Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Multi-Family GLRT for Detection in Polarimetric SAR Images

This paper deals with detection from multipolarization SAR images. The problem is cast in terms of a composite hypothesis test aimed at discriminating between the Polarimetric Covariance Matrix (PCM) equality (absence of target in the tested region) and the situation where the region under test exhibits a PCM with at least an ordered eigenvalue smaller than that of a reference covariance. This last setup reflects the physical condition where the back scattering associated with the target leads to a signal, in some eigen-directions, weaker than the one gathered from a reference area where it is apriori known the absence of targets. A Multi-family Generalized Likelihood Ratio Test (MGLRT) approach is pursued to come up with an adaptive detector ensuring the Constant False Alarm Rate (CFAR) property. At the analysis stage, the behaviour of the new architecture is investigated in comparison with a benchmark (but non-implementable) and some other adaptive sub-optimum detectors available in open literature. The study, conducted in the presence of both simulated and real data, confirms the practical effectiveness of the new approach.
Verbal Aggression from Care Recipients as a Risk Factor among Nursing Staff: A Study on Burnout in the JD-R Model Perspective

Among nursing staff, the risk of experiencing violence, especially verbal aggression, is particularly relevant. The present study, developed in the theoretical framework of the Job Demands-Resources model (JD-R), has two main aims: (a) to examine the association between verbal aggression and job burnout in both nurses and nurse's aides and (b) to assess whether job content, social resources, and organizational resources lessen the negative impact of verbal aggression on burnout in the two professional groups. The cross-sectional study uses a dataset that consists of 630 workers (522 nurses and 108 nurse's aides) employed in emergency and medical units. High associations were found between verbal aggression and job burnout in both professional groups. Moderated hierarchical regressions showed that, among nurses, only the job content level resources moderated the effects of the verbal aggression on job burnout. Among nurse's aides, the opposite was found. Some resources on the social and organizational levels but none of the job content level resources buffered the effects of verbal aggression on workers burnout. The study highlights the crucial role of different types of resources in protecting nursing staff from the detrimental effects of verbal aggression on job burnout.
Using Ambient Displays and Smart Artefacts to Support Community Interaction in Distributed Teams

In this paper we point out the current changes and future trends of organizational concepts and explain their influence on workplace awareness and communication. We then elaborate the changing requirements for awareness and informal communication in distributed teams. Finally, we present two artefacts that support informal awareness and community interaction and describe their evaluation in a living-lab situation.
On modelling the hybrid video coding for analysis and future development

Most of the work for the design and optimization of the hybrid video codecs is carried out experimentally. It is always desirable to have a proper theoretical treatment of the motion-compensated video coding system, which is extremely useful for making an analysis of the codecs available nowadays, and for designing new and efficient codecs for future applications. It requires many assumptions and simplifications. A simple Markov model with the assumption of wide-sense stationary signals may not work as well. To resolve the problem, we consider that prediction errors are the result of a motion estimation algorithm. A net deformation of pixels in a block along a certain direction is a more general situation. We make use of the first order Markov model to derive an approximated separable autocorrelation model for the block based motion compensation frame difference (MCFD) signal. Results of our experimental work show that the derived model can describe the statistical characteristics of the MCFD signals accurately. In the derivation of the initial model, we borrowed some concepts from the affine transform; however, our model is general and the theory behind is fundamental. It can be used as an analytical tool to study the effect of different sub-block sizes in the H.264 encoder, say for example. This enables us to enhance our understanding of mode selection and eventually facilitates the design of a new and efficient video encoder.
The Source Parameters of Echolocation Clicks from Captive and Free-Ranging Yangtze Finless Porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis)

The clicks of Yangtze finless porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis) from 7 individuals in the tank of Baiji aquarium, 2 individuals in a netted pen at Shishou Tian-e-zhou Reserve and 4 free-ranging individuals at Tianxingzhou were recorded using a broadband digital recording system with four element hydrophones. The peak-to-peak apparent source level (ASL_pp) of clicks from individuals at the Baiji aquarium was 167 dB re 1 μPa with mean center frequency of 133 kHz, -3dB bandwidth of 18 kHz and -10 dB duration of 58 μs. The ASL_pp of clicks from individuals at the Shishou Tian-e-zhou Reserve was 180 dB re 1 μPa with mean center frequency of 128 kHz, -3dB bandwidth of 20 kHz and -10 dB duration of 39 μs. The ASL_pp of clicks from individuals at Tianxingzhou was 176 dB re 1 μPa with mean center frequency of 129 kHz, -3dB bandwidth of 15 kHz and -10 dB duration of 48 μs. Differences between the source parameters of clicks among the three groups of finless porpoises suggest these animals adapt to their echolocation signals depending on their surroundings.
Long-Term Relationships Governed by Short-Term Contracts (Now published in American Economic Review, (1988).)

This paper studies the effect of contract duration on the incentive to make relationship-specific investments, when' the parties to the relationship are rational. with perfect information and perfect foresight. and contracts are costlessly enforceable and complete, except that short-term contracts do not allow commitments to actions taken beyond the contract period. Whether contracting for less than the entire life of the relationship suffices for efficient relationship-specific investment is shown to depend on whether parties need their relationship for consumption-smoothing, and on the predominance. in the efficient plan. of investment that involves sunk costs over investment that does not. In the absence of asymmetric-information incentive problems. the duration of contracts affects investment decisions only when the relationship plays a consumption-smoothing role, and then only when efficiency requires mainly sunk-cost investment. In this case. short-term contracting has a general, but not universal, tendency to make parties invest too little in their relationship.
Serum adipokine concentrations in dogs with diabetes mellitus: a pilot study

This study was conducted to determine whether serum adipokine concentrations differed between healthy dogs and dogs with diabetes mellitus (DM). To accomplish this, 19 dogs with newly diagnosed DM were compared to 20 otherwise healthy dogs. The serum concentrations of visfatin, leptin, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-18, and TNF-α were significantly higher in diabetic dogs than in healthy dogs, whereas the serum adiponectin concentrations were lower in diabetic dogs. However, there were no significant differences in the IL-10 and resistin levels between groups. The serum leptin concentrations in diabetic dogs with and without concurrent disorders differed significantly. Treatment with insulin induced a significant decrease in IL-6 in diabetic dogs without concurrent disorders. These results show that the clinical diabetic state of dogs could modulate the circulating visfatin and adiponectin concentrations directly, while upregulation of leptin was probably a result of concurrent disorders rather than an effect of persistent hyperglycemia as a result of DM.
Large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma originating from the uterine endometrium: a report on magnetic resonance features of 2 cases with very rare and aggressive tumor

Neuroendocrine carcinomas (NEC) of the female genital tract are aggressive and uncommon tumors, which usually involve the uterine cervix and ovary, and are seen very rarely in the endometrium. Only less than 10 cases of large cell NEC (LCNEC) of the endometrium have been reported in the literature and their radiological findings are not well described. We report here two cases of pathologically proven LCNEC of the uterine endometrium. In both cases, the uterine body was enlarged and the tumor occupied part of the uterine cavity. Endometrial mass exhibited heterogeneous high intensity on T2-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) images, and diffusion-weighted MR images revealed high intensity throughout the tumor, consistent with malignancy. LCNEC is a highly malignant neoplasm without particular findings in terms of diagnostic imaging and pathology, so its preoperative definitive diagnosis is very difficult. However, when laboratory test, pathologic diagnosis and MR imaging suggest a poorly differentiated uterine malignancy, positron emission tomography-computed tomography scan should be performed as a general assessment to help with diagnosis.
Can the Preoperative Serum Lactate Level Predict the Extent of Bowel Ischemia in Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department with Acute Mesenteric Ischemia?

Purpose. Early recognition of acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) can be challenging. Extensive bowel necrosis secondary to AMI is associated with high rates of mortality. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between preoperative serum lactate level and the extent of bowel ischemia in patients with AMI. Methods. Data of patients with abdominal pain and elevated serum lactate undergoing emergency laparotomy for suspected AMI within 24 hours of presentation was retrospectively abstracted. The length of the ischemic bowel segment was compared with the preoperative serum lactate level. Results. 36 female and 39 male patients, with median age 73.1 ± 12.3 years, were included for analysis. The median preoperative lactate was 2.96 ± 2.59 mmol/l in patients with ≤50 cm, 6.86 ± 4.08 mmol/l in patients with 51–100 cm, 4.73 ± 2.76 mmol/l in patients with >100 cm ischemic bowel, and 14.07 ± 4.91 mmol/l in the group with multivisceral ischemia. Conclusion. Although elevated serum lactate might permit an early suspicion and thus influence the clinical decision-making with regard to prioritization of surgery in patients with suspected AMI, a linear relationship between serum lactate and the extent of bowel ischemia could not be established in this study.
Characteristics associated with differences in survival among black and white women with breast cancer.

IMPORTANCE Difference in breast cancer survival by race is a recognized problem among Medicare beneficiaries. OBJECTIVE To determine if racial disparity in breast cancer survival is primarily attributable to differences in presentation characteristics at diagnosis or subsequent treatment. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS Comparison of 7375 black women 65 years and older diagnosed between 1991 to 2005 and 3 sets of 7375 matched white control patients selected from 99,898 white potential controls, using data for 16 US Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) sites in the SEER-Medicare database. All patients received follow-up through December 31, 2009, and the black case patients were matched to 3 white control populations on demographics (age, year of diagnosis, and SEER site), presentation (demographics variables plus patient comorbid conditions and tumor characteristics such as stage, size, grade, and estrogen receptor status), and treatment (presentation variables plus details of surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES 5-Year survival. RESULTS The absolute difference in 5-year survival (blacks, 55.9%; whites, 68.8%) was 12.9% (95% CI, 11.5%-14.5%; P < .001) in the demographics match. This difference remained unchanged between 1991 and 2005. After matching on presentation characteristics, the absolute difference in 5-year survival was 4.4% (95% CI, 2.8%-5.8%; P < .001) and was 3.6% (95% CI, 2.3%-4.9%; P < .001) lower for blacks than for whites matched also on treatment. In the presentation match, fewer blacks received treatment (87.4% vs 91.8%; P < .001), time from diagnosis to treatment was longer (29.2 vs 22.8 days; P < .001), use of anthracyclines and taxols was lower (3.7% vs 5.0%; P < .001), and breast-conserving surgery without other treatment was more frequent (8.2% vs 7.3%; P = .04). Nevertheless, differences in survival associated with treatment differences accounted for only 0.81% of the 12.9% survival difference. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In the SEER-Medicare database, differences in breast cancer survival between black and white women did not substantially change among women diagnosed between 1991 and 2005. These differences in survival appear primarily related to presentation characteristics at diagnosis rather than treatment differences.
A simulated annealing algorithm for finding consensus sequences

MOTIVATION A consensus sequence for a family of related sequences is, as the name suggests, a sequence that captures the features common to most members of the family. Consensus sequences are important in various DNA sequencing applications and are a convenient way to characterize a family of molecules. RESULTS This paper describes a new algorithm for finding a consensus sequence, using the popular optimization method known as simulated annealing. Unlike the conventional approach of finding a consensus sequence by first forming a multiple sequence alignment, this algorithm searches for a sequence that minimises the sum of pairwise distances to each of the input sequences. The resulting consensus sequence can then be used to induce a multiple sequence alignment. The time required by the algorithm scales linearly with the number of input sequences and quadratically with the length of the consensus sequence. We present results demonstrating the high quality of the consensus sequences and alignments produced by the new algorithm. For comparison, we also present similar results obtained using ClustalW. The new algorithm outperforms ClustalW in many cases.
Lipid and Inflammatory Cardiovascular Risk Worsens Over 3 Years in Youth With Type 2 Diabetes

OBJECTIVE Type 2 diabetes increases cardiovascular risk. We examined lipid profiles and inflammatory markers in 699 youth with recent-onset type 2 diabetes in the TODAY clinical trial and compared changes across treatment groups: metformin alone (M), metformin plus rosiglitazone (M+R), and metformin plus intensive lifestyle program (M+L). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Multiethnic youth with type 2 diabetes received M, M+R, or M+L. Statin drugs were begun for LDL cholesterol (LDL) ≥130 mg/dL or triglycerides ≥300 mg/dL. Lipids, apolipoprotein B (apoB), LDL particle size, high-sensitivity c-reactive protein (hsCRP), homocysteine, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), and HbA1c were measured over 36 months or until loss of glycemic control. RESULTS LDL, apoB, triglycerides, and non-HDL cholesterol (HDL) rose over 12 months and then stabilized over the next 24 months. Participants with LDL ≥130 mg/dL or using LDL-lowering therapy increased from 4.5 to 10.7% over 36 months, while 55.9% remained at LDL goal (<100 mg/dL) over that time. Treatment group did not impact LDL, apoB, or non-HDL. Small dense LDL (particle size, ≤0.263 relative flotation rate) was most common in M. Triglycerides were lower in M+L than M, and M+L attenuated the negative effect of hyperglycemia on triglycerides and HDL in females. hsCRP, PAI-1, and homocysteine increased over time. However, hsCRP was lower in M+R compared with M or M+L. CONCLUSIONS Dyslipidemia and chronic inflammation were common in youth with type 2 diabetes and worsened over time. Diabetes treatment, despite some treatment group differences in lipid and inflammatory marker change over time, is generally inadequate to control this worsening risk.
Effects of diabetes mellitus induced by alloxan on the pharmacokinetics of metformin in rats: restoration of pharmacokinetic parameters to the control state by insulin treatment.

PURPOSE To test the effect of insulin treatment on the pharmacokinetics of metformin in rats with diabetes mellitus induced by alloxan (DMIA rats). The following results were reported from other studies. Metformin was metabolized via hepatic CYP2C11, 2D1, and 3A1/2 in rats. In DMIA rats, the protein expression and mRNA levels of hepatic CYP2C11 and 3A1/2 decreased and increased, respectively. In rat model of diabetes mellitus induced by streptozotocin, the protein expression of hepatic CYP2D1 was not changed. The increase in hepatic CYP1A2, 2B1, and 2E1, and decrease in hepatic CYP2C11 in DMIA rats was returned to the controls by insulin treatment. METHODS Metformin (100 mg/kg) was administered intravenously and orally to the control rats, DMIA rats, and DMIA rats with insulin treatment for 3 weeks (DMIA rats with insulin). RESULTS After intravenous administration of metformin to the DMIA rats, the CLR and CLNR of the drug were significantly slower than the controls. After oral administration of metformin to the DMIA rats, the AUC of the drug was also significantly greater than the controls. After intravenous administration of metformin to the DMIA rats with insulin, the significantly slower CLNR of the drug in the DMIA rats was returned to the controls. The altered pharmacokinetic indices observed following intravenous and oral administration of metformin to DMIA rats returned to the control values in the DMIA rats with insulin. CONCLUSIONS The significantly slower CLNR of metformin in the DMIA rats could be due to the decrease in hepatic CYP2C11 than the controls. The comparable CLNR of metformin between the DMIA rats with insulin and the control rats could be due to restoration of hepatic CYP enzyme changes in DMIA rats to the controls.
Plk4-dependent phosphorylation of STIL is required for centriole duplication

ABSTRACT Duplication of centrioles, namely the formation of a procentriole next to the parental centriole, is regulated by the polo-like kinase Plk4. Only a few other proteins, including STIL (SCL/TAL1 interrupting locus, SIL) and Sas-6, are required for the early step of centriole biogenesis. Following Plk4 activation, STIL and Sas-6 accumulate at the cartwheel structure at the initial stage of the centriole assembly process. Here, we show that STIL interacts with Plk4 in vivo. A STIL fragment harboring both the coiled-coil domain and the STAN motif shows the strongest binding affinity to Plk4. Furthermore, we find that STIL is phosphorylated by Plk4. We identified Plk4-specific phosphorylation sites within the C-terminal domain of STIL and show that phosphorylation of STIL by Plk4 is required to trigger centriole duplication.
Para Niños Saludables: A Community Intervention Trial to Reduce Organophosphate Pesticide Exposure in Children of Farmworkers

Background Exposure to organophosphate (OP) pesticides is an occupational hazard for farmworkers and affects their children through the take-home pathway. Objectives We examined the effectiveness of a randomized community intervention to reduce pesticide exposure among farmworkers and their children. Methods We conducted a baseline survey of a cross-sectional sample of farmworkers (year 1) in 24 participating communities. Communities were randomized to intervention or control. After 2 years of intervention, a new cross-sectional survey of farmworkers was conducted (year 4). Farmworkers with a child 2–6 years of age were asked to participate in a substudy in which urine was collected from the farmworker and child, and dust was collected from the home and the vehicle driven to work. Results The median concentration of urinary metabolites was higher in year 4 than in year 1 for dimethylthiophosphate (DMTP) and dimethyldithiophosphate in adults and for DMTP for children. There were significant increases within both the intervention and control communities between year 1 and year 4 (p < 0.005); however, the differences were not significant between study communities after adjusting for year (p = 0.21). The dust residue data showed azinphos-methyl having the highest percentage of detects in vehicles (86% and 84% in years 1 and 4, respectively) and in house dust (85% and 83% in years 1 and 4, respectively). There were no significant differences between intervention and control communities after adjusting for year (p = 0.49). Conclusions We found no significant decreases in urinary pesticide metabolite concentrations or in pesticide residue concentrations in house and vehicle dust from intervention community households compared with control community households after adjusting for baseline. These negative findings may have implications for future community-wide interventions.
Variational Relevance Vector Machine for Tabular Data

We adopt the Relevance Vector Machine (RVM) framework to handle cases of tablestructured data such as image blocks and image descriptors. This is achieved by coupling the regularization coefficients of rows and columns of features. We present two variants of this new gridRVM framework, based on the way in which the regularization coefficients of the rows and columns are combined. Appropriate variational optimization algorithms are derived for inference within this framework. The consequent reduction in the number of parameters from the product of the table’s dimensions to the sum of its dimensions allows for better performance in the face of small training sets, resulting in improved resistance to overfitting, as well as providing better interpretation of results. These properties are demonstrated on synthetic data-sets as well as on a modern and challenging visual identification benchmark.