Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Automatic Crack Detection and Classification Method for Subway Tunnel Safety Monitoring

Cracks are an important indicator reflecting the safety status of infrastructures. This paper presents an automatic crack detection and classification methodology for subway tunnel safety monitoring. With the application of high-speed complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) industrial cameras, the tunnel surface can be captured and stored in digital images. In a next step, the local dark regions with potential crack defects are segmented from the original gray-scale images by utilizing morphological image processing techniques and thresholding operations. In the feature extraction process, we present a distance histogram based shape descriptor that effectively describes the spatial shape difference between cracks and other irrelevant objects. Along with other features, the classification results successfully remove over 90% misidentified objects. Also, compared with the original gray-scale images, over 90% of the crack length is preserved in the last output binary images. The proposed approach was tested on the safety monitoring for Beijing Subway Line 1. The experimental results revealed the rules of parameter settings and also proved that the proposed approach is effective and efficient for automatic crack detection and classification.
Molecular Characterization of the Protein Encoded by the Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome Type 1 Gene*

Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome (HPS) comprises a group of genetic disorders characterized by defective lysosome-related organelles. The most common form of HPS (HPS type 1) is caused by mutations in a gene encoding a protein with no homology to any other known protein. Here we report the identification and biochemical characterization of this gene product, termed HPS1p. Endogenous HPS1p was detected in a wide variety of human cell lines and exhibited an electrophoretic mobility corresponding to a protein of ∼80 kDa. In contrast to previous theoretical analysis predicting that HPS1p is an integral membrane protein, we found that this protein was predominantly cytosolic, with a small amount being peripherally associated with membranes. The sedimentation coefficient of the soluble form of HPS1p was ∼6 S as inferred from ultracentrifugation on sucrose gradients. HPS1p-deficient cells derived from patients with HPS type 1 displayed normal distribution and trafficking of the lysosomal membrane proteins, CD63 and Lamp-1. This was in contrast to cells from HPS type 2 patients, having mutations in the β3A subunit of the AP-3 adaptor complex, which exhibited increased routing of these lysosomal proteins through the plasma membrane. Similar analyses performed on fibroblasts from 10 different mouse models of HPS revealed that only the AP-3 mutants pearl and mocha display increased trafficking of Lamp-1 through the plasma membrane. Taken together, these observations suggest that the product of the HPS1gene is a cytosolic protein capable of associating with membranes and involved in the biogenesis and/or function of lysosome-related organelles by a mechanism distinct from that dependent on the AP-3 complex.
On the Mutual Information and Precoding for Spatial Modulation with Finite Alphabet

In this letter, we investigate the effect of finite alphabet inputs on the performance of spatial modulation (SM) for multiple-input-single-output (MISO) channels. The closed-form expression of the mutual information is first derived in an information-theoretic framework. With careful analysis of the expression, we develop a precoding scheme to improve the performance of SM. Utilizing the theory of traditional constellation design, the precoding coefficient is obtained by maximizing the minimum Euclidean distance. Numerical results demonstrate substantial difference in the mutual information between SM with finite alphabet inputs and SM with Gaussian inputs, and show that our precoding scheme achieves significant gains.
Impacts of acid deposition at Plastic Lake: forecasting chemical recovery using a Bayesian calibration and uncertainty propagation approach

Given the importance of models in the development of environmental polices it is necessary to assess the uncertainty introduced by model parameterisation and its impact on predictions. In the current study, an uncertainty framework designed to perform automated calibrations and developed for use with the Model of Acidification of Groundwater in Catchments (MAGIC) was applied to Plastic Lake, a long-term study site in Southern Ontario, Canada. The primary objectives were to investigate the chemical response of soil and surface water at Plastic Lake to proposed acid (sulfur and nitrogen) emissions and assess the use of the framework at a regional level. Despite the relatively high amount of uncertainty associated with many of the model parameters, calibration resulted in relatively narrow parameter convergence. The importance of time-series stream data was clearly evident, with uncertainty decreasing with more observation years. The forecast improvements in stream Acid Neutralizing Capacity at Plastic Lake from–40 μeq/L in 1988 to 14 μeq/L in 2060 had 5 and 95% confidence bounds of–3 and 29 μeq/L, respectively. Despite the limited availability of soil chemical data in Ontario, the approach applied at Plastic Lake is viable on a regional basis given the abundance of water chemistry data.
The rotavirus nonstructural glycoprotein NSP4 mobilizes Ca2+ from the endoplasmic reticulum

We previously reported that expression of rotavirus nonstructural glycoprotein NSP4 is responsible for an increase in cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) in Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) insect cells (P. Tian, Y. Hu, W. P. Schilling, D. A. Lindsay, J. Eiden, and M. K. Estes, J. Virol. 68:251-257, 1994). The purpose of the present study was to determine the mechanism by which NSP4 causes an increase in [Ca2+]i by measuring the permeability of the cytoplasmic and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes in recombinant-baculovirus-infected Sf9 cells. No obvious change in plasmalemma permeability to divalent cations was observed in cells expressing NSP4 compared with that in cells expressing another rotaviral glycoprotein (VP7) when the influx of Ba2+, a Ca2+ surrogate, was monitored. The basal Ca2+ permeability of the internal Ca2+ store was evaluated by measuring the release of Ca2+ induced by ionomycin, a Ca2+ ionophore, or thapsigargin, an inhibitor of the ER Ca(2+)-ATPase pump, following suspension of the cells in Ca(2+)-free extracellular buffer. Releasable Ca2+ decreased with time to a greater extent in cells expressing NSP4 compared with that in cells expressing VP7, suggesting that NSP4 increases the basal Ca2+ permeability of the ER membrane. To determine the possible mechanism by which NSP4 increases ER permeability, purified NSP4 protein or a 22-amino-acid synthetic peptide consisting of residues 114 to 135 (NSP4(114-135) was added exogenously to noninfected Sf9 cells during measurement of [Ca2+]i. Both NSP4 and the NSP4(114-135 peptide produced a time-dependent increase in [Ca2+]i that was attenuated by prior inhibition of phospholipase C with U-73122. Pretreatment of the cells with thapsigargin completely blocked the increase in [Ca2+]i produced by NSP4(114-135, but the peptide only partially reduced the change in [Ca2+]i produced by thapsigargin. No changes in [Ca2+]i were seen in cells treated with control peptides. These results suggest that (i) exogenous NSP4 increases [Ca2+]i through the activation of phospholipase C, (ii) Ca2+ release by exogenous NSP4 is from a store that is a subset of the thapsigargin-sensitive compartment, and (iii) amino acid residues 114 to 135 of NSP4 are sufficient for this activity. In contrast to exogenous NSP4, the mechanism by which endogenously expressed NSP4 increases [Ca2+]1 appears to be unrelated to phospholipase C, since no effect of U-73122 was seen on the elevated [Ca2+]1 in cells expressing NSP4 and exogenously applied NSP4(114-135) caused a further increase in [Ca2+]1 in cells expressing NSP4 protein. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Detection and characterization of deep water wave breaking using moderate incidence angle microwave backscatter from the sea surface

Abstract : The importance of wave breaking in both microwave remote sensing and air-sea interaction has led to this investigation of the utility of a Ku-Band CW Doppler scatterometer to detect and characterize wave breaking in the open ocean. Field and laboratory measurements by previous authors of microwave backscatter from sharp-crested and breaking waves have shown that these events can exhibit characteristic signatures in moderate incidence angle measurements of the radar cross-section (RCS) and Doppler spectrum. Specifically, breaking events have been associated with polarization independent sea spikes in the RCS accompanied by increasing mean frequency and bandwidth of the Doppler spectrum. The joint statistics of the microwave quantities indicative of breaking are used to investigate detection schemes for breaking events identified from the video recordings. The most successful scheme is based on thresholds in both the RCS and the Doppler bandwidth determined from joint distributions for breaking and non-breaking waves. Microwave events consisting of a sea spike in the RCS accompanied by a large bandwidth are associated with the steep forward face of waves in the early stages of breaking. The sea spike statistics are investigated as functions of wave field parameters and friction velocity u*. For VV and HH polarization, the frequency of sea spike occurrence and the sea spike contribution to the mean RCS show an approximately cubic dependence on u*, which is consistent with theoretical modelling and various measures of whitecap coverage.
Evaluation of Brazil's public health surveillance system within the context of the International Health Regulations (2005).

OBJECTIVE To evaluate Brazil's public health surveillance system (HSS), identifying its core capacities, shortcomings, and limitations in dealing with public health emergencies, within the context of the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005). METHODS In 2008-2009 an evaluative cross-sectional study was conducted using semistructured questionnaires administered to key informants (municipal, state, and national government officials) to assess Brazilian HSS structure (legal framework and resources) and surveillance and response procedures vis-à-vis compliance with the IHR (2005) requirements for management of public health emergencies of national and international concern. Evaluation criteria included the capacity to detect, assess, notify, investigate, intervene, and communicate. Responses were analyzed separately by level of government (municipal health departments, state health departments, and national Ministry of Health). RESULTS Overall, at all three levels of government, Brazil's HSS has a well-established legal framework (including the essential technical regulations) and the infrastructure, supplies, materials, and mechanisms required for liaison and coordination. However, there are still some weaknesses at the state level, especially in land border areas and small towns. Professionals in the field need to be more familiar with the IHR 2005 Annex 2 decision tool (designed to increase sensitivity and consistency in the notification process). At the state and municipal level, the capacity to detect, assess, and notify is better than the capacity to investigate, intervene, and communicate. Surveillance activities are conducted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in 40.7% of states and 35.5% of municipalities. There are shortcomings in organizational activities and methods, and in the process of hiring and training personnel. CONCLUSIONS In general, the core capacities of Brazil's HSS are well established and fulfill most of the requisites listed in the IHR 2005 with respect to both structure and surveillance and response procedures, particularly at the national and state levels.
Relevance of compartmentalization of T‐cell subsets for clinical improvement in psoriasis: effect of immune‐targeted antipsoriatic therapies

Background Therapies targeting the T cell‐mediated pathology of psoriasis have been found to achieve remarkable clinical improvement and have confirmed the crucial role of the immune system either in peripheral blood (PB) or in skin. No analyses of T‐cell counts in both compartments have been conducted in order to confirm or refute the hypothesized shifts between them.
Mapping the Binding Domains Involved in the Interaction between the Plasmodium falciparum Knob-associated Histidine-rich Protein (KAHRP) and the Cytoadherence Ligand P. falciparumErythrocyte Membrane Protein 1 (PfEMP1)*

Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) clusters at electron-dense knob-like structures on the surface of malaria-infected red blood cells and mediates their adhesion to the vascular endothelium. In parasites lacking knobs, vascular adhesion is less efficient, and infected red cells are not able to immobilize successfully under hemodynamic flow conditions even though PfEMP1 is still present on the exterior of the infected red cell. We examined the interaction between the knob-associated histidine-rich protein (KAHRP), the parasite protein upon which knob formation is dependent, and PfEMP1, and we show evidence of a direct interaction between KAHRP and the cytoplasmic region of PfEMP1 (VARC). We have identified three fragments of KAHRP which bind VARC. Two of these KAHRP fragments (K1A and K2A) interact with VARC with binding affinities (K D(kin)) of 1 × 10−7 m and 3.3 × 10−6 m respectively, values comparable to those reported previously for protein-protein interactions in normal and infected red cells. Further experiments localized the high affinity binding regions of KAHRP to the 63-residue histidine-rich and 70-residue 5′ repeats. Deletion of these two regions from the KAHRP fragments abolished their ability to bind to VARC. Identification of the critical domains involved in interaction between KAHRP and PfEMP1 may aid development of new therapies to prevent serious complications of P. falciparum malaria.
A computational study of the effects of remodelled electrophysiology and mechanics on initiation of ventricular fibrillation in human heart failure

The study of pathological cardiac conditions such as arrhythmias, a major cause of mortality in heart failure, is becoming increasingly informed by computational simulation, numerically modelling the governing equations. This can provide insight where experimental work is constrained by technical limitations and/or ethical issues. As the models become more realistic, the construction of efficient and accurate computational models becomes increasingly challenging. In particular, recent developments have started to couple the electrophysiology models with mechanical models in order to investigate the effect of tissue deformation on arrhythmogenesis, thus introducing an element of nonlinearity into the mathematical representation. This paper outlines a biophysically-detailed computational model of coupled electromechanical cardiac activity which uses the finite element method to approximate both electrical and mechanical systems on unstructured, deforming, meshes. An ILU preconditioner is applied to improve performance of the solver. This software is used to examine the role of electrophysiology, fibrosis and mechanical deformation on the stability of spiral wave dynamics in human ventricular tissue by applying it to models of both healthy and failing tissue. The latter was simulated by modifying (i) cellular electrophysiological properties, to generate an increased action potential duration and altered intracellular calcium handling, and (ii) tissue-level properties, to simulate the gap junction remodelling, fibrosis and increased tissue stiffness seen in heart failure. The resulting numerical experiments suggest that, for the chosen mathematical models of electrophysiology and mechanical response, introducing tissue level fibrosis can have a destabilising effect on the dynamics, while the net effect of the electrophysiological remodelling stabilises the system.
Rain properties controlling soil splash detachment

Laboratoryexperiments have been conducted to study the eAects of various rain properties on sand detachment resulting from raindrop impact. Splash cups were exposed to simulated rainfall intensities ranging between 10 and 140 mm h ˇ1 . The detached sand was collected and weighed whereas rain intensity, equivalent drop diameter and fall velocity of raindrops were measured with an optical spectro-pluviometer (OSP). The properties of the simulated rain (i.e. median volume diameter and kinetic energy) were compared with those observed in natural conditions. Statistical analyses have been undertaken in order to evaluate which rain variable best predicts the mass of sand detached. Linear and non-linear correlations between the mass of detached sediment and the product of drop size (d) by drop velocity (v), i.e. D a V b , with values of a varying between 1 and 6 and b between 0 and 3, have been computed. The results indicate that the coeAcient of determination (R 2 ) for a ranging between 3 and 5 and b lower or equal to 2 are satisfying. Although kinetic energy (D 3 V 2 ) described splash detachment relatively well, the product of momentum by drop diameter (D 4 V) was slightly superior in describing splash detachment. Therefore, the momentum multiplied by the drop diameter is recommended as the best rain variable to describe splash detachment. Copyright # 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
One year review study of congenital anatomical malformation at birth in Maternity Hospital (Prasutigriha), Thapathali, Kathmandu.

arly intrauterine period during 3 8 weeks of gestation is the vital period of life for the normal development of organs and organ system or organogenesis. Congenital malformation or defects are structural, functional and metabolic disorders at birth and the exact cause of birth defects in 40-60% are unknown. However, factors like genetic, environmental, teratogenic and infectious agents play important role for the origin of malformations during the most sensitive period of Embryogenesis. The congenital malformation accounts for the leading cause of neonatal deaths and stillbirths However, detailed information about the incidence, type, anatomical parts or organs involved in congenital malformation are not available in Nepal. Hence the present study was conducted to find out the incidence, type and congenital malformations among newborns in relation to normal anatomical structure at birth.
Options on Energy Portfolios in an HJM Framework

This paper implements a pricing procedure for commodity options, taking into account the stochastic nature of spot prices, currency exchange rates and convenience yields. Interest rate risk is also mentioned, but is not included in the numerical implementation. The analytic framework is heavily inspired by MiltersenS however, while they allow the interest rate to be stochastic they do not consider exchange rate risk. Furthermore, our work differs from theirs by extending the analysis to derivatives, where the underlying energy commodity is allowed to be either a portfolio of single-delivery contracts or a flow forward. The numerical implementation is an adaptation of the stochastic duration approach in Munk(1999), and we find that this numerical method produces results quite close to the “true” prices found through Monte Carlo simulation.
Markers for dysplasia of the upper aerodigestive tract. Suprabasal expression of PCNA, p53, and CK19 in alcohol-fixed, embedded tissue.

Recognition of premalignant lesions in the oral epithelium has the potential to increase survival rates for squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity. It has previously been reported that cytokeratin 19 (CK19), a 40-kd epithelial cytoskeletal protein within the suprabasal squamous epithelium, is a specific marker of moderate-to-severe dysplasia and carcinoma in situ in oral cavity squamous epithelium. In contrast, normal epithelium and hyperplastic lesions reportedly express CK19 only in the basal layer if at all. The authors chose to test and extend this hypothesis by studying suprabasal CK19 expression and dysplasia of the oral cavity and upper aerodigestive tract in paraffin-embedded specimens that had been fixed in alcohol, a superior fixative for the preservation of cytokeratins. The authors examined 56 alcohol-fixed, paraffin-embedded specimens including 37 from the oral cavity, using two antibodies specific for CK19 (Ks19.1 and 4.62), an antibody to the nuclear proliferation marker, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) (19A2), and an antibody to the putative tumor suppressor gene, p53 (pAb1801). The lesions were classified as normal, hyperplasia, mild dysplasia, moderate dysplasia, severe dysplasia/carcinoma in situ, or invasive squamous cell carcinoma, following standard histologic criteria. Immunocytochemically stained sections were scored for the presence or absence of suprabasal CK19, suprabasal PCNA, and p53 positivity, regardless of location. The immunostaining patterns of the two anti-CK19 antibodies were essentially equivalent. Except for one laryngeal specimen, normal epithelium, when positive, showed CK19 expression only in scattered cells throughout the basal layer. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen-positive nuclei were found exclusively in the basal layer. In areas of hyperplasia, CK19 immunostaining was absent or confined to the basal layer in 20 of 38 specimens and was expressed in suprabasal cells in 18 of 38 hyperplastic specimens. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen immunostaining in all cases of hyperplasia was limited to the basal layer. Severe dysplasia and carcinoma in situ showed suprabasal CK19 staining in six of nine specimens and no CK19 staining in three of nine specimens. In contrast, suprabasal PCNA immunostaining was found in all dysplasia and carcinoma in situ cases. p53 expression was detected in three of nine severe dysplasia/CIS specimens and was immunocytochemically undetectable in all normal, hyperplasia, and mild to moderate dysplasia specimens. The authors conclude that suprabasal CK19 expression is neither a sensitive nor a specific marker of premalignancy in oral epithelium and cannot be used to distinguish hyperplasia from dysplasia. In contrast, a strong correlation between suprabasal expression of PCNA, a marker for proliferating cells, and dysplasia/carcinoma in situ was evident. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Radiocarbon and Stable Carbon Isotope Analysis to Confirm Petroleum Natural Attenuation in the Vadose Zone

CO2 and CH4 radiocarbon and stable carbon isotope ratios were used to assess natural attenuation at a fuel-contaminated soil site at the Norfolk Navy Base, Norfolk, VA (USA). Soil gas samples were collected spatially over a monitoring network in October 2002 and in March 2003. CO2 and CH4 from regions with high petroleum concentrations were 14C-depleted relative to uncontaminated areas. 14C-depleted methane suggested methanogenic hydrocarbon degradation. The difference in CO2 age between background and plume-influenced areas indicated that approximately 90% of the CO2 at the latter was petroleum derived, making contaminant the primary source of carbon for the microbial assemblage.