Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Detecting Cars in UAV Images With a Catalog-Based Approach

This paper presents a new method for the automatic detection of cars in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) images acquired over urban contexts. UAV images are characterized by an extremely high spatial resolution, which makes the detection of cars particularly challenging. The proposed method starts with a screening operation in which the asphalted areas are identified in order to make the car detection process faster and more robust. Subsequently, filtering operations in the horizontal and vertical directions are performed to extract histogram-of-gradient features and to yield a preliminary detection of cars after the computation of a similarity measure with a catalog of cars used as reference. Three different strategies for computing the similarity are investigated. Successively, for the image points identified as potential cars, an orientation value is computed by searching for the highest similarity value in 36 possible directions. The last step is devoted to the merging of the points which belong to the same car because it is likely that a car is identified by more than one point due to the extremely high resolution of UAV images. As outcomes, the proposed method provides the number of cars in the image, as well as the position and orientation for each of them. Interesting experimental results, conducted on a set of real UAV images acquired over an urban area, are presented and discussed.
Hard evidence and welfare in adverse selection environments

I consider environments in which an agent with private information can acquire arbitrary hard evidence about his type before interacting with a principal. In a broad class of screening models, I show that there is always an evidence structure that interim Pareto improves over the no-evidence benchmark whenever some types of the agent take an outside option in the benchmark case, and additional weak conditions, including either a single-crossing condition or state-independence of the principal's payoffs, are satisfied. I show that the sufficient conditions are tight and broadly applicable. Addressing concerns about multiple equilibria, I show how a planner can restrict the available evidence to ensure that an equilibrium which interim Pareto-improves over the benchmark case is obtained. Furthermore, I show that Pareto-improving evidence can arise endogenously when agents choose what evidence to acquire (and disclose).
Mice lacking c-fos have normal hematopoietic stem cells but exhibit altered B-cell differentiation due to an impaired bone marrow environment

Mice lacking c-fos develop severe osteopetrosis with deficiencies in bone remodeling and exhibit extramedullary hematopoiesis, thymic atrophy, and altered B-cell development. In this study, we have used these mice to characterize in detail the developmental potential of hematopoietic stem cells lacking c-fos and to analyze how the lymphoid differentiation is altered. In c-fos -/- mice, B-cell numbers are reduced in the spleen, lymph nodes, and the peripheral blood as a result of a marked reduction (> 90%) in the number of clonogenic B-cell precursors. In contrast, the number and lineage distribution of myeloid progenitor cells are not affected. The thymic defects observed in a large number of these mice correlate with their health status, suggesting that this may be an indirect effect of the c-fos mutation. In vitro differentiation and bone marrow reconstitution experiments demonstrated that hematopoietic stem cells lacking c-fos can give rise to all mature myeloid as well as lymphoid cells, suggesting that the observed B lymphopenia in the mutant mice is due to an altered environment. Transplantation of wild-type bone marrow cells into newborn mutant mice resulted in the establishment of a bone marrow space and subsequent correction of the B-cell defect. These results demonstrate that hematopoietic stem cells lacking Fos have full developmental potential and that the observed defect in B-cell development is most likely due to the impaired bone marrow environment as a consequence of osteopetrosis.
Framing Thailand’s Political Crisis

This study used content and textual analysis of four newspapers—the Bangkok Post, The Nation, Thai Rath and Matichon––between 1 November 2013 and the general election on 2 February 2014 to examine how they framed the Thai political crisis. The content analysis produced six dominant frames, namely, democracy, chaos (or anarchy), violence, social injustice, public disapproval and negative impact. Through these frames, the textual analysis portrayed how the elected government struggled to defend democracy as opposition protesters mounted civil disobedience and Bangkok shutdown campaigns to put pressure on it.
Cdc42 Promotes Host Defenses against Fatal Infection

ABSTRACT The small Rho GTPase Cdc42 regulates key signaling pathways required for multiple cell functions, including maintenance of shape, polarity, proliferation, invasion, migration, differentiation, and morphogenesis. As the role of Cdc42-dependent signaling in fibroblasts in vivo is unknown, we attempted to specifically delete it in these cells by crossing the Cdc42fl/fl mouse with an fibroblast-specific protein 1 (FSP1)-Cre mouse, which is thought to mediate recombination exclusively in fibroblasts. Surprisingly, the FSP1-Cre;Cdc42fl/fl mice died at 3 weeks of age due to overwhelming suppurative upper airway infections that were associated with neutrophilia and lymphopenia. Even though major aberrations in lymphoid tissue development were present in the mice, the principal cause of death was severe migration and killing abnormalities of the neutrophil population resulting in an inability to control infection. We also show that in addition to fibroblasts, FSP1-Cre deleted Cdc42 very efficiently in all leukocytes. Thus, by using this nonspecific Cre mouse, we inadvertently demonstrated the importance of Cdc42 in host protection from lethal infections and suggest a critical role for this small GTPase in innate immunity.
Macroeconomic Forces and Arbitrage Pricing Theory

ABSTRACT This paper tests five macroeconomic variables that have been both theorized to affect stock returns and been proven to do so in past empirical research. Those variables are risk premium, industrial production, term structure, expected inflation, and unexpected inflation. The variables are retested for their statistical significance using four years of monthly contemporary data for six different countries (developed and developing). The United States is used as a benchmark, in addition to the ASEAN-5 (Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia). This study finds that risk premium and industrial production were significant over the sample, but term structure, expected inflation, and unexpected inflation were not significant in explaining domestic market returns. Furthermore, principal component regressions outperformed cross-sectional ones, with factor analysis as the least statistically significant model. For the six countries tested, the arbitrage pricing theory was also found to be a less robust pricing tool than the capital asset pricing model.
Schizophrenia and the immune system: pathophysiology, prevention, and treatment.

PURPOSE Published evidence on established and theoretical connections between immune system dysfunction and schizophrenia is reviewed, with a discussion of developments in the search for immunologically-targeted treatments. SUMMARY A growing body of evidence indicates that immunologic influences may play an important role in the etiology and course of schizophrenia. A literature search identified more than 100 articles pertaining to suspected immunologic influences on schizophrenia published over the past 15 years. Schizophrenia researchers have explored a wide range of potential immune system-related causal or contributory factors, including neurobiological and neuroanatomical disorders, genetic abnormalities, and environmental influences such as maternal perinatal infection. Efforts to establish an immunologic basis for schizophrenia and identify reliable immune markers continue to be hindered by sampling challenges and methodological problems. In aggregate, the available evidence indicates that at least some cases of schizophrenia have an immunologic component, suggesting that immune-focused prevention strategies (e.g., counseling of pregnant women to avoid immune stressors) and close monitoring of at-risk children are appropriate. While antipsychotics remain the standard treatments for schizophrenia, a variety of drugs with immunologic effects have been investigated as adjunctive therapies, with variable and sometimes conflicting results; these include the cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor celecoxib, immune-modulating agents (e.g., azathioprine and various anticytokine agents such as atlizumab, anakinra, and tumor necrosis factor-α blockers), and an investigational anti-interferon-γ agent. CONCLUSION The published evidence indicates that immune system dysfunction related to genetic, environmental, and neurobiological influences may play a role in the etiology of schizophrenia in a subset of patients.
The “Terminal” Effects of Service Failure on Airlines: Examining Service Recovery with Justice Theory

The objective of this research was to examine airline passengers’ service recovery assessments. In addition, the impact of loyalty was examined with relation to postrecovery satisfaction, word-of-mouth communication, and purchase intent. Rawls’s justice theory guided the study. Data were collected via self-reported measure from Mturk and revealed that air travelers’ level of satisfaction of service recovery was impacted by all three justice dimensions. It was further found that the most effective recovery strategy for airline management would likely be to focus on providing compensation beyond expectations. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.
Metformin Prevents the Development of Chronic Heart Failure in the SHHF Rat Model

Insulin resistance is a recently identified mechanism involved in the pathophysiology of chronic heart failure (CHF). We investigated the effects of two insulin-sensitizing drugs (metformin and rosiglitazone) in a genetic model of spontaneously hypertensive, insulin-resistant rats (SHHF). Thirty SHHF rats were randomized into three treatment groups as follows: 1) metformin (100 mg/kg per day), 2) rosiglitazone (2 mg/kg per day), and 3) no drug. Ten Sprague-Dawley rats served as normal controls. At the end of the treatment period (12 months), the cardiac phenotype was characterized by histology, echocardiography, and isolated perfused heart studies. Metformin attenuated left ventricular (LV) remodeling, as shown by reduced LV volumes, wall stress, perivascular fibrosis, and cardiac lipid accumulation. Metformin improved both systolic and diastolic indices as well as myocardial mechanical efficiency, as shown by improved ability to convert metabolic energy into mechanical work. Metformin induced a marked activation of AMP-activated protein kinase, endothelial nitric oxide synthase, and vascular endothelial growth factor and reduced tumor necrosis factor-α expression and myocyte apoptosis. Rosiglitazone did not affect LV remodeling, increased perivascular fibrosis, and promoted further cardiac lipid accumulation. In conclusion, long-term treatment with metformin, but not with rosiglitazone, prevents the development of severe CHF in the SHHF model by a wide-spectrum interaction that involves molecular, structural, functional, and metabolic-energetic mechanisms.
Urinary excretion of 5-L-oxoproline (pyroglutamic acid) during early life in term and preterm infants

Urinary 5-L-oxoproline was measured in term and preterm infants from shortly after birth until 6 weeks of postnatal age to determine their ability to synthesise glycine. In term infants the excretion was five to 10 times that seen in normal adults, increasing from 105 μmol/mmol creatinine in the first 72 hours after birth to 170 μmol/mmol creatinine at 6 weeks of age. There was a significant inverse linear correlation between the excretion of 5-L-oxoproline and length of gestation or birthweight. By 6 weeks of age there was no longer a significant difference in 5-L-oxoproline between term and preterm infants. There was no difference in the excretion of 5-L-oxoproline between boys and girls, or between infants fed on human milk or an artificial formula. If, in part, variability in the excretion of 5-L-oxoproline is determined by the extent to which the endogenous formation of glycine is adequate, then glycine formation may be marginal during early life, more so in preterm than in term infants, providing additional evidence that glycine is a conditionally essential amino acid in the neonate.
The value of transbronchial lung biopsy using jumbo forceps via rigid bronchoscope in diffuse lung disease.

BACKGROUND Transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB) is a valuable procedure used to obtain a parenchymal specimen in the evaluation of diffuse lung infiltrates. Large forceps are expected to result in larger specimens and improve diagnostic yield. AIM The objective of this study was to evaluate diagnostic yield of TBLB using large modified flexible gastroenterological forceps ("Jumbo forceps") compared with 'normal' flexible forceps via rigid bronchoscopy in patients with diffuse parenchymal lung disease (DPLD). METHODS The study was a prospective analysis of 95 patients who underwent fluoroscopy guided TBLB over a two year period. Patients with a lung mass or solitary lung nodule undergoing TBLB were excluded. The larger and small forceps were used in a random sequence to avoid a reduction in diagnostic yield of the second series of biopsies related to possible bleeding by first series of biopsies. To minimize the consequence of haemorrhage, we performed every rigid bronchoscopy, placing a non inflated Fogarty balloon and a rigid aspirator (diameter 4 mm) in lobar bronchus near the biopsy segment. The Fogarty balloon has been inflated in case of bleeding. After the bleeding was controlled we continued to operate up to the biopsy segment. RESULTS Diagnostic yield of TBLB using Jumbo forceps was significantly higher than using normal flexible forceps via rigid bronchoscopy in patients with DPLD (p = 0.001). In 74 out of 95 patients (78%) the diagnosis was placed with Jumbo forcep while the smaller forcep was diagnostic in 62 out of 95 patients (65%). Large forceps obtained significantly more tissue than the small forceps; the biopsy specimen taken with normal forcep measured in average 1.4 x 1.0 mm and the larger biopsy taken with jumbo forcep measured in average 2.5 x 1.9 mm (p < 0.005). CONCLUSION The use of large biopsy forceps to perform TBLB via rigid bronchoscope can significantly increase diagnostic yield in the pathological diagnosis of diffuse infiltrative lung disease.
Azithromycin does not improve disease course in hospitalized infants with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) lower respiratory tract disease: A randomized equivalence trial

Nearly half of all hospitalized infants with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD) are treated with (parenteral) antibiotics. The present study was designed to test our hypothesis that the use of antibiotics would not lead to a reduced duration of hospitalization in mild to moderate RSV LRTD.
Morbidity and mortality among very-low-birth-weight neonates with intrauterine growth restriction. The Vermont Oxford Network.

OBJECTIVE We sought to determine the associations between intrauterine growth restriction and neonatal morbidity and mortality, as well as the impact of prenatal glucocorticoid administration on the frequency of specific complications of prematurity among neonates with intrauterine growth restriction. STUDY DESIGN We examined the association between intrauterine growth restriction and adverse neonatal outcomes in a population of 19,759 singleton very-low-birth-weight neonates without major birth defects. We included neonates from 25 to 30 weeks' gestation entered in the Vermont Oxford Network database between 1991 and 1996 by 196 institutions. Intrauterine growth restriction was defined as the 10th percentile for birth weight according to the 1993 US national statistics. Odds ratios were estimated according to stepwise logistic regression for each neonatal outcome. Potential explanatory variables included gestational age, intrauterine growth restriction, race, prenatal care, prenatal glucocorticoid administration, route of delivery, fetal sex, and birth within versus postnatal transfer to a network institution. RESULTS There was a statistically significant association of intrauterine growth restriction with neonatal death (odds ratio, 2.77; 95% confidence interval, 2.31-3. 33), necrotizing enterocolitis (odds ratio, 1.27; 95% confidence interval, 1.05-1.53), and respiratory distress syndrome (odds ratio, 1.19; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.36). There was a trend (P <. 10) toward association of intrauterine growth restriction with increased risks of intraventricular hemorrhage (odds ratio, 1.13; 95% confidence interval, 0.99-1.29) and severe intraventricular hemorrhage (grades III and IV; odds ratio, 1.25; 95% confidence interval, 0.98-1.59). Maternal prenatal glucocorticoid administration was associated with significantly lower risks of respiratory distress syndrome (odds ratio, 0.51; 95% confidence interval, 0.44-0.58), intraventricular hemorrhage (odds ratio, 0.67; 95% confidence interval, 0.61-0.73), severe intraventricular hemorrhage (odds ratio, 0.50; 95% confidence interval, 0.43-0.57), and death (odds ratio, 0.54; 95% confidence interval, 0.48-0.62). The benefits of prenatal glucocorticoid therapy for growth-restricted newborns were similar to those among normally grown infants. CONCLUSIONS Intrauterine growth restriction within the range of 501 to 1500 g birth weight is associated with increased risks of neonatal death, necrotizing enterocolitis, and respiratory distress syndrome. Prenatal corticosteroid use was associated with decreased risks of all outcomes studied except necrotizing enterocolitis. We found no evidence that this benefit was dependent on fetal size.
The importance of a source of sufficient protein in postoperative hypocaloric partial parenteral nutrition support.

A comparison of postoperative metabolic and nutritional responses to different hypocaloric parenteral nutrition supports was performed in 42 patients with various gastric lesions. Sixteen patients (group A) received 3000 mL of a 5% glucose in water or glucose in saline infusion per day after surgery (approximately 10 kcal/kg per day). Another 14 patients (group B) received 2000 mL of 5% glucose in water or saline plus 1000 mL of 5% amino acid solution per day (approximately 10 kcal/kg per day and 1 g of protein per kilogram per day). The other 12 patients (group C) received 2000 mL of 5% glucose in water or saline plus 500 mL of 5% amino acid solution and 500 mL of 10% fat emulsion (approximately 20 kcal/kg per day and 0.5 g of protein per kilogram per day). After 7 days of study, all three groups were found to have a decrease in body weight, mid-arm circumference, triceps skin-fold, and serum albumin level, and the differences among them were not significant. Groups B and C had significantly less negative mean nitrogen balance than group A (-5.54 +/- 0.63 g/d and -6.07 +/- 0.49 g/d vs -9.20 +/- 0.68 g/d). Group B also had a significantly greater increase of transferrin (from 175.5 +/- 9.9 mg/dL to 185.4 +/- 9.3 mg/dL) than group A and a significantly greater increase in total lymphocyte count (from 956 +/- 113 cells/mm3 to 1196 +/- 176 cells/mm3) than groups A and C. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The European Union as a Collective Actor: Aid and Trade in African Public Opinion

Perceptions of the impact and effectiveness of development aid are used to assess whether the EU is viewed as a collective actor in foreign aid policy. Using Afrobarometer data, we explore the image of the EU in Africa relative to that of France, Britain, the US and China. We compare these results with the effects of trade and investment relationships between donor countries and their African counterparts. There are significant differences in the visibility of the major bilateral donors’ activities in sub-Saharan Africa, and foreign aid has a positive impact on public opinion about the EU. The EU has partially overcome its collective action dilemma and has come to be perceived as a foreign aid actor in its own right.
Mental illness in Black and Asian ethnic minorities: pathways to care and outcomes

A substantial body of research indicates that, for people from Black and Asian[1][1] ethnic minorities, access to, utilisation of and treatments prescribed by mental health services differ from those for White people ([Lloyd & Moodley, 1992][2]; for a review see [Bhui, 1997][3]). Pathways to mental
Influence of Tuning Element Relief Patches on Pain as Analyzed by the Resonant Recognition Model

Tuning element relief patches (TERPs) are silicon-based titanium salt infused adhesive patches that have been developed by Tuning Element. A number of anecdotal reports have shown that TERPs diffuse pain, including chronic, inflammatory, and neuropathic. Pain is a very complex biochemical and electrical process involving sensory part, nerve transmission, and brain perception of pain. We concentrated our research on nerve transmission, which is electrical signal along the nerve (axon). This electrical signal is created by a complex activity of opening and closing of pain related ion channels and redistribution of electrically charged ions on the nerve cell membrane. Ion channels are made of different proteins, which are involved with the complex processes of opening and closing ion channels. Here, we apply the resonant recognition model to analyze ion channel proteins related to the pain transmission in order to find out, how imprints and particles within TERPs can interfere with pain related activity of ion channels.
Innovations in Contraception: A Review

New forms of contraception have been developed to improve the safety and tolerability of contraceptive methods without compromising efficacy. The newest developments in contraception including low and ultra-low doses of estrogen, less-androgenic 19 nor-testosterone progestins, and the nonsteroidal progestin drospirenone, the Quick Start method to improve compliance of oral contraceptives, and the contraceptive transdermal patch, the vaginal estrogen-progestin ring, the levonorgestrel intrauterine system, and the hysteroscopic transcervical sterilization techniques are discussed.
Production of viruses during a spring phytoplankton bloom in the South Pacific Ocean near of New Zealand.

Lagrangian studies of virus activity in pelagic environments over extended temporal scales are rare. To address this, viruses and bacteria were examined during the course of a natural phytoplankton bloom in the pelagic South Pacific Ocean east of New Zealand. Daily samples were collected in a mesoscale eddy from year days 263-278 (September 19th-October 4th, 2008). The productive bloom transitioned from a diatom to a pico- and nanoplankton-dominated system, resulting in chlorophyll a concentrations up to 2.43 μg L(-1) . Virus abundances fluctuated c. 10-fold (1.8 × 10(10) -1.3 × 10(11) L(-1) ) over 16 days. The production rates of virus particles were high compared with those reported in other marine systems, ranging from 1.4 × 10(10) to 2.1 × 10(11) L(-1) day(-1) . Our observations suggest viruses contributed significantly to the mortality of bacteria throughout the bloom, with 19-216% of the bacterial standing stock being lysed daily. This mortality released nutrient elements (N, Fe) that likely helped sustain the bloom through the sampling period. Parametric analyses found significant correlations with both biotic (e.g. potential host abundances) and abiotic parameters (e.g. nutrient concentrations, temperature). These observations demonstrate that viruses may be critical in the extended maintenance of regeneration-driven biological production.