Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A survey on object detection and tracking algorithms

Object detection and tracking are important and challenging task in many computer vision applications such as surveillance, vehicle navigation and autonomous robot navigation. Video surveillance in dynamic environment, especially for humans and vehicles, is one of the current challenging research topics in computer vision. It is a key technology to fight against terrorism, crime, public safety and for efficient management of traffic. The work involves designing of efficient video surveillance system in complex environments. In video surveillance, detection of moving objects from a video is important for object detection, target tracking, and behaviour understanding. Detection of moving objects in video streams is the first relevant step of information and background subtraction is a very popular approach for foreground segmentation. In this thesis, we have simulated different background subtraction methods to overcome the problem of illumination variation, background clutter and shadows. Detecting and tracking of human body parts is important in understanding human activities. Intelligent and automated security surveillance systems have become an active research area in recent time due to an increasing demand for such systems in public areas such as airports, underground stations and mass events. In this context, tracking of stationary foreground regions is one of the most critical requirements for surveillance systems based on the tracking of abandoned or stolen objects or parked vehicles.
Complete Genome Sequence of Salmonella enterica Serovar Pullorum RKS5078

ABSTRACT Salmonella enterica serovar Pullorum is a chicken-adapted pathogen, causing pullorum disease. Its strict host adaptation has been suspected to result in gene decay. To validate this hypothesis and identify the decayed genes, we sequenced the complete genome of S. Pullorum RKS5078. We found 263 pseudogenes in this strain and conducted functional analyses of the decayed genes.
Failure of high uterine concentrations of progesterone to inhibit myometrial activity in vivo in the post-partum rat.

In a pilot experiment to test the feasibility of studying the progesterone 'block' in a species other than the rabbit, it was found that the myometrial activity of the post-partum rat recorded in vivo by means of small indwelling recording balloons was not reduced following intramuscular injections of progesterone (10 mg in oil). In view of the ample evidence that progesterone is essential in maintaining pregnancy in the rat after ovariectomy (Johnson & Challans, 1930; Rothchild & Meyer, 1940), this paradoxical finding was investigated in more detail. On the day following parturition, six Holtzman rats were anaesthetized with tribromoethanol intraperitoneally and a small latex recording balloon attached to a polyethylene catheter (0\m=.\015 in. i.d. \m=x\0\m=.\043in. o.d.) was placed in one uterine horn through a mid-line incision made with antisepsis precautions. The ovaries were removed and the catheter was passed subcutaneously to a point at the back of the neck where it was brought to the exterior. On the day of surgery, the animals were injected subcutaneously with 5 \g=m\g oestradiol-17\g=b\. Three further injections of 0\m=. \5 \g=m\g were given daily, beginning 3 to 7 days later. On the last day, the animals received in addition a subcutaneous injection of 25 mg progesterone (crystalline suspension, Upjohn) over the spine (to prevent contamination of the uterus when it was removed subsequently). Intrauterine pressure was monitored continuously from the virtually unrestrained conscious rats by means of Statham pressure transducers and a Grass 7B polygraph. The animals were killed 24 hr after the progesterone treatment. Blood samples were taken from the carotid artery into heparinized tubes, centrifuged imme¬ diately at 4°C and the plasma was stored at — 20CC until analysis. Portions of uterine tissue were removed and frozen immediately. Progesterone was measured in samples of plasma and uterine tissue by radioimmunoassay. The methods used have been described and validated elsewhere (Challis, Davies & Ryan, 1973). Spontaneous myometrial activity was not diminished in any of the six rats during the 24 hr after the progesterone treatment (Text-figs 1 and 2). Although the maximum amplitude during this period remained at around 34 mmHg,
Model Reduction by Matching the Steady-State Response of Explicit Signal Generators

Model reduction by moment matching for “interpolation signals” which do not have an implicit model, i.e., they do not satisfy a differential equation, is considered. Particular attention is devoted to discontinuous, possibly periodic, signals. The notion of moment is reformulated using an integral matrix equation. It is shown that, under specific conditions, the new definition and the one based on the Sylvester equation are equivalent. New parameterized families of models achieving moment matching are given. The results are illustrated by means of a numerical example.
Night-time blood pressure and new onset kidney disease.

I n this issue of the journal, Kanno et al. [1] report the findings of a population-based longitudinal study aimed at assessing the value of out-of-office blood pressure (BP) (i.e. 24-h, daytime and night-time BP) in predicting the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in 843 participants with preserved renal function at baseline. Before addressing the results of the study in detail, available evidence on this issue and related topics deserve to be considered. Although the pathogenesis of subclinical organ damage such as left ventricular hypertrophy, carotid atherosclerosis, reduced glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and microalbuminuria/proteinuria in the general population as well as in hypertensive cohorts is not fully understood, a consistent body of evidence indicates that BP levels, as better reflected by out-of-office than by office measurements, in combination with a variety of nonhaemodynamic factors, play a key role in its development [2]. In recent decades, growing interest has been devoted to circadian variations in BP and to nocturnal BP in relation to their association with cardiovascular and renal outcomes [3,4]. A number of studies reported that a blunted day/night BP fall (i.e. nondipping) is related to several unhealthy conditions, including diabetes, metabolic syndrome, obesity, sleep apnoea, renal disease, cardiac and extra-cardiac hypertensive target organ damage as well as to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease [5–7]. This association, however, remains controversial, as other reports failed to demonstrate any difference in intermediate end-points, such as vascular and cardiac target organ damage, and in hard outcomes between dipper and nondipper individuals [8,9]. It is worth noting that a greater prognostic value of absolute nocturnal BP over the dipping/nondipping classification has been recently documented by a large meta-analysis including 25856
Reading between the lines: deciphering the connections between literacy and health.

M any studies have shown that education is good for your health. 1–10 In the United States, the number of years of school completed is directly related to survival for patients with hypertension, 2 those who have had a myocardial infarction, 3 and the general population. 4–8 Although these links have been recognized for decades, the factors that mediate the relation between education and health are poorly understood. Low educational attainment may affect health indirectly through its association with unemployment, poverty, and the lack of health insurance. Alternatively, low educational attainment may have more direct effects on health by affecting the use of health care services, such as physician visits and preventive services, 11 or adherence to recommended medical treatments, such as lifestyle changes, taking medications, and going to scheduled appointments. For example, people with more education are more likely to change their diet or to exercise more in response to a doctor’s recommendation. 12
Persistence and change in settlement patterns in the Ofanto valley near Canusium and Cannae (Apulia) (late 4th c. B.C.-1st c. A.D.)

This paper presents the results of a two-year survey carried out in 2003-4 by the Department of Archaeology of the University of Foggia in the lower valley of the Ofanto river (N Apulia). The aim of the project was to study the transformation of the human landscape in parts of the valley from the late Iron Age to the 14th c. A.D., with special attention to the period of ‘Romanisation’, from the late 4th c. B.C. to the early 1st c. A.D.1 Although many individual archaeological sites in the area have been identified and some have been excavated, the region as a whole has never before been subject to systematic archaeological survey.
Viscous and elastic fingering instabilities in foam.

We investigate pattern formation in the immiscible displacement of foam from a confining geometry. The dominant length scales with the driving pressure gradient as for a Newtonian fluid, but depends surprisingly on the ratio of plate separation to bubble diameter. The pattern morphology exhibits a transition from a jagged, presumably elastic, character to a smooth, viscous character as the shear strain rate rises far above the natural internal relaxation time scale of the foam. These features may result from the two-dimensional nature of the flows and the unusual rheology of foams.
Managing and preventing atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome recurrence after kidney transplantation

Purpose of reviewSeveral genetic and acquired abnormalities leading to abnormal activation of the alternative pathway of complement have been identified in patients with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS). The purpose of this review is to shed light on how advances in the understanding of aHUS pathogenesis have impacted on prevention and cure of aHUS recurrence after kidney transplantation. Recent findingsStudies over the past decade have shown that the risk of posttransplant recurrence of aHUS depends on the underlying genetic abnormality. The risk is high in patients with mutations in genes encoding circulating complement proteins and regulators, whereas patients with mutations in membrane cofactor protein generally show good transplant outcome. Given the poor outcome associated with recurrence, isolated renal transplantation had been contraindicated in aHUS patients. Combined kidney–liver transplantation and prophylactic plasma exchange have been used to prevent posttransplant recurrences. More recent data have provided evidence about the efficacy of the anti-C5 monoclonal antibody eculizumab in the prevention and treatment of posttransplant aHUS recurrences. SummaryThis review summarizes recent advances on preventing and managing aHUS recurrence after kidney transplantation and discusses the issues that still need clarification.
Effect of high or low protamine dosing on postoperative bleeding following heparin anticoagulation in cardiac surgery

Summary While experimental data state that protamine exerts intrinsic anticoagulation effects, protamine is still frequently overdosed for heparin neutralisation during cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Since comparative studies are lacking, we assessed the influence of two protamine-to-heparin dosing ratios on perioperative haemostasis and bleeding, and hypothesised that protamine overdosing impairs the coagulation status following cardiac surgery. In this open-label, multicentre, single-blinded, randomised controlled trial, patients undergoing on-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery were assigned to a low (0.8; n=49) or high (1.3; n=47) protamine-to-heparin dosing group. The primary outcome was 24-hour blood loss. Patient haemostasis was monitored using rotational thromboelastometry and a thrombin generation assay. The low protamine-to-heparin dosing ratio group received less protamine (329 ± 95 vs 539 ± 117 mg; p<0.001), while post-protamine activated clotting times were similar among groups. The high dosing group revealed increased intrinsic clotting times (236 ± 74 vs 196 ± 64 s; p=0.006) and the maximum post-protamine thrombin generation was less suppressed in the low dosing group (38 ± 40% vs 6 ± 9%; p=0.001). Postoperative blood loss was increased in the high dosing ratio group (615 ml; 95% CI 500–830 ml vs 470 ml; 95% CI 420–530 ml; p=0.021) when compared to the low dosing group, respectively. More patients in the high dosing group received fresh frozen plasma (11% vs 0%; p=0.02) and platelet concentrate (21% vs 6%; p=0.04) compared to the low dosing group. Our study confirms in vitro data that abundant protamine dosing is associated with increased postoperative blood loss and higher transfusion rates in cardiac surgery.
Impact of severity of substance use disorder on symptomatic and functional outcome in young individuals with first-episode psychosis.

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether severity of substance use disorder is independently associated with 15-month symptomatic or functional outcome in young individuals with first-episode psychosis. METHOD Ninety-two individuals aged 15 to 30 years with first-episode psychosis participated in a 15-month prospective follow-up study. DSM-IV criteria were used to diagnose psychotic disorders, and DSM-III-R criteria were used to diagnose substance use disorder (abuse or dependence). Measures of outcome included severity of positive and negative symptoms, quality of life, and level of social functioning. Data were collected between March and July 2001 at a specialist first-episode psychosis service and between January and December 1997 at 2 generic mental health services. RESULTS Multiple linear regression showed that heavy substance use disorder was significantly associated with more severe positive symptoms at 15 months after controlling for the effects of gender, duration of untreated psychosis, and medication adherence (vs. no substance use disorder, p = .006; vs. mild substance use disorder, p = .023). Heavy substance use disorder was also significantly associated with poorer social functioning at 15 months after controlling for the effects of gender, duration of untreated psychosis, medication adherence, and positive symptoms (vs. no substance use disorder, p = .025; vs. mild substance use disorder, p = .047). Heavy substance use disorder was not associated with negative symptoms or quality of life after controlling for the effects of potential confounding variables. CONCLUSION Heavy but not mild substance use disorder appears to be independently associated with poorer symptomatic and functional outcome in young patients with first-episode psychosis.
Do premorbid predictors of alcohol dependence also predict the failure to recover from alcoholism?

OBJECTIVE In a search for viable endophenotypes of alcoholism, this longitudinal study attempted to identify premorbid predictors of alcohol dependence that also predicted the course of alcoholism. METHOD The 202 male subjects who completed a 40-year follow-up were originally selected from a Danish birth cohort (N = 9,182). Two thirds of the subjects were high-risk biological sons of treated alcoholics. A large number of measures (361) were obtained at different periods before any subject had developed an alcohol-use disorder. At age 40, a psychiatrist provided mutually exclusive lifetime diagnoses of alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence that were characterized as currently active or currently in remission according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition, Revised, course specifiers. RESULTS The majority of subjects with a diagnosis of alcohol abuse were in remission at age 40 compared with those with a diagnosis of alcohol dependence (88% vs. 58%). Treatment did not predict remission. Fourteen of the 18 predictors of remission that also predicted dependence were submitted to an exploratory factor analysis (varimax). Two premorbid dimensions were identified: cognitive efficiency and early behavioral dyscontrol in childhood. Both factors predicted the failure to remit (low cognitive efficiency and high behavioral dyscontrol) even when lifetime alcoholism severity was controlled. CONCLUSIONS This 4-decade study found a striking disconnect between measures that predicted alcohol dependence and measures that predicted remission from alcohol dependence. Reduced cognitive efficiency and increased behavioral dyscontrol may be basic to gaining a fuller understanding of the etiology of alcoholism.
Cytogenetics and sex determination in man and mammals

Summary Sex in man and probably throughout the class mammalia is normally determined by the presence of a Y chromosome (male) or its absence (female). The presence of genetic loci on both the long and the short arm of the X chromosome in double dose appears to be essential for the development of mature functional ovaries in the human female though a single X suffices in the female mouse. The development of masculine genital anatomy and phenotype is a consequence of prior formation of testes. In the absence of gonads of either kind, female internal and external genitalia are formed but secondary sex development fails. In rare human families a mutant gene suppresses the development of male external genitalia in 46, XY embryos but permits the development of testes and male internal genitalia. The external phenotype is normal female (syndrome of testicular feminization). A sex-linked mutant gene in the mouse has a similar effect. The locus or loci directly concerned with male development might lie wholly on the Y chromosome or might be located on another chromosome or chromosomes. In the latter case it (or they) must be repressed in the female and normally activated by a locus or loci on the Y chromosome in the male. Present evidence does not permit the exclusion of either possibility.
PCR-RFLP Detection of PAI-2 Variants in Myocardial Infarction

PAI-2 is one of the regulators of the fibrinolytic system. The importance of the fibrinolytic cascades in the pathogenesis of myocardial infarction has been demonstrated by many investigators. Recently, some investigators have shown that two variants of PAI-2, designated A and B, are associated with the formation of large molecular PAI-2 complexes. This polymorphism is therefore present a genetic predisposition for the development of coronary artery disease and multiple sclerosis. Therefore, the prevalence of this polymorphism among 45 patients with MI and 20 control subjects was investigated. The AA genotype of the PAI-2 gene was found to be more frequent among those subjects with MI. These data provide evidence that a polymorphism of the PAI-2 gene is associated with an increased risk of MI.
Exendin-4 Protects Murine Pancreatic β-Cells from Free Fatty Acid-Induced Apoptosis Through PI-3K Signaling

Introduction. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is an incretin hormone secreted by the L-cells of the distal intestine that has proliferative and anti-apoptotic actions on the β-cell. Methods. In this study, exendin-4, a long-acting GLP-1 receptor agonist, was studied as a novel agent to suppress apoptosis in pancreatic β-cells and to protect against free fatty acid (FFA)-induced cytotoxicity. Results. Exendin-4 significantly reduced the percentage of cells that underwent apoptosis when β-cells were exposed to FFA. Exendin-4 increased the levels of P-Akt and Bcl-2 proteins in FFA-induced β-cells, and this effect was blocked by Wortmannin. Conclusions. These results suggest that phosphoinositide-3 kinase signaling is involved in the modulation of β-cell apoptosis which is induced by exendin-4. Taken together, our findings provide a new mechanism for the modulation of exendin-4 in the pathological processes underlying FFA-induced diabetes mellitus.
Mutations in 23S rRNA and Ribosomal Protein L4 Account for Resistance in Pneumococcal Strains Selected In Vitro by Macrolide Passage

ABSTRACT The mechanisms responsible for macrolide resistance inStreptococcus pneumoniae mutants, selected from susceptible strains by serial passage in azithromycin, were investigated. These mutants were resistant to 14- and 15-membered macrolides, but resistance could not be explained by any clinically relevant resistance determinant [mef(A),erm(A), erm(B), erm(C),erm(TR), msr(A), mph(A),mph(B), mph(C), ere(A),ere(B)]. An investigation into the sequences of 23S rRNAs in the mutant and parental strains revealed individual changes of C2611A, C2611G, A2058G, and A2059G (Escherichia colinumbering) in four mutants. Mutations at these residues in domain V of 23S rRNA have been noted to confer erythromycin resistance in other species. Not all four 23S rRNA alleles have to contain the mutation to confer resistance. Some of the mutations also confer coresistance to streptogramin B (C2611A, C2611G, and A2058G), 16-membered macrolides (all changes), and clindamycin (A2058G and A2059G). Interestingly, none of these mutations confer high-level resistance to telithromycin (HMR-3647). Further, two of the mutants which had no changes in their 23S rRNA sequences had changes in a highly conserved stretch of amino acids (63KPWRQKGTGRAR74) in ribosomal protein L4. One mutant contained a single amino acid change (G69C), while the other mutant had a 6-base insert, resulting in two amino acids (S and Q) being inserted between amino acids Q67 and K68. To our knowledge, this is the first description of mutations in 23S rRNA genes or ribosomal proteins in macrolide-resistant S. pneumoniae strains.
The climatology of planetary boundary layer height in China derived from radiosonde and reanalysis data

The important roles of planetary boundary layer (PBL) in climate, weather and air quality 15 have long been recognized, but little is known about the PBL climatology in China. Using the fineresolution sounding observations made across China and reanalysis data, we conducted a comprehensive investigation of the PBL in China from January 2011 to July 2015. The boundary layer height (BLH) is found to be generally higher in spring and summer than that in fall and winter. The comparison of seasonally averaged BLH derived from observations and reanalysis shows good 20 agreement. The BLH derived from threeor four-times-daily soundings in summer tends to peak in the early afternoon, and the diurnal amplitude of BLH is higher in the northern and western sub-regions of China than other sub-regions. The meteorological influence on the annual cycle of BLH is investigated 4 as well, showing that BLH at most sounding sites is negatively associated with the surface pressure and lower tropospheric stability, but positively associated with the near-surface wind speed and temperature. This indicates that meteorology plays a significant role in the PBL processes. Overall, the key findings obtained from this study lay a solid foundation for us to gain a deep insight into the fundamentals of PBL in China, which helps to understand the roles of PBL playing in the air pollution, weather and 5 climate of China.
Rapid Detection and Quantification of Members of the Archaeal Community by Quantitative PCR Using Fluorogenic Probes

ABSTRACT We describe a rapid, reproducible, and sensitive method for detection and quantification of archaea in naturally occurring microbial communities. A domain-specific PCR primer set and a domain-specific fluorogenic probe having strong and weak selectivity, respectively, for archaeal rRNA genes (rDNAs) were designed. A universal PCR primer set and a universal fluorogenic probe for both bacterial and archaeal rDNAs were also designed. Using these primers and probes, we demonstrated that detection and quantification of archaeal rDNAs in controlled microbial rDNA assemblages can be successfully achieved. The system which we designed was also able to detect and quantify archaeal rDNAs in DNA samples obtained not only from environments in which thermophilic archaea are abundant but also from environments in which methanogenic archaea are abundant. Our findings indicate that this method is applicable to culture-independent molecular analysis of microbial communities in various environments.