Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Normality Check Using Kolmogorov-Smirnov ( KS ) Test

For a highway agency, it is not possible to take up the maintenance requirements for all road sections within a network at a time due to budget constraints. This makes a need for priority ranking model to select and schedule road sections for maintenance treatments according to their maintenance needs. The objective of this study is to use Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) for developing a priority ranking model for maintenance of urban roads. The priority model has also been developed using Direct Assessment (DA) method and results were compared with AHP model. In Direct Assessment method, the experts were asked to rate the importance of each parameter affecting the road maintenance, on a scale of 0 to 100 percent whereas in AHP the experts were asked to make a pair-wise comparison between the parameters based on Saaty’s scale i.e. 1 to 9. The pair wise comparison matrix was prepared and evaluated for inconsistencies using Expert Choice version 11 software. Statistical tests were performed to show that the collected data exhibited good consistency and repeatability. The developed priority ranking models has been applied to an urban road network of Noida city, near Delhi, consisting of 21 urban road sections. DOI: 10.6135/ijprt.org. tw/2015.8(2). 112
Varying Effects of Common Reed Invasion on Early Life History of Northern Pike

AbstractThe invasion of North American wetlands by the Eurasian subspecies of common reed Phragmites australis australis is well documented, but very few studies have been conducted on its effects on freshwater fish communities. Northern Pike Esox lucius is one of several fish species using wetlands for reproduction and early development that could be affected by the spread of common reed. The effects of vegetation type (common reed stands, other reference plant assemblages) were evaluated on four aspects (egg deposition, abundance, growth, and feeding) of the early life history of Northern Pike in two St. Lawrence River wetlands in Quebec. During high water levels in 2009, the relative abundance of Northern Pike eggs was three times higher in the reference plant assemblages than in the common reed stands at the two study sites. In 2010, when water levels were extremely low and few other plant assemblages were accessible by fish, the relative abundance of eggs was two times higher in the common reed stand.
Quantification of secondary metabolites and anti-oxidant potential of selected members of the tribe Heliantheae

The development of multi drug resistance organisms has become major global issue in the treatment of infectious diseases. So we have to develop new therapeutic compounds with novel action spectrum and diverse chemical structure which could work effectively against emerging pathogens. The plants Eclipta prostrata L. , Wedelia chinensis, (Osbeck) Merr and Xanthium strumarium L. , which belong to the tribe Heliantheae of the family Asteraceae has large amount of secondary metabolites such as phenol, flavanoids and tannin. The study revealed that due to the presence of these secondary metabolites, the plants show good anti-oxidant activity. The flavonoid content is highest that range from 22.0727. 95mg/gm than total phenol and tannin content. Thus the selected plants show therapeutic properties and can be used for the preparation of natural drugs.
Site-Specific Assessments of Environmental Risk and Natural Resource Damage Based on Great Horned Owls

ABSTRACT Selection of receptors is a key element of ecological risk and natural resource damage assessments. The great horned owl (Bubo virginianus; GHO) has advantages as a tertiary terrestrial receptor and integrated measure of exposure to chemical residues in a multiple-lines-of-evidence approach that includes elucidation of contaminant exposure by measured (tissue-based) and predicted (dietary) methodologies, and population-level measures of potential adverse effects (i.e., productivity, abundance). Methods described herein exploited attributes of GHO behavior, including its propensity to nest in artificial nesting platforms. This approach allowed better control of experimental conditions, minimized uncertainty in assessment endpoints, and maximized data utility for testing hypotheses. During 5 years, 54 GHO nests (14 active territories) along 38 km of river floodplain were monitored at the Kalamazoo River Superfund Site (Kalamazoo/Allegan Counties, Michigan). Concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and otho-, para-substituted isomers of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), including DDD/DDE (Σ DDTs), were measured in 24 eggs and 16 samples of nestling blood plasma. Dietary PCB exposure was predicted by determining site-specific dietary composition and sampling and quantifying PCB concentrations in 171 prey items collected within active GHO territories. The convergence of exposure and effects assessments improved confidence in resulting predictions of minimal risk to resident GHO populations (Hazard Quotients ≤1.5). Repeated GHO use of nesting platforms minimized temporal and spatial variability.
SurfConv: Bridging 3D and 2D Convolution for RGBD Images

The last few years have seen approaches trying to combine the increasing popularity of depth sensors and the success of the convolutional neural networks. Using depth as additional channel alongside the RGB input has the scale variance problem present in image convolution based approaches. On the other hand, 3D convolution wastes a large amount of memory on mostly unoccupied 3D space, which consists of only the surface visible to the sensor. Instead, we propose SurfConv, which "slides" compact 2D filters along the visible 3D surface. SurfConv is formulated as a simple depth-aware multi-scale 2D convolution, through a new Data-Driven Depth Discretization (D4) scheme. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method on indoor and outdoor 3D semantic segmentation datasets. Our method achieves state-of-the-art performance while using less than 30% parameters used by the 3D convolution based approaches.
Government policy interventions to reduce human antimicrobial use: A systematic review and evidence map

Background Growing political attention to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) offers a rare opportunity for achieving meaningful action. Many governments have developed national AMR action plans, but most have not yet implemented policy interventions to reduce antimicrobial overuse. A systematic evidence map can support governments in making evidence-informed decisions about implementing programs to reduce AMR, by identifying, describing, and assessing the full range of evaluated government policy options to reduce antimicrobial use in humans. Methods and findings Seven databases were searched from inception to January 28, 2019, (MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, PAIS Index, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, and PubMed). We identified studies that (1) clearly described a government policy intervention aimed at reducing human antimicrobial use, and (2) applied a quantitative design to measure the impact. We found 69 unique evaluations of government policy interventions carried out across 4 of the 6 WHO regions. These evaluations included randomized controlled trials (n = 4), non-randomized controlled trials (n = 3), controlled before-and-after designs (n = 7), interrupted time series designs (n = 25), uncontrolled before-and-after designs (n = 18), descriptive designs (n = 10), and cohort designs (n = 2). From these we identified 17 unique policy options for governments to reduce the human use of antimicrobials. Many studies evaluated public awareness campaigns (n = 17) and antimicrobial guidelines (n = 13); however, others offered different policy options such as professional regulation, restricted reimbursement, pay for performance, and prescription requirements. Identifying these policies can inform the development of future policies and evaluations in different contexts and health systems. Limitations of our study include the possible omission of unpublished initiatives, and that policies not evaluated with respect to antimicrobial use have not been captured in this review. Conclusions To our knowledge this is the first study to provide policy makers with synthesized evidence on specific government policy interventions addressing AMR. In the future, governments should ensure that AMR policy interventions are evaluated using rigorous study designs and that study results are published. Protocol registration PROSPERO CRD42017067514.
Epidemiology of Pediatric-Onset Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Multiple sclerosis onset in youth is increasingly recognized. A systematic review was conducted to assess incidence and prevalence of pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis, focusing on occurrence by age subgroups and disease course. A literature search for the period 1965-2018 was carried out, selecting population-based studies of multiple sclerosis in individuals aged 19 years and younger. Nineteen studies met inclusion criteria. One pediatric neurologist extracted the data. Overall incidence ranged from 0.05 (95% confidence interval 0.03-0.08) to 2.85 (95% confidence interval 2.83-2.86) per 100 000 children and overall prevalence from 0.69 (95% confidence interval 0.58-0.80) to 26.92 (95% confidence interval 26.61-27.23) per 100 000 children. Incidence increased with age. The female-male ratio increased from 1.2:1 in children <12 years old to 2.8:1 in children ≥12 years old. Ten studies (n=521 children) reported disease course. Seven studies found only relapsing-remitting disease and 3 studies found primary-progressive disease in 3.0% to 6.7%. Two secondary-progressive disease cases were identified. Epidemiologic data aid in understanding the magnitude of multiple sclerosis and its clinical phenotypes, for planning for new disease-modifying therapies in the pediatric population.
High-resolution computational modeling of immune responses in the gut

Abstract Background Helicobacter pylori causes gastric cancer in 1–2% of cases but is also beneficial for protection against allergies and gastroesophageal diseases. An estimated 85% of H. pylori–colonized individuals experience no detrimental effects. To study the mechanisms promoting host tolerance to the bacterium in the gastrointestinal mucosa and systemic regulatory effects, we investigated the dynamics of immunoregulatory mechanisms triggered by H. pylori using a high-performance computing–driven ENteric Immunity SImulator multiscale model. Immune responses were simulated by integrating an agent-based model, ordinary, and partial differential equations. Results The outputs were analyzed using 2 sequential stages: the first used a partial rank correlation coefficient regression–based and the second a metamodel-based global sensitivity analysis. The influential parameters screened from the first stage were selected to be varied for the second stage. The outputs from both stages were combined as a training dataset to build a spatiotemporal metamodel. The Sobol indices measured time-varying impact of input parameters during initiation, peak, and chronic phases of infection. The study identified epithelial cell proliferation and epithelial cell death as key parameters that control infection outcomes. In silico validation showed that colonization with H. pylori decreased with a decrease in epithelial cell proliferation, which was linked to regulatory macrophages and tolerogenic dendritic cells. Conclusions The hybrid model of H. pylori infection identified epithelial cell proliferation as a key factor for successful colonization of the gastric niche and highlighted the role of tolerogenic dendritic cells and regulatory macrophages in modulating the host responses and shaping infection outcomes.
Effect of dupilumab on hand eczema in patients with atopic dermatitis: An observational study

Systemic treatment options for chronic hand eczema are limited. Dupilumab is used in atopic dermatitis (AD) but is not licensed for (isolated) hand eczema. In this observational prospective study we aimed to determine the response of hand eczema to dupilumab in patients with AD. Adult patients with hand eczema and AD received dupilumab s.c. at a 600 mg loading dose, followed by 300 mg every 2 weeks. Primary outcome was a minimum improvement of 75% on the Hand Eczema Severity Index after 16 weeks (HECSI‐75). Secondary outcomes were severity, measured using the Photographic guide; quality of life improvement as patient‐reported outcome, measured using the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI); and AD severity, measured using the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI). Forty‐seven patients were included (32 males; mean age, 45 years). HECSI‐75 was achieved by 28 (60%). Mean HECSI score reduction was 49.2 points (range, 0–164; 95% within‐subject confidence interval, 46.4–52.0), which was already significantly decreased after 4 weeks (P < 0.001). DLQI score mean improvement was 8.8 points (standard deviation [SD], 6.0) or 70.0% decrease (SD, 26.4) (P < 0.001). Eighteen patients (38%) were classified as responders on the Photographic guide. There was no difference in response between chronic fissured and recurrent vesicular clinical subtypes. Similar percentages of patients achieving EASI‐75 and HECSI‐75 were seen after 16 weeks. In conclusion, this study shows a favorable response of hand eczema to dupilumab in patients with AD. This raises the question whether a response will also be seen in isolated hand eczema.
The impact of hemodialysis on mortality and personal independence following hip fracture. A prospective matched cohort study.

OBJECTIVE To determine the cumulative 30-day and 1-year mortality as well as personal independence following hip fracture in patients on hemodialysis. DESIGN Prospective, observational cohort study with matched controls SETTING:: One teaching hospital, one metropolitan trauma center, one peripheral hospitalPatients and Intervention STUDY GROUP:: a consecutive cohort of 64 patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) receiving chronic hemodialysis who had undergone surgery for a trochanteric or femoral neck fracture from June 2008 to November 2016. CONTROL GROUP subjects without ESRD who underwent surgery for similar hip fractures. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE One-year mortality, activities of daily living (ADL), and ambulatory activity. RESULTS The 30-day and 1-year mortality rate in patients with a hip fracture undergoing hemodialysis was 25.0 % and 57.8 %, respectively. Hemodialysis was independently associated with increased 30-day (Hazard ratio (HR) 2.933; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.270 to 6.770; p = 0.018) and 1-year (HR 2.535; 95% CI 1.494 to 4.299; p < 0.001) mortality compared to the matched controls. At the 1-year follow-up, loss of personal independence in comparison with the pre-fracture status was detected. CONCLUSIONS Hemodialysis was associated with increased mortality following hip fracture. A worse pre-fracture functional status predicted the loss of functional independence at follow-up. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Level II - Prospective cohort study.
Affordances in Grounded Language Learning

We present a novel methodology involving mappings between different modes of semantic representation. We propose distributional semantic models as a mechanism for representing the kind of world knowledge inherent in the system of abstract symbols characteristic of a sophisticated community of language users. Then, motivated by insight from ecological psychology, we describe a model approximating affordances, by which we mean a language learner’s direct perception of opportunities for action in an environment. We present a preliminary experiment involving mapping between these two representational modalities, and propose that our methodology can become the basis for a cognitively inspired model of grounded language learning.
Behavioral and oculomotor evidence for visual simulation of object movement

We regularly interact with moving objects in our environment. Yet, little is known about how we extrapolate the future movements of visually perceived objects. One possibility is that movements are experienced by a mental visual simulation, allowing one to internally picture an object's upcoming motion trajectory, even as the object itself remains stationary. Here we examined this possibility by asking human participants to make judgments about the future position of a falling ball on an obstacle-filled display. We found that properties of the ball's trajectory were highly predictive of subjects' reaction times and accuracy on the task. We also found that the eye movements subjects made while attempting to ascertain where the ball might fall had significant spatiotemporal overlap with those made while actually perceiving the ball fall. These findings suggest that subjects simulated the ball's trajectory to inform their responses. Finally, we trained a convolutional neural network to see whether this problem could be solved by simple image analysis as opposed to the more intricate simulation strategy we propose. We found that while the network was able to solve our task, the model's output did not effectively or consistently predict human behavior. This implies that subjects employed a different strategy for solving our task, and bolsters the conclusion that they were engaging in visual simulation. The current study thus provides support for visual simulation of motion as a means of understanding complex visual scenes and paves the way for future investigations of this phenomenon at a neural level.
Abundance and Diversity of the Phototrophic Microbial Mat Communities of Sulphur Mountain Banff Springs and Their Significance to the Endangered Snail, Physella johnsoni

Seasonal population fluctuations and diversity of anoxygenic phototrophs and cyanobacteria at the Sulphur Mountain thermal springs, Banff, Canada were investigated and compared to drastic population changes of the endangered snail Physella johnsoni. The microbial community revealed new species of anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria with novel spectral and morphological characteristics. Major mat-forming organisms included densely growing Thiothrix-like species, oxygenic phototrophs of the genera Spirulina, Oscillatoria, and Phormidium and purple nonsulfur bacteria Rhodobacter, Rhodopseudomonas and Rhodomicrobium. Aerobic anoxygenic phototrophs comprised a significant portion, upwards of 9.6 × 104 CFU/cm2 of mat or 18.9% of total aerobic heterotrophic isolates, while PNSB and purple sulfur bacteria were quantified at maximum abundance of 3.2 × 105 and 2.0 × 106 CFU/cm2 of mat, respectively. Photosynthetic activity revealed incredibly productive carbon fixation rates, averaging 40.5 mg C/cm2/day at one studied spring system. A temporal mismatch was observed for mat area and available organics to the fluctuation of P. johnsoni population in a tracking inertia manner. Mat chlorophyll a content appeared directly proportional to snail numbers making it an appropriate indicator of population. This survey of the Sulphur springs microbial communities suggests that phototrophic species are among the main determinants to the proliferation of P. johnsoni.
The vitamin D receptor andT cell function

*Correspondence: Marina Rode von Essen, Department of International Health, Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3C, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark e-mail: messen@sund.ku. dk The vitamin D receptor (VDR) is a nuclear, ligand-dependent transcription factor that in complex with hormonally active vitamin D, 1,25(OH)2D3, regulates the expression of more than 900 genes involved in a wide array of physiological functions. The impact of 1,25(OH)2D3VDR signaling on immune function has been the focus of many recent studies as a link between 1,25(OH)2D3 and susceptibility to various infections and to development of a variety of inflammatory diseases has been suggested. It is also becoming increasingly clear that microbes slow down immune reactivity by dysregulating the VDR ultimately to increase their chance of survival. Immune modulatory therapies that enhance VDR expression and activity are therefore considered in the clinic today to a greater extent. As T cells are of great importance for both protective immunity and development of inflammatory diseases a variety of studies have been engaged investigating the impact of VDR expression in T cells and found that VDR expression and activity plays an important role in both T cell development, differentiation and effector function. In this review we will analyze current knowledge of VDR regulation and function inT cells and discuss its importance for immune activity.
Insights on the Performance and Configuration of AVB and TSN in Automotive Ethernet Networks

Switched Ethernet is profoundly reshaping in-car communications. To meet the diverse real-time requirements in automotive communications, Quality-of-Service protocols that go beyond the mere use of priorities are required. In this work, the basic questions that we study on a case-study with diverse and demanding communication requirements is what can we expect from the various protocols aimed at providing a better timing Quality of Service on top of Ethernet? And how to use them? Especially how to use them in a combined manner. We will focus on the Credit-Based Shaper of AVB, the Time-Aware Shaper of TSN and the use of priorities as defined in IEEE802.1Q. The performance metrics considered are the distributions of the communication latencies, obtained by simulation, as well as upper bounds on these quantities obtained by worst-case schedulability analysis. If there have been over the last 5 years numerous studies on the performance of AVB CBS, the literature on comparing AVB to TSN and other candidate protocols is still sparse. To the best of our knowledge, this empirical study is the first to consider most protocols currently considered in the automotive domain, with the aim to gain insights into the different technological, design and configurations alternatives. In particular, an objective of this study is to identify key problems that need to be solved in order to further automate network design and configuration.
Conservation of Small Regulatory RNAs in Vibrio parahaemolyticus: Possible role of RNA-OUT Encoded by the Pathogenicity Island (VPaI-7) of Pandemic Strains

Small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) are molecules that play an important role in the regulation of gene expression. sRNAs in bacteria can affect important processes, such as metabolism and virulence. Previous studies showed a significant role of sRNAs in the Vibrio species, but knowledge about Vibrio parahaemolyticus is limited. Here, we examined the conservation of sRNAs between V. parahaemolyticus and other human Vibrio species, in addition to investigating the conservation between V. parahaemolyticus strains differing in pandemic origin. Our results showed that only 7% of sRNAs were conserved between V. parahaemolyticus and other species, but 88% of sRNAs were highly conserved within species. Nonetheless, two sRNAs coding to RNA-OUT, a component of the Tn10/IS10 system, were exclusively present in pandemic strains. Subsequent analysis showed that both RNA-OUT were located in pathogenicity island-7 and would interact with transposase VPA1379, according to the model of pairing of IS10-encoded antisense RNAs. According to the location of RNA-OUT/VPA1379, we also investigated if they were expressed during infection. We observed that the transcriptional level of VPA1379 was significantly increased, while RNA-OUT was decreased at three hours post-infection. We suggest that IS10 transcription increases in pandemic strains during infection, probably to favor IS10 transposition and improve their fitness when they are facing adverse conditions.