Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Illumination change robust, codec independent lowbit rate coding of stereo from singleview aerial video

Low bit rate transmission of HD video captured from UAVs is highly interesting. Assuming a planar surface, areas contained in the current frame but not in the previous frames (New Area) can be reconstructed using Global Motion Compensation (GMC). Aiming at stereo reconstruction from monocular video by using motion parallax, a second view of each image pixel has to be additionally transmitted. Whereas the bit rate can be considerably reduced compared to standardized video coding to about 1-2 Mbit/s, artifacts at the boundaries between new areas and GMC reconstructed areas may occur, e. g. due to illumination changes. We propose a gradient correction of the new areas to adjust the luminance. Furthermore, we utilize a general ROI coding framework to become independent of any encoder modifications. We achieve a subjectively higher video quality while saving 2% BD-rate compared to a specifically adapted encoder by exploiting latest encoder optimizations of x265.
PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS: MODELS AND ESTIMATION PROCEDURES

Acceptance of the theory of evolution as the means of explaining observed similarities and differences among organisms invites the construction of trees of descent purporting to show evolutionary relationships. Whether such trees are based on fossil or living specimens, they may often be criticized for having a high subjective element. The purpose of this paper is to show how suitable evolutionary models can be constructed and applied objectively. In it we amplify and extend the methods we have given in previous communications (Edwards and Cavalli-Sforza, 1963a, b, 1964, 1965; Cavalli-Sforza and Edwards, 1964, 1966; Cavalli-Sforza, Barrai and Edwards, 1964; Cavalli-Sforza, 1966). Considering the great variety of information provided by living organisms, it is clear that the type of data will affect both the method of treatment and the validity of the results: the higher the correlation of data and genotype, the greater is the validity likely to be. Information on nucleic acid and protein structure comes first in the scale of relevance, and that on phenotypic measurements last; discrete and continuous variation demand different treatments, and evolutionary models appropriate to both cases will therefore be required for estimation purposes. Differences which are the result of mutation are formally discrete, and evolution a t the molecular level thus needs discontinuous treatment; but even in this case the limit of observation may turn the data into the
Therapeutic effects of berberine in impaired glucose tolerance rats and its influence on insulin secretion.

AIM To explore the anti-diabetic effects of berberine and its influence on insulin secretion. METHODS Impaired glucose tolerance rats induced by iv injection of streptozotocin 30 mg/kg were treated with berberine 187.5 and 562.5 mg/kg while fed with high fat laboratory chow. After rats were treated for 4 weeks, oral glucose tolerance was determined, and for 8 weeks, the fasting blood glucose, insulin, lipid series were determined. In insulin secretion experiments, berberine 93.75, 187.5, and 562.5 mg/kg was administered orally to BALB/c mice at a bolus. The murine serum was collected 2 h after the berberine administration for insulin determination. Insulin released from HIT-T15 cells and pancreatic islets incubated with berberine 1-100 micromol/L for 12 h was determined. RESULTS The levels of fasting blood glucose (7.4+/-1.5 or 7.3+/-1.3 vs 9.3+/-1.3 mmol/L), triglycerides (0.61+/-0.22 or 0.63+/-0.17 vs 1.8+/-0.7 mmol/L), total cholesterol (1.8+/-0.3 or 1.9+/-0.3 vs 2.2+/-0.2 mmol/L), free fatty acid (456+/-93 or 460+/-72 vs 550+/-113 micromol/L) and apolipoprotein B (0.37+/-0.02 or 0.42+/-0.05 vs 0.46+/-0.04 g/L) were reduced greatly in berberine-treated groups at doses of 187.5 and 562.5 mg/g/d, respectively as compared with those in control group (P<0.05 or P<0.01), whereas high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (1.5+/-0.3 or 1.4+/-0.3 vs 1.1+/-0.1 g/L), apolipoprotein AI (0.80+/-0.08 or 0.87+/-0.08 vs 0.71+/-0.06 g/L) were significantly increased (P<0.05 or P<0.01), and oral glucose tolerance was improved. In vitro experiment showed that berberine 1-10 micromol/L facilitated insulin secretion of HIT-T15 cells and murine pancreatic islets in a dose-dependent manner. Meanwhile murine serum insulin level (27.5+/-2.7 or 29+/-4 or 29+/-4 vs 24.3+/-2.8 pIU/L) was undoubtedly promoted and blood glucose (4.52+/-0.31 or 4.45+/-0.29 or 4.30+/-0.19 vs 4.87+/-0.21 mmol/L) was reduced after berberine administration at doses of 93.75, 187.5, and 562.5 mg/kg, respectively in the BALB/c mice. CONCLUSION Berberine possesses anti-diabetic effects, which is related to the property of stimulating insulin secretion and modulating lipids.
Teacher-School Board Member Trust Relationships and Their Perceived Influence on School Effectiveness

Despite the attention devoted to school reform in the past century, mandated initiatives enacted by policymakers have wrought few long lasting improvements in education. Throughout the last six decades of reform, federal and state lawmakers have exercised unparalleled sway on student learning, with political agendas taking precedence over breakthroughs in educational pedagogy. Taking a different approach, recent research suggests that systemic reform is more likely to occur at the local level, with schools whose culture fosters positive trust relationships being more effective than their lower trust counterparts. This collective instrumental case study expands upon extant research by examining the perceived influence of teacher-school board member trust relationships on school effectiveness in rural and suburban Erie County, Pennsylvania elementary schools that house Grade 5. Data regarding perceptions of school effectiveness, education related practices designed to improve school effectiveness, and perceptions of teacherschool board member relationships were obtained from an opinion inventory distributed to school board members and elementary teachers and interpreted in light of a National Association of School Boards derived definition of effectiveness, Hoy and Miskel’s school structure typology, and Hoy and Tschannen-Moran’s definition of faculty trust. Interviews concerning the same topics were then conducted with school board members and teachers from one higher and one lower performing school as defined by two-year results on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment and interpreted according to the same frameworks. The analysis of documents and media provided a comprehensive portrait of each school and also served to triangulate data. The predicted effectiveness of
Runx2 determines bone maturity and turnover rate in postnatal bone development and is involved in bone loss in estrogen deficiency

Runx2 is an essential transcription factor for osteoblast differentiation. However, the functions of Runx2 in postnatal bone development remain to be clarified. Introduction of dominant‐negative (dn)‐Runx2 did not inhibit Col1a1 and osteocalcin expression in mature osteoblastic cells. In transgenic mice that expressed dn‐Runx2 in osteoblasts, the trabecular bone had increased mineralization, increased volume, and features of compact bone, and the expression of major bone matrix protein genes was relatively maintained. After ovariectomy, neither osteolysis nor bone formation was enhanced and bone was relatively conserved. In wild‐type mice, Runx2 was strongly expressed in immature osteoblasts but downregulated during osteoblast maturation. These findings indicate that the maturity and turnover rate of bone are determined by the level of functional Runx2 and Runx2 is responsible for bone loss in estrogen deficiency, but that Runx2 is not essential for maintenance of the expression of major bone matrix protein genes in postnatal bone development and maintenance. Developmental Dynamics 236:1876–1890, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Impact of Relationship Marketing On Customer Loyalty At Tesco Plc, UK

Purpose: The research aim is to examine the impact of relationship marketing on customer loyalty considering the context of Tesco plc. Literature Review: The literature review broke down into two parts. In first part discussed about relationship marketing and second part discussed about customer loyalty. In relationship marketing part discussed about formation and factors of relationship marketing such as trust, commitment, communication and promise fulfillment and also discussed about what factors enhance relationship marketing. In customer loyalty part discussed about definition of customer loyalty and dimension of customer loyalty. Customer loyalty part also explained loyalty scheme executed by different supermarkets and whether loyalty scheme contribute customer loyalty or not and benefits of loyalty scheme. Methodology: A self administer questionnaire derived relevant to research objective completed by 100 Tesco customers. An interview approaches also used on 50 customers and 10 team leaders in this research. A contents analysis used to analysis qualitative and quantitative data. Findings/Result: Quality of product is dominate factor of relationship marketing to make loyal customer and other relationship marketing factor works to being loyal in the long run. Research Limitation : The data were collected from only one supermarket; more studies are needed for effective conclusion. Practical Implication: Relationship Marketing has important to gain and sustain loyal customer in the long run specially in product quality. Key Word: Relationship Marketing, Customer Loyalty, Tesco plc, UK.
Evaluation of Vancomycin Prediction Methods Based on Estimated Creatinine Clearance or Trough Levels

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate whether vancomycin clearance (CLva) can be adequately predicted with CLva prediction methods. Additionally, other covariates influencing the CLva were investigated and predictivity of monitoring of only trough levels to 24-hour area under the curve (AUC24) was evaluated. Methods: Routine vancomycin plasma levels were measured with a fluorescence polarization immunoassay. Pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters of individual patients, that is, CLva and volume of distribution, were determined with maximum a posteriori Bayesian estimation. CLva was calculated with the 3 prediction methods, which are solely based on creatinine clearance (CLcr) estimated with Cockcroft and Gault formula and was compared with the calculated CLva with maximum a posteriori Bayesian estimation. Prediction errors were calculated. Correlations between CLva and CLcr, creatinine, age, weight, sex, and neutropenia were made. Furthermore, correlations between trough levels and AUC24 were evaluated. Results: A total of 171 patients were included. Prediction errors and absolute prediction errors of the 3 methods ranged from 28% to 80% and 39% to 83%, respectively. In the multivariate analysis, CLva was significantly associated with CLcr, creatinine, age, weight, sex, and neutropenia. Linear correlation between AUC24 and trough levels was R2 0.38. Conclusions: Large prediction errors make the CLva algorithms based on estimated plasma CLcr unsuitable for use in patient care. Additionally, other factors, which are not accounted for in the current algorithms, influence the CLva individually. Owing to low association of AUC24 and trough levels, the AUC24 cannot be predicted with through levels. For a reliable AUC24 guided vancomycin dosing, therapeutic drug monitoring is necessary.
Clinical application of magnetic resonance imaging in preoperative evaluation of endometrial cancer.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the preoperative assessment of endometrial cancer. METHODS Ninety-four patients with histopathologically confirmed endometrial carcinoma were retrospectively enrolled in this study. MRI findings were compared with the pathologic findings in all cases. The depth of myometrial invasion and lymph node metastasis were evaluated by T2 weighted imaging (T2WI) combined with contrast enhancement or diffusion weighted imaging (DWI). RESULTS Among these 94 patients,62 had no or superficial myometrial involvement and 32 cases had deep myometrial involvement. Meanwhile, 24 groups of metastatic lymph nodes and 164 groups of non-metastatic lymph nodes were detected. The accuracy, specificity, sensitivity, negative predictive value, and positive predictive value of T2WI combined with contrast enhancement in discriminating no/superficial myometrial involvement from deep myometrial involvement were 88.3%, 90.3%, 84.4%, 91.8%, and 81.8%, whereas those of T2WI combined with DWI were 81.9%, 87.1%, 71.9%, 85.7%, and 74.2%, respectively. The accuracy, specificity, sensitivity, negative predictive value, and positive predictive value of T2WI combined with contrast enhancement in identifying metastatic lymph nodes were 89.4%, 96.8%, 54.5%, 90.9%, and 78.3%, whereas those of T2WI combined with DWI were 91.5%, 95.5%, 72.7%, 94.3%, and 77.4%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS T2WI combined with contrast enhancement is superior to T2WI combined with DWI in evaluation of the depth of myometrial invasion. However, DWI is more sensitive in identifying lymph node metastasis than T2WI combined with contrast enhancement.
Scaling Relations for the Lengths and Widths of Fractures.

Fault-fracture patterns have been studied in slabs of clay during extensional deformations. Fractures nucleate and grow on many scales. A new scaling relation is proposed for the length {ital l} of a fracture as a function of the area {ital l}{approximately}{ital A}{sup {beta}}, with the same exponent {beta}=0.68{plus_minus}0.03 for many deformation types. A consequence of this scaling relation is that the width of a fracture scales with the length as {ital w}{approximately}{ital l}{sup (1{minus}{beta})/{beta}}. A spring network model is shown to reproduce the pattern, both visually and statistically, with the same scaling exponents. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society. }
Title : AIRWAY REMODELING IN MURINE ASTHMA CORRELATES WITH A DEFECT IN PGE 2 SYNTHESIS BY LUNG FIBROBLASTS

Asthma is a chronic lung disease characterized by local inflammation which can result in structural alterations termed airway remodeling. One component of airway remodeling involves fibroblast accumulation and activation, resulting in deposition of collagen I around small bronchi. Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is the main eicosanoid lipid mediator produced by lung fibroblasts and it exerts diverse anti-fibrotic actions. Dysregulation of the PGE2 synthesis/response axis has been identified in human pulmonary fibrotic diseases and implicated in the pathogenesis of animal models of lung parenchymal fibrosis. Here we investigated the relationship between the fibroblast PGE2 axis and airway fibrosis in an animal model of chronic allergic asthma. Airway fibrosis increased progressively as the number of airway challenges with antigen increased from 3 to 7 to 12. When compared to cells from control lungs, fibroblasts grown from the lungs of asthmatic animals, regardless of challenge number, exhibited no defect in the ability of PGE2 or its analogs to inhibit cellular proliferation and collagen I expression. This correlated with intact expression of the EP2 receptor, which is pivotal for PGE2 responsiveness. However, cytokine-induced upregulation of PGE2 biosynthesis as well as expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and microsomal PGE synthase-1 (mPGEs-1) declined with increasing numbers of antigen challenges. In addition, treatment with the COX-2-selective inhibitor nimesulide potentiated the degree of airway fibrosis following repeated allergen challenge. Since endogenous COX-2-derived PGE2 acts as a brake on airway fibrosis, the inability of fibroblasts to upregulate PGE2 generation in the inflammatory milieu presented by repeated allergen exposure could contribute to the airway remodeling and fibrosis observed in chronic asthma.
Evaluation of a ventilation strategy to prevent barotrauma in patients at high risk for acute respiratory distress syndrome. Pressure- and Volume-Limited Ventilation Strategy Group.

BACKGROUND A strategy of mechanical ventilation that limits airway pressure and tidal volume while permitting hypercapnia has been recommended for patients with the acute respiratory distress syndrome. The goal is to reduce lung injury due to overdistention. However, the efficacy of this approach has not been established. METHODS Within 24 hours of intubation, patients at high risk for the acute respiratory distress syndrome were randomly assigned to either pressure- and volume-limited ventilation (limited-ventilation group), with the peak inspiratory pressure maintained at 30 cm of water or less and the tidal volume at 8 ml per kilogram of body weight or less, or to conventional ventilation (control group), with the peak inspiratory pressure allowed to rise as high as 50 cm of water and the tidal volume at 10 to 15 ml per kilogram. All other ventilatory variables were similar in the two groups. RESULTS A total of 120 patients with similar clinical features underwent randomization (60 in each group). The patients in the limited-ventilation and control groups were exposed to different mean (+/-SD) tidal volumes (7.2+/-0.8 vs. 10.8+/-1.0 ml per kilogram, respectively; P<0.001) and peak inspiratory pressures (23.6+/-5.8 vs. 34.0+/-11.0 cm of water, P<0.001). Mortality was 50 percent in the limited-ventilation group and 47 percent in the control group (relative risk, 1.07; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.72 to 1.57; P=0.72). In the limited-ventilation group, permissive hypercapnia (arterial carbon dioxide tension, >50 mm Hg) was more common (52 percent vs. 28 percent, P=0.009), more marked (54.4+/-18.8 vs. 45.7+/-9.8 mm Hg, P=0.002), and more prolonged (146+/-265 vs. 25+/-22 hours, P=0.017) than in the control group. The incidence of barotrauma, the highest multiple-organ-dysfunction score, and the number of episodes of organ failure were similar in the two groups; however, the numbers of patients who required paralytic agents (23 vs. 13, P=0.05) and dialysis for renal failure (13 vs. 5, P= 0.04) were greater in the limited-ventilation group than in the control group. CONCLUSIONS In patients at high risk for the acute respiratory distress syndrome, a strategy of mechanical ventilation that limits peak inspiratory pressure and tidal volume does not appear to reduce mortality and may increase morbidity.
The Study of Cariogenicity of Raw Sugarcane in 12-year-old Children in Punjab, India

There is laboratory evidence that refined carbohydrates are more cariogenic compared with unrefined carbohydrates. It was reported that sugarcane workers in South Africa, who consumed large quantities of raw sugarcane daily, had a low caries experience. However, other epidemiologic studies of this relationship, both in Africa and elsewhere, have given mixed results and to date the question concerning the cariogenicity of raw sugarcane remains equivocal. Objective: The purpose of the present study was to investigate further the hypothesis that children who reside in a sugarcane growing region have a lower caries experience than those residing in an otherwise comparable environment outside of the sugarcane growing region. Method: A total of 404 Children aged 12 years were selected from government run schools in both sugarcane region which was close to the town of Mehta and non-sugarcane region which was close to attari in Amritsar district in the state of Punjab, India, and were given consent to participate in the survey. Data on the eating habits of the children were obtained by questionnaire and caries experience was determined during a clinical examination. The drinking water in both regions contained fluoride at less than 0.5 ppm. Results: The mean DMFT scores for the sugarcane and non-sugarcane groups were 0.41 and 0.70, respectively (p<0.002). In a multivariable logistic regression analysis of risk factors for a caries experience, residence area alone was the sole significant predictor of experiencing one or more DMFT. Children residing in the sugarcane growing region were 49% less likely to have decayed teeth (OR=0.51; 95%CI= 0.33, 0.78). Conclusion: The null hypothesis is rejected; the results of this study support the hypothesis that the chewing of raw sugarcane is associated with reduced dental caries experience.
How networks foster innovation : a case study of a regional festival

Special events have long been regarded as a means to develop regional economies and communities. Traditional assessment of events emphasises economic, environmental and social analysis with little regard to the development of businesses participating in the event. While it is acknowledged that businesses may develop products and services through a number of strategies, it is suggested that this may also occur through effective networks which are able to foster innovation. This study utilises network analysis to identify and examine the inter-organisational coordination between businesses resulting from the development of a regional festival. From this analysis the study also aims to identify types of innovations that occur as a result of participation in the event. Finally, the study aims to discover how and why innovations occur as a result of being involved in a festival network. Using the Northern Rivers Herb Festival, in Lismore, Australia, the study utilises multiple case studies to identify and examine the inter-organisational network structure that developed as a result of the event. It then identifies numerous types of innovations that have occurred throughout the community as a result of that network. Innovation theory has identified networks as a vital component of innovation development. This study examines that link within the context of a regional festival and identifies some of the characteristics and processes of this network through which networks foster innovation. The implications of the findings of this study suggest that event stakeholders and organisers can utilise network analysis as a tool to examine the relationships within their own festival network. Further, the use of network analysis allows examination of the network’s capacity to innovate. Both structural and relational characteristics of the network were examined, with both elements displaying characteristics that can be managed to foster innovation. These include maximising the density, durability and weak ties of the network to involve the right types of actors and maintain functional communications with them. A network perspective provides a useful tool for analysing both social and economic relations within the festival network. This is a new perspective, but one that suits the festival context well. Network analysis provides a way of analysing certain outcomes of the festival, where this study has focussed on innovation. However, the adoption of a network perspective for analysis of other aspects of event management also has great potential. Joanne Mackellar 15 June 2004 Pg 4