the flow in the particle coordinates, the problem is formulated as a system of integral equations for the zeroth, first, and second Fourier coefficients of the boundary traction with respect to the meridional angle. The force and torque exerted on each particle are determined by the zeroth and first Fourier coefficients, while the stresslet is determined by the zeroth, first, and second Fourier coefficients. The derived integral equations are solved with high accuracy using a boundary element method featuring adaptive element distribution and automatic time step adjustment according to the inter-particle gap. The results strongly suggest the existence of a critical value for the slip coefficient below which the surfaces of two particle collide after a finite interception time. The critical value depends on the relative initial particle positions. The particle stress tensor and coefficients of the linear and quadratic terms in the expansion of the effective viscosity of a dilute suspension in terms of the concentration in simple shear flow are discussed and evaluated. Surface slip significantly reduces the values of both coefficients and the longitudinal particle self-diffusivity.
Optimal lairage times and conditions for slaughter pigs: a review

Keeping pigs in lairage provides a buffer to supply the slaughter line and allows the pigs to recover from the stress of transport. It has implications for the pigs' welfare by influencing their behaviour and ease of handling. In terms of pork quality, optimal lairage times for most pigs in the UK are probably one to three hours. Shorter lairage times are associated with more pale, soft, exudative (PSE) meat and longer times are associated with more dark, firm, dry (DFD) meat, more skin blemishes caused by fighting, and a lower carcase yield. However, when pigs have not been previously stressed by handling procedures, resting them in lairage may have no beneficial effects on the pigs' welfare or meat quality. At very high environmental temperatures there is evidence that a holding period of less than one hour may help to reduce the number of PSE carcases. At temperatures above 10°C showering the pigs with water is beneficial. Fasting times need to be controlled to minimise the potential loss of carcase yield while reducing the volume of gut contents to reduce the risk of carcase contamination. Lairages can act as reservoirs of infection by pathogenic bacteria and there is evidence that longer holding times increase the risk of cross-contamination.
The Stellar Content of the Southern Tail of NGC 4038/4039 and a Revised Distance

We have used the Hubble Space Telescope and Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 to image the putative tidal dwarf galaxy located at the tip of the Southern tidal tail of NGC 4038/4039, the Antennae. We resolve individual stars and identify two stellar populations. Hundreds of massive stars are present, concentrated into tight OB associations on scales of 200 pc, with ages ranging from 2 to 100 Myr. An older stellar population is distributed roughly following the outer contours of the neutral hydrogen in the tidal tail; we associate these stars with material ejected from the outer disks of the two spirals. The older stellar population has a red giant branch tip at I = 26.5 ± 0.2 from which we derive a distance modulus (m - M)0 = 30.7 ± 0.25. The implied distance of 13.8 ± 1.7 Mpc is significantly smaller than commonly quoted distances for NGC 4038/4039. In contrast to the previously studied core of the merger, we find no super–star clusters (SSCs). One might conclude that SSCs require the higher pressures found in the central regions in order to form, while spontaneous star formation in the tail produces the kind of OB star associations seen in dwarf irregular galaxies. The youngest population in the putative tidal dwarf has a total stellar mass of ≈2 × 105 M⊙, while the old population has a stellar mass of ≈7 × 107 M⊙. If our smaller distance modulus is correct, it has far-reaching consequences for this prototypical merger. Specifically, the luminous to dynamical mass limits for the tidal dwarf candidates are significantly less than 1, the central SSCs have sizes typical of Galactic globular clusters, rather than being 1.5 times as large, and the unusually luminous X-ray population becomes both less luminous and less populous.
Role of single serving form of dairy on satiety and postprandial glycaemia in young and older healthy adults.

Dairy proteins reduce appetite and improve postprandial glycaemic response in adults. However, there are no reports of dairy in amounts usually consumed on satiety and postprandial glycaemia in either young or older adults. In a randomized crossover design, 30 healthy young adults (age: 23.5± 0.5 y; BMI: 21.8 ± 0.4 kg/m2) and 30 healthy/overweight older adults (age: 65.2 ± 0.5 y; BMI: 24.7 ± 0.6 kg/m2) consumed one serving (according to manufacturers' labels) of skim milk (0.1% M.F.), whole milk (3.25% M.F.), plain Greek yogurt (2% M.F.), cheddar cheese (31% M.F.), and water (energy-free control) after a 12 h fast. Subjective appetite was measured every 15-30 min over 3 h; blood glucose and insulin were measured at baseline and every 15-30 min over 2 h. All dairy treatments reduced post-treatment subjective appetite AUC over 3 h by 8-17% more than water. Greek yogurt reduced appetite 3 h AUC more than skim and whole milk by 9 and 7%, respectively (p < 0.0001). Post-treatment blood glucose 2 h AUC was 42% lower in young compared to older adults (p = 0.003). It was also 52-78% lower after cheese compared to milks and yogurt (p < 0.0001). Post-treatment insulin AUC after cheese was only 10-15% of that after milks and Greek yogurt (p < 0.0001). We conclude that single servings of dairy differ in effect on postprandial satiety and glycaemia and merit consideration in management of metabolic syndrome.
Groupware technology acceptance as a knowledge sharing tool: A case study in UUM

This paper provides a richer understanding of the groupware technology acceptance by evaluating the use and the acceptance of Webcube in the Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), one of the Malaysian Public Universities.The focus is on Webcube’s ten knowledge sharing features, which are Email, Homepage, News, Shoutbox, Journal, Calendar, Community Center, File Manager, Forum and Weblog.The research is based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) framework–extended with the collaboration technology-specific determinants to the various TAM constructs. This paper discusses the factors influencing the use of Webcube and acceptance issues as highlighted by the users.
Plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI‐1) in plasma and adipose tissue in HIV‐associated lipodystrophy syndrome. Implications of adipokines

Background PAI‐1, an important inhibitor of fibrinolysis, is increased in obese subjects and has been shown to be an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. In the present study, we investigated the association between circulating levels of PAI‐1 and locally produced PAI‐1 in adipose tissue and body fat distribution and adipokines (TNF‐α, TNF receptors, IL‐6, IL‐8) in patients with and without HIV‐associated lipodystrophy syndrome (HALS).
An RCT of an Online Parenting Program for Parents of Preschool-Aged Children With ADHD Symptoms

Objective: This randomized control trial evaluated the efficacy of an online self-help program in a sample of parents of preschoolers with ADHD symptoms. Method: Parents were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n = 27) or the delayed intervention group (n = 26). Child behavior measures were completed by mothers, fathers, and teachers, and parenting measures were completed by mothers. Results: Intent-to-treat analyses indicated significant post-intervention improvements in mother-rated child hyperactivity/inattention, restlessness/impulsivity, defiance/aggression, social functioning, and teacher-rated prosocial behavior, as well as significant improvements in maternal over-reactivity, verbosity, laxness, positive parenting, parenting satisfaction, self-efficacy, stress, and depression. At 6-month follow-up, effects were maintained for maternal over-reactivity and verbosity, parenting satisfaction and self-efficacy, and parental stress and depression. Conclusion: This study provides evidence for the effectiveness of an online self-help parenting program in reducing preschool inattentive behavior difficulties, and in increasing parenting competence, satisfaction in the parenting role, and maternal well-being.
TIMP-1 Promotes Accumulation of Cancer Associated Fibroblasts and Cancer Progression

Treatment options for late stage prostate and colon cancer are limited and there is an urgent need to develop more effective and targeted novel therapies, which starts with identification and validation of novel therapeutic targets. Recent clinical studies have demonstrated that tissue inhibitor matrix metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) levels are elevated in cancer patient plasma and elevated TIMP-1 levels are associated with worse clinical outcomes. However, it is unknown whether TIMP-1 serves merely as a biomarker of cancer progression or has a functional role in promoting cancer progression and can serve as a cancer therapeutic target, which is the main objective of this study. Here, we show that stroma of human prostate and colon cancer express higher levels of TIMP-1 compared to their normal counterparts and increased expression of TIMP-1 promotes in vivo growth of both cancer types. We demonstrate for the first time that increased TIMP-1 expression stimulates accumulation of cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) within prostate and colon cancer tissues and that TIMP-1 enhances prostate CAF proliferation and migration in vitro and promotes ERK1/2 kinase activation in these CAF cells. Our results establish the novel promotive effects of TIMP-1 on cancer progression and on accumulation of CAFs that in turn provides a pro-tumor microenvironment. Together, these results establish the potential of TIMP-1 as a novel target for cancer therapy and the mechanism underlying the pro-tumor activity of TIMP-1.
Postoperative seizures after extratemporal resections and hemispherectomy in pediatric epilepsy

Objectives: To estimate frequency and risk factors for acute postoperative seizures (APOS) within the first week after extratemporal cortical resection (ETR) and hemispherectomy (HS) in children and to assess the predictive value of APOS on long-term seizure outcome in this group. Methods: The authors conducted a retrospective analysis of children (<18 years), who underwent ETR or HS for intractable epilepsy between 1995 and 2002. APOS features and seizure outcome after ETR or HS were obtained at 6, 12, and 24 months. Univariate logistic regression was used for risk factors of APOS and life table analysis and log rank tests for seizure outcome at 0 to 6, 6 to 12, and 12 to 24 months. Results: Of 132 patients, 34 (26%) had APOS. APOS were more frequent after ETR (26/71) than HS (8/61) (p < 0.01). APOS, irrespective of their timing, number, semiology, or other perioperative complications, were an independent predictor of poor postoperative seizure outcome at 2 years (p < 0.001). The estimated odds of postoperative Engel class I outcome in the APOS vs non-APOS categories was 0.27 (73% less likely) for 0- to 6-month, 0.22 (78% less likely) for 6- to 12-month, and 0.13 (87% less likely) for the 12- to 24-month intervals. Conclusions: Acute postoperative seizures (APOS) occur in 26% children, and the risk is higher after extratemporal cortical resection than hemispherectomy. APOS predict a poor postoperative seizure outcome at 6, 12, and 24 months. This study is useful for counseling families after epilepsy surgery. It also suggests that APOS may not be discounted as “benign” in research studies that evaluate seizure outcomes after epilepsy surgery.