Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
BranchOut: Regularization for Online Ensemble Tracking with Convolutional Neural Networks

We propose an extremely simple but effective regularization technique of convolutional neural networks (CNNs), referred to as BranchOut, for online ensemble tracking. Our algorithm employs a CNN for target representation, which has a common convolutional layers but has multiple branches of fully connected layers. For better regularization, a subset of branches in the CNN are selected randomly for online learning whenever target appearance models need to be updated. Each branch may have a different number of layers to maintain variable abstraction levels of target appearances. BranchOut with multi-level target representation allows us to learn robust target appearance models with diversity and handle various challenges in visual tracking problem effectively. The proposed algorithm is evaluated in standard tracking benchmarks and shows the state-of-the-art performance even without additional pretraining on external tracking sequences.
The effect of zidovudine dose on the formation of intracellular phosphorylated metabolites

Objectives:Zidovudine (ZDV) requires intracellular phosphorylation to ZDV triphosphate (ZDV-TP) prior to the inhibition of HIV replication. The effect of ZDV dose on the formation of intracellular phosphorylated metabolites may help define the optimum daily dose of ZDV, which is still unknown. Design and methods:The plasma and intracellular phosphorylated metabolite concentrations of ZDV were determined over a 12 h period following oral administration of 100 and 300 mg ZDV to 10 HIV-seropositive patients at steady state during two dosing regimens (i.e., 100 mg three times daily and 300 mg twice daily). The intracellular ZDV phosphates, ZDV monophosphate (ZDV-MP), ZDV diphosphate (ZDV-DP) and ZDV-TP were measured in peripheral blood mononuclear cells using a combination of high-performance liquid chromatography and radioimmunoassay. Results:There was a greater than threefold increase in maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) following 300 mg ZDV when compared with 100 mg ZDV (mean ± SD, 2.59 ± 0.52 versus 0.70 ± 0.14 μmol/l). The area under the concentration time curve (AUC0–12 h) was also significantly increased (4.59 ± 0.79 versus 1.42 ± 0.51 μmol/l×h) following 300 mg ZDV dose. For total intracellular ZDV phosphate metabolites the AUC0–12 h was doubled (7.64 ± 3.67 versus 3.71 ± 1.83 pmol/106 cells×h) in patients taking 300 mg ZDV compared with 100 mg. The AUC0–12 h for ZDV-MP was significantly increased at the higher dose (6.47 ± 3.14 versus 2.77 ± 1.70 pmol/106 cells×h), whereas the active moiety ZDV-TP was variable and not significantly different (0.42 ± 0.42 versus 0.61 ± 0.81 pmol/106 cells×h) following 100 and 300 mg ZDV. Conclusions:Administration of 100 mg ZDV orally produces significantly less of the potentially toxic metabolite, ZDV-MP, and comparative, although variable, concentrations of the active metabolite ZDV-TP when compared with 300 mg ZDV orally. This finding supports clinical data indicating the efficacy of low-dose (300 mg daily) ZDV. The measurement of intracellular phosphorylated metabolites advances our understanding of the clinical pharmacology of ZDV.
Focal cortical myoclonus and rolandic cortical dysplasia: Clarification by magnetic resonance imaging

Focal cortical myoclonus is rare. Obvious causes include tumor or atrophy involving the motor strip, but in some cases no cause is apparent. We present 4 patients who started to have focal myoclonus in childhood. All had focal motor seizures as well, and one had recurrent focal motor status epilepticus. All 4 had a mild progressive hemiparesis. Electrographic investigations showed focal epileptic discharges in the contralateral rolandic areas. Radiological studies were unrevealing, but magnetic resonance showed rolandic lesions in 3 patients. At surgery, abnormally wide gyri were found in the distribution demonstrated by magnetic resonance. The pathological substrate was focal cortical dysplasia. All patients have improved considerably following surgery. These findings suggest that focal myoclonus may be due to a rolandic neuronal migration disorder. Visualization of these lesions by magnetic resonance permits development of a surgical strategy leading to optimal treatment of these medically intractable epileptic disorders.
Deciphering the dual effect of lipopolysaccharides from plant pathogenic Pectobacterium

Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) are a component of the outer cell surface of almost all Gram-negative bacteria and play an essential role for bacterial growth and survival. Lipopolysaccharides represent typical microbe-associated molecular pattern (MAMP) molecules and have been reported to induce defense-related responses, including the expression of defense genes and the suppression of the hypersensitive response in plants. However, depending on their origin and the challenged plant, LPS were shown to have complex and different roles. In this study we showed that LPS from plant pathogens Pectobacterium atrosepticum and Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum induce common and different responses in A. thaliana cells when compared to those induced by LPS from non-phytopathogens Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Among common responses to both types of LPS are the transcription of defense genes and their ability to limit of cell death induced by Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp carotovorum. However, the differential kinetics and amplitude in reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation seemed to regulate defense gene transcription and be determinant to induce programmed cell death in response to LPS from the plant pathogenic Pectobacterium. These data suggest that different signaling pathways could be activated by LPS in A. thaliana cells.
Exploring Vehicle Level Benefits of Revolutionary Technology Progress via Aircraft Design and Optimization

It is always a strong motivation for aeronautic researchers and engineers to reduce the aircraft emissions or even to achieve emission-free air transport. In this paper, the impacts of different game-changing technologies together on the reduction of aircraft fuel consumption and emissions are studied. In particular, a general tool has been developed for the technology assessment, integration and also for the overall aircraft multidisciplinary design optimization. The validity and robustness of the tool has been verified through comparative and sensitivity studies. The overall aircraft level technology assessment and optimization showed that promising fuel efficiency improvements are possible. Though, additional strategies are required to reach the aviation emission reduction goals for short and medium range configurations.
The Use of an Evidence-Based Community Action Intervention to Improve Age Verification Practices for Alcohol Purchase

Alcohol purchase surveys were undertaken as part of two New Zealand community action projects (one in a large metropolitan area and one in a small town) that aimed at reducing alcohol consumption-related harm for young people. Baseline surveys in both places indicated poor age verification practices. The two follow-up surveys in the metropolitan area showed a decrease in sales made without age identification between 2002 (60%) and 2003 (46%). However, an increase between 2003 (46%) and 2004 (55%) occurred. In the metropolitan area, regulatory staff in three out of seven jurisdictions increased enforcement due to the 2002 survey and follow-up work; this did not happen following the 2003 survey. In the small town, results indicated positive changes in verification practices over time. In addition, licensee meetings, host responsibility training, and a regional project all occurred following the surveys. The surveys have also had important indirect effects. Closer monitoring and enforcement activity due to the surveys has contributed to the amendment of alcohol legislation in New Zealand.
Family Systems and the Historical Roots of Global Gaps in Democracy

ABSTRACT The current study investigates the role of ‘family systems’ as a historical institution in explaining why some countries have enduring democracy while others remained authoritarian despite the repeated global waves of democratization. To do so, empirical data including information on 127 countries between 1849 and 2009 has been gathered. The results of cross sectional and panel data analyses show that countries characterized by a nuclear household structure in the past also have higher levels of democracy in the long run (at the national level). Thus, the current study provides evidence for Todd's hypothesis on the origins of political systems. Moreover, family systems that determine the position of women are also found to be relevant for democratic development. The persistent effect of family systems on democracy can be attributed to their link with norms and values that are conducive to democracy, gender equality and local democracy practices. Overall, these findings emphasize family organization as an important historical factor in understanding the long-term global patterns of democratic development.
[The prevalence of Escherichia coli susceptibility to quinolones and other antibiotics in community-acquired bacteriurias in Madrid].

BACKGROUND The empiric treatment of extrahospitalary urinary infections must keep in mind the patterns of susceptibility of the potentially causative bacteria. The consumption of antibiotics is one of the most important causes of change in the susceptibility of the bacteria. The recent introduction of fluorquinolones and the widespread use of those antibiotics makes knowledge of new patterns of sensitivity necessary in order to determine whether there are changing sensitive pattern among the different geographic zones. METHODS During a period of two weeks randomly chosen 379 strains of Escherichia coli isolated from extrahospitalary bacteria were collected in 11 laboratories in 4 health areas in Madrid. Sensitivity to 11 antibiotics, including four of the quinolone group was determined by the agar dilution method. The existence of significant differences of sensitivity among the different areas was analyzed by the chi 2 test. RESULTS The prevalence of sensitivity to ampicillin and cotrimoxazol was 42 and 73% respectively. Nineteen percent of the strains were resistant to amoxycillin/clavulanic acid. No strain was found to be resistant to cefotaxime. Four percent of the sample studied was not sensitive to the new fluorquinolones and almost 10% were resistant to nalidixic acid latter having decreased sensitivity to the fluorquinolones. No significant differences were observed in sensitivity among the areas, except with amoxycillin/clavulanic acid and cotrimoxazole. CONCLUSIONS The high prevalence of the resistance of E. coli to ampicillin recently leads to the recommendation of its use in empiric treatments of urinary infections. In the zone in Madrid studied a high prevalence of resistance and decreased sensitivity of E. coli to fluoroquinolones was observed. It is therefore advisable to moderate their use to thereby prolong use over time.
Contact Sensitization in Chinese Patients with Hand Eczema

Background: Contact sensitization is an important cause of hand eczema, a common disease that affects both daily and occupational life. Objective: To describe contact allergens in Chinese patients with hand eczema and to analyze the association between allergens and occupational exposure. Methods: Three hundred sixty‐six patients with hand eczema underwent patch testing with a modified North American standard series between September 1989 and December 2009. Results: Positive patch‐test reactions were observed in 74% of patients. The most frequent allergens were p‐phenylenediamine (22.7%), nickel sulfate (21.9%), fragrance mix (19.9%), ammoniated mercury (19.7%), and carba mix (17.8%). Nickel and fragrance allergy in women, and carba mix and chromate allergy in men, showed gender predilection, and 64.2% of patients developed hand eczema from occupational exposure. Positive reactions to p‐phenylenediamine in hairdressers and to chromate in metalworkers and construction workers presented higher frequencies (p < .05). Conclusions: p‐Phenylenediamine, nickel, fragrance, mercury, and rubber chemicals are common allergens in Chinese patients with hand eczema. Gender and occupation may cause different exposures; thus, allergens may vary.
Background (spontaneous) immunoglobulin production in the murine small intestine as a function of age.

The development of the intestinal B-cell compartment in C3H/He mice was studied as a function of age by quantification of the number of intestinal immunoglobulin-secreting cells (Ig-SC). Before and at weaning, the number of Ig-SC in the small intestine (SI) was below 10(3) Ig-SC per SI. During the first few weeks after weaning, this number rose steeply and continued to rise until the mice were about 48 weeks old, when a maximum of more than 25 x 10(6) Ig-SC per SI was found. After 1 year of age the number of Ig-SC decreased. At all ages, the great majority of Ig-SC in the SI produced IgA. The increase of the number of IgA-SC in the SI after weaning is reflected in the amount of IgA in intestinal secretions measured by ELISA. The number of Ig-SC in the SI was compared with the number of Ig-SC found in spleen, bone marrow, Peyer's patches and mesenteric lymph nodes. Striking differences were observed between the SI and the other organs tested in total number, isotype distribution and kinetics of the increase of Ig-SC during ontogeny. These differences are discussed in relation to the regulation of the immune response in the SI and the migration patterns of lymphocytes in mucosal tissues.
Regulating the Visible Hand? The Institutional Implications of Chinese State Capitalism

List of Contributors Acknowledgments Introduction: The Institutional Implications of China's Economic Development Benjamin L. Liebman and Curtis J. Milhaupt Part I: Domestic Institutional Implications 1. Indigenous Evolution of SOE Regulation Deng Feng 2. Blowback: How China's Efforts to Bring Private-Sector Standards into the Public Sector Backfired Donald Clarke 3. Protecting the State from Itself? Regulatory Interventions in Corporate Governance and the Financing of China's "State Capitalism" Nicholas Calcina Howson 4. Quenching Thirst with Poison? Local Government Financing Vehicles - Past, Present and Future Liao Fan 5. Antitrust Regulation of China's State-Owned Enterprises Angela Huyue Zhang 6. Taxation of State-Owned Enterprises: A Review of Empirical Evidence from China Wei Cui 7. Balancing Closure and Openness: The Challenge of Leadership Reform in China's State-Owned Enterprises Li-Wen Lin 8. Legal Informality and Human Capital Development in China Chen Ruoying 9. Reforming China's State-Owned Enterprises: Institutions, Not Ownership Curtis J. Milhaupt and Wentong Zheng 10. SOEs and State Governance: How State-Owned Enterprises Influence China's Legal System Zheng Lei, Benjamin Liebman and Curtis J. Milhaupt 11. The Social Relations of Chinese State Capitalism Mary E. Gallagher 12. Chinese State Capitalism and the Environment Alex Wang Part II: Global Institutional Implications 13. China's Rising Outward FDI: Its Reception in Host Countries and Implications for International Investment Law and Policy Karl P. Sauvant and Michael D. Nolan 14. The WTO and China's Unique Economic Structure Mark Wu Part III: Chinese State Capitalism in Comparative Perspective 15. The Hybridization of China's Financial System Katarina Pistor, Guo Li & Zhou Chun 16. Governing State Capitalism: The Case of Brazil Mariana Pargendler 17. Chinese Exceptionalism or New Varieties of State Capitalism Sergio Lazzarini and Aldo Musacchio Index
Epidemiology and Risk Factors for Clostridium difficile Infection in Children

Background: Pediatric Clostridium difficile infection (CDI)-related hospitalizations are increasing. We sought to describe the epidemiology of pediatric CDI at a quaternary care hospital. Methods: Nested case-control study within a cohort of children <18 years tested for C. difficile between January and August 2008. The study included patients who were ≥1 year with a positive test and diarrhea; those without diarrhea (ie, presumed colonization) were excluded. Two unmatched controls per case were randomly selected from patients ≥1 year with a negative test. Potential predictors of CDI included age, gender, comorbidities, prior hospitalization, receipt of C. difficile-active antibiotics in the prior 24 hours, and recent (≤4 weeks) exposure to antibiotics or acid-blocking medications. Multivariate logistic regression models were created to identify independent predictors of CDI. Results: Of 1891 tests performed, 263 (14%) were positive in 181 children. Ninety-five patients ≥1 year with CDI were compared with 238 controls. In multivariate analyses, predictors of CDI included solid organ transplant (odds ratio [OR], 8.09; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.10–31.12), lack of prior hospitalization (OR, 8.43; 95% CI, 4.39–16.20), presence of gastrostomy or jejunostomy (G or J) tube (OR, 3.32; 95% CI 1.71–6.42), and receipt of fluoroquinolones (OR, 17.04; 95% CI, 5.86–49.54) or nonquinolone antibiotics (OR, 2.23; 95% CI, 1.18–4.20) in the past 4 weeks. Receipt of C. difficile-active antibiotics within 24 hours before testing was associated with a lower odds of CDI (OR, 0.22; 95% CI, 0.09–0.58). Conclusions: Recent antibiotic exposure and certain comorbid conditions (solid organ transplant, presence of a gastrostomy or jejunostomy tube) were associated with CDI. Diagnostic testing has less utility in patients being treated with C. difficile-active antibiotics.
Stock Market Interactions and the Impact of Macroeconomic News - Evidence from High Frequency Data of European Futures Markets

This study analyzes the short-term dynamic spillovers between the futures returns on the DAX, the DJ Eurostoxx 50 and the FTSE 100. It also examines whether economic news is one source of international stock return co-movements. In particular, we test whether stock market interdependencies are attributable to reactions of foreign traders to public economic information. Moreover, we analyze whether cross-market linkages remain the same or whether they do increase during periods in which economic news is released in one of the countries. Our main results can be summarized as follows: (i) there are clear short term international dynamic interactions among the European stock futures markets; (ii) foreign economic news affects domestic returns; (iii) futures returns adjust to news immediately; (iv) announcement timing of macroeconomic news matters; (v) stock market dynamic interactions do not increase at the time of the release of economic news; (vi) foreign investors react to the content of the news itself more than to the response of the domestic market to the national news; and (vii) contemporaneous correlation between futures returns changes at the time of macroeconomic releases.
Bisubstrate Inhibitors of Protein Kinases: from Principle to Practical Applications

Bisubstrate inhibitors consist of two conjugated fragments, each targeted to a different binding site of a bisubstrate enzyme. The design of bisubstrate inhibitors presupposes the formation of the ternary complex in the course of the catalyzed reaction. The principle advantage of bisubstrate inhibitors is their ability to generate more interactions with the target enzyme that could result in improved affinity and selectivity of the conjugates, when compared with single‐site inhibitors. Among phosphotransferases, the approach was first successfully used for adenylate kinase in 1973. Since then, several types of bisubstrate inhibitors have been developed for protein kinases, including conjugates of peptides with nucleotides, adenosine derivatives and potent ATP‐competitive inhibitors. Earlier bisubstrate inhibitors had pharmacokinetic qualities that were unsuitable for cellular experiments and hence were mostly used for in vitro studies. The recently constructed conjugates of adenosine derivatives and D‐arginine‐rich peptides (ARCs) possess high kinase affinity, high biological and chemical stability and good cell plasma membrane penetrative properties that enable their application in the regulation of cellular protein phosphorylation balances in cell and tissue experiments.
Pharmacokinetics of chemotherapy in the older patient.

BACKGROUND The number of individuals aged 65 years and older is growing rapidly, and the majority of cancers are diagnosed in this age group. Age-related changes in physiology can affect chemotherapy pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in older patients. METHODS We review the literature regarding the impact of age on the pharmacokinetics of commonly used chemotherapy drugs and discuss age-related changes in physiology and pharmacology that can affect chemotherapy tolerance in older patients. RESULTS The data on age-related changes in chemotherapy pharmacokinetics are conflicting. While a few studies report age-related differences in chemotherapy pharmacokinetics, most found no significant difference or subtle differences in pharmacokinetics with aging. A difference in pharmacodynamics was commonly seen, however, with older patients at increased risk of myelosuppression and toxicity from age-related decline in organ function. The majority of these studies were performed in a small cohort of patients, thus limiting the generalizability of these results. CONCLUSIONS Additional studies are needed to address the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of cancer therapies in the older patient. Multicenter pharmacokinetic studies of adequate sample size, which include a thorough evaluation of physiologic factors and geriatric assessment parameters, would provide further insight into the factors affecting treatment tolerance. These studies would also help to guide appropriate chemotherapy dosing and interventions in order to maximize efficacy and minimize toxicity in the older patient.
A Metamodel for the Rubus Component Model: Extensions for Timing and Model Transformation From EAST-ADL

According to the model-driven engineering paradigm, one of the entry requirements when realizing a seamless tool chain for the development of software is the definition of metamodels, to regulate the specification of models, and model transformations, for automating manipulations of models. In this context, we present a metamodel definition for the Rubus component model, an industrial solution used for the development of vehicular embedded systems. The metamodel includes the definition of structural elements as well as elements for describing timing information. In order to show how, using model-driven engineering, the integration between different modeling levels can be automated, we present a model-to-model transformation between models conforming to EAST-ADL and models described by means of the Rubus component model. To validate our solution, we exploit a set of industrial automotive applications to show the applicability of both the Rubus component model metamodel and the model transformation.