Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Context Enhancing Representation for Semantic Segmentation in Remote Sensing Images

As the foundation of image interpretation, semantic segmentation is an active topic in the field of remote sensing. Facing the complex combination of multiscale objects existing in remote sensing images (RSIs), the exploration and modeling of contextual information have become the key to accurately identifying the objects at different scales. Although several methods have been proposed in the past decade, insufficient context modeling of global or local information, which easily results in the fragmentation of large-scale objects, the ignorance of small-scale objects, and blurred boundaries. To address the above issues, we propose a contextual representation enhancement network (CRENet) to strengthen the global context (GC) and local context (LC) modeling in high-level features. The core components of the CRENet are the local feature alignment enhancement module (LFAEM) and the superpixel affinity loss (SAL). The LFAEM aligns and enhances the LC in low-level features by constructing contextual contrast through multilayer cascaded deformable convolution and is then supplemented with high-level features to refine the segmentation map. The SAL assists the network to accurately capture the GC by supervising semantic information and relationship learned from superpixels. The proposed method is plug-and-play and can be embedded in any FCN-based network. Experiments on two popular RSI datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed network with competitive performance in qualitative and quantitative aspects.
SIRT1 targeted by miR‐211‐5p regulated proliferation and apoptosis of Dex‐treated growth plate chondrocytes via mediating SOX2

Dexamethasone (Dex) is reported to cause bone growth retardation in children, which is associated with the increased apoptosis and decreased proliferation of growth plate chondrocytes. Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) plays an important role in chondrocyte function and homeostasis. Thus, we further explored the regulatory mechanism of SIRT1 in Dex‐induced growth plate chondrocyte dysfunction. SIRT1 expression was detected in Dex‐treated growth plate chondrocytes using RT‐qPCR and western blot assay. The modulation of SIRT1 on SOX2 expression was evaluated. Besides, we identified that SIRT1 was targeted by miR‐211‐5p using TargetScan and RNA pull‐down assay. A loss‐of‐function assay was performed to evaluate the effects of miR‐211‐5p on Dex‐induced growth plate chondrocyte dysfunction in vitro and in vivo. We found that SIRT1 was downregulated in Dex‐treated growth plate chondrocytes. The expression of SOX2 was upregulated by overexpression SIRT1. Meanwhile, downregulation of SOX2 weakened the positive function of SIRT1 overexpression on Dex‐induced growth plate chondrocytes dysfunction. Subsequently, we confirmed that SIRT1 was targeted by miR‐211‐5p. MiR‐211‐5p inhibitor increased the expression levels of SIRT1 and SOX2, and restored the Dex‐treated growth plate chondrocyte function. Animal assays further demonstrated that the effects of miR‐211‐5p on the growth plate chondrogenesis. In conclusion, our data suggest that SIRT1 exerts a protective effect on growth plate chondrocyte under Dex stimulation. MiR‐211‐5p/SIRT1/SOX2 axis regulates the process of Dex‐inhibited growth plate chondrogenesis.
New ultraviolet C light‐based method for pathogen inactivation of red blood cell units

Pathogen inactivation (PI) technologies for platelet concentrates and plasma are steadily becoming more established, but new PI treatment options for red blood cells (RBCs), the most commonly used blood component, still need to be developed. We present a novel approach to inactivating pathogens in RBC units employing ultraviolet C (UVC) light.
Experiences with continuous quality improvement work based on the Occupational Therapy Intervention Process Model

Abstract Background Sustainability is an important issue in implementation processes in health care, and more knowledge is needed to facilitate improvement work in occupational therapy practice. Aim The aim of this study was to explore how occupational therapists experienced continuous quality improvement work based on the Occupational Therapy Intervention Process Model after 17 years. Method Two focus group interviews were conducted with a total of 12 occupational therapists. The data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Results The analysis resulted in three themes with related subthemes describing the occupational therapists’ experiences of their model-based long-term improvement work. The themes were labelled as follows: ‘sharing a safe and well-known professional reasoning’, ‘reaching normality and empowerment’ and ‘questioning and reshaping the too safe and too well-known normality’. The model functioned as a sustainable framework both for ordinary clinical practice and for continuous improvement work. Conclusion By using the model, the occupational therapists had established a safe and well-known professional reasoning in which continual quality improvement work had become sustainable.
Fifty years of pancreas cancer care

Resulting from 50 years of innovation, operations for pancreatic neoplasms can now be performed safely, albeit with significant but manageable morbidity. Molecular diagnosis has allowed for the identification of multiple distinct histopathologies with variable natural histories. Observation is now a strategy for selected indolent cysts and some neuroendocrine neoplasms. For ductal pancreatic adenocarcinoma, a long‐term cure remains elusive and will require more than surgical resection for meaningful progress.
Association of venous thromboembolism between hydrophilic and lipophilic statin users among diabetic subjects

This retrospective analysis aimed to compare the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) between patients with diabetes mellitus who received hydrophilic statin treatment to those who receive lipophilic statin. There were 6639 patients receiving hydrophilic statin therapy and 10,854 patients receiving lipophilic statin therapy in the study. The hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals for VTE were estimated using univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models when the study cohorts were compared. Among all patients, the incidence rate of VTE was 4.27 per 1000 person-years in the control cohort, 4.18 per 1000 person-years in the hydrophilic statin use cohort, and 3.91 per 1000 person-years in the lipophilic statin use cohort. After adjusting for age, sex, and comorbidities, the risk of VTE in the hydrophilic statin use cohort was 0.90 (0.72, 1.12) lower than that in the control cohort, the risk of VTE in the lipophilic statin use cohort was 0.87 (0.72, 1.05) lower than that in the control cohort, and the risk of VTE in the lipophilic statin use cohort was 0.97 (0.78, 1.21) lower than that in the hydrophilic statin use cohort. However, all were not statistically significant. Our result showed that there was no significant difference among the study cohorts regarding the outcome of VTE.
Angular momentum from tidal torques

The origin of the angular momentum of bound objects in large N-body simulations is studied using three sets of models. One model with white-noise initial conditions is analyzed as well as two in which the initial conditions have more power on large scales, as predicted in models with cold dark matter. The growth and distribution of angular momentum in individual objects is studied and it is found that the specific angular momentum distribution of bound clumps increases in a near linear fashion with radius while the orientation of the angular momentum in the inner high-density regions is often poorly correlated with that of the outer parts. It is also found that the dimensionless spin parameter is insensitive to the initial perturbation spectrum and has a median value of about 0.05. 61 references.
The effect of schizophrenia risk factors on mismatch responses in a rat model

Abstract Reduced mismatch negativity (MMN), a robust finding in schizophrenia, has prompted interest in MMN as a preclinical biomarker of schizophrenia. The rat brain can generate human‐like mismatch responses (MMRs) which therefore enables the exploration of the neurobiology of reduced MMRs. Given epidemiological evidence that two developmental factors, maternal infection and adolescent cannabis use, increase the risk of schizophrenia, we determined the effect of these two developmental risk factors on rat MMR amplitude in different auditory contexts. MMRs were assessed in awake adult male and female Wistar rats that were offspring of pregnant dams treated with either a viral infection mimetic (poly I:C) inducing maternal immune activation (MIA) or saline control. In adolescence, subgroups of the prenatal treatment groups were exposed to either a synthetic cannabinoid (adolescent cannabinoid exposure: ACE) or vehicle. The context under which MMRs were obtained was manipulated by employing two different oddball paradigms, one that manipulated the physical difference between rare and common auditory stimuli, and another that manipulated the probability of the rare stimulus. The design of the multiple stimulus sequences across the two paradigms also allowed an investigation of context on MMRs to two identical stimulus sequences. Male offspring exposed to each of the risk factors for schizophrenia (MIA, ACE or both) showed a reduction in MMR, which was evident only in the probability paradigm, with no effects seen in the physical difference. Our findings highlight the importance of contextual factors induced by paradigm manipulations and sex for modeling schizophrenia‐like MMN impairments in rats.
Neural basis of implicit motor sequence learning: Modulation of cortical power

Abstract Implicit sequence learning describes the acquisition of serially ordered movements and sequentially structured cognitive information, that occurs without awareness. Theta, alpha and beta cortical oscillations are present during implicit motor sequence learning, but their role in this process is unclear. The current study addressed this gap in the literature. A total of 50 healthy adults aged between 19 and 37 years participated in the study. Implicit motor sequence learning was examined using the Serial Reaction Time task where participants unknowingly repeat a sequence of finger movements in response to a visual stimulus. Sequence learning was examined by comparing reaction times and oscillatory power between sequence trials and a set of control trials comprising random stimulus presentations. Electroencephalography was recorded as participants completed the task. Analyses of the behavioral data revealed participants learnt the sequence. Analyses of oscillatory activity, using permutation testing, revealed sequence learning was associated with a decrease in theta band (4–7 Hz) power recorded over frontal and central electrode sites. Sequence learning effects were not observed in the alpha (7–12 Hz) or beta bands (12–20 Hz). Even though alpha and beta power modulations have long been associated with executing a motor response, it seems theta power is a correlate of sequence learning in the manual domain. Theta power modulations on the serial reaction time task may reflect disengagement of attentional resources, either promoting or occurring as a consequence of implicit motor sequence learning
Pathogen effector AvrSr35 triggers Sr35 resistosome assembly via a direct recognition mechanism

Nucleotide-binding, leucine-rich repeat receptors (NLRs) perceive pathogen effectors to trigger plant immunity. The direct recognition mechanism of pathogen effectors by coiled-coil NLRs (CNLs) remains unclear. We demonstrate that the Triticum monococcum CNL Sr35 directly recognizes the pathogen effector AvrSr35 from Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici and report a cryo–electron microscopy structure of Sr35 resistosome and a crystal structure of AvrSr35. We show that AvrSr35 forms homodimers that are disassociated into monomers upon direct recognition by the leucine-rich repeat domain of Sr35, which induces Sr35 resistosome assembly and the subsequent immune response. The first 20 amino-terminal residues of Sr35 are indispensable for immune signaling but not for plasma membrane association. Our findings reveal the direct recognition and activation mechanism of a plant CNL and provide insights into biochemical function of Sr35 resistosome.
Binary Segmentation Procedure for Detecting Change Points in a DNA Sequence

It is interesting to locate homogeneous segments within a DNA sequence. Suppose that the DNA sequence has segments within which the observations follow the same residue frequency distribution, and between which observations have different distributions. In this setting, change points correspond to the end points of these segments. This article explores the use of a binary segmentation procedure in detecting the change points in the DNA sequence. The change points are determined using a sequence of nested hypothesis tests of whether a change point exists. At each test, we compare no change-point model with a single change-point model by using the Bayesian information criterion. Thus, the method circumvents the computational complexity one would normally face in problems with an unknown number of change points. We illustrate the procedure by analyzing the genome of the bacteriophage lambda.
Epidemiology of infection by pulmonary non-tuberculous mycobacteria in French Guiana 2008–2018

Introduction Unlike diseases caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, M. leprae and M. ulcerans, the epidemiology of pulmonary non-tuberculous mycobacteria (PNTM) has not received due attention in French Guiana. The main objective of the current study was to define the incidence of these PNTM infections: NTM pulmonary diseases (NTM-PD) and casual PNTM isolation (responsible of latent infection or simple colonization). The secondary objectives were to determine species diversity and geographic distribution of these atypical mycobacteria. Methods A retrospective observational study (2008–2018) of French Guiana patients with at least one PNTM positive respiratory sample in culture was conducted. Patients were then classified into two groups: casual PNTM isolation or pulmonary disease (NTM-PD), according to clinical, radiological and microbiological criteria defined by the American Thoracic Society / Infectious Disease Society of America (ATS / IDSA) in 2007. Results 178 patients were included, out of which 147 had casual PNTM isolation and 31 had NTM-PD. Estimated annual incidence rate of respiratory isolates was 6.17 / 100,000 inhabitants per year while that of NTM-PD was 1.07 / 100,000 inhabitants per year. Among the 178 patients, M. avium complex (MAC) was the most frequently isolated pathogen (38%), followed by M. fortuitum then M. abscessus (19% and 6% of cases respectively), the latter two mycobacteria being mainly found in the coastal center region. Concerning NTM-PD, two species were mainly involved: MAC (81%) and M. abscessus (16%). Discussion/Conclusion This is the first study on the epidemiology of PNTM infections in French Guiana. PNTM’s incidence looks similar to other contries and metropolitan France and NTM-PD is mostly due to MAC and M.abscessus. Although French Guiana is the French territory with the highest tuberculosis incidence, NTM should not be overlooked.
The Sphingolipids Clearly Play a Role in Parkinson's Disease, but Nature Has Made it Complicated

A recent article in this journal 1 adds to a growing avalanche of data concerning the relationship between sphingolipid metabolism and Parkinson ’ s disease (PD). The focus on this connection owes to the fact that mutations in the GBA1 gene have been linked to the risk and the rate of progression of PD ( GBA1 is one of a very few genes that are related to both 2,3 ). GBA1 encodes the lysosomal enzyme glucocerebrosidase (GCase), which catalyzes the hydrolysis of the sphingolipid to produce ceramide Progression-related single-allele mutations are associated with a mild (10 – 50%) loss of GCase activity. Inheritance of two mutant alleles produces a much more severe de ﬁ cit of GCase activity (typically 90%) and Gaucher ’ s disease. In Gaucher ’ s disease, GluCer accumulates in peripheral cells, as predicted by Michaelis – Menten kinetics. 4 This same analysis stated that GluCer accumulation would not be expected to occur in the case of mild loss of GCase activity (as in GBA-PD). Unfor-tunately, its conclusion was widely ignored (including by me, for a time), and the hypothesis that GluCer accumulation occurs in GBA-PD and may drive GBA-PD progression took root despite the lack of experimental evidence.
Measurement of visible cross sections in proton-lead collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV in van der Meer scans with the ALICE detector

In 2013, the Large Hadron Collider provided proton-lead and lead-proton collisions at the center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair √sNN=5.02 TeV . Van der Meer scans were performed for both configurations of colliding beams, and the cross section was measured for two reference processes, based on particle detection by the T0 and V0 detectors, with pseudo-rapidity coverage 4.6 < η < 4.9, -3.3 < η < -3.0 and 2.8 < η < 5.1, -3.7 < η < -1.7, respectively. Given the asymmetric detector acceptance, the cross section was measured separately for the two configurations. The measured visible cross sections are used to calculate the integrated luminosity of the proton-lead and lead-proton data samples, and to indirectly measure the cross section for a third, configuration-independent, reference process, based on neutron detection by the Zero Degree Calorimeters.
Investigating the Need for Explicit Communication of Non-Yielding Intent through a Slow-Pulsing Light Band (SPLB) eHMI in AV-Pedestrian Interaction

External human-machine interfaces (eHMIs) support automated vehicles (AVs) in interacting with vulnerable road users such as pedestrians. eHMI research has mostly dealt with investigating the communication an AV’s yielding intent, but there is little insight into how (or if) an eHMI should communicate an AV’s non-yielding intent. We conducted a video-based study (N = 25) with two eHMI concepts that offer pedestrians information about the vehicle’s non-yielding intent either explicitly or implicitly, and compared it with a baseline of an AV without an eHMI. Results show that while both kinds of eHMIs are effective and perform better than the baseline, there is no evidence of significant difference in road-crossing decision performance between explicit and implicit eHMIs in ambiguous situations. However, subjective feedback shows a trend of preference for eHMIs that communicate an AV’s intent explicitly at all times, although with a need for a significant distinction between the yielding and non-yielding messages.
“Can you rely on me?” Evaluating a Confidence HMI for Cooperative, Automated Driving

First concepts for cooperative driving already illustrate the potential of the cooperation between human drivers and automated vehicles. However, the main influencing factors that determine an efficient and effective cooperation still need to be investigated. We therefore examined the effects of displaying the vehicle’s intended decision in a critical situation in combination with a confidence value. In a driving simulator study (N=49), the automated vehicle communicated uncertainty in predicting the behavior of a pedestrian and the participants could support the automation by entering their own decision to stop or drive through. The results show that the time until entering the own decision (system override) was longer when a pending system decision was indicated with a confidence value in the HMI. A low confidence value resulted in the longest interaction times. In addition, trust in automation and usability were lower compared to the baseline cooperative HMI without a confidence value.
The Impact of Expectations about Automated and Manual Vehicles on Drivers’ Behavior: Insights from a Mixed Traffic Driving Simulator Study

As drivers’ expectations guide their perception and behavior, violated expectations can lead to mistakes and discomfort. In this work, the role of expectations regarding drivers’ reactions to automated (AVs) and manual vehicles (MVs) was investigated. Interviews were conducted to explore expectations toward AVs and MVs. Then, drivers interacted with AVs and MVs in a multi-agent driving simulator. The vehicles yielded or insisted on the right-of-way, indicated by a lateral offset. Self-report data revealed that drivers expected AVs to drive second (yield) and MVs to drive first (insist) in narrow passages. Driving simulator data showed that driving behavior improved, i.e., faster passing time, higher average speed, and higher lateral position, when AVs yielded and matched drivers’ expectations, compared to MVs that behaved the same way. No improvement was found when MVs (vs. AVs) insisted on the right-of-way. Overall, yielding was evaluated more trustworthy and cooperative than insisting for both vehicle categories.
A Note on Similarity Reductions of Barotropic and Quasi-geostrophic Potential Vorticity Equation

Applying the classical Lie symmetry approach to the barotropic and quasi-geostrophic potential vorticity equation without forcing and dissipation on a β-plane channel, we find a new symmetry, which is not presented in a previous work [F. Huang, Commun. Theor. Phys. (Beijing, China) 42 (2004) 903]. A general finite transformation group is obtained based on the full Lie point symmetry. Furthermore, two new types of similarity reduction solutions are obtained.
Hepatic encephalopathy is not a contraindication to pre-emptive TIPS in high-risk patients with cirrhosis with variceal bleeding

Background A pre-emptive transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (pTIPS) reduces mortality in high-risk patients with cirrhosis (Child-Pugh C/B+active bleeding) with acute variceal bleeding (AVB). Real-life studies point out that <15% of patients eligible for pTIPS ultimately undergo transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) due to concerns about hepatic encephalopathy (HE). The outcome of patients undergoing pTIPS with HE is unknown. We aimed to (1) assess the prevalence of HE in patients with AVB; (2) evaluate the outcome of patients presenting HE at admission after pTIPS; and (3) determine if HE at admission is a risk factor for death and post-TIPS HE. Patients and methods This is an observational study including 2138 patients from 34 centres between October 2011 and May 2015. Placement of pTIPS was based on individual centre policy. Patients were followed up to 1 year, death or liver transplantation. Results 671 of 2138 patients were considered at high risk, 66 received pTIPS and 605 endoscopic+drug treatment. At admission, HE was significantly more frequent in high-risk than in low-risk patients (39.2% vs 10.6%, p<0.001). In high-risk patients with HE at admission, pTIPS was associated with a lower 1-year mortality than endoscopic+drug (HR 0.374, 95% CI 0.166 to 0.845, p=0.0181). The incidence of HE was not different between patients treated with pTIPS and endoscopic+drug (38.2% vs 38.7%, p=0.9721), even in patients with HE at admission (56.4% vs 58.7%, p=0.4594). Age >56, shock, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score >15, endoscopic+drug treatment and HE at admission were independent factors of death in high-risk patients. Conclusion pTIPS is associated with better survival than endoscopic treatment in high-risk patients with cirrhosis with variceal bleeding displaying HE at admission.